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It’s Groundhog Day,

Watch out for the first step, it’s a doozie.

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his own shadow (as he has the last 3 years), legend says we’ll have six more weeks of winter. No shadow = early spring!

But Phil is right only about 40% of the time (which means a coin toss would actually be more accurate). Want a more reliable groundhog? Look to Staten Island’s Chuck, who claims an 80% accuracy rate.

Click over to our Instagram for the results after 7 a.m. ET.

Have a good weekend,

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

📌 US PLAN IN MOTION TO COUNTER-STRIKE

After days of wondering how the US would respond to the drone attack that killed three US service members and wounded 40+ in Jordan on Sunday, a plan has been approved to strike Iranian forces and facilities in Iraq and Syria over a span of several days.

At the same time, Iran is distancing itself from the proxy groups it finances and arms in an effort to avoid direct conflict with the US.

PLAN OF ATTACK
US officials say the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of terror groups that includes the group Kataib Hezbollah, was behind Sunday’s fatal strike on the Tower 22 base in Jordan. It was one of over 160 attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups on US targets in the Middle East over the last three months.

On Wednesday, Kataib Hezbollah based in Iraq said they won’t attack US troops anymore to avoid embarrassing the Iraqi government. And since then, there have not been any against the US in the region. But US officials say the move won’t change the US counterattack.

• US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday ”it’s time to take away even more capability than we’ve taken in the past” and that the US is going to protect its troops.

• Iran has denied involvement and knowledge of the attack, but Austin said how much the country knew “really doesn’t matter because Iran sponsors these groups.”

• The timing for the US’s multi-day response attacks will depend on the weather conditions to ensure visibility and prevent civilian casualties — the US wants to avoid expanding this conflict.

• In anticipation of the response, Iranian facilities in Iraq and Syria are clearing out. [The US delay and transparency here appears to be intended to de-escalate things. Giving Iran a heads up on an attack they already know is inevitable (after they helped cause the death of 3 Americans), lessens the blow and decreases the chance for more escalation.]

IRAN’S RESPONSE
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, reportedly told senior officials to distance the country from the proxy groups it funds and to not get into direct war with the US. But if the US strikes, then he said to hit back.

• “We will not leave any threat unanswered,” said Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards Corps.

  • He added they they don’t want war, but will not run away from it.

NOT SO LONG AGO
Under former President Trump, US forces killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a strike at a Baghdad airport in 2020. Trump said Soleimani was planning attacks against Americans.

• Tehran responded by targeting a U.S. air base in Iraq housing troops, but no one was killed. War fears quickly subsided days later.

💰 COURT STRIKES MUSK’S $56 BILLION PAYDAY

A Delaware judge this week struck down Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s massive $56 billion compensation package, saying that did not prove that the amount was “fair.”

Now Musk has to return stock options he’s received as part of that deal over the past five years. It’s a blow to the world’s richest man, who could soon drop to #3 on the world’s wealthiest list.

The judge, Delaware Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, wrote in the 201-page ruling that Musk had close ties to the people who negotiated on Tesla’s behalf, making the process “deeply flawed.”

ALL THAT DOUGH
In 2018, Musk agreed to lead Tesla for a decade, and the company agreed to pay him 20.3 million stock options if he delivered on a dozen major milestones — one being getting Tesla's market value to $650 billion. He achieved on all 12 goals.

• It was the largest compensation package for a CEO of a publicly traded company in history, and made him the world’s richest man. The package was the equivalent to the compensation for the top 200 CEOs in the world x 6.

  • That $$ helped him buy Twitter (X).

• But shortly after the 2018 deal, a shareholder named Richard Tornetta said ‘hold up.’ Even though Tornetta only held nine shares, he filed the lawsuit against Musk and Tesla to cancel the deal saying it was too much and that the company’s board “breached its fiduciary duty in approving it.”

THICK AS THIEVES
The judge found Musk to have "thick ties” with board members who approved the pay package. She says there was no “meaningful negotiation over any of the terms of the plan." [Translation: he made the deal with himself.]

• That lack of board independence could have passed without a problem if Tesla had disclosed it to shareholders, Axios reports.

Next steps: Musk can appeal the ruling. And Tesla might have a new compensation package ready for Musk. In the meantime, he took to X to poll followers on incorporating Tesla in Texas instead of Delaware.

🔬 WHY 80% OF AUTOIMMUNE PATIENTS ARE WOMEN

Scientists uncovered a clue into why 4 out of 5 autoimmune patients are women. In a new study published Thursday, the molecule called Xist, only found in women, was linked to autoimmune diseases.

THE BODY ATTACKS
50 million Americans have an autoimmune disease. That includes more than 100 ailments, like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, that turn the body’s immune system against the person — producing autoantibodies that attack healthy cells.

• For many, treatment is limited and the diseases need to be managed throughout their lives.

• Bacteria, viruses, hormones, among other environmental factors can trigger an autoimmune response in a person who already has a genetic predisposition to developing an autoimmune disease.

THOSE X CHROMOSOMES
Here’s the break down: Females have XX chromosomes while males have XY. The role of the chromosomes are to carry info to cells, which make proteins, and keep the body strong. Xist deactivates one of women’s two X chromosomes to limit excessive protein production. That role is necessary.

• However, during their study of mice, scientists found that during this process, Xist also generates strange “complexes” that are linked to autoimmune diseases.

• Xist alone won’t cause an autoimmune disease, but in some people, those Xist “complexes” produce the attacking autoantibodies.

Next steps will be seeing if these findings can improve testing and treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin apologized to the nation for the lack of transparency (MO NEWS)

📌 Trump campaign donors footed the bill for more than $50M in legal fees last year (AXIOS)

📌 California braces for heavy rain and flooding from back-to-back 'pineapple express' storms (CNBC)

📌 Firm announces $25M settlement over role in Flint, Michigan, lead-tainted water crisis (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Biden issues executive order targeting Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians (MO NEWS)

📌 The E.U. agrees on a new $54 billion aid package for Ukraine as US aid hung up in Congress (NBC NEWS)

📌 Nearly 8 million people have been displaced by war in Sudan (ABC NEWS)

📌 France’s 2 key farmers unions suspend protests after the government offers new measures (AP)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Peloton shares plunge 20% as turnaround plan garners mixed results (CNN)

📌 Sea otters' insatiable appetites help limit coastal erosion (AXIOS)

📌 OxyContin marketer agrees to pay $350M rather than face lawsuits (ABC NEWS)

📌 New cancer cases to increase 77% by 2050, WHO estimates (CBS NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Larry David attacks Elmo on live TV during Today Show (USA TODAY)

📌 TikTok says they’ve removed all music from UMG artists, including Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift (NPR)

📌 Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari next year (NBC NEWS)

📌 Justin Timberlake declares he'll be apologizing to 'absolutely f**king nobody' at NYC concert, Britney takes back apology (ET)

📌 Caitlin Clark's quest to break Division I women's scoring record, currently at No. 2 (YAHOO SPORTS)

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🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN’ WKND

• What we’re watching: Jill: Denial; Mosheh: ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ final season premiere; Grammy Awards at 8pm ET Sunday on CBS.

• What we’re reading: Jill: ‘Mean Girls’ Has Lost Its Bite. Girls Haven’t. ~ Jessica Bennet; Mosheh: The Big Fail ~ Joe Nocera & Bethany McLean.

• What we’re eating: Mosheh: Sumo oranges; Girl Scouts’ Thin Mints. Jill: ‘Secret’ Long Island Fruit shop