These are the headlines you Need 2 Know. * **Polar Vortex:** It’s day three of the deep freeze across the Midwest. The cold kept students and workers home, and caused wind chills hovering around minus 50 degrees in Chicago, which has been dubbed ‘Chiberia’ for its freezing temps. Fires were set to de-ice train tracks in order to keep trains running in the Windy City. Read more [here](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/ct-met-chicago-train-tracks-fire-20190130-story.html). * **Deaths from Cold:** At least eight deaths have been blamed on the cold. A University of Iowa student was found behind an academic building and later died at the hospital. In Indiana, a young police officer and his wife were killed in a crash that left another driver dead, and in Illinois an elderly man died of exposure after he reportedly fell trying to get into his house. Read more [here](https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-of-iowa-student-dies-during-polar-vortex-7-other-deaths-linked-to-wintry-blast). * **Why the Extremes?:** From 74 degrees in Imperial Valley, Calif. to minus 44 in Bottineau, N.D., Americans saw a difference in temperature of nearly 120 degrees. Why so cold? Read an explainer on the polar vortex [here](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/30/690034103/why-is-it-so-cold-come-warm-up-in-the-answer-vortex). * **Snow Squall:** New York City was treated to a rare snow squall, bringing whiteout conditions before quickly disappearing. See time-lapse video [here](https://twitter.com/mattmfm/status/1090710915836727296). * **Election Day:** Mitch McConnell called a Democratic bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday a “power grab.” The provision is part of a sweeping bill House Democrats are pushing that would reform campaign contributions and voting rights. Read more [here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mcconnell-says-bill-that-would-make-election-day-a-federal-holiday-is-a-power-grab-by-democrats/2019/01/30/57421dd6-24bd-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html?utm_term=.4cb00539a6a3). * **Nugget Recall:** Tyson Foods is recalling thousands of pounds of chicken nuggets ー 18 tons ー after people found pieces of rubber inside them. The nuggets affected are Panko Chicken (frozen nuggets) and have a “best by” date of November 26. This follows a recent recall from Perdue, after people found pieces of wood in their nuggets. Read more [here](http://fortune.com/2019/01/30/tyson-chicken-nugget-recall/). * **Schultz & Starbucks:** Starbucks employees are being prepped on how to handle potential interactions with customers. after Howard Schultz, the company’s former CEO, said he’s considering a run for president. The baristas received instructions on how to “diffuse” situations if anyone shares “aggressive political opinions.” Read more [here](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/starbucks-howard-schultz-employee-advice_us_5c51d3cce4b00906b26fda52). * **E-cigs:** E-cigarettes really do help smokers quit. That’s the takeaway from a major new study that found e-cigs are almost twice as effective as nicotine gum or patches. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the success rate was 18 percent for e-cig users compared to 10 percent for those using traditional nicotine replacement methods. Read more [here](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47041111). * **Privacy Wars:** Apple revoked Facebook’s ability to create and distribute internal iOS apps after it was reported that Facebook was paying some users $20 a month to install unofficial apps that would log their phone’s activity. The move marks a steep escalation in tensions between Apple and Facebook. Read more [here](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/apple-blocks-facebook-over-covert-market-research-program-escalating-tensions). * **Missed Call:** For the first time, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has acknowledged the referee error in the NFC Championship game between the Rams and the Saints. Goodell said, “It is a play that should be called.” Goodell said changes to instant replay to address such calls would be considered, though he said he never considered overturning the call on the field. Read more [here](https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/30/roger-goodell-saints-no-call-nfc-championship-game-officials). * **’Known Cheater’:** A Pittsburgh TV station fired the employee responsible for producing a graphic that identified Tom Brady as a “known cheater.” KDKA, a CBS affiliate, says “While fans are entitled to have personal opinions, we have a journalistic responsibility to provide unbiased reporting.” See it [here](https://www.si.com/tech-media/2019/01/30/tom-brady-kdka-graphic-known-cheater-employee-fired). * **Beatles Doc:** A new Beatles documentary is in the works, based on 55 hours of never-seen-before footage of the group producing the album "Let It Be" in the studio. Peter Jackson, director of "Lord of the Rings," will head up the film. Read more [here](https://deadline.com/2019/01/peter-jackson-beatles-let-it-be-documentary-recording-sessions-paul-mccartney-john-lennon-ringo-starr-george-harrison-1202544762/). * **Ariana Grilled:** Ariana Grande got a tattoo on her palm of Japanese characters to commemorate her most recent #1 single, but it was misspelled. Instead of reading 7 Rings, the tat translated to Charcoal BBQ Grill. After being mocked online, Grande got it corrected and showed off the new ink on Instagram. Read more [here](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/entertainment/ariana-grande-change-tattoo-scli-intl/index.html). * **From Your Lips:** White House press secretary Sarah Sanders believes God wanted Donald Trump to become president. Sanders made the remark during an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. Read more [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sarah-sanders-god-wanted-trump-to-become-president/). Cheddar's Hena Doba and Jill Wagner get into the latest. Subscribe to the Need 2 Know newsletter [here](https://theneed2know.com).

Share:
More In Politics
Trump signs executive order to block state AI regulations
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
New York Times, after Trump post, says it won’t be deterred from writing about his health
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
Trump approves sale of more advanced Nvidia computer chips used in AI to China
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
Swing district Republicans brace for political fallout if health care subsidies expire
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
Trump says Netflix deal to buy Warner Bros. ‘could be a problem’ because of size of market share
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Load More