news this morning. don't forget the news continues all day on cbsn bay area. >> cbs this morning is coming up next. have a great tuesday everybody. ♪ good morning to you our viewers in the west. welcome to "cbs this morning." it's tuesday, february 16th, 2021. i'm gayle king with anthony mason and tony dokoupil. tens of millions are in danger this morning from a huge winter storm stretching from texas to maine. and a deadly tornado overnight destroyed homes in north carolina. we'll have the latest forecast with even more bad weather on the way. the bitter cold is causing a power crisis in texas, with rolling blackouts forcing many to endure freezing conditions. how it's also threatening the state's covid vaccine supply, as officials scramble to save thousands of doses. and new york governor andrew cuomo is accused of underreporting covid-related

nursing home deaths and response and the heartbreaking stories of families demanding answers. but first, here's today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >> millions of people without power as a deadly storm grips much of the country. >> at some point, it looked like a scene from dr. zhivago. >> nowhere is harder hit than texas. the electrical grid can't handle the demand. >> it's a system failure. >> oklahoma city will be 11 below zero. that's colder than anchorage, alaska all winter long. >> a tornado touched down. >> three people dead leading a search and rescue under way. >> members of congress will establish a september 11th style commission to investigate the january 6th capitol riot. >> there are a lot of questions about the planning and about the response. >> new york governor andrew cuomo says there's no reason to investigate his administration over their reporting of nursing home death. >> they have always been

fully reported. >> a deadly rocket attack near a base housing u.s. forces in northern iraq. >> a civilian contractor was killed. >> all that -- >> an israeli foundation awarded dr. anthony fauci with a $1 million prize crediting him with defending science. >> and all that matters -- >> look at this man. coach. what do you have on? >> introducing uconn's newest recruit. >> will ferrell as jackie moon there, the hook. >> on "cbs this morning" -- >> a team of researchers claim stonehenge was originally part of a prehistoric monument in wales before being dismantled and rebuilt in england. >> how! and also why, the difference between a field in wales and a field in ic land in pre-historic times? no is like, the stones so much better there, plus there are so many good restaurants you can walk to. this morning's "eye opener" is presented by progressive.

making it easy to bundle insurance. >> a lot of people asking why about this weather when we left the house this morning, pouring rain. but we have nothing to complain about. >> no, we don't. >> when we see what's happening in the country. >> i'll take it we're getting crazy weather. and all kinds of places now. welcome to "cbs this morning." millions across this country are facing severe weather. we begin with breaking news overnight from north carolina where a confirmed tornado killed at least three people and injured at least ten more in brunswick county in the southeastern part of the state. dozens of homes were damaged. some were destroyed. ripped from their foundations. rescue crews searched through the debris overnight looking for survivors. the tornado also downed power lines and thousands are still without electricity. >> and that tornado is just part of a dangerous weather system wreaking havoc across much of the country. take a look at this fireball filmed by a bystander in jefferson parish, louisiana, as a transformer blew there.

more than 10,000 people lost power. you can see some harrowing whitious conditions down in missouri, indiana, meanwhile, saw near blizzard conditions as well and many drivers there got stuck. more than 115 million people overall will be under winter weather alerts as another storm system approaches. more than 4 million people have already lost electricity across the south. mostly in texas where an ice storm and bitter cold have forced rolling blackouts. omar villafranca is in dallas for us. omar, good morning to you. the governor of texas is deploying the national guard for welfare checks and heating centers. what's it like there now? it looks cold. >> reporter: good morning. texas is used to these rolling blackouts, but usually in the extreme heat, not when it's this cold and there's snow on the ground. of note, it's warmer in moscow, russia than it is in dallas. now, texas has its own power grid and that has a lot of

people asking, why was the state that's known to produce its own power so unprepared for this crisis? amidst the worst texas winter storm in years, power, or the lack of it the biggest concern for residents across the state. herbert miller, the stepfather of a cbs news producer is suffering from covid complications and now relies on an oxygen tank to breathe. the tank needs electricity to function. but he and his wife lost power and water pressure early monday in their home in katy, texas. >> we were able to get in my truck and we charge it. we have to do that every five hours there's no indication when the power's going to come back on. maybe tomorrow, we don't know. >> reporter: each charge takes about an hour and a half just to reach 50% power. >> i'll be doing this every five hours. >> reporter: so, they wait it out in their car as long as they can.

>> of course, we're smart, if this gets to a situation where he needs to go to the hospital, we'll go. right now we're able to manage through it. >> we're hoping that tomorrow will be a better day, you know, how long can they deny us electricity? you know, they know people are suffering. >> reporter: in nearby houston, the power outages are also complicating the fight against the pandemic. more than 8,000 covid vaccines nearly went to waste after a storage facility lost power. more than 5,000 of those were distributed. some to rice university, the rest, saved. >> the vaccine supply, we thought we were going to lose in a few hours we could actually re-refrigerate and administer later. >> reporter: texas is the only state in the continental u.s. that has its own power grid. it is not subject to federal regulation, unlike the two other networks that serve the rest of the country. as temperatures plunge and demand for energy rose, the state's energy authority

instituted rolling blackouts across its 254 counties to prevent a complete collapse of the energy grid. but for millions, the power has stayed off. >> everyone is working feverishly around the clock to restore this electricity. because we understand without l electricity -- it's the stuff of life. >> reporter: andrew barrow with the public utility commission. the puc regulates the companies. why were they not ready for record-breaking cold? >> it's hard to say they were not ready. the fact of the matter is, you know, there are standards they have to maintain to be part of the electricity equation in texas. >> reporter: if the requirements were met but we're still having rolling blackouts do we need to change the requirements so this doesn't happen again? >> i think it's certainly worth looking into. >> reporter: the rolling blackouts are expected to continue until at least this afternoon and that is going to be a problem because the cities of dallas, fort worth, houston,

