Time is running out to rescue earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria.

That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post. I'm Jeff Pierre.

It's Thursday, February 9th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories.

The death toll in Turkey and Syria has climbed to more than 17,000 people, making Monday's 7.8 magnitude

quake and its aftershocks, the deadliest earthquake disaster in more than a decade.

In Turkey, freezing weather has increased the risk that any survivors could die before being

rescued.

It's also affecting rescue teams, though international help has started to arrive.

Syria is divided into government and rebel-controlled areas,

which also complicates rescue efforts,

and international aid has struggled to get through.

Number two, the shooter in the 2019 Walmart Massacre pleaded guilty yesterday.

The 24-year-old killed 23 people and injured nearly two dozen more at a store in El Paso.

That's near the Texas-Mexico border.

It's the nation's deadliest mass killing since 2017. He faces life in prison and will be

sentenced in June. Prosecutors say that he confessed to targeting Mexicans and

posting an online rant that cited white supremacy ideology.

Ukraine is getting ready for Russia's next big attack.

That's story number three. Russia's plans are a mystery.

So Ukraine is preparing troops along a huge stretch of land. The soldiers are positioned

from the northern border with Belarus to the Black Sea and the south.

Ukrainian officials say that the attack could happen within weeks or even days.

...