Tuesday morning news: November 12, 2019

Arctic blast brings freezing temps from Great Lakes to Gulf Coast » An Arctic blast is sweeping across the country this week. 

Freezing temperatures could shatter records from New England to Texas. Temperatures in Dallas dropped into the 20s this morning—about 25 degrees below average. 

There’s even a freeze watch in effect for the Florida Panhandle today. 

Bryan Jackson with the National Weather Service says the frigid weather is blowing in from one of the coldest places on earth. 

JACKSON: It’s basically this dome of cold air that came from eastern Siberia, across the Arctic Ocean, down Alaska, the Yukon… 

The early winter front has already buried parts of Michigan in more than a foot of snow and the powder could keep stacking up throughout the day.  

And if you live in central New York to northern Maine, AccuWeather’s Courtney Travis says you should get your snow shovel out as well. Snow started falling there yesterday, and she said “accumulations could climb into the double digits.” 

U.N. nuclear watchdog: Iran continues nuclear advances » The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog is sounding new alarms about Iran’s nuclear program. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has discovered man-made uranium—quote—”at a location in Iran not declared to the agency.”

That revelation came in the quarterly report it distributes to member states. It marks the first time the agency has acknowledged in a report that allegations the U.S. and Israel have made against Iran are true.

Netherlands Foreign Affairs Minister Stef Blok said he plans to take up concerns over Iran with Europe’s so-called “E-3” countries—Germany, France, and the UK.

BLOK: I am very worried about Iran’s behavior, and we will discuss of course with E-3 what our common European reaction should be, but the Iranian stance is indeed very worrying.

European leaders have not given up on saving the 2015 nuclear deal. But Iran continues to break from its terms.

The IAEA also reports that Iran is enriching uranium at its underground Fordo facility. That violates the nuclear agreement. And the country is still building its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium, which also violates the deal. 

Violence continues amid Hong Kong protests » More violence in Hong Kong on Monday. A protester is in critical condition after taking a bullet to his abdomen. A police officer was aiming his handgun at the man and after the protester appeared to swipe at the gun, the officer opened fire at close range. 

AUDIO: [Sound from Hong Kong protest]

In a separate incident, a man was seen arguing with protesters when someone doused him with fuel and set him on fire. 

Pro-democracy protests began six months ago, and most have demonstrated peacefully. But Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Monday painted the protesters with a broad brush and declared that her government won’t back down.  

LAM: If there is still any wishful thinking that by escalating violence the Hong Kong SAR government will yield to pressure to satisfy so-called political demands, I am making this statement clear and loud here, that will not happen. 

She said her administration will “spare no effort” to bring an end to the protests. Lam said she did not want to go into details, but many see her comments as a signal that harsher legal and police measures are coming. 

Mexico offers asylum to former Bolivian president » Former Bolivian President Evo Morales announced last night that he is leaving Bolivia for Mexico. 

That announcement came just hours after Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced that his country was offering him political asylum. 

EBRARD: [Speaking in Spanish]

Morales stepped down Sunday after weeks of massive protests—amid allegations that his government rigged the last election.

Meantime, senior officials at the U.S. State Department said Monday the situation in the South American country is not a coup—despite what Morales and his supporters claim

They said while Bolivia’s top military commander pressured the president to resign, there were no immediate signs that the military itself was trying to grab power. They added that constitutional order in the country will be maintained as long as an interim president calls for elections within 90 days.

Bolivia’s deputy senate speaker, Jeanine Añez, is in line to become interim president. And on Monday, she pledged to call fresh elections.

Disney’s streaming service officially launches » AUDIO: [Disney movie intro music]

Disney officially jumps into the digital streaming battle today. Its new subscription service called Disney Plus launches this morning. 

The service is debuting with a price tag of about $7 per month—undercutting its biggest competitor, Netflix, by more than 40 percent. Its catalog cannot yet compete with Netflix in volume. 

But Disney bringing some of the biggest brands in the world largely under  its own banner. 

TRAILER: We’re the Avengers. We’ve got to finish this. 

It’s hoping blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and a brand new live-action Star Wars series will help it shake up the media landscape. 

The stakes are high for Disney. Its dive into digital streaming comes as the number of streaming subscribers recently surpassed cable subscribers worldwide. The company announced fourth-quarter earnings last week, with its stock jumping almost 4 percent.

(Alex McIntyre/The Greeley Tribune via AP) Weld County employee Terry Groves uses a snowblower to clear the walkways at the Weld County Centennial Center on a snowy morning in downtown Greeley, Colo. Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. 

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