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| THE BIG STORY
People in Texas are melting snow and icicles because they’ve lost access to water
The snow and the freezing temperatures were just the start. The deadly storm in Texas has left people across the state in the middle of massive power outages, struggling to keep warm. With no power or heat, Texans found themselves harvesting and boiling snow and icicles for water.
Take Austin with its nearly 1 million residents. On Friday, most of them were with no water and no indication of when they'd find safe drinking water again, prompting many to start using the same snow that had brought the state to a standstill.
A big part of the story here: leaders in the state ignored warnings a decade ago that their power supply was in danger. After a massive storm in 2011, federal regulators identified that the state’s energy system was vulnerable to extreme cold. Even the state’s grid operator and several power suppliers all acknowledged the need for wells, pipelines, and power plants to be better protected from the low temperatures. But it’s clear that didn’t happen.
Immigrants in Texas ICE detention centers described miserable conditions, with not enough water to drink, full toilets that couldn’t be flushed, and days without being able to shower. A car idles in a driveway on a street with no power. Courtney Sacco / Reuters HELP US FIGHT FOR TRANSPARENCY
Our journalists filed 58 Freedom of Information Act lawsuits during Trump's presidency — more than any other media organization in the US. We have no plans to slow down, but pursuing that work is expensive and time consuming.
That's why every BuzzFeed News Membership sign-up or one-time contribution from now until March 15 will go toward our FOIA fund. When you contribute, you’ll become a BuzzFeed News member and receive special member-only emails, including an inside look when we publish the next major FOIA scoop. Help us reach our goal of $100,000 for our FOIA fund by contributing here. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
The Capitol rioters are starting to face much more serious charges
The investigation into the Capitol riots has now been going on for 7 weeks or so. As a result, a growing number of defendants charged in the insurrection are seeing their felony counts — and potential prison time — stack up.
Defendants who were only charged with misdemeanors when they were arrested are now facing felonies post-indictment. Of the more than 230 people charged to date, at least 70 are now facing a minimum of one felony count — the most common is obstruction of Congress, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors say many more new cases are expected. SNAPSHOTS
Many essential workers down the street from Yankee Stadium’s vaccine site are still waiting for access. The mass vaccine site was supposed to reduce disparities in one of New York’s hardest-hit areas, but shortages are making it hard to get in.
The last people to die on Trump’s watch. Around 3,000 Americans died from the coronavirus in the final 24 hours of the Trump presidency. Here are the stories of just three of them.
Jessica Watkins, an Oath Keeper charged in the DC attack, fears harsh treatment because she is transgender. Her attorney argues in a new court motion that she is no threat and should be allowed to go home with a monitoring device.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially separated from the Royal family. They will not be returning to life as working royals, Buckingham Palace said in a statement, prompting many to wonder what, precisely, is a “working royal.”
Kim and Kanye are officially divorcing. The pair’s divorce paperwork was filed Friday, after almost seven years of marriage. They share four children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. On Sunday, Kardashian returned to social media. CREATING A LOOPHOLE
“Mark changed the rules”: How Facebook went easy on Alex Jones and other right-wing figures
Alex Jones is one of the internet’s most notorious spreaders of misinformation and hate. He became infamous for claiming that the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre was a “giant hoax,” and that the teenage survivors of the 2018 Parkland shooting were “crisis actors.”
By April 2019, Facebook was preparing to ban Jones. Facebook had found that he was relentlessly spreading hate against various groups, including Muslims and trans people. That behavior qualified him for expulsion from the social network under the company's policies for dangerous individuals and organizations.”
Such a ban would’ve also required Facebook to also remove any content that expressed “praise or support” for Jones.
But Mark Zuckerberg personally intervened. The Facebook CEO didn’t consider the Infowars founder to be a hate figure, according to a person familiar with the decision, so he overruled his own internal experts.
In the process, Zuckerberg opened a gaping loophole: Facebook would permanently ban Jones and his company — but would not touch posts of praise and support for them from other Facebook users. So Jones’ legions of followers could continue to share his lies across the world’s largest social network. MOVING BRICKS
A 139-year-old Victorian House was moved through the streets of San Francisco
I’m never complaining about moving again. The 5,170-square-foot house, known as the Englander House, was relocated from its original address to just a few blocks away.
As you can imagine, with a truck moving such a giant house, the excitement drew onlookers as the house moved slowly through the streets of the city. People treated it like a parade. One person told the San Francisco Chronicle, “It’s the most excitement I’ve had in 10 years. What if it topples?”
It did not topple. But it enthralled. Here are some photos and videos of the excitement. PIVOT. Noah Berger / AP Don't define yourself by your to-do list today, Elamin 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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