austin and san antonio, all the major metropolitan areas, aren't expected to get above freezing today. >> omar, thank you for that. for more on what's happening in austin, texas, we're joined by the city's mayor. may mayor adler. i imagine it's all hands on deck for your crew today. what's the situation right now in your city? >> gayle, good morning, it is cold and icy in austin. we have a couple hundred thousand people without power right now. we have folks who are in warming stations, just trying to keep everybody as safe as we can. >> i didn't realize this, mayor adler, that texas is the only state in the country that has its own power grid and it faltered at the worst possible time. what do you think went wrong? >> you know, i'm not sure. we need the state leadership and the legislature to get answers

for us. but what we're told, i think, is that this is an event that went beyond the designed parameters of what we planned for. it gets really hot in texas. we plan for that. but reaching these cold temperatures at this level for this duration is something that the state obviously did not plan for. but this is the third time i've seen something like this. 1989, and in 2011. seems to happen every ten years. hasn't been sustained like it is this year. even still, it looks like weather patterns are changing and maybe we need to change the design parameters. >> so, what would help you the most, mayor, at this time? what do you need? and who do you need it from? >> mostly, i need power. i need for people to be able to get their heaters going again in their homes. we're trying to get to the people that are most medically vulnerable at this point. that have medicines in their refrigerators. and equipment that needs power. that's what i need now, more than anything else.

we're not able to move the blackout around to different circuits in our city. because every circuit we can turn off, we have. the only ones that are left on are the ones tied to critical infrastructure. >> and in the middle of all of this, as you know, we're in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic. and the vaccinations that your city is also dealing with. how is that being affected? how is that now going to work? >> we've delayed the vaccinations because we can't open up the vaccination facilities. people can't get around. it snowed. the roads are icy. they're frozen. it's just not safe for people to be out. so, we need this to thaw. and my understanding is it might be a day or two away from that. and then we'll have to re-double our efforts and make sure the vaccine that we have gets in the peoples' arms. for right now, we're on pause. >> yeah, the weather forecast is not good for you either at this particular time. mayor adler, we thank you very

much. we'll be watching, thanks. as we mentioned another storm system is now headed to texas as well. cbs news meteorologist and climate special jeff berardelli is following that. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. what we're seeing is basically unprecedented. some places seeing cold they have not seen in over 100 years. in the past 24 hours i've counted around 50 monthly cold record lows. we ought to talk about why this is happening. we've been talking about this on "cbs this morning" but the arctic is warming. both for natural causes, a sudden stats stratosphere of warming but also climate change. now, this is just a theory, but when climate change warms the earth it causes it to become wavy. the vortex escapes. in this case, it's moved 4,000 miles from where it would be, towards the beaches of gulf of mexico. when you push air into the tropics like this, you're bound

to cause problems. one of the problems that you cause is the fact that it's clashing with very warm, very humid air, and a lot of wind sheer twists and turns in the atmosphere. that's why we had that big tornado in the carolinas that severe weather threat moves west wednesday and thursday. the storm that's been causing the havoc is moving out but there's another one that's about to replace it. right now. it's moving through the rockies, moving into texas and once again snow and ice, in east texas, northern louisiana. that means more power outages, another round of severe weather in the southeast, and up here in the northeast it's raining right mere in new york city. but next time around it's snow and ice and we could see several inch os snow, tony, so get your shovels ready. >> i bought a shovel for that purpose, jeff, thank you very much with the big picture. in washington, a 9/11 still commission investigating last month's assault on the capitol. house speaker nancy pelosi made the announcement yesterday. saying the commission would be

independent. ed o'keefe is at the white house for us where president biden has mostly stayed focused on his agenda but members of both parties already say former president trump is at least partly responsible for the violence at the capitol. what more do we expect this commission to actually accomplish? >> reporter: good morning, tony, look, these kinds of commissions are rare, in part because we don't usually have this kind of violence but also because they usually have bipartisan support. in this case speaker pelosi says the commission will be based on or modeled on the commission formed after the terrorist attacks of september 11th, 2001. that was a bipartisan group that investigated the circumstances leading up to those attacks. the recommendations from that panel led to, among other things, the creation of the director of national intelligence, which oversees all intelligence agencies. but one of the potential challenges with this new commission, the capitol riot had political motivations. but this also means that at least part of washington will still be dealing with the fallout from the capitol

attacks, and former president donald trump's role in them. as the current president have been job tries pushing forward with his own agenda. at the top of the biden agenda, the pandemic and economic relief from it, he heads to wisconsin tonight, his first official trip on air force one as president, first official trip west to sell his nearly $2 trillion covid relief plan in a town hall meeting. he's hoping to convince voters in a state he narrowly won to sign onto this legislation as republicans continue to criticize the size and scope of what he calls the american rescue plan. anthony? >> ed o'keefe, thank you, ed. we have some good news in the fight against the pandemic. there's been a dramatic downturn in coronavirus cases and deaths. yesterday less than 54,000 new cases of the virus were reported, the lowest number since october. 989 americans were reported dead. the smallest single-day toll since november 29th. this comes after months of about

200,000 new cases a day nationwide. but experts say new variants could cause those numbers to spike again. dr. david agues joins us now. what concerns you most right at this moment about these new variants we're seeing? >> i think we're in a lull now because cases are going down. gg down. and these new variants are more infectious. that is, it takes fewer number of particles to create a symptomatic person with covid-19. so as the variants rise across the country and we're seeing them rise across the country, we're going to have an increase in the number of cases over the next several weeks from these variants. and it certainly is scary. the suffering that they could cause. >> how significant an increase do you think we're likely to see, david? >> i think it's going to be real. i mean, we saw announced over the past day there are seven new variants in the united states, all of which have one point in common. and that's in addition to the brazil, the south africa and the united kingdom. so, this virus is zigging and zagging.

