Iran Discovers New Oil

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced the discovery of an oil field in southern Iran containing more than 50 billion gallons of crude oil, which would increase the country’s reserves by a third. Since the United States left the Iran nuclear deal, the nation’s oil output has greatly decreased due to sanctions imposed by the U.S.

ISIS Militants Repatriated

Turkey began sending captured foreign Islamic State militants back to their home countries yesterday. According to the Turkish government, 1,200 ISIS fighters are imprisoned in Turkey - including one American - and just under 300 militants were captured in Syria.

GOP Rep. to Retire

Rep. Peter King (NY-R) said in a statement Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2020. The 14-term congressman’s announcement places him alongside other Republican lawmakers who are not running for reelection next year.

Collect Call

Per a WSJ report, Google is collecting the personal health data of millions of Americans in an initiative dubbed “Project Nightingale,” which began in secret last year in conjunction with Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the United States. The report alleges that neither patients nor doctors have been notified of the collection - in response, Google issued a release saying the initiative is compliant with federal health law.

Launch Party

SpaceX successfully launched 60 production satellites yesterday as part of the company’s Starlink initiative, a plan to provide comprehensive global internet access via a constellation of thousands of small satellites. The flight marked the first instance of a rocket launched using a previously flown fairing (a structure that reduces drag), an innovation that CEO Elon Musk estimated could save SpaceX around $6 million per launch.

Private Practice

As first reported by Bloomberg, Walgreens has received a formal offer from investment firm KKR to take the company private - shares of the retail pharmacy rose 5% Monday in response to the report. Walgreens has a market value of about $56 billion, which could make the deal the largest leveraged buyout in history.

Put to the test

According to a letter made public Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration considered grounding 38 Southwest Airlines planes last month over a lack of safety and repair documentation. Southwest said in a statement that it has a plan in place to inspect and test the aircraft by the end of January, five months earlier than the FAA’s initial deadline.

Get the message

A new baby is an exciting event for the entire family. So in the weeks leading up to the birth of his second child, Zach Garrett recognized the value of keeping everyone up to date. His grandmother created a group chat for baby news and added the numbers of loved ones – along with what turned out to be an old number of Zach’s.

As Bobby Watson of Malvern, Arkansas, the new owner of Zach’s old number, watched the conversation progress, he assumed they were updates from one of his family members - also named Zach. Bobby finally realized they weren’t related when Zach texted his grandmother a picture of his wife Sierra in the hospital.

Bobby decided to insert himself into the conversation in a memorable way. He snapped a selfie and sent it to the group along with a message of congratulations, and even asked Zach for his Cash App info to chip in $50 for some diapers. Zach was touched by the exchange and shared it on Facebook, where his generous followers contributed an additional $700 to the diaper fund. Said Zach, “[It] shows no matter race or gender people can be good to one another.”

Through the roof

Jeanette MacDonald of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia is a proud woman. That’s why she was hesitant to accept the help of a stranger who offered to fix her roof for free. Jeremy Locke is the kindhearted owner of a roofing and construction company who drove by her house frequently and noticed it was in dire need of repair. Locke told CBC-News,  "I had it in my mind that if no one steps up to help this lady in our community, I'd be more than happy to.”

When Locke extended the offer to fix her roof, MacDonald, who lives in the home with her four grandsons, said no, saying she wasn’t apt to take anything for free. So Locke tricked her into buying a fake raffle ticket eligible for “free roofing service.” Once she purchased the ticket, Locke told her she’d already won.

Locke is expected to start work this week, and will cover the entire cost of material and manpower to complete the job, a value of approximately $9,000. He says he felt compelled because MacDonald reminded him of his grandmother, who raised him as a child. Jeanette can’t thank Locke enough, calling him her guardian angel. “There’s nobody out there like him,” she said.