Good morning. It's Wednesday, Feb. 17, and winter storms continue to leave much of the United States in a deep freeze. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.

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NEED TO KNOW

Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc

At least 20 people are dead and millions without power as a massive winter storm continued to cause chaos across the US yesterday. The system brought rare subfreezing temperatures to the southern Great Plain states and the Deep South, while spawning a deadly tornado in North Carolina. The expansive weather pattern managed to drop multiple inches of snow in Texas (see photos) while dumping an estimated 18 inches in Chicago. Nearly 75% of the contiguous US is currently covered in snow. 

The low temperatures crippled the Texas power system—a reported 60% of Texas homes use electric heat—with 3 million people without power as of this morning. Early reports attributed the failure to frozen wind turbines, though officials later said the situation was more complex, with renewable energy sources accounting for one-third of the 46 gigawatts of lost capacity, with the rest largely coming from natural gas power plants. Separately, about 250,000 people also lost power in Appalachia.

Residents in the south will have to wait until Thursday for a reprieve—a second storm is already making its way through the region today.

In the Pacific Northwest, Oregon is recovering from an ice storm that knocked out power to more than 330,000 people, the worst blackout in state history.

New Charges for Suu Kyi

Officials in Myanmar (Burma) filed a new charge against Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, accusing the deposed leader of violating COVID-19 restrictions. While Suu Kyi was originally accused of importing illegal walkie-talkies into the country, her supporters say the new charge is intended to allow the military to detain her indefinitely without a court trial.      

The 75-year-old Nobel laureate was ousted from office, along with nearly the entire civilian government, during a Feb. 1 military coup (see background). Suu Kyi has been held incommunicado since—her lawyer has reportedly not met with her, and only became aware of the new charges when initial trial proceedings were broadcast from a secret location. Hundreds of thousands of protestors have marched against the takeover, with security forces increasingly using force to break up crowds. 

Here's why the US government still refers to the country as Burma.

India's Mysterious Fall

The rate of new COVID-19 cases reported in India has fallen by 90% since mid-September, with the number of new cases reported across the country averaging just over 11,000. With more than 1.3 billion people and inconsistent healthcare access for rural citizens, India was on pace to surpass the US as the world's epicenter heading into the winter.

Instead, hospital critical care capacity has dropped from 90% to 16% over the same time frame. Experts speculate a mix of herd immunity in urban centers, under-reporting, and possibly some type of preexisting resistance to SARS-CoV-2 may be among the factors. Demographics may also play a role—65% of India's population is under age 35, and less susceptible to severe COVID-19 cases. 

In the US, the number of vaccines shipped to states this week will be increased to 13.6 million in total, up from 11 million last week, while almost 40 million people have received at least one vaccine dose. The US has reported 488,801 total COVID-19 deaths, with 1,756 deaths reported yesterday (see data).

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” among top films nominated for 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards (March 21) (More)

> Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tells fans not to travel to Atlanta for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game (March 7); encourages local businesses not to host events around the game (More)

> CNN daytime news anchor Brooke Baldwin to depart the cable news network in April after 13 years (More)

Science & Technology

> Blue-green algae successfully grown in conditions mimicking Mars; the cyanobacteria have been proposed as a key step toward terraforming the red planet (More) | NASA's Perseverance rover set to land on Mars tomorrow (More)

> Research finds rapidly cooling temperatures in North America, not overhunting, was the main driver of the extinction of the region's largest mammals roughly 13,000 years ago (More)

> New study casts doubt on the existence of Planet Nine, a yet-to-observed planet lurking far from the sun; the planet was proposed to explain a clustering of celestial objects located beyond Neptune (More)

Business & Markets

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> Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson dies at 62 after battling pancreatic cancer (More)

> Bitcoin passes $50,000 for first time as large institutions accelerate participation (More)

> Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reveals large stakes in Verizon ($8.6B) and Chevron ($4.1B) (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> South Korean intelligence officials accuse North Korea of attempting to hack Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccine data; unclear what, if any, intellectual property was stolen (More)

> NAACP files suit against former President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others over Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol building; suit brought on behalf of Rep. Bennie Thompson (D, MS-2) (More) | Trump criticizes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), says he will back candidates in 2022 (More)

> Libyans mark 10-year anniversary from the fall of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi; the North African country continues to be split between a UN-backed government and opposition forces (More)

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ETCETERA

The true history behind HBO Max's "Judas and the Black Messiah."

Citibank makes a $500M mistake.

Need to relax? Try 11 hours of high-definition underwater footage.

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Mapping the world's youngest (and oldest) populations.

Adam Sandler breaks out a real-life "Happy Gilmore" golf swing.

... and Shooter McGavin responds.

Boston men use TikTok to record Fenway Park break-in.

When the wheels on your ride are circular saws.

Airboats on ice.

Clickbait: Scientists think they've found a portal to a fifth dimension.

Historybook: Football legend and actor Jim Brown born (1936); Vanguard 2 launched as first weather satellite (1959); HBD Michael Jordan (1963); Volkswagen Beetle passes Ford Model T to become world’s bestselling car (1972); RIP golf great Mickey Wright (2020).

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

- Michael Jordan

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