i hope we can zig and zag with it. >> what do we need to zig and zag with it? and try to hold it back? >> well, it's going to be, you know, coming down to vaccine and our behavior, right? we need to double-up on the masks. that's been talked about in high-risk situations and focus on that social distancing. not let our guard down. but the vaccines are going to be critical. i think of it this way, with the other strain, the first strain of covid-19, you may have an immune response to ten pointss withth the variants, five point have been lost. the absolute number of antibodies in t-cells is lower. what we do know how it's enough to protect most people from getting really sick and going to the hospital but if the virus continues to change, i'm certainly worried. >> you're worried thaty ed tied isn't going to protect people, that what you're saying? >> no question about it. right now it will. every year we send strains to

the world health organization and they determine what goes into the flu shot. over the weekend, scientists across the globe, we were all on calls to identify a new database to do this for covid-19 because we know it's changing. we have to predict whether we need a booster er or a third sh to protect against the variants. >> do you think the booster is inevitable by the end of the year? >> i think a booster or third shot to keep the antibodies high enough is certainly inevitable. my gut is, yeah, it's going to be by the end of the year. we're starting, clinical trials, they're going to be much smaller. the last ones were in tens of thousands of people, these will be in hundreds to make sure it's safe and makes a good immune response. and they will be included like a flu shot every year, we'll get a booster. >> does this make it harder for everyone to get vaccinated, david? >> the sooner we get vaccinated the sooner we can stop the virus, yes, yes and yes.

we have to get vaccines into arms as soon as possible and not keep them in freezers for any periods of time. >> dr. david agus, thank you. ahead, now new york governor andrew cuomo who initially upon praise for ♪

well, we have much more news ahead including first on cbs, the story of a houston doctor who was fired for giving three doses of the coronavirus vaccine to people with medical conditions. we'll explain. plus, another big announcement from the duke and duchess of sussex. meghan markle and harry just after revealing they're expecting another baby. what's up next with those two? i don't know. you're watching "cbs this morning." this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by toyota. let's go places.s. urgh. comeme on, just t trust me..

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incredible success of israel's' covid vaccination program and why the country has become a laboratory for the rest of the world. we should all be taking notes what they're doing there. plus, how an . good morning. it's 7:26. a mass vaccination site opens today in the parking lot at the oakland coliseum. it's equipped to provide 6,000 shots of coronavirus vaccine per day by appointment. health care workers and people 65 and older are eligible. another site is opening today at cal state los angeles. this is part of president biden's push to get 100 federal vaccine sites open with in his first 100 days in office. in berkeley grocery store and child care workers can sign

up along with convenience store employee is teachers back at school. appointments can be made online. in the traffic center. it's a slow ride along westbound highway 4. you have brake lights out of bay point. once you are on 242 we had the earlier trouble spot around clayton road. that is in the clearing stages but it's adding to a busy ride. northbound 101, still very slow. you have a lot of brake lights and south 880, you have a slow ride there as well due to a crash. here comes the sunshine. a beautiful start to the day with our sales force tower camera as we look east. it's a cold start. we are down to the 30's and 40's. as we head through the afternoon, mix of sun and clouds. high pressure building in for us. mid50's along the coast. upper 50's to 60 around the bay

t least three deaths there. it's all part of the same system that could deliver a frigid blast to more than 115 million americans today. freezing temperatures extend from texas, look at this, to maine. as the system pushes its way northeast. dangerous ice in some areas and millions of people are still without power. so we're going to be tracking the storm all morning long. you know what's so fascinating, when we showed the story in the

7:00 hour, mr. miller in his car charging his medical devices. he said i know they will fix this because they know we're in trouble. they're working as hard as they can, they still can't meet the need even though everybody is working 24/7. >> incredible system. polar vortex playing havoc right now. we begin this half hour, after intense criticism, new york governor andrew cuomo is denying that the number of coronavirus deaths connected to nursing homes has been vastly underreported. an aide to the governor recently said in a call with democratic lawmakers that the real numbers were withheld. she said there were fears the trump administration would use the information against them. mola lenghi has been looking into nursing home deaths a story we've been covering. mola, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anthony, the critics of hiding data for nursing home.

this as the governor comes under fire that some allege can may contribute to nursing home deaths. of course, these controversies raised the broader question of what the governor knows against it. some who lost loved ones they disagree. >> there's no sense of peace. >> reporter: on april 24th, 2020, lorry sullivan was baking a birthday cake for her mother lorraine's 89th birthday. she got the call, her mother had died. at a new york rehab facility. what would you say to other families who have family members and loved ones in nursing homes? >> i would not put anybody that belonged to me in a nursing home. i wouldn't. >> reporter: nationwide, more than 125,000 nursing home residents have died of coronavirus. in a recent report state

attorney general latisha james allege that new york under counted by 50%. now 50,000. >> now, i don't know if she was a number? was she counted? >> losing a loved one in a nursing home during this situation was extraordinarily painful. >> reporter: new york governor andrew cuomo and the state department of health have been heavily criticized for directing nursing homes in march to take in coronavirus patients to relieve stress on hospitals. although the directive was amended in may, the governor defended monday. >> residents who were leaving the hospitals were not likely to be contagious. they were going to be what's called cohorted. cared for in areas that are separate. >> reporter: but when we looked into nursing home deaths in august, we found that may not always have been the case. we spoke to a former employee at our lady of consolation where sullivan's mother died.

