Americans stripped supermarket shelves Friday ahead of potentially “catastrophic” winter weather that threatened at least 160 million people across the country with transportation chaos, blackouts and life-threatening cold.The massive storm system was set to drop a mix of freezing rain and heavy snow starting Friday evening on its days-long march across the continental US.The storm could bring “catastrophic ice accumulation,” the National Weather Service said, potentially causing “long-duration power outages, extensive tree damage, and extremely dangerous or impassable travel conditions,” including in many states less accustomed to intense winter weather.After battering the country’s southwest and central areas, the storm system was expected to hit the heavily populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states — stretching from New Mexico to the Eastern seaboard — before a frigid air mass settles in.More than 2,700 weekend flights have already been cancelled, according to the tracker Flightaware, including many in and outbound from Texas. State officials there vow the grid is in better shape than it was five years ago, when it failed during a deadly winter storm and left millions without power.The southern state’s Republican Governor Greg Abbott told journalists the grid “has never been stronger, never been more prepared and is fully capable of handling this winter storm.”Yet Michael Webber, a University of Texas engineering professor, warned ice accumulations would remain “a big risk” across the country — ice could amass and weigh down trees, for example, downing power lines and provoking outages.- Frostbite risk -In New York state, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents to stay inside amid frigid conditions: “Five or six minutes outside could literally be dangerous for your health.”She stressed precautions like protecting pipes, using heaters safely, and checking on vulnerable neighbors.New York’s Zohran Mamdani was set to face his first major test as mayor — the city famously makes early judgments of newly elected leaders based on winter storm response.Democrat Mamdani said remote learning Monday was an option but he was not planning to close schools — even as one student emailed his wife and urged a snow day.School districts elsewhere were preemptively announcing closures. A professional basketball game on Saturday and dozens of collegiate games were rescheduled.Even in Chicago, a city all-too-familiar with bone-chilling weather, an organization canceled their annual event that sees participants plunge into glacial Lake Michigan for charity (the after-party at a bar was still on.)Authorities warned of life-threatening cold that could last a week post-storm, especially in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where wind chill lows were forecast to dip to extremes under -50F (-46.6C).Such temperatures can cause frostbite within minutes. One Minnesota television station showed uncensored photos of the serious injury that freezes skin tissues as a warning.- Polar vortex -The brutal storm system is the result of a stretched polar vortex, an Arctic region of cold, low-pressure air that normally forms a relatively compact, circular system but sometimes morphs into a more oval shape, sending cold air spilling across North America.Scientists say the increasing frequency of such disruptions of the polar vortex may be linked to climate change, though the debate is not settled and natural variability plays a role.But President Donald Trump — who scoffs at climate change science and has rolled back green energy policies — questioned how the cold front fit into broader climate shifts.”WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???,” the Republican leader posted on Truth Social.State officials were more focused on the immediate threats the powerful storm posed. At least 16 states and Washington DC declared states of emergency to mobilize disaster response crews and resources, and many municipalities were opening warming shelters.Lines snaked out of grocery stores where stock began running thin.North of Houston, one supermarket was nearly out of bottled water.Anne Schultz said preparation was key but she wasn’t particularly afraid: “If the power stays on, we should all be fine,” the 68-year-old told AFP.The Greensboro Police Department in North Carolina meanwhile warned residents to choose wisely when hunkering down.”Please remember that whoever you hang out with on Saturday, you’re stuck with until at least Tuesday when the ice melts,” the department quipped on X.

