Salem News Channel

Florida Experiences Its Coldest Weather This Winter

Tourists bundled up, warming shelters for the homeless opened and growers sprayed crops with water to create protective ice for their plants Friday as sunny Florida shivered through the coldest weather that parts of the state have experienced in more than three years. The 19 degree Fahrenheit (minus 7.2 Celsius) temperature overnight at Tallahassee International Airport may have made the Sunshine State feel like Green Bay, Wisconsin, but it stopped short of the record 16 F (minus 8.9 C) almost a century ago, according to Mark Wool, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. “It's cold, but it's not all that unusual to have cold weather this time of the year,” Wool said Friday. There was even more un-Florida-like weather predicted for the weekend with the National Weather Service putting the chances for snow in the Panhandle early Sunday at between 20% and 30%. The snow was predicted to be less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) in the western Panhandle but not expected to impact travel because of a short duration and an expected quick rise in temperatures afterward, Wool said. That would make it a far cry from the 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of snow that fell on Pensacola almost exactly a year ago. “The reasonably worst-case scenario is an inch since the window is only two or three hours,” Wool said of Sunday's forecast. “But all of that will melt away when it warms up.” Temperatures on Saturday were expected to warm up to more Sunshine State-like weather before dipping again Sunday and Monday. The thermometer was expected to be a cool-for-Miami mid-50s F (12.7 C) during Monday night’s college football championship game between Indiana and Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The central part of Florida on Friday experienced some of the coldest weather it has seen in more than three years as lows dipped to the mid-20s F (minus 3.8 C), according to the National Weather Service. In the theme park hub of Orlando, where the thermometer fell to right at freezing overnight, water parks such as Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World were closed Friday. The water park also planned to be closed at the beginning of next week because of the predicted frigid weather, Disney said in an email. In Plant City, which bills itself as the winter strawberry capital of the world, growers used sprinklers to spray strawberry plants and ornamental plants with water that formed a protective ice as the overnight temperature went as low as 28 F (minus 2.2 C). The ice kept the plants' temperatures from going below freezing. Plant City is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Tampa. In northeast Florida, potato growers covered their crops with extra soil to protect against the freezing weather. There were no widespread problems reported with any crops in Florida, said Christina Morton, director of communications for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, a growers' trade association. “Florida is well into its winter season for fruit and vegetables, so the timing for this cold snap was not ideal,” Morton said in an email. “The good news is things warmed up quickly this morning, and despite the wintry conditions, harvesting continued across much of the state today.”

Canada And China Announce Tariff Reduction Deal

Breaking with the United States, Canada has reached a tariff reduction deal with China. During a visit to Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Carney announced that his country has agreed to cut its 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products. Both countries are pursuing improved relations with each other after their economies have been hit by U.S. tariffs imposed by President Trump.

Ex-Husband Indicted In Slaying Of Couple At Ohio Home

An Ohio grand jury indicted a man in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband who were killed in their home last month. Court records show a Franklin County grand jury charged Michael David McKee on Jan. 16, with aggravated murder and aggravated burglary. McKee, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, is charged in the shooting deaths of 39-year-old Monique Tepe and her 37-year-old husband, dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe, in their Columbus home on Dec. 30. Monique Tepe and McKee were divorced in 2017. Authorities apprehended McKee in Rockford, Illinois, last weekend, where he remains in custody. His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23.

Charlie Kirk's Accused Assassin Returns To Court

The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk is back in court Friday as his attorneys seek to disqualify prosecutors in the case over an alleged conflict of interest. Tyler Robinson is charged with aggravated murder in Kirk's Sept. 10 shooting on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few miles north of the Provo courthouse. Prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney's Office plan to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

Germany finally admits Trump was right about energy

Is a Red Line Still a Red Line?

On today’s show, Josh breaks down the latest developments with Iran after President Trump set a clear red line—and Tehran crossed it. While Josh has long been skeptical of “red line” diplomacy, he explains why the president now has to act to avoid projecting weakness or the appearance of empty threats. Josh then turns to the unrest in Minneapolis, where some within the administration are labeling the ongoing riots an insurrection and urging the president to consider invoking the Insurrection Act. He closes the show with a broader cultural discussion on personal responsibility, reacting to Oprah’s recent comments about weight loss, willpower, and genetics—and why that debate matters far beyond diet and health.

Trump considers tariffs on countries for not supporting US takeover of Greenland

President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the U.S. controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital. Trump for months has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.” During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals. “I may do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” he said. He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue. Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington this week with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. That encounter didn’t resolve the deep differences, but did produce an agreement to set up a working group — on whose purpose Denmark and the White House then offered sharply diverging public views. European leaders have insisted that is only for Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.

Democrats Still Can't Define What A Woman Is

Trump to pardon former Puerto Rico Governor Vazquez

President Donald Trump is issuing a pardon to Puerto Rico's former Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced, who was previously indicted in a federal corruption case, a White House official confirmed on Friday. "This entire case is an example of political prosecution," a White House official said of Vazquez, who was arrested in August 2022 on bribery charges related to the financing of her gubernatorial campaign in 2020. Trump is also pardoning Vazquez's co-defendants Julio Martin Herrera Velutini and Mark Rossini, CBS News, which first reported the development, said. Trump has granted a flurry of pardons since assuming office last year, many of them to white-collar criminals and political allies.

Cubans Protest In Havana Over U.S. Attack On Venezuela

Tens of thousands of Cubans are demonstrating in the streets of Havana. The crowd gathered near the U-S Embassy to protest the killing of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela. Demonstrators demanded the release of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, who was arrested by the U-S earlier this month. The protest follows President Trump’s recent demands for Cuba to negotiate with him amid tightened sanctions and economic struggles.

President Trump helped Americans see clearly how the government was treating them

President Trump Helped Americans See Clearly How The Government Was Treating Them

What Will Trump Do With Iran?

The Antichrist, Artificial Intelligence, and Living in a World of Cheap Imitations

In this episode, Pastor Greg Laurie tackles one of the most provocative questions in Bible prophecy: Is the Antichrist alive today? Drawing from Scripture and current events observations, he explores how deception in the last days may not come in the form of obvious evil, but rather through things that appear good—even helpful. From fake tulips to fake lives on social media, Pastor Greg illustrates how our world is saturated with imitations and how this culture of counterfeit can prepare the way for the ultimate deceiver. He also unpacks the biblical profile of the Antichrist, not as a cartoonish villain, but as a charismatic, peace-promoting figure who will mislead many. Ultimately, Pastor Greg warns against replacing divine truth with digital convenience, urging you to remain rooted in Christ rather than seeking guidance from technology. If you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ, this episode closes with an invitation accept Him as your Lord. If you prayed with Pastor Greg, receive your free copy of the New Believer's Bible here: https://harvest.org/request-material/