the former employee who asked to remain anonymous told us in march and april, the facility took in covid-positive patients from hospitals and that healthy residents were put in rooms with those patients who were infected. >> covid did not get into the nursing homes by people coming from hospitals. covid got into the nursing homes by staff. >> reporter: in a statement catholic health on behalf of our lady of consolation told us they cannot comment on individual cases but are focused on delivering high-quality, compassionate care and strive to protect all residents and staff. after our august reporting new york's department of health told us they were launching an investigation into the facility over the former employees' allegations. we checked on the status of that allegation, and t department of health told us monday they found no citations specific to infectious control practices. there's some evidence coronavirus cases are declining in nursing homes due to vaccinations, but death rates are still high. according to the aarp public

policy institute, as of mid-january, the state with the highest rate of nursing home deaths was indiana, with more than three deaths per every 100 residents, followed by nearly 3-in-100 in oklahoma, pennsylvania and pennsylvania and kentucky. in new york, it's more than 1 1/2 for every 0100. for sullivan, it's hard to move forward, not knowing exactly how her mom was infected or what her final days in the nursing home were like. >> these things matter to family. they matter. >> what would closure look like at this point? you don't think it's going to happen? >> i don't know, how do you get closure when you don't know what to do. >> reporter: we filed the freedom of information act back in july with the cuomo administration and department of health asking how many nursing homes accept taxpayer dollars to take in covid patients. we received a replay six months later in january, saying they

don't maintain those records, tony, we're filing an appeal. >> all right, thank you very much. two questions, one are the numbers accurately reported. >> yeah. >> and, two, was it a mistake to put people back in the nursing homes who may have contributed to the spread of the virus? >> governor definitely has questions that need to be answered. during the height of this pandemic, though, he seemed to be the only leader meeting with the public giving the information when we were crying for information. it appears he was giving it to us straight. now there are more questions to be answered. >> i don't think it's going away. >> no, it's not. >> family members saying we need more answers here and we want to get to the bottom of it. >> we don't blame them for wanting to know. >> no. coming up, israel is on track to vaccinate -- get this -- every adult in the country against covid by the end of next month. what scientists are learning about how well the work that just about everybody has one. we'll be right back.

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elizabeth palmer has that story. ♪ >> reporter: those who could, dance. and those who couldn't, joined from the sidelines as the lev ganim care home threw a

vaccination party near tel aviv. >> oh, it's so great. thank goodness we get the second vaccine today. we are celebrating. we are going to be free. ♪ >> reporter: just four months ago, israel's covid outbreak was one of the worst in the world. under strict lockdown, people stayed home. and police set up road blocks to stop all but essential travel. then in january, israel's government struck a deal with pfizer biontech. enough vaccine for every adult within three months in exchange for valuable data on how well it actually worked. you are, in effect, a living lab for your own health officials but also for pfizer. >> i think -- yeah, we are, a living lab. but i think to the world, not so much to pfizer. i think it's really something that the world can learn from. >> reporter: and the world is learning that just as predicted

it's working. in a study of more than 1 million people half were vaccinated. and they were 94% less likely to get covid, even the very elderly. and real world evidence now shows that the second shot boosts immunity from solid to spectacular. now even teens are getting vaccinated. prime minister netanyahu made his into a photo op. he's facing re-election this spring. and hoping the successful vaccination will offset anger on other issues, including corruption charges. netanyahu is alwayss takingg so flak for paying pfizer a third more per dose than the u.s. paid. but here's the payoff. just days ago, lockdown was eased. and israelis are out and about, enjoying their freedom again. >> i'm free. i can go anywhere. i don't have to stay home. i can see my friends. my family.

i think we can say good-bye to covid-19. eventually. >> reporter: now, israel has taken some criticism for not vaccinating millions of palestinians who live on land it occupies. the palestinians are at last starting to get a little bit of vaccines from various sources including israel. but the fact is very few of them have had a chance to get a shot. tony. >> that's an important note for

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we're hearing from a houston doctor who was fired for giving away doses of the coronavirus vaccine for eligible people with conditions. dr. hassan gokal said he had six hours to lose ten doses left in an open vial of the vaccine before set to expire. he quickly went to work to find elderly people to vaccinate. he gave some of those doses to two elderly people, a woman with a child with a ventilator. and his wife who has a pulmonary disease. gokal was fired. and then charged with stealing vaccines for a total of $135. a judge dismissed the charges and he told us he just wanted to help people in need and had every right to do so. >> we had guide presence the state to do this. i did what i believed to be the right thing to do, not only from the state guidance standpoint but as a doctor. i mean, this is my first responsibility. i'm not going to shirk that

responsibility over a regulatory issue that is clearly wrong. >> here's what's important. dr. gokal says he checked with harris county public health officials before giving the doses away. they gave him the okay. a county health department official told "the new york times" the department was unable to comment on its protocols. this happened in december. he's speaking out. >> i can see them having an issue giving a dose to his wife, perhaps. the larger idea, trying to make sure the shots got in someone's arm before they went bad. >> the judge dismissed it, calling it groundless saying you're trying to interfere with a doctor trying to save lives. >> i agree with the wife. but at the end of the day, he was trying to get the vaccine out. >> now that he's done so, he should have his job back. we love this 8-year-old maryland boy. he got a major honor for all of the love he's spreading in the community. you remember our chip reid told us about cavanaugh bell when he

got headlines for opening his own food bank during the pandemic. so far, he's provided 10,000 people with food and supplies. governor larry hogan recently met with bell to honor him. >> we're pleased to present you the citation, we got it so you can hang on your wall. >> thank you so much. >> adorable. bell also founded an anti-bullying initiative in 2019 called cool and dope. its mission is to add bullying by 2030. go on with your bad self, cavanaugh. oprah is interviewing prince harry and meghan in the first major broadcast since quitting their royal duties. winfrey will talk to the duchess of sussex about life as a royal, marriage and mother mood. and the 90-minute special, oprah with meghan and harry. a cbs prime time special on monday, march 7th, 8:00, 7:00

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. good morning. it's 7:56. blue shield of california has signed a new contract to oversee the state's distribution of coronavirus vaccines. it plans to create a formula for distribution and a network of three so-called waves. today city leaders in san leandro will vote on hazard pay for food service workers to compensate for the risks they take. grocery chains would pay another $5 an hour. similar measures are in place in oakland and san jose. a new vaccination center opens today in sonoma.

it's at sonoma veteran's memorial hail. this is the third to open in just a week. each can provide 300 shots a day. still a busy ride at the bay bridge. we have brake lights at the toll plaza. the good news is the roadways are dry. we have a slow ride ride out of the east bay and the travel times seeing slow conditions out of highway 4. also on 242. if you are going out of walnut creek onto 24 there's a trouble spot with a left lane blocked near laurel. it's a chilly start to the day with that sunshine, temperatures right now mainly in the 40's this morning and as we head through our day looking at mid50's along the coast. upper 50's to low 60's inland as well as right around the bay with the mix of sun and clouds with high pressure in control for us. dry and quiet conditions as we look to wednesda

