Impeachment Update

On Friday, President Trump hired famed lawyers Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz for his legal defense team. On Saturday, the president’s team of lawyers submitted a six-page letter as their first formal response to the summons notifying the president of the Senate impeachment trial.

Harry & Meghan’s Royal Break

On Sunday, the British royal family announced that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, would no longer be using their “His/Her Royal Highness” (HRH) titles, and will not receive public funds for royal duties. The couple will retain the title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but will no longer formally represent the Queen and her interests.

Chris Collins Sentenced

Former U.S. Representative Chris Collins (R-NY) was sentenced to 26 months in prison and fined $200,000 on Friday after pleading guilty to taking part in an insider trading scheme. Collins was convicted of passing illicit stock tips to his son after learning the results of a failed drug trial.

Year of the Dragon

SpaceX successfully completed a crucial safety test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft yesterday. The test launch occurred without a crew on board and was intentionally cut short by triggering the In-Flight-Abort system, which performed as intended. The first SpaceX launch - crewed by NASA astronauts - will likely take place in the second quarter of this year.

Lend a Hand

According to the WSJ ($), Amazon is creating checkout terminals that allow consumers to connect their credit card information to their own unique handprint. The company previously filed a patent for a biometric identification system that features a hand scanner.

The Fox and the Mouse

Disney is reportedly phasing out the name “Fox” from newly-purchased 20th Century Fox - the film studio will be rebranded to simply “20th Century Studio.” In other box office news, Sony’s Bad Boys For Life grossed $59.1 million in its domestic debut over the weekend, setting the record for the highest opening of any new release in January.

Off the Weight List

Any parent will tell you that they’d give an arm and a leg just to help their child. But when New Yorker Sean Kelley’s baby son Sawyer was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome, he needed a liver, not a limb. Sean’s wife was ruled out as a donor since she also has Alagille syndrome, and at first, Sean too was automatically disqualified due to his weight.

Determined, Sean hit the gym, corrected his diet, and lost 30 lbs in just a few short months - quickly reaching a healthy weight to be able to donate to his son. The transplant surgery was performed on Dec. 19, giving Sawyer the much-needed strength to fight off infections. On the back of his father’s incredible will power and love, Sawyer received the wonderful gift of life.

Sweet Dreams

Great ideas can strike a person at any age - just ask CEO and entrepreneur Alina Morse. Alina was running errands with her father when a bank teller offered the precocious 9-year-old a lollipop, which she politely declined due to the unhealthy consequences of sugar. In that instant, Alina was struck by an idea - what if she could create candy that was actually good for teeth?

Researching ingredients, speaking with her dentist, and trying out different recipes led Alina to discover the sweet taste of Zylitol, a sugar substitute that actually cleans teeth. Alina created Zollipops a short time later, and at 13 years old became the youngest person to ever grace the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine. Alina’s success was born not only of her innovation, but of her desire to help other kids feel happy and healthy, making this story a very sweet reason to smile.