News Wrap: Nearly 75 million Americans under winter weather alerts

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: Across the country, from California to Maine, an unprecedented winter storm has put some 75 million Americans under winter weather alerts.

At least one person died, a Michigan firefighter who touched a downed power line. The heavy snow and ice triggered more than 1,100 flight cancellations today and made for treacherous travel.

William Brangham reports on the impact of this large storm.

William Brangham:

This monster storm has turned highways into skating rinks.

Potentially record-breaking snow and subzero temperatures have fallen across the Upper Midwest, forcing many to endure the worst in the dark; 900,000 residents across Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana were without power earlier today, the majority in Michigan.

Minnesota, a state accustomed to blankets of snow, is expected to break its all-time snowfall records. There and across the Dakotas, windchills could plunge 45 degrees below zero. This storm system covering over 2,000 miles of the country forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in and out of the U.S., with more than 3,000 delayed.

On the West Coast, in Los Angeles County, where it's usually in the 50s this time of year, a blizzard warning goes into effect Friday, the first such warning in over three decades. Further north, California Highway Patrol are urging those who have to drive to prepare for the worst.

Mike Salas, California Highway Patrol:

Make sure those tires are in good working order. But, also, you make sure you're packed warm, you have enough supplies in case you might get stranded or stuck.

William Brangham:

In a sign of just how chaotic this weather is, while the Midwest freezes at temperatures 40 degrees below average, the mid-Atlantic and Southeast are seeing record highs, with temperatures 40 degrees above average.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham.

Amna Nawaz:

As the war in Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, heavy fighting rages in the east. The Ukrainian military says Russian forces launched more than 80 artillery barrages in the last day.

Newly released drone footage showed the scale of the destruction in the eastern city of Bakhmut. It's a virtual ghost town of empty streets and hollowed-out buildings. Ukrainian soldiers there say they are determined to hold their ground.

Oleh Slavin, Ukrainian Soldier (through translator):

If we surrender Bakhmut, it will be very tough for us later on. We can't surrender it under any circumstances, so we will hold out.

Amna Nawaz:

Also today, the United Nations General Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution calling for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.

Fresh violence erupted along the Israel-Gaza border today hours after yesterday's Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank killed 10 Palestinians and injured over 100. The Israeli military said Palestinian militants launched several rockets towards Southern Israel this morning. They say Israeli fighter jets then struck a weapons manufacturing site and a military compound in Gaza. No injuries were reported in today's attack.

In Turkey, hundreds of building contractors are under investigation for violating safety standards after this month's devastating earthquakes. The probe comes as the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria nears 50,000 people. Survivors are still coming to terms with their losses.

Bushra Barakat, Syrian Earthquake Survivor (through translator):

We never expected this to happen. I'm 50 years old, and I'd never seen an earthquake. I thought for a second that the world was ending. And, in some moments during the time, the world did end.

Amna Nawaz:

The White Helmets organization reported today that tens of thousands of families in Northwestern Syria are still sheltering in tents and cars, for fear of another earthquake.

Back in this country, disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a rape and sexual assault case in Los Angeles. The 70-year-old media mogul already has more than 20 years left to serve for a similar conviction in New York in 2020.

In the meantime, singer R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography and enticement of minors for sex. But he's able to serve most of that concurrently with a separate 30-year sentence, adding only one more year of prison.

The number of U.S. mass killings linked to extremism has spiked over the last decade. A new report from the Anti-Defamation League said they're three times higher in the last 10 years than any other decades since the 1970s. Between 2010 and 2020, there were 21 mass slayings motivated by extremism, compared to just a handful in previous decades.

They also found that all the extremist killings in 2022 were linked to the far right. Many were tied to white supremacy.

Federal authorities arrested Carlos Watson, the founder of the digital start-up Ozy Media, on fraud charges today. Prosecutors say Watson misled potential investors about the company's revenue, audience numbers and the identities of its investors. Two of the company's other top executives pleaded guilty to fraud earlier this month.

Watson, a former host and commentator for MSNBC, CNBC and CNN, was also a frequent guest on the "NewsHour" in 2015.

The Biden administration is nominating former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank. If selected by the bank's board, he will replace former President Trump's appointee, David Malpass, who's stepping down early amid criticism for past comments that cast doubt on climate science. Banga is the first Indian-born nominee for the post.

The U.S. labor market is showing more signs of resilience. The Labor Department reported the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to 192,000 last week. That is down from 195,000 the previous week. This is the sixth straight week that jobless claims were under 200,000.

And stocks edged higher on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 109 points to close at 33154. The Nasdaq rose 83 points, and the S&P 500 added 21.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": a new poll shows most Americans want compromise on raising the debt ceiling; Republican Congressman Tom Cole weighs in on the many issues facing a divided Congress; television veteran Larry Wilmore talks about what makes comedy work; plus much more.