Tax credit deal, monkey clone, and airport basketball.

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Big Stories

Half-million children will be lifted out of poverty with new tax credit deal

Congressional committee chairs reached a deal to expand the federal child tax credit.

• The expansion, if approved, could benefit around half a million kids, lifting them out of poverty, and making around 5 million more less poor. The proposal focuses on lower-income households although it won't bring back the monthly checks from 2021.

• Right now, parents can get a tax credit of up to $2,000 for each child depending on their income bracket. But if you're a lower-income parent and don't owe taxes, you can't get that full amount as a cash refund. A single parent with two kids needs to earn at least $28,000 a year to get the full credit, and a married couple needs more than $35,00

• The new tax deal increases the refundable amount of the credit for lower-income families to the full $2,000 per child over three years. Additionally, it removes a rule that effectively penalized lower-income families with more than one child. The expansion will cost an extra $33 billion.

Scientists clone rhesus monkey for the first time.

Scientists have successfully cloned a rhesus monkey in a lab for the first time, and it has lived for more than two years.

• In 1996, Dolly the sheep was the first successfully cloned mammal. Scientists used a method to create Dolly called somatic cell nuclear transfer — a process where they built an unfertilized egg by combining a somatic cell nucleus (the center of a nonreproductive cell) with an egg that had its nucleus removed. Since then, scientists have cloned many mammalian species, but only a tiny portion have been capable of life.

• The team tried to make copies of rhesus monkeys with the SCNT method but noticed a problem with the outer part that forms the placenta in the early cloned embryos. To fix this, they did something called inner cell mass transplantation. This involved putting inner cells from the clone into an embryo that wasn't cloned, which helped the clone receive nutrients and grow normally. Rhesus monkeys are typically used in medical research because their physiology is similar to humans.

• Animal rights groups have raised concerns about the potential pain and distress caused when animals are cloned. And while some scientists see the benefits to patients outweighing the suffering to animals, others believe the success rate is still too low to make it worth it.

Spirit Airlines and JetBlue merger blocked

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked JetBlue's $3.8 billion takeover of Spirit Airlines, agreeing with the US Justice Department that the deal would harm competition.

• The decision is a significant setback for JetBlue, the sixth-largest US airline, and its incoming CEO Joanna Geraghty. JetBlue must now find an alternative way to expand its business on the East Coast without as many premium seats as its larger competitors.

• The judge emphasized that the decision was based on preserving competition. Following the news, JetBlue shares initially rose around 12%, but later gave back some gains, while Spirit's stock dropped more than 50%.

• The ruling raises questions about the viability of other proposed deals, including Alaska Air's planned acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines. Spirit's future is also uncertain, as it has faced financial challenges amid rising operating costs and supply chain problems.

Little Stories

• ABC News canceled the New Hampshire primary debate after Nikki Haley stated she wouldn't participate unless former President Trump also joined. Trump, who won the Iowa caucuses, has avoided all of the Republican primary debates. The deadline for Haley and Trump to confirm attendance at the ABC News debate was Tuesday afternoon. (More)

• Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched ballistic missiles at an alleged Mossad spy base in northern Iraq and targeted "anti-Iran terror groups" in Syria. The US criticized the strikes as "reckless" and imprecise. Iran claimed the attack in Iraq was in response to alleged Israeli actions causing casualties among Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders. (More)

• Elon Musk said he is unwilling to grow Tesla’s influence in artificial intelligence and robotics without at least 25% voting control, almost double his current stake. Musk mentioned on social media that he wants stock in Tesla that gives him influence but allows for potential challenges, or else he would consider building AI products outside the company. (More)

• A woman named Kellye Croft has filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles, alleging that New York Knicks owner James Dolan sexually assaulted her a decade ago. Croft claims that Dolan used his influence to manipulate and pressure her into submitting to sex. The lawsuit also accuses Dolan of setting her up to be molested by imprisoned film producer Harvey Weinstein. (More)

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured President Zelenskyy of further US support for Ukraine during their meeting at the World Economic Forum. Despite facing challenges in Congress to approve a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, Blinken said the US will continue to work towards a funding agreement. (More)

• Israel and Hamas have agreed to a deal to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. As part of the agreement, medicines will be provided to hostages held by Hamas, and in return, Israel will permit the entry of additional basic supplies into Gaza. (More)

Extra Credit

Women now make up a majority of associates in US law firms.

A rare white penguin has been discovered in Antarctica.

Indianapolis International Airport installed a full-length basketball in the middle of a terminal.

The population of US states compared with countries.