- Welcome folks to this edition
of "The 700 Club."
No power and life-threatening cold,
that's what millionsof Americans are facing
after a massive winter storm.
And now there's even more danger.
What is it?
And how are officials scrambling
to keep it from getting worse?
Caitlin Burke has more.
- Extreme cold poses a new threat
to residents in the South
as millions are without electricity,
and the region's powergrid is at risk of failing.
- The next few days aregoing to be very tough.
To those who have lost power,
I know you are frustrated,
I know you are miserable,
I know you're uncomfortable.
I know it is very miserable in this cold
without heat.
- [Caitlin] Those who haven't lost power
are being asked to conserve their energy.
And power officials inTexas and 14 other states
using controlled rolling black outs
in an effort to save the grid,
something that's never happened before.
- It's cold.
Kids around, trying to stay warm.
Fireplace.
There's no firewood anywhere.
No stores open.
- [Caitlin] Officials saynew generation power sources
like wind turbines havecompletely frozen over
and bee taken off line.
And even more traditionalpower generation methods
have started to fail in theultra cold temperatures.
Meanwhile, all of this is playing out
in the middle of a pandemic,
and vaccine storage facilitiesare also losing power.
- The vaccine had reached a temperature
that it needed to be distributed
and in arms within 12 hours.
We began immediately upon notification
mounting a vaccine campaign unexpectedly
'cause we're in the middle of disaster.
- Travel conditions also remain a problem
as many areas have solid layersof ice coating road ways.
In Tennessee, this pickuptruck pulls out of a driveway,
and then slides sideways down the street.
In Mississippi, at least five
18-wheelers involved in this pileup.
And in Texas, a man standing by this SUV
barely escaped after a second car
came flying down an embankment.
Overnight a tornadogenerated by the winter storm
destroyed homes in a North Carolina town,
killing at least three people.
As of this morning,
more than 70% of the continentalU.S. is covered in snow.
And weather officials saymore than 50 million people
could see temperatures dip below zero
over the next several days.
Caitlin Burke, CBN News.
- You know, isn't it amazing,
we've been fighting global warming.
You've heard about globalwarming, global warming.
I tell you what ladies and gentlemen,
like it or not, about every 50 years,
50,000 years, excuse me 20,000 years or so
you have an ice age,
and we're coming up on one of them.
And those climate alarmists don't like it.
But I believe what ought to be done
is to take Joe Manchin from West Virginia,
and see if he'd switchto being a Republican,
let him be in charge ofthe energy committee,
and then begin to say we'vegot to have some coal.
We've got to have natural gas.
We've got to have some oil
because those windfarms aren't gonna work.
And some of the otherthings in the Green New Deal
just won't be enough to keep us warm,
'cause it's getting cold,
and it will continue to get colder.
And global warming is not the threat
that everybody makes it out to be.
I'm just sorry, it just isn't.
But man, it is cold. (laughing)
I hope you can stay warm.
And I pray for our dear friends in Texas
and other places wherethey're lacking power.
But we really have gotto emphasize the fact
if they shut off all the natural gas,
they shut off all of the oiland the coal and so forth,
we're not gonna have enough fuel
to keep this place, this country,
we've got warm in the coldweather that's coming,
and there will be plenty of it.
Well, in other news, alarming variants
of the coronavirus has everyone on edge.
The big question, could theytrigger a new surge in cases?
Efrem Graham has more.
- Pat, as the number ofnew cases is dropping,
there's fresh concerns mutationscould lead to an increase.
The South African variant,now in eight states,
is troubling because it appears vaccines
aren't totally effective against it.
And some patients have been reinfected.
- In South Africa there were people
who got infect with the original virus,
recovered and then got reinfected
with this new variant,the South African variant.
- [Efrem] Researchers arenow tracking seven variants
that started here in the U.S.
Meanwhile, in California,the administration
is opening the first federally managed
mass vaccination site.
And President Biden istraveling to Wisconsin today
for a town hall to win support
for his $1.9 trillion virus relief plan.
