you are live in the cnn qwest newsroom, i m paula reid in washington. a monster winter storm has claimed the lives of 16 people and has cut power and electricity. the u.s. department is declaring an emergency for the texas power grid to aid its capacity and this is due to a shortage of electricity. the emergency declaration allows the state s energy provider to exceed environmental emissions limits until usage drops. in new york, a dire situation. hundreds of people have likely been trapped inside their vehicles since yesterday. that includes an 85-year-old grandmother and her son. they ve been turning the car on and off for heat and to save gas. sub-zero temperatures are widespread across the country and more than 750,000 customers remain without power. the power grid operator for 13 states is now asking residents to reduce their power usage to avoid widespread outages. holiday travel by road and air has been disrupted, and today alone more than 2600 flightses have be
Because we believe there s an innovator in all of us. when you re through with powering through, it s time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. powerful relief so you can restore and recover. theraflu hot beats cold. some encouraging news on the tripledemic today. the government reporting the flu is starting to decline in some areas, but officials are warning that holiday get togethers could send the numbers soaring again. cnn s elizabeth cohen has the latest. the cdc has released new flu numbers, while the numbers are still going down there s a tremendous amount of flu out there. let s take a look at this new data from the cdc.
Me a gift. and for me, i felt deflated inside. reporter: santa charles is one of the few santas who is deaf and uses his tremendous personality to connect with kids who are too often left out. you know, santa is a magical experience for children. it s about bringing joy to their lives. it really means a lot to me. reporter: these moments will last a lifetime for these families. say cheese. reporter: that will cherish these pictures which helps enhance the magic of the season. sign merry christmas. reporter: ryan young, cnn, atlanta. now to something you don t see every day, a doorbell camera in alaska caught a moose dropping its antlers. the moose shook like a dog and its massive antlers crashed to the ground.
Sanctions. he called for more destructive tools, lick wi dagsz arrests and suppliers. the u.s. is planning to send more weapons to russia including more drones and ballistic missiles. they are supplying russia with drones before the conflict started and continues to deny accusations it s arming russia in this war. claire sebastian, cnn, london. i m joined now by cnn military analyst colonel cedric laton. i want to begin by getting your reaction to this attack in k kherson city. paula, that was a devastating attack clearly designed to not only be a warning to the ukrainians and also to be a terror instrument and what you are seeing here is although the ukrainians regained kherson which was a major victory for the ukrainians, it is still at risk and what the ukrainians are
The shooting. a bystander was also grazed by a bullet, but is expected to be okay. authorities say the shooting happened after a group of five to nine males got into an altercation in nordstrom. several players have been accounted for. the mall of america is the largest shopping center in the u.s. with more than 500 stores and dozens of attractions. as many of us get ready to spend the holidays with friends and family, if you are not careful, you might end up with a present that nobody wants, the flu. you are live in the cnn newsrsroom.