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A Wisconsin pharmacist was charged with misdemeanor property damage after intentionally defrosting and destroying a batch of Covid-19 vaccines. I tests show the vaccines are ruined, stronger charges could follow.

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A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine has been charged with attempted misdemeanor property damage

MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to defrost and spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine was charged Tuesday with attempted misdemeanor property damage, and prosecutors warned more serious charges could follow if tests show the doses were ruined.

Police arrested 46-year-old Steven Brandenburg on Dec. 31 as part of an investigation into how 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were left for hours outside a refrigerator at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, a Milwaukee suburb. The vials contained enough vaccine to inoculate more than 500 people.

Detectives wrote in court documents that Brandenburg is an admitted conspiracy theorist who believed the vaccine would mutate recipients' DNA. Experts have said there's no truth to the claims that COVID-19 vaccines can genetically modify humans.

According to a criminal complaint, Brandenburg told a detective that he removed the vials from the refrigerator for three hours on Dec. 24 then replaced them. The next day he took the vials out of the refrigerator again. This time he left them out for nine hours, thinking the vaccine would be rendered ineffective if it wasn't refrigerated for 12 hours. But he said a pharmacy technician found the vials and put them back in the refrigerator.

A Moderna doctor told investigators that the vaccine could remain viable at room temperature for 24 hours, the complaint said. Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during Brandenburg's initial court appearance Tuesday that he is having the doses tested to determine their efficacy and more serious charges could be coming if Brandenburg's actions made the vaccine doses ineffective.

Brandenburg faces up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine if he's convicted of attempted misdemeanor property damage. His attorney, Jason Baltz, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf during the court appearance. Baltz declined to comment when reached by phone before the hearing.

Brandenburg spoke only once, replying "yes sir" when Judge Paul Malloy warned him to continue to abide by his bail conditions, which include not working as a pharmacist, not dispensing medication and having no contact with Aurora employees.

Malloy set Brandenburg's next court appearance for March 18.

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This story has been corrected to show Brandenburg was charged with attempted misdemeanor property damage, not misdemeanor property damage.

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Pharmacist charged in attempt to ruin COVID-19 vaccine

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A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine has been charged with attempted misdemeanor property damage MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin pharmacist accused of trying to defrost and spoil dozens of vials of COVID-19 vaccine was charged Tuesday with attempted misdemeanor property damage, and prosecutors warned more serious charges could follow if tests show the doses were ruined.

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Parasites found in undercooked meat has been reaserched to be posiably linked with a rare brain cnacer.

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CNN 1 hr ago By Naomi Thomas, CNN

A common parasite people get from contaminated water and undercooked meat may be associated with rare brain cancers, researchers reported Monday.

They found evidence that people infected with Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, have a higher risk of developing rare but highly fatal gliomas.

The parasite can sometimes form cysts in the brain and the inflammation associated with these cysts might be responsible, the researchers reported in the International Journal of Cancer.

A team of researchers led by epidemiologist James Hodge, of the American Cancer Society's department of population science, and Anna Coghill, of the department of cancer epidemiology at the H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute in Florida, looked at the association between antibodies for T. gondii in blood samples and the risk of glioma in two groups of people.

The study involved 111 individuals enrolled in the American Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort and 646 people listed in the Norwegian Cancer Registry.

"In both cohorts, we observed a suggestive positive association between seropositivity for T. gondii antibodies and glioma risk," the researchers wrote. The glioma associations were stronger for the people who had higher levels of T. gondii antibodies.

T. gondii is a common parasite that most commonly infects people through contaminated food or water from raw or undercooked meat from infected animals. Twenty percent to 50% of the global population have been exposed to the parasite, according to the study.

Gliomas make up the majority -- 80% -- of malignant brain tumors. Glioblastomas are the most common subtype. Glioblastomas have five-year relative survival rates of only 5%.

"Our findings provide the first prospective evidence of an association between T. gondii infection and risk of glioma, results that should be confirmed in independent studies," the researchers wrote.

"This does not mean that T. gondii definitely causes glioma in all situations. Some people with glioma have no T. gondii antibodies, and vice versa," Hodge said in a statement.

"The findings do suggest that individuals with higher exposure to the T. gondii parasite are more likely to go on to develop glioma," added Coghill. "However, it should be noted that the absolute risk of being diagnosed with a glioma remains low, and these findings need to be replicated in a larger and more diverse group of individuals."

If the findings of the study are replicated, "reducing exposure to this common food-borne pathogen would offer the first tangible opportunity for prevention of this highly aggressive brain tumor," the researchers said.

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Parasite found in undercooked meat linked with risk of rare brain cancer

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CNN 1 hr ago By Naomi Thomas, CNN A common parasite people get from contaminated water and undercooked meat may be associated with rare brain cancers, researchers reported Monday. They found evidence that people infected with Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, have a higher risk of developing rare but highly fatal gliomas.

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Donald Trump becomes the first president in history to be impeached twice. 10 republicans votes against him, the most of a member's party to vote against their own party.

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What you need to know

President Trump is the first president in US history to be impeached twice.

The House passed an article charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in last week's deadly Capitol attack.

Trump will s tay in office and likely finish out his term because it takes a Senate conviction to remove him, even after he's been impeached.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is signaling he's in favor of impeachment, a GOP source says, but he's made it clear that the Senate trial won't start until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Our live coverage of impeachment has moved here.

The House voted today to impeach President Trump for a second time in a swift and bipartisan condemnation of the President's role in inciting last week's riot at the US Capitol.

In case you missed today's events, here's what you need to know:

About the vote: The House voted 232 to 197 to impeach Trump exactly one week after rioters forced lawmakers to flee from the very chamber in which they cast ballots in during the fourth presidential impeachment in US history. This is the first time a President has been impeached twice. See a full breakdown of the vote here.

Republicans also voted to impeach Trump: Ten Republicans, including the House's No. 3 Republican, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, joined all Democratsto impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection." Cheney's statement was cited by impeachment supporters and detractors alike Wednesday after she charged that Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack."

Trump delivers remarks about the Capitol attack: After the House vote, Trump released a video statement calling for calm as the threat of new riots - which the President said he'd been briefed on by the Secret Service - casts a pall over Washington. Trump did not mention the historic impeachment that had occurred a few hours earlier.

President-elect Joe Biden's message to Congress: In a statement, the President-elect noted that "it was a bipartisan vote cast by members who followed the Constitution and their conscience," before turning to the pandemic. "This nation also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a reeling economy," Biden said. "I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation."

What's next: While impeachment won't force Trump from office - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not planning to bring the Senate back for a trial before Jan. 19, meaning the trial won't begin until Trump is out of office and Biden has been sworn in. The majority leader said in a statement following the vote that a trial could not be completed ahead of Biden's inauguration even if it started beforehand, and he wanted Congress and the executive branch to spend the next week focused on "facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power."

Irritated over a second impeachment, President Trump has told people to stop paying Rudy Giuliani's legal fees, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN, though aides were not clear if the President was serious about his instructions.

Trump has been blaming his longtime attorney and many others for the predicament he now finds himself in, though he has not personally accepted any responsibility in public or in private, people familiar with his reaction told CNN. Giuliani is still expected to play a role in Trump's impeachment defense but has been left out of most conversations thus far.

Another source of Trump's ire is Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who incensed Trump further today by saying he bears responsibility for last week's riot. The President had already been upset with McCarthy after the left the option of censuring Trump on the table in a letter to colleagues earlier this week.

The details about Giuliani's legal fees were first reported by the Washington Post.

US intelligence officials have warned that last Wednesday's attack on the US Capitol by supporters of President Trump will likely motivate additional follow-up attacks by extremists throughout 2021, according to an intelligence bulletin dated Wednesday and obtained by CNN.

Warning that the people who attacked the Capitol largely viewed their efforts as a success, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the attack "very likely will serve as a significant driver of violence" for a diverse set of domestic extremists, according to the bulletin.

The bulletin added follows reporting this week that extremists were emboldened by the attack and that "chatter is off the charts right now," the bulletin said.

"The violent breach of the US Capitol Building is very likely part of an ongoing trend in which [extremists] exploit lawful protests, rallies, and demonstrations, and other gatherings to carry out ideologically-motivated violence and criminal activity," the intelligence bulletin warned.

More details: The range of potential future targets of attack was varied, with intelligence officials warning in the bulletin that extremists could zero in on government officials and institutions, as well as racial and religious minorities, journalists, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The bulletin also indicated that the Jan. 6 attack may have served as a venue for extremists of differing ideological motivations to foster connections.

In addition to the perceived success of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, intelligence officials warned that the response by law enforcement could also motivate extremists to respond with violence, including at the upcoming Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

"Since the [Capitol attack], violent online rhetoric regarding the [inauguration] has increased, with some calling for unspecified 'justice'" for a rioter shot by police inside the Capitol, the bulletin said.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam castigated rioters who stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6 and said their actions were "egged on from conspiracy theories and lies from a president who could not accept losing."

"Their goal was simple: overturn a legal and fair election," Northam said Wednesday during his annual State of the Commonwealth address. "Those were scenes I don't believe any of us ever expected to see in our lifetime. But none of that just happened. None of it was an accident and nothing about it was spontaneous."

Northam thanked state troopers and the Virginia National Guard, both of which were among the first law enforcement agencies to respond to the riots.

"These men and women dropped everything and raced to defend our country's temple of democracy," he said. "While others hesitated, Virginians were first on the scene. It made me proud to see that line of state police cars racing across the 14th Street Bridge."

Northam also took a moment of silence to honor the memory of Capitol Police officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, both of whom died in the aftermath of the riots.

Despite the incident, Northam expressed optimism for the country as it moved forward from the incident.

"Americans are better than this and I pray that we all can summon the better angels of our nature in this new year," he said.

President-elect Joe Biden released a statement Wednesday night in reaction to the House's impeachment of President Trump, reiterating his expressed hope that the Senate will be able to carry out their regular legislative duties while dealing with impeachment responsibilities.

"This nation also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a reeling economy," Biden says. "I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation."

While not stating his position either way, Biden stated that the violence at the Capitol was incited by the President, saying it "was carried out by political extremists and domestic terrorists, who were incited to this violence by President Trump."

Biden added: "From confirmations to key posts such as Secretaries for Homeland Security, State, Defense, Treasury, and Director of National Intelligence, to getting our vaccine program on track, and to getting our economy going again. Too many of our fellow Americans have suffered for too long over the past year to delay this urgent work."

Jonathan Fahey is resigning as acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director just weeks after assuming the post, according to a Department of Homeland Security official.

Fahey's departure is the latest in a string of leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security and the most recent acting ICE director to step down.

Last month, Fahey's predecessor, Tony Pham, departed. Pham had assumed the post last August.

It's unclear what prompted Fahey's departure.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn said Wednesday that "there's a good chance that there will be a conviction in the Senate" of President Trump after he was impeached for the second time in the House.

"I think that Mitch McConnell and a few others recognize that that's the quickest way to get him out of their hair so-to-speak," Clyburn told CNN's Erin Burnett. "So these articles will go over there. There will be people who will conduct the trial. Our managers will do a good job of that. They don't have to do a good job, to tell you the truth. Just put up the videos and bring in the people who are the recipients of these phone calls. I think there will be enough on the record and so, he could very well get a conviction."

On the timing of the impeachment trial, the Democratic lawmaker said that he wouldn't want to see the proceedings interfere with President-elect Joe Biden's first 100 days in office.

"I do really feel that we ought to do what's necessary for this man not to ever run again," Clyburn said. "But we need to do what is necessary for people's lives to get this stored as soon as possible. I wouldn't want to see an impeachment trial postponed that for too long."

More context: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled that he's in favor of impeachment, a GOP source says, but he's made it clear that the Senate trial won't start until Biden is sworn in.
See more:

President-elect Joe Biden has made clear he's not particularly enthusiastic for President Trump's impeachment. And now, roughly three hours after the House vote was becoming clear, he is still silent on the historic action.

Aides said Biden is still planning to release a statement tonight on the Trump impeachment, but the timing certainly underscores that the Biden team has other priorities today.

The reality is that impeachment will now be one more thing Biden inherits from the Trump presidency.

Biden is still awaiting word on whether the Senate will be able to conduct an impeachment, alongside Cabinet confirmation hearings and Covid legislation he plans to outline in greater detail on Thursday evening.

Aides say Biden and his team are working behind the scenes with Senate Democrats - and House impeachment managers - to keep the impeachment trial as swift as possible, although it remains an open question tonight how successful that might be.

President Trump has been permanently banned from Snapchat, according to a statement by the platform.

"Last week we announced an indefinite suspension of President Trump's Snapchat account, and have been assessing what long term action is in the best interest of our Snapchat community," a Snapchat spokesperson said.

"In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account," the spokesperson added.

Some background: Facebook has suspended Trump's account "indefinitely," while Twitter has banned Trump completely.

On Tuesday, YouTube announced that it was suspending Trump's channel for at least one week, and potentially longer, after his channel earned a strike under the platform's policies.

What you need to know

President Trump is the first president in US history to be impeached twice.

The House passed an article charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in last week's deadly Capitol attack.

Trump will s tay in office and likely finish out his term because it takes a Senate conviction to remove him, even after he's been impeached.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is signaling he's in favor of impeachment, a GOP source says, but he's made it clear that the Senate trial won't start until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Our live coverage of impeachment has moved here.

The House voted today to impeach President Trump for a second time in a swift and bipartisan condemnation of the President's role in inciting last week's riot at the US Capitol.

In case you missed today's events, here's what you need to know:

About the vote: The House voted 232 to 197 to impeach Trump exactly one week after rioters forced lawmakers to flee from the very chamber in which they cast ballots in during the fourth presidential impeachment in US history. This is the first time a President has been impeached twice. See a full breakdown of the vote here.

Republicans also voted to impeach Trump: Ten Republicans, including the House's No. 3 Republican, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, joined all Democratsto impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection." Cheney's statement was cited by impeachment supporters and detractors alike Wednesday after she charged that Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack."

Trump delivers remarks about the Capitol attack: After the House vote, Trump released a video statement calling for calm as the threat of new riots - which the President said he'd been briefed on by the Secret Service - casts a pall over Washington. Trump did not mention the historic impeachment that had occurred a few hours earlier.

President-elect Joe Biden's message to Congress: In a statement, the President-elect noted that "it was a bipartisan vote cast by members who followed the Constitution and their conscience," before turning to the pandemic. "This nation also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a reeling economy," Biden said. "I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation."

What's next: While impeachment won't force Trump from office - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not planning to bring the Senate back for a trial before Jan. 19, meaning the trial won't begin until Trump is out of office and Biden has been sworn in. The majority leader said in a statement following the vote that a trial could not be completed ahead of Biden's inauguration even if it started beforehand, and he wanted Congress and the executive branch to spend the next week focused on "facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power."

Irritated over a second impeachment, President Trump has told people to stop paying Rudy Giuliani's legal fees, a person familiar with the matter tells CNN, though aides were not clear if the President was serious about his instructions.

Trump has been blaming his longtime attorney and many others for the predicament he now finds himself in, though he has not personally accepted any responsibility in public or in private, people familiar with his reaction told CNN. Giuliani is still expected to play a role in Trump's impeachment defense but has been left out of most conversations thus far.

Another source of Trump's ire is Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who incensed Trump further today by saying he bears responsibility for last week's riot. The President had already been upset with McCarthy after the left the option of censuring Trump on the table in a letter to colleagues earlier this week.

The details about Giuliani's legal fees were first reported by the Washington Post.

US intelligence officials have warned that last Wednesday's attack on the US Capitol by supporters of President Trump will likely motivate additional follow-up attacks by extremists throughout 2021, according to an intelligence bulletin dated Wednesday and obtained by CNN.

Warning that the people who attacked the Capitol largely viewed their efforts as a success, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the attack "very likely will serve as a significant driver of violence" for a diverse set of domestic extremists, according to the bulletin.

The bulletin added follows reporting this week that extremists were emboldened by the attack and that "chatter is off the charts right now," the bulletin said.

"The violent breach of the US Capitol Building is very likely part of an ongoing trend in which [extremists] exploit lawful protests, rallies, and demonstrations, and other gatherings to carry out ideologically-motivated violence and criminal activity," the intelligence bulletin warned.

More details: The range of potential future targets of attack was varied, with intelligence officials warning in the bulletin that extremists could zero in on government officials and institutions, as well as racial and religious minorities, journalists, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The bulletin also indicated that the Jan. 6 attack may have served as a venue for extremists of differing ideological motivations to foster connections.

In addition to the perceived success of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, intelligence officials warned that the response by law enforcement could also motivate extremists to respond with violence, including at the upcoming Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

"Since the [Capitol attack], violent online rhetoric regarding the [inauguration] has increased, with some calling for unspecified 'justice'" for a rioter shot by police inside the Capitol, the bulletin said.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam castigated rioters who stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6 and said their actions were "egged on from conspiracy theories and lies from a president who could not accept losing."

"Their goal was simple: overturn a legal and fair election," Northam said Wednesday during his annual State of the Commonwealth address. "Those were scenes I don't believe any of us ever expected to see in our lifetime. But none of that just happened. None of it was an accident and nothing about it was spontaneous."

Northam thanked state troopers and the Virginia National Guard, both of which were among the first law enforcement agencies to respond to the riots.

"These men and women dropped everything and raced to defend our country's temple of democracy," he said. "While others hesitated, Virginians were first on the scene. It made me proud to see that line of state police cars racing across the 14th Street Bridge."

Northam also took a moment of silence to honor the memory of Capitol Police officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, both of whom died in the aftermath of the riots.

Despite the incident, Northam expressed optimism for the country as it moved forward from the incident.

"Americans are better than this and I pray that we all can summon the better angels of our nature in this new year," he said.

President-elect Joe Biden released a statement Wednesday night in reaction to the House's impeachment of President Trump, reiterating his expressed hope that the Senate will be able to carry out their regular legislative duties while dealing with impeachment responsibilities.

"This nation also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a reeling economy," Biden says. "I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation."

While not stating his position either way, Biden stated that the violence at the Capitol was incited by the President, saying it "was carried out by political extremists and domestic terrorists, who were incited to this violence by President Trump."

Biden added: "From confirmations to key posts such as Secretaries for Homeland Security, State, Defense, Treasury, and Director of National Intelligence, to getting our vaccine program on track, and to getting our economy going again. Too many of our fellow Americans have suffered for too long over the past year to delay this urgent work."

Jonathan Fahey is resigning as acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director just weeks after assuming the post, according to a Department of Homeland Security official.

Fahey's departure is the latest in a string of leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security and the most recent acting ICE director to step down.

Last month, Fahey's predecessor, Tony Pham, departed. Pham had assumed the post last August.

It's unclear what prompted Fahey's departure.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn said Wednesday that "there's a good chance that there will be a conviction in the Senate" of President Trump after he was impeached for the second time in the House.

"I think that Mitch McConnell and a few others recognize that that's the quickest way to get him out of their hair so-to-speak," Clyburn told CNN's Erin Burnett. "So these articles will go over there. There will be people who will conduct the trial. Our managers will do a good job of that. They don't have to do a good job, to tell you the truth. Just put up the videos and bring in the people who are the recipients of these phone calls. I think there will be enough on the record and so, he could very well get a conviction."

On the timing of the impeachment trial, the Democratic lawmaker said that he wouldn't want to see the proceedings interfere with President-elect Joe Biden's first 100 days in office.

"I do really feel that we ought to do what's necessary for this man not to ever run again," Clyburn said. "But we need to do what is necessary for people's lives to get this stored as soon as possible. I wouldn't want to see an impeachment trial postponed that for too long."

More context: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled that he's in favor of impeachment, a GOP source says, but he's made it clear that the Senate trial won't start until Biden is sworn in.
See more:

President-elect Joe Biden has made clear he's not particularly enthusiastic for President Trump's impeachment. And now, roughly three hours after the House vote was becoming clear, he is still silent on the historic action.

Aides said Biden is still planning to release a statement tonight on the Trump impeachment, but the timing certainly underscores that the Biden team has other priorities today.

The reality is that impeachment will now be one more thing Biden inherits from the Trump presidency.

Biden is still awaiting word on whether the Senate will be able to conduct an impeachment, alongside Cabinet confirmation hearings and Covid legislation he plans to outline in greater detail on Thursday evening.

Aides say Biden and his team are working behind the scenes with Senate Democrats - and House impeachment managers - to keep the impeachment trial as swift as possible, although it remains an open question tonight how successful that might be.

President Trump has been permanently banned from Snapchat, according to a statement by the platform.

"Last week we announced an indefinite suspension of President Trump's Snapchat account, and have been assessing what long term action is in the best interest of our Snapchat community," a Snapchat spokesperson said.

"In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account," the spokesperson added.

Some background: Facebook has suspended Trump's account "indefinitely," while Twitter has banned Trump completely.

On Tuesday, YouTube announced that it was suspending Trump's channel for at least one week, and potentially longer, after his channel earned a strike under the platform's policies.

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By Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes, Melissa Mahtani, Fernando Alfonso III and Veronica Rocha, CNN

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January 13, 2021 House impeachment vote news

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What you need to know President Trump is the first president in US history to be impeached twice. The House passed an article charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in last week's deadly Capitol attack.

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A lawmaker wants to make a black national anthem a national hymn.

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"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" was originally a poem by James Weldon Johnson.

"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," a civil rights hymn that speaks to the faith and resilience of African Americans, was sung for the first time in 1900 at the height of segregation and lynching.

A century later, Rep. James Clyburn is introducing a bill in Congress to make it the official national hymn, alongside the national anthem.

"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" has come to be known as the "Black national anthem." Meanwhile, "The Star-Spangled Banner" has been widely criticized in recent years because it contains lyrics that glorify slavery.

"To make it a national hymn, I think, would be an act of bringing the country together. It would say to people, 'You aren't singing a separate national anthem, you are singing the country's national hymn,'" the South Carolina Democrat told USA Today. "The gesture itself would be an act of healing. Everybody can identify with that song."

Clyburn is the House Democratic Whip and the highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress. He said he's considered this effort for years, but decided to revisit it amid intense divisions in the U.S. and the rise of a modern civil rights movement.

Reiland Rabaka, the author of "Civil Rights Music: The Soundtracks of the Civil Rights Movement," said that "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" reflects the "tragedies of the African American experience, but also the triumphs," and this juxtaposition gives it the "staying power that it has to this day."

The hymn was originally a poem, written in 1899 by James Weldon Johnson, an African American activist and writer.

According to the Library of Congress, the poem was set to music in 1900 by Johnson and his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, and was first performed at a Lincoln Birthday assembly at the Stanton School, a segregated black high school in Jacksonville, Florida.

Weldon Johnson later became executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was founded in 1909.

There, he was an outspoken voice in the civil rights movement and the fight against lynching and segregation. In 1920, he was honored by his colleagues who declared "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" as the "the Negro national anthem," per the Library of Congress.

Rabaka, a professor of African American studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder, said that the hymn is symbolic of the New Negro Movement -- a term popularized during the Harlem Renaissance -- when a new generation of African Americans began to rise up and speak out.

"This so-called New Negro is going to be representing that first generation of African Americans to come of age in American society that are not in bondage," Rabaka said. "So they sort of come into the 20th century with this new optimism -- that they're going to be able to really have access to American democracy."

In modern times, the hymn has been performed by celebrities like Beyoncé, was part of the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009 and, most recently, it has been sung by Black Lives Matter activists amid protests over racism and police brutality.

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In 'act of healing,' Rep. James Clyburn calls for making 'Black national anthem' a national hymn

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"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" was originally a poem by James Weldon Johnson. "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," a civil rights hymn that speaks to the faith and resilience of African Americans, was sung for the first time in 1900 at the height of segregation and lynching. A century later, Rep.

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New genetic evidence from ancient Dire wolf DNA has revealed that the wolfs are not related to wolves as closely as thought. The gray wolves and dire wolves have about a six million year divergence and dire wolves are more suited to warmer temperatures.

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analysis of ancient dna reveals details about the dire wolf

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inspiration for 'game of thrones' creature - cnn

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Analysis of ancient DNA reveals details about the dire wolf, inspiration for 'Game of Thrones' creature

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An extinct species of wolf, which served as inspiration for a mythical creature in the television show "Game of Thrones," had little in common with the gray wolves that roam North America today, new research has found.

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Joe Biden revealed his "rescue plan" for COVID in America. The plan will reportedly cost 1.9 Trillion dollars, and it will grant each qualified adult in America much needed $2000 stimulus checks.

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President-elect Joe Biden will unveil a massive multitrillion dollar stimulus package proposal on Thursday evening that aims to combat the coronavirus and begins to pump up an economy severely battered by the worst pandemic to strike the globe in a century.

The president, in an address to the nation from his hometown of Wilmington, Del., is expected to spell out his plans to speed up the nation's COVID vaccination program, boost coronavirus testing capacity to help reopen businesses and schools, provide for $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans and federal funds for state and local governments to use to avoid laying off police officers, fire fighters and other first responders, as well as teachers and health workers.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC REPORTING FROM FOX NEWS
"We're in the teeth of this crisis, and we need to take immediate action to get the virus under control," Biden emphasized on Twitter on Wednesday.

