Seven Baltimore police officers, members of the city's Gun Trace Task Force, are facing federal RICO charges over allegations they shook down citizen and criminal alike for cash. For the first time in 146 years, Chicago has gone through the first two months of the year with no recorded snow on the ground. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says the country's state of emergency in response to last July's failed coup attempt against him will continue until "everything settles down". Republicans are threatening state colleges and universities with funding elimination if they continue to operate as "sanctuary campuses" protecting undocumented students. VR gaming company Oculus is slashing the price of its Rift VR headset and controllers by $100 each as the company points to the "great volume" of units sold so far.