Week in 5: Jan 26-Feb 1, 2025

Feb 02, 2025

🇺🇸 U.S. News

A tragic midair collision near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night sent an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter into the Potomac River, claiming all 67 lives in the deadliest U.S. air crash in over two decades. Investigators are working to understand what went wrong as recovery efforts continue. The loss has left families and communities mourning, grappling with an unimaginable tragedy. AP
Days later a medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother, and four crew members crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood Friday evening, sparking a devastating fire. There are no confirmed survivors. Investigations are underway. AP
Trump orders Guantanamo Bay detention for undocumented immigrants, announcing plans to house up to 30,000 migrants at the facility. The move, revealed before signing the Laken Riley Act, directs Homeland Security and Defense officials to expand the Migrant Operations Center. With immigration courts backlogged and ICE detaining 38,000 people, critics warn of costly mass detention and legal challenges. Axios

Colombia avoided a trade war with the U.S. by agreeing to accept deported migrants on U.S. military flights after President Trump threatened 25% tariffs on Colombian exports. The dispute began when President Petro blocked two U.S. military planes carrying deportees, arguing they were treated inhumanely. After diplomatic talks, Petro reversed course, but U.S. visa restrictions on Colombian officials remain until the first flight lands. BBC
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has been indicted for rebellion after briefly imposing martial law on Dec. 3, a move that led to his arrest and could result in life in prison or the death penalty. He claimed it was necessary to counter opposition lawmakers, but it was overturned in six hours. The Constitutional Court will now decide whether to remove him from office, which would trigger a new election. AP
Hamas freed four Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners under a fragile ceasefire. The hostages, taken in Hamas' 2023 attack, were paraded before their release. Israel demands another hostage's return before easing restrictions. With more exchanges ahead, the ceasefire aims to ease the 15-month war. AP

”Strong as steel, light as foam” — scientists at the University of Toronto used AI and nano-3D printing to create an ultra-light, super-strong material. Built for aerospace and beyond, it could cut aircraft fuel use while maintaining durability. Designed in collaboration with KAIST and MIT, this breakthrough is revolutionizing materials science. Link
Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has shaken up the industry by releasing R1, a free, low-cost AI model that rivals top U.S. competitors. Unlike traditional models, DeepSeek used AI instead of human feedback for training, making development faster and cheaper. The release wiped $1 trillion from U.S. markets, pushed companies like OpenAI and Alibaba into action, and revealed that building advanced AI is easier than expected. With its methods now public, AI development could accelerate worldwide. Link
Heavy and recent cannabis use impairs working memory, according to the largest brain imaging study on the subject, published in JAMA Network Open. Scans of 1,000 young adults showed reduced brain activity in 63% of heavy users and 68% of recent users during memory tasks. Researchers found significant impairment in the prefrontal cortex, affecting decision-making and cognition. Link

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to their third straight Super Bowl after a hard-fought 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills. The game turned when Buffalo fell inches short on a crucial fourth-down play, allowing Kansas City to take the lead. A late field goal sealed the win, setting up a Super Bowl matchup against the Eagles on Feb. 9. CBS Sports
Dolly Parton’s autobiographical musical, Dolly: An Original Musical, debuts in Nashville this July ahead of a planned 2026 Broadway run. Directed by Bartlett Sher, the show blends Parton’s country roots with Broadway flair, featuring original songs and classics. Parton, co-writing with Maria Schlatter, aims to ensure her story is told her way. Variety
Sunday, February 2, 2025, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles, featuring performances by artists such as Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Shaboozey, while the NFL Pro Bowl Games will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, showcasing a flag football game and various skills competitions. NFL, Grammy

OpenAI suspects China’s DeepSeek illegally trained its AI models using OpenAI’s data, citing evidence of large-scale data exfiltration and distillation techniques that violate its terms of service. The Verge
The FDA has approved suzetrigine (Journavx),💊 the first non-opioid pain drug in 20 years, which targets a specific sodium channel to reduce moderate-to-severe pain without the addictive risks of opioids, showing promising trial results for acute pain but mixed outcomes for chronic pain. Time
President Trump’s administration is offering buyouts to all federal workers who resign by February 6, a move expected to cut the workforce by up to 10% and save billions, but critics argue it aims to replace career officials with political loyalists, weakening government expertise. Axios
Professional rope jumper and children’s book author David Fisher used his jump ropes to rescue an 18-year-old neighbor and his dog from an icy pond in Westfield, Indiana, earning recognition for his bravery from city officials. The Guardian
A 10-year-old deaf girl, Kendyl Pool, was "blown away" after receiving high-tech HearView caption glasses 👓 for her birthday, allowing her to "see" spoken words in real time, boosting her confidence, improving communication, and even helping her practice speaking by checking her pronunciation on the screen. Link

Thank you for reading. Have a great week!