But the price tag will be high.

"It will be in the trillions of dollars," Biden told reporters on Friday.

And on Wednesday, hours before the president-elect was set to speak, senior officials from the incoming Biden administration put the overall tab at $1.9 trillion. Over $1 trillion of that total price tag is for direct relief to individuals and families.

Officials said the package includes "sending $1,400 per-person checks to households across America, providing direct housing and nutrition assistance, expanding access to safe and reliable childcare and affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance, and giving families with kids and childless workers an emergency boost this year."

Another $440 billion would be targeted to support communities and businesses that are struggling amid the pandemic "by providing support for the hardest-hit small businesses, especially small businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color, and protecting the jobs of the first responders, transit workers, and other essential workers we depend on," a senior official said.

An additional $400 billion would be aimed at directly combating the coronavirus. It includes $20 billion to beef up the speed and scale of the national COVID vaccination program, $50 billion to expand testing, which officials said was critical to the reopening of schools and businesses, $30 billion for the disaster relief fund, which includes providing protective gear to frontline workers, and funding 100,000 public health workers to work in local communities and expanding health services for populations currently underserved.
BIDEN'S COVID RELIEF PLAN TO COST 'TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS'
Among other things, Biden's plan would also extend and expand unemployment insurance benefits "so American workers can pay their bills" and would push to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The president-elect on Friday emphasized, "If we don't act now things are going to get much worse and harder to get out of the hole later. So we have to invest now."

Biden highlighted that the "overwhelming consensus among the leading economists left, right and center, is that in order to keep the economy from collapsing this year and getting much, much worse, we should be investing significant amounts of money right now to grow the economy. And that's a pretty wide consensus."

His address to the nation comes new cases of the virus continue to surge across the country. More than 385,000 people in the U.S. have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic swept the nation nearly a year ago. More than 22.7 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the virus since it first struck. And on Tuesday, more than 4,300 deaths nationally were linked to the virus, a new one-day high.
WHERE THE STOCK MARKETS ENDED UP AHEAD OF BIDEN'S ANNOUNCEMENT
Biden - as he received his second COVID vaccination shot on Monday - said that on Thursday he would be "laying out the plan, the cost of how I want to proceed, the cost of what we have to do to be able to get the entire COVID operation up and running."

He lamented that "3,000 to 4,000 people a day dying is just beyond the pale. It's just wrong." And the president-elect stressed that "we can do a lot to change it, number one. It's going to be hard, it's not going to be easy, but we can get it done."

Senior Biden administration officials highlighted that they and the president-elect have "done a lot of consultation with members of Congress and we have spent a lot of time speaking to and listening to governors and mayors and we think there is a broad understanding of the urgency of the moment, of the immediacy of the crisis, and the need to act and so we're hopeful that the ideas that are laid out here and the action that is reflected here is something that there's a lot of support for."

Looking to the long-stalled COVID relief plan that was passed by Congress late last month - which included $600 payments to Americans - the officials their "strategy is to make the case clearly to the American people about the immediacy of the need and to work to try to build on the spirit of bipartisanship that helped to bring together action in December. But that was just a down payment."

President Trump late last year temporarily refused to sign the bipartisan compromise into law, as he called for $2,000 relief payments to Americans. Biden and congressional Democrats also pushed for a increase to $2,000. Biden's new plans gets the total direct relief to Americans to the $2,000 level.

The senior Biden administration officials didn't say when they hoped for congressional passage of the plan, but they stressed that the "need is immediate. And the urgency is increasing."

They also emphasized that the $1.9 trillion rescue plan is the first of two proposals, and that Biden would unveil a jobs and economic recovery plan in the coming weeks.

As he campaigned for the White House last year, Biden pledged to battle the pandemic more seriously than Trump and promised to have a plan ready to go at the start of his administration. And the plan he unveils on Thursday aims to make his pledge a reality.
Fox News' Madeleine Rivera and Allie Raffa contributed to this story

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Biden proposes spending $1.9 trillion as he unveils 'rescue plan' for America

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President-elect Joe Biden will unveil a massive multitrillion dollar stimulus package proposal on Thursday evening that aims to combat the coronavirus and begins to pump up an economy severely battered by the worst pandemic to strike the globe in a century.

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Violent extremist activity will likely surge in the United States and pose "the greatest domestic terrorism threat in 2021," a trio of federal law enforcement agencies warned in a recently released bulletin.

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Authorities have arrested two men, including one who was pictured in the US Capitol last week holding a Confederate flag during a riot, according to the Department of Justice.

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What you need to know

The House voted yesterday to impeach President Trump for inciting the US Capitol riot last week, making him the first US president to be impeached twice.

The article of impeachment now goes to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear a trial won't start until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Law enforcement agencies meanwhile are on high alert as they continue to investigate the Capitol riot and try to prevent follow-up attacks ahead of Inauguration Day.

1 min ago
Democratic congresswoman says threats won't end with inauguration

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, says she is concerned about threats to national security beyond Inauguration Day.

"The real issue that I think we need to focus on as an American people is that there is a violent and extreme ideology that has taken hold, that has been given safe harbor, if you will, in the political space. And we saw the results of what happens when that is able to fester and come to the forefront. We saw those results on Jan. 6," Spanberger said on CNN's "New Day."

She said insurrectionists like those in the mob that stormed the Capitol "are not just going away."

Spanberger said lawmakers who continued to refuse to accept the results of the presidential election over the past two months allowed lies around the election to "fester."

"Every step along the way, when they had the ability to tell the truth to their constituents, when they had the ability to say there was no steal...they didn't do it," she said.

"Bit by bit, this is the problem - is when we have people in positions of leadership, who do not use their voice, this is what happens. We allow people the space to fester and foster these conspiracy theories that there was some steal that they need to rise up to," she added.

Watch:

8 min ago
Here's why McConnell does not plan to start the Senate trial before Biden is sworn in

From CNN's Manu Raju and Clare Foran

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is rejecting Democratic calls to bring the Senate back immediately to convict President Trump, a decision that is likely to allow the President to serve out his final days in office.

McConnell's office made that clear to Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's aides on Wednesday, according to Republican officials. The majority leader also sent a note to Republican senators telling them the chamber won't return until Jan. 19, according to a person who has seen it, meaning an impeachment trial won't begin until the early days of Joe Biden's presidency.

In a statement released after the House voted to impeach, McConnell said:

"Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week."

The House impeachment vote on Wednesday over Trump's incitement of the riot at the Capitol last week stands as a swift and bipartisan condemnation that makes Trump the first president in United States history to be impeached twice.

McConnell has privately indicated that he believes impeaching Trump would be the way to rid him from the party, a dramatic break between the top Republican who has worked in tandem with the Republican President over the last four years.

In the note to his Republican colleagues Wednesday afternoon on impeachment, he wrote that "while the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate."

8 min ago
Yesterday's impeachment vote was bipartisan. These 10 GOP members supported the measure.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump on Wednesday afternoon charging him with " incitement of insurrection." Among those who voted to impeach were 10 House Republicans. That includes:

1. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

2. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming

3. Rep. John Katko of New York

4. Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan

5. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington

6. Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington

7. Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan

8. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio

9. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina

10. Rep. David Valadao of California

Four Republicans meanwhile did not vote: Reps. Kay Granger (TX-12), Andy Harris (MD-1), Gregory Murphy (NC-3) and Daniel Webster (FL-11).

Here's how each member in the House voted on Trump's second impeachment.

What you need to know

The House voted yesterday to impeach President Trump for inciting the US Capitol riot last week, making him the first US president to be impeached twice.

The article of impeachment now goes to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear a trial won't start until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Law enforcement agencies meanwhile are on high alert as they continue to investigate the Capitol riot and try to prevent follow-up attacks ahead of Inauguration Day.

1 min ago
Democratic congresswoman says threats won't end with inauguration

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, says she is concerned about threats to national security beyond Inauguration Day.

"The real issue that I think we need to focus on as an American people is that there is a violent and extreme ideology that has taken hold, that has been given safe harbor, if you will, in the political space. And we saw the results of what happens when that is able to fester and come to the forefront. We saw those results on Jan. 6," Spanberger said on CNN's "New Day."

She said insurrectionists like those in the mob that stormed the Capitol "are not just going away."

Spanberger said lawmakers who continued to refuse to accept the results of the presidential election over the past two months allowed lies around the election to "fester."

"Every step along the way, when they had the ability to tell the truth to their constituents, when they had the ability to say there was no steal...they didn't do it," she said.

"Bit by bit, this is the problem - is when we have people in positions of leadership, who do not use their voice, this is what happens. We allow people the space to fester and foster these conspiracy theories that there was some steal that they need to rise up to," she added.

Watch:

8 min ago
Here's why McConnell does not plan to start the Senate trial before Biden is sworn in

From CNN's Manu Raju and Clare Foran

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is rejecting Democratic calls to bring the Senate back immediately to convict President Trump, a decision that is likely to allow the President to serve out his final days in office.

McConnell's office made that clear to Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's aides on Wednesday, according to Republican officials. The majority leader also sent a note to Republican senators telling them the chamber won't return until Jan. 19, according to a person who has seen it, meaning an impeachment trial won't begin until the early days of Joe Biden's presidency.

In a statement released after the House voted to impeach, McConnell said:

"Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week."

The House impeachment vote on Wednesday over Trump's incitement of the riot at the Capitol last week stands as a swift and bipartisan condemnation that makes Trump the first president in United States history to be impeached twice.

McConnell has privately indicated that he believes impeaching Trump would be the way to rid him from the party, a dramatic break between the top Republican who has worked in tandem with the Republican President over the last four years.

In the note to his Republican colleagues Wednesday afternoon on impeachment, he wrote that "while the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate."

8 min ago
Yesterday's impeachment vote was bipartisan. These 10 GOP members supported the measure.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump on Wednesday afternoon charging him with " incitement of insurrection." Among those who voted to impeach were 10 House Republicans. That includes:

1. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

2. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming

3. Rep. John Katko of New York

4. Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan

5. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington

6. Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington

7. Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan

8. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio

9. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina

10. Rep. David Valadao of California

Four Republicans meanwhile did not vote: Reps. Kay Granger (TX-12), Andy Harris (MD-1), Gregory Murphy (NC-3) and Daniel Webster (FL-11).

Here's how each member in the House voted on Trump's second impeachment.

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trump impeachment push: latest news following the house vote

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By Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

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Trump impeachment push: Latest news following the House vote

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What you need to know The House voted yesterday to impeach President Trump for inciting the US Capitol riot last week, making him the first US president to be impeached twice. The article of impeachment now goes to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear a trial won't start until President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

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After the Capital Hill Riots, House has official impeached the president for the second time. Despite this being a few days before his step down from power, this may still have huge ramifications.

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impeachment ramifications are just beginning to unfold - cnnpolitics

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Impeachment ramifications are just beginning to unfold

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The historic and rapid second impeachment of President Donald Trump came and went in a week. But the larger ramifications of the House's decision to impeach the President in his final days in office are just beginning to unfold.

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Former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang announces that he will be running for mayor of NYC this morning. "I'm running for mayor for a very simple reason...I see a crisis and I believe that I can help"

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CNN 34 mins ago By Gregory Krieg and Rob Frehse, CNN

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang officially jumped into the crowded race to become the next mayor of New York City on Thursday morning.

At a kick-off rally in Upper Manhattan, Yang promised to "revive" a city stricken by the coronavirus and introduced newly-elected Rep. Ritchie Torres as a co-chair on his campaign -- a striking endorsement for a candidate with no experience in city politics.

"I'm running for mayor for a very simple reason," Yang told a group of supporters in Upper Manhattan. "I see a crisis and believe that I can help."

Largely unknown outside of tech circles before the 2020 primary, Yang won the affection -- if not always the votes -- of Democrats who appreciated his happy warrior persona on the debate stage and campaign trail. And he was backed by supporters branded the "Yang Gang," who helped him raise $40 million over the course of his run -- including a surprising $16.5 million as the race heated up in the final three months of 2019.

Yang filed the paperwork to run for mayor a few weeks ago, while he was campaigning in Georgia for the Democrats who would go on to win their Senate run-off campaigns and deliver the party a majority in the upper chamber. During his speech Thursday, Yang said Sen.-elect Jon Ossoff called him the night before to thank him for his help.

But Yang's campaign got tripped up out of the gate after Politico reported that he left the city for his second home, in New Paltz -- about 90 minutes north of where he spoke on Thursday morning -- during some of the darkest days of the pandemic in New York. His answer, when asked about the decision by The New York Times in a recent interview, didn't help matters.

"We live in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan," Yang said. "And so, like, can you imagine trying to have two kids on virtual school in a two-bedroom apartment, and then trying to do work yourself?"

Many New Yorkers can -- and in less spacious accommodations than Yang described. The comment set off blowback in the media and will surely be used by rivals to cast him as out of touch when the campaign, which has not yet spun into gear, ramps up in the coming weeks.

Yang, who has also been criticized for his lack of engagement in the city's civic and political life before deciding to seek its top office, described his feeling when he moved here back in 1996.

"I felt like I was joining the center of the world," he said, recalling his attendance at one of the most famous New York Knicks games of the past 25 years -- no one has questioned Yang's fandom and, as often follows, frustration with the team -- and his walk north on the morning of the 9/11 attacks.

Yang said the work of rescuing the city from the pandemic's devastation would require "bold ideas and a fresh approach" -- an early nod to his unique platform, which includes a localized version of the "Universal Basic Income" pitch that was at the center of his presidential run.

The program, as sketched out on his campaign website, would target 500,000 people and begin by "providing those who are living in extreme poverty with an average of $2,000 per year."

"As mayor, we will launch the largest basic income program in the history of the country. Right here in New York," Yang said. "We will lift hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers out of extreme poverty, putting cash relief directly into the hands of the families who desperately need help right now."

His campaign rollout, including a website that includes a characteristically rich variety of ideas and plans, has already grabbed the attention of the most online New Yorkers -- in particular, his dedication to making New York "fun again" and a plan to make the city more affordable for local artists and creative types.

"Our administration would also work to attract content creator collectives, such as TikTok Hype Houses, where young artists collaborate. We need to help create similar artist collectives that utilize new technologies," the site says, while on the same page that proposes a new position: "Deputy Mayor of Entertainment, Nightlife and Culture."

Yang joins a packed field of mayoral hopefuls trying to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio's two terms in office -- including Shaun Donovan, former US secretary of housing and urban development, Brooklyn Borough President and former New York Police Department Capt. Eric Adams, former Citigroup executive Ray McGuire, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Maya Wiley, former counsel to de Blasio.

The contenders are vying to take charge of a pandemic-stricken city where unemployment is skyrocketing, poverty and hunger are growing, and a budget crunch on the horizon could force the next mayor to make deep cuts to public sector jobs and services. Worries over mass layoffs has eased a little, though, since Democrats won control of the Senate, upping the chances that federal aid to state and local governments will be part of the next Covid relief package.

Yang suspended his presidential campaign last February, and he spent time as a CNN contributor after leaving the campaign trail. At the time he ended that campaign, Yang had said he had no plans to run for mayor in New York, where he has lived for nearly 25 years.

On Thursday, Yang touted his popularizing of the universal basic income as one of driving forces behind the congressional push to deliver direct relief to Americans as part of two stimulus packages -- and likely a third, now in the works.

"Calling for a vote on the $2,000 stimulus checks that Joe Biden just endorsed should be one of the first moves that new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer makes," he said, before talking up his relationship with Biden and his Transportation secretary pick, Pete Buttigieg, and the "dividends" that familiarity would play as he tries to juice the city's financial comeback.

Yang also dug into some of the more prickly pieces of city politics. He promised to push for greater "accountability" from the New York Police Department, which has been criticized for its heavy-handed response to largely peaceful protests last summer, and said he would seek to take control of the city's public transit system from the governor's office.

Perhaps the most surprising moment of the day, though, came when Torres -- less than two weeks since entering Congress -- appeared by Yang's side and endorsed him. Torres, Yang said, will be a campaign co-chair.

"I know those in the press are surprised to see me. I'm surprised to see me," Torres said. "I've made two consequential decisions at the beginning of my congressional career. First, I voted to impeach Donald Trump. To save our country from authoritarianism. And today I have chosen to endorse Andrew Yang for mayor of the city of New York, to save our city from the failed politics of the past."

On the eve of his announcement, Yang released a video produced by director Darren Aronofsky, the second world famous filmmaker to get involved in the mayoral campaign. Spike Lee did the same -- plus providing narration -- for McGuire, the former Wall Street executive who entered the race last month.

