Middle East Quake, State of the Union, and Super Bowl Commercials

Quakes Rock Turkey, Syria

More than 5,000 people were killed after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and a major aftershock hit northern Syria and southern Turkey Monday, with thousands more injured. At least 120 more aftershocks were recorded, with more expected in one of the region's largest recorded seismic events.

The region sits over the East Anatolian fault zone, a highly active conjunction of three tectonics: the Anatolia, Arabia, and Africa plates (see map). Yesterday's quakes resulted from two plates sliding horizontally against each other in what's called a strike-slip movement. 

In Turkey, search teams had rescued at least 7,800 people from the rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings. Aid was complicated in civil war-torn northern Syria, where millions of displaced Syrians live in substandard housing. The US Geological Survey estimates damage from the pair of quakes may reach over $1B; the World Health Organization warned casualties may increase eightfold.

See images of the aftermath here (warning—sensitive content). 

State of the Union 

President Joe Biden will deliver his second State of the Union address tonight, a speech given against the backdrop of rising consumer prices, a strong labor market, a new Republican House majority, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The address comes at a time of mixed economic indicators. The preceding 12 months saw the highest inflation in more than four decades, with consumer prices surging and the cost of financing home purchases almost doubling. At the same time, an estimated 517,000 jobs were added in January with unemployment hitting a five-decade low at 3.4%.

Biden is also expected to argue for continuing support of Ukraine in its war against Russia, as the conflict nears its one-year mark Feb. 24. The US provided more than $50B in aid to Ukraine last year (see breakdown).

The address will be aired on major networks beginning at 9 pm ET, with Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders providing the GOP response.

See a history of the State of the Union here.

Ohio Train Derailment

Authorities in Ohio yesterday released toxic chemicals into the air from five tanker cars of a derailed train to prevent an explosion along the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The train, which had been carrying hazardous materials, went off the tracks Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a large chemical fire that has continued to burn. The area's nearly 5,000 residents were ordered to evacuate Sunday. No injuries have been reported. 

The five cars were transporting the industrially produced chemical vinyl chloride (see 101), which is used to make polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a hard plastic resin in plastic products. The chemical is associated with an increased risk of liver, brain, and lung cancers, among other diseases.

As part of the controlled release of the chemical, a small charge was used to blow a hole in the cars, allowing the chemical to go into a trench and burn off before being released into the air. See photos from the train wreckage here.

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