# data[].attributes.body
rush Limbaugh died.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rush Limbaugh, the monumentally influential media icon who transformed talk radio and politics in his decades behind the microphone, helping shape the modern-day Republican Party, died Wednesday at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer, his family announced.

Limbaugh's wife, Kathryn, made the announcement on his radio show.

The radio icon learned he had Stage IV lung cancer in January 2020 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump at the State of the Union address days later. First lady Melania Trump then presented America's highest civilian honor to Limbaugh in an emotional moment on the heels of his devastating cancer diagnosis.

"Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country," President Trump said during the address.

Limbaugh is considered one of the most influential media figures in American history and has played a consequential role in conservative politics since "The Rush Limbaugh Show" began in 1988. Perched behind his Golden EIB (Excellence in Broadcasting) Microphone, Limbaugh spent over three decades as arguably both the most beloved and polarizing person in American media.

The program that began 33 years ago on national syndication with only 56 radio stations grew to be the most listened-to radio show in the United States, airing on more than 600 stations, according to the show's website. Up to 27 million people tuned in on a weekly basis and Limbaugh has lovingly referred to his passionate fan base as "Dittoheads," as they would often say "ditto" when agreeing with the iconic radio host.

In his final radio broadcast of 2020, Limbaugh thanked his listeners and supporters, revealing at the time that he had outlived his prognosis.

"I wasn't expected to be alive today," he said. "I wasn't expected to make it to October, and then to November, and then to December. And yet, here I am, and today, got some problems, but I'm feeling pretty good today."

Limbaugh helped boost Trump's influence prior to the 2016 election simply by taking him seriously as a candidate when other established conservatives didn't want the former reality television star anywhere near the Republican Party. Many of Limbaugh's listeners eventually became Trump supporters and the radio legend continued to defend Trump throughout his presidency despite occasional disagreements.

In the heat of the 2020 presidential election, Limbaugh hosted Trump in October for what was an unprecedented two-hour "radio rally", during which the president was virtually given control of the coveted golden microphone to answer questions from the host and his listeners.

Limbaugh, born in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on Jan. 12, 1951, began his radio career in 1967 as a "helper" when he was only 16 years old. He eventually graduated to disk jockey and worked at a small station roughly 100 miles south of St. Louis while attending high school.

"I was totally consumed," Limbaugh told the New York Times in 1990, noting that his idol was a Chicago radio host named Larry Lujack. By 1971, Limbaugh was a morning radio host in Pittsburgh, where he was oddly told to cover a certain amount of "farm news" because the area was surrounded by many agriculture communities. In 2007 he explained to listeners how the young radio host managed to keep listeners despite the bizarre requirement.

"The last thing that the audience of my show cares about is farm news. If farm news came on, bam! They pushed the button and go somewhere else. So, we had to figure out, 'Okay, how do we do this and protect the license?' So I turned the farm news every day into a funny bit with farm sound effects and the roosters crowing and so forth, and I'd make fun of the stockyard feed prices or whatever it was, so that we could say, 'We're doing barn news,' agriculture news. There was all kinds of things like that," Limbaugh told listeners.

The tidbit offered a glimpse into Limbaugh's early days, proving that he was a master of keeping audiences engaged from a young age. Limbaugh has said he realized America was the "greatest country ever" when taking trips to Europe and Asia in his late 20s and early 30s, an experience that helped shape his political views.

"I'm aware that the United States is young compared to countries in Europe and Asia that have been around for hundreds of years. They're thousand-year-old civilizations," he told listeners in 2013. "So, I go to Europe and say, 'Wait a minute. Why is this bedroom so damned old-fashioned and doesn't work? What the hell is this? They call this a toilet?' So I started asking myself, 'How is it that we, who have only been around 200 years, are light-years ahead of people that have been alive a thousand?' So, I started thinking this. It was a matter of genuine curiosity to me, and not from a braggadocios standpoint."

Limbaugh continued the trip down memory lane: "I was literally interested in how that happened, and then I started to think about all the other things that we led the world in: Manufacturing, technology, innovation, invention, creation, and it all led back to liberty and freedom and the pursuit of happiness and dreams coming true and working hard for whatever you want and being able to do what you love, not just have to dream about it."

From that point forward, Limbaugh believed that "American exceptionalism" shouldn't be frowned upon, and his conservative views became more prominent.

"We stood for the concepts that are in our Declaration of Independence: Right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. We stood for that, and we were the beacon for it, and to this day that is why the oppressed of the world still seek to come into this country," he said.

Limbaugh also credited National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr. for teaching him how to articulate conservative views.

"He single-handedly is responsible for my learning to form and frame my beliefs and express them verbally in a concise and understandable way," Limbaugh once said.

In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission repealed the Fairness Doctrine, a policy that had been in place since 1949 and mandated that both sides of controversial political issues receive equal time on radio programs. The decision by the FCC paved the way for Limbaugh to broadcast his conservative views without fear of being punished by the government, quickly leading to the now-prominent talk radio format that he pioneered.

After local radio gigs in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Sacramento, Limbaugh landed at WABC in New York shortly after the Fairness Doctrine was repealed. It was there that he changed talk radio forever when "The Rush Limbaugh Show" became a cultural phenomenon for both the message and the way it was delivered.

"Unlike most radio talkers, who affect a casual, intimate style, Limbaugh sounds like he's on a soapbox. He is intoxicated by words, especially those flowing from his own lips. His vocabulary is extensive; his diction tends to the grandiosely formal, though overblown to the point of self-parody. His nervous energy plays out through hands that never stop moving. They rattle the papers, slap the desk, punch the console. Whap! Whap! Whump! This muted percussion is often heard on the air, a rhythmic accompaniment to Limbaugh's voice," author Lewis Grossberger wrote in New York Times Magazine in 1990.

At one point after early struggles to find success in the radio business, Limbaugh temporarily left the industry and worked for the Kansas City Royals baseball team. Lucky for conservatives and "Dittoheads," he eventually returned to radio.

"Thanks for all you're doing to promote Republican and conservative principles. Now that I've retired from active politics, I don't mind that you have become the Number One voice for conservatism in our country," President Ronald Reagan once wrote in a letter to Limbaughthat was published by National Review in 2003.

"I know the liberals call you 'the most dangerous man in America,' but don't worry about it, they used to say the same thing about me. Keep up the good work. America needs to hear the way things ought to be," Reagan continued.

Limbaugh was eventually enshrined in the Radio Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was a five-time winner of the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for "Excellence in Syndicated and Network Broadcasting," a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and was named one of Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People in 2008 and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2009.

While Limbaugh made his career on radio, a speech he delivered at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2009 is widely considered one of the most important moments of his career -- an explanation of "who conservatives are" that caused the crowd to erupt with chants of "USA! USA!"

"We love people. When we look out over the United States of America, when we are anywhere, when we see a group of people, such as this or anywhere, we see Americans. We see human beings. We don't see groups. We don't see victims. We don't see people we want to exploit. What we see -- what we see is potential. We do not look out across the country and see the average American, the person that makes this country work. We do not see that person with contempt. We don't think that person doesn't have what it takes. We believe that person can be the best he or she wants to be if certain things are just removed from their path like onerous taxes, regulations and too much government," Limbaugh told the crowd.

"We want every American to be the best he or she chooses to be. We recognize that we are all individuals. We love and revere our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence," he continued. "We believe that the preamble to the Constitution contains an inarguable truth that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, Freedom and the pursuit of happiness."

In 2001, Limbaugh was diagnosed with an autoimmune inner-ear disease that drastically affected his hearing.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2003, Limbaugh checked himself into a treatment facility after becoming addicted to pain medication that he was prescribed following back surgery. Also in 2003, Limbaugh resigned from a brief role as ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" after making controversial comments about then-Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who the broadcasting legend said was overrated by media members who wanted to see a Black quarterback thrive.

Limbaugh is survived by his wife, Kathryn.
Fox News' Charles Creitz, Yael Halon and David Rutz contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio pioneer, dead at 70

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rush Limbaugh, the monumentally influential media icon who transformed talk radio and politics in his decades behind the microphone, helping shape the modern-day Republican Party, died Wednesday at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer, his family announced.

# data[].attributes.body
NASA rover lands on mars

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NASA has unveiled the first pictures from its fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, after a successful landing on the red planet's Jezero crater at approximately 3:55 p.m. Thursday.

"This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally - when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks," acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a press release. "The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission embodies our nation's spirit of persevering even in the most challenging of situations, inspiring, and advancing science and exploration."

Perseverance, the most technologically advanced robot NASA has sent to date, traveled 293 million miles to reach Mars over the course of more than six months after launching on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Station on July 30. It will remain on Mars for nearly two years, searching for signs of ancient life and exploring the planet's surface.

The mission will help prepare the agency for future human exploration on Mars in the 2030s.
'BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE EXIST' ON MARS, FORMER NASA ADMINISTRATOR CONFIRMS
The $2.7 billion rover, built in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is about 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, seven feet tall and about 2,260 pounds, roughly 278 pounds heavier than its predecessor, Curiosity.

