Trump wins caucuses, MLK day, and double dipping germs.

Adam Rogers
January 16, 2024

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Big Stories

Former President Donald Trump convincingly won the Iowa caucuses.

With 97% of the expected vote counted Monday night, Trump led with 51%, while DeSantis had 21% and Haley 18%. Many news outlets announced Trump as the winner with roughly 5% of the vote counted. The previous largest margin of victory in Iowa Republican caucuses was 12.8% in 1988.
Iowa's caucus differs from a typical election as voters assemble in person, participate in small groups, listen to campaign speeches, and then cast secret ballots. Turnout for this year’s caucus wasn’t as strong because a -45° windchill was recorded in parts of the state.
DeSantis and Haley both hoped for stronger second-place finishes in Iowa to convince supporters and donors that they could compete with Trump. Next up are the New Hampshire Primaries on January 23 where Republicans will choose their nominee. Haley has gained some ground on Trump in the state’s polls, while DeSantis has fallen off.

The Washington attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Kroger and Albertsons, seeking to block their $24.6 billion merger.

The two grocery giants are the industry's first and second-largest players. Together they own over 5,000 stores and employ about 720,000 people.
Kroger and Albertsons claim they need to merge to compete with nontraditional rivals like Amazon, Costco, and Walmart. However, the attorney general argues that the merger would eliminate competition, leading to fewer choices and higher prices for consumers.
The Federal Trade Commission has been reviewing the deal for over a year, and state officials have expressed worries about reduced options for shoppers, farmers, and workers. The merger faces further scrutiny as antitrust experts push for stricter examination of megadeals in the Biden administration.

OpenAI is gearing up for worldwide elections in 2024 with new policies and tools to fight misinformation and abuse.

2024 is one of the biggest election years in history — over 50 countries globally have high-stakes races. It’s also the first major election cycle that generative AI tools will be widely available to voters, politicians, and campaign teams.
OpenAI will begin using authenticity programs to check news and images to ensure users get high-quality information during the election. They're also trying new tools to spot fake images and working with nonpartisan groups to direct users to trustworthy details about voting in the U.S.
OpenAI is still figuring out how well its new technology works for convincing people to participate in elections. To prevent misuse, they don’t let others create apps for political campaigns or make chatbots that act like real candidates. Also, they don't allow apps that discourage people from taking part in the voting process.
Nonetheless, things can change quickly. For example, last week OpenAI deleted language from its policies that outlawed the use of its platform for military purposes.

Communities celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with various activities, including a commemorative service in Atlanta where speakers addressed the tense political climate. Social and political leaders across the country including Bernice King, touched on the hot-button issues while encouraging people to use their voice by voting. (More)

Sunday marked 100 days since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas where 1,200 people were killed, and about 240 people were taken hostage — 130 of whom are still held captive. Since then, Israel's bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza has killed 23,900 Palestinians. See 100 days of the war in photos here.

Molten lava from a volcano in Iceland has swallowed several homes in the town of Grindavik. No one was hurt during the flow. The volcano erupted for a second time in a month on Sunday but is believed to be calming down. (More)

A missile from the Houthi militant group hit a cargo ship owned and operated by the US in the Red Sea. This marks the first successful strike by the Houthis on a US-owned or operated ship, increasing tensions in the region after the US warned that they would retaliate against further Houthi attacks. (More)

Subfreezing temperatures ripped across the U.S. over the weekend, causing four deaths, power outages, and disrupting an NFL playoff game. Around 95 million people received weather warnings for wind chills below 0°. (More)

Martin Luther King Jr.’s most influential speeches.

Does double dipping really spread germs?

This drug could help regrow lost teeth.

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