The Biden administration is sending generators, blankets and other supplies to Texas as the state grapples with widespread power outages amid an extended blast of winter weather. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has supplied generators and is preparing to send diesel fuel to the state "to ensure the continued availability of backup power, which of course is a major issue on the ground, to key critical infrastructure including communications, hospitals and water," White House press secretary Jen Psaki Jen Psaki Cruz puts hold on Biden's CIA nominee US refugee agency sees record number of migrants in February Democrats gear up for PR battle on COVID-19 relief MORE said at a Wednesday briefing. "FEMA is also supplying Texas with water and blankets at their request," she added. "We are preparing to quickly process requests from other states for emergency assistance … and we urge people in the affected states to of course listen to their emergency management officials." ADVERTISEMENT President Biden Joe Biden Biden to sign executive order aimed at increasing voting access Myanmar military conducts violent night raids Confidence in coronavirus vaccines has grown with majority now saying they want it MORE has already approved a disaster declaration for Texas to free up additional resources as many residents have been without power for days. A winter storm has covered swaths of the South in snow and temperatures in the region have plunged. Texas in particular has faced problems as the state's electrical power grid has been overwhelmed in the face of increasing demand. Many of the state's gas-fired power plants were also compromised by the snow and ice. At least 10 people in the state have died as the outages drag on. Biden on Tuesday spoke with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the leaders of Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Oklahoma to get an update on the situation. ...
Power plants in texas
Harry, Meghan and the power of their story
Sign up to get our new weekly column as a newsletter. We're looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. (CNN) Among journalists in Queen Victoria's England, Walter Bagehot was a central figure. Not only did he marry well -- to the daughter of the Economist's founder, whose death installed Bagehot in the editor's chair -- he also wrote a classic study of British government, "The English Constitution." Of the monarchy's role, Bagehot famously cautioned, "Above all things our royalty is to be reverenced, and if you begin to poke about it you cannot reverence it. When there is a select committee on the Queen, the charm of royalty will be gone. Its mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic." Whatever magic is left in the House of Windsor today, after "The Crown," may not survive Sunday night's airing of Oprah Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Meghan told Winfrey that the royal family, aka "The Firm," was "perpetuating falsehoods" against her. Her words evoked memories of the tension between Buckingham Palace and Princess Diana in the 1990s. The palace announced Wednesday that it was investigating accusations that the duchess had bullied employees in the royal household and that it was "very concerned." After the investigation was reported, Holly Thomas noted, "Meghan's spokesman said the duchess was 'saddened by this latest attack on her character,' and a spokesperson for the Sussexes dismissed the Times report as 'a calculated smear campaign.'" Thomas added that the palace's "eagerness" to respond to the allegations stands "in stark contrast to its previous reactions to the substantially more serious complaints against the Queen's third child, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. These have been minimal, and resolutely supportive of the prince ..." Read More Peggy Drexler wrote, "It's easy to feel bad for Harry, ...
Texas patrons threaten to call ICE on Mexican restaurant for keeping mask mandate
Patrons at a Mexican restaurant in Texas threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on employees over their refusal to work maskless, according to the establishment's owner. “This has been ongoing through COVID,” Steven O’Sullivan, an owner of Cantina Barba in Houston, told The Washington Post. “We’ve had threats of calling ICE," O’Sullivan said. "I had one guy just stand there and berate one of my bartenders and tell her, ‘You’re an absolute idiot, you don’t know what you’re doing. If you think these masks are going to save your life, you’re stupid,’ blah, blah, blah. Nobody wants to deal with that stuff.” ADVERTISEMENT Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced last week he wound rescind the state's mask mandate and allow businesses to operate at 100 percent capacity. "We are still strongly advocating that every Texan follow the best practice," Abbot said . "Where we are today is completely different from where we were this time last year when Texans and Americans didn’t know how to deal with this. For an entire year, Texans have learned the best practice, and that is to wear a mask, and we still strongly recommend that people do wear a mask." The Post chronicled a number of businesses in Texas whose owners say they will require anyone at their establishments to wear face coverings out of safety for their employees and customers. Monica Richards, a co-owner of Picos Mexican restaurant, said she and her staff have received harassing messages on social media and at the store via phone. “It was just horrific,” Richards told the Post. “People don’t understand unless you’re in our business what it felt like, how hard it was to go through everything we went through during COVID. For people to be negative toward us for trying to remain safe, so that this doesn’t continue to happen, just makes zero sense to us.” Several other Texas businesses say they will still require masks despite Abbott's order. Federal health ...
Texas Olympic Champ Simone Manuel Pushes For Change In And Out Of The Pool
SAN ANTONIO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – Growing up swimming in Sugar Land, Texas, the pool has been home to Simone Manuel for years. Outside of it, the Olympic champion is pushing herself in a new endeavor to boost the profile of women’s sports. She joined with fellow Olympians Sue Bird, Chloe Kim and Alex Morgan to launch TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company aimed at girls and women. It will create content for social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok as well as its own YouTube channel. Billie Jean King cheered its announcement this week. READ MORE: Manhunt Underway For Man Who Allegedly Killed Girlfriend At Garland Apartment Complex “I can’t wait to share everything we have in store,” Manuel tweeted. “There has never been a place for women that exist like this. It’s about damn time.” Manuel has been busy making her own news in the water. She broke out at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming with her victory in the 100-meter freestyle, one of four medals she earned. In 2019, she became the first American woman to sweep the 50 and 100 freestyles at the world championships. She’s aiming to defend her 100 free title at the Tokyo Olympics, delayed for a year by the coronavirus pandemic. When Stanford closed its facilities last March, Manuel and training partner Katie Ledecky found a backyard pool to work out in. Simone Manuel competes in the Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle Final on Day Two of the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio on March 04, 2021. (credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images) “If you think about it, we’ve essentially been training for five years for the Olympics, so it takes a lot out of you and it takes a lot of mental strength to continue to push on through this period,” Manuel said Thursday in a virtual interview. “We’re all kind of going through the ebbs and flows of how to train for an extra year.” Although the self-critical Manuel wasn’t pleased with her time, ...
Police clash with residents attempting to salvage discarded groceries following power outage
Authorities in Portland, Ore., clashed with residents who were attempting to salvage discarded groceries from a dumpster on Tuesday after power outages occurred throughout the city due to winter storms. Around a dozen Portland police officers confronted a group of people at a local Fred Meyer, according to The Oregonian . People began to gather around the dumpster around 2:30 p.m., according to the newspaper, and within hours, police officers came to guard the dumpsters. ADVERTISEMENT Morgan Mckniff, an activist and outspoken critic of the Portland police, told The Oregonian that employees had been guarding the dumpsters before the police arrived. According to Mckniff, around 15 people gathered at the store to collect discarded groceries. The store’s manager eventually called the police. “After that, other people started showing up and asking them, ‘Why are you guys guarding a dumpster?’” Mckniff told the newspaper. According to a release from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), authorities went to the grocery store because employees there “felt the situation was escalating and feared there may be a physical confrontation.” “The position of the employees of the store was that the food was spoiled and required to be disposed of due to lack of refrigeration,” the PPB added. “The food was unfit for consumption or donation. Officers also tried to explain this to the group of people.” According to PPB, the crowd of people eventually left, only to return after the police had departed. The police decided against returning to the scene unless there was an “an imminent threat to life or threat of serious injury.” “The people who were there weren’t there for selfish reasons — they were there to get food to distribute to hungry people around the city,” said Juniper Simonis, an activist and researcher who went to document the scavenging. “There are mutual aid groups that have been helping feed people at warming centers, because ...
