Temperatures in parts of the US could drop to about -30C as Donald Trump urged voters in one state to brave the blizzard conditions.
At least four people have died in a dangerous Arctic blast, which has knocked out electricity for hundreds of thousands of people, brought snow even to southern states and postponed a key NFL match.
Wind chills in Montana and the Dakotas have felt as low as -57C, while temperatures could be 20-40 degrees lower than normal in large parts of the country between Idaho and Ohio.
“To highlight just how intense this outbreak of Arctic air is, over 95 million citizens fall within a Wind Chill Warning, Advisory, or Watch,” the US National Weather Service (NWS) said.
In Iowa, where it could feel as cold as -40C in the wind, the blizzard forced a pause in campaigning events as Republicans prepare for the party’s first nominating contest on Monday.
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Will cold deter Iowa caucus voters?
But Mr Trump – the runaway favourite to win the Republican nomination – told supporters “you can’t sit at home” and that voting would be “worth it”, even as piles of snow cover campaign banners and cars were left abandoned.
“If you’re sick as a dog, you say, ‘darling, even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it’,” he said, making up a conversation between partners and joking voters may even meet their future spouse.
“Remember, if you’re sick, if you’re just so sick, you can’t, ‘darling, I don’t think’… get up.”
Image: Donald Trump urged voters to head out in the conditions
Image: A sign for Donald Trump covered in the snow
In such extreme conditions, frostbite can take just minutes to set in.
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The weather forced the NFL to postpone the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Buffalo Bills playoff game hosted in bone-chilling Buffalo, New York, where at least two feet of snow has fallen.
Image: Highmark Stadium, where the NFL match had been due to kick off. Pic: AP
Image: Icy conditions affected a worker’s beard as he tried to clear snow from the stadium. Pic: AP
Snow, sleet and freezing rain could hit Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and the Southern Appalachians early this week, with even Atlanta experiencing -10C by Wednesday.
The extreme weather is a reminder of the February 2021 freeze that left millions in Texas and other central states without power, water and heat for days.
Image: Snowy conditions in Portland, Oregon. Pic: AP
The Texas power grid operator, ERCOT, appealed to the public on Sunday to conserve electricity amid “record-breaking demand”.
Meanwhile, Maine, in the northeast of the country, saw historic flooding up and down the entire coast, with floods in Portland Harbor reaching 14.57 feet and sweeping away small buildings.
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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0:54
Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.