Snow Drought, Bridge Dispute, & Cat vs. Dog Parenting

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Adam Rogers
February 11, 2026

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President Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge across the Detroit River, demanding the US receive at least half ownership. Canada paid for the bridge entirely and built it to ease congestion on the existing Ambassador Bridge, the busiest trade crossing on the northern border.
The bridge, named after the Canadian hockey star who played for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 seasons, was negotiated by former Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder and has been under construction since 2018. Michigan and Canada will jointly operate it upon opening, expected this spring.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's office said the bridge "is going to open one way or another" as US-Canada relations deteriorate ahead of this year's review of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

A record snow drought is hitting most of the American West, with snow cover at 155,000 square miles compared to the normal 460,000 square miles this time of year. At least 67 Western weather stations have recorded their warmest December through early February on record, and more than 8,500 daily high temperature records have been broken or tied since December 1.
Oregon's snowpack is 30% below its previous record low, while Salt Lake City has gone 327 days without an inch of snow, the longest stretch since 1890-91. Oregon, Colorado, and Utah have all reported their lowest statewide snowpack since records began in the early 1980s.
Precipitation that would normally fall as snow and remain in the mountains for months is instead falling as rain, which runs off faster and won't replenish rivers later in the season. Scientists warn that the drought threatens the Colorado River Basin's water supply and could trigger an early wildfire season.

Alphabet, Google's parent company, is selling a rare 100-year bond as part of a massive debt raise, the first such offering by a technology firm since Motorola in 1997. The bond will be denominated in British pounds, marking Alphabet's debut in the UK market.
The debt raise comes less than a week after Alphabet announced up to $185 billion in capital expenditures this year — double last year’s spending — to fund its AI ambitions. Companies issue bonds to raise money from investors, paying interest and repaying the principal over time. Century bonds carry added risk because acquisitions, technological shifts, or outdated business models can reshape industries; J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy just 23 years after issuing one.
Alphabet is not alone. Since September, tech giants have issued more bonds to fund AI investments than they sold over the previous 40 months combined, according to Dealogic. Morgan Stanley expects borrowing by major cloud computing companies to reach $400 billion this year, up from $165 billion in 2025.

The Trump administration will start revoking passports of parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support without waiting for them to renew, a shift from how the 30-year-old law has been enforced. (More)

The FDA is reviewing whether BHA — a preservative in cereals, frozen meals, and meats — causes cancer, decades after federal researchers first flagged the additive as a likely carcinogen. (More)

The FBI released photos of an armed, masked person tampering with Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera the morning the 84-year-old disappeared from her Tucson home 10 days ago." (More)

Amnesty International says Cuba is systematically surveilling, blockading, and detaining relatives of political prisoners and critics. (More)

EU lawmakers voted to let governments deport asylum seekers to countries they've never visited, as long as the EU has signed a deal with the receiving nation. (More)

Ireland became the first country to permanently pay artists a basic income — €325 a week to 2,000 people — after a pilot showed it reduced anxiety and boosted creative output." (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Tuesday (S&P -0.33%, Nasdaq -0.59%, Dow +0.10%). The Dow scored its third consecutive intraday high before settling to end the session. (More)

American credit card debt hit a record $1.28 trillion in Q4 2025, up $44 billion in three months. (More)

Eddie Bauer filed for bankruptcy for the third time in 20 years, citing falling sales across its roughly 180 US and Canadian stores. (More)

Americans Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin fell one shot short of gold in mixed doubles curling Tuesday, losing 6-5 to Sweden, but made history as the first US team to medal in Olympic mixed doubles. (More)

Charlie Woods, Tiger Woods' son, committed to play college golf at Florida State, choosing the Seminoles over his father's alma mater Stanford. (More)

Sunday's Super Bowl drew 124.9 million viewers — below last year's record but NBC's most-watched program ever — and Bad Bunny's halftime show pulled 128.2 million, fourth all-time. (More)

Adults who did computerized 'speed training' brain exercises for roughly 20 hours over three years were 25% less likely to develop Alzheimer's or dementia, a 20-year study found. (More)

Scientists think they've narrowed down where the Soviet Luna 9 moon lander has been sitting since 1966. India's Chandrayaan-2 orbiter could confirm the location in March. (More)

Google updated its privacy tools to let users remove sensitive personal data from Search. (More)

Where incomes are rising fastest by state.

The Super Bowl’s $180 burger.

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