• ☝️ Cities, states, and institutions across America observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday with parades, marches, job fairs, and other events aimed at honoring Dr. King’s legacy.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🪙 Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $109,241 ahead of Trump’s inauguration; the crypto was trading at ~$103,700 as of 4:25 pm ET Monday.
• 🚫 18,000+ Costco workers voted to authorize a strike when their contract expires on January 31.
• 📝 Mark Uyeda, a Republican member of the SEC, was tapped by President Trump to lead the agency.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Kanguro

• 🏆 CFB National Championship: ___ beat ____ to take home this year’s title. | 🏈 NFL Playoffs: The Commanders, Eagles, Bills, and Chiefs advanced; see the full playoff picture. | 🏀 Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league, made its debut on Friday.
• 🍿 Disney’s Mufasa topped the weekend box office with $15.5 million; it’s the lowest #1 for MLK weekend in 30 years.
• 📰 Apple suspended its AI-powered news notifications over inaccurate summaries of headlines and stories.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🦠💉 Natural weight loss drug? Researchers discovered a natural process that boosts the body’s natural production of the GLP-1 hormone in a similar fashion to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
• 🦧 Chimpanzees experience contagious urination, similar to contagious yawns among humans, per a new study.
• 🚫🚀 SpaceX’s Starship has been grounded by the FAA pending an investigation into last Thursday’s midflight explosion, which reportedly caused property damage in the Caribbean.

MISCELLANEOUS

in partnership with Pique Life

• 🥶 220+ million Americans are currently shivering; freezing temps and snowfall are expected across the US – including southern states – through Wednesday.
• 🤝 The Israel-Hamas ceasefire began in Gaza Sunday morning after an initial three-hour delay; both sides officially agreed to stop fighting for 42 days.
• 🏛️ Vivek Ramaswamy is getting out of DOGE: The biotech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate is reportedly leaving the Trump admin’s new cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency to run for governor of Ohio; Elon Musk will lead DOGE alone. | ✍️ President Biden issued a slew of last-minute preemptive pardons before leaving office yesterday, with recipients including five members of Biden’s family, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and General Mark Milley. | ✍️ President Trump issued full pardons to nearly all 1,500+ defendants involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol; he also commuted the sentences of six others.

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CLICKBAIT

• 🤔🍃 Do bay leaves actually add flavor, or is it all a con?