it's wednesday, february 17th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." deadly winter weather. texas remains in a deep freeze, and millions still don't have power as a new storm today brings snow and ice. the desperate measures families are taking to stay warm in the brutal cold. presidential town hall. mr. biden takes questions about the pandemic, when he believes the vaccine will be available to everyone. gop divide. tensions heat up after former president trump issues a scathing attack on mitch scathing attack on mitch mcconnell. captioning funded by cbs good morning. good to be with you.

i'm anne-marie green. we're going to begin with the unrelenting winter weather now blamed for at least 20 deaths in the u.s. a new storm bringing snow and ice is expected to hit texas this morning. that's where millions of people remain without power, and temperatures have dipped into the single digits.inonmedicaexa. a local newspaper says hundreds of thousands of homes have been without power since monday morning. texas and 26 other states are under new winter storm alerts as a dangerous mix of cold, snow, and ice moves across the lone star state and into northeast. omar villafranca has the latest. >> reporter: the south is frozen solid. states struggling to recover from punishing sub-zero temperatures with more wicked weather on the way. texas' governor calling the storm the winter version of hurricane harvey.

without power because the grid can't keep up with the demand, and millions more are subject to rolling blackouts. some as long as 30 hours. residents using blow dryers and heaters to thaw frozen pipes. >> no water. >> reporter: the situation is so bad, tara davis is leaving the state after she, her husband, and her 8-month-old baby had to huddle around the fireplace to stay warm. they went without power for 30 hours. >> it was negative two degrees last night. we had our daughter wrapped up in as many pieces of clothing as we possibly could. we were really scared. 42 -- >> reporter: in houston, more than 50 cars lined up in search of a warm meal outside a burger king. dylan fluster took his 15-month-old and a 3-year-old to a warming station in plano. >> we woke up this morning, and can't keep doing this. >> reporter: texas is the only state in the continental u.s. that has its own power grid.

people are angry that it's failed. >> i understand people are very angry that this has happened. i would say let us get the power back on. >> reporter: omar villafranca, cbs news, plano, texas. that same massive winter storm system spawned a deadly tornado in north carolina. the twister hit a coastal town in brunswick county monday night. at least three people were killed, and ten others were injured. dozens of homes were destroyed. emergency officials said residents had little warning. >> we were talking with our partners at national weather service, and they were surprised how rapidly this storm intensified. it's something they normally don't see. we didn't have much warning. at the time at night most people are home in bed it creates a dangerous situation. >> the national weather service says the tornado was an ef3 with winds estimated at 160 miles per hour. the winter weather is temporarily impacting the covid vaccine rollout in some areas, but there is some encouraging

news in the fight against the virus. the number of covid cases reported in the u.s. was dramatically down for the second straight day. just over 59,000 cases were reported yesterday. some of the lowest since october. and during a cnn town hall in wisconsin, president biden said anyone who wants a vaccine should be able to get one by the end of july. debra alfarone is in washington. debra, who did mr. biden say should move up on the priority list? >> reporter: it's all about teachers and people who work in the schools. a top priority for the biden administration has been getting kids back in schools. but the president didn't go so far as to say that teachers need to be vaccinated before they return to the classroom. in his first public trip since taking office, president biden answered questions from residents in the swing state of wisconsin and offered hope to all americans wondering when they might be able to get a covid-19 vaccine. >> by the end of july we'll have

over 600 million doses, enough to vaccinate every single american. >> reporter: the president says he expects the nations will be much better off by september, and he clarified comments his administration has made about getting the majority of kindergarten through eighth grade students back to school before the end of april. >> the goal will be five days a week. >> reporter: during the 75-minute town hall, mr. biden also sought to reassure an 8-year-old girl worried about catching coronavirus. >> don't be scared, honey. don't be scared. you're going to be fine. >> reporter: pine also made a pitch for his nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package. congressional republicans say it's too pricey. the house is scheduled to vote on the measure next week. governors across the nation continue to sound the alarm about vaccine supply, and the biden administration has warned treacherous winter weather will likely delay vaccine shipments and deliveries. itll adds up to more roadblocks for americans who

desperately want to be vaccinated. >> i have signed up at every website that you could possibly sign up at. my husband and i are both high risk. >> reporter: fema has teamed up with california officials to open new vaccination sites in los angeles and oakland. the agency has also announced plans to open new sites in new york city, as well as houston, arlington, and dallas, texas. not only are their delays in people getting the vaccine, but we're hearing there's also delays in the vaccine being produced and rolled out. this historic storm has really up-ended life across the country. anne-marie? >> yeah, that is definitely the case. debra alfarone in washington. thank you so much. the political divide in the gop appears to be growing. after former president trump lashed out at senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. mr. trump issued a blistering statement last night calling him dower, sullen, and unsmiling. he said republican senators who side with mcconnell will not win again. over the weekend mcconnell said

mr. trump was responsible for provoking the deadly capitol riot but still voted to acquit l coming up on the "cbs morning news" now, nasa's latest mars rover is getting ready for a dramatic descent. and ashley judd's rescue. photos of the actress' ordeal after she was injured in africa. this is the "cbs morning news." the scientist here. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. impressive! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ try the body wash, too. ♪

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to testify before senate committees investigating last month's deadly riot. two senate committees will meet next week to begin a broad examination of security failures that led to the massive breach at the capitol. in addition to the former capitol police chief, the former senate sergeant-at-arms and the former house sergeant-at-arms have been invited to testify. all three resigned immediately after the attack. "usa today" says nasa's "perseverance" rover is getting closer to landing on mars after a 300 million-mile journey from earth. the rover is supposed to touch down on the red planet tomorrow afternoon. its entry into the martian atmosphere is called the seven minutes of terror as scientists on earth have to wait to see if the landing is successful. the rover will collect rocks and soil samples to search for evidence of past microbiolife. >> our journey has been from following the water to seeing whether this planet was

habitable to finding complex chemicals and now we're at the advent of an entirely new phase. >> the samples will be returned to earth for analysis in the next decade. and "people" magazine says actress ashley judd shared photos from her grueling 55-hour rescue after she shattered her leg in central africa. judd says that she broke her leg in four places after tripping over a fallen tree in the jungle last week in the democratic republic of congo. she also said that without the help of local people her internal bleeding would have killed her. they had to readjust her broken bones on the jungle floor so she could be transported out. she was carried on an improvised hammock for hours and then on a motor bike for another six hours. judd is recovering in a hospital in south africa. still ahead, sampling wine. sound engineers create a new way to enjoy fine wine without drinking it. enjoy fine wine wi

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ ♪ forget snow angels. that's a female panda enjoying a snow day in russia. she was rolling off the mountain and showing off tricks in her enclosure at the mosque zoo. the city is dealing with unusually cold weather this week. perfect for pandas. on the cbs "money watch" now, a franchise owner is suing mcdonald's, and kit kat is offering a vegan option. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. well, investors get a closer

look at the strength of u.s. consumer spending when the january retail sales report is released today. now yesterday, stocks finished mixed. the dow rose 64 points, setting a fresh record. the nasdaq fell 47 points, and the s&p 500 lost two. a black owner of 14 mcdonald franchises in ohio is suing the company alleging it favors white owners.fofoin ste him over the years to buy franchises in low-income majority black communities. he says mcdonald's denied him the chance to buy stores in more affluent locations. the company denies the allegations. in a statement to cbs "money watch," mcdonald's says it has supported washington and added that he, quote, was facing business challenges. president biden is extending a ban on housing foreclosures through june 30th to help people struggling during the pandemic. he's also extending the enrollment window for borrowers who want to request a pause or

reduction in mortgage payments. now the moratorium on foreclosures was set to expire at the end of next month. and census bureau figures show nearly 12% of homeowners with mortgages were late on their payments. . and break me off a piece of that vegan kit kat bar. nestle announced yesterday it will be releasing a nondairy candy bar. the product which the company says took two years to create will use a rice-based formula to imitate the milk chocolate used in the original kit kat. the vegan candy will go on sale later this year in several countries that select retailers before expanding globally. and i guess even though it's not quite ready for consumption yet, i guess the announcement is ready in time for lent. i don't know. there's that. >> yeah. if you wanted to sort of give up chocolate. i guess it's still chocolate, it's just not chocolate with milk. you know, this whole sort of vegan/vegetarian stuff, it's growing. you know, often people who aren't necessarily vegan still

want to sample, still want to make the purchase. i think it's probably a good move for kit kat. now you got me thinking about what i'm going to give up for lent. >> same. >> feel like i'm giving up a lot already over the past year. >> same. sweets. >> yeah. right. i'm going to give up lent for lent. diane king hall in new york, diane, thank you so much. >> you got it. all right. up next, cra gilmore. comedian adam sandler reprises his role in the hit movie to mark an anniversary. ary.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ ♪ that is the sound of wine. two italian wine lovers who are also sound engineers have created a way to listen to some of the countrysw a of wi, they can listen to its sound. first they create the sounds for each wine on a computer, and then a probe is inserted in the wine. and depending on how the liquid is moved, different sounds are emitted. they say it's a new way to taste wine. though the old way i was in favor of, as well. just taste.

first ed in ve years. of the shoalled "us agai 's theryan elderan and s yoat wife as thindltheir passion for life and each other. you're probably going to cry. the short has no dialogue. it uses an original score inspired by funk and soul by the '60s. it hits theaters next month alongside "rya: the last dragon." stars from a longer movie, the comedy "happy gilmore," will be marking the film's 25th anniversary. yesterday, actor adam sandler posted a video on twitter. he re-created his character to renew his rivalry with his on-screen nemesis, shooter lf s. hi and i'm not lying to you. that is smashed. >> the actor who played shooter

mcgavin, christopher mcdonald, was up to sandler's challenge posting his own video. >> drive for show, put for the -- putt for the dough. money.shoor, still g it. >> in the movie, sandler played a wannabe hockey player who stumbled into golf. and the academy of country music is heading to nashville for the awards show. it will be held in three venues including the grand old opera house. last year because of the pandemic the show moved from las vegas to nashville for the first time in its history. this year's show, the 56th amc awards, will air here on cbs on ap18 so coming up on "cbs this morning," anthony mason talks with some of the biggest names in country music including maren morris and vince gill about the state of the industry. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." this is the "cbs morning news."

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go to takeahealthystand.org. our top stories this morning -- winter storm alerts are up in more than two dozen states as a northeast today. a dangerous mix of extreme cold and heavy snow has hit texas particularly hard. millions remain without electricity. overall, at least 20 storm-related deaths were reported.

and president biden is easing fears over the shortage of coronavirus vaccines in many states. during a town hall in wisconsin, he said any american who wants a covid-19 shot will be able to get one by the end of the summer. his administration has warned that winter weather will likely delay the process at least for now. and there's a restaurant owner in chicago who is getting rave reviews, but not for any of the meals that he makes. we have that story. >> reporter: the sun isn't up yet on a freezing february chicago morning, but robert maget is on the move. searching for his unlikely target, 15 dozen steaming tamales. >> we're hoping to buy out their stock so they can go home and get out of the cold for the day. >> reporter: he buys the whole supply. >> thank you. >> reporter: anne maria palasio who runs the stand gets to end her day almost before it begins. her reaction was what? >> disbelief. thought i was crazy. >> reporter: he's not crazy, he cares.

>> enjoy, buddy. >> reporter: maget takes tamales to homeless shelters and tent camps under train tracks. >> thank you. thank you. >> reporter: which is where mike williams lives. >> it's not often that we get a hot meal. >> reporter: something so small like a tamale can have a big effect. >> means a lot. >> reporter: the idea was spontaneous. >> i saw a lady that looked like she was dressed to be in alaska, and i asked her, if i bought all your tamales, would you go home for the day. >> reporter: the restaurant owner paid out of pocket until he posted the pictures on social media. then donations poured in. buying the hot tamales does a lot more than get vendors out of the cold -- >> thank you -->>orte it gives and l take c >> repr: unities cbs news, chicago. coming up on "cbs this morning," we will speak with dr.

anthony fauci about the newest coronavirus variants and the delayed rollout of the vaccine. plus, in our series "unifying america," anthony mason talks with some of the biggest names in country music including maren morris and vince gill about whether the industry is facing a reckoning. and first on "cbs this morning," singer sza announces a partnership aimed at helping underserved communities. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪

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