The FBI has launched an investigation into the death of Jim Irsay, the 65-year-old owner of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team who struggled with addiction and died in May at a Beverly Hills hotel.The probe, first reported by the Washington Post, is said to include a well-known California-based doctor who allegedly provided Irsay with opioid pills and ketamine injections in his final months.The use of either to treat patients with a history of addiction is controversial. Ketamine is an anesthetic used in depression therapy but can itself be addictive. An overdose caused the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry in 2023.A spokesman for the Colts on Friday told AFP the club was “aware of the investigation” into Irsay’s death but had not been contacted by the FBI or been served with any subpoenas.The doctor, Harry Haroutunian, did not respond to AFP request for comment. An FBI spokeswoman could neither confirm nor or deny the existence of an investigation due to long-standing FBI policy.Irsay, a larger-than-life billionaire who inherited the Colts from his father Robert and oversaw the franchise for decades, was found dead in the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel last May.A death certificate signed by Haroutunian said the immediate cause of death was cardiac arrest, with acute pneumonia as a contributing factor. No autopsy was performed.Irsay had spoken publicly about his lifelong struggles with alcohol and substance abuse. He said he had kicked his addictions in 2002, but suffered a high-profile relapse in 2014, and was suspended for six games by the NFL.Irsay and his family set up a recovery charity called Kicking the Stigma in 2022. But according to the Post, Irsay slipped back into substance abuse the next year, and suffered at least three overdoses that were kept quiet by aides prior to his death. Police responding to the scene of Irsay’s death were told he had been suffering chronic health issues, and medical officials concluded no autopsy was necessary, the Post reported.His family also did not request an autopsy, and the club’s statement simply said Irsay had died “peacefully in his sleep.”An avid collector who spent $100 million on music, sports and other pop culture memorabilia and also enjoyed competitive power lifting, Irsay steered the Colts to a Super Bowl win in 2007.The franchise is now co-owned by his three daughters, including Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who is the Colts CEO.

Global stocks were subdued and precious metals hit new highs Friday as US President Donald Trump followed up conciliatory comments on Greenland with a fresh warning on Iran.Trump, who on Wednesday backed away from threatened tariffs on Europe over Greenland, told reporters the United States was sending a “massive fleet” toward Iran “just in case.”Gold — a safe-haven asset — pushed closer to a record $5,000 an ounce, while fellow safe haven silver also kept rising, blasting through $102 an ounce amid worries over what Trump may say next, or actually do.The dollar retreated, falling to a four-month low against the euro.Sentiment had calmed over the past two days after the US president pulled back from his threat to hit several European nations with levies because of their opposition to Washington taking over the Danish autonomous territory of Greeland.Trump has repeatedly left open the option of new military action against Iran after Washington backed and joined Israel’s 12-day war in June aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.The prospect of immediate American action seemed to recede in recent days, with both sides insisting on giving diplomacy a chance.European markets sought direction in vain, Frankfurt closing just in the green as London and Paris fell on the red side of the line at the end of the week.Wall Street painted a similar picture, with the Dow retreating while the Nasdaq pushed higher. Intel plunged 17 percent after lackluster expectations on the chip maker’s earnings.Asian markets closed higher.- Powell under pressure -Trump’s latest salvo against allies revived trade war fears and uncertainty about US investment, putting downward pressure on the dollar this week.Analysts said there was no guarantee that Europe-US relations had improved durably.The US president’s willingness to threaten tariffs over any issue had rattled confidence on trading floors, boosting safe-haven metals, analysts said.Investors were also preparing for next week’s Federal Reserve meeting following economic data broadly in line with forecasts and after US prosecutors took aim at boss Jerome Powell, which has raised fears over the bank’s independence.The bank is tipped to hold interest rates steady, after cutting them in the previous three meetings.The meeting also comes as Trump considers candidates to replace Powell when the Fed chair’s term comes to an end in May.The Bank of Japan left its key interest rate unchanged ahead of a snap election next week, which could impact government spending plans.After sharp volatility in the wake of the announcement, the yen traded slightly higher.Next week’s US earnings calendar is packed with results from Apple, Microsoft, Boeing, Tesla, Meta and other corporate giants.- Key figures at around 2120 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 49,098.71 (close)New York – S&P 500: FLAT at 6,915.61 (close)New York – NASDAQ: UP 0.3 percent at 23,501.24 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 10,143.44 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,143.05 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 24,900.71 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 53,846.87 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 26,749.51 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 4,136.16 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1823 from $1.1755 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3636 from $1.3501Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.00 yen from 158.41 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.70 pence from 87.07 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 2.9 percent at $61.07 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 2.8 percent at $65.88 per barrel