Perserverance is designed to drive an average of 650 feet per Martian day and features seven scientific instruments, a robotic arm that reaches about seven feet long, a rock drill. It is nuclear powered, using a plutonium generator provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The scientific instruments on the rover include a camera designed to take high-definition video, panoramic color and 3D images of the Martian surface and features in the atmosphere with a zoom lens to magnify distant targets, a group of sensors to measure weather and monitor dust on the planet's surface, a system that will be used to produce oxygen from the Martian carbon-dioxide atmosphere, an x-ray and camera system that can measure the chemical makeup of rocks and analyze features as small as a grain of salt, a ground-penetrating radar system to analyze geologic features under Mars' surface, a group of cameras, spectrometers, and a laser to search for organics and minerals as well as take clse up images of rock grains and surface textures, and a camera to identify the chemical composition of rocks and soils, including their atomic and molecular makeup.

In addition, the rover carries a commemorative plate to honor COVID-19 healthcare workers and has the names of 10.9 million people stenciled into three of its silicon chips with the words "Explore as one" written in Morse code.
WHITE HOUSE VOICES SUPPORT FOR MOON EXPLORATION BY 2024, AFTER CONCERNS BIDEN WOULD NIX ARTEMIS PROGRAM
Perseverance's landing involved the "seven minutes of terror," a fiery atmospheric entry in a protective capsule which involved a parachute-assisted descent. The "seven minutes of terror" is referred to by NASA engineers as the time it takes to enter the Martian atmosphere and descend to the surface.

The spacecraft is guided solely by pre-programmed controls in its onboard computer, due to a roughly 11 minute signal delay between Earth and Mars.

Perseverance entered into the atmosphere at about 12,100 miles per hour in a protective capsule. The spacecraft then deployed a parachute to begin slowing down before removing its protective capsule and heat shield. The rover's landing mechanism then fired eight rocket thrusters to slow down from about 170 miles per hour to about two miles per hour and guide it to a proper landing spot before using a sky crane to lower onto Mars' surface.

Perseverance landed in the Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide basin in the northern hemisphere of Mars, where NASA believes a body of water about the size of Lake Tahoe used to flow. The Perseverance science team believes this ancient river delta and lake deposits could have collected and preserved organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Perseverance is also carrying the Ingenuity helicopter, a technology demonstration that will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Ingenuinity will be deployed in a few months from underneath the rover in a flat area. Perseverance will then drive about 330 feet away to capture the flight attempt with its cameras. Once Ingenuity's test flights are complete, the rover's search for evidence of ancient microbial life will begin.

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with the European Space Agency, will send spacecraft to Mars to collect the cached samples recovered from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NASA has unveiled the first pictures from its fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, after a successful landing on the red planet's Jezero crater at approximately 3:55 p.m. Thursday.

# data[].attributes.body
NASA reveals pictures from 5th rover, Perseverance. The rover contains a high quality camera for videos, 3D pictures, and many more additions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NASA has unveiled the first pictures from its fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, after a successful landing on the red planet's Jezero crater at approximately 3:55 p.m. Thursday.

"This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally - when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks," acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a press release. "The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission embodies our nation's spirit of persevering even in the most challenging of situations, inspiring, and advancing science and exploration."

Perseverance, the most technologically advanced robot NASA has sent to date, traveled 293 million miles to reach Mars over the course of more than six months after launching on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Station on July 30. It will remain on Mars for nearly two years, searching for signs of ancient life and exploring the planet's surface.

The mission will help prepare the agency for future human exploration on Mars in the 2030s.
'BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE EXIST' ON MARS, FORMER NASA ADMINISTRATOR CONFIRMS
The $2.7 billion rover, built in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is about 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, seven feet tall and about 2,260 pounds, roughly 278 pounds heavier than its predecessor, Curiosity.

Perserverance is designed to drive an average of 650 feet per Martian day and features seven scientific instruments, a robotic arm that reaches about seven feet long, a rock drill. It is nuclear powered, using a plutonium generator provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The scientific instruments on the rover include a camera designed to take high-definition video, panoramic color and 3D images of the Martian surface and features in the atmosphere with a zoom lens to magnify distant targets, a group of sensors to measure weather and monitor dust on the planet's surface, a system that will be used to produce oxygen from the Martian carbon-dioxide atmosphere, an x-ray and camera system that can measure the chemical makeup of rocks and analyze features as small as a grain of salt, a ground-penetrating radar system to analyze geologic features under Mars' surface, a group of cameras, spectrometers, and a laser to search for organics and minerals as well as take clse up images of rock grains and surface textures, and a camera to identify the chemical composition of rocks and soils, including their atomic and molecular makeup.

In addition, the rover carries a commemorative plate to honor COVID-19 healthcare workers and has the names of 10.9 million people stenciled into three of its silicon chips with the words "Explore as one" written in Morse code.
WHITE HOUSE VOICES SUPPORT FOR MOON EXPLORATION BY 2024, AFTER CONCERNS BIDEN WOULD NIX ARTEMIS PROGRAM
Perseverance's landing involved the "seven minutes of terror," a fiery atmospheric entry in a protective capsule which involved a parachute-assisted descent. The "seven minutes of terror" is referred to by NASA engineers as the time it takes to enter the Martian atmosphere and descend to the surface.

The spacecraft is guided solely by pre-programmed controls in its onboard computer, due to a roughly 11 minute signal delay between Earth and Mars.

Perseverance entered into the atmosphere at about 12,100 miles per hour in a protective capsule. The spacecraft then deployed a parachute to begin slowing down before removing its protective capsule and heat shield. The rover's landing mechanism then fired eight rocket thrusters to slow down from about 170 miles per hour to about two miles per hour and guide it to a proper landing spot before using a sky crane to lower onto Mars' surface.

Perseverance landed in the Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide basin in the northern hemisphere of Mars, where NASA believes a body of water about the size of Lake Tahoe used to flow. The Perseverance science team believes this ancient river delta and lake deposits could have collected and preserved organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Perseverance is also carrying the Ingenuity helicopter, a technology demonstration that will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Ingenuinity will be deployed in a few months from underneath the rover in a flat area. Perseverance will then drive about 330 feet away to capture the flight attempt with its cameras. Once Ingenuity's test flights are complete, the rover's search for evidence of ancient microbial life will begin.

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with the European Space Agency, will send spacecraft to Mars to collect the cached samples recovered from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NASA has unveiled the first pictures from its fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, after a successful landing on the red planet's Jezero crater at approximately 3:55 p.m. Thursday.

# data[].attributes.body
Prominent figures in the fashion and social media community come together to stand against Asia hate crimes in the U.S

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Written by Stephy Chung, CNN

Following a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes taking place in the US in recent weeks, prominent figures from across the fashion industry are coming together to voice their concern and condemn the violence.

In the last 24 hours, influential voices such as Allure magazine's editor-in-chief Michelle Lee and designer Phillip Lim have posted videos on Instagram to share their personal experiences of racism and to raise awareness using the hashtag #StopAsianHate.

Since late January, a striking number of attacks against Asian Americans -- in particular, the elderly -- have put communities on high alert, and especially during the Lunar New Year holiday.

In San Francisco, an 84-year-old immigrant from Thailand died after being violently shoved to the ground during his morning walk by a 19-year-old man. In nearby Oakland's Chinatown, police said a man pushed three unsuspecting people, injuring a 91-year-old man, a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman. A 64-year-old woman was robbed outside a Vietnamese market in San Jose, California.

While it's hard to prove such incidents are solely motivated by anti-Asian bigotry, many advocates and rights groups believe them to be, pointing to a pattern of targeted hate since the coronavirus pandemic began.

"A lot of this (violence) has been caused by misplaced hate and anger and frustration over the pandemic, to the point where our elderly have been attacked randomly," Lee said in an Instagram video. "It's not just the harassment and name calling with the "kung flu," it really has now moved to people being attacked and killed."

"We've been shouting it for months now and people don't seem to care," she continued.

In his own powerful post, Lim said watching viral videos of attacks and crimes targeting Asian businesses had been emotionally difficult. And that it wasn't until he reached out to Asian American friends and colleagues that he started hearing accounts of them being "bullied, harassed, attacked" in their own neighborhoods, over the past month.

Many in the Asian community are calling the seemingly unprovoked attacks hate crimes, spurred by racism and discrimination towards Asians during a year-long battle with the coronavirus in the US, and inflammatory language such as "China virus," and "kung flu" vocalized by former President Donald Trump.

According to data released by Stop AAPI Hate released on February 9, over 2,800 firsthand reports of anti-Asian hate across 47 states and DC -- which included physical assaults, verbal harassment, and being purposely coughed or spat on -- were collected between mid-March through the end of 2020. In January, the Biden administration signed into memorandum guidance to combat anti-Asian bias incidents, acknowledging the spike in cases that have risen during the pandemic due to "inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric" that "has put Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons, families, communities, and businesses at risk."

Designer Prabal Gurung also took to Instagram, posting a "how to help" graphic that has been circulated with the #StopAsianHate campaign, with a call to action, urging his followers to volunteer or donate to community groups, to help amplify Asian artists, authors and activists, and to speak up.

"To build an equitable world, we have to be actively anti-racist," Gurung wrote in the accompanying post. "Anti-racism is not a hashtag but a life long commitment."

