5 things you need to know Thursday

2014 Winter Games

Today at the Olympics, the U.S. men's hockey team takes to the ice against Slovakia. A pair of Americans, Bobby Brown and Nick Goepper, compete to claim a medal in the first men's freestyle skiing slopestyle. Sophie Caldwell attempts to be the first woman from the United States to capture a medal in cross-country skiing. Plus, more thrilling speed skating. Follow the action in Sochi at usatoday.com/sports.

'Devastating' storm blasts South, heads north

The massive storm that knocked out power for hundreds of thousands across the South is turning its sights on the Northeast. More than 100 million Americans are under some form of a winter storm warning, watch, or advisory, the National Weather Service said.

Kerry to visit South Korea

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits Seoul, an ally of the United States, today and tomorrow for talks on North Korea. He then flies to China, the North's only significant ally, whose assertive territorial claims have upset several neighbors, most notably Japan, and heightened the danger of an accidental collision at sea or in the air.

Big deal for Comcast, Time Warner Cable

Comcast agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, swooping in to top a bid by Charter Communications to merge the nation's top two cable companies in a huge media deal, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Genetically engineered crops in nearly 12% of fields

Farmers continue to embrace the use of