A COVID-19 coverup.
That's what New York GovernorAndre Cuomo is accused of
after his secretary admitted
his administration withheld data
on coronavirus nursing home deaths.
The Governor tried to put out the fire
in a news conference yesterday.
CBN's Jenna Browder has thestory now from Washington.
- New York governor, Andrew Cuomo,
is under mounting pressureto answer questions
about his administration's handling
of COVID-19 in nursing homes.
But his explanation yesterdayin his news conference
only outraged law makers
and families who lost loved ones.
- I'm gonna clarify factson the nursing homes.
- [Jenna] The governor telling cameras
his administration washonest in its reporting
of COVID nursing home deaths,
but conceding--
- I understand the public hadmany questions and concerns,
and the press had many questions
about nursing homes primarily.
And I understand that they werenot answered quickly enough.
- [Jenna] Last week it was revealed
12,743 long-term patients died
of the virus in New York,
much higher than the state'sofficial tally of 8500.
And in a phone call withNew York state democrats,
Cuomo's secretary admitted that his office
withheld data on the numberof COVID nursing home deaths
because they were afraid itwould be used against them
in the Justice Department investigation.
- There is a toxic political environment,
and everything gets politicized.
- [Jenna] Last MarchCuomo issued a mandate
allowing some 9,000COVID-positive patients
into nursing homes.
Families want to know if their loved ones
could have been saved.
- Our seniors deserve justice.
And that requires anindependent investigation
with subpoena power.
FOX News' Janice Deanlost both of her in-laws,
and has been speaking outabout Cuomo for months.
- [Janice] He is a liar.
He just continues to lie
and deflect and blame everyone else.
- [Jenna] She wants an independent,bipartisan investigation
into Cuomo and his administration.
- [Janice] I am calling onevery single lawmaker in Albany,
and also on the federal level.
Do you not see what ishappening right now?
Do you not care about all ofthe people in New York state
that want to find out why their loved ones
died in nursing homes?
He didn't follow the science.
You don't put infectedpatients into nursing homes.
That is the bottom line, governor.
- [Jenna] Calls for the governorto resign continue to grow,
and lawmakers on both sides ofthe aisle are taking action.
- Today I'm calling uponthe Department of Justice
and Attorney General James
to investigate Governor Cuomo,
his administration from top to bottom.
- [Jenna] Democratic assemblywoman Alessandra Biaggi:
"To New Yorkers watchingCuomo's press conference,
"it is riddled with lies,
"theater and deflection."
- The truth is everybodydid everything they could.
- In addition to investigations,
state Democrats have also discussed
taking away the governor'semergency powers
to deal with the pandemic.
In Washington, Jenna Browder, CBN News.
- Despite yesterday's news conference,
still many unanswered questions.
Pat.
- The thing of it was
the Javits Center had plenty of beds,
they didn't use them.
President Trump sent a whole ship,
a hospital ship from Norfolkall the way up to New York
to accommodate patients,they didn't use them.
I think Franklin Graham actually had
a hospital available in CentralPark, they didn't use it.
They didn't need to put those nursing home
people into this infectedenvironments, but they did.
And the governor's trying to cover it up.
It's just shocking.
Absolutely horrifying.
And he's trying to makea movie and be a star,
and all this kind of stuff.
It's just shocking what's happening.
They were committing people to death.
You can't put a sick nursing home person
into an infected environment,
and then when they die,
then you cover up the fact
of how many people died.
It's appalling.
Well it's not just New York.
It's amazing two of the bluest states,
California and New York,
they were thought well they're safe
forever for the Democrats,
not anymore because in California
there's been an unbelievablesurge of interest
in a recall movement aboutGovernor Gavin Newsom.
And they have enough signatures,
they wanna make sure theyget another 500,000 more
so there's no questionwhen they're checked out.
But they have a million and a half now,
they've got another 500,000 they wanna get
to make sure everything is set.
