Newz Monkey

A polar vortex has sent temperatures plunging well below zero in the Midwest, and residents are going to social media to share just how cold it is. from https://news.yahoo.com/life-chiberia-apos-cold-midwest-180011607.html

A Lyft rider in suburban Phoenix stabbed his pregnant driver, killing the woman and her unborn child before stealing her vehicle and driving nearly 150 miles before being arrested near the California line, authorities said Monday. from https://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-lyft-driver-third-trimester-150610696.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that he wants a briefing from the FBI on the tactics it used last week when agents arrested President Donald Trump's confidant Roger Stone as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. from https://news.yahoo.com/graham-asks-fbi-director-briefing-roger-stone-raid-223418931--politics.html

A brutal cold wave moved eastward Thursday after bringing temperatures in the US Midwest lower than those in Antarctica, grounding flights, closing schools and businesses and raising fears of hypothermia. Mail deliveries were suspended and people were encouraged to stay home in nearly a dozen US states where the mercury plunged into the negative double digits, the worst freeze to grip the region in a generation. The phenomenon stemming from a blast of Arctic air caused surreal scenes throughout the region, such as steam rising off the waters of Lake Michigan -- the result of extremely cold air passing over warmer water below. from https://news.yahoo.com/colder-antarctica-brutal-deep-freeze-grips-us-midwest-180149493.html

Polar vortex expected to paralyze parts of U.S. with extreme cold, Roger Goodell talks state of the NFL and more things to start your Wednesday. from https://news.yahoo.com/polar-vortex-stalks-midwest-apos-084023726.html

National security adviser John Bolton tweeted that traders should not deal in gold, oil or other commodities "being stolen" from the Venezuelan people, as opponents of Maduro's government worried that a Russian-operated plane had shipped gold out of Caracas on Wednesday afternoon. The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim president, Juan Guaido, by phone on Wednesday, reiterating support for his "fight to regain democracy." On one side of the tussle for control of Venezuela, an OPEC member that has the world's largest oil reserves but is in dire financial straits, Guaido and Western backers led by the United States are insisting on an immediate transition and fresh elections. from https://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-power-struggle-heats-guaido-curbs-protest-plans-040311706.html

The utility filed bankruptcy documents despite investigators determining last week that its equipment was not to blame for a 2017 fire that killed 22. from https://news.yahoo.com/pg-e-files-bankruptcy-amid-141446244.html

A "record arctic air mass" is bringing dangerously low temperatures from https://news.yahoo.com/cold-throughout-much-country-postal-134054636.html

The court also said prosecutors could investigate Guaido, in apparent retaliation for sweeping U.S. sanctions on oil firm PDVSA, announced on Monday. The sanctions mean the state-run company may not be able to fulfill contracts with North American buyers, the government of President Nicolas Maduro said. Aimed at driving Maduro from power, the sanctions were the strongest measures yet against the 56-year-old former union leader, who has overseen economic collapse and an exodus of millions of Venezuelans in recent years. from https://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-targets-guaido-probe-travel-ban-asset-freeze-002527582.html

A majority of lawmakers in the parliament’s lower house in The Hague granted the cabinet a six month period -- rather than a year as the government had proposed -- to use special powers as the country of about 17 million prepares for the eventuality of the U.K. leaving the European Union without a divorce agreement. Under the new legislation, the government will have to submit emergency measures to parliament within ten weeks after implementing them. If the government fails to submit within the set time-frame, the measures will be scrapped. from https://news.yahoo.com/dutch-cabinet-gets-emergency-powers-145520344.html

President Trump on Wednesday criticized his own intelligence chiefs a day after they broke with him in their assessments of the threats posed by North Korea, Iran and Syria. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-calls-intel-chiefs-extremely-passive-naive-152901602.html

Internet giant Alibaba saw its revenue growth slow in the final three months of last year, in quarterly results likely to stir up concerns over the weaker China market, recently signalled to by US tech giants.  Alibaba saw net income jump 33pc to 30.96bn yuan (£3.5bn) in the three months to the end of December, and revenue rose 41pc to 117.28bn yuan. However, shares dipped in New York trading, down 1.3pc, as investors took the results as a sign growth was waning, given Alibaba's revenue had grown more than 50pc for the 10 consecutive quarters prior to the most recent results.  The 41pc growth announced on Wednesday was the weakest Alibaba had recorded in three years.  The results follow a warning from Alibaba president Michael Evans earlier this month that China had "slowed down". Speaking at an event in New York, Mr Evans had said it was a market that "required patience", adding that there were some "troubling headwinds".  Last week, China posted figu...

