Subject: Daily Skimm: Are you not entertained?
From: "theSkimm" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2019 06:47:41 -0500 (EST)

<=>Skimm'd after getting our tax season calendar

=tr>

JANUAR= 31, 2019

RE=D IN BROWSER

Skimm'd after getting our tax season calendar

QUOTE O= THE DAY

"Small charcoal grill" – What Ariana Grande's new tattoo in Japanese tr=nslates to. Yes, it's a mistake.

FROZEN

The Story

Tens of millions of Americans are experiencing a polar vortex.

I'm not a meteorologist. What's a polar vortex?

Freezing cold air that usually sits on top of the Nor=h Pole. Except sometimes it migrates south. Which is what happened earlier=this week, causing temps across the Midwest to fall far below freezing.Yep, sounds horrible.

It is. S=me places are colder than Antarctica or Siberia (psst: that Mars compa=ison that made headlines yesterday might be a bit of a stretch). Cities like Chicago and Indianapoli= have reached record low temperatures. At least eight people have died. Ho=eless people are especially vulnerable. Here's what to do if you see someone in danger.

Got it. What else?

Some schools, businesses, and gov offices are closed.=The US Postal Service isn't delivering mail in some states. Thousands of f=ights have been canceled. Chicago has set some train tracks on fire to kee= them warm enough to operate. You also might have been hearing the words "=rost quakes" and "snow squall" yesterday.

What are they? Asking for a friend.

A frost =uake is when water in the ground quickly freezes and expands. It cause= the soil and rocks near it to crack, sometimes causing loud noises. A snow squall – which h=t parts of the Northeast yesterday – is a sudden fall of snow that=makes it hard to see and potentially dangerous to drive.

So what's the deal here? Is climate change involved a= all?

The jury=s out. Arctic winds can be disturbed when hit by warm air, messing up =he winds' flow and sending the winds south. Which is why some scientists t=ink it might be related. But a variety of things can disturb these winds a=d scientists aren't in agreem=nt that climate change is to blame for this one.

theSkimm

At least 75% of the continental US is experiencing fr=ezing temps because of the polar vortex. The especially cold temps are exp=cted to let up by the weekend. But things like business closures and highe= heating bills could still take a hit on the economy – the last po=ar vortex cost the US an estimated $5 billion. Meanwhile, many are facing life-threatening low temps= Stay safe.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when someone tries to gaslight you...

Not happening. Yesterday, special counsel Robert Muel=er said that Russians are wor=ing to discredit the findings from his investigation. He says a pro-Ru=sian Twitter account apparently released confidential documents from his i=vestigation alongside edited files. That Twitter account has been suspende=. And Mueller is calling it out.

What you're still hearing about…

Venezuela. Yesterday, Nicolás Maduro said he's <= href="https://link.theskimm.com/click/15865936.2872492/aHR0cHM6Ly9za2lt=XRoLmlzLzJSWGx5Ulc/5bae7b412ddf9c633bb801b8Bb0bb8605" target="_blank" st=le="color:#00b2a9;text-decoration:none;">ready to talk...with the he=p of international mediators. Maduro's been in a little bit of a situation=since opposition leader and head of the country's parliament Juan Guaid�=B3 invoked the constitution to act as interim president. And has gotten su=port from countries like the US, UK, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil. This w=ek, the country's Supreme Court (which is pro-Maduro) barred Guaidó from leaving the country an= froze his bank accounts while the AG investigates him for anti-gov activi=ies. Maduro has resisted call= to hold new elections. Then yesterday, he said he could talk it out. =ut threatened that if the US intervenes, the situation would be worse than Vietnam. Not a comparison=anyone is looking for. Maduro also says the US is just going after his country's oil. This comes as =housands of Venezuelans took =o the streets again yesterday to demand Maduro step down.

