These are the headlines you Need 2 Know. * **Trump & Russia Investigation:** FBI officials were so alarmed after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in 2017 that they opened an investigation into whether the president was acting as an agent of Russia, according to an explosive report published Friday night. Read more [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/us/politics/fbi-trump-russia-inquiry.html?module=inline&utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Putin:** In a separate report, Trump is said to have repeatedly concealed details of his in-person conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin from even his most senior aides, including taking possession of his interpreter’s notes. Read more [here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-has-concealed-details-of-his-face-to-face-encounters-with-putin-from-senior-officials-in-administration/2019/01/12/65f6686c-1434-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html?utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Need%202%20Know&utm_term=.50e642f408b8). * **Trump Response:** When Fox News host Jeanine Pirro asked Trump on her show if he is currently or ever has worked for Russia, the president replied: “It’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked.” Watch [here](https://twitter.com/jiveDurkey/status/1084301480520237056?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Shutdown: Day 24:** The government has now been partially shut down for the longest stretch in U.S. history, and the effects are being felt at major airports. A terminal at Houston’s Bush International Airport has been closed, and Miami International closed off a concourse over the weekend because of mass sick-outs. Several airports have opened food pantries for furloughed TSA workers. Read more [here](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/terminal-houston-airport-closed-amid-government-shutdown-n958246?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Unemployment:** At least 7,000 federal workers affected by the shutdown have filed for unemployment benefits. Once the government reopens and they are given back pay, those employees will have to reimburse the government for unemployment. Read more [here](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/13/684553141/whatever-it-takes-government-workers-apply-for-unemployment-as-shutdown-drags-on?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Storm:** A massive winter storm contributed to at least eight deaths in the Midwest and led to hundreds of car crashes and tens of thousands without power across that part of the country and the mid-Atlantic over the weekend. More than 10 inches of snow fell in D.C. Read more [here](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather/worst-is-over-for-winter-storm-that-clobbered-u-s-midwest-d-c-and-new-england-idUSKCN1P80O4?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Teacher Strike:** Teachers in Los Angeles, the country’s second-largest school district, are set to strike today after contract negotiations stalled. L.A. public schools will be open and staffed with hundreds of substitute teachers, though the union has asked parents to keep students home in solidarity. Read more [here](https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-lausd-teachers-strike-guide-20190113-story.html). * **Nurdle Hurdle:** Environmentalists are worried about the threat "nurdles" pose to the world’s oceans. Nurdles are very small pellets of plastic used to manufacture products like water bottles and straws. According to a U.K. environmental consultancy, they’re the second-largest source of micro-plastic pollution in water after fragments from tires. Read more [here](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-11/there-s-a-tiny-plastic-enemy-threatening-the-earth-s-oceans?srnd=premium&utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **NFL Playoffs:** The NFL conference championship games are set for next Sunday: the Kansas City Chiefs will play the New England Patriots in the AFC, while the L.A. Rams will play the New Orleans Saints in the NFC. A little history was made over the weekend: Sarah Thomas became the first female referee to work an NFL playoff game. Read more [here](http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25752666/sarah-thomas-makes-history-1st-female-field-nfl-playoff-game-official?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Instagram Egg:** A picture of an egg linked to the account “Egg Gang” has officially become the most-liked picture on Instagram, beating out former record-holder Kylie Jenner. The lone picture of an egg has gotten more than 26 million likes while Jenner’s birth announcement has 18 million. Read more [here](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mbvd/egg-instagram-likes-beat-kylie-jenner?utm_source=Need%2B2%2BKnow&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Spotted:** Tiffany Trump and boyfriend Michael Boulos, a Nigerian businessman. The two were snapped as they stepped out in London. See the pic [here](https://people.com/politics/tiffany-trump-new-boyfriend-michael-boulos-smiling-night-out-london/?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Missy Works It:** Missy Elliott has made history by becoming the first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The awards dinner is scheduled for June. Read more [here](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/12/entertainment/missy-elliott-songwriters-hall-of-fame/index.html?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Beginning of the End:** The final season of Games of Thrones has a premiere date: April 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. There will be six episodes in the show’s last season. Read more [here](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-final-season-premiere-date-revealed-1175639?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). * **Hamilton in PR:** The Broadway hit show Hamilton is officially open in Puerto Rico for a three-week run, where creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is again starring as Alexander Hamilton. Miranda’s family hails from the island still recovering from Hurricane Maria. Read more [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/lin-manuel-miranda-returns-to-the-stage-for-hamilton-in-puerto-rico/?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=0a67547053-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_14_2019_7_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-0a67547053-316045885). Cheddar's Hena Doba gets into the latest. Subscribe to the Need 2 Know newsletter [here](https://theneed2know.com).
