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Even 9 lives can't withstand 20 degrees below zero -- which is why Chicagoans are on a mission to save hundreds of thousands of stray cats ... with the help of tons of straw.

A grassroots community in Chi-Town called "Chicago Community Cats" has been bracing for a week for the polar vortex temperatures by prepping makeshift shelters for stray and feral cats. Erica Roewade, who runs the group, says about 200 people have been working around the clock to build straw-stuffed bins to keep the kitties warm.

It's a huge undertaking. Chi-Town reportedly has roughly 200k feral cats roaming its streets and alleys.

Roewade says the group has also purchased about 100 "Snuggle Safe Disks" (which also keep pets warm), heated water bowls and other supplies to distribute throughout the city.

Considering temps are expected to stay in the negative all week -- Roewade says the most important thing is to keep the frigid wind and airflow off the kitties.

Tom Brokaw is offering a half-ass apology for going on national TV and expressing some pretty xenophobic thoughts on the Hispanic community.

The iconic news anchor was on "Meet the Press" Sunday with a group of panelists, who were discussing what it would take to unite the country at this point. The convo weirdly went from the U.S. standing up to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to Brokaw offering his take on how the GOP is grappling with a rising Latinx electorate.

Brokaw said one of the issues that's affecting the GOP these days -- according to people who confide in him, apparently -- is that they're worried the U.S. is becoming flooded with Hispanic voters, who by and large register as Democrats.

Then the xenophobia ... Brokaw said conservative folks have expressed fear of having "brown grandbabies" due to interracial couples. He piggybacked on that sentiment with his own two cents ... saying the Hispanic community should "work harder" at assimilating in this country -- namely, by speaking English and making everyone else comfortable.

The backlash was swift on social media ... and Tom followed up later Sunday by saying he felt terrible if part of his comments offended anyone in "that proud culture," adding that he's worked hard to knock down false stereotypes over the course of his career.

He finished by reiterating his point about both sides needing to work to find common ground -- but a lot of people took his statement as a de facto non-apology.

XXXTentacion's legacy lives on, in the form of a baby boy who was born 7 months after his tragic death.

X's girlfriend gave birth Saturday to Gekyume Onfroy. The kid already has a nickname -- Yume! Gekyume is derived from a word X created. It means "a different state" or the next universe of thought. X's mom and girlfriend say X himself chose the name for his firstborn son.

Both mother and child are healthy.

Yume was born 3 days after what would have been X's 21st birthday.

The Kentucky prosecutor investigating threats against Nick Sandmann's high school wants to punish anyone threatening physical harm ... with prison time.

Rob Sanders, whose jurisdiction includes Covington Catholic High School, tells us he's deadly serious about seeking incarceration for people threatening Sandmann's teachers and classmates ... because it's a Class D felony in Kentucky, punishable by 1 to 5 years in a state penitentiary.

As you know ... threats against Nick and others at his school have been pouring in via email, phone calls and social media, ever since his confrontation with Native American elder Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial.

Sanders says the threats include burning down the school, blowing up the school, shooting up the school and attacking students ... and he wants to set an example for the nation -- threats made on social media have real-world consequences.

The MAGA hat-wearing student who faced off with a Native American Vietnam-era vet says his smirk seen 'round the world wasn't out of smugness ... just peaceful defiance.

Covington Catholic High School junior Nick Sandmann appeared on "Today" Wednesday with Savannah Guthrie, who grilled him on a number of topics -- most importantly ... why didn't he just walk away, and what was up with that smirk on his face?

Sandmann says, in hindsight, he wishes he would've just walked when Nathan Phillips came up to him drumming. That said, he explains that, in the moment, he felt leaving or making any sudden movement would've escalated the situation.

On that smirk ... Sandmann says it was just him smiling with the message of, "[T]hat is the best you're going to get out of me, you won't get any further reaction of aggression and I'm going to stand here as long as you want to hit that drum in my face."

Sandmann further explained people who have come to judge him based on one expression they saw have jumped to harsh conclusions based on mere assumptions.

The oldest living man died peacefully Sunday morning in his home ... at 113 years old.

Masazo Nonaka was born in 1905. To put this in context, it's when Albert Einstein unveiled to the world his theory of relativity.

Speaking of relativity ... Nonaka was relatively independent. He used a wheelchair to get around and enjoyed reading newspapers and venturing out to a nearby spring bath once a week. He also loved eating sweets at the end of a meal.

His granddaughter said, "We feel shocked at the loss of this big figure. He was, as usual yesterday and passed away without causing our family any fuss at all."

Nonaka doesn't hold the Guinness World Record of all time ... the oldest living man was also from Japan and died in 2013 at 116 years old.

The oldest living woman was from France and died in 1997 at 122.

Sixty prominent citizens are marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day by calling for new investigations into the assassinations of 4 men -- assassinations that changed the world -- John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The group -- The Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) -- believes all 4 assassinations were the result of conspiracies that were covered up by the government.

Members of TRC include Oliver Stone, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Rob Reiner, David Crosby, Mort Sahl, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and MLK's nephew Isaac Newton Farris Jr.