Gurung and Lim are members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which this week also put out a statement on "zero tolerance for hate crimes of any kind."

"I sit here feeling somewhat helpless, invisible, and semi-defeated because our Asian stories aren't being reported in mainstream media," Lim said. "It feels like we do not matter or exist."

"I'm sure you guys have your own family stories ... with varying details of sacrifice, but I believe all with the common goal of searching for a better life," he continued, after showing photos of his family's journey immigrating to America to camera. "A safe haven with the promise of infinite possibilities and the freedom to pursue the American dream in a country we all call home.

"So I ask you as a fellow American, a fellow human being. Will you stand with me, will you stand with us, your fellow Americans, Asian Americans, to stop Asian hate?"

Other influencers speaking out on social media include Instagram's director of fashion, Eva Chen, and British fashion journalist Susie Lau, who also goes by Susie Bubble.
Top image: A look from Prabal Gurung's New York Fashion Week show in September 2019.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
influencers take to social media to stand against asian hate crimes in the us  - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Influencers take to social media to stand against Asian hate crimes in the US

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Written by Stephy Chung, CNN Following a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes taking place in the US in recent weeks, prominent figures from across the fashion industry are coming together to voice their concern and condemn the violence.

# data[].attributes.body
severe weather around the country has raised questions about how climate change is influencing the frequency and intensity of extreme cold. carl schreck, tropical weather expert, said "Climate change is making extreme cold and severe snowstorms and things like that actually less frequent, but when they do happen they're still huge high-impact events.¨

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Severe winter weather around the country has raised questions about how climate change, more frequently associated with global warming, is influencing the frequency and intensity of extreme cold.

At the same time, record lows from Nebraska to New Orleans, and the most snow in at least three decades for much of the southern Plains, has climate change skeptics asking: "Where's the global warming now?"

The answer is, while the connection between climate change and cold weather patterns isn't as clearly established as its relationship to warming, experts say it does affect how severe winter storms are and how long they last.

And cold weather, even when extreme, does not negate that Earth is warming.

One weather event like the historic storm hitting much of the country this week doesn't prove or disprove long-term trends in the climate, experts say. And while climate change hasn't been definitively linked to making winter storms colder, they say it can make a major difference.

"Climate change is making extreme cold and severe snowstorms and things like that actually less frequent, but when they do happen they're still huge high-impact events," said Carl Schreck, a tropical weather expert at North Carolina State University.

"I mean the world still goes around the sun, it's still tilted on its axis, we're going to have seasons, the thing is we're having those extreme events less often than we used to. So they're more noteworthy now than, maybe they were 50 years ago," he said.

Swings in temperature associated with specific weather events are also getting more extreme in both warm and cold seasons.

"The deviations, day to day month to month around what we call the statistical averages, or the normals get bigger," said Mark Seeley, a climatologist at the University of Minneapolis - St. Paul.

Climate change is also contributing to conditions that lock extreme weather events in one place longer, instead of moving across an area quickly.

Some research suggests those patterns are linked to increased warming in the Arctic and its impact on the jet stream, the strong tunnels of wind in the atmosphere that propel weather systems around the globe.

Schreck said the jet stream depends on the contrast between temperatures at the North Pole and lower latitudes like the Equator. So when the Arctic warms that difference is smaller and weakens the jet stream, making weather more sticky.

"So whatever weather pattern you get in tends to stick around a little bit longer, and that can lead to more extreme events," he said.

There has also been more anecdotal evidence about the changes to winter weather around the world, specifically from athletes like Jessie Diggins, a cross-country skier who has competed for the U.S. in the Olympics.

Diggins is a board member for the group Protect Our Winters, which advocates for climate change action to protect the environment and venues for winter sports. She said she's competed in cities around the world that typically have heavy snowfall in the winter but in recent years haven't seen the same amount of snow they expect.

"There have been years where we were racing and training on this ribbon of manmade snow with green grass and mud on the side of the trail in January," she told ABC News Live.

Diggins said she knows the conditions in one place at one time doesn't reflect climate change but that this has been a pattern she started to notice more in recent years.

"I think it's more of the trend that we're seeing over time that you know it's not just one venue in one week it's multiple venues multiple different countries over multiple years it's getting more and more common to have this trend of needing to race on manmade snow," she told ABC News Live.

Experts say that even if warmer winters don't sound as dangerous as extreme heat, any change to the climate is disruptive and it should get the same amount of attention to understand how the country needs to adapt and that cities, states, and utilities should prepare to keep the power on even in the most extreme and unlikely conditions.

And energy experts like Jesse Jenkins, an assistant professor of engineering and energy systems at Princeton University, say the power outages in Texas this week reinforce the need for states and cities to plan for more extreme weather events in the future, even if they seem unlikely. He compared it to getting health insurance even if you don't think you'll get sick.

"Texas is showing is that we have to think carefully about the unexpected about the sort of rare events that maybe aren't on the front of our minds, but when they do occur, have the potential to have very severe outcomes and very dangerous outcomes," Jenkins said.

"What Texas is showing is that we have to really rethink and reevaluate the you know, the level of insurance, that we want to have and climate change makes that all much more difficult," he said.

Seeley said the country has to keep having the conversation about climate change because the negative consequences are piling up.

"It literally demands adaptation and mitigation, if we're going to preserve our natural resources and preserve our societal infrastructure and its ability to keep us with the quality of life we have now. Because unless we keep up with this pace we're going to be lost," he said.

"That's why it needs so much attention," he said.
ABC News' Ginger Zee and Jon Schlosberg contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Historic winter storm raises questions about climate change and cold

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Severe winter weather around the country has raised questions about how climate change, more frequently associated with global warming, is influencing the frequency and intensity of extreme cold. At the same time, record lows from Nebraska to New Orleans, and the most snow in at least three decades for much of the southern Plains, has climate change skeptics asking: "Where's the global warming now?"

# data[].attributes.body
A Federal Judge in California on Thursday sentenced a venture capitalist to 12 years in prison

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Federal Judge in California on Thursday sentenced a venture capitalist who donated nearly $1 million to former President Donald Trump's inaugural committee to 12 years in prison for falsifying records to hide his work as a foreign agent while lobbying high-level U.S. officials.

Imaad Zuberi was also fined $1.75 million and ordered to pay $15.7 million in restitution.

Zuberi, 50, agreed to plead guilty in 2019 to tax evasion, filing false foreign agent registration records and providing almost $1 million in illegal campaign contributions to various presidential election campaigns and other candidates for elected office, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

​He previously donated to a host of Republican and Democratic politicians, including former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton in 2015, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in 2014, then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2015, and former President Barack Obama's presidential re-election campaign in 2011.

"The violations were part of a larger surreptitious effort to route foreign money into U.S. elections and to use it to corrupt U.S.policy-making processes," Federal prosecutors said in a court filing. They added "the court should reject Zuberi's characterization that illegal foreign interference and by funneling money to influence US policymaking and elections was the 'way America works."

​Prosecutors say Zuberi solicited foreign nationals and representatives of foreign governments, claiming he could use his influence in Washington to alter U.S. foreign policy and open up business opportunities for his clients.

Zuberi went to great lengths to pull off his scheme - hiring lobbyists, retaining public relations professionals and making campaign contributions - and in the process gained access to high-level U.S. officials, according to federal prosecutors.

​Illegal money was funneled from foreign entities over five years between 2012 and 2016, prosecutors said. Officials have not reveal the source of the $900,000 that Zuberi donated to the Trump inaugural committee in December 2016.

​Zuberi not only solicited help from members of the House of Representatives, but members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other powerful politicians as well, prosecutors said.

​In one instance, using money supplied by a person described in the court filing as "Person J," Zuberi paid a former high-ranking U.S. military official over $150,000 to travel twice to Bahrain, meet with Bahraini officials to demonstrate Person J's influence in the United States, and participate in an April 29, 2013, publicity stunt in which Avenue Ventures supposedly acquired a 35 percent stake in Al Areen. The stunt consisted of an event in Los Angeles at which Person J and a representative of Avenue Ventures purportedly attended.

​In addition, to the other schemes, prosecutors say that Zuberi received a $1 million payment from indicted Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash in March of 2015.

"Mr. Zuberi flouted federal laws that restrict foreign influences upon our government and prohibit injecting foreign money into our political campaigns. He enriched himself by defrauding his clients and evading the payment of taxes," said Tracy Wilkinson, acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. "Today's sentence, which also accounts for Mr. Zuberi's attempt to obstruct an investigation into his felonious conduct, underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts to maintain transparency in U.S. elections and policy-making processes."

Zuberi's lawyers declined to comment on Thursday's sentencing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Investor who donated nearly $1M to Trump inauguration sentenced to 12 years in prison

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Federal Judge in California on Thursday sentenced a venture capitalist who donated nearly $1 million to former President Donald Trump's inaugural committee to 12 years in prison for falsifying records to hide his work as a foreign agent while lobbying high-level U.S. officials.

