Long Islanders unite! Get ready to get lost in Grand Central! Editor’s note: mentions of gun violence.

Happening in the World: Nine Palestinians have been killed during a West Bank air raid that the Israeli Military claims was to prevent Islamic Jihad militants from planning major attacks. The attack took place in the Jenin refugee camp, and wounded 20 people. Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said that ambulances were unable to reach the scene in time, as they were blocked by Israeli troops. At least 29 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this year, as frequent military operations persist. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Meta has announced that Donald Trump’s two year ban from Facebook and Instagram will be ending soon. Mr. Trump was originally banned for his support of the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021, which Meta says was an “extraordinary decision” in the face of a serious safety risk. However, Mr. Trump will now be under stricter scrutiny from Meta. His expressed reluctance to post on Facebook, combined with his contract with Truth Social that requires him to wait six hours before posting on any other social media platform, could make his return to social media unpredictable. (BBC)

Happening in NYC: After 55 years of planning, the MTA has brought the Grand Central Madison LIRR station to New York City. Governor Kathy Hochul was one of the first passengers on the train, and stated, “It’s been nearly 110 years to the day since the last major rail terminal [opened] in our state.” The new station was expected to open by the end of 2022, but was further delayed by air circulation maintenance. This delay is not the first—the day of opening, one of the escalators broke down, and the project has become increasingly expensive as one of the largest mass transit projects in US history. The first three weeks of service will only have one or two trains per hour to Jamaica Terminal, but full service will include 24 trains per hour, retail space on the platform, and mosaics by artists Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Ever wanted to code, but too scared to take CS classes at Columbia? Join Data Club at their first meeting of the semester for an Introduction to Python workshop. This event will cover code notebooks, data types in Python, conditionals, methods, and functions—the first step to becoming