Former President Biden signs with Hollywood talent agency CAA

Just weeks after leaving office, Joe Biden is laying the groundwork for his postpresidential era in Hollywood.

One of the entertainment industry’s biggest talent firms, Creative Artists Agency, which represents actors including Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, said Monday it had signed Biden to its roster.

Biden was previously a CAA client from 2017 to 2020, following his second term as vice president during the Obama administration. During his earlier stint with CAA, he released his memoir, “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose” and launched his “American Promise Tour,” which sold more than 85,000 tickets nationwide, the agency said.

“President Biden is one of America’s most respected and influential voices in national and global affairs,” said Richard Lovett, CAA’s co-chairman, in a statement. “His lifelong commitment to public service is one of unity, optimism, dignity, and possibility. We are profoundly honored to partner with him again.”

—Los Angeles Times

San Diego tries a different approach to fire prevention: A new spray on dry brush

SAN DIEGO — The firefighter pulled the black hose down a hill. “Good?” she called out. “All the way down,” a voice responded.

Brea Kirklen kept walking. Below her were the remnants of a homeless encampment in a small canyon by San Diego’s Valencia Park neighborhood. While the county had recently gotten some rain, the sun was again out and baking the foliage on Tuesday afternoon. Kirklen stopped a few feet from the bottom, aimed the hose’s nozzle upward and squeezed a trigger.

The clear liquid that shot out toward leaves and debris alike was a citrus-based fire retardant called Citrotech that leaders hope will limit the size of any future blazes, including those started by people living outside. Officials began spraying brush along evacuation routes last year and added probable encampment spots to the list in January, all of which should now be less likely to ignite for the next several months.

This approach to fire prevention is new for both San Diego and the nation: The company making Citrotech, Mighty Fire Breaker, only launched a few years ago and is in the early stages of selling cities on the spray, according to records filed with the federal government.

—The San Diego Union-Tribune

From A to Zzzs: The science behind a better night's sleep

It's no secret that a good night's sleep plays a vital role in mental and physical health and well-being. The way you feel during your waking hours depends greatly on how you are sleeping, say sleep experts.

A pattern of getting inadequate or unsatisfying sleep over time can raise the risk for chronic health problems and can affect how well we think, react, work, learn and get along with others.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, and one in three adults does not regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep needed to protect their health.

Many factors play a role in preparing the body to fall asleep and wake up, according to the National Institutes of Health. Our internal "body clock" manages the sleep and waking cycles and runs on a 24-hour repeating rhythm, called the circadian rhythm. This rhythm is controlled both by the amount of a sleep-inducing compound called adenosine in our system and cues in our environment, such as light and darkness. This is why sleep experts suggest keeping your bedroom dark during your preferred sleeping hours.

—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ukraine hits Lukoil oil refinery, Gazprom plant in Russia

Ukrainian drones struck more Russian oil and gas facilities, the latest in a near-daily series of attacks meant to hurt Moscow’s war effort.

The drones hit Lukoil PJSC’s Volgograd refinery, which was last targeted on Jan. 31, regional governor Andrey Bocharov said, according to the Telegram account of his administration. “As a result of the falling debris, topical non-spreading fires broke out on the site of an oil refinery, which were quickly localized,” he said.

With the third anniversary of the invasion approaching, Russia’s oil facilities have been targeted regularly by Ukraine in an apparent attempt to curtail fuel supplies to the military. While the strikes have so far had limited effect on Russia’s ability to process crude, their frequency creates a new risks for a key industry in the country. Moscow’s forces have also been hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure regularly since the start of the war, causing massive blackouts.

The Volgograd refinery — one of the biggest oil-processing facilities in Russia — produces almost 300,000 barrels a day. Currently, most of the gasoline it produces and a large part of the diesel is used domestically.

—Bloomberg News