We start the day's other headlines in Southern California, where residents are fleeing a fast-moving wildfire in the hills of Los Angeles.

Fire crews are trying to contain the Palisades fire, which has exploded in size to more than 700 acres.

Smoke from the blaze can be seen for miles, with traffic jammed up as locals try to flee the area.

The National Weather Service is warning of life-threatening destructive gusts of wind in the coming days that could whip

up such wildfires even further. Forecasters say the windstorms could be the worst in a decade.

The meantime, a so-called polar vortex is bringing below freezing temperatures as far south as the Gulf Coast.

The frigid air comes as millions in central and eastern parts of the country dig out from a winter storm that snarled roads and toppled trees.

Washington, D.C.'s most significant snowstorm in six years shut down the federal government for a second straight day.

And more than 175,000 people are still without power across the Midwest and Tennessee Valley.

Forecasters say they may not see relief for days.

Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, those places aren't going to get above freezing until this coming weekend.

So you have about five days or so or more of below freezing temperatures, and that means the ice and

snow will not melt. And there's another major winter storm brewing that could bring more snow

and ice to the central and eastern U.S. and as far south as Texas. In western China, a devastating earthquake has killed

at least 126 people. The 7.1 magnitude quake struck shortly after 9 a.m. local time in Tibet

near the border with Nepal. Emergency responders rushed to isolated villages to search for survivors.

The closest city to the epicenter is Shigatsu, where streets are now littered with debris from crumbled buildings. City officials say they activated the highest level of emergency response.

Moving forward, we will fully implement the important instructions given by General Secretary

Xi Jinping. We will spare no efforts to conduct thorough searches for trapped people, provide

medical care, offer essential relief, and ensure the basic needs of affected residents.

Chinese State TV says that more than 1,000 homes were damaged in the remote region,

and nearly 200 people were injured on the Chinese side of the border in addition to those killed.

...