we re still in the tlhroes of this life threatening situation. good morning, everybody, it s monday, december 26th. don and kaitlan are off, i m glad to have sara sidner with us. good morning. let s talk about the death toll rising in new york from the storm. thousands of delays and cancellations impacting many air travelers many failing to make it home for the holidays. in a cruel, dangerous and shameful stunt, the white house blaming texas governor greg abbott for sending residents to the home of vice president kamala harris on christmas eve. first, though, a storm for the ages in western new york state. at least 17 weather-related deaths are being reported this morning, most in the buffalo area. governor katy hochul has requested emergency disaster relief from the biden administration. a state of emergency remains in effect. this has paralyzed so many parts of the state and the country, bringing this region to its knees. more than 12,000 customers are still wit
alissa, annie, david and heather again. heather keeps me sane. she makes sure i don t completely go crazy on the air. thank you to you all. it takes a team to make some show work. paula reid coming up. you are live in the cnn newsroom. i m paula reid in washington. a christmas eve storm for the ages. we are tracking the very latest on the severe weather impacting millions across the u.s. at least 16 storm-related deaths have been reported, including two in erie county, new york, in what may be the area s worst winter storm since the famous 1977 buffalo blizzard. jefferson county, new york, is experiencing life-threatening blizzard conditions, banning travel and declaring a state of emergency. jaw dropping sub zero temperatures across huge swaths of the country. 100 people people remain under windchill alerts. atlanta and philadelphia are facing their coldest christmas ever. and nearly two million people are without power. power companies in ohio, kentucky, and memphis are
the list of deaths. we could see more when everything is said and done. there is still a big concern for people stranded in their cars, when there was whiteout conditions. people would get lost in the storm. people were making contact with people stranded in cars. the mayor saying 200 individuals, they could still be out there, that they are trying to make sure they get safe. there s also some frustration in the voice of officials here, as they say that people do not are not really getting it right now. and braving the streets. that should be off in the distance here. we don t know where they could be going. only essential travel is allowed right now. they are clearing the streets to be drivable, just like the one you see here in downtown buffalo, and allow first responders to basically make it out to calls if necessary. but as far as the storm, this has been just it has not sto stopped. erie county officials say the storm is going to hover over buffalo, and perhaps we ll
don t look down. don t make any sudden moves. because we are almost at the end of a legislative tightrope, y all. senators are putting in some extra hours this weekend. they re working to get democrats, health care, climate, and deficit reduction package across the finish line. the parliamentarian approved key components of the bill just hours ahead of when the senate is expected to debate it on the floor. it will take all 50 democratic votes and a tie breaker from vice president harris for the inflation reduction act to pass the senate. what does that mean to you? it means medicare can negotiate prescription drug costs. with an out of pocket cap at $2,000 for seniors. it means lower aca health premiums. it means lower energy costs, and the reduction of carbon emissions by 40% in the next eight years. it also lowers the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars, which will be crucial to fighting inflation. how is all this possible? this is one of only two times per fiscal ye