AllSides News Briefing: February 15, 2023

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Hello! I’m AllSides Managing Editor Henry A. Brechter. It’s Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Here’s your AllSides balanced briefing for today.

TODAY'S WEATHER

See today’s weather radar and temperature maps for your area from the NOAA.

TOP STORIES FOR FEB. 15

See news from left, center, and right-rated sources with our balanced Headline Roundups on these stories:

• U.S. inflation rose 0.5% in January from the month before, and rose 6.4% on an annual basis. A jump in shelter costs was a key factor in the continued month-over-month price growth.

• Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) office said she would not seek a sixth Senate term. At 89 years old, Feinstein is the oldest person in the Senate.

• The U.S. military said Tuesday it conducted a "routine intercept" of four Russian warplanes over Alaska on Monday. The news comes amid heightened alert over UFOs and spy balloons.

DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

Can Nikki Haley actually win the Republican nomination in 2024?

Haley is the first candidate to formally challenge Trump for the nomination. Some voices said she has “nowhere near the national recognition and support” to defeat former President Donald Trump. Others believe she holds appeal with Republicans who are tired of “firebrand” candidates.

See perspectives from left, center, and right with our Headline Roundup on this story.

MISINFORMATION WATCH

Biden didn’t make billion-dollar cuts to Medicare benefits, and Republicans aren’t poised to either. But that didn’t stop each from levying misleading claims against the other.

In his State of the Union address, Biden said, “some Republicans are looking to sunset Social Security and Medicare.” And in an interview last week, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said Biden recently “cut $280 billion in Medicare.”

Both statements are highly misleading. See why with our latest Misinformation Watch blog.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Americans were expected to spend roughly $26 billion on Valentine's Day gifts this year, according to the National Retail Federation. USA TODAY (Lean Left bias)

• India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country this year; its population has grown by more than 1 billion people since 1950. Pew Research (Center bias)

• The shift to remote work is costing New York City more than $12 billion each year, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Fox Business (Lean Right bias)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK

See AllSides Balanced Search results from left, center and right-rated sources on these stories:

• President Biden will undergo his annual physical on Thursday. The White House had previously said the physical would be complete by the end of January.

• Parts of Georgia’s special grand jury report on its investigation into Donald Trump and the 2020 election are set to be released Thursday.

GOOD NEWS

A 17-year-old high school athlete is being credited with saving an 83-year-old man and his dog who fell through thin ice on an Iowa lake last week.

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Henry A. Brechter is the Managing Editor of AllSides. He has a Center bias.

This briefing was reviewed and edited by News Editor Joseph Ratliff (Lean Left bias) and Politics Editor Beth Hicks (Right bias).