But you're looking at California
and New York,
and if these states go,
I really believe we'regoing to see a sea change
in the leadership of our nation.
But, Efrem, you can tell us more
about what's happening in California.
- Pat, leaders of a movement called
Recall California Governor Gavin Newsom
say they do have enough signatures,
as you said, to force aspecial statewide election.
Recall Newsom 2020 announcedit's gathered 1.5 million
signatures needed,
and is now working toget up to 500,000 more
before the March deadline.
Recall leaders cite Newsom's response
to the COVID-19 pandemic,
which has included strictstate wide lock downs
on businesses and even churches.
The election must take place
60 to 80 days after thesignatures are verified.
Microsoft says a foreign power
enlisted more than1,000 software engineers
to pull off a massive computer hack
against U.S. government agencies.
It came through infected software
from a company called Solarwinds in Austin, Texas.
The software providesnetwork monitoring services
to the White House, the Pentagon,
and the Departments ofTreasury, Justice and Commerce.
The breech was so dire
the Pentagon ordered an emergency shutdown
of the internal network thathandles classified material.
It's considered the largestand most sophisticated attack
the world has ever seen.
Turning now overseas,
widespread protestscontinue to (indistinct)
the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar
three weeks after a military coup.
Now security forces areintensifying their crackdown
against those demanding areturn to civilian rule.
George Thomas has the latest
on the escalating crisis.
- Myanmar's military, armedwith a new security law,
are warning protestors that any attempts
to subvert their powercould land them in prison
for more than 20 years.
- (speaking in foreign language)
- [George] Across this country
thousands are defying the new law
and heightened security measures,
hitting the streets to demand the release
of detained civilian leaders.
Among them, ousted leader
and Nobel Peace Prizewinner, Aung San Suu Kyi.
She won in November elections,
but then the military took over,
claiming voter fraud.
- [Translator] We voted our government
fairly and righteously.
But this unfairness isruling over the righteous,
and it makes me and allof us, the civilians,
sad and angry.
- [George] Lines ofmilitary vehicles have taken
up positions around Myanmar'slargest city, Yangon,
as coup leaders urge protestors
to return to work.
- [Translator] The number of protestors
was reduced yesterday,
so the military took advantage of that
and brought militaryvehicles onto the streets
to intimidate the people.
- [George] The military also wants
sweeping power to access user data,
block websites, order internet shutdowns
and imprison critics.
More than 400 people havealready been arrested
since the February 1st coup.
- Ongoing arrest of political leaders,
government officials, civil society actors
and media representatives
are deeply concerning,
as are the restrictions on the internet
and communication services.
- [George] The United Stateshas condemned the coup,
and last Friday imposed sanctions
on the military chief and his generals.
A prominent Christian leader
has told CBN's Asiacorrespondent, Lucille Talusan,
that Myanmar needs prayer.
- Pray for Myanmar.
Pray for people of Myanmar
to have that kind of mentality
that we all are one family.
Pray for it so we have peace
and reconciliation in our country.
George Thomas, CBN News.
- Unfortunately thecrisis is only escalating.
Pat.
- This should not be allowed to stand.
We just can't have militarygroups taking over.
And that woman, Kyi,who was freely elected,
was a champion for human rights,
and we need to stand with her.
That's the famous (indistinct)
on the road to Mandalay,
where the flying fishes play,
and the sun comes out like Berma,
like thunder across the bay.
Rangoon, and it now has a different name,
but it was fabled thatit's a beautiful country.
And, again, you just hate to see
these vicious people take over,
when you think of the killing fields
that took place in Asia,
there's a savagery that lies underneath
that peaceful exterior thatcomes out from time to time,
and it's just shocking.
The way the United Nations,
the nations of the worldshould just stand against that,
and not allow a civiliantakeover of a government.
Peaceful transition topower to be thwarted
by a group of colonels, generals,
whatever they are,
and to put in military rule.
But that's just one more example.
We can't let that kind of stuff stand
because it'll be like a cancer.
And little by little it'llcome back to haunt us all.
