Wednesday 02.12.25

An American teacher who was wrongfully detained in Russia is back on US soil after the White House secured his release in an "exchange." Learn more about Marc Fogel, who was arrested in 2021 at a Moscow airport for carrying cannabis and given a 14-year sentence at a hard labor camp. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and on With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Banner

Elon Musk answers reporters questions in the Oval Office. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Federal agencies

Dozens of federal workers gathered in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to protest for their jobs amid extensive cuts to federal agencies. Many were placed on administrative leave last week as part of Elon Musk's broader efforts to reduce government spending. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to work with Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to cut staff and limit hiring. Most Republicans, at least publicly, support efforts to gut the federal workforce. But under the surface, some GOP lawmakers are growing concerned about the pair's efforts to usurp the authority of Congress.

Winter weather

Winter weather has kicked into high gear across the US and it's not slowing down anytime soon. Rain, snow and sleet fell across a 1,500-mile stretch of the eastern US on Tuesday, with more than a foot of snow recorded across parts of the Appalachians in Virginia and West Virginia. The second of back-to-back-to-back winter storms will hit some of the same areas today and dump the most substantial snow of the season on Chicago. A third storm in the coming days will present the most serious flood threat that Southern California has faced since January's devastating wildfires.

Ukraine

In a series of meetings in Europe this week, US officials are urging their EU and NATO counterparts to take on a much greater role in supporting Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to urge members to increase their defense spending to 5% of their respective GDPs and ramp up their defense industrial base to start manufacturing weapons and equipment more quickly. This comes as the Trump administration appears to be pursuing multiple channels to try to get a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after the president said he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office.

NASA astronauts

After a monthslong delay, there is a new plan to bring two NASA astronauts home from the International Space Station. NASA moved the return date for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams up by a couple of weeks — a slight adjustment to a plan that had already been in place for months. The space agency said it was able to adjust the schedule because it opted to swap the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule it will use to fly its Crew-10 mission, which will now launch as soon as March 12 "pending mission readiness." Wilmore and Williams have been on the space station since last June and were initially slated to spend only about a week at the orbiting laboratory.

Tuna recall

Certain canned tuna products sold at Costco, Trader Joe's, Walmart and other retailers have been recalled due to botulism risk. There was a defect in manufacturing the "easy open" pull tab on the lids of the tuna, branded as Genova, Van Camp's or various store brands. The company said there's a risk of food leaking or contamination with Clostridium botulinum, or botulism, without proper sealing. Symptoms of the rare but potentially fatal disease include muscle weakness, blurry vision, difficulty speaking and paralysis. People with the recalled tuna cans should discard them immediately or return them for a refund.

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127.7 million

That's how many viewers tuned into Sunday's Super Bowl, which saw the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. That marks a 3% increase over last year's record-breaking game. 

[With] the economy remaining strong, we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance. 

— Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, telling lawmakers on Tuesday that America's central bank is in no rush to slash interest rates any time soon.

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