Brrr! The polar vortex caused hordes of flights to be canceled across the country on Wednesday. from https://news.yahoo.com/polar-vortex-causes-another-lousy-012556268.html

Donald Trump’s White House administration has ordered “several thousand” more troops to the US-Mexico border, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. Acting Defense Department Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the latest dispatch of troops to the southern border would occur “soon” following a new request from the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, reports indicate the president’s demands for an increased US military presence along the border are expected to cost American taxpayers over $600m (£458m). from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-orders-several-thousand-more-152505991.html

After that, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, who is presiding over the trial in Brooklyn federal court, will instruct the jury so it can begin deliberating Guzman's fate. The brief defense case was in sharp contrast to the 10-week presentation put on by prosecutors, who called over 50 witnesses to testify. Guzman said on Monday that he would not testify in his own defense. from https://news.yahoo.com/el-chapo-defense-rests-calling-one-witness-210305537.html

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused President Donald Trump of hiring the local mafia to assassinate him in an interview with a Russia state-run news agency. “Donald Trump has without doubt given an order to kill me and has told the government of Colombia and the Colombian mafia to kill me,” Mr Maduro told RIA news agency on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Critics argue that the 56-year-old’s claim is a red-herring tactic to rally up support in Venezuela amid mass protests against his socialist government, and the debilitating inflation and food and medicine shortages in the Latin American country. from https://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-crisis-maduro-accuses-trump-195725688.html

Goldman Sachs nudged up its estimated probability of a "no-deal" Brexit on Wednesday after British lawmakers instructed Prime Minister Theresa May to reopen a Brexit treaty with the European Union to replace a controversial Irish border arrangement. Britain's parliament rejected a proposal to give parliament a path to prevent a potentially chaotic "no-deal" exit, but accepted two amendments - one seeking to replace the Irish backstop with alternative arrangements, and another rejecting the notion of a "no-deal" Brexit. Goldman Sachs analysts upped their "no-deal" Brexit probability to 15 percent from 10 percent, and cut their probability of Brexit not happening at all to 35 percent from 40 percent. from https://news.yahoo.com/goldman-sachs-ups-no-deal-likelihood-uk-parliament-062910458--finance.html

It is the second deadly mining disaster involving Vale in only about three years and the company has come under intense scrutiny since images of death and destruction began flooding the airwaves on Friday. While Vale has taken steps in recent years to shield itself from state intervention, the government is still indirectly the company’s largest shareholder through a Banco do Brasil pension fund, known as Previ. from https://news.yahoo.com/vale-apos-management-team-thin-230000349.html

Millions of Americans braced Tuesday for a dangerous polar vortex which began to settle over a broad swath of the United States, threatening to set new records for cold as schools and businesses closed and authorities warned of frostbite. Temperatures in almost a dozen states stretching over 1,200 miles from the Dakotas to Ohio were forecast to be the coldest in a generation, if not on record. The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast temperatures between -10 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 to -40 Celsius) by Wednesday, with wind chill making it seem as cold as -65 degrees Fahrenheit in one area of Minnesota. from https://news.yahoo.com/us-midwest-braces-dangerous-arctic-chill-185457648.html

Leaders of the U.S. intelligence community told a Senate committee on Tuesday that the nuclear threat from North Korea persisted and Iran was not taking steps toward making a nuclear bomb, conclusions that contrasted starkly with Trump's assessments of those countries. "The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. from https://news.yahoo.com/trump-pushes-back-spy-chiefs-differ-north-korea-115050237.html

Frontier Airlines is letting kids fly for free as part of their Discount Den program, which costs about $60 a year. Here's what you need to know. from https://news.yahoo.com/kids-not-just-infants-now-153738641.html

