JUDY WOODRUFF: In the days other news: The Biden administration made fresh accusations that Russia
is plotting a fake attack by Ukrainian forces as a pretext to invading Ukraine.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said US intelligence
shows Moscow is willing to go to elaborate lengths.
JOHN KIRBY, Pentagon Press Secretary: We believe that Russia would produce a very graphic
propaganda video, which would include corpses and actors that would be depicting mourners,
and images of destroyed locations, as well as military equipment.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The allegations came as Ukraine's President Zelensky met
in Kyiv with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has offered to mediate.
And Russia's defense minister met with the president of Belarus,
as Russian troops mass there near Ukraine's border. In Washington, the secretaries of
state and defense briefed Congress today. We will focus on that after the news summary.
Here in the United States, much of the nation is feeling the full weight of winter tonight.
Millions of people from the Southwest to New England are facing snow, ice and even tornadoes.
Nicole Ellis has our report.
NICOLE ELLIS: Crews and residents across the Midwest are digging their
way out as a sprawling winter storm pushes farther across the country.
Some places have reported over a foot of snow, creating dangerous
driving conditions in several states. Air travel has also been disrupted. More than
4,000 flights were canceled today alone. Many other flights have been delayed.
ALEJANDRO ESQUINO, Traveler: I got stuck for three hours on,
like, an American Airlines flight so like while we were on the ground.
Please, please, no. Like, that was a terrible experience I would never want to repeat.
NICOLE ELLIS: The extreme weather also knocked out power for at least 200,000
homes and businesses, mostly in Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas.
The storm runs the gamut of precipitation, snow, rain,
sleet, and a combination of all three. According to this National Weather Service map, an intrepid
motorist could drive all the way from Maine to Texas and still be within the storm's grasp.
In Austin, Texas today, Governor Greg Abbott said that mix of ice,
freezing rain and wind are particularly difficult.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): We are dealing with one of the most significant
icing events that we have had in the state of Texas in at least several decades.
NICOLE ELLIS: He also said the state is much better prepared than it was for last year's
week-long storm. It rocked the electrical grid and triggered widespread blackouts.
More than four million were without power and more than 200 people died,
many of them from hypothermia. The reliability and the maintenance of the state's electrical
grid and the governor's record on that was at the center of heavy criticism.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT: As compared to last year, Texas has about 15 percent more
power generation capacity. There is also more reserve power available than last year.
NICOLE ELLIS: Even so, tens of thousands of Texans have lost power from this storm.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nicole Ellis.
JUDY WOODRUFF: At the Winter Olympics today, organizers of the Beijing Games dismissed
allegations of human rights violations in China. A spokesman said all such claims are a lie.
Meanwhile, activists protested outside the International Olympic Committee building
in Lausanne, Switzerland. They cited China's treatment of Muslim Uyghurs and of Tibet.
The World Health Organization now says Europe could be nearing a cease-fire
in its battle with COVID. The agency's European director said today
that the ongoing surge of Omicron cases will actually help bring on the pandemic's endgame.
DR. HANS KLUGE, World Health Organization: We here in the European region have a unique situation,
first and foremost, that once the Omicron wave will subside,
there will be a large capital of immunity, be it thanks to the vaccine or due to the infection.
JUDY WOODRUFF: A number of European nations have dropped nearly all of their COVID restrictions.
Back in this country, the former Chicago police officer who killed a Black teenager,
Laquan McDonald, was released from prison today. Jason Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times
and was convicted of second-degree murder. He got six years and nine months behind bars,
but he served less than half that due to good behavior.
The owner of the Washington pro football franchise, Dan Snyder,
is facing new allegations of sexual harassment by former employees. At a congressional hearing
today, one woman said Snyder groped her thigh at a dinner. Others talked of a toxic atmosphere,
with team executives even hiring prostitutes after one event.
RACHEL ENGLESON, Former Marketing Director, Washington Football Team: I worked at the
Washington football team for eight years.
And I can't recall a time that I didn't experience or fear sexual harassment. It was just a pervasive
part of the culture and an unavoidable rite of passage, being a woman who worked there.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Snyder said the allegations against him are -- quote -- "outright lies."
All of this came a day after the team rolled out its new name, the Washington Commanders.
Tesla has announced a U.S. recall for the second time this week. This time,
it involves more than 817,000 vehicles. Their seat belt reminder chimes may not
sound when they're supposed to. Earlier this week, Tesla recalled 54,000 vehicles
because self-driving software can let them roll through stop signs.
And a tough day on Wall Street. Shares in Facebook's parent company, Meta, plunged
26 percent after fourth-quarter profits fell.
That's the biggest one-day decline for any U.S. company ever, and it took the rest of the market
down. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 518 points, nearly 1.5 percent, to close at 35111.
The Nasdaq fell 538 points, 3.7 percent. The S&P 500 dropped 112 points, 2.4 percent.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": Sarah Palin takes The New York
Times to court over an erroneous editorial; women in Afghanistan protest, defying the Taliban;
what to watch as the Beijing Winter Olympics get under way; plus much more.