Long Road to Recovery for Tennessee After Tornado Hit
JARRETT: In Tennessee this morning three people are still unaccounted for after the state's deadliest tornadoes in seven years. Two powerful tornadoes with up to 175-mile-per-hour winds cause widespread destruction and kill at least 24 people. Schools throughout mero Nashville area are closed for the rest of the week. And with the massive cleanup just getting under way it's bringing out the best in people as residents look to rebuild their lives. CNN's Amara Walker is on the ground for us in Nashville.</s>AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, good morning. You know, the reality for so many people here is that they are going to have to start from scratch, and you can tell that just by looking at the sheer devastation here behind me. And it's really a surreal feeling when you look at these homes. I mean, big chunks of these homes are missing. The tops of these trees have been sheared off by the sheer force of the tornado winds. It's also been a heartwarming experience for us here on the ground. All day, we've been seeing neighbors helping neighbors, strangers coming up and saying, hey, I'm here to help, I brought my equipment, can I help you clean up the debris inside your home? In fact, I spoke with one woman in east Nashville. She basically lost her home during the tornado. She escaped with her life as she took cover in the basement with her daughter and husband. And as she spoke with me she got quite emotional talking about the outpouring of support from her community.</s>UNIDENTIFIED EAST NASHVILLE RESIDENT: There have been -- there's just been a lot of people helping out, a lot of strangers, people who I've never met before just -- just showing up to help us clean up. Tonight, we went to get some food at Miguelito's (PH) and they wouldn't let us pay for anything and people just keep showing up with food or coffee or water and hands.</s>WALKER: Now, on Friday, President Trump is expected to visit the tornado ravaged areas here in Tennessee, and officials in Nashville and in Davidson County tell me that they welcome the president's visit and they do hope that the federal assistance that has been promised to them arrives quickly. Back to you.</s>ROMANS: All right, Amara, thank you so much for that. Europe just experienced its warmest winter on record dating back to 1855. According to the E.U.'s Copernicus Climate Change Service it was six degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average winter from 1981 through 2010, and it broke the record set in 2016 by 2.5 degrees. Cities in France and Finland also shattered records. And in Moscow new marks were set for the lack of snow.</s>JARRETT: The devastating fires that burned across Australia this winter were made far more likely by the climate crisis. That's according to a new study which found the risk of fires has grown by 30 percent or more because climate models are underestimating the actual increases in the extreme temperatures. For the first time since July New South Wales is free from bush fires. Months of devastating fires in Australia left at least 28 people dead, about 3,000 homes destroyed, and up to a billion animals killed. An Alabama man convicted in the murder of three police officers back in 2004 is scheduled to be executed today despite questions about his guilt. 42-year-old Nathaniel Woods was accused of luring the officers into a home where the shooter was waiting for them, but that shooter Harry Spencer recently wrote a letter from prison stating, quote, "Nathaniel Woods is 100 percent innocent. I know this to be a fact because I'm the person that shot and killed all three of the officers."</s>ROMANS: Martin Luther King III is among Woods' supporters who are calling for his execution to be delayed. Pamela Woods wants her brother spared and freed.</s>PAMELA WOODS, NATHANIEL WOODS' SISTER: He thought it was the craziest thing in the world. He's like how, how because, you know, he didn't do anything wrong.</s>ROMANS: Woods' attorneys have asked Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to commute his sentence. Family members of the police officers who were murdered are not commenting. Alabama's attorney general called Woods' punishment just.</s>JARRETT: The Arizona House has passed a controversial bill that bans transgender female athletes from participating in girl sports at the school. If the measure becomes law female athletes will be required to prove their biological sex with a signed doctor's note following genetic testing if another student athlete files a dispute. The bill will now head to the Arizona Senate. Similar laws are being considered throughout the nation in Idaho, New Hampshire, Washington, Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri.</s>ROMANS: All right, beating the odds. Who is Alex Trebek? A health update from the host of "Jeopardy" and it's hopeful. Trebek has survived one year since he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Only 18 percent of patients make it that far.</s>ALEX TREBEK, "JEOPARDY" HOST: Now, I'd be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one. There were some good days, but a lot of not so good days. I joke with friends that the cancer won't kill me, the chemo treatments will.</s>ROMANS: Trebek says the pain and depression made him wonder if it really was worth fighting on, but he viewed that is a betrayal to his wife and other cancer patients who looked to him for hope.</s>JARRETT: A therapy dog named Murphy is the new mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont. Murphy is a 3-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel and he beat 17 other animals on the ballot including the incumbent, a 3-year- old Nubian goat named Lincoln. Having a ceremonial four-leg mayor is now a two-year tradition in fair haven. Anyone with an animal can enter in it with in the race for a $5 registration fee. The money was used last year to replace the elementary school's playground. I like that. I like the goat.</s>JARRETT: Well, the red planet as you've never seen before.