After leaving the presidential race, Yang founded Humanity Forward, a nonprofit he used to test some of the ideas that animated his campaign. In March, he began giving hundreds of working families in New York $1,000 a month to determine the effectiveness of such a program. The organization also endorsed down-ballot candidates across the country.
This story has been updated with background information and reporting from Thursday's event.

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Andrew Yang announces candidacy for New York mayor

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CNN 34 mins ago By Gregory Krieg and Rob Frehse, CNN Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang officially jumped into the crowded race to become the next mayor of New York City on Thursday morning. At a kick-off rally in Upper Manhattan, Yang promised to "revive" a city stricken by the coronavirus and introduced newly-elected Rep.

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The unemployment number were going down for the us, they got up to 7 million last spring but then declined back down to 250,000. Since September it has soared all the was back up to 965,000.

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The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs

WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck. Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million - 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.

The high pace of layoffs coincides with an economy that has faltered as consumers have avoided traveling, shopping and eating out in the face of soaring viral caseloads. More than 4,300 deaths were reported Tuesday, another record high. Shutdowns of restaurants, bars and other venues where people gather in California, New York and other states have likely forced up layoffs.

Some states and cities are resisting shutdowns, partly out of fear of the economic consequences but raising the risk of further infections. Minnesota allowed in-person dining to resume this week. Michigan is poised to do the same. Some bars and restaurants in Kansas City are extending their hours.

In addition to the first-time applications for unemployment aid last week, the government said Thursday that 5.3 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, up from 5.1 million in the previous week.

Many more Americans are receiving jobless aid from two federal programs - one that provides extended benefits to people who have exhausted their state aid and another that supplies benefits to self-employed and contract workers.

Those two programs had expired near the end of December. They were belatedly renewed, through mid-March, in a $900 billion rescue aid package that Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed into law. That package also includes $600 relief checks for most adults and a supplemental unemployment benefit payment of $300 a week. Congressional Democrats favor boosting the checks to $2,000 and extending federal aid beyond March, as does President-elect Joe Biden.

The U.S. job market's weakness was made painfully clear in the December employment report that the government issued last week. Employers shed jobs for the first time since April as the pandemic tightened its grip on consumers and businesses.

The figures also depicted a sharply uneven job market: The losses last month were concentrated among restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues - places that provide in-person services that some governments have restricted or that consumers are avoiding. Educational services, mostly colleges and universities, also cut workers in December. So did film and music studios.

Most other large industries, though, reported job gains. Many economists had expected last spring that job losses would spread to more industries. Though all sectors of the economy initially laid off workers, most of them have avoided deep layoffs. Manufacturing, construction, and professional services like engineering and architecture, for example, all added jobs in December.

At the same time, many companies seem reluctant to ramp up hiring. A government report Tuesday showed that employers advertised fewer open jobs in November than in October. The decline, while small, was widespread across most industries. Even now, the nation has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic sent the economy into a deep recession nearly a year ago, having recovered just 56% of the jobs lost in the spring.

Many economists say that once coronavirus vaccines are more widely distributed, a broader recovery should take hold in the second half of the year. The incoming Biden administration, along with a now fully Democratic-led House and Senate, is also expected to push more rescue aid and spending measures that could accelerate growth.

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US unemployment claims jump to 965,000 as virus takes toll

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The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

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A taiwanese man has set the world record for how many bubbles can be blown in a much larger bubble. Change Yu-Te blew 783 bubbles into a much larger bubble

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Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A soap bubble master in Taiwan broke a Guinness World Record by blowing 783 bubbles inside of a much larger bubble.

Guinness said Chang Yu-Te filled a large bubble with 783 smaller bubbles during an attempt in Taoyuan.

The feat earned Chang the record for most soap bubbles blown inside one larger bubble. The record-keeping organization shared video of Chang using a large bubble wand to control the larger bubble while he blew the smaller bubbles from the side.

Chang previously set the Guinness record for most bounces of a soap bubble.

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Taiwan man blows 783 bubbles inside of larger bubble for world record

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Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A soap bubble master in Taiwan broke a Guinness World Record by blowing 783 bubbles inside of a much larger bubble. Guinness said Chang Yu-Te filled a large bubble with 783 smaller bubbles during an attempt in Taoyuan. The feat earned Chang the record for most soap bubbles blown inside one larger bubble.

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Unemployment has reached 965,000, which is the most since last August. There have been many shutdowns, which also lead to layoffs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs

WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck. Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million - 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.

The high pace of layoffs coincides with an economy that has faltered as consumers have avoided traveling, shopping and eating out in the face of soaring viral caseloads. More than 4,300 deaths were reported Tuesday, another record high. Shutdowns of restaurants, bars and other venues where people gather in California, New York and other states have likely forced up layoffs.

Some states and cities are resisting shutdowns, partly out of fear of the economic consequences but raising the risk of further infections. Minnesota allowed in-person dining to resume this week. Michigan is poised to do the same. Some bars and restaurants in Kansas City are extending their hours.

In addition to the first-time applications for unemployment aid last week, the government said Thursday that 5.3 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, up from 5.1 million in the previous week.

Many more Americans are receiving jobless aid from two federal programs - one that provides extended benefits to people who have exhausted their state aid and another that supplies benefits to self-employed and contract workers.

Those two programs had expired near the end of December. They were belatedly renewed, through mid-March, in a $900 billion rescue aid package that Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed into law. That package also includes $600 relief checks for most adults and a supplemental unemployment benefit payment of $300 a week. Congressional Democrats favor boosting the checks to $2,000 and extending federal aid beyond March, as does President-elect Joe Biden.

The U.S. job market's weakness was made painfully clear in the December employment report that the government issued last week. Employers shed jobs for the first time since April as the pandemic tightened its grip on consumers and businesses.

The figures also depicted a sharply uneven job market: The losses last month were concentrated among restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues - places that provide in-person services that some governments have restricted or that consumers are avoiding. Educational services, mostly colleges and universities, also cut workers in December. So did film and music studios.

Most other large industries, though, reported job gains. Many economists had expected last spring that job losses would spread to more industries. Though all sectors of the economy initially laid off workers, most of them have avoided deep layoffs. Manufacturing, construction, and professional services like engineering and architecture, for example, all added jobs in December.

At the same time, many companies seem reluctant to ramp up hiring. A government report Tuesday showed that employers advertised fewer open jobs in November than in October. The decline, while small, was widespread across most industries. Even now, the nation has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic sent the economy into a deep recession nearly a year ago, having recovered just 56% of the jobs lost in the spring.

Many economists say that once coronavirus vaccines are more widely distributed, a broader recovery should take hold in the second half of the year. The incoming Biden administration, along with a now fully Democratic-led House and Senate, is also expected to push more rescue aid and spending measures that could accelerate growth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
US unemployment claims jump to 965,000 as virus takes toll

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

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Last week around 965,00 people were seeking unemployment aid, the highest there have been since August. Many states are fighting against lock down for fear of the economic repercussions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs

WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck. Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million - 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.

The high pace of layoffs coincides with an economy that has faltered as consumers have avoided traveling, shopping and eating out in the face of soaring viral caseloads. More than 4,300 deaths were reported Tuesday, another record high. Shutdowns of restaurants, bars and other venues where people gather in California, New York and other states have likely forced up layoffs.

Some states and cities are resisting shutdowns, partly out of fear of the economic consequences but raising the risk of further infections. Minnesota allowed in-person dining to resume this week. Michigan is poised to do the same. Some bars and restaurants in Kansas City are extending their hours.

In addition to the first-time applications for unemployment aid last week, the government said Thursday that 5.3 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, up from 5.1 million in the previous week.

Many more Americans are receiving jobless aid from two federal programs - one that provides extended benefits to people who have exhausted their state aid and another that supplies benefits to self-employed and contract workers.

Those two programs had expired near the end of December. They were belatedly renewed, through mid-March, in a $900 billion rescue aid package that Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed into law. That package also includes $600 relief checks for most adults and a supplemental unemployment benefit payment of $300 a week. Congressional Democrats favor boosting the checks to $2,000 and extending federal aid beyond March, as does President-elect Joe Biden.

The U.S. job market's weakness was made painfully clear in the December employment report that the government issued last week. Employers shed jobs for the first time since April as the pandemic tightened its grip on consumers and businesses.

The figures also depicted a sharply uneven job market: The losses last month were concentrated among restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues - places that provide in-person services that some governments have restricted or that consumers are avoiding. Educational services, mostly colleges and universities, also cut workers in December. So did film and music studios.

