Presidential primaries, NFL playoffs, and ranch dressing chapstick.

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Big Stories

Pro-life supporters gather in D.C. for annual rally

Thousands of anti-abortion activists gathered for the 51st annual March for Life on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

• Despite cold temperatures and heavy snowfall, participants marched past the US Capitol and Supreme Court on Friday, carrying signs with anti-abortion slogans.

• After the Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the decision regarding abortion rights access fell to respective states. Since then, more than a dozen states have either partially or completely banned abortions.

• Many anti-abortion activists aim to influence state laws to further restrict abortion access, acknowledging that the fight has shifted from a national to a state level. However, when states — like Ohio — have put abortion access up for a vote, pro-life supporters have lost. Others still hope that the federal government will create a binding resolution to restrict abortion nationwide.

Scientists map massive deep-sea coral reef

Scientists have mapped the largest known deep-sea coral reef off the US Atlantic coast.

• The reef stretches nearly 310 miles from Florida to South Carolina and is 68 miles wide in some areas — a total area nearly 3 times the size of Yellowstone National Park. Unlike tropical coral reefs, it exists in areas where sunlight doesn't reach, and coral at this depth relies on filtering food particles from the water for energy.

• The deep coral reef is a habitat for various marine life, including sharks, swordfish, sea stars, octopuses, and shrimp. Scientists emphasize the need to explore and understand deep-sea reefs, as they cover more of the ocean floor than tropical reefs.

• The study also suggests that more extensive deep-sea reefs might exist, considering that only about 25% of the world's ocean floor has been mapped in high resolution.

Lots of drama leading up to 2024 presidential primaries

President Biden's name won’t be on the ballot for the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire, leading to a unique situation where voters can only support him through write-in votes.

• The clash between the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and New Hampshire legislators arose from the DNC's approval of a primary calendar designed to prioritize states with racially diverse populations. New Hampshire didn’t want to give up its first-in-the-nation status to South Carolina and ignored the new calendar.

• In response, President Biden removed his name from the ballot because New Hampshire refused to follow the DNC’s new rules. Additionally, the DNC will not be awarding any delegates from the Jan. 23 results, which means a victory during the vote will be purely symbolic. The Republican primary in New Hampshire will still be held on Jan. 23, while the official Democratic primary will be held on Feb. 3.

• Meanwhile, Republican candidates Nikki Haley and Donald Trump continue to attack each other heading into Tuesday’s primary as the stakes rise. Trump is looking to finish off Haley and virtually seal the Republican nomination before the race heads to Haley’s home state of South Carolina where she could gain momentum by winning.

Little Stories

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump just before the New Hampshire primary. Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are now the main candidates in the race. (More)

• NASA curators at the Johnson Space Center in Houston successfully opened a canister containing asteroid dust from the 4.6 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu. It took the team four months to access some of the samples due to stuck fasteners. (More)

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty after discussions with President Joe Biden on Gaza's future. Netanyahu emphasized that full Israeli security control over the territory west of Jordan, including Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, is non-negotiable. (More)

• The Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Bucs 31-23 to advance to the NFC Championship where they will face the 49ers. The Lions now have two wins this postseason after only having one in the previous 65 seasons combined. (More) ~ Later, Kansas City hung on to win 27-24 after Buffalo missed a game-tying field goal at the end of the game. The Chiefs will play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship. (More)

• Japan successfully landed an explorer robot on the moon, becoming the fifth country to do so. The achievement comes after a previous attempt by a private Japanese space company failed last year. (More)

• The S&P 500 index closed at a new record high on Friday, reaching 4,839.81, surpassing its previous high from January 3, 2022. The surge was driven by a rise in tech stocks and expectations that the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates this year. (More)

Extra Credit

Airlines with the most legroom in economy seats.

A Louisiana gardener grew a 45-pound cabbage.

How the US transports its nuclear weapons.

Attention Hidden Valley Ranch lovers: Your favorite condiment is now a lib balm flavor.