Trending: Saturday, January 4, 2014

Published 11:15 a.m. CDT (GMT - 6:00)

Yesterday's Google trends and Twitter now (U.S.) at bottom

Today's headlines
What they're leading with
▪ CNN: Arctic blast to drop temperatures in U.S. to lows not seen in years
▪ NBCNews: With benefits cut off, long-term unemployed brace for a grim new year
▪ NPR: Lovebirds + string + watering can + dog = Rube Goldberg Magic
▪ FoxNews: 'Polar vortex' set to bring dangerous, record-breaking cold to much of US
▪ ABCNews: Carousel: 'Polar vortex' could break temperature records, Man's rock star fantasy fueled by $11M bank scam, Five goals for Congress in the new year; Latest headline: (Photos) Wild winter weather: A winter storm dumps snow on Northeast U.S.
▪ CBSNews: Deep freeze expected for Midwest as frigid air heads south
▪ USAToday: What will be cheaper in 2014 (cars, winter coats, textbooks, TVs, Caribbean travel)

Weather
▪ NBCNews: Dangerous deep freeze to bring coldest temps in nearly 30 years

2014 preview
▪ USAToday: What will be cheaper in 2014 (cars, winter coats, textbooks, TVs, Caribbean travel)

2013 in review
▪ USAToday: Top-selling vehicles of for 2013 (from 10 on down): Ford Escape, Toyota Corolla, Honda CR-V, Nissan Altima, Honda Civic, Ram 1500, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-Series pickup

Flu news
▪ NBCNews: Flu worsens across U.S., hitting younger adults hard

Recreational marijuana news/Colorado legalization
▪ CNN: Recreational pot sales: Where the grass is much greener
▪ FoxNews: Colorado toddler tests positive for marijuana ingredient after becoming lethargic

Stranded ship news
▪ NPR: Wait is over for Antarctic explorers: They can head home

Spying news
▪ NBCNews: Intelligence chief declassifies FISA court approval for collection of phone data
▪ NPR: The NSA's quantum code-breaking research is no secret

Marketing news
▪ NBCNews: Non-genetically tweaked Cheerios more marketing boon than health boost

North Korea
▪ NPR: Did Kim Jong Un feed his uncle to 120 dogs? Be skeptical

Al-Qaeda news
▪ USAToday: Al-Qaeda militants in Iraq seize much of Fallujah

Lottery news
▪ CNN: Man (Steve Tran) checks lottery ticket 2 weeks later, claims half of  $648M
▪ NBCNews: Mega Millions jackpot: Calif. man comes forward as second winner
▪ FoxNews: Second winner of $636M lottery jackpot comes forward
▪ CBSNews: Jackpot winner forgot buying Mega Millions ticket

Smartphone news
▪ CNN: BlackBerry sues Ryan Seacrest startup Typo

Pope news
▪ NBCNews: Pope: Church must not turn priests into 'little monsters'

Pop culture news
▪ CNN: 'The Wolf of Wall Street' breaks F-Bomb record
▪ CNN: Amazon is at war with monster erotica

State-of-unions news
▪ NBCNews: Boeing's machinists union OKs benefits cuts to keep 777X in Washington State
▪ NPR: 'Cheers and jeers' as Boeing machinists narrowly OK contract

Radio City Music Hall
▪ NBCNews: Smoke reported at Radio City Music Hall

Archaeology news
▪ NBCNews: Elite of Pompeii dined on sea urchin, giraffe

Baby-name news
▪ NBCNews: Kate Winslet: Baby won't have Rocknroll as his last name

Animal behavior news
▪ NBCNews: Do dogs possess a poop compass? (And other weird science questions) (animals and magnetic fields)
▪ NPR: 'You're invisible, but I'll eat you anyway.' Secrets of snow-diving foxes

2014 Elections
▪ NBCNews: Different election, same playbook: Why 2014 will look a lot like 2012\

Architecture news
▪ CBSNews: 5 homes on the market designed by famous architects

Darknet (code-breaking) news
▪ CBSNews: Cicada 3301: Code-breaking scavenger hunt has the internet mystified

Strange fatality news/Irony news
▪ NBCNews: Former mayor killed by train in Del Mar while chasing his dog believed to be spooked by train horn (Irony news: Horn intended as safety measure may have had opposite effect by leading to man's death; dog survives)
▪ FoxNews: Bulldozer driver killed by unexploded WWII device, police say

Ethical dilemma news
▪ CBSNews: Experts weigh in on Texas law keeping brain-dead pregnant woman alive

It's-not-fiction/potential plot device news
▪ ABCNews: Suit accuses Texas police chief of harassing man during affair with his wife
▪ ABCNews: Exposing a Navy SEAL imposter: How A.J. Dicken was found to be a fake
▪ CBSNews: Cicada 3301: Code-breaking scavenger hunt has the internet mystified
▪ CBSNews: UVA medical student diagnoses actor with life-threatening condition during practice exam

Generational conflict news
▪ USAToday: Are older workers taking jobs from young?

World-of-work news
▪ CNN: Job search: One year and counting...
▪ NBCNews: With benefits cut off, long-term unemployed brace for a grim new year
▪ NBCNews: 'Oklahoma' actress Barbara Lawrence dies at 83
▪ NBCNews: Boeing's machinists union OKs benefits cuts to keep 777X in Washington State
▪ NPR: 'Cheers and jeers' as Boeing machinists narrowly OK contract
▪ CBSNews: Obama: Unemployment benefits' expiration 'just plain cruel'
▪ USAToday: Are older workers taking jobs from young?

Culture-in-the-U.S. news
▪ NBCNews: Lights, camera, shhh: Cell phones aren't the only bad manners in movies
▪ NPR: 22 states curb access to abortion in 2013
▪ CBSNews: Supersizing of Americans creating demand for big caskets
▪ USAToday: Pickups rule Top 10 best-selling vehicles for 2013

Obituaries in the news
▪ CNN: Singer Phil Everly -- half of the legendary Everly Brothers -- dies
▪ CNN: 'Gone With the Wind' actress Alicia Rhett dies at 98 (Played India Wilkes)
▪ NBCNews: Phil Everly of Everly Brothers dies at 74, family says
▪ NPR: Phil Everly dies; transformed rock 'n' roll with brother Don

Yesterday's Google trends with at least 500,000 searches
Orange Bowl
▪ USAToday: Whiteboard in Ohio State locker room destroyed after Orange Bowl loss to Clemson

Yesterday's Google trends with at least 100,000 but <500,000
Phil Everly
▪ See 'Obituaries in the news' above

Charlie Strong
▪ SI.com: Texas, Charlie Strong in negotiations of Longhorns' coaching job

Jenny McCarthy

Paranormal Activity 5
▪ LATimes: 'Paranormal activity: Marked Ones' grosses $1.2 million Thursday

Trending now on U.S. Twitter
▪ #OrangeBowl
▪ #AmericansvsBritish (cross-cultural comparison)
▪ #DrPepperTuition
▪ #CLEMvsOSU
▪ #SelfieOlympics
▪ Braxton Miller
▪ Maty Mauk
▪ Phil Everly
▪ Freedom Writers