Fast, Digestible News

   Two years ago, a 5 year old girl named Alexa Linboom died at a hospital in Tennessee after her parents forced her to drink massive amounts of water and soda.    The 5 year old took a grape soda that belonged to her step-mom, so she was forced to drink large quantities of soda and water as a punishment. Linboom later died of fluid/water intoxication.    Her parents, Randall and Mary Vaughn, are being charged with first degree murder in addition to three counts of child abuse/negligence related charges.

   The first gold medal was won by American Sage Kotsenburg. Kotsenburg won the gold medal in a new event called men's slopestyle snowboarding. He won it with a trick he claims to have never done before. 

   The new Google logo design for today is not one to be taken lightly. Google's homepage shows a rainbow picture of different figures participating in winter sports.    After anti-gay controversy surrounding the Russian government, who is also hosting the Olympic games, Google made a clear public statement in a form of a Google Doodle.    On the bottom of the homepage, Google placed a quote.    "The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." –Olympic Charter http://www.google.com/

   A man attempted to jump the White House fence earlier today.    The man was arrested and was carrying two bags with him according to an interview with a secret service representative by  CNN .    More on this story as it develops.  

   A Pegasus Airlines flight heading to Turkey was stopped mid-flight by a potential terrorist who wanted the plane to arrive in Sochi instead according to Turkey officials.    Sochi, of course, is the place where the 2014 Winter Olympics are being hosted.    The terrorist claimed that he had a bomb on board.    Pilots of the flight still landed in Turkey and nobody has been harmed in the incident

   You can watch the 2014 Olympics in Sochi live on your computer at  http://stream.nbcolympics.com/live-extra/ .    NBC has decided to also stream the events right to your iPhone using their app. You can download the app here .    You can watch the opening ceremony at 11:00 AM ET today.

   One day before the opening ceremony, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi has begun.    Two figure skating events, two snowboarding events and one freestyle skiing event has taken place today in Sochi.    The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will begin at 11:00 AM ET on Friday.

   Due to the extreme weather conditions, Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for all of New York state.    The storm, which has canceled more than 2700 airline flights and left nearly a million homes without power, has hit 10 states.    Schools across New York are canceled and many people are left without power and heat.

   UN watchdog for child abuse released a statement saying all clergy men who are known or suspected of child abuse should be removed immediately.    The Vatican responded by saying the report will be looked into. 

   According to CNN , New York City police have four suspects in custody suspected of making/distributing the heroin that killed Philip Seymour Hoffman.    Police also told CNN that they recovered 350 bags of what is believed to be heroin during the investigation.

   Starting on September first, drugstore chain CVS will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco related products.     The refusal to sell tobacco products was announced earlier today. CVS hopes the ban will keep children and teenagers away from being introduced to tobacco.

Bill Nye defended the theory of evolution in a debate. You can watch the debate in its entirety here.

   Keith Vidal, a teenager suffering from schizophrenia, was shot and killed by a police officer on January 5th.    Police were responding to a 911 call that was made when Vidal started to act hostile to his mother. When the police arrived at the house Vidal was in, they attempted to calm Vidal down. Another police officer, Bryon Vassey, showed up at the scene and fatally shot Vidal, as he felt he was a threat to one of his officers.    Vassey was indicted of voluntary manslaughter, and $50,000 bail has been posted.

   The United States passed a trillion dollar bill today. The bill is aimed to help cut food stamp costs and increase the cost on farmers markets.     The bill will be in effect for the next five years. 

   Technology giant Microsoft reported that Bill Gates is to step down as chairman for the company. Mr Gates will still be involved in the company as technology advisor. Former lead independent director John Thompson will take over for Mr Gates. Also Satya Nadella will succeed Steve Ballmer as its next chief executive.  

   The teacher who was accused of molesting a child by an ex-student via a viral YouTube video has been charged with 16 felonies.    The YouTube video, which you can watch here , shows a woman calling her teacher and asking her why she molested her.     The teacher has since been fired from the school she taught it.

Earlier this morning executors of the late Nelson Mendela released details about his will. President Mendela's estate was worth 46m rand or 4.13m USD. Half of the estate is set to go to his third wife,  Graca Machel. Reports say she is expected to waive her share of the estate. President Nelson Mendela passed away at 95. 

   Right after the Super Bowl, a commercial aired by the company Esurance which stated that if you tweeted using the hashtag #EsuranceSave30, then you could win 1.5 million dollars. Twitter users are more than excited to enter their name into the raffle.    With more tweets with the hashtag coming in every second, it is safe to say Esurance's advertising campaign is successful.    This article will be updated when the winner is announced.

   Joan Mondale, wife of former vice president Walter Mondale, died today at 83.    Mondale died of natural causes. Walter Mondale released a statement saying he is grateful for the love and support him and his family has received, and that Joan was loved by many.

   Michael David Elliot, convicted in 1994 for four counts of murder, escaped jail on Sunday and is still at large.     Eliot escaped a Michigan prison and kidnapped a woman. The woman was released by Eliot, and she is working with police to help track him down.      Police are still searching for the convict.  UPDATE: Elliot has been reportingly captured by police in Indiana. 

  View the original tweet here.    During last nights big game, Hillary Clinton tweeted "It's so much more fun to watch FOX when it's someone else being blitzed & sacked! #SuperBowl"    The former first lady and former secretary of state appears to have been frustrated by the way the news station portrayed her in the past and decided to poke a little fun at them.    Fox has yet to respond to Clinton's tweet.  

    The Seahawks destroyed the Denver Broncos, with a final score of 43-8.    Broncos scored their only touchdown during Q3 of the game. The Seahawks shut down the Broncos throughout the match with fumble turnovers and interceptions. The terrific defense by the Seahawks is what made the team champions of the 2014 Super Bowl.

   The 2014 Super Bowl has started and millions have turned in to watch the big game. This article will be updated as the game continues.     Bruno Mars and The Red Hot Chili Peppers are performing during the half-time show.  Final Score:  SEA: 43 DEN: 8

   The 10th Puppy Bowl is airing today on Animal Planet.    The Puppy Bowl is a Super Bowl alternative for animal lovers. Dogs from around the country compete in a game that loosely resembles American football, complete with a half-time show (which includes a bunch of cats) and play-by-play narration.    You can watch clips of the Puppy Bowl online here  and watch the actual event on Animal Planet starting at 3:00 PM.

    In addition to being able to watch with your smartphone/tablet , you can also watch the Super Bowl online at  http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsportsgo/ .    The service by Fox is free for today only.

   Phil, the weather predicting groundhog, saw his shadow this morning. Because the groundhog saw his shadow, it means we will have six more weeks of winter according to the popular legend.

   As the conflict in Syria continues, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that 136,227 people have died by the end of January.    Millions have also been injured.    Car bombs, shootouts and other brutal, deadly acts of violence have been occurring throughout the recent months in the country.    The situation keeps getting worse for Syria and the death toll continues to rise.

   Viktor Yanukovych, president of Ukraine, is to return back to duty after taking a sick leave on Thursday.    Ukraine has had its streets packed with protesters since November, and it doesn't look like they will be clearing anytime soon.    Yanukovych refuses to put the country in a State of Emergency. Reports of torture and multiple deaths have occurred since the protests started.    Yanukovych says he is feeling better since taking his sick leave. He will return back to work on Monday.

During the week of 1/26-2/2:  NSA spies on you as you play Angry Birds Colorado teenager sets himself on fire at school BitInstant CEO arrerested Obama promises end of war Feds seek death penalty for Boston Bomber 3 year old shot in the head  Volcano erupts  Click on any of the stories to read more.