Most other large industries, though, reported job gains. Many economists had expected last spring that job losses would spread to more industries. Though all sectors of the economy initially laid off workers, most of them have avoided deep layoffs. Manufacturing, construction, and professional services like engineering and architecture, for example, all added jobs in December.

At the same time, many companies seem reluctant to ramp up hiring. A government report Tuesday showed that employers advertised fewer open jobs in November than in October. The decline, while small, was widespread across most industries. Even now, the nation has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic sent the economy into a deep recession nearly a year ago, having recovered just 56% of the jobs lost in the spring.

Many economists say that once coronavirus vaccines are more widely distributed, a broader recovery should take hold in the second half of the year. The incoming Biden administration, along with a now fully Democratic-led House and Senate, is also expected to push more rescue aid and spending measures that could accelerate growth.

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US unemployment claims jump to 965,000 as virus takes toll

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The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.

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The impeachment of Donald Trump will carry through into the week that Biden will take over in office.

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WASHINGTON-The Senate trial in the second impeachment of President Trump is set to bleed into the beginning of President-elect Joe Biden's term, throwing a wrench into the busy agenda Democrats plan to tackle in the coming weeks and testing Republicans' loyalty to Mr. Trump.

The Senate won't return to Washington until Jan. 19, the day before Mr. Biden's inauguration, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) rebuffed a Democratic push to immediately reconvene the body and begin the trial, in the wake of the impeachment of Mr. Trump on Wednesday. While Mr. McConnell has signaled he is open to convicting Mr. Trump for his statements before last week's attack on the Capitol, he said the trial won't conclude until after Mr. Trump leaves office.

"Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office," Mr. McConnell said Wednesday.

An impeachment trial for the outgoing president at the beginning of Mr. Biden's term will create a logistical challenge for Democrats, who will take control of the Senate and seek to quickly confirm Mr. Biden's nominees and pass another coronavirus relief bill. Last year's trial in the first impeachment of Mr. Trump took several weeks, requiring senators to sit in their desks on the chamber's floor, often until late into the night.

"I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation," Mr. Biden said Wednesday.

Confirmation hearings for Mr. Biden's cabinet nominees begin this week, with Avril Haines, the nominee to be director of national intelligence, set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday. Mr. Biden is expected to roll out a proposal for another round of Covid-19 relief, focused on money for vaccine distribution, unemployment insurance, direct payments to Americans, and state and local governments. Congress passed a roughly $900 billion package in December.

For this impeachment trial, the fourth in U.S. history, Democrats say they will want to move more quickly, arguing that public-record evidence of Mr. Trump's behavior will allow for quick proceedings. Once they control a majority in the chamber later this month, Democrats will have the votes to set the rules for the process, as Republicans did last year.

"I don't expect it to take weeks in order to move through this," said Sen. Tina Smith (D., Minn.).

The timing of the trial will also depend on when Democrats in the House formally send the article of impeachment to the Senate. Some Democrats have called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) to wait to transmit the article to give Democrats full access to the Senate schedule early in Mr. Biden's term. Ahead of last year's trial, Mrs. Pelosi held on to the two articles of impeachment for several weeks.

But others have said Democrats should move forward with the process as quickly as possible.

"My expectation is we will send it as quickly as it's ready to go," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) said on Wednesday. Mrs. Pelosi hasn't commented on timing.

If Mrs. Pelosi does send the article over before Jan. 19, the trial could begin as soon as Jan. 20, the day of Mr. Biden's inauguration, without unanimous consent among senators to delay the process.

The first impeachment of Mr. Trump focused on his efforts to press Ukraine to investigate Mr. Biden and his son, and the second impeachment revolves around Mr. Trump's statements supporting a mob that sought to overturn Mr. Biden's victory in the 2020 election. An impeachment trial of Mr. Trump at the beginning of Mr. Biden's term will be the latest chapter in an extraordinary political rivalry between the two men.

At a time of reckoning among Republicans about Mr. Trump's role in last week's attack, it isn't clear how many GOP senators would join Democrats in the politically perilous vote. Opinion polls released since the Capitol riot show Mr. Trump's approval rating hitting new lows for his presidency, but he maintains broad support among Republican voters.

Along with Mr. McConnell, several others have signaled they could be open to the possibility of voting to convict, including Sens. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

If Mr. Trump is already out of office, conviction could open the door to Congress barring him from ever holding office again. Mr. Trump has considered running for president again in 2024. Ten Republicans joined Democrats to vote to impeach Mr. Trump in the House.

"Make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate; there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors; and if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said. Mr. Schumer is set to take over as majority leader once two Georgia senators are seated later this month and Kamala Harris becomes vice president and can cast a tiebreaking vote.

Some Republicans have started raising questions about whether Congress can impeach an official who is out of office, previewing a possible line of argument during the eventual trial.

"Under these circumstances, the Senate lacks constitutional authority to conduct impeachment proceedings against a former president," said Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.).

Others said it would set a dangerous precedent.

"To the American people, what good comes from impeaching President Trump after he's out of office?" said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), a close ally of Mr. Trump. "To my Republican colleagues, let's stand up for the idea that postpresidential impeachments are bad for the presidency, bad for the country," he said on Fox News.

Write to Andrew Duehren at andrew.duehren@wsj.com

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Busy Senate to Juggle Trump Impeachment Trial, Biden Agenda

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The Senate trial in the second impeachment of President Trump is set to bleed into the beginning of President-elect Joe Biden's term, throwing a wrench into the busy agenda Democrats plan to tackle in the coming weeks and testing Republicans' loyalty to Mr. Trump.

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Damaging wind gusts shook the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain states on Wednesday, felling trees, downing power lines and killing one person.
At the time of reporting, at least 33,049 Idahoans, 14,665 Montanans, 20,686 Oregonians and 125,510 Washingtonians were out of power, according to data from PowerOutage.US.

link wouldn't work so here it is:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/intense-gusts-force-wind-warnings-in-8-states-power-outages-for-hundreds-of-thousands

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Earlier today, a COVID-19 healthcare worker won a lottery jackpot of $1,000,000. Her chances of winning were about 1 in 513,000, and when first notified of the win, she was in disbelief, believing it was "a scam."

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"I thought that it was a scam. I was a little upset actually!" she recalled.

A COVID-19 nurse at a long-term care facility in North Carolina has won a $1 million prize in the state lottery.

Terri Watkins from Durham, North Carolina, received a call informing her that she had won the million-dollar prize on Jan. 13 and her initial reaction to winning was complete disbelief.

"I thought that it was a scam. I was a little upset actually!" she recalled laughing. "I thought that it was not real, couldn't be real.

Watkins, a nurse who works in the COVID unit of a long-term care facility in Durham, had a one in more than 513,000 chance in the final $300,000,000 Supreme Riches drawing on Wednesday.

"Just seeing some of the things that I've had to see, I am very thankful," Watkins said according to a statement released by the North Carolina Education Lottery. "I had been praying for something to help me with this situation. It really is a great thing. I'm very blessed."

The North Carolina Education Lottery said that ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise over $725 million a year for education in the state.

When asked about what her plans are following her improbably win, Watkins wasted no time coming up with ideas.

"I'm just gonna take it slow and easy and figure out what I'm gonna do," said Watkins. "I would love a new home, but I've just got to take time and put it in the right place."

Watkins made the decision to take a lump sum of $600,000 -- $424,500 after required state and federal tax withholdings -- rather than the $1 million as an annuity of $50,000 a year over 20 years.

She had the option to take the $1 million prize as an annuity of 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum and took home $424,500 after required state and federal tax withholdings. She claimed her prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

Said Watkins: "It's still something that I really don't believe, I'm still in some shock here."

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COVID-19 nurse wins improbable $1 million lottery prize

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"I thought that it was a scam. I was a little upset actually!" she recalled. A COVID-19 nurse at a long-term care facility in North Carolina has won a $1 million prize in the state lottery. Terri Watkins from Durham, North Carolina, received a call informing her that she had won the million-dollar prize on Jan.

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On the grounds of "incetement of insurrection", The House of Representatives has voted to impeach Trump, making him the only president to be impeached twice. This has created tensions, and in preperation of another armed protest, the National Guard has already sent 20,000 troops to Washington D.C. for increased security.

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On one side of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., President Trump -- now the only president in history to be impeached twice -- faces another Senate trial following the House charging him Wednesday with one article of impeachment for "incitement of insurrection." Shortly after 10 Republicans sided with Democrats for the vote, Trump released a video from the Oval Office condemning the violence at last week's Capitol riot, which he called a "calamity," but he did not address impeachment.

On the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue stands what's now become a crime scene -- the U.S. Capitol complex. By this weekend, up to 20,000 National Guard troops, many armed, will be deployed to the area amid heightened security concerns and ahead of Biden's inauguration. Inside the Capitol, metal detectors were installed to enter House chamber earlier this week, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans to fine members who don't comply with the new protocol up to $5,000.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled Wednesday that Trump's Senate trial should take place after Trump leaves office, saying he wouldn't call back the Senate ahead of its Jan. 19 return. McConnell also indicated Wednesday he's considering voting to convict the president, issuing a statement that says he has "not made a final decision." Pelosi has not publicly announced her timeline, but a source involved with deliberations told ABC News Wednesday she plans to send the article to the Senate next week.

Biden, reacting to Trump's second impeachment late Wednesday, expressed his hope that the Senate will be able to maintain a bifurcated schedule, allowing the trial to move forward along with his agenda -- a message his transition has been consistent on this week. But Democrats are facing the reality that Trump is still likely to loom large over Biden's first days in office.

On Thursday evening, Biden is slated to deliver remarks on the public health and economic crises from Wilmington, Delaware, and introduce his COVID-19 vaccine and economic relief proposal. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to join.

There are no public events on Trump's schedule.

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Trump-Biden transition live updates: Trump defense team uncertain ahead of trial

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On one side of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., President Trump -- now the only president in history to be impeached twice -- faces another Senate trial following the House charging him Wednesday with one article of impeachment for "incitement of insurrection."

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New York City, New York cuts all contracts with President Donald J Trump after his organization and encouragement of the stroming of the US capitol building, alongside many social media platforms banning him from using them.

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Mayor Bill de Blasio said the move is in response to the Capitol insurrection.

New York City is severing its contracts with President Donald Trump's eponymous company, a move that could cost the outgoing president millions of dollars in response to his role in inciting the Capitol insurrection.

The city will be notifying the Trump Organization that it will cancel its agreements to operate the Central Park Carousel, Wollman and Lasker skating rinks, and Ferry Point Golf Course in the Bronx.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is acting under a clause that allows termination of contracts in the event of criminal activity.

"The president incited a rebellion against the United States government that killed five people and threatened to derail the constitutional transfer of power," de Blasio said. "The City of New York will not be associated with those unforgivable acts in any shape, way or form, and we are immediately taking steps to terminate all Trump Organization contracts."

"He has dishonored New York City by his actions," the mayor added.

The Trump Organization pockets $17 million a year for operating the skating rinks, the carousel and the golf course.

When Trump was running for the presidency, and later when he was pushing a plan to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, he touted his success in taking over the management of Wollman Rink as an example of his business acumen.

"When I did the Wollman Rink, it was seven years they couldn't get it built. It would have been forever, they couldn't get it built, and I did it in a few months at a much smaller price," Trump said in 2018. "We did it for a tiny fraction of the cost."

Eric Trump, the president's son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said the company would challenge the city's decision to cancel the contracts.

"The City of New York has no legal right to end our contracts and if they elect to proceed, they will owe The Trump Organization over $30 million dollars," said Eric Trump said. "This is nothing more than political discrimination, and we plan to fight vigorously."

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New York City cancels all contracts with Trump Organization

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Mayor Bill de Blasio said the move is in response to the Capitol insurrection. New York City is severing its contracts with President Donald Trump's eponymous company, a move that could cost the outgoing president millions of dollars in response to his role in inciting the Capitol insurrection.

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A parasite commonly found in under cooked meat and contaminated water may be associated with rare brain cancers.

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CNN 1 hr ago By Naomi Thomas, CNN

A common parasite people get from contaminated water and undercooked meat may be associated with rare brain cancers, researchers reported Monday.

They found evidence that people infected with Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, have a higher risk of developing rare but highly fatal gliomas.

The parasite can sometimes form cysts in the brain and the inflammation associated with these cysts might be responsible, the researchers reported in the International Journal of Cancer.

A team of researchers led by epidemiologist James Hodge, of the American Cancer Society's department of population science, and Anna Coghill, of the department of cancer epidemiology at the H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute in Florida, looked at the association between antibodies for T. gondii in blood samples and the risk of glioma in two groups of people.

The study involved 111 individuals enrolled in the American Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort and 646 people listed in the Norwegian Cancer Registry.

"In both cohorts, we observed a suggestive positive association between seropositivity for T. gondii antibodies and glioma risk," the researchers wrote. The glioma associations were stronger for the people who had higher levels of T. gondii antibodies.

T. gondii is a common parasite that most commonly infects people through contaminated food or water from raw or undercooked meat from infected animals. Twenty percent to 50% of the global population have been exposed to the parasite, according to the study.

Gliomas make up the majority -- 80% -- of malignant brain tumors. Glioblastomas are the most common subtype. Glioblastomas have five-year relative survival rates of only 5%.

"Our findings provide the first prospective evidence of an association between T. gondii infection and risk of glioma, results that should be confirmed in independent studies," the researchers wrote.

"This does not mean that T. gondii definitely causes glioma in all situations. Some people with glioma have no T. gondii antibodies, and vice versa," Hodge said in a statement.

"The findings do suggest that individuals with higher exposure to the T. gondii parasite are more likely to go on to develop glioma," added Coghill. "However, it should be noted that the absolute risk of being diagnosed with a glioma remains low, and these findings need to be replicated in a larger and more diverse group of individuals."

If the findings of the study are replicated, "reducing exposure to this common food-borne pathogen would offer the first tangible opportunity for prevention of this highly aggressive brain tumor," the researchers said.

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Parasite found in undercooked meat linked with risk of rare brain cancer

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CNN 1 hr ago By Naomi Thomas, CNN A common parasite people get from contaminated water and undercooked meat may be associated with rare brain cancers, researchers reported Monday. They found evidence that people infected with Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii, have a higher risk of developing rare but highly fatal gliomas.

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A new winter storm is beginning to develop in the high plains and is expected to bring some snow to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi over the next 36 hours. Dangerous travel conditions are being expected because although there is not going to be too much snow, there will still be enough to cause spin outs and accidents on the road.

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Dangerous travel conditions are expected in parts of Texas.

A new winter storm is beginning to develop in the southern high plains this morning and it will bring some snow across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi over the next 36 hours.

The very beginnings of this storm brought some snow across parts of New Mexico and Colorado on Saturday.

While snow amounts were relatively light -- locally 1 to 2 inches -- it was enough to make roads slippery and cause spinouts and accidents in parts of Colorado Springs.

The storm is currently bringing some snow across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle and as the storm moves east across Texas today, a couple of heavy bands of snow will develop across parts of Central Texas.

Dangerous travel conditions are expected in parts of the state, especially near Abilene, where snowfall rates could exceed 1 inch per hour.

As the storm moves across the eastern half of Texas, the system will meet some mild air and there will be rain and snow mixed across the region which should hold down accumulations in Dallas and Waco.

However, there should be enough snow to cause slippery roads with locally 1 to 3 inches of snow and the best chance for accumulation well outside the city itself.

Some of the heavy snow might have a chance to accumulate in eastern Texas after sunset with locally over 3 inches of snow possible in locations such as Lufkin.

On Monday morning, snow will be possible across parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and the National Weather Service is reporting the last time more than 2 inches of snow was reported in Shreveport was in 2015, and the last time there was a good measureable snow in the city overall was in 2018.

It is important to note that this storm will fall apart as it reaches the Southeast with little impact expected by Tuesday and Wednesday.

Overall, the weather pattern is fairly quiet across much of the U.S. while the Northeast will have a cold January morning with wind chills in the teens and 20s as winds in the region begin to subside.

On the West Coast, several storms lined up across the Pacific will move towards the Northwest over the next few days which should add to rainfall totals and snow totals in the region.

One of those storms today will help waves to exceed 30 feet in some parts of the West Coast of the U.S. as high surf advisories have been issued for nearly the entire western U.S. coast line as a result.

For those that enjoy winter surfing, some spots -- especially in California -- could see excellent surfing conditions.

In Southern California there could be some brief critical fire conditions due to dry gusty offshore winds that could exceed 50 mph at times.

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Winter storm will bring snow from Texas to Mississippi on Sunday and Monday

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Dangerous travel conditions are expected in parts of Texas. A new winter storm is beginning to develop in the southern high plains this morning and it will bring some snow across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi over the next 36 hours. The very beginnings of this storm brought some snow across parts of New Mexico and Colorado on Saturday.