TRC claims, "The conviction of James Earl Ray [MLK's convicted killer] has steadily lost credibility over the years." They note following the verdict, Coretta Scott King said, "There is abundant evidence of a major, high-level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband."

The JFK assassination has long been controversial and scores of experts and others including Dr. Robert McClelland, one of the surgeons who tried to save JFK's life, believe Oswald did not act alone.

There has also been significant criticism into the murder of Malcolm X, suggesting the investigations was a massive coverup.

As for Robert Kennedy, TRC calls the trial of Sirhan Sirhan, "A mockery of a trial that has been demolished by numerous eyewitnesses, investigators and experts," including the then L.A. County Coroner. TRC says forensic evidence proves the fatal shot was not at the hands of Sirhan.

5:40 PM PT -- Nancy Pelosi seems to have changed her a tune a tad in light of the President's announcement, saying Dems will vote next week to "add additional border security funding for ports of entry, advanced technology for scanning vehicles for drugs & immigration judges."

That doesn't sound like she's budging on the issue of the "wall." Time will tell, though.

President Trump wants to strike a new deal with Democrats to reopen the government -- but his plan is already being shot down by the party's leaders.

DT made his pitch Saturday in a nationally televised address from the White House, where he basically offered limited protections for current DACA recipients and immigrants with temporary protected status in exchange for the border security funding he's demanded.

Trump said he'd give 700,000 people eligible for DACA three years of legislative relief and extend TPS for 300,000 immigrant beneficiaries if Congress would give him his big ask of $5.7 billion for a border structure (which he says will only consist of about 230 miles of steel barriers rather than a 2,000-mile-plus concrete wall).

He's also asking for $805 mil to implement new drug smuggling technology, another $800 mil for humanitarian assistance at the southern border, about 2,750 border agents to be hired on, 75 new immigration judges as part of his package.

Unfortunately for the Prez, word about what he'd be proposing leaked early ... and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement which in effect turned him down before he could even get a word out. She says his new proposal is one that's been discussed in the past and is literally a "non-starter."

Either way, Trump says Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is going to introduce these new proposals in a bill on the Senate floor this week. Unclear if it'll pass in the House though.

In other words ... we're still in shutdown mode, for now.

3:55 PM -- The first photo of Jayme has surfaced ... showing her smiling with her aunt and godmother, Jennifer Naiberg Smith. As we told you ... they were reunited this afternoon at the hospital where Jayme was being evaluated.

1:57 PM -- Officials say cops recovered a shotgun consistent with what was used at the scene of the homicide. Cops say Patterson -- who shaved his head after allegedly killing Jayme's parents to hide from cops -- shot the door open.

Cops say Patterson had a small connection to Jayme's parents -- working at the same turkey processing plant as them for one day three years ago -- and he intentionally went looking for her. Cops say it's unclear right now why Patterson targeted Jayme. Patterson will make his first court appearance Monday in Barron County court.

Officials added Jayme was reunited with her aunt at the hospital Friday afternoon. She'll be reunited with her family later this evening.

8:07 AM -- Officials have identified the kidnapper as 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson. He's been charged with 2 counts of first-degree homicide for the killing of Jayme's parents and 1 count of kidnapping. Patterson's being held in Barron County jail. Authorities say Jake had no criminal history and had no connection to the Closs family.

Officials say it's unclear how Jayme escaped her captor but added she perfectly described one of Patterson's vehicles, which helped cops quickly spot his car. Cops pulled Patterson over and arrested him without incident.

A 13-year-old girl who went missing 3 months ago after her parents were murdered was miraculously found alive ... and her captor is now in police custody.

Jayme Closs was found in the rural town of Gordon, Wisconsin (population less than 1,000) after escaping from a cabin and pleading with a neighbor walking her dog for help. According to reports ... Jayme was malnourished and disheveled ... wearing dirty clothes and shoes too big for her.

The dog walker then frantically knocked on a neighbor's door telling him to call 911. Minutes later, a large police presence descended on the suspect and arrested him. Authorities have not named the suspect.

Jayme was reported missing back on October 15 after her parents -- James and Denise Closs -- were found shot to death in their Barron, Wisconsin home ... about 65 miles south of where Jayme was found. Cops believe Jayme was home when her parents were murdered.

Officials say they received thousands of tips, watched dozens of surveillance videos and thousands volunteered for a massive ground search ... but she never turned up.

After calling 911, the neighbor offered Jayme food and water but she declined. She was taken to a hospital where she was evaluated and has since been reunited with family.

Elizabeth Smart -- who also escaped her captors after she was kidnapped in 2002 -- called Jayme a "brave, strong and powerful survivor." Smart added, "No matter what may unfold in her story let’s all try to remember that this young woman has SURVIVED and whatever other details may surface the most important will still remain that she is alive."

2:00 PM PT -- Here's another fun fact for the history books ... a smiling Tlaib was sworn in for duty on Thomas Jefferson's Quran.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, got the A-list celeb treatment -- a full crush of photographers and shouting fans -- as she arrived on Capitol Hill.

