I Spy

Jan. 27, 2015

The FBI says it broke up a Russian spy ring in New York The FBI arrested an accused Russian spy in New York City on Monday for allegedly attempting to collect economic intelligence and recruit others. + According to the criminal complaint, three men — Evgeny Buryakov, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy — have been charged in connection with Buryakov's service as a covert agent working on behalf of Russia. Buryakov was arrested in the Bronx, but the other two men, who have since left the country, have not been arrested.  + Buryakov allegedly used a job as an employee at a Manhattan branch of a Russian bank as his cover while actually working for Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. + "These charges demonstrate our firm commitment to combating attempts by covert agents to illegally gather intelligence and recruit spies within the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. The Northeast just got walloped by a "crippling" snowstorm The massive, wind-whipped blizzard that slammed into the Northeast created havoc for more than 60 million people up and down the East Coast and forced New York City "to shut down on a scale not seen since Superstorm Sandy devastated the region in 2012," Reuters reports. + The Associated Press reports that more than 7,700 flights in and out of the Northeast were canceled, and many of them may not take off again until Wednesday.  + How did New Yorkers prepare for the storm? By hoarding kale and kimchi and trawling for blizzard hookups, naturally. + The next time somebody tries to tell you that this blizzard is a sign that global warming is a hoax, just show them this. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie just took a big step toward running for president New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his supporters have formed a political action committee ahead of a likely bid for president, Reuters reports. The PAC, called Leadership Matters for America, is "the clearest sign yet that Christie, 52, is running in the Republican Party primary for the 2016 presidential election." + While we're starting in on our 2016 reporting (we know, we're barely into the new year), let's get one thing out of the way: No matter what anyone says, Sarah Palin is not serious about running for president — just watch this bizarre video. + Meanwhile, conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch and their network of private donors are planning to spend nearly $900 million to support select Republican candidates in the 2016 election cycle, more than double what they spent in 2012.

SkyMall might be dead, but its surrealism is immortal. Mic The Justice Department is spying on millions of U.S. cars. Reuters How misconceptions about domestic violence can turn the justice system against survivors. The Atlantic The message Americans are taking from American Sniper is terrible — and predictable. Mic Go ahead, eat all the damn snow you want. Popular Science Two years later, Pharrell's "Happy" is still revolutionizing the music industry. Mic What if you could sleep 50 hours straight and still never feel truly awake? Welcome to the bizarre, distressing and totally exhausting world of the hypersomniac. Matter How to become an online celebrity — and get paid for it. Wall Street Journal What our fascination with Taylor Swift's belly button says about us. Mic Are we ready for companies that run themselves? Aeon In Italy, grassroots cannabis social clubs dispense medical marijuana (and sometimes cheese) to ailing patients. Roads and Kingdoms These powerful photos shatter society's stereotypes about models. Mic

Photo of the Day 2015 is the International Year of Light. On Dec. 20, 2013, the United Nations created the Year of Light to "highlight to the citizens of the world the importance of light and optical technologies in their lives."  And no one is more excited to celebrate than NASA. The space organization has released a spectacular set of photos taken from its $1.5 billion telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory. By combining a variety of images, such as X-ray, optical, infrared, UV and radio, the telescope is able to piece together amazing images from around the universe.

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