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
biden putin
Face to face for just over two hours, President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin squared off in a secure video call Tuesday as the U.S. president put Moscow on notice that an invasion of Ukraine would bring enormous harm to the Russian economy.
Instagram Rolls Out New Teen Safety Updates
Ahead of Instagram head Adam Mosseri's congressional hearing on the mental impact of the social platform on teens, the company announced a number of updates aimed at teen safety.
Evergrande Shares Sink as Real Estate Giant Nears Debt Default
Troubled Chinese real estate giant Evergrande is once again nearing the brink of collapse. Shares of Evergrande sunk to a new record low on Monday, closing down 20 percent, as debt default fears resurfaced. Drew Bernstein, co-chairman at consultancy MarcumBP, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. He said U.S. investors have to understand that "there is no company in China that's too big to fail, that's for sure," and that the Chinese government will be prioritizing the social welfare of the populace. Bernstein did note that it would be a managed collapse in some form.
Breaking Down U.S. Diplomatic Boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics
Joan Greve, a politics reporter at The Guardian US, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down the implications of the Biden administration announcing a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing games in response to allegations of human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. She noted the significance of the move, assessing the already frayed relationship between the U.S. and China. "The Chinese have said that a boycott would be politically manipulative, and now they are actually threatening countermeasures," she said. "And that will certainly have an impact on the spirit of the games at the very least."
U.S. to Resume 'Remain in Mexico' Policy for Asylum-Seekers
The Biden administration has reached an agreement with the Mexican government to resume the "Remain-in-Mexico" policy under court order. By reinstating a Trump-era border policy, asylum-seekers will be forced to stay in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court date. The program is set to resume on Monday. Ryan Devereaux, a reporter for The Intercept, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
COVID-19 Causes Massive Backlog in Court Cases
COVID-19 is still battering the nation's criminal justice system, causing a massive backlog in cases and delaying verdicts for months on end. This, combined with the fear of crowded prisons during a pandemic, has prompted many defendants to plead guilty in exchange for time served or probation. Tina Luongo, attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice, joined Cheddar to discuss the court backlog, the rise in plea bargains, and why this was an issue long before the pandemic.
High-Profile Cases Shine Light on Public Interest in 'Courtroom Drama'
With so many high-profile court cases taking over the media, from the trial over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse to the ongoing Elizabeth Holmes trial, Cheddar took a look at these cases and why there is such a big interest in them. Rachel Fiset, a white collar criminal defense lawyer and partner with Zeiback, Fiset, and Coleman, and Bryan Hance, attorney-at-law, professor, and academic program director of the pre-law and paralegal studies program at National University, joined Cheddar for a roundtable discussion on why there is so much public interest in so-called courtroom drama.
Load More