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a successful reopening requires real safety and accountability measures. including prioritizing vaccines for educators. parents and educators agree: reopen schools. putting safety first. ♪ ♪ yep, it's still tuesday. february 16th, 2021. welcome back to "cbs this morning." i'm gayle king with tony dokoupil and anthony mason. breaking overnight, a deadly tornado slams into north carolina while a massive winter storm system knocks out power for millions of americans. why there's more danger on the way. chobani has become an american success story. we'll talk to the yogurt company's founder and ceo about his next big steps. as we celebrate black history month, a look at the remarkable impact of the congressional black caucus, according to current and former members. >> celebrating a big birthday.

first, here's today's eye opener at 8:00. >> a confirm ed tornado from north carolina injured ten. >> 4 million people lost electricity across the south where an ice storm and bitter cold have forced rolling blackouts. >> texas is used to these rolling blackouts, but usually in the extreme heat. of note, it is warmer in moscow, russia, than it is in dallas. >> what would help you most, at this time? what do you need? >> mostly i need power. i need for people to be able to get their heaters going again in their homes. >> what concerns you most about the new variants that we're seeing? >> the new variants are more infectious. it takes fewer numbers of particles to create a symptomatic person. >> actually a term in dating now called fauciing someone. do you know what that means? >> no, what does that mean? >> it means cutting off a relationship if you don't think that other person is serious

enough about social distancing and taking the pandemic seriously. like, i faucied that guy. >> i'm going to fauci you. >> i think that's the hardest i've seen dr. fauci laugh. >> that makes a lot of sense to me. i didn't know it had a name. did you hear what dr. fauci said? i like this. i like this rule. fauciing you, it's got a name. we're going to bring with this, breaking overnight, crews are still acessing the damage from a deadly tornado that touched down overnight in north carolina. this is drone video showing you the destruction in brunswick county, officials say at least 50 homes were damaged there when the tornado hit just after midnight. at least three people were killed and ten others were injured. a severe cold snap is gripping much of the south. in texas, dangerously low temperatures, snow and ice shut down several major cities and left millions without power. the national guard was called in to go door to door checking on the most vulnerable residents.

omar villafranca is in dallas. good morning. >> reporter: cities and towns across the state are facing record low temperatures right now. i'm here in dallas and in the dfw area, they have some record temperatures, let me read you what we're getting, two degrees today, ten degrees below the previous record that was set in 1903. houston will see a low of eight degrees. that is the largest county, harris county, in the state. that record has been around since 1895. mcallen will hit 25 degrees. 33 was the previous record in 1951. more than 4 million texans lost power yesterday, meaning no heat in this frigid cold. unfortunately a woman and a child died from carbon monoxide poisoning. they were trying to stay warm inside a car in their garage. the harsh conditions knocked out power to a facility in houston,

storing over 8,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine, they were able to get 5,000 of those doses and give them to hospitals and law enforcement and then save the rest of them, but it is not going to get any better here in texas all across the state. there is new winter warnings in effect that will be in place until thursday. and dallas, houston, ft. worth, san antonio, none of those major metropolitan areas will get above freezing today. >> all right, omar, thank you very much. get a glove back on that left hand there, right hand i suppose, got to be cold. for more on this storm and another looming system, we go now to cbs news meteorologist and climate specialist jeff b baradelli. >> the cold we're seeing is a once in a generous type cold, that's how cold it is. let me put this into perspective for you. what we have is that it has been warming up across the country, especially near the canadian

border. since 1960, it has warmed by eight to ten degrees in the upper midwest, which gives you how amazing this cold air is, that it can get this cold in a warmed atmosphere. let's put this into perspective, negative 12 this morning in oklahoma city, the last time that happened in new york city, 1934. so far the coldest we have been is 14 degrees this season. well, we have cold air that is going to be lasting for a while. moderate a little bit, but look at that map and see that we're going to be dealing with cold air for the next couple of days. then another storm. and this next storm is going to be another big storm with ice in the south, and heavy snow as we head to places like new york city and boston this time around. so winter is not letting go of its icy grip, tony. >> sure is not, jeff, thank you very much. ahead, how a grocery item that maybe in your fridge now is part of a reinvention story for an american city. the ceo of chobani yogurt will explain how refugees and immigrants helped build up his

company and transformed a struggling new york community.

ahead, as we celebrate black history month, we'll look at the congressional black caucus, 50 years, 500 yeyears, think about that, after it was formed. one of the founding members tells us why president nixon initially refused to meet with them. plus, today is mardi gras, did you know that? how new orleans is partying in new ways because of the pandemic, with something they're

calling floats in the oaks and how about this, yardi gras. means exactly what you think. you're watching "cbs this morning." we thank you for that. we'll be right back. yardi-i-gra. you're w watching " "cbs this mornrning." we'll bebe right bacack. ♪ cocomfort in t the extreme. the e lincoln fafamily of luly susuvs. my p plaque psororiasis... ...thehe itching ...t.the burningng. the ststinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritisis, madede my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™ withth tremfya®, adultsts with modederate toto severe plplaque psoririas. ...can u uncover clelearer skind imimprove sympmptoms at 1616 w. tremfya® is also a approved for adulults with a active psoriatic c arthritis.s. serious s allergic r reactios may occucur. trememfya® mayay increasee your r risk of infnfections anand lower yoyour abilityy to figight them. tell your doctor i if you have an infecection or sysymptoms

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♪ >> you may chobani yogurt when you shop for groceries. but behind the brand is how refugees rebuilt a city. walter cronkite and cbs news documented how much trouble new york was really in. >> this is downtown new york, a depressed update community of 86,000 community, a lousy place

to live. that description was applied by the city's own mayor. >> wow. >> wow. >> okay. that was harsher than i expected. factories were shutting down. and to be fair, the population was dwindling. but in the decades that follows, thousands of immigrants and refugees settled in the area breathing new life into the area. the new documentary moving forward shows how these immigrants made it possible for businesses like chobani yogurt to thrive. we're joined by the company's ceo who also immigrated to the u.s. good morning to you. i want to begin with -- >> good morning, sir. >> -- something in the news right now which is that the biden administration plans to retore america's large role in bringing refugees from the rest of the world here, something that had declined under the prior administration. given the benefit you have seen in the town, explain to the rest

of the country why this is such a big deal. >> well, you know, i have a foundation for refugees, and our executive just published an article about why this is good for economy, why this is good for the business. we have seen it, just like you mentioned. refugees and recent immigrants and with an entrepreneurial spirit you can really turn this around in a short time. just before pandemic, every state including republican states all around the country denied not to receive the refugees in their communities. you know, everyone know in these towns and villages that how much we need this spirit, how much we need the workforce, how much we need the dedicated people to turn things around. >> so under the prior administration, well, i'll say under the obama/biden administration way back when we led the world in refugee resettlements. under the trump administration,

that declined by 80%. now joe biden is president is restoring it. clearly there is some opposition to it. i was surprised to see in a recent poll a majority of americans said they did not support reincreasing the amount of refugees that we settle in this country. so what do you say directly to those people who don't seem to understand the benefit you are describing and also the politicians who are saying we don't support the policy? ing an politics who say we don't support the policy? >> you know, unfortunately, this topic has been mixed with politics so long. in a very un -- how shall i say -- untruthful way. this country is founded in that notion that this is a place where everyone can realize their dreams. this is a long history where refugees come and settle and contribute. they've done massive amount of studies, scientific studies, the economic return on refugees

impact on economy, on society. so, you ask that question, you have asked those questions. the vast majority of americans do support refugees wherever they are but when it comes to settlement, of course, this is also very political questions, when you go to towns like utica, or idaho, when you ask people there, who know these people, who work with these people, who hire these people, and see them go to schools. whether you're republican or democrat, we share that, you're totally supportive of it because it's a tradition of this country. in my experience, here in new york, old factory closed, you know. and we hire everyone who used to work in that factory. and then we expand our geography to the town in utica which i used to live. i asked the simple question, these are people settled. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you but i have a question i think

your employees and people you're about to mention are going to want me to ask which is you recently said you're considering bringing chobani public, an ipo, in other words. your employees are employees in the company. you could make them very rich. yogurt employees in addition, are wondering when is this a consideration? when might this happen? >> oh, you know, this has been a long time, you know, it's been 12 years since we started this journey. and i made one promise when i took over this old factory, i will not sell. i will continue this dream. i will never abandon this community. and whatever we need to fuel our growth, to make sure that this dream continues we will make it. ipo could be one. there are other options. we have not made that decision. but we're considering it. whatever that might be is going to be for people who work for the company. it's going to be making good

food for everyone. and it continues to build this dream. >> hamdi ulukaya, i appreciate you coming on. we have so many questions but we have to go. >> thank you very much. americans are more stressed out than anytime since the start of the pandemic. why that's happening and some tips on how you can ease the tension. we'll be right back.

. ♪ here at cbs we're very committed to stopping the stigma surrounding mental health. the world health organization has said that covid has created what they call a parallel pandemic when it comes to mental health. a new survey found that u.s. adults have the highest stress level since april. 84% report feeling one emotion such as anxiety, sadness and anger. so, we asked our instagram followers to share the first word that pops into your mind when you think about pandemic. exhausted, lonely.

overwhelmed. forgotten -- can i add the word enough to that list, too. dr. sue varma joins us now. sue, what would be your one word, i'm curious? >> dumpster fire. >> oh, my gosh. >> i know. yeah, that sums it up. when we talk this parallel mental health, this parallel pandemic, what is the impact? what does it mean exactly? >> you know, trauma with a big "t" or trauma with a little "t." in the sense we've lost lives. there's a glot of grieving goin on. not only the things we lost but didn't get to have. commemorate milestones. we didn't get to grieve losses in person during funerals. we really look at the economic impact as well and that's a big

part of the picture. >> sue, i think a lot of people aren't fully conscious how deeply they may have been affected by everything in the past year. how do you know the toll it's taking? and how and unrelenting stress and chronic stress. ask yourself a certain key question. if you can look at over the last two weeks to one month how has your mood been, more anxiety

than usual? are you having thoughts life isn't worth living? the hopelessness and pessimism. that's one thing i see setting in with people the longer this goes on. >> i still agree with anthony, sue, i can't wait until they drill down and see the effect this has had on all of us baugh we plow through. i know you have easy mental health exercises that we can all do such as? >> yeah, gayle, one is progressive multirelaxation. i think it's important that people take breaks during the day. this is one easy exercise that you can do two to three times a day. in addition to having breaks and separation between your working at home life. if you can go for a walk, great. if you can't, this is something you can do at your desk. i'm wondering if you'd be willing to try this right now and i'd love to have you experiment with it. progressive muscle relaxation means you sit back in your chair. look, this is not going to take the place, this is not a substitute for mental health treatment.

but these are things you can do by yourself. you close your eyes, settle into your chair and let your shoulders relax and take a deep breath. and clench your fists. the idea is tensing releasing muscle group by muscle groups. >> open and close my fists? is that what you're saying? >> yes. just settle down in the chair. close your eyes, let your shoulders relax. breathe with me. you're clenching your fists. and they're by your side. i'm just keeping them up here so you can see. you're clenching your fists and releasing them. then you're clenching them again and releasing them. and you're taking in a deep breath? >> what is this doing for me? >> what this is doing is relacking and this invoking your parasympathetic system. what happens happening in we're all in fight or flight mode. we're waiting for the next shoe to drop. it's the attitude we're not in a war zone.

