Donald Trump

Happening Today: Snowstorm, Steve Bannon, Powerball, DASH Diet, Taco Bell

What to Know

  • President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on former top adviser Steve Bannon, responding to a new book
  • A diet developed to help lower high blood pressure has been ranked the “best overall” diet for the eighth year in a row
  • Taco Bell announced that it will begin selling Nacho Fries this month for $1 in the Dollar Menu war with fast food giants, CNBC reported

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"Bomb Cyclone" Brings Record Low Temperatures

Residents across a huge swath of the U.S. were hunkered down as a massive winter storm packing snow, ice and high winds, followed by possible record-breaking cold, moved up the Eastern Seaboard, with the worst conditions expected from the Carolinas to Maine. The massive storm began two days ago in the Gulf of Mexico, first hitting the Florida panhandle. It has prompted thousands of canceled flights, shuttered schools and businesses and sparked fears of coastal flooding and power outages. Wind gusts of 50 mph to 60 mph, strong enough to cause downed trees and power lines, are predicted in places where the National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings. They include the Delmarva Peninsula, which includes parts of Delaware, Virginia and Maryland; coastal New Jersey; eastern Long Island, New York; and coastal eastern New England. Winter storm warnings stretched as far south as South Carolina, but National Weather Service Meteorologist Dan Peterson said the storm should be over early in the southern states. For most of Thursday, he said, the storm will impact the Northeast, with Boston possibly getting up to 14 inches of snow. The storm will then be followed by a wave of bracing cold.

Trump Lawyer Sends Bannon “Cease and Desist” Letter

President Trump launched a scathing attack on former top adviser Steve Bannon, responding to a new book that portrays Trump as an undisciplined man-child who didn't actually want to win the White House and quotes Bannon as calling his son's contact with a Russian lawyer "treasonous." Hitting back via a formal White House statement rather than a more-typical Twitter volley, Trump insisted Bannon had little to do with his victorious campaign and "has nothing to do with me or my Presidency." "When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind," Trump said. It was a blistering attack against the man who helped deliver the presidency to Trump. It was spurred by an unflattering new book by writer Michael Wolff that paints Trump as a leader who doesn't understand the weight of the presidency and spends his evenings eating cheeseburgers in bed, watching television and talking on the phone to old friends.

Still No Winner: Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $550 Million

No winners emerged after numbers for the Powerball jackpot were drawn, pushing the next jackpot to $550 million. The numbers drawn were: 42, 39, 18, 2 and 37. The Powerball number was 12 and the multiplier was 3. The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million. It's the biggest Powerball jackpot since a $758.7 million prize won last August. The $460 million prize refers to the annuity option, paid over 29 years. The cash prize would be $291 million. Lottery players also can vie for another giant prize, as the Mega Millions game's grand prize will be $418 million in Friday's drawing.

DASH Ranked Best Overall Diet 8 Years in a Row

A diet developed by the National Institutes of Health to help lower high blood pressure has been ranked the “best overall” diet for the eighth year in a row. U.S. News and World Report’s panel of health experts ranked the DASH diet as number one of 38 diets reviewed. DASH tied with the Mediterranean diet for the top spot, coming in just ahead of the Flexitarian diet, a mostly vegetarian diet that allows for some meat. DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” NIH says DASH is less a diet and more “a healthy eating plan that supports long-term lifestyle changes.” DASH emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meats, beans and nuts. The NIH says new research suggests combining DASH with a low-sodium diet has the potential to lower blood pressure as well as, or even better than, many anti-hypertension medications.

Taco Bell Will Launch Nacho Fries in Bid to Win the Dollar Menu War

Taco Bell announced that it will begin selling Nacho Fries this month for $1 in the Dollar Menu war with fast food giants, CNBC reported. The newest addition to Taco Bell's menu is part of a strategy for the year where the Mexican fast food will introduce 20 additional new items onto its Dollar Menu across the nation. The fries will also be an available option in the $5 box meals. Jack in the Box and McDonald's have both followed suit and also introduced new additions to their respective Dollar Menu items, CNBC reported. Taco Bell told CNBC that its menu items garnered more than $500 million in sales in 2017 and its $5 boxes, which often contain its limited-time offerings, generated an additional $1 billion in sales for the brand.

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