🥁 Axios PM: Not since Charlemagne

💌 V-Day across America | Monday, February 14, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Feb 14, 2022 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 418 words, a 1.5-minute read. ⚖️ Breaking: A New York district judge said he would dismiss a landmark defamation case brought against The New York Times by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin because it failed to prove The Times acted with "actual malice." Go deeper. 📲 Join Axios' Astrid Galván and Russell Contreras tomorrow at 12:30pm ET for a virtual event spotlighting change-makers in the Afro Latino community. Register here.     1 big thing: Worst drought since Charlemagne A Las Vegas resident keeps cool with a bottle of ice on his head in August 2020 at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center in Death Valley, Calif. Photo: David Becker/Reuters 🥵 The last 22 years were the driest period for the Southwest U.S. since at least A.D. 800, reports Axios' Andrew Freedman. About 42% of the drought's severity can be blamed on human emissions of greenhouse gases. The big picture: Human-caused climate change is increasing drought severity by increasing evaporation from the soils, vegetation and inland waterways. The ongoing drought "would not be on a megadrought trajectory in terms of severity or duration without [human-caused] climate change," says a study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change. Between the lines: California is suffering a rare mid-winter melt due to unusually mild temperatures and little to no precipitation. Statewide average snowpack declined from 160% in December to 73% as of Feb. 14. Map: Williams et al., Nature Climate Change, 2022     2. Pic du jour Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images German army soldiers prepare to deploy to Lithuania as part of a NATO push ahead of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.     A message from Facebook Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations, including Section 230     Paige is one of many experts working on privacy at Facebook — to give you more control over your information. Hear more from Paige on why Facebook supports updating regulations on the internet's most pressing challenges, including federal privacy legislation.     3. Catch up quick Cover: Harper Dr. Deborah Birx — who served in government for 40+ years and was President Trump's COVID task force coordinator — will be out April 26 with a memoir (cover above), "Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It's Too Late," Harper announced. D.C. will drop its indoor vaccine and mask mandates in the coming weeks, Mayor Muriel Bowser said. Schools, nursing facilities, child care facilities and libraries will still require masks. Go deeper. The U.S. is temporarily relocating its embassy operations from Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine "due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces," Secretary of State Tony Blinken said. SpaceX is planning to launch at least three private missions in the coming years, culminating in the first crewed flight of the company's Starship next-generation rocket. Go deeper.     4. V-Day smiles to go Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP Above: A Valentine's heart and depictions of the Biden family's pet dog Commander and cat Willow on the North Lawn of the White House. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images Above: Emma Adams proposes to Sarah Malbon in Times Square. The couple, who live in England, had New York trips delayed by COVID in 2020 and 2021.     A message from Facebook We're making investments in safety and security — and seeing results     Facebook has invested $13 billion over the last 5 years to help keep you safe. Since July, we've taken action on: 34.7M pieces of explicit adult content. 26.6M pieces of violent and graphic content. 9.8M pieces of terrorism-related content. See how we're working to help you connect safely.   Like this email style and format? Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: