thank you, take care, omar villafranca with _ danger.illafranca with cbs news in - danger. thank you, take care, omar villafranca with cbs news in dallas. | australia's prime minister says his country won't be intimidated by facebook, in the continuing row about news coverage on the social media platform. australia wants tech companies to pay for content which is reposted from other news outlets — and now facebook has blocked all its media content in the country. our correspondent shaimaa khalil sent this report from sydney. this is what australians woke up to. empty news feeds on their facebook pages after the platform blocked all local and international media outlets. a dramatic escalation in a continued dispute with the government over paying for news content. facebook�*s change didn't just target news. it also denied australians access to many pages for charities and essential services, as well as several key government agencies. the ban prompted an immediate backlash, with many users angered by their sudden loss of access to trusted

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. >>

cbs' omar villafranca is going to lead off our coverage from just north of dallas. good evening, omar. >> reporter: power has been on and off here for a few days. combine that with freezing temperatures, and this is what buildings all across texas are dealing with-- pipes busted by frozen water. tonight, the south is frozen solid, states struggling to recover from punishing subzero temperatures with more wicked weather on the way. the extreme conditions blamed for at least 15 deaths. medical examiners in galveston requesting a refrigerated truck after reports of several cold- weather-related deaths. texas' governor calling the storm the winter version of hurricane harvey. over three million texans are still without power because the state's 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 erpi >> reporter: the situation is so d her eight-month-old baby had to huddle around the fireplace to stay warm. they went without power for 30 last night. we had our daughter wrapped u

norah. >> o'donnell: omar villafranca, thank you. and there is still much more news ahead on tonight's cbs evening news. spectacular new video from perseverance as the nasa rover landed on mars. and she beat cancer as a child. now she will be the youngest american to fly in space. you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'll get on it! that's a step in the right direction. ever wonder why your that's a step just washed laundry doesn't smell... just washed. that's because there's hidden sweat and body soils that cause odors on your clothes. but there's a solution for those secret stinks: gain flings laundr

here's cbs's omar villafranca. >> some superheroes need a sidekick, for five year old harper it's halote fluffy dog with one leg and an unlimited supply of love. >> what is her superpower. >> well, she has lucky fins like me on the top. >> her superpower is her hand that formed differently, she calls it her lucky fin, harper comes every week to this rescue animal sanctuary outside austin to check in on her fellow superheroes. >> i have the cow in a wheelchair and a lamb in a wheelchair. >> at safe in austin jaimie wallace griner cares for more than 160 disabled animals that were left on death's door. and lets them live out their life in hog heaven. she matches the animals with kids who show know what they're going through. when harper and halo get together, harper's mom celene says it is magical. >> harper got a lot of her own confidence, coming here, seeing how resilient those animals are. >> it is like 90% stress and hard and muddy and poopy and then there's this 10% that is pure magic. >> sometimes unconditional love comes from rescue animals rescuing children, in leander, texas, om

here's cbs' omar villafranca. >> i have a right to stop you because you're being suspicious. >> reporter: the independent report out tonight says aurora, colorado, did not have the right the right to stop, frisk or violently restrain elijah mclain in august 2019. >> reporter: police put the 23- year-old in a neck hold. >> i can't breathe. >> reporter: and according to the report, e.m.s. administered ketamine based on a grossly inflated estimate of mr. mclain's size adding higher doses can cause sedation complications for which this team was not clearly prepared. mclain suffered cardiac arrest and later died in the hospital. >> no justice, no peace! >> reporter: his death sparked outrage amid protest. >> he's loved and missed. he's very much missed. what is your version of justice? >> they should go to jail. you killed an innocent man. you should be held accountable. >> reporter: the aurora, colorado is conducting a meeting to discuss the findings to have the report. the state attorney general is asking a grand jury to look at the case and decide whether to charge the three officers. >> o

team of correspondents is covering all of the other major headlines tonight but first, cbs's omar villafranca is going to lead off our coverage from a frigid dallas, texas. omar, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, tonight anchorage, alaska is warmer than dallas. and more than 26 million people here in texas keep losing their power because of rolling blackouts caused by high demand. for the first time over the weekend, the whole state was under a winter warning that brought blizzard-like conditions. tonight, a record cold snap has turned texas into a tundra. flurries fell in southeast, texas, blanketing galveston's sandy beaches in white. the city manager there warning infrastructure damage caused by the extreme temperatures could rival the cost of a hurricane. >> slow down, slow down, slow down. >> reporter: frozen roads sent an 18 wheeler careening out of control near austin, and a man nearly lost his life jumping just seconds before a car lost control and crashed into a police cruiser. the extreme low temperatures spun up this so called snow-nado in east texas. >> the ultra low temper

omar villafranca, thank you. bitter, arctic air is also now invading much of the northern u.s. and it is pushing south. let's get the forecast now from cbs' lonnie quinn. good evening, lonnie. >> reporter: good evening, norah. all those pictures, the horrible pictures omar just showed us, look, you can't drive on ice. it doesn't take a lot of ice to cause the problems. texas is only recorded less than a tenth of an inch. there are only 74,000 people without power. so it's not taking down trees, it's not taking out power lines, but the roads are a skating rink and there's more of that tonight around austin, but also into virginia. you're just starting to see the pink, showing the icing pushing into the western portion of the state. that will push across i-81 so virginia will have a tough go of it as well. but tomorrow we'll find ice again in the texas area but the big story will be a huge storm pushing in around portland and seattle. portland picks up a foot of snow. seattle could be seeing as much as six inches. and possibly if it get up as high as nine inches is would be a top

omar villafranca, thank you. our top story this lunchtime.ng members of the royal family. and coming up... the united states is about to formally re—join the international effort to tackle global warming. coming up in sport on bbc news... daniil medvedev gets the better of stefanos tsitsipas in straight sets in melbourne to reach the final of the australian open where the world number one novak djokovic awaits. a nasa spacecraft has begun its mission to look for life on mars, after landing on the planet last night. the perseverance rover has been sending back images of the crater where it touched down. it will spend the next two years drilling into rocks, to look for evidence of activity by micro—organisms, which would be proof of life. here's our science correspondent rebecca morelle, whose report contains flashing images. perseverance is going about one kilometre per second. a nerve—racking wait at mission control. perseverance is safely on the surface of mars. then celebrations as a signal is received from mars. it's touchdown for nasa's p

but as cbs' omar villafranca reports, there are now warning tonight about dangerous covid mutations. >> reporter: a stark new warning tonight on the nation's dire covid crisis. >> i think with these new variants, the ones particularly from england, it's possible in the next 6-14 weeks we could see the worst we have to date. >> reportere y statd now it's started to mutate overseas, overseas, raising concerns current vaccines may be not be effective against it. is there any urgency to get the first round of a vaccine? >> i can't emphasize how >> i can't empy people as possible to get vaccinated as >> reporter: pfizer announcing it will study whether a third dose may be needed after six months to 12 months. to be more effective against variants. and dr. fauci revealing today, the c.d.c. may recommend double masks. >> when people tell me or ask me, "should i be wearing two masks?" i say, "if it makes you feel better to wear two masks, the masks, the cnc >> reporter: tonight the biden administ access pharmacies starting next week with more on the way. walmarts in chicago began vaccinating

omar villafranca in dallas, thank you. were some tense moments aboard a united airlines flight today. an engine caught fire as the plane approached denver. large pieces of it were blown away. but minutes later, passengers cheered as their jet landed safely. debris from the damaged engine fell in several neighborhoods. s first responders say they're not aware of any injuries. now to the race to vaccine. the cold and hazardous weather has delayed delivery of some six million doses, affecting all 50 states. new infections have slowed dramatically in most states, but the u.s. death toll is fast approaching another, devastating milestone: 500,000 deaths. michael george in new york tonight joins us for more. michael, good evening. >> reporter: adriana, good evening. so far, close to 42 million americans have received at least the first dose of the covid-19 vaccine, but it's still not fast enough for some who hoped to get the vaccine, but never got the chance. >> the parents in this community want the same thing for their childre

cbs news correspondent omar villafranca is in dallas. they are not used to it?y are not used to it here. now, - they are not used to it? they are not used to it here. now, the - not used to it here. now, the rolling blackouts that do happen here, they usually happen with excessive heat, when temperatures reach over 100 fahrenheit. but not when it gets this cold, and there is snow on the ground. you mentioned more than 4 million people without power. texas has its own power grid, as compared to the rest of the united states. 26 million are on that power grid. 4 million without power, the other 22 million are experiencing rolling blackouts, and temperatures in most parts of the state will not get above freezing today. state will not get above freezing toda . �* , ., , state will not get above freezing toda . �* , . , ., . today. and there is a big reliance on wind power— today. and there is a big reliance on wind power there, _ today. and there is a big reliance on wind power there, isn't - today. and there is a big reliance| on wind power there, isn't there? ther

omar villafranca is in dallas for us. omar, good morning to you.he 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

omar villafranca has the latest from dallas as he joins us again this morning. reporter: good morning. temperatures across the state will be well above freezing. that is the good news. we're still feeling the ripple effects from the devastating storm and also the blackouts. millions of texans are lining up for basic necessities like water. the cold snap burst pipes all across the state. so about seven million people, a quarter of the state's population, they don't have access to safe drinking water, and they're under a boiler advisory. there distribution site in houston handed out 13,000 cases of water, and there were dozens of sites like this set up across the state. grocery store shelves were slow to restock because trucks couldn't get there. we're seeing a spike at n demand at food banks, and in dallas this weekend they're preparing to give out 25,000 meal kits. and help is coming from far away. a jewish charity organization drove for 24 hours from new jersey to dallas to deliver traditional friday night shabbat meals just in time for the local dallas congreg

we begin with omar villafranca in dallas. omar, people are getting angry and some reported burning furniture to stay warm. what happened? >> good morning, yes. state power officials were not prepared. the demand blew past their predictions and now they're asking people and even cities to conserve power. look behind me, this is the dallas skyline usually lit up, and now it's pretty dark. now the energy state trying to push enough to have power so people can warm their homes. >> it was 38 degrees last night. there was no power >> reporter: to protect her 8-month-old daughter, tara is heading to florid to protect her family.cary situation to even do considering the fafact that health official don't want you to sleep in the bed with your 8-month-old baby. we had to do that so we could keep her warm because keeping her warm was top priority. she was in the nicu for close to two months. we know that she cannot afford new me round. this is a chance we're willing to take to not have to have our baby out in negative degree weather. the

omar villafranca's in dallas with more on this story. omar, it is such a mess.t's still being investigated. what are issues that people are still dealing with today, five days later? >> reporter: good morning. the power is coming back on, that is the good news. but there is some bad news. when the folks are turning the lights on, this is what they're coming home to. at this apartment complex a water pipe burst and flooded the three levels below it. it looks like a frozen water fall. a lot of the goods and things that were inside, couches, furniture, ruined. people having to throw them away. in this dumpster. that is going to be an expensive bill to try to repair everything. another expensive bill people have to brace for, high electric bills. >> we walked in and about two-thirds of the ceiling was collapsed. there was sheet rock over the floor, and water was gushing in. >> reporter: joel burns didn't have power, but he had flowing water in all the wrong places. >> it's disheartening. >> reporter: this week burns said he reached out to 14 different restoration co

omar villafranca is in dallas with the reality check on why these outages are happening.ood morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're actually standing outside of a dallas power substation, and you may be able to hear that humming sound of power getting back on the grid. texas has its own grid, managed by the state with a nonprofit group called ercot, the groups are blaming each other figuring out why the lights went out for millions of texans. >> every source of power that the state of texas has has been compromised. >> reporter: texas governor greg abbott is leaving no one out when it comes to the state's energy failures. >> whether it be renewable power such as wind or solar, but also as i mentioned today access to coal-generated power, access to gas-generated power, also have been compromised. >> reporter: for context, in 2020, wind and solar energy were responsible for roughly 25% of the state's electricity generation throughout the year. that compared to natural gas, coal, and nuclear power, which combined for roughly 69%. >> the natural gas generators are the ones

let's head over to dallas and speak to cbs news' omar villafranca for more.rastructure isjust not built for it. to give you a little bit of — built for it. to give you a little bit of an— built for it. to give you a little bit of an example, it is warmer in anchorage. — bit of an example, it is warmer in anchorage, alaska that it is here in dallas. _ anchorage, alaska that it is here in dallas, texas right now. this is 'ust dallas, texas right now. this is just a _ dallas, texas right now. this is just a little _ dallas, texas right now. this is just a little bit of snow since we are in— just a little bit of snow since we are in the — just a little bit of snow since we are in the city it is a little bit warmer— are in the city it is a little bit warmer but in the suburbs around dallas. _ warmer but in the suburbs around dallas. the — warmer but in the suburbs around dallas, the snow was up a little bit. dallas, the snow was up a little bit roads— dallas, the snow was up a little bit. roads are close. there is not a lot of— bit. roads are close. there is not a