Alec Baldwin to be charged in 'Rust' shooting

Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the "Rust" shooting. The Treasury Department has hit the debt ceiling. And more than 24 million Americans are under a winter weather advisory as a snowstorm pushes eastward.

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Alec Baldwin to be charged in fatal on-set shooting

Alec Baldwin and "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of a cinematographer during a rehearsal of the set of “Rust," the Santa Fe, New Mexico, district attorney announced Thursday. Assistant director David Halls signed a plea deal for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to the D.A.'s office. Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor appointed by the DA to the case, added: “If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple."

• Moment by moment details of how fatal 'Rust' movie set shooting unfolded

Treasury is starting 'extraordinary measures' to avoid debt default

The Treasury Department on Thursday began “extraordinary measures” to pay the nation’s bills after reaching a limit on how much it's allowed to borrow, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress. The debt ceiling refers to the maximum amount the U.S. government can spend on its existing obligations, including Social Security and military salaries. Without a higher debt ceiling, the government would default on bills it already has incurred and committed to pay. Economists warn that defaulting on its debt – something the U.S. has never done – could cause financial markets to tank, hurting 401(k)s and other investments.

• What happens if the US hits the debt ceiling? Here's what to expect.

What everyone's talking about

• Biden, Trump cases expose wider problem: Missing classified docs not uncommon.

• Not 'enough in the tank': New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern quits over burnout.

• Helicopter crash kills senior leaders in Brovary, Ukraine: Here's what we know.

• As Roe v. Wade marks 50th anniversary, advocates push further.

• Attention, Oscars! Our staff hopes these performances feel the love at Academy Awards.

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Athletics, honor code and slurs

Athletes who identify as LGBTQ are opening up about the challenges they face at BYU where any same-sex romantic behavior is an honor code violation. “BYU is a place where any sort of marginalization just gets exacerbated,’’ said Charlie Siragusa, a gay volleyball player who played at BYU from 2017 to 2019. Siragusa also told USA TODAY Sports, "So much of what occurs (at BYU) is just like covert homophobia or racism.’’ The school's honor code specifically addresses LGBTQ students. Violations of the honor code can result in disciplinary action, including expulsion from the school.

• BYU fans again accused of using racial slurs, this time during a women's soccer match

SCOTUS investigation fails to identify abortion opinion leak

The Supreme Court said that after a months-long investigation, they have failed to identify who is responsible for the leak of the draft opinion in an abortion case last year. The court's announcement came more than eight months after a draft opinion in Mississippi's challenge to Roe v. Wade leaked on May 2. The unprecedented breach of Supreme Court protocol, which showed how the conservative justices might overturn Roe, prompted a flurry of reaction from both anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups, and raised questions about the court's deliberative process.

Real quick

• Amazon discontinues charity donation program as layoffs continue.

• New York City becomes first US city to offer free abortion pills at health clinics

• Wes Moore sworn-in as Maryland’s first Black governor.

• Human trafficking laws were supposed to help women. Victims’ stories say otherwise.

• Controversial LIV Golf reaches TV partnership deal with CW Network.

'Near whiteout conditions'

More than 24 million Americans are under a winter weather advisory as a snowstorm pushes eastward. The storm hammered Denver with the biggest two-day January snowfall in more than 30 years. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour and gusty winds could make "travel difficult to impossible," the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said in a statement. New York City appeared unlikely to be hit — the city could set a record for the longest number of consecutive days without measurable snow if the streak lasts through Feb. 6, AccuWeather said.

• What is thundersnow and how does it form? Explaining how a thunderstorm can produce snow

A break from the news

• 🐇 Hop into the Year of the Rabbit with our top 10 style picks.

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Watch: Teen and his twin sister's reactions to his Harvard admission is so wholesome.

• 📺  Don't expect 'That '70s Show' magic in Netflix's 'That '90s Show.'

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alec Baldwin, debt ceiling hit, near whiteout conditions: The Short List