We got Michigan's new Congresswoman Thursday afternoon, heading up the Capitol steps where she was swarmed by media, supporters and family members. The latter were not shy about cheering her on for her first day on the job.

Rashida is now part of the 116th Congress and the new-look House of Representatives -- which has swung Democrat -- and she's among the sea of women of color who were voted into office.

Busy day on the Hill -- swearing in of new members, Nancy Pelosi was just elected Speaker of the House, and some of the new reps are taking selfies on the floor.

Pink Floyd fans might be disappointed to learn China beat the U.S. to the "dark side" of the moon ... which, funny enough, is pretty damn bright.

China's national space program released photos Thursday after its spacecraft, Chang'e 4 lunar probe, landed on the far side of the moon for the first time in human history ... and, at first glimpse, there wasn't a whole lot of darkness back there. Quite the contrary.

In the closeup shot above, you can see the cratered surfaced is well lit, and looks a lot like the front side that Earth often sees from down below. Gasp!!!

This black and white shot was taken just as the probe successfully landed. It too appears to be luminous -- which makes sense. The sun's light obviously shines through back there.

China's mission is a big deal, as it's the first country in world history to get a spacecraft back there ... beating both the U.S. and Russia to the punch.

It's still raining on Andy Cohen, because he's getting some serious pushback from the Times Square Alliance after he ranted on air about being singled out by officials who forced him to take down his umbrella during his CNN New Year's Eve broadcast.

During his fit, Andy claimed someone in the Times Square Alliance threatened to pull CNN's credentials for its next NYE show if he didn't lose his umbrella.

The Alliance fired back on Wednesday, issuing a statement to Page Six saying umbrellas are not allowed in certain media areas because they can block sightlines for other media.

The Alliance also denied Cohen's claim CNN's credentials were threatened, saying, "some tempers flared, but it was never the case, nor will it be the case, that CNN would be denied credentials or the ability to cover New Year's Eve."

Donald Trump pretended to send well wishes to people who oppose him ... but let's be honest, it was aggressive and mean-spirited.

Trump wished Happy New Year 2019 to his haters and the "fake news media." He also made it clear ... the only people who would have an awesome 2019 were those who were not suffering from a fake disease -- Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Trump has been playing Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone" ... hunkering down in The White House over the holidays and complaining none of the Democratic leaders came to visit and break the deadlock that has shut down the federal government.

Trump's 2019 is about to get way more difficult, because Democrats take over the House of Representatives Thursday.

Kevin Spacey has resurfaced after nearly a year of living outside the public eye ... as various sexual assault allegations continue to dog him.

The actor was hanging on a balcony with his dog, somewhere on the East Coast.

Spacey was spotted for the first time on Friday ... shrouded in a face cover as he jumped in a waiting SUV.

Spacey's re-emergence doesn't seem uncoincidental to events this week, in which Massachusetts prosecutors filed sexual assault charges against the actor for allegedly forcing himself on an 18-year-old at the Club Car bar in Nantucket.

Spacey has been charged with a felony which carries a maximum 5-year prison sentence. His lawyers went to court trying unsuccessfully to fight the filing of the charge, calling an investigator on the case to the witness stand, who conceded the alleged victim never told Spacey to stop.

The investigator also said the video the young man sent to his girlfriend during the incident did not show groping in the genital area.

There are other allegations against Spacey, who was fired from his "House of Cards" gig after the various stories of sexual misconduct surfaced.

Fox News commentator, Bre Payton, has died suddenly ... and she was only 26.

Payton, a conservative who wrote for The Federalist magazine, died in San Diego after suffering some sort of sudden illness ... this according to the mag.

Morgan Murtaugh, a friend of hers who just ran for Congress in San Diego and lost, said she found Payton unconscious Thursday. Murtaugh called 911, but apparently Payton was already in a coma and beyond hope.

Murtaugh asked people to reach out to God, saying, "Please if you're religious at all, send prayers this way. We really need them."

It was too late. Payton died Friday.

It appears she was suffering from meningitis, but so far authorities have not determined a cause of death.

Payton was 26.

This is one clever way to avoid visiting family during the holidays -- Jean-Jacques Savin has boarded a vessel in an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean relying only on the current and wind.

After spending months to build a barrel-shaped capsule, the 71-year-old Frenchman jumped in his vessel off the coast of El Hierro in the Canary Islands. His mission -- to cross most of the Atlantic and ultimately reach the Caribbean ... either Barbados or the French islands of Martinique or Guadeloupe.

According to reports ... Savin's gonna spend the next 3 months inside his vessel that's already 11 miles away from his origin. He's reportedly gone just 1 to 2 miles per hour since leaving Wednesday.

Savin -- who funded the $66k trip through crowdfunding and a sponsor -- calls the expedition a "crossing during which man isn't a captain of his ship, but a passenger of the ocean." He reportedly loaded up his 10-foot by 6-foot vessel with a bottle of Sauternes white wine and a block of foie gras to celebrate New Year's Eve. He's also got a bottle of Saint-Émilion red to celebrate his 72nd birthday in January.