i didn't even get to talk about how this is costing the united states $200 billion a year. showing up to work, not being able to be present. >> we can all do that. close your eyes and open and close . this is a kpix5 news morning up date. nearly two dozen people that live in tents next to a park must clear out by nine this morning. the city offering a new place to go in ma rin but the campers are protesting. proposition 19 goes into effect today. it eliminating a tax on inherited property and expands who can carry low property taxes with them when they move. because of the winter storms now hitting many states cal iso is asking people across california to conserve energy. firms say if he with conserve energy it could help the strain

on power grids. and it's still a slow ride on the freeways especially off the east shore freeway. those are still the slowest spots and he with have a bit of a slow ride along highway 4. we had a trouble spot near bay point. if you are getting on 242 near concord, heading down 680 be have some traffic there and that trouble spot continues on 24 near laurel westbound. sluggish there. metering light its on at the bay bridge toll plaza. reports of an accident not far from here but doesn't look like its causing a back up. all right. it's a cold start to the day. as we head through the afternoon a mix of sun and clouds as high pressure builds in. mid50's along the coast. around the bay and low 60's inland this afternoon. high pressure in control today, tomorrow, and for most of thursday. then our next weather system rolls in thursday night into

friday bringing return of the rain picking up from a

♪ i got my mind set on you ♪ welcome back to "cbs this morning." it's that time again, time for some of the stories that are the "talk of the table" this morning. tony is up first. >> so, we've been talking about extreme weather. it's cold all over the country. it's bad. very bad. but i wanted to give people a small counterperspective of fun in the cold weather. this is from the czech republic where a group of climbers have decided to pump water from a nearby river in a remote area, pour it down a rock climb to make this, ice climbing for fun. >> look at that. >> this is what they do in the czech republic.

i was particularly interested what they do in the czech republic. people want to know about mile weird last name. they know it's a czech last name. you have ever done that? >> i've done nothing of the sort. >> so those are your peeps. >> your peoples have different fun. >> yeah, maybe they will shovel my driveway. >> looked good for them. >> that's interesting. i wanted to give an update on the situation in russia where supporters of the jailed opposition leader alexei navalny are finding creative ways to show their support. on sunday, they lit up russian cities with candlelight vigils after navalny's team called on people to gather outside of their homes on valentine's day to shine hearts. inspired by the heart he made to his wife yulia after taken to jail. in central moscow, more than 100 protesters have made a human chain in support of yulia who is

reported to have flown to germany. that was meant to show support for her women victims of political pressure. and volkov wrote, putin is fear. navalny is love. therefore he will win. >> in russian media, his name is typically never mentioned he is now talked about openly. they're concerned about these demonstrations. >> demonstration is very important for him. mine is about cicely tyson. can't stop thinking about her. today is the day a private memorial service will be held this morning for cicely tyson at her longtime church in harlem. she died at the age of 96. hundreds of admirers, traveled from all around the country, lined up outside the church to say good-bye during that public viewing. that line stretched around the

block all day. cicely tyson passed away just two days after he interviewed her and she talked about her memoir "just as i am," groundbreaking career. >> i made up my mind i could not afford the luxury of just being an actress. and i would use my career as my platform. namely, you want -- you want black people to be seen as human beings? >> that's right. >> just hearing her voice and seeing her gives me a little chill. during that interview, cicely tyson also talked about her legacy. >> do you feel like you have more to do? >> yeah, that's why i'm still here. what my life became is not what i expected. i had no idea i would touch anybody. >> when the time comes, what do you want us to remember about you? >> i've done my best. ♪ that's all. >> that's the way that she -- it

gives me chills, honestly. the way she bowed her head. >> yes. >> took a minute and then she looked up and answered the questions. when i asked that question, i said this many times i didn't ask about her health because she was frail, she was talking about upcoming projects. she was very excited about things to come. she said i have a secret project i'll tell you about, she was preparing for the future. it's interesting she would die two dies after her memoir where she said the unvarnished truth about her life. the book is number one which also makes me happy. i'm touched by the crowd of people that showed up. a great story in the paper somebody in the church who is 86 who got up 4:30 in the morning so she could be first in line, and she was third. she was third in line. >> wow. >> today, she will be laid to rest. >> i'm so glad we got both her book and your interview. >> i'm very honored. >> nearly missed it. >> i know.

>> very fortunate. i'm glad that book is number one. >> me too. me too. this morning, as we continue to celebrate black history month, we're looking at the 50th anniversary of the congressional black caucus founded by 12 men and one woman that gave african-americans a greater influence in overwhelming white congress. nikole killion spoke with current and former members about the group's crucial role in shaping issues in the country. good morning to you. >> good morning, tony, the congressional black caucus has grown from that 15 to a record 58 means. the caucus has become a powerful legislation on capitol hill pushining presidentnts to stand for humuman righthts att home a abroad. >> we'e're here not to disiscus transportation b but t to discu education.n. ♪ > reporter:r: in 197171, wi over a dozen african-american lawmakers serving in congress,

the congressional black caucus was formed to help amplify their voice in an institution that wasn't always welcoming. >> being i in the housese of represenentatives t the black v wasn't expected and wasn't wanted. >> reporter: at 90 y years olds charles rangngel is one of the last founding founders of the group. you actutually camee up withh t name congressisional blalack ca. >> yes, the name. we all had a common mission and common cause for the rights and equality of americans. >> reporter: rarangel, shirley chisholm and charles diggs and other members quickly met resistance when former president nixon refused to meet with them. >> it's offending to us. >> when it was abundantly clear he did not intend to meet, we then said we would not attend the state of the union message. >> reporter: after boycotting nixon's address, they finally got the meeting, putting the cbc

on the map and opening the halls of power. with their core nonpartisan principle, no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests. >> shirley's with me today. >> reporter: california congresswoman barbara lee still has shirley chisholm's pearls. she worked on the campaign and chief of staff of ron dellums. >> that's how i got involved in politics. it was quite a remarkable moment for me as a young black woman raising two kids as a single mom to see how the congressional black caucus and its founders really does step out there and fight for the african-american community. >> reporter: historically a democratic power center, cbc members were the first to draft legislation and make dr. martin luther king's birthday a national holiday. the caucus was at the forefront pushing for sanctions.

>> it was the first time a major piece of legislation has been overridden. >> reporter: earning the reputation with a conscious of the congress. >> that was a big moment in the cbc's history it began to influence foreign policy and showed how we could be finally on the right side of the history. >> reporter: more recently, the cbc led reform in the house in honor of george floyd. >> justice and policing act is a bill for human rights. >> it is an incredible time to be serving in congress in the midst of the national reckoning of racial injustice. >> reporter: congresswoman alana presley said the cbc allows members to learn from her like lee. >> the power is not just it plants of seeeeds off aspiratat but how i it shohows up i in ou policicies. we h have itt today because shiy chisholm made it show. she brings a different perspective as a black woman on

the issue of hunger. >> that's the beauty of the caucus. >> reporter: ohio congresswomwo joyce beatty chairs the cbc as it enters its 50th year. do you fill feel like you're waging some of the same battles of 50 years ago? >> i think we're certainly waging some of the battles but i can also tell you not 50 years ago, but ten years ago, if you would have told me that we would have had a black president of the united states, i would not have thought that we had made that much progress. and our member, kamala harris now vice president. so, we have a lot to be proud of. >> reporter: the cbc is launching an aggressive agenda. this congress, later this month, it will roll out the first phase ofs 100-day plan targeting core issues in the black community like health care, economic stability and racial justice, gayle. >> thank you, nikole. boy, it's good to bring up the

history what the group has done. done important work, still doing important work. so much very much needed. i love the slogan. no permanent friends no permanent enemies. >> can i tell you how easy it was to spot shirley chisholm in any room. she was the only woman there. what a pioneer she was. >> that legacy continues today. >> yes, it does. ahead, how today's mardi gras celebrations in new orleans is going to look a little different than before. jamie wax will show us how it

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hiv medidicine isis one part t of it. today. but today is a big day in the big easy. it's fat tuesday, otherwise known as mardi gras. this year, the city cancelled many of its iconic celebrations because of the pandemic. and after revelers, take a look at this, caught on camera, ignoring all of the rules gathering in large crowds without their masks. the city put new restrictions in place, closing down parts of bourbon street and shutting down the bars. the people of new orleans are coming up with safe solutions for preserving this time-honored tradition. ♪ >> reporter: if you're not from

here, you might think mardi gras is one debaucherous party. for most new orleanians it's a celebration of families. >> the mardi gras is about people coming together. >> reporter: barry kern is the third generation of kern studios, the largest creator of floats in the world. >> it's just natural that we would come together and figure it out together. that's exactly what we did after katrina. the people of new orleans, they need this. we need this for our soul. >> reporter: that may spark an idea, floats in the oaks. instead of parades rolling by people. people roll by the floats from the safety of their cars. >> i think a lot of other places in the world would be a lot happier if they had celebrations and events like we have. and where we all come together as a family. i'm talking everybody in new orleans, rich, poor, black, white, we come together in the

city like no other city in the world. >> reporter: the opportunity for revelry and pandemic fatigue is bringing joy to life. >> iour upsetting because people that work with us that are part of a team that is literally generations. we've had to lay off about a third of the folks. >> reporter: but kern was able to keep some folks working when a new trend took off, yearning for a we'll to feel connected people began creating house floats or yardi gras. >> you see thousands upon thousands of families decorating their homes. it shows what we feel about carnival. we live it, breathe it. and we're not going to let it go. just celebrate differently this

year. >> reporter: kern added music to this creation. >> music displays the spirit of mardi gras in a way that words can't, actually. ♪ >> reporter: percussionist jason marsalis is new orleans's cultural new orleans brother to ellis and son of the beloved pianist ellis marsalis who died last year from covid. >> i was honored to see a house float that honored my father. >> reporter: marsalis found special meaning in this year's carnival. does it inspire you personally to see all of this? >> yes, this is an inspiration and inspirations persevere. >> new orleans is hard to keep down. once new orleans reopens we're going to see a party like no place has ever seen. >> reporter: i will see you there. >> absolutely. >> reporter: proof that even a parade that doesn't move can still have the power to move us

all. for "cbs this morning" jamie west, new orleans. >> it's still a great show. i think yardi gras will stick around as tradition. decorating your homes. when this is over, i think new orleans is going to have a big party, but new york is going to have a big party as well. >> there are going to be a lot of big parties. it is an inspiration. >> i say bravo to barry kern. i've never been to mardi gras. and what they've done in the yards with the homes, i love children's voices. you can celebrate and get it down. before we go, how an avid tiktok user is expressing her true feels about the pandemic to a hit song by kelly clarkson. that's ahead on "cbs this morning."

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before we go, one tiktok user from california is using a kelly clarkson song to tell everyone what she thinks about the pandemic. take a look. >> if you replace covid in with the word you in every kleinline applies. >> because of -- >> that's covid on the same side so i don't get -- ♪ >> because of -- >> -- covid -- >> she produced this video using the word covid. she to"cbs this morning" the id came to her after she related to the lyrics after the lockdown.

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and california is reporting california has the highest coronavirus death toll in the nation. and slow and go conditions continue westbound 580 from 205 at least to north flynn. if you are taking surface streets there's a lane blocked to a stalled vehicle near carol road and that's causing some brake lights and delaysful travel time looking better. 29 minutes 205 to 680. still in the yellow. westbound 4, as you work your way to the maze on westbound 80. things are improving at the bay bridge. the metering lights remain on. you will see the delays across the upper deck. and high pressure building in for today. that means a mix of sun and clouds. the normal daytime highs mid50's. low 60's inland this afternoon. with that ridge of high pressure dry and quiet conditions for wednesday and

thursday. temperatures just a bit warmer through we esday and

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