“I’m not going to speculate about time but it’s certainly beyond weeks,” Goodale told reporters Tuesday after a cabinet meeting. Goodale said Canada will take the view of allies such as the U.S. into account when studying potential risks to national security, and will make its own decision in the end. China’s ambassador to Canada and Huawei officials have denied the company’s gear is used for spying. from https://news.yahoo.com/canada-decision-huawei-5g-ways-202720527.html

Tens of millions of people in the United States are bracing for a potentially life-threatening deep arctic chill forecast to hit swaths of the country on Wednesday. The US Postal Service -- known for its commitment to bringing the mail whatever the weather -- has even reportedly suspended deliveries in Iowa due to the severe cold. Temperatures in almost a dozen states stretching more than 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) from the Dakotas to Ohio were forecast to be the coldest in a generation, if not on record. from https://news.yahoo.com/us-midwest-braces-dangerous-arctic-chill-172948748.html

President Trump takes to Twitter to defend his foreign policy on Iran, North Korea, and other issues. from https://news.yahoo.com/president-trump-disputes-own-intelligence-145223757.html

The contamination is considered a high health risk from https://news.yahoo.com/more-36-000-pounds-tyson-162219465.html

Accused Mexican drug boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's repeated escapes from the law prove that he "knows he's guilty," a U.S. prosecutor told jurors in closing arguments at his trial on Wednesday, urging them not to let him escape again. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg's description of Guzman's history of dramatic prison escapes capped off a day-long summation in federal court in Brooklyn in which she also attacked the defense argument that Guzman was a scapegoat. from https://news.yahoo.com/el-chapo-decided-lives-dies-drug-boss-u-201048921.html

So much for "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night." The U.S. mail won't be delivered tomorrow in four states due to the crippling cold of the polar vortex. from https://news.yahoo.com/no-mail-delivered-parts-six-012047173.html

SINGAPORE (AP) — World markets were mixed Tuesday amid concerns that U.S. criminal charges against China's Huawei could complicate trade talks, though European indexes were up on optimism over Brexit. from https://news.yahoo.com/asian-stocks-mixed-huawei-charges-064019142.html

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A look at how this week's snowstorm and bitter cold have affected the United States, by the numbers: from https://news.yahoo.com/impact-frigid-cold-snowstorm-numbers-192425826.html

Venezuela’s chief prosecutor has asked the country’s top court to impose a travel ban on opposition leader Juan Guaido and freeze his accounts. The United States, along with several other countries, has recognized Mr Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state and denounced leftist president Nicolas Maduro as a usurper. Mr Maduro, who was sworn in earlier this month for a second term after disputed elections last year, accuses Mr Guaido of staging a US-directed coup. from https://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-crisis-chief-prosecutor-asks-211137688.html

It’s still a long shot, but a few Republicans are beginning to muse about a possible primary challenge to President Trump. from https://news.yahoo.com/post-shutdown-republicans-see-door-slightly-ajar-challenging-trump-224022831.html

Relief coming for blast-chilled Midwest, but not until after another record-low day    NBCNews.com Frigid conditions are blamed for as many as nine deaths across the Midwest, and temperatures aren't expected to rise until at least Thursday afternoon. View full coverage on Google News

Trump needs intervention on intelligence, Schumer writes in letter to Coats    Fox News Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Dan Coats-- the director of National Intelligence-- to stage an intervention with President Trump after the president took ... View full coverage on Google News

Border security talks begin with no sign of compromise to avert a government shutdown    ABC News Talks between House and Senate negotiators showed little sign of progress Wednesday on the stickiest of issues: border wall funding. View full coverage on Google News

Dem lawmaker: Trump is 'becoming a national security threat' | TheHill    The Hill Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) on Wednesday denounced President Trump after he attacked top intelligence leaders' stance on Iran, saying that the president is ... View full coverage on Google News

Undocumented worker fired from Trump golf club to attend State of the Union: report | TheHill    The Hill Victorina Morales, an undocumented worker who was fired from the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., after going public about her immigration status ... View full coverage on Google News

Federal Judge Blasts PG&E's Commitment To California Wildfire Safety    NPR A federal judge in California blasted utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Wednesday, accusing the beleaguered company of putting profits before ... View full coverage on Google News

St. Louis Prosecutor Accuses Police of Obstructing Inquiry Into Killing of Officer    The New York Times The top prosecutor in St. Louis has accused the city's Police Department of obstructing the investigation into the killing of an officer whose death last week was ... View full coverage on Google News

Sen. Rand Paul awarded more than $580,000 in suit over neighbor's attack    NBCNews.com Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was awarded more than $580000 in damages and medical expenses in a lawsuit against a neighbor who tackled him. The neighbor's ... View full coverage on Google News

Parliament Becomes Britain’s New Brexit Casualty    The New York Times Votes in Parliament have put Britain on a collision course with the European Union over Brexit. Critics say lawmakers failed to take control. View full coverage on Google News

White House's Bolton says he met with Citgo executives    Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House national security adviser John Bolton said he had a “very productive meeting” on Wednesday with Citgo's executive ... View full coverage on Google News

Extreme Weather Is Already Breaking Records Around The World In 2019    HuffPost In just a few weeks' time, extreme temperatures have smashed records around the world this year, with parts of the Midwestern U.S. seeing the mercury drop as ... View full coverage on Google News

U.S. Asks Western Allies to Help Form Buffer Zone in Northern Syria    The Wall Street Journal The U.S. wants to assemble a coalition of Western nations to create and potentially enforce a new buffer zone in northern Syria, U.S. officials said, but none have ... View full coverage on Google News

Elon Musk announces Tesla's CFO departure during earnings call    CNET With a few minutes to go before Telsa's quarterly earnings call ended, Elon Musk surprised investors with news that chief financial officer Deepak Ahuja will be ... View full coverage on Google News

The Hot Topic in Markets Right Now: ‘Quantitative Tightening’    The New York Times It's not China. It's not the shutdown's aftermath. The latest obsession occupying the minds of investors is the Fed's plan to reduce the stockpile of bonds it bought ... View full coverage on Google News

Bloomberg report reveals details about iOS 13, plus iPhones and iPads through 2020    Ars Technica 2019's iPhones and iPads will be modest updates, but 2020 looks more interesting. View full coverage on Google News

Carlos Ghosn claims 'plot and treason' led to arrest    CNBC Ghosn has claimed charges against him were a result of his drive to further integrate Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubushi. View full coverage on Google News

A handy list of ways Facebook has tried to sneakily gather data about you    The Next Web As we learned last year, Facebook has a habit of stealthily grabbing customer data to improve its own products and services, and then apologizing when the ... View full coverage on Google News

Nintendo cuts Switch sales forecast despite strong holiday season    The Verge Nintendo had the best quarter ever for Switch sales, with 9.41 million consoles moved between October and December, a 30 percent improvement on a year ... View full coverage on Google News

New Overwatch map, Paris, goes live on PTR    Polygon Blizzard Entertainment released a new map on Overwatch's PTR today. The Assault-style map, Paris, is playable on PC. View full coverage on Google News

Apple faces lawsuit over FaceTime bug as lawyer says someone eavesdropped on a sworn testimony    9to5Mac Apple is being hit with its first lawsuit over the FaceTime eavesdropping bug that we first reported on yesterday. As reported by Bloomberg, a Houston, ... View full coverage on Google News

Police Release Photos Of "Persons Of Interest" In Jussie Smollett Attack    HuffPost The "Empire" star, who is black and gay, was attacked while walking to his downtown Chicago apartment. View full coverage on Google News

'Masked Singer' recap: Who was unmasked this week?    USA TODAY Another singer hits the exit in Week 5 of "The Masked Singer." View full coverage on Google News

‘Picard’ Will Be Set ’20-Plus Years’ After ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’ Alex Kurtzman Says    TheWrap When CBS All Access debuts its upcoming Jean-Luc Picard "Star Trek" series later this year, viewers may have a hard time recognizing Patrick Stewart's former ... View full coverage on Google News

Forget it, guest star Kelly Ripa, it's Extra-Reverent Noir Homage Week on Riverdale    The A.V. Club Watching “The Red Dahlia,” Riverdale's most reverent homage yet to the tropes and textures of film noir, a viewer might be reminded of another show ... View full coverage on Google News

Nick Wright Destroys Critics Of Tom Brady's Super Bowl Record    NESN At this point, Tom Brady haters are hanging on to whatever they can in order to criticize the New England Patriots quarterback. While Brady effectively has left ... View full coverage on Google News