# data[].attributes.body
U.S. rejoins Paris climate agreement. Now comes the daunting part.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WASHINGTON - For four years, the rest of the world watched with frustration and a sense of irony as the U.S. walked away from the Paris Agreement, the global climate pact it had painstakingly pressured other countries to join and then abruptly abandoned during the Trump administration.

Starting Friday, the U.S. is back in the deal but with plenty of catching up to do to meet its emissions-cutting commitments and restore its diminished standing on the world stage.

U.S. emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases plunged last year, but that was an anomaly owing to the coronavirus pandemic, which put the brakes on large segments of the economy. As the country rebounds, emissions are expected to rise once again, and President Joe Biden's administration is racing to find ways to put the U.S. on track to meet even more ambitious targets that scientists say are needed to avert the worst effects of global warming.

That's especially true when it comes to building back U.S. credibility to persuade China, by far the world's largest emitter, to move faster.

"We have to show we are not just talking the talk but walking the walk," said Todd Stern, the lead U.S. negotiator for the Obama administration on the 2015 climate agreement. "Our capacity to be impactful will start at home. Everybody understands the United States has got to get a really revved-up effort."

Biden, within hours of having been sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, signed an executive order returning the U.S. to the climate accord. It takes 30 days after a country delivers its paperwork to the U.N. for its entrance to take effect, a period that ends Friday.

As the Biden administration seeks to show seriousness of purpose, a carefully choreographed series of events Friday will highlight the formal U.S. return to the hard-fought global deal.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry, Biden's special envoy for climate, will be front and center, officials said. He will appear with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in the afternoon and join Biden's domestic climate czar, Gina McCarthy, and his U.N. climate envoy, Mike Bloomberg, for a morning event to launch the "America Is All In" coalition, made up of city, state and business leaders who continued to take action on climate during the Trump years.

Aiming to show solidarity on climate with European partners and other allies, Kerry will also attend a special midday session of the Munich Security Conference and a virtual reception marking the U.S. return hosted by the E.U. delegation and the embassies of the U.K., Italy, France and Chile. He will take questions about climate diplomacy at yet another event alongside the British and Italian ambassadors.

And Biden is expected to emphasize the U.S. move when he takes part Friday in a virtual Group of Seven summit and to promote a world leaders' climate summit the U.S. is planning for April, dovetailing with a major focus on climate by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the G-7's host.

Officials involved in the administration's climate agenda said the key message the U.S. hopes to send is that the Paris Agreement remains intact, having endured without other countries' following the U.S. out the door - a prospect climate advocates feared when Donald Trump, months into his presidency, announced that the U.S. was out.

In the coming months, the Biden administration must also develop a new emissions-cutting target, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, which will determine the scope of the country's ambitious goals over the next decade. Under the Paris Agreement, the commitments, which are revisited every five years, aren't binding, although other parts of the deal are.

The previous target, set by President Barack Obama, committed the U.S. to cut emissions by at least 26 percent by 2025 compared to 2005. In the years since, U.S. emissions have, indeed, declined, spurred in part by steps undertaken during the Obama administration to curtail emissions from power plants, vehicles and other sources - but not enough.

Early data indicate that last year, when emissions were abnormally low because of the pandemic, the country's emissions were 21.5 percent lower than in 2005, according to Rhodium Group, an independent researcher that tracks emissions data. But in 2019, before the coronavirus swept through the world, the U.S. got only about half as close to its target, with emissions at 12 percent below 2005 levels, as opposed to the goal of 26 percent.

With Trump's withdrawal from the pact, the 2025 goal technically became moot. Biden's new goal will specify reductions the U.S. will seek to undertake by 2030.

"In that sense, we're starting fresh," said Nat Keohane, senior vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group.

The Biden administration plans to announce the new target in April, when Biden convenes a world leaders' summit on climate, several U.S. officials said. In the longer term, Biden has committed the U.S. to reach net-zero emissions across the economy by 2050, long after he has left office.

How Biden will seek to meet those targets is an open question. But the efforts are likely to entail a mix of regulations to enact stricter emissions limits on vehicles, power plants and industry; incentives to move the U.S. faster toward electric cars and renewable energy; and potentially a market-based mechanism to force reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, such as a carbon tax or fee or an emissions-trading scheme, said people familiar with the Biden administration's deliberations.

All that requires a sharp shift from policies pursued by the Trump administration, which sought to undo Obama-era regulations and provide incentives for economic growth by putting less stringent limits on industry.

"Indeed, there was no contribution from the U.S. government" during the Trump years, Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, said Thursday. Still, he said, the rest of American society continued apace on climate notwithstanding Trump, positioning the U.S. to be "fully on track for the net zero in 2050."

Other countries are also watching closely to see whether the U.S. will make good on its commitments to the Green Climate Fund, which was set up to enable poorer, developing countries to reduce emissions by shifting some of the costs to wealthier countries that historically have borne most of the blame for climate change. The U.S. has given only about a third of the $3 billion the Obama administration pledged; Kerry has said the Biden administration will "make good" on the full amount.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The U.S. historically has contributed more to global emissions than any other country, but fast-developing China now leads the world in emissions of greenhouse gases, and it has continued building coal-fired power plants, even as President Xi Jinping has set a goal to zero out China's emissions by 2060.

"It's not enough for the U.S. to rejoin Paris. We have to begin to cut our emissions to be able to put pressure on countries like China, whose emissions are still growing," said Paul Bledsoe, a climate adviser in the Clinton administration who is a strategic adviser at the Progressive Policy Institute, a nonprofit advocacy group.

In the initial weeks of Biden's presidency, China hawks have voiced concern that eagerness to pursue climate diplomacy with Beijing, a key priority for Kerry, could lead the Biden administration to go softer on China on other points of contention, like trade, human rights and Beijing's aggressive actions in the region.

Kerry has pledged that other national security issues won't be shortchanged for the sake of climate, calling it a "critical, standalone issue" that he hopes the U.S. can pursue with Beijing even if the relationship sours on other fronts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
U.S. rejoins Paris climate agreement. Now comes the daunting part.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
WASHINGTON - For four years, the rest of the world watched with frustration and a sense of irony as the U.S. walked away from the Paris Agreement, the global climate pact it had painstakingly pressured other countries to join and then abruptly abandoned during the Trump administration. Starting Friday, the U.S.

# data[].attributes.body
NASA's Perseverance with Ingenuity touched down on the dusty red planet Thursday, February 18, 2021, at approximately 3:55P ET. Their mission is to seek signs lfe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Journey to the Red Planet with Perseverance and Ingenuity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
(Updated: March 24, 2021)NASA’s Perseverance with Ingenuity touched down on the dusty red planet Thursday, February 18, 2021, at approximately 3:55P ET. The Mars Rover and Mars Helicopter launched on July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Their mission is to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples from Mars for examination on Earth. From concept to launch to its harrowing landing, here are some of the highlights and the first images sent back to Earth from the rover!Experience more Mars on discovery+. Download and subscribe to stream NASA Mars Landing: Inside the Mission and When We Left Earth.

# data[].attributes.body
Texas Senator Ted Cruz went to Cancun for a night during the power outages and snowstorm in Texas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
One night in Cancun: Ted Cruz's disastrous decision to go on vacation during Texas storm crisis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Speaking about his Cancun trip, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) on Feb. 18 said he began to have regrets right as he got on the plane. (KTRK via AP) Usually, it takes at least one full day in Cancun to do something embarrassing you'll never live down.

# data[].attributes.body
California plans to open schools by April 15.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
California lawmakers have reached a $6.5 billion deal on legislation aimed at providing funding for schools to reopen across the state by April 15.

Lawmakers unveiled a proposal in the form of two bills on Thursday, Assembly Bill 86 and Senate Bill 86 , according to The Mercury News .

The bills would provide additional funding to open schools - more than what California Gov. Gavin Newsom Gavin Newsom State lawmakers propose bill to ban fracking in California by 2027 California coronavirus hospitalizations dropping, death rate holds steady Caitlyn Jenner rules out gubernatorial run in California MORE has supported so far, the News noted.

Newsom would have to sign the legislation, once it is passed by the legislature, for it to become law.

The proposal, which was shared on Twitter by California Assemblyman Phil Ting (D), would allocate $2 billion to assist schools in reopening for in-person instruction, as well as $4.6 billion in learning recovery funds. The bill would also allocate $6 billion in federal funds for reopening schools.

(1/2) Science clearly shows schools can reopen safely, and that there is no reason for our children to suffer under indefinite distance learning. The State Legislature is ready to act, based on this data, so students can return to the classroom no later than April 15th, pic.twitter.com/wr2j1kjWm2
- Asm Phil Ting (@AsmPhilTing) February 18, 2021

Newsom said in a statement on Thursday that while the proposal "represents a step in the right direction, it doesn't go far enough or fast enough."

"I look forward to building on the growing momentum to get our schools open and continuing discussions with the Legislature to get our kids back in school as safely and quickly as possible," he said.

Under the proposed deal, all schools would have to adopt COVID School Safety plans by April 1. Schools would continue to allow families to choose distance learning for their students.

