Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter as Government Shutdown Looms and Grammys Highlight Immigration
Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob on Sunday, February 2, 2026, and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, according to CBS News. The annual Groundhog Day tradition, dating back to 1887, drew thousands to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, about 80 miles from Pittsburgh, to witness Phil's prognostication. "It is my job this Feb. 2 to look to the skies and report back to you that there is a shadow here on my ground, six more weeks of winter abound," Phil's prediction read.
Meanwhile, a partial government shutdown began Saturday due to a lapse in funding for several federal agencies and programs, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Transportation, according to CBS News. The Senate passed a five-bill package to fund these agencies through September, along with a short-term extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The House of Representatives returned to Washington on Monday to vote on the funding package, with GOP leaders aiming for swift approval, according to CBS News.
Adding to the weather woes, a powerful storm system impacted the Southeast U.S., bringing blizzard-like conditions and frigid temperatures to much of the East Coast, according to CBS News. The storm, described as a "bomb cyclone," resulted in heavy snowfall, with Charlotte, North Carolina, experiencing one of its heaviest snowfalls in years, accumulating roughly a foot or more in some areas. Coastal flooding, high winds, and bitter cold remained concerns. Officials attributed at least three deaths to the storm, with two in North Carolina and one in Tennessee, according to CBS News. Approximately 150,000 homes and businesses remained without power after an icy storm the previous week, which was blamed for dozens of weather-related deaths, according to CBS News.
In Los Angeles, the 2026 Grammy Awards took place on Sunday night, with Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny among the big winners, according to CBS News. Lamar, who had nine nominations, won Grammys for Record of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Melodic Rap Performance. His album "GNX" marked his fifth consecutive studio album nominated for Album of the Year, a first for any artist, according to Variety. Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" a week before he is scheduled to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, according to CBS News. Trevor Noah hosted the Grammys for the sixth consecutive year, according to CBS News.
The Grammy Awards also became a platform for artists to express their views on immigration, according to ABC News. Bad Bunny and Olivia Dean were among the winners who spoke out in support of immigrants amid ongoing backlash to the Trump administration's immigration policy and mass deportation campaign. Olivia Dean, upon winning the Best New Artist award, acknowledged her own family's immigrant history. "I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant," said Dean, whose father is British and whose mother is of Jamaican and Guyanese heritage, according to The New York Times, as reported by ABC News.
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