Texas

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been heavily criticized after last week's winter storm left more than 4 million Texans without power for several days.

Cristian Pavon died last Tuesday when the local temperature was 12 degrees, according to a relative who set up a fundraising page for his family.

President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan heads for a House vote as early as this week, while the former president makes his first major speech since leaving office.

Texas allows companies to sell electricity at wholesale prices. When the price of electricity skyrocketed last week, that meant exorbitant bills for many residents who had been trying to save money.

Houston area residents are reporting exorbitant prices of food, water, and hotel rooms while the state continues to deal with shortages of essential items after a winter storm hit the state.

The Texas Democratic Party is calling for the resignation of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who went on a family vacation in the middle of a deadly winter storm. He returned, calling the trip "a mistake."

White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall says the extreme weather situation in Texas serves as a reminder that the U.S. is not fully prepared to deal with climate change.

Health officials told NPR that 450 carbon monoxide-related calls have been made statewide since Feb. 11, as residents scrambling for warmth turn to heat sources like grills, stoves and generators.

About 7 million people in Texas, including residents of Houston, Arlington, Fort Worth, Tyler and San Antonio need to boil their water to ensure it's safe for cooking and drinking.

Dire warnings of price hikes are coming from electricity retailers that normally offer customers low prices based on daily wholesale rates. They are telling customers to conserve or switch providers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed the Texas National Guard to move people without heat and power into shelters.

The astronauts will spend around eight days in orbit in what would be a new step for joint private-public space missions.