Morning headlines: Frigid weather in the past week blamed for more than 40 deaths nationwide

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Icy winter blast gripping US blamed for deaths from coast to coast

A new layer of ice formed over parts of Tennessee on Thursday after a deadly storm blanketed the state in snow and sent temperatures plummeting earlier this week — part of a broader bout of bitter cold sweeping the country from Oregon to the Northeast.

More than 40 deaths nationwide have been attributed to the frigid weather in the past week.

Authorities said at least 14 deaths in Tennessee alone are blamed on the system, which dumped more than 9 inches of snow since Sunday on parts of Nashville, a city that rarely see such accumulations.

On Wednesday, a power line fell on a parked car in northeastern Portland, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that made driving in parts of the Pacific Northwest treacherous.

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The federal debt tops $34 trillion and some in Congress want a commission to find ways to tackle it

A bill to create a bipartisan commission that would tackle the nation’s soaring debt and make policy recommendations to Congress won approval Thursday from a House committee.

House Republicans are making the bill a priority, and the chairman of the House Budget Committee said “everything's on the table” regarding possible action to slow the federal government's increasing level of debt, now at more than $34 trillion. Many Democrats see the commission as an attempt to force cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

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Japan hopes to join an elite club by landing on the moon: A closer look

Japan hopes to make the world's first “pinpoint landing” on the moon early Saturday, joining a modern push for lunar contact with roots in the Cold War-era space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Here’s a look at high-profile recent and upcoming attempts, and what they might mean, ahead of Japan’s moon landing.

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MORNING LISTEN

The long-delayed 75th Primetime Emmy Awards finally arrived with three programs crushing the competition. But those weren't the only highlights.

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TODAY IN HISTORY

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TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS