Colder than Antartica: Here's how bad it is

Tuesday, January 29

Wind pushes snow back onto Sarah Allen as she clears her driveway with a snowblower Jan. 28, 2019, in Flint. Mich.

From the polar vortex to Ted Bundy, here's the news you'll want to talk about today.

We're sending warm thoughts: It's Ashley Shaffer, your Short List guide, here to bring you the news and tips to survive this brutal cold patch.

But first, a shoutout to your ex: A zoo in England will name a cockroach after your ex for just $2. A small price for sweet revenge.

Worse than Antartica

Hide your kids. Hide your wives. The polar vortex is swooping from the North Pole this week, and we're not stoked about it. Temps began falling fast Tuesday. New York braced for four feet of snow, and Atlanta awaited a blast that could upend travelers bound for the Super Bowl.

How bad is it out there? (Read: Don't go out there)

•	With wind chill, Chicago will be colder than Antarctica. Iowa, too.
•	90 million in the U.S. will see below-zero temperatures.
•	Wednesday could be the coldest day ever recorded in Chicago – a high of 14 below zero.

Major keys 🔑 for avoiding hypothermia

Want to keep your body and property from icy destruction? Here's what experts advise:

•	Keep thermostats at 68 degrees to conserve fuel, just in case low temps "last longer than expected."
•	If using space heaters, keep them several feet from furniture, curtains and drapes to avoid a fire.
•	Know signs of hypothermia and frostbite, even if you're inside.
•	Employers can require you to come to work, but speak up if it's too hazardous to get there.
•	Fill your car's fuel tank more than half-full to prevent fuel lines from freezing.
•	Don't store your iPhone or iPad at temps below negative 4 degrees, Apple says, and don't operate them at temps lower than 32 degrees.

Why's it so stupid cold, anyway?

Blame it on the polar vortex, a large area of cold air that normally spins high above the North Pole. Thanks to a meandering jet stream, some of the vortex can slosh into North America, blasting unspeakably cold air down where we all live.

Hypothermia symptoms

USA TODAY

R.I.P. Super Bowl halftime show

Yes, there will be a halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl. But Maroon 5 headlining a Super Bowl in Atlanta, the capital of hip-hop, has a lot of folks rolling their eyes. And in the wake of Colin Kaepernick — and performers turning down the NFL to support him — we looked at how the Super Bowl halftime show has lost its iconic status.

Can't wait until Sunday? Dive into the top five worst Super Bowl halftime shows.

Real quick

•	A possible racist and homophobic attack left "Empire" star Jussie Smollett hospitalized, police said.
•	Netflix clapped back after viewers of a new Ted Bundy docu-series said they think the serial killer was pretty hot.
•	Apple's Group FaceTime bug letting callers listen in on unsuspecting recipients took the world by surprise. A mom tried to warn the electronics giant about it. Last week.
•	Roger Stone pleaded not guilty Tuesday to seven criminal counts.
•	Oh, and Trump's State of the Union speech? We misspoke yesterday: It's Feb. 5.

Deadly political violence. A dire economy. Venezuela is in trouble.

Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, won an election last year that many — including U.S. President Donald Trump — called rigged. Now Trump is pressuring Maduro to hand the reigns to Juan Guaido, an opposition leader, as the nation's legitimate president

But Maduro won't budge. And chaos is increasing.

What kind of chaos? The U.N. said at least 20 have been killed in recent days, people allegedly shot by pro-Maduro forces. Venezuela has suffered food and medicine shortages under Maduro. Millions of Venezuelans fled for neighboring Colombia, prompting a migration crisis.

How is Trump pushing Maduro to quit? The U.S. this week slapped sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company — a massive revenue source for Maduro — and discouraged U.S. citizens from traveling there, citing "arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens." The U.S. may or may not send troops there, too.

Thanks to USA TODAY's foreign affairs pro, Deirdre Shesgreen, and Short List editor Josh Hafner for the above.

Several people help a young woman after fainting from inhaling tear gas, Wednesday, during a protest against the Government of the Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro. Thousands demonstrated in the 23 states of the country and the Capital District against Nicolas Maduro.

CRISTIAN HERNANDEZ/EPA-EFE

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