Tuesday, February 3, 2026

An agonizing wait for the Guthrie family

The family of 'Today' host Savannah Guthrie is praying for the safe return of their 84-year-old matriarch. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 

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The Short List

Tue Feb 3 2026

 

Phaedra Trethan National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi there! I'm Phaedra Trethan, and this might be the only thing Tom Brady and I have in common. 🏈

In Tuesday's news:

"Today" host Savannah Guthrie and her family are still waiting for word on their mother's disappearance.
Republicans are reeling from a shocking loss in a Texas special election. Is this a harbinger for the November midterms? 🤔
Can extinct species be brought back to life? A biotech company says yes. 🦣

But first: USA TODAY's Ad Meter competition gauges the best Super Bowl commercials every year. 📺 Register and rate your favorites during this year's game.

An agonizing wait

"Today" host Savannah Guthrie and her family are living a nightmare: Their 84-year-old matriarch is missing from her Arizona home, gone without life-sustaining medications, leaving behind what investigators are describing as a crime scene.

Nancy Guthrie has been missing since at least noon Sunday, and with limited mobility, she "couldn't walk 50 yards by herself," Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said. What we know.

626725561_1327192262784559_4524744553139866464_n.jpg

Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing in Arizona on Feb. 1.

Pima County Sheriff's Office

A harbinger for the GOP?

A special state Senate election in Texas doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would normally make national news. But when a Democrat, Taylor Rehmet, decisively flipped a deep-red district that went for Donald Trump by 17 points, it set off alarm bells all through the GOP.

Is the outcome in Texas's District 9 the latest warning sign ‒ perhaps the most glaring to date ‒ of a potential blue wave during the 2026 midterms as Democrats look to take control of the House and Senate? What experts are saying.

President Trump is calling on Republicans to "nationalize" elections. Can they?
Trump's latest poll numbers and what they say about his policies on immigration, the economy and overall job performance.

Real quick

The House passed a bill to end the partial government shutdown. The latest.
Jill Biden's ex-husband has been charged with killing his wife.
More revelations — and more names — continue to spill from the Epstein files.
There will be no ICE operations at Sunday's Super Bowl, the NFL says.

Did we learn nothing from six 'Jurassic Park' movies? 🦖

A biotech company brought back dire wolves, is working to bring back the woolly mammoth, and is now planning what it calls a "modern day Noah's Ark" of genetic material — banking tissue samples from 100 of the world's most vulnerable species.

Colossal Biosciences' BioVault will reside within a new World Preservation Lab that will be established in Dubai's Museum of the Future. What's behind this "backup plan for life on Earth."

2501_DW_3Month_NonExclusive (2).jpg

A male dire wolf shown at three months old.

Colossal Biosciences

Vonn is on for Milan ⛷️

After three Olympic medals and 84 World Cup wins, Lindsey Vonn could certainly take it easy in retirement. But that's not happening, even after the skier suffered a ruptured ACL in a downhill crash last week: She's still planning to compete in Milan, setting herself up for even more Olympic glory.

Saying she's not in pain, her knee isn't swollen and she feels strong, Vonn is still training for competition, and she'll "do everything in my power to be in that starting gate."

Column: Lindsey Vonn believed in herself, even when others weren't so sure.
Photos: Inside the Olympic Village in Milano-Cortina.
10 burning questions about the Olympics, answered.

A break from the news

Circle of life: An eagle pair lost their eggs to a corvid crook. 🐦‍⬛
Craving comfort food? Here's how to make some childhood faves at home. 🍕 🫔 🥘
These Disney fans collect more than memories from their park excursions. 🍿

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. She'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and your favorite childhood comfort food (hers is pancit, a Filipino noodle dish). Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive for Donald Trump's inauguration as the next President of the United States in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025.

Bill and Hillary Clinton reached agreements with a House committee to testify in late February about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is shown at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, U.S. August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake
 

US shoots down Iranian drone that approached aircraft carrier

The U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone that approached a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday.

File photo of Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger
 

Officials release identities of 4 people killed in private jet crash

All six people on board – four passengers and two crew members – died. The jet had stopped in Bangor, Maine for fuel and was bound for France.

Firefighters cut vent holes in the roof to get at the flames in the attic of a single-family Craig Street home on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The fire progressed to two-alarms before firefighters got it under control.
 

People keep setting homes on fire while trying to melt snow

A recent fire in Massachusetts is the latest in snow removal efforts gone wrong. Don't use open flames to melt ice on your house, firefighters say.

Senator Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., answers questions during a town hall in Scottsdale on Medicaid cuts Mar. 17, 2025.
 

Senator Kelly to ask judge to block Trump's 'retribution' campaign

Kelly will ask a federal judge to block the Pentagon's proceedings to demote his rank because he urged troops to reject unlawful orders.

Tiffany Score and Steven Mills with their daught5er Shea, who was born Dec. 11, 2025.
 

Florida couple in embryo mix-up looking for baby's biological parents

Tiffany Score and Steven Mills asked for prayers as they navigate "this deeply confusing and painful time" with their daughter Shea, born December 11.

Nike jerseys of various players at the NFL Shop at the St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland.
 

Fanatics forced to apologize after fan outcry over Super Bowl jerseys

Fanatics had to issue an apology after Seahawks and Patriots fans took to social media with complaints about jerseys ahead of Super Bowl 60.

Matt Lauer attends the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 12th Annual An Enduring Vision Benefit at Cipriani Wall Street on Oct. 15, 2013, in New York City.
 

Matt Lauer accuser tells her story in new book 'Unspeakable Things'

"Unspeakable Things" by Brooke Nevils is not just a memoir. The Matt Lauer accuser uses her story to tell a bigger picture of sexual violence culture.

Alex Balmes, who was diagnosed with heart failure at 30, hospitalized.
 

He blamed his symptoms on anxiety. It was heart failure at 30.

Alex Balmes thought it was anxiety causing his symptoms, but it was heart failure at 30. Here's what this young dad wants others to know.

Kylie Kelce will join NBC's Winter Olympics coverage as a YouTube content creator in 2026.
 

Kylie Kelce and the sex question every parent dreads

Kylie Kelce tackles the question every parent dreads: How do you talk to kids about sex?

Play Your Way to a Relaxing Break

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