The legislation would also require the California Department of Public Health to prioritize school employees serving in-person students in the state's COVID-19 vaccine distribution system.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
California lawmakers reach $6.5B deal on reopening schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
California lawmakers have reached a $6.5 billion deal on legislation aimed at providing funding for schools to reopen across the state by April 15. Lawmakers unveiled a proposal in the form of two bills on Thursday, Assembly Bill 86 and Senate Bill 86 , according to The Mercury News .

# data[].attributes.body
South Carolina heartbeat ban marks next era of abortion battle under Biden. South Carolina on Thursday became the first state in 2021 to enact a restrictive abortion law known as a "heartbeat ban"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
south carolina heartbeat ban marks next era of abortion battle under biden - cnnpolitics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
South Carolina heartbeat ban marks next era of abortion battle under Biden

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
South Carolina on Thursday became the first state in 2021 to enact a restrictive abortion law known as a "heartbeat ban," an opening salvo underscoring a potentially perilous situation for President Joe Biden's administration as anti-abortion supporters look for a Supreme Court fight over reproductive rights.

# data[].attributes.body
Perseverance has successfully landed on Mars and has sent it's first pictures on the landing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
nasa mars perseverance rover has successfully landed  - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Perseverance rover has successfully landed on Mars

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NASA's Perseverance rover has safely landed on Mars after its 292.5 million-mile journey from Earth, the agency confirmed.

# data[].attributes.body
Ted blames his Cancun trip on his daughters wanting to take a vacation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
ted cruz's explanation for his cancun trip made things worse - cnnpolitics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Analysis: Ted Cruz's explanation for his Cancun trip made things worse

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Look, it's bad enough to leave the country for a resort town when a) you're a United States senator and b) your state is dealing with widespread power outages and frigid temperatures. It's worse when you blame your kids for your decision to leave.

# data[].attributes.body
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially stepped down from royal responsibilities, and will not be returning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will not be returning as working members of the British royal family, the palace has confirmed.

Buckingham Palace on Friday confirmed the news in a statement on Friday.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family," the statement begins.

It continues: "Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family. While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family."
MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY EXPECTING BABY NO. 2

The decision comes one year after Meghan and Harry announced their plan to step back as senior members of the royal family. The couple, who recently announced they are expecting their second child together, at the time agreed to a 12-month review of the decision.

It was made after the pair held conversations with members of the royal family.

According to the palace, the military, Commonwealth and charitable associations that will now revert to Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, include the Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving, The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football Union, The Rugby Football League, The Royal National Theatre and The Association of Commonwealth Universities.

In their January 2020 announcement of stepping back as senior members of the royal family, Meghan and Harry discussed their intentions of working independently, splitting their time between the United Kingdom and North America.

At the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said their decision came "after many months of reflection and internal discussions."
PRINCE HARRY ACCEPTS APOLOGY IN UK LIBEL SUIT, WILL DONATE DAMAGES TO CHARITY

"We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution," the couple shared on Instagram. "We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.

"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages," they continued. "This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity."

The couple added they would continue to work with the reigning monarch, 94, as well as Harry's father Prince Charles, as well as the 36-year-old's older brother, Prince William.
MEGHAN MARKLE WINS PRIVACY BATTLE AGAINST UK TABLOID OVER PUBLISHING A LETTER TO HER FATHER

"We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support."

Markle, 39, and Harry, 36, welcomed a son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in May 2019. The baby's arrival came a year after the couple tied the knot in a televised royal ceremony in May 2018.

Earlier this week, the couple announced the exciting news of baby No. 2.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
"We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child," a spokesperson for the couple told Fox News.

They recently announced that they will speak to Oprah Winfrey in a TV special to be broadcast next month.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A spokesperson for the couple said in a statement that "as evidenced by their work over the past year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry will not be returning as working members of the royal family, palace says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will not be returning as working members of the British royal family, the palace has confirmed. Buckingham Palace on Friday confirmed the news in a statement on Friday. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family," the statement begins.

# data[].attributes.body
Oklahoma recorded an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 just outside of Kansas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was reported Friday morning near the Oklahoma-Kansas border.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was centered a few miles southeast of the town of Manchester, Okla. -- but residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kan., are reporting to have felt it.

"Just felt an earthquake at the NWS office!" the National Weather Service station in Tulsa tweeted.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
There were no immediate reports of damage.

The USGS reported a magnitude 2.9 earthquake in the same area late last night.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oklahoma reports 4.2 magnitude earthquake near Kansas border

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was reported Friday morning near the Oklahoma-Kansas border. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was centered a few miles southeast of the town of Manchester, Okla. -- but residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kan., are reporting to have felt it.

# data[].attributes.body
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Charger wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead in a hotel room February 15. Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened. There was no sign of trauma or injury. Thursday his family donated his brain to BU's CTE Center.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
TAMPA, Fla. -- Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson might have died in his Florida hotel room up to three days before being pronounced dead there, according to new information released by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner on Thursday.

Jackson, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver, was found dead in a Brandon, Florida, hotel room on Monday. He was 38.

The new details released by the medical examiner's office Thursday came on the same day a Jackson family spokesperson confirmed to ESPN that the family donated his brain to Boston University's CTE Center in an effort to learn more from his death.

Based on the timeline of events described in the Initial Case Summary provided to ESPN by the medical examiner's office, Jackson was located by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as part of a welfare check on Feb. 12. Then on Feb. 13 and 14, the hotel staff entered his room and noticed that he was seated on the couch but slouched over.

"They assumed he was sleeping and left the room," the report said.

On Feb. 15, hotel staff again entered Jackson's room and determined he hadn't moved from his previous spot and called 911 at 11:37 a.m. There were no signs of trauma or injury, other than a small laceration on his left big toe, according to the report.

The initial report provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office did not include what transpired on Feb. 13 or 14.

Jackson had been staying at the hotel since Jan. 11. The family called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on Feb. 10 to report he was missing, and a formal report was filed Feb. 11. Deputies were able to locate and speak with Jackson at the hotel on Feb. 12. After assessing Jackson's well-being, the missing persons case was canceled, per the initial report.

Thursday's updated report said there were no medications found on scene. Under "social history," it listed alcohol use, smokeless tobacco use and no known drug use. The report listed the cause and manner of his death as "pending further study," meaning it is not immediately known what killed him.

"There cannot be a rush to judgment in determining cause and manner of death," Michelle Van Dyke, a spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, said in an email. "At this time, there is no timeframe for the completion of the autopsy report for Mr. Jackson, though the Medical Examiner anticipates it may take several months."

The New York Times first reported Thursday that the Jackson family had donated his brain to BU's CTE Center.

CTE, which stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease that can be caused by repeated head trauma, including trauma from sports such as football and boxing. It can be diagnosed only posthumously and in a special autopsy that examines specific portions of the brain. Researchers at BU have previously found CTE in the brains of former NFL players.

"If anything can be learned from his death that might help someone else, Vincent would want that since he was passionate during his life about impacting others around him," family spokesperson Allison Gorrell told ESPN.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Vincent Jackson's brain donated to Boston University's CTE Center; new details in death emerge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TAMPA, Fla. -- Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson might have died in his Florida hotel room up to three days before being pronounced dead there, according to new information released by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner on Thursday. Jackson, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver, was found dead in a Brandon, Florida, hotel room on Monday.

# data[].attributes.body
NASA's Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars on Thursday afternoon.The rover's voyage will help pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here's what to know about the mission and Thursday's landing.

After a nerve-wracking seven-minute descent, NASA's Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars on Thursday afternoon, as part of one of the agency's most ambitious deep-space missions to search for signs of ancient life on the red planet.

"What an amazing day," a joyful Steve Jurczyk, NASA's acting administrator, said shortly after the landing was confirmed.

"What an amazing team, the work through all the adversity and all the challenges that go with landing a rover on Mars, plus the challenges of COVID ... just an amazing accomplishment," he added.

Within minutes of landing, the rover, nicknamed "Percy," sent its first image back to Earth.

The rover's voyage will also help pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.

Perseverance launched from the Florida coast last July, and after a seven-month journey through the cosmos, successfully to touched down on Mars' Jezero Crater at 3:55 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Touching down at 'the most challenging Martian terrain ever targeted for a landing'

Thursday's landing was the culmination of over a decade of work, but there was no guarantee the landing would go smoothly -- only about 50% of all previous Mars landing attempts have succeeded, according to NASA.

"Mars is hard and we never take success for granted," Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, said during a Tuesday news conference.

Zurbuchen added that they will land on Mars "with cameras on, so the entire world is inspired with us as we do new and tough things and demonstrate these new technologies."

"Because whether it's on the red planet or here at home on our blue marble, science can bring us together and create solutions to challenges that seem impossible at first," Zurbuchen said.

Zurbuchen added in a statement that Peseverance is "focused scientifically on finding out whether there was ever any life on Mars in the past."

"To answer this question, the landing team will have its hands full getting us to Jezero Crater -- the most challenging Martian terrain ever targeted for a landing," he added.

The Jezero Crater is the site where an ancient river flowed into a lake on Mars, scientists believe, and where signs of ancient life may have been best preserved.

"The Perseverance team is putting the final touches on the complex choreography required to land in Jezero Crater," Jennifer Trosper, the deputy project manager for the mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "No Mars landing is guaranteed, but we have been preparing a decade to put this rover's wheels down on the surface of Mars and get to work."

