Winter wallop's, looming doomsday, Belichick's rebuff: Week in review
- - Winter wallop's, looming doomsday, Belichick's rebuff: Week in review
Robert Abitbol, USA TODAYJanuary 31, 2026 at 2:03 AM
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'Doomsday Clock’ inches closer
Bad news for humanity: We're closer than ever to Armageddon. The “Doomsday Clock,” each year by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, now rests at 85 seconds to midnight − four seconds closer than last year and the closest to midnight since its introduction in 1947. The bulletin cites a “failure of leadership” worldwide on dangers such as nuclear weaponry, climate change, “disruptive technologies” like artificial intelligence, and the rise of “nationalistic autocracies” − plus the “threat multiplier” of disinformation and conspiracies. Change is possible, the scientists say, but “we are running out of time.”
Is a Trump coin in the bank?
A Donald Trump coin could be coming − if it survives a political and legal battle. The Treasury Department is preparing to print the president's face on a $1 coin to mark the nation’s 250th birthday, but congressional Democrats question whether it’s legal to depict a living president on a coin and demand that shelved coins for civil rights figures be reinstated. The Trump-appointed Commission of Fine Arts, which reviews such matters, has considered three classical designs and voted for a side profile, which one commissioner noted had “a statesman-like quality to the quaff of the hair.”
Book a room on the moon
If you stayed in the first hotel on the moon, how many reward points would that be worth? A San Francisco-based start-up called GRU Space plans to open lunar lodgings by 2032, a tall order considering humans haven’t been to the moon in more than 50 years. The structure would be inflatable and house four guests for several days; a second version would be built in later years with more permanent local materials. The company says it’s looking for “adventurers” and “those taking a ‘honeymoon’ to the next level” – and people who can pony up a $1 million deposit. The cost for the stay? An estimated $416,667 a night.
Spaceflight in photos: See images of Blue Origin, SpaceX missions
Paris Hilton says no to rejection
No one likes rejection, but for Paris Hilton, it feels like physical pain. And the condition has a name: rejection sensitive dysphoria, or RSD, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Hilton, 44, described on “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Show” podcast on Jan. 26 how someone being rude to her, for example, can literally hurt and feel “like a demon in your mind.” She links RSD to her ADHD − a connection the clinic also confirms − and calls the latter her “superpower." As for her pain, she says, “now I know it’s not real. It’s just like the RSD kicking in.”
Hall of Fame says: Sorry, Bill Belichick
The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026 will not include at least one notable name: Bill Belichick, architect of the New England Patriots dynasty and eight-time Super Bowl champion, who failed to make the list in his first year of eligibility. Among those in the world of sports who shared their shock at the snub: Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, J.J. Watt, LeBron James, President Donald Trump (OK, not a sports figure) and Belichick himself, who, according to ESPN, asked an associate, "What does a guy have to do?" − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter wallop, doomsday, Belichick's snub: Week in review
Source: “AOL Breaking”
