1.29.2018

We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below.
 

Bruno & Kendrick Win Big.
The 2018 Grammys were held last night at Madison Square Garden, with Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar dominating the ceremony. Mars won all seven categories that he was nominated in - including album, record, and song of the year - for 24K Magic, while Lamar picked up five awards including Best Rap Album (see full list of winners). Lamar also kicked things off with an opening performance that left the crowd buzzing. Jay-Z, who entered the night with eight nominations, went home empty handed. Critics of the awards pointed out that the winners were incredibly skewed towards men - the only woman to win the entire night was Alessia Cara for Best New Artist. Check out some of the funniest Twitter reactions to the awards here and see the top behind-the-scenes moments here. 

Devastating Bombing in Kabul.
A suicide bombing in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul killed at least 103 people and wounded 235 others over the weekend, according to officials. The explosives, packed inside an ambulance, were set off in a heavily secured area near government ministries - the attacker was able to speed through security checkpoints by saying he had a patient in need of emergency treatment. The attack by the Taliban, who claimed credit, caps a bloody week that included a siege at the city's Intercontinental Hotel the previous weekend that killed nearly 20. The Taliban violence (see background) has been made worse by an ongoing standoff between with Atta Mohammad Noor, a powerful provincial governor who refuses to resign, sapping the central government's time and energy. 

The US Economy Keeps Humming.
The US economy continues to pick up steam, with the gross domestic product (GDP) growing at an average annual rate of 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2017. The final numbers mean that US GDP - which measures the monetary value of all goods and services produced by a country - grew overall by 2.3% in 2017, surpassing 2016 growth of 1.5%. Stock markets have stayed on fire, with the Dow jumping 224 points on Friday (up 7.7% in 2018 alone), and small business optimism hit an all-time high last year. If you're like us and like to get nerdy with data, check out the World Bank's interactive database of GDP statistics. 
 

> Roger Federer defeats Marin Cilic to win Australian Open; sets record with 20th grand slam title (More)
> Three more women come forward to accuse Jeremy Piven of sexual misconduct (More)
> AFC mounts 17 point comeback to defeat NFC 24-23 in the NFL Pro Bowl (More)
 

> Artificial neurons, or brain-on-a-chip computers, shown to work faster than the human brain (More)
> Naked mole rats defy biological law of aging, risk of death does not increase with age (More)
> Botulism-like toxin unexpectedly jumps to common gut bacteria, could worsen multi-drug-resistant infections (More)
 

> US Venture Capital funding tops $67B in 2017, record high year (More)
> Saudi billionaire and leading businessman Prince Alwaleed released following 2-month corruption probe (More)
> IKEA Founder Ingvar Kamprad dies at 91 in Sweden (More)
 

> Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) fires Chief of Staff over improper relations with a subordinate (More)
> Republican National Committee finance chair and casino mogul resigns over sexual misconduct charges (More) | Hillary Clinton reportedly shielded top campaign aide from similar charges, behavior continued (More)
> Reports say White House considering nationalizing next-generation 5G wireless network to counter foreign spying (More)

130 years of National Geographic covers in a two-minute time lapse.

Elon Musk shows off Boring Company's new flamethrower. 

Photographer recreates 'then and now' photos with college friends 17 years later. 

Illinois proposes law banning children under 12 from tackle football. 

Discounted chocolate-hazelnut spread sparks Nutella riots in France. 

Ford files a patent for a self-driving police car. 

See newly released maps of the undersea cable networks that keep the internet alive. 

All the bad things the World Economic Forum says we should worry about. 
 
Clickbait: Online fitness app gives away locations of secret US bases (to be honest, the company's global heatmap is pretty cool). 

Historybook: HBD Thomas Paine (1737); HBD William McKinley (1843); Baseball Hall of Fame announces first inductees (1936); HBD Oprah Winfrey (1954); RIP Robert Frost (1963).

"FREEDOM LIES IN BEING BOLD."
-Robert Frost
 

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