 President Biden committed Thursday to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, following remarks officially announcing the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. Biden said his nominee would be "someone of extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity," and that he would make an announcement before the end of February. More: - Biden said he has not yet made a decision, but Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Leondra Kruger, a California Supreme Court Justice, are considered the frontrunners.
- Barring unforeseen defections from Senate Democrats, Biden's nominee is expected to receive confirmation. Republicans eliminated the 60-vote threshold previously required to move to a final vote in order to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017.
- This means that Democrats only need to be united in order to confirm a justice; they will require no Republican votes.
- Biden successfully won confirmation of 40 judges in his first year as president with little internal objection.
- In his remarks, Breyer quoted Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and said it would be the responsibility of America's younger generations to ensure that American democracy continues and thrives.
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 The U.S. economy grew in 2021 at its fastest rate in nearly four decades, according to newly-released Commerce Department data. The economy expanded swiftly in the fourth quarter, increasing 6.9% on an annualized basis. GDP growth for the full year was 5.7%, the biggest expansion since 1984. Strong fourth-quarter growth is being primarily attributed to consumer spending during a "respite" between the delta and omicron coronavirus waves. More: - Economists cautioned that some of the data contained warning signs for 2022.
- Some of the growth, for example, could be explained by companies restocking rather than consumers making more purchases.
- The strong growth also reflects how deep and immediate the recession became at the beginning of the pandemic. The labor market has regained about 19 million of the 22 million jobs lost at the peak of pandemic layoffs.
- Though 2022 could continue the pandemic rebound, Q1 numbers should be down, based on omicron-related staffing issues. Consumer demand may be high, but companies are still dealing with shortages of either products, workers, or both.
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 Gas stoves contribute more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than previously thought, according to a new Stanford University study. Researchers measured emissions in 53 home kitchens in California and found that gas stoves are "constantly bleeding a little bit of methane into the atmosphere," even when they're not running. The study estimates that U.S. gas stoves, while turned off, emit 2.6 million tons of methane every year, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas output of 500,000 cars. (The U.S. as a whole puts this amount into the atmosphere every 3.5 hours.) More: - Natural gas is typically more energy-efficient and better for the environment than coal, but study authors say that much of the environmental benefits of gas disappear when consistent methane leakage is taken into account.
- Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, though it has a half-life about one-tenth that of carbon dioxide and doesn't remain in the atmosphere as long.
- Some cities are implementing bans on gas stoves in new constructions, including New York City and San Francisco.
- However, making a change from gas to electric stoves nationwide could prove challenging as natural gas appliances are generally cheaper than electric ones and work better in cold climates.
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 GOOD NEWS: Marine biologists believe Methuselah, an Australian lungfish that lives at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, is the oldest living aquarium fish on Earth. Researchers believe that Methuselah is about 90 years old. It was brought to the U.S. from Australia in 1938 and written about in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1947. More: - The previous oldest aquarium fish, Granddad, died in 2017 at the age of 95 at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
- Australian lungfish is a primitive species with both lungs and gills.
- The aquarium believes Methuselah is female, but this can't be determined without a "risky blood draw."
- Australian researchers plan to analyze a small sample of Methuselah's fin to determine the fish's sex and exact age.
- Methuselah enjoys eating fresh figs and receiving belly rubs.
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 A message from CHILI PIPER How does 2x your inbound pipeline sound? With 60-70% of their inbound demo requests never making it to a booked meeting, Bryan Schuler, ABM and Marketing Operations Manager at SaaSOptics, knew something needed to change. Their inbound scheduling process required SDRs to go back and forth with prospects to qualify and schedule a meeting before speaking with an account executive. Bryan implemented Chili Piper’s Form Concierge, which allowed inbound prospects to book a meeting time in the correct AE’s calendar immediately after filling out their demo request form. Behind the scenes, Chili Piper instantly qualified the lead, routed it to the correct AE, and booked the meeting in their calendar. Since implementing Chili Piper, the SaaSOptics team has seen their booked rate on inbound demo requests increase from 40% to 90%, resulting in 4x more sales meetings and double the amount of inbound pipeline per month. Learn How He Did It
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 Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Thursday after 18 years in the NFL. Roethlisberger was drafted by the Steelers with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft. He won two Super Bowls with the Steelers in the 2005 and 2008 seasons, was a six-time Pro Bowler, and led the NFL in passing yards twice. More: - Roethlisberger, who will turn 40 in March, announced his retirement in a video posted to his Twitter account.
- When eligible, "Big Ben" is expected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, as he finishes his career fifth all time in total passing yards.
- He also holds a number of NFL records, including most career 500-yard passing games (4) and most completions in a regular or postseason game (47).
- "The journey has been exhilarating, fueled by a spirit of competition," he said. "I retire from football a truly grateful man."
- Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault in two separate incidents in 2009 and 2010.
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 Amy Schneider was unseated as "Jeopardy!" champion this week after a 40-game winning streak. Schneider is the second winningest champion in the show's history, trailing only Ken Jennings, who won 74 consecutive games, and is now the interim host of the show. Schneider says she was surprised at her "Jeopardy!" success, initially predicting that, at best, she might win "three or four games." More: - Schneider's 40-game winning streak puts her in the "Jeopardy!" Hall of Fame, just above Matt Amodio, who won 38 consecutive games until being unseated by Schneider.
- She is fifth all-time in "Jeopardy!" prize winnings ($1,382,800) and will compete in the next Tournament of Champions.
- Schneider's final episode was taped in November 2021, meaning she had to keep her loss to Chicago librarian Rhone Talsma a secret for two months.
- She called being on "Jeopardy!" the "most fun thing I've ever done in my whole life," though she expressed relief at not having to come up with any more anecdotes to tell Ken Jennings during the show's interview segment.
- GLAAD's director of transgender representation called Schneider's performance on "Jeopardy!" a "bright spot" for LGBTQ visibility amid a rise in legislation aimed at limiting transgender rights.
- Washington Post columnist Monica Hesse wrote: "Schneider is transgender, and the most monumental thing to note about this is that it wasn't treated as monumental."
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- A "bomb cyclone" is expected to hit the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. this weekend, bringing over a foot of snow to some areas, though forecasters aren't certain which region will be hit the hardest.
- A 15-year-old charged with killing four students at Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30 plans to use an insanity defense, according to a Thursday court filing by his attorneys.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin implemented new measures this week requiring military officials to do more to prevent civilian deaths in the field.
- About 14.5 million Americans enrolled in 2022 health insurance plans through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, a new record.
- A statue of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was placed at the Calabasas, California site of a helicopter crash that killed them and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020.
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- March 10 - NoCode's Impact on the Gig Economy (Register Here)
- March 23 - Need to Know NoCoder: Nichole Bestman (Bubble) (Register Here)
Want to see all of our upcoming events? Visit us at https://inside.com/events
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 |  | Jonathan Harris is a writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles. |  | | Editor | Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is writing an illustrated book about climate change that will be published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade. | |
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