theNewsWorthy: Friday, February 1st, 2019
ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.
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All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...
Super Bowl: Super Bowl LIII is this Sunday at 6:30 EST. About 100 million people are expected to watch. It's the Los Angeles Rams vs. New England Patriots in Atlanta. These two teams played each other in the Super Bowl in 2002. Rams coach Sean McVay is the youngest head coach in the league, while the Patriots coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady have been nine Super Bowls together. The commercials are a big draw, too. CBS charged a record-breaking $5.25 million for a 30-second ad this year. There’s also the halftime show to watch. Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi will perform, even among some controversy.
Read more: CBS Sports , USA Today, CNBC, ET Online, Boston.com
Warm-up on the Way: Warmer weather is coming to the Midwest after days of brutal cold. Temperatures could rise by 80 degrees this weekend, meaning Illinois, who saw a low of -33°F this week, could reach 50°F by Monday. The rapid change may cause some problems, though: freezing and sudden thawing causes a lot of stress on pipes and pavement, which can lead to cracks and potholes.
Read more: AP, The Weather Channel, Accuweather, WSJ, NYT
Border Negotiations: Another government shutdown could be on the horizon if Congress doesn’t make a deal on border security in the next two weeks. The short-term spending bill funding the government right now is only good until February 15, and at this point, it seems neither party wants to budge. Speaking of the southern border, the largest fentanyl seizure in U.S. history happened this week. More than 250 pounds of the opioid and 400 pounds of meth were hidden in a truck heading through a checkpoint. The drugs were found by a drug-sniffing dog.
Read more: WaPo. USA Today, Time/AP, NBC News
Senate Rebuke: President Trump has said he wants to pull troops out of Afghanistan and Syria, but lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Senate made a strong statement by voting to show they disagree. The Senate voted 68 to 23 for an amendment opposing the removal of troops. The vote is mostly a symbolic way for senators to go on record with their opinions since the amendment is part of a larger bill that is not expected to become law.
Read more: CBS News, FOX News
Trade Talks: The U.S. and China seem to be closer to a landmark trade deal after two days of high-level talks. President Trump said he is optimistic the two countries will come to an agreement, although others were a bit more cautious about the progress so far. They’ll need to make a deal by March 2 before another round of tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports will go into effect. Another meeting may happen later this month.
Read more: NYT, Reuters
Product Recalls: There are two product recalls to be aware of. The first is infants’ ibuprofen. Some bottles at stores like Wal-Mart and CVS may have higher concentrations than what’s on the label. The second is chicken nuggets. Tyson recalled thousands of pounds of chicken nuggets are because they could have rubber in them. Perdue has also recalled chicken nuggets over the last two weeks. Get more details in the links below.
Read more (Infants’ Ibuprofen): NBC News, Newsweek
Read more (Chicken Nuggets): TIME, USA Today
Juul’s $1 Billion: E-cigarette brand Juul saw skyrocketing sales last year: $1 billion, compared to $200 million the year before. Some say Juul’s e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, but the company has also faced a lot of scrutiny. The product has grown popular with teenagers, and the FDA calls it an epidemic.
Read more: Reuters
Uber's Denver Test: Uber is taking another step to become a one-stop-shop for all things transportation. It’s adding public transportation to the Uber app so that users will be able to see real-time bus and rail info. The feature will be tested in Denver.
Read more: The Verge
Ariana Grande Tattoo: Ariana Grande’s new palm tattoo says ... “tiny barbecue grill.” The singer meant to get a tattoo with the title of her new single, Seven Rings, but the Japanese-styled tattoo was missing some symbols. She now says she's fixed it.
Read more: CNN
Black Panther Free Screening: Reminder! Starting today, hundreds of theaters around the country will be showing the superhero movie Black Panther twice a day for free. The second run celebrates Black History Month, which starts today.
Read more: Mashable