Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, and I can’t get over how the Chicago Tribune interviewed a meteorologist named Kevin Doom about the recent cold weather. Please hire him, WBEZ, and give him a segment called “DOOM Watch!” Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Justice Stephen Breyer will retire from the Supreme Court

After serving more than two decades on the nation’s highest court, Justice Stephen Breyer will step down and give President Joe Biden an opportunity to appoint a new justice, reports NPR.

So who will it be?

Biden has previously vowed to name an African American woman. As NPR reports, “The two leading contenders are said to be federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was on President Obama’s shortlist for the court in 2016, and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, who served as assistant, and then deputy solicitor general in both Democratic and Republican administrations prior to her nomination to California’s highest court.”

Political observers say Biden must act quickly considering Democrats have an extremely slim majority in the Senate, which has to sign off on the appointment. If just one seat is lost in the midterm elections, Biden will most likely have a harder time getting his nominee confirmed. [NPR]

2. Diplomats meet in Paris in hopes of preventing a Russian invasion of Ukraine

With concerns growing over a war erupting in Europe, diplomats from France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine met today in Paris.

But there are doubts the talks will make much progress, as NATO has rejected Russia’s key demands, such as the removal of NATO forces in Eastern Europe, among other things.

Meanwhile, the game of chicken over Ukraine is intensifying. The U.S. and its European allies are sending weapons to Ukraine as they seek to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering an invasion. And Putin also faces the possibility of personally being sanctioned by the U.S.

Russia, in response, has threatened to cut off supplies of natural gas to Europe if sanctions are imposed. The Biden administration says it is working with gas and crude oil suppliers to boost supplies in Europe for the coming weeks.

The U.S. today provided written responses to Russia’s demands, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it provides a “diplomatic path forward.” But the U.S. will not publicly release the document. [NYT]

3. What causes some people to develop long COVID? Researchers say they’ve found clues

A new study published today found four biological factors that might help predict if a patient will develop symptoms of COVID-19 that will linger for months.

The four factors are the viral load of the coronavirus early in the infection, the presence of certain antibodies that mistakenly attack tissues of the body, the reemergence of Epstein-Barr virus and Type-2 diabetes.

But researchers say that final factor may be a result of the study including a large number of patients with Type-2 diabetes. That could mean diabetes is just one of several conditions that make patients vulnerable to long COVID.

Health experts say the study’s findings will help them figure out how to identify patients who may develop long COVID and, more importantly, what to do about it. [NYT]

Meanwhile, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are beginning to test a COVID-19 vaccine specifically aimed at the omicron variant. [AP]

4. Amid turbulence on Wall Street and rising inflation, the Federal Reserve will begin raising interest rates as soon as March

The central bank today indicated it will soon raise interest rates as it confronts a historic surge in inflation that has hurt consumers and businesses.

The news provides investors some clarity on how fast and how far the Federal Reserve will go in tracking inflation. Wall Street suffered wild swings this week amid uncertainty over how the central bank will act, with some economists worried the Fed may be too aggressive.

Runaway inflation has dogged the Biden administration, and Republicans are hopeful the issue will boost their chances of reclaiming control of Congress in the midterm elections.

The White House originally believed prices would drop after the nation got a grip on the pandemic and things returned to normal. But that was before the delta and omicron variants upended parts of society. [AP]

5. Illinois lawmaker seeks to limit the amount of THC in legal pot, drawing swift criticism from dispensaries

Should the state cap the amount of THC in legal marijuana that’s sold at dispensaries?

State Rep. Mark Batinick, a Republican from Plainfield, recently introduced a bill that would place a 10% limit on flower cannabis and 15% on concentrates and infused products, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

THC levels in a typical marijuana flower can range from 20% to 30%.

Batinick told the Sun-Times he introduced the bill due to concerns from health experts over a surge in cannabis-related calls to the Illinois Poison Center.

But supporters of legal pot say the bill has several problems. It could negatively impact people who rely on medical marijuana, and it could influence consumers to go back to buying pot from the black market. [Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• Actor Jussie Smollett is expected to be sentenced on March 10. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• A former professor at Northwestern University essentially received a life sentence for the murder of his boyfriend. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Six Chicago-area artists were each awarded a $50,000 grant. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Here’s how you can get free N95 face masks at pharmacies and grocery stores. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

A 523-acre area of redwood forestland will be returned to a group of Native tribes, reports NPR.

The land was purchased by a conservation group, Save the Redwoods League, in 2010 for $3.55 million. This week, the group announced it transferred ownership to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, a consortium of 10 Northern California tribal nations.

The forest will be renamed “Tc’ih-Léh-Dûñ” — which means “fish run place” in the Sinkyone language — as “an act of cultural empowerment and a celebration of Indigenous resilience,” the league said in a release. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

This week is expected to be a cold one, with more snow possibly on the way. I’d like to know what tips you have for staying warm when Chicago becomes frigid.

Craig writes:

“There is no better way to stay warm on a cold winter night than the warmth of a wood fire. And even better is burning wood that you have split and stacked yourself.”

And Jenny writes:

“I married a Canadian from Edmonton, AB, where it sometimes gets colder than the surface of Mars. We went bar hopping on a -45 night (Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at -40!) in 2017, where I learned to wear long underwear, keep moving and don’t waste your breath/energy on complaining about the cold. Pretty basic stuff, but the experience changed the way I operate in Chicago — I would say I complain about 30% less.

“I’m also a big proponent of the temporary hand and toe heat packs. I always carry some with me to hand out to folks on the street who need them.”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah, and your responses might be shared here this week.

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