In Search of Emiliano Sala    ESPN The tragic disappearance of Emiliano Sala, bound for new club Cardiff on a single-engine plane, raises the question: How did this happen? View full coverage on Google News

Gurley beats Gronk in 'Madden' Super Bowl matchup    Fox News First came the "Madden" simulation, which has the Los Angeles Rams edging the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII by a score of 30-27. Now, two of the ... View full coverage on Google News

Dustin Poirier: UFC is ‘No. 1 bullsh*t company,’ demands Conor McGregor or Tony Ferguson next    MMA Mania Dustin Poirier is a little frustrated with the current state of the UFC lightweight division, demanding a fight against either Conor McGregor or Tony Ferguson next. View full coverage on Google News

Scientists Have Detected an Enormous Cavity Growing Beneath Antarctica    ScienceAlert Antarctica is not in a good place. In the space of only decades, the continent has lost trillions of tonnes of ice at alarming rates we can't keep up with, even in ... View full coverage on Google News

Canadian Glacial Melt Uncovers Ancient Landscapes Hidden For 40,000 Years    Tech Times The rising global temperature has caused glaciers to melt in the Canadian Arctic, exposing an ancient landscape that has never been seen in 40,000 years. View full coverage on Google News

Canada has confirmed a 14th case of unusual health symptoms experienced by some Canadian diplomatic staff and their family members posted in Havana, Cuba, according to a government statement Wednesday. from https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/americas/canada-cuba-diplomat-ill/index.html

Tesla is still profitable — it's just not as much as investors hoped. from https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/investing/tesla-earnings/index.html

Travelers flying out of London's Gatwick Airport may soon have a robot parking their car. from https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/28/tech/valet-robot-gatwick-london/index.html

On nights like this soccer can be a comfort, acting as a balm during life's tragedies, offering 90-minutes of respite when the emotional fallout is taking its toll, while at the same time providing a reminder of how inconsequential the beautiful game is. from https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/football/emiliano-sala-cardiff-city-arsenal-premier-league-spt-intl/index.html

With majestic glaciers, fjords and mountains, Norway is famous for its dramatic natural landscape. from https://www.cnn.com/style/article/norway-underwater-floating-tunnel-intl/index.html

Apple Music takes flight on American Airlines Apple Music Subscribers can Stream Over 50 Million Songs, Playlists and Music Videos on US Flights Starting Friday, Apple Music subscribers can enjoy their access to over 50 million songs, playlists and music videos on any domestic American Airlines flight equipped with Viasat satellite Wi-Fi with no Wi-Fi purchase required. American Airlines is the first commercial airline to provide exclusive access to Apple Music through complimentary inflight Wi-Fi. “For most travelers, having music to listen to on the plane is just as important as anything they pack in their suitcases,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music. “With the addition of Apple Music on American flights, we are excited that customers can now enjoy their music in even more places. Subscribers can stream all their favorite songs and artists in the air, and continue to listen to their personal library offline, giving them everything they need to truly sit back, re...

Jay-Z has agreed to privately arbitrate a trademark and contract dispute with clothing company Iconix Brand Group Inc, his lawyers said on Wednesday, after enough African-American arbitrators became eligible to handle the case. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-jayz-lawsuit/jay-z-wins-fight-for-african-american-arbitrators-in-trademark-case-idUSKCN1PO32T?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

Chicago police said on Wednesday they would soon release images of "persons of interest" in the assault of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in which two men yelled racial and homophobic slurs and wrapped a rope around his neck. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-jussie-smollett/chicago-police-to-release-images-after-attack-on-empire-actor-idUSKCN1PP08C?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

From Princess Margaret's 21st birthday gown to Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence's red carpet dress, Christian Dior outfits that have made headlines go on show in a London exhibition dedicated to the French fashion house. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fashion-dior-exhibition/dior-gowns-that-made-headlines-star-in-london-exhibition-idUSKCN1PO1UT?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews

A Utah man has sued Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow for $3.1 million, claiming she slammed into him on a ski slope in 2016, breaking four of his ribs and knocking him unconscious before skiing off. from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-gwyneth-paltrow/utah-man-sues-gwyneth-paltrow-for-alleged-ski-slope-hit-and-run-idUSKCN1PO2ML?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews