This article is a companion piece to today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

Syria-Turkey Death Toll Rises

The death toll in Turkey and Syria has exceeded 20,000 people, that’s according to The New York Times today. More than 100,000 are now homeless as aftershocks continue, and at least three Americans are believed to have been killed. Three days in, the rescue efforts continue despite significant logistical barriers.

State Department Reveals Balloon Details

The U.S. State Department said today that the Chinese balloon shot down by the Biden administration is believed to have had antennas likely capable of collecting communications. Imagery from flybys of the balloon showed that the aircraft “was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons.”

The House passed a unanimous bipartisan resolution this morning condemning China for its “brazen violation of United States sovereignty.” The resolution also demands more information from the Biden administration about the incident.

Fetterman Hospitalized

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday evening and remained there overnight after feeling lightheaded at a Democrat Senate retreat. The development comes after Fetterman suffered a serious stroke while on the campaign trail last year, which raised concerns about his overall health. His team says there’s no evidence of a new stroke.

Another NJ Council Member Shot Dead

For the second time in a week, a local New Jersey GOP council member has been shot dead. Milford Borough Councilman Russell Heller was killed Wednesday, just seven days after Sayersville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was also shot. Authorities do not believe the two tragedies are related. Cops found the suspected shooter nearby, dead in his car from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound around three and a half hours after the slaying.

Southwest Airlines COO Apologizes For Holiday Chaos

Southwest Airlines COO Andrew Watterson apologized in remarks prepared for a Thursday hearing, saying that he and fellow executives “messed up” amid the company’s holiday travel meltdown. Southwest canceled some 16,700 flights between December 21 and December 31, even as severe winter weather subsided in the days after Christmas.

Burt Bacharach Dead At 94

Legendary composer Burt Bacharach, known for numerous hit songs such as “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” passed away Wednesday at the age of 94 in Los Angeles. A spokesperson said his death was due to natural causes.

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“Frozen” star Kristen Bell admitted that there’s “no topic” off limits when it comes to talking to the 8- and 9-year-old children she shares with husband Dax Shepard, including drugs and sex.

In a cover story for Real Simple, the 42-year-old actress said that she hates the idea of a  “taboo” word and said she speaks to their daughters, Delta and Lincoln, about everything — including the fact that their father is a recovering addict.

“I think it should be stricken from the dictionary,” Bell shared of the word “taboo.” “There should be no topic that’s off the table for people to talk about.”

The Disney star said she knows her parenting decision might be “shocking” to some people, but said it’s what is best for her family.

“I talk to my kids about drugs, and the fact that their daddy is an addict and he’s in recovery, and we talk about sex,” Bell shared.

“There are all these ‘hard topics’ that don’t have to be if you give the person on the other end your vulnerability and a little bit of credit,” she added.

Kristen Bell wants to make sure her children are comfortable talking to her and husband Dax Shepard about anything and everything. https://t.co/iAIdRzIwhc

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 9, 2023

The “Bad Moms” star said one of the most important things she’s taught her kids is “making amends and apologizing” because “humans leave carnage wherever they go.”

“I really respect when someone does something wrong or hurtful and they apologize,” the actress shared. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, right on.’ That’s important. If there’s one thing I want to teach my kids, it’s how to make amends—and that it’s for themselves, so they can like who’s in the mirror a little bit more.”

Bell previously talked about how talking about the drugs she’s done with her kids “backfired” on her when she overheard her daughter talking to her own “more conservative” mom about what she had shared.

“I overheard my daughter talking to my mom, to [her] grandma, going, ‘I’m actually really glad they share all this stuff with me. Anyway, mom really wanted to try [hallucinogenic] mushrooms,'” the Hollywood star shared during her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel.

Bell and Shepard tied the knot in 2013. Dax previously shared that he had relapsed in 2020 after a motorcycle accident, after being sober for 16 years, the outlet noted.