The rover is also equipped with new technology that lets it target its landing site more accurately and avoid hazards autonomously, according to NASA.

Mission goals

Perseverance -- which was named by a seventh grader who won an essay contest -- is the fifth rover NASA has sent to the red planet, and the most advanced.

The six-wheeled rover is about the size of a car and the mission duration as of now is set for at least one Martian year, or 687 Earth days.

Astrobiology is at the core of the mission's goals, and Perseverance is tasked with searching for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. It will also collect carefully selected rock and sediment samples with the goal of eventually returning them to Earth.

Moreover, the rover will collect data on the planet's geology and climate -- paving the way for eventual human exploration. There is also an experiment called MOXIE that will see whether it is possible to manufacture oxygen in the Martian atmosphere.

Perseverance also has a helicopter, dubbed "Ingenuity," that is expected to become the first aircraft to attempt a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

How to watch

The rover's entry, descent and landing on Mars were broadcast live on NASA's website and YouTube channel, with coverage commencing at 2:15 p.m. ET. Special Spanish language programming -- a first from NASA for a planetary landing -- kicked off at 2:30 p.m. ET.

It takes a little over 11 minutes for signals to travel from Mars to Earth, so the "live" coverage had that delay. The riskiest portion of the mission, when the rover began its entry on Mars (dubbed the "seven minutes of terror," according to NASA engineers), began at around 3:38 p.m. ET.

The complexities of deep-space communications could delay when mission controllers on Earth confirm parts of Perseverance's landing, NASA said ahead of the landing, but also noted that the rover has the ability to land safely without communications to Earth using autonomous, pre-programmed landing instructions.

Additional communications, expected in the hours and days after the landing event, should provide more details on the rover's journey and landing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NASA's Perseverance successfully touches down on Mars

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here's what to know about the mission and Thursday's landing. After a nerve-wracking seven-minute descent, NASA's Perseverance rover successfully touched down on Mars on Thursday afternoon, as part of one of the agency's most ambitious deep-space missions to search for signs of ancient life on the red planet.

# data[].attributes.body
Oklahoma has a 4.2 magnitude earthquake next to the Oklahoma-Kansas border.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was reported Friday morning near the Oklahoma-Kansas border.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was centered a few miles southeast of the town of Manchester, Okla. -- but residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kan., are reporting to have felt it.

"Just felt an earthquake at the NWS office!" the National Weather Service station in Tulsa tweeted.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
There were no immediate reports of damage.

The USGS reported a magnitude 2.9 earthquake in the same area late last night.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oklahoma reports 4.2 magnitude earthquake near Kansas border

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was reported Friday morning near the Oklahoma-Kansas border. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake was centered a few miles southeast of the town of Manchester, Okla. -- but residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kan., are reporting to have felt it.

# data[].attributes.body
With very cold weather in the area for the past couple weeks Texas has had an extreme amount of difficulty recovering. There have been storms pipe lines freezing that have been resulting in water shortages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As winter storms and freezing temperatures continue to wreak havoc across Texas, many are having to fight for survival.

Hundreds of thousands in the state remained without power on Thursday, trying their best to stay warm and dry as bursted pipes flood homes. Millions who got their lights back on were also dealing with water and other issues.

Here are just some of the struggles some Texans said they are facing during this winter crisis.

Many have no heat

Timothy Wilsey, his wife, Nicole, and their 7-year-old son have been without power for 72 hours.

The family, who reside in Euless, said they use their cars for warmth and to charge battery packs and phones, which Wilsey described as "their only lines of communication."

Wilsey said the family is only using their phones to quickly look at the news and search for restaurants that may be open and serving food.

The family mostly lays "under covers in bed," in their apartment, which is only heated by candles, Timothy said.

"We are keeping busy by going old school and reading books and playing board games," Wilsey told CNN by text message.

In Portland, Texas, Brianna Blake told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday that she and her husband kept their children warm by using household items as firewood, including artwork and fencing, as they dealt with 36 hours of no heat in their home.

"I just started kind of grabbing my canvasses off the wall, and breaking them and throwing them into the fire," she said.

In Irving, Kimberly Hampton and her family of five initially thought that they would be able to ride out the power outages from their home.

But Hampton said no amount of blankets could keep them warm. The family lost power at 3:30 a.m. Monday, and the home's thermostat quickly fell to 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hampton said she was able to get some wood from Home Depot to start a fire and melt frozen breast milk in room temperature water for her 7-month-old baby and 3-year-old twins.

On Tuesday, when asked how things went overnight, Hampton said it got worse and that it felt colder.

"We're out of firewood and there is none available anywhere close by," she told CNN. "My husband is going to have to go buy some formula because all my frozen milk is going bad. My other kids are miserable and don't understand why it's cold or why they can't watch TV or have a warm meal."

To help with the cold, Hampton said the family has "closed off our bedrooms and stuffed towels in the spaces of the doors and used blankets to cover all our windows the best we can."

"We have a generator, but ran out of gas for it extremely quick, so gas stations are open nearby. The kids are all bundled up with three layers of clothes, jackets, and shoes. And we have all been basically laying on top of each other sharing body heat."

In San Antonio, Texas, Claudia and Eder Lemus were fortunate to have their power return Wednesday night, after trying to keep their three young kids warm with a fire, multiple layers of clothes and blankets. They'd even run the burners on the stove, an unconventional way of keeping warm that carries its own risks of carbon monoxide poisoning.

As a military family, Claudia said the family had lived all over the US and even abroad in places with heavy snow.

"We never thought it was going to be like this," she said. "We've lived in Virginia where they have a lot of snow. We've lived abroad in Korea where they have a lot of snow and we just - we never anticipated the city to come to such a standstill because of this."

Angel Garcia and her family in Killeen, Texas, have been rationing oxygen tanks for their 5-month-old son, who was born with premature lungs. Garcia, a nurse, is watching him constantly, she said.

The family lost power to their home Monday night and was running out of wood, so they burned their 3-year-old daughter's baby blocks in the fireplace, she said.

"A lot of people don't know the severity of what's going on. People are tearing down their fences to burn," Garcia said, between tears. "We started burning my daughter's little wooden blocks because it was just too cold."

She says she hopes that people realize how bad the situation is, in a state where people are not accustomed to this type of cold weather.

"Not everyone has gas, but we waited in line about an hour and finally we were able to get some gas," Garcia said. "There's pretty much nowhere to go. Everyone in Texas is in the same boat. If they have electricity, there's no water. If they have water, there's no electricity."

In Carrollton, John Mays, Jon Milton Blackburn and their three children had no heat or water in their home since early Monday. To fuel their fireplace, the family resorted to ripping up baseboards to stay warm.

"It was either that, or we were going to go after the dining room table next," Mays told CNN's Don Lemon on Thursday.

After a water pipe burst, the family sought shelter at their church, and expressed gratitude for local leadership providing warming stations.

"If anything, this has been such a wonderful learning lesson for us on how important community is, and how important it is to stay together as a community," Mays said.

Some have burst pipes and flooded homes

After sliding up a hill in her car to get gas, Yasmin Elsaba returned to her Austin home to find that the pipes in the fire sprinkler system in a third-floor apartment had burst and begun flooding everything on the lower floors, including her apartment.

"I started sobbing when I saw that water was on my bed," Elsaba said. "I couldn't stay there anymore; the floors were already saturated so sleeping on the floor wasn't an option either."

Elsaba knew she had to leave her apartment, but she was afraid to go to her parents' home because they're at high-risk for Covid-19. She decided to take the treacherous 25-minute drive to their home, and offered to stay in the car in their driveway.

"When I arrived they wouldn't let me stay outside," she said.

Thomas Black shared an image on social media that went viral, showing icicles hanging from a ceiling fan.

"Lack of preparedness...our infrastructure is just not ready for something like this," Black told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Thursday when asked how the water got on the fan.

Black has also posted other pictures from his apartment building of flooded hallways, water pouring from ceilings in utility closets, and iced over indoor entryways.

When asked why he decided to post the images on social media, Black said, "I think every Texan's blood should be boiling that this is even the reality that we're living in...we're in a bad situation and it's getting worse."

Jesus Cortez and his three roommates were forced out of their college apartment on Tuesday when a sprinkler busted in one of the bedrooms causing the apartment to flood in San Marcos.

so today even with freezing weather, our apartment complex didn't drain the sprinklers so it busted in one of the rooms and our apartment flooded. We were walking in a pool of water trying to take out as much possible trying to make sense of what was happening. pic.twitter.com/W04NHX3hbt
- Jesus Cortez (@xbrxham) February 17, 2021

The students have been doing a mix of online learning and in-person classes - but with the current weather situation, those classes have been canceled, he said.

"We were walking in a pool of water trying to take out as much possible trying to make sense of what was happening," Cortez wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

Cortez told CNN on Wednesday that he doesn't know if they can return to the apartment, "since the roads are icy at the moment."

Meanwhile, it got so cold inside the home Sandra Erickson rents with her husband in Friendswood, Texas, that she said the pipes burst. As a result, the ceiling in three different rooms collapsed.

"This is like a hurricane catastrophe," she told CNN.

Others have limited water or food

The Bexar-Bulverde Volunteer Fire Department in the San Antonio-area ran out of water while fighting a large apartment fire Thursday, illustrating how dire the water shortage is in Texas.

Many of the hydrants on the scene are frozen and there is no water, said the department's chief Jerry Bialick. Crews are having to go down the street to fill their tenders with water.

"Right now, the fire break is working pretty good. Our main concern is water supply," Bialick said during news conference Thursday. "Once we make a little bit of advance on the fire, we run out of water."

Residents of the building were evacuated, as well as buildings on both sides. No injuries have been reported at this time, according to Bialick.

Some in Texas have their power back - but are still struggling to find food and clean water.

"We went to multiple H-E-Bs and searched for about six to eight hours Tuesday for food," Ehren Williamson told CNN by phone from Pflugerville, where there is currently still an advisory in effect to boil water.

Williamson waited in line Thursday for an hour at an H-E-B. Once inside the store, there was no water to be found anywhere.

"We had no warning," he said. "We were given the impression that it wasn't going to be bad. I didn't even see the rolling blackout warnings. It just went dark."

Had he been warned, he said, he would have stocked up on food, water and a backup generator.

Philip Shelley, a Fort Worth resident, told CNN that his family is also struggling to keep everyone fed.

Shelley said he is trying to keep his pregnant wife, Amber, and his 11-month-old daughter, Ava, warm by keeping them bundled. Amber is due on April 4.

"(Ava) is down to half a can of formula," Philip said. "Stores are out if not extremely low on food. Most of our food in the refrigerator is spoiled. Freezer food is close to thawed but we have no way to heat it up."

On Tuesday night, Philip said he had to drive across town to find an open restaurant. This morning, their power flickered on long enough that they were able to cook a meal before it went out, again.

While some are dealing with lack of food, others - like Eder Lemus and his family - are dealing with a lack of water.

"As of now, we are using a neighbor's faucet to refill a bucket of water to drain our toilets," Lemus said. "When and if the lights come back on, we try to take showers and refill our drinking water gallons so that we can stay hydrated."

In Austin, Smita Pande said her husband and their two friends visiting from New York took refuge with another friend because they had no power at their home.

They thought they were in the clear, but then a water main break nearby knocked out the water at the friend's apartment.

"We didn't anticipate the water to be shut off, but once it did, we assumed a 'worst-case scenario' type of thing and just grabbed snow off the balcony and put into kettles and pots to use for drinking water in case we don't get water back anytime soon," Pande said. "If the power outage is any indication of how long that'll be, then we are going to be boiling snow for a while."

Right now, she said that everyone has one water bottle, so they shouldn't need any of the "snow water" for some time. She currently estimates that they have enough food and water to last until Thursday afternoon.

In San Antonio, Brenda Aly said she is using pool water from a neighbor, in addition to snow, to fill their toilet tanks and do dishes after losing water Tuesday.

Aly said they are fortunate to have a gas stove and grill, and have been able to cook food. She estimates they have about two more days worth of rations left.

"Once we go through our bottled water, our only drinking water option will be snow, until our water comes back or the stores are able to open," Aly said.

Some are facing health concerns

Helen Reed, a pediatric emergency room nurse, is used to taking care of others, but having no power at her home in Robstown, just 18 miles west of Corpus Christ, since Sunday night has made that difficult.

Reed is caring for her 91-year-old mother with dementia and her 23-year-old terminally ill daughter, who has Lennox Gastaut Syndrome in addition to 19 other diagnoses, at home. Her mother hasn't had a warm meal in days and doesn't quite understand the situation, Reed said. Her daughter eats through a feeding pump that Reed has had to plug and unplug into a generator in order for it to function.

"Trying to keep the generator going has been nerve-wrecking," she said. "Trying to keep the two of them from falling (in the dark), trying to manage my (daughter's) seizures, I can't even tell you - it's just compounded stress."

Every two hours, Reed said she adds gasoline to the generator. With gas in short supply, she said her farmer neighbor gave her a tank of gas he had in his barn and that's what they've been using sparingly and to fuel a small space heater.

"The heater worked well, only sometimes crashing the generator," she said. "We wore all of everything we own, layers of South Texas beach clothing, not designed for snow and ice."

Reed keeps a supply of what she calls "hurricane water" inside emptied Clorox bottles for hurricane season but said the family went through that supply quickly.

"I don't feel like we had any kind of preparation for this," she said. "Because suddenly, there's no water, the stores are sold out and now the city is saying there's no water and it's like, what do you mean there's no water?"

"When I went to the store, it's exactly like the first week of quarantine," she said.

On Tuesday evening, her daughter stopped breathing twice.

With her medical condition, Reed said she was expecting her to have the type of seizures she did, but to have them happen in the environment they're living in was unbearable for her.

"You want your child to be in as comfortable of a setting as possible and not in a situation where there is no light, it was cold, it was horrifying, I can't even convey how stressful it was," she said. "And that was also the night where the roads were iced over, I don't even know if we could have gotten an ambulance out here."

Reed said she has spent hours on the phone trying to get answers and an estimated timeline for restored power but to no avail.

As of Thursday at 4 a.m., Reed said they got power back in their home and are enjoying it while they have it.

"I could see power going on around us," she said. "Like across the road and it just made no sense."

Two days ago, the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) started refilling resident's oxygen bottles because they were calling 911 after running out and couldn't get refills from their vendors, Joseph Arrington, SAFD spokesman, told CNN in a statement.

"Currently, we have four SAFD vehicles responding city-wide to provide this service to as many folks as we can, as long as we have supply," Arrington said. "As of (Wednesday) morning, we have provided this service at least 130 times, with many more waiting in the queue."

Sylvia Cerda Salinas told CNN's Don Lemon on Wednesday that she was so desperate after driving her family around in the car during the daytime to stay warm that she looked for hotels in nearby Mexico - but there were no vacancies.

Staying at a shelter or temporary warming station in Texas wouldn't be an option for the mother of five because three of her kids are diabetic, she said, and one is autistic with a compromised immune system.

"You either go to the shelter to get warm, or you stay home, stay cold, and stay away from the pandemic," Salinas said.

Nearly two dozen cases of her children's insulin have spoiled due to the power outages, she said, and her area is expecting another freeze Thursday.

John Henderson, of San Antonio, said his wife, who had a stroke last year, is among those who received a refill from SAFD.

His wife has one large tank that lasts 24 hours and two smaller ones. Fire department officials came by their house twice to refill his wife's tanks, he said.

Amid the power outages, Henderson said he remains the most concerned about her health. She has been complaining that her throat hurts and having some trouble using portable oxygen tanks, he said.

"She's got terrible breathing problems obviously," he said. Without SAFD's help, Henderson said they would have driven to the ER "even with the roads bad."

"We're making due and staying inside waiting on power," he said. "We count ourselves as blessed nonetheless. There are a lot of folks worse off than us."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A volunteer fire department ran out of water during a fire. A man searched 8 hours for food. These are the stories of the Texas storm | CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As winter storms and freezing temperatures continue to wreak havoc across Texas, many are having to fight for survival. Hundreds of thousands in the state remained without power on Thursday, trying their best to stay warm and dry as bursted pipes flood homes.

# data[].attributes.body
For the past week the cold weather has caused millions to lose power. Specifically, Texas's pipe lines freezing causing a water shortage.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NBC News 1 hr ago Phil Helsel and Yuliya Talmazan and The Associated Press and Wilson Wong

As large parts of Texas woke up Thursday to another day of a power crisis amid extreme winter weather, issues with water systems added to the misery for much of the state's population.

Scores of Texans were under notice to boil tap water before drinking it after days of record low temperatures damaged infrastructure, caused blackouts and froze water pipes.

Millions across the U.S. were left without electricity or heat in the aftermath of the deadly winter storm as utility crews rushed to restore power before another blast of snow and ice this week.
The latest on the storm:

Out of more than a million people in the U.S. who did not have electricity, Texas accounted for nearly half with 490,456, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. The state dropped below 1 million power outages for the first time Thursday.

In Texas, the extreme weather disrupted water service for more than 12 million residents, forcing many of the more than 680 water systems in the state to issue boil water notices.

Other parts of the country are bracing for snow. New York City and the tristate area are expected to see 6 to 8 inches of snow, while Washington, D.C., is expected to get 2 to 4 inches.

At least 37 people have died because of weather-related fatalities since Thursday, the majority in Texas.

Another major winter storm is expected to track from the Lower Mississippi Valley into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Friday, the National Weather Service said, bringing more heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain to further complicate recovery efforts.

Travel remains paralyzed across much of the United States, with roadways treacherous and thousands of flights canceled. Many school systems also delayed or canceled face-to-face classes.

However, staying home also carried risks in places without power.

The winter weather has caused blackouts in Texas that affected 1.8 million customers Wednesday night, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us. That number was down to just over 490,000 as of 9:40 a.m. local time, the site said.

Without power or heat, some Texans posted videos on social media of them burning old furniture to stay warm. Others shared images of flooding caused by burst pipes and collapsed ceilings.

