As chilly temperatures sweep the nation it could be tempting to put your food out in snowy conditions in order to keep them good while your power is out but the USDA is saying it’s not a good idea. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has a long list of reasons why you shouldn’t put your food outside:

• The sun’s rays could thaw out the food even though it’s below freezing outside.
• Temperatures could vary during the day and night causing the food not to be safe.
• Food being stored outside could be exposed to unsanitary conditions and animals that could have bacteria or disease.

For a full list of helpful tips on what to do with your food if you lose power or if you need to know what to throw away and keep go to fsis.usda.gov.

Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped a year during the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic caused its first wave of deaths.That’s according to new data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Minorities suffered the biggest impact, with Black Americans losing nearly three years and Hispanics, nearly two years.Robert Anderson with the CDC said, “This is a huge decline. You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this.” CDC officials had already reported that 2020 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths topping 3 million for the first time.

Andrew Cuomo is defending his record on COVID-19 nursing home deaths. The New York governor said today that former President Donald Trump, Fox News, and the New York Post are all conspiring against him. Cuomo called the criticism he’s facing from Trump and the media outlets nothing more than “conspiracy theories.”  Cuomo has been taking heat from both Democrats and Republicans over his administration’s handling of COVID-19 patients in nursing homes.

President Joe Biden is calling the rise of Anti-Asian American xenophobia, “unacceptable” and “un-American.” A recent report found there has been a surge of violent attacks against older Asians since COVID-19 hit.  The report claims 71-percent of the attacks have been verbal.

A new lawsuit is being filed against former President Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani and the Proud Boys. Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson alleges the defendants conspired to violate the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act when they incited the January riots at the Capitol.  The act prohibits any actions designed to prevent Congress from carrying out its duties.

The U.S. is going to pay the 200-million dollars it owes to the World Health Organization by the end of the month. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement today. President Biden recently rescinded Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO. Trump suspended U.S. membership to the organization, citing what he called, “The WHO’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”

President Biden disagrees with his fellow Democrats on a plan to forgive up to $50,000 in student loan debt.Biden made his feelings clear during Tuesday’s CNN town hall, declaring “I will not make that happen”.  Biden has been open to writing off up to $10,000 in student debt but says “I don’t think I have the authority” for $50K – a plan that has been pushed by Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is threatening to keep residents of Manatee County from getting vaccinated if they don’t stop complaining about the state’s rollout of vaccine.Following complaints from that DeSantis is prioritizing wealthier areas of the state in vaccine deliveries, the governor is lashing out at the county. “I mean, if Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it,” DeSantis says. “And we’re totally happy to do that so anyone that’s saying that, let us know if you want us to send it to Sarasota next time, or Charlotte, or Pasco, wherever, let us know we’re happy to do it.”  Florida health officials are planning to inoculate some 3,000 elderly residents over the next three days, according to the Department of Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is forecasting as many as 559,000 COVID deaths in the United States by March 13th.The grim prediction, made by the CDC’s forecasting model, represents a 19,000-person increase over the previous prediction of 540,000. The current U.S. death toll sits at 488,352, data from Johns Hopkins University reveals.

Ford has announced plans to spend $1 billion to convert one of its European factories into an exclusive electric vehicle manufacturing plant.The factory, which is located in Cologne, Germany, will be used to manufacture a new electric passenger vehicle in 2023, the company has revealed. The move is part of Ford’s promise to offer all-electric versions of its vehicles to Europeans by 2024, with an eye on fully converting the continent to electric vehicles by 2030, the company says.