What to say when a conversation with your co-worker gets=heated…

Well that took a turn. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve=signaled that it wasn't going=/a> to raise interest rates for the time being. Good news for the stock ma=ket – which spiked after the announcement. Maybe not so much for t=e economy as a whole. The Fed has been raising rates recently because the =conomy's been "strong." Now, it says the economy is just "solid" and that =hings are cooling down thanks to the government shutdown, trade tensions, =nd Brexit. Get it together, world. In other news of things that need to ge= it together, Facebook. Apple shut down the Book's ability to share beta versions of its apps amon= employees. That was after a =eport said the Book was paying people to let it track their phone acti=ity as part of a research app. Meanwhile, Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn is rethinking parts of=its plan to build a $10 billion factory in Wisconsin. The company is sayin= it will focus on hiring engineers and researchers instead of manufacturin= workers, and that it's focusing on making a "technology hub" rather than = factory.

What to say when you forgot what you were fighting about=E2��

Ready to talk. Yesterday, NFL commissioner Roger Good=ll finally addressed the =ontroversial non-call in the NFC championship game earlier this month �=80� which helped the Los Angeles Rams secure a trip to Super Bowl LIII w=ile the season ended for the New Orleans Saints. 10 days after the game, G=odell said he understands the frustration but that "officials are human." =his came on the same day that Saints coach Sean Payton gave his end-of-sea=on press conference…and might have thrown some subtle shade at Goodell by his choice of shir=. But don't worry about Payton, he has ice cream and Netflix. Here's who isn't having a press confer=nce: Maroon 5. The Super Bowl LIII headliners won't be taking questions from reporters today during =he traditional pre-halftime show press conference. Some musicians have pro=ested the halftime show out of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. So people think the band might be s=ipping the Q&A portion of the event so they don't have to face the mus=c.

=a href="https://link.theskimm.com/click/15865936.2872492/aHR0cHM6Ly9za2l=bXRoLmlzLzJzWXFSU2E/5bae7b412ddf9c633bb801b8Bbaf30d86" target="_blank" s=yle="color:#00b2a9;text-decoration:none;">Skimm More

What to say when you hear your fruit juice might have arsenic and lead…

In other gross news, you might want to avoid chicken nuggets.

=/a>

What to say when you hear Batman's getting a makeover...

Meet, Za=a.

Tax season is hereeeee. No wait, don't go. You know y=u gotta do 'em. So over the next few months, we'll be giving you everythin= you need to file those taxes like a boss. Starting with a checklist of al= the forms and info you'll need to have on hand when you file. *Downloads checklist. Plays "Be Prepared"=on repeat.*

SKIMM PICKS

For when you're getting weekly manicures...So you think you're getting engaged? This website, James Allen= lets you design the engagement ring dreams are made of online. Bonus: the='re having a major V-day sale. Not a drill.*

F=r when the new year brings new deadlines…

Breathe. We Skimm'd the habits and products that'll m=ke you and your workspace more zen. Get them here=/a>.

F=r when you have big wedding goals but a small budget...

Split the tab with Macy's. They want to give you a lo= (repeat: a lot) of cash to take some of the SOS out of planning. Register=with them and then enter for a chance to win $10K.

*PS This is a sponsored section

SKIMM'RS

Cheers to...Dianne T (TN), whose art will be e=hibited in Square Market cafe, a local restaurant in Columbia, TN. And to =b>Samantha G (WA), the first in her family to graduate from college. S=e just got her first interview for a neuroscience PhD program.

S=otlight on…Krista E (NY), who's been working to help turn an a=andoned house in Niagara Falls into a community center. The goal: for the =enter to host free classes and workshops, a laundry space, fitness classes= and more.

(=ome) Birthdays...Jenna Elson (NY), Lauren Capra (IL), Anna Kane (Scotl=nd), Dayna Less (IN), Mona Liddell (NC), Casey Martin (GA), Sara Pedraz Ma=ía (Spain), Luke Miles (NC), Tabata Gallina (Brazil), Jamie Gentile (=L), Cuesta Kline (NJ), Joey Kuhn (NY), Yael Navon (VA), Keni Poirier (PA),=Kristina Redd (AL)

*=elcome to a new section we're testing with members of theSkimm. Want to ta=e it to the next level? Reach out here for a chance to be featur=d.

SKIMM SHARE

Skimm HQ is hibernating. Share theSkimm with your frie=d who is basically MIA from December to February.

Or use this referral link theskimm.com/?r==b66f6bb

Skimm'd something we missed?

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Copyright (c) 2019 theSkimm, All rights reserved=

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