The man who sprayed an unknown substance on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis is a convicted felon who had made online posts supportive of President Donald Trump. Minnesota court records show 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989 and has multiple arrests for driving under the influence. Minneapolis police say Kazmierczak used a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar on Tuesday. He was immediately tackled and is charged with third-degree assault. Omar said she is OK and continued speaking. In social media posts, Kazmierczak criticized Democrats, calling them “angry and liars.”

Winter's brutal grip on the U.S. East will continue in the coming days, with subfreezing temperatures reaching into Florida and a potential blizzard threatening the Atlantic coast. Meteorologists are watching a possible "bomb cyclone" forming off the Carolinas this weekend. It could bring significant snowfall to the Carolinas and Virginia, but there's uncertainty about its path. The storm might hit the Interstate 95 corridor or veer out to sea. Meanwhile, Arctic air is pushing south, affecting areas as far as Miami and the Yucatan Peninsula. Experts say the East is stuck in a pattern of bitter cold and snow storms.

Officials in Mississippi say crews worked through the night to clear stranded vehicles on icy major highways as the eastern U.S. endures what could become its longest period of freezing cold in decades. Mississippi's Department of Transportation dispatched tow trucks and drones late Tuesday to frozen Interstate 55, where three tractor-trailers had stalled and caused a major backup. Gov. Tate Reeves said in social media post that highways remained dangerous Wednesday morning and urged people to stay off the roads. More than 380,000 people, mostly in Mississippi and Tennessee, remain without power days after a winter storm blasted the eastern U.S. with snow and ice. The East Coast could see more snowfall this weekend.