TICK, TICK, TICK: WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES TWELVE, WE'RE TOAST Maybe those people on Doomsday Preppersaren't that off base. We are dangerously close to the end of the world , scientists said today as they moved the hand of the symbolic Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight. They cited unchecked climate change and the threat of nuclear weapons. Some stark words you really don't want to hear from a lady who speaks for a group of atomic scientists: "The probability of global catastrophe is very high. This is about the end of civilization as we know it," said Kennette Benedict, the executive director and publisher of theBulletin of the Atomic Scientists . The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 by scientists who had helped develop the first nuclear weapons in the Manhattan Project. Three minutes is the closest to midnight the clock has been since 1984, during the Cold War. The closest it has ever been to midnight — two minutes— was in 1953, when the hydrogen bomb was first tested. The closer to a setting of midnight it gets, the closer it's estimated that a global disaster will occur. So, are we doomed? Maybe. Meanwhile, we're stockpiling bottled water, Cheetos and blankets. Actually, we guess that's kind of our normal stash at # shortlistHQ. Let's hope we're all still here in the next millennium — and hey, maybe we'll give you #theshortlistin hologram form.
TODAY AT DAVOS: MERKEL'S IMPECCABLE TIMING, THE PRINCE AND THE SEX CLAIMS, TOPLESS PROTESTER Following the actions of the world's central banks requires a certain degree of conspiracy theory, and the coordinated timing today at Davos — impossible to prove — will go down as one of the better ones, writes USA TODAY editor in chief David Callaway. Here's what happened : In its most aggressive move yet to rouse the listless eurozone economy, the European Central Bank agreed today to buy 60 billion euros ($68.4 billion) a month in bonds to hold down interest rates and pump cash into the banking system. Merkel was speaking to the world's financial elite at the World Economic Forum when that announcement was supposed to happen. But the big reveal was delayed, and it was only as the German chancellor was smiling, waving and walking off stage that the headlines began pouring in from Frankfurt (Germany has opposed the ECB's stimulus package). Also at Davos, Britain's Prince Andrew denied the shocking allegations that he had sex with an underage American girl, as claimed in a Florida civil lawsuit. It was the first public appearance by the Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, since the allegations surfaced two weeks ago. And of course, it wouldn't be a meeting of global powers without a topless protester or two. Catch up on #Davos2015 here.
TOM BRADY: DEFLATEGATE ISN'T ISIS Quarterback Tom Brady had a press conference on Deflategate today, and he didn't really say much. What, did you expect him to confess to him and Gisele lurking in the bowels of Gillette Stadium, sticking needles in the game footballs with a pressure gauge to make sure they were the perfect 9.8 PSI? Brady said he "didn't alter any football in any way," and stressed that he was way more focused on the game than on the pressure of the balls. He said the integrity of the game "is a very important issue," but also dropped "this isn't ISIS ... no one's dying." The presser came hours after his coach, Bill Belichick, held his own fascinatingly defiant press conference in which he denied all involvement and seemed to hang Brady out to dry (when Brady was asked about Belichick's comments during his own presser, he didn't bite). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour finds it hard to believe that "control-freak" Belichick has no idea how all of those footballs suddenly lost air pressure Sunday night. So, to recap, we didn't really learn much today at either press conference. But Gillette didn't mind.
UBER RELEASES ITS FIRST REPORT ON ITS DRIVERS Today Uberreleased a study that looks at who its drivers are and how much they make. The report showed the company's 160,000 drivers make an average of $16,000 a year. That might not seem like a lot, but the survey also found that roughly 52% of Uber drivers are part-time workers and that nearly a third of drivers have full-time jobs, and drive for extra cash. Uber has complete control over fares, which it's been reducing in many cities to attract new customers. That's irked drivers, who've protested the fare cuts. Angry drivers said they were being paid less than minimum wage after expenses and they've compared Uber to retailer WalMart. You can read the full 28-page study here.
SENATORS WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS SPOOKY RADAR GUN THAT CAN SEE THROUGH WALLS Earlier this week, we told you aboutradar devices that can see into your home. Kiiiiinda gave us the heebie-jeebies. Apparently, theybothered some lawmakers, too, because the devices were the topic of a letter the Senate Judiciary Committee sent to Attorney General Eric Holder today. At least 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies have secretly equipped their officers with the technology , with little notice to the public or the courts. The devices work like very fine motion detectors, capable of determining whether someone is inside a building by detecting movement as slight as human breathing. The technology raises legal and privacy issues because the U.S. Supreme Court has said officers generally cannot use high-tech sensors to tell them about the inside of a person's house without first obtaining a search warrant. Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman and ranking Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, raised questions about the radar and the sophisticated use of cellphone monitoring. They asked for a briefing by Feb. 13. |
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| Compiled by Alia E. Dastagir and Cara Richardson. Contributing: Doyle Rice, David Callaway, Brad Heath, Paul Davidson, Kim Hjelmgaard, Donna Leinwand Leger, Kaja Whitehouse, USA TODAY; Nancy Armour, Chris Chase, Nina Mandell, USA TODAY Sports |
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