Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,182 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Judge stops “Fork in the Road” plan

• Juice cleanses aren’t all that great for you

• Amazon delivery person wins a Grammy

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Big Story

Judge Blocks Trump’s Federal Buyout Plan

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration and Elon Musk's "Fork in the Road" buyout program for federal employees.

• The program has been put on hold until at least Monday afternoon, when the judge will hear more arguments about whether to block it for a longer time. Before the pause, about 40,000 federal workers (2% of the workforce) had already accepted the offer to resign.

• The program, run through Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, offered to keep paying federal employees through September 2025 if they resigned by Thursday night. More than two million federal workers faced this choice. The offer's name, "Fork in the Road," was similar to what Musk used when he cut jobs at Twitter in 2022.

• Three major government worker unions, representing 800,000 employees, sued to stop the program. They argue that the buyout is illegal and harmful for several reasons: it might not be properly funded since government money is only approved through March, it was rushed through without proper legal review, and it could damage the government by replacing experienced workers with political appointees.

Big Story

New Galaxy Discovered

Astronomers have found a galaxy called LEDA 1313424 that looks like a giant bull's-eye in space.

• Using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, they spotted nine bright rings circling the galaxy's center - breaking the previous record by six rings. This unusual galaxy was discovered by chance while scientists looked through sky survey data from 2019.

• About 50 million years ago, a small blue dwarf galaxy crashed through the center of LEDA 1313424. The collision created waves through the larger galaxy, similar to ripples in a pond when you throw a stone. The waves pushed gas and dust together, leading to the formation of new stars in ring patterns. The dwarf galaxy that caused this is still visible, now sitting about 130,000 light-years away from the crash site, connected by a thin stream of gas.

• The discovery helps prove scientists' theories about how galaxy rings form. The rings aren't evenly spaced - they're closer together near the center and spread out more toward the edges, showing how the collision's energy spread over time. While the rings will eventually fade away, studying them helps astronomers understand galaxy formation better.

Big Story

Baltics Brace for Cyberattacks

Three Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - are planning to disconnect from their shared power grid with Russia and Belarus on February 9th.

• Instead of using this Soviet-era system called BRELL, they'll connect to the European Union's power network. While this change has been planned for years, it's happening at a tense time in relations with Russia.

• The Baltic countries are preparing for possible retaliatory cyberattacks from Russia, which has a history of hacking other countries' power systems. Estonia has even called in volunteer cyber defenders, while energy companies are taking extra safety steps like limiting who can access their systems and setting up barriers to protect important equipment.

• The power grid switch is more than just a technical change - it's about the Baltic countries moving away from Russian influence. While Russia might try to show that these countries can't succeed without it, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said they're determined to switch because "Russia is not a reliable partner."

Quick Stories

US News

• Thieves in Pennsylvania stole 100,000 eggs from a Pete & Gerry's Organics trailer during the nationwide egg price surge. The robbery occurred Saturday evening in Antrim township, and police are still searching for the suspects. (More)

• The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago, claiming their sanctuary city policies prevent federal immigration law enforcement. New US Attorney General Pam Bondi issued the directive on her first day. (More)

• Passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Houston subdued a disruptive man after he turned violent. The incident began when he became angry over a seat change request, kicking seats and breaking a window. (More)

World

• Hokkaido, Japan, experienced record-breaking snowfall, with over 4 feet accumulating in just 12 hours near Obihiro. The historic storm forced ski areas to close and set a new national record for the most snow in 12 hours. (More)

• Panama's President Mulino rejected the US State Department's statement about free canal access for US warships. He clarified that he lacks the authority to set or waive canal fees, contradicting claims made by Defense Secretary Hegseth after the two spoke. (More)

• Australia's parliament passed strict new hate crime laws setting mandatory prison sentences. Displaying hate symbols now requires one year in jail, while terror-related crimes face three to six years. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed mixed on Thursday (S&P +0.36%, Nasdaq +0.51%, Dow -0.28%). The S&P climbed for a third straight day as Wall Street waits for January’s jobs report on Friday. (More)

• Pinterest stock jumped 20% after reporting strong fourth-quarter results. The company exceeded revenue expectations, earning $1.15 billion vs $1.14 billion expected. (More)

• Honeywell, one of the last major American industrial conglomerates, has announced it will split into three companies. This includes dividing its automation technology, aerospace, and advanced materials businesses into independent entities. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills unexpectedly won NFL MVP on Thursday, beating favorite Lamar Jackson. Allen made history as just the third player, after John Elway and Steve McNair, to win MVP without being named first-team All-Pro. (More)

• The NCAA announced that only athletes assigned female at birth can compete in women's sports. This follows Trump's executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from organizations allowing transgender athletes in women's sports. (More)

• The Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from Miami in a complex trade after Kevin Durant rejected a return to Golden State. The deal changed course when Durant chose not to leave Phoenix, where previous talks had planned to send Butler. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• A new Northwestern study found that juice cleanses, even short ones, may harm health. It shows that drinking only fruit and vegetable juices can change gut and mouth bacteria in ways linked to inflammation and brain decline. (More)

• Two studies published this week show that humans and whales have similar methods for sound-based communication. Scientists suggest this shows human language shares important features with other animals' communication systems rather than being unique. (More)

• Stanford and UW researchers created an AI model called s1 for less than $50 in computing costs. The model matches top AI systems in math and coding tests, and they've made all training materials publicly available online. (More)

Extra Credit

📷️ A badger admiring arts wins photo contest. 

🥚 Cook a perfect hard-boiled egg with science.

🎙️ Producer learns of Grammy win while delivering Amazon packages. 

🏠️ Mapped: Days of work to afford a monthly mortgage by state.