The extreme winter weather this week and accompanying problems - water facilities without power and lines that broke after freezing - disrupted service for more than 12 million Texans, forcing nearly 680 water systems to issue boil water notices, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Nearly 264,000 Texans live in areas where water systems are completely nonoperational.

In Austin, the city's electric utility service warned that customers should be prepared to not have power through Wednesday and possibly longer.

A citywide boil water notice was issued late Wednesday after Austin's largest water treatment facility lost power and water pressure dropped.

One hospital had to transfer some of its most-in-need patients to other facilities and discharge others after losing water pressure, which affected its heating system.

In Houston, more than 1 million people remained without power Wednesday, Mayor Sylvester Turner said, adding that service would not be restored fully for another couple of days. The city has been under a boil water notice since Wednesday morning.

The city's public works department has gotten more than 1,500 calls about water leaks and water main breaks since Monday, officials said.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said on MSNBC that the majority of her community, which includes Houston, is under a water boil notice, "but they don't have power to boil the water."

The White House said Wednesday the Federal Emergency Management Agency has supplied generators to Texas and is preparing to move diesel into the state to ensure the continued availability of backup power to key critical infrastructure, including hospitals. Press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA was also supplying Texas with water and blankets.

Galveston had broken water lines across the island because of freezing temperatures and is under a boil water notice. The city of 50,000 said with power off for so long, there had been an "unprecedented" number of broken pipes in homes.

"Now that power is slowly coming back on and temperatures are rising, we are experiencing a massive amount of water damage to homes and businesses," the city said in a statement.

Freezing overnight temperatures are expected to continue for days in parts of Texas. Southeast Texas isn't expected to see highs in the 50s until Saturday during the day, according to the the Weather Service.

Even after the power is restored and the ice begins to melt, each water system will need bacteriological sampling to clear those boil water notices, the state's environmental quality commission said.

Sampling can take up to 24 hours, and the state will work to get help from neighboring states, according to the agency.

In places with water, the cold temperatures with lack of power have caused pipes to burst in homes.

"We literally just got our power back a half-hour ago after 61 long hours of freezing in this house," Stacey Silverman of Dallas said Wednesday in an interview with Peacock's Zerlina Maxwell.

Silverman's 79-year-old mother has been staying in the house because her pipes burst in the cold and flooded her home.

She blamed the state for what she said was years of neglect and underinvestment. "This is not a natural disaster, what happened," she said. "Our state government has completely failed us."

Water shortages are affecting other states, too.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, city fire trucks delivered water to several hospitals, and bottled water was being brought in for patients and staff, Shreveport television station KSLA reported.

Nearly 115 million people, from the southern Plains to New England, are still under winter alerts.

Storms have played a role in at least 37 deaths in eight states, including deaths from traffic crashes. Three people were killed in a tornado in North Carolina on Monday, and a woman and child died in Houston on Tuesday from carbon monoxide poisoning after using their car for heat because their home was without power, officials said.

Three deaths in Louisiana were blamed on the winter storm, including a 50-year-old man who slipped and fell on black ice, the health department said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Texas water nightmare adds to power crisis as new winter storm moves in

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NBC News 1 hr ago Phil Helsel and Yuliya Talmazan and The Associated Press and Wilson Wong As large parts of Texas woke up Thursday to another day of a power crisis amid extreme winter weather, issues with water systems added to the misery for much of the state's population.

# data[].attributes.body
There has been about 38 people dead from the snow storms and power outages this past week and other states including Virginia and Pennsylvania are expecting to have snow storms coming soon.

# data[].attributes.body
8 people shot some in critical condition and other barely harmed. 1 person has been arrested and there is believed to be a few more people involved in the shooting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Two weapons were recovered.

Seven people were shot near a SEPTA station in Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon, police said.

One person is in custody, police said, adding that two weapons were recovered.

Information on their conditions was not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 shot in Philadelphia, 1 person in custody: Police

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Two weapons were recovered. Seven people were shot near a SEPTA station in Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon, police said. One person is in custody, police said, adding that two weapons were recovered. Information on their conditions was not immediately available. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

# data[].attributes.body
Texans are struggling after recent storms and cold temperatures.  This is due to the fact that texans have their own powergrids- therefore have to fend to their own

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
waste management and remediation services

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Texas governor says he is responsible for the status of ERCOT, vows reforms | CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continued to slam the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on Thursday for what he says are failures to prepare the state for the winter storm that has left thousands freezing in the dark without running water.

# data[].attributes.body
US needs to brace itself for more deadly storms, experts say.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WASHINGTON -- Deadly weather will be hitting the U.S. more often, and America needs to get better at dealing with it, experts said as Texas and other states battled winter storms that blew past the worst-case planning of utilities, governments and millions of shivering residents.

This week's storms - with more still heading east - fit a pattern of worsening extremes under climate change and demonstrate anew that local, state and federal officials have failed to do nearly enough to prepare for greater and more dangerous weather.

At least two dozen people have died this week, including from fire or carbon monoxide poisoning while struggling to find warmth inside their homes. In Oklahoma City, an Arctic blast plunged temperatures in the state capital as low as 14 degrees below 0 (-25 Celsius).

"This is a different kind of storm,'' said Kendra Clements, one of several businesspeople in Oklahoma City who opened their buildings to shelter homeless people, some with frostbite, hypothermia and icicles in their hair. It was also a harbinger of what social service providers and governments say will be a surge of increased needs for society's most vulnerable as climate and natural disasters worsen.

Other Americans are at risk as well. Power supplies of all sorts failed in the extreme cold, including natural gas-fired power plants that were knocked offline amid icy conditions and, to a smaller extent, wind turbines that froze and stopped working. More than 100 million people live in areas under winter weather warnings, watches or advisories, and blackouts are expected to continue in some parts of the country for days.

The crisis sounded an alarm for power systems throughout the country: As climate change worsens, severe conditions that go beyond historical norms are becoming ever more common. Texas, for example, expects power demand to peak in the heat of summer, not the depths of winter, as it did this week.

The dire storms come as President Joe Biden aims to spend up to $2 trillion on infrastructure and clean energy investment over four years. Biden has pledged to update the U.S. power grid to be carbon-pollution free by 2035 as well as weatherize buildings, repair roads and build electric vehicle charging stations.

"Building resilient and sustainable infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and a changing climate will play an integral role" in creating jobs and meeting Biden's goal of "a net-zero emissions future," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.

The storms are big news this week, especially in light of their effect on COVID-19 vaccinations as well as freezing Americans, but that doesn't mean they won't become more common, experts say.

"This definitely was an anomaly,'' but one that is likely to occur more frequently as a result of climate change, said Sara Eftekharnejad, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Syracuse University.

"There probably needs to be better planning, because we're starting to see more extreme weather events across the country,'' she said, whether it's severe cold in Texas or the intense heat wave in California last year that fueled deadly wildfires.

Better forecasting - both short-term and long-term - would help avoid catastrophic failures such as the current outages in Texas and other states, as would large-scale storage systems that can supply electricity when demand spikes and a greater diversity of power sources, Eftekharnejad and other experts said.

Climate change also is hurting military readiness. Damage from a 2018 hurricane at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and 2019 flooding at Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base, for example, led the Pentagon to send service members as far away as Britain to train.

Another 2018 hurricane that hit North Carolina's Camp Lejeune, home to one-third of the U.S. Marine Corps' capability, caused enough damage to degrade training overall, senior U.S. military authorities concluded.

Hardening military installations against worsening natural disasters will cost trillions. But it has to be done, said Joan VanDervort, a former longtime Defense Department climate expert now with the Center for Climate and Security think tank. "We have eyes overseas that are looking at our vulnerability and seeing how we respond. ... There are enemies out there that will certainly take advantage of it."

Michael Craig, an assistant professor of energy systems at the University of Michigan, said the events in California and Texas show that "what we have now is not going to do it in the face of climate change. It's only going to get worse from here.''

The disaster in Texas and other states "is a reminder that our nation's critical infrastructure is vulnerable to extreme weather events and we can no longer turn a blind eye to the resiliency investments needed to protect it,'' said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who met with Biden at the White House last week.

"The cost associated with addressing climate change and improving our infrastructure's resilience is always going to be less than the cost of rebuilding or failing to act,'' Carper said.

Meanwhile, federal regulators are looking into the operations of the bulk-power system during the severe winter storm that affected states from Louisiana to Minnesota.

In Texas, where wind power is a growing source of electricity, the wind turbines generally are not equipped to withstand extended low temperatures, as they are in Iowa and other cold-weather states. Modifying the turbines slightly to withstand freezing temperatures is one step needed to confront climate change, said Roy McCann, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas.

While some Republican politicians, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have tried to pin blame on wind and solar power for the outages, traditional thermal power plants, which rely mostly on natural gas, provide the bulk of power in the state and were the larger problem.

"The entire system was overwhelmed," said Joshua Rhodes, a research associate on energy issues at the University of Texas.

---

Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
US needs to brace itself for more deadly storms, experts say

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
WASHINGTON -- Deadly weather will be hitting the U.S. more often, and America needs to get better at dealing with it, experts said as Texas and other states battled winter storms that blew past the worst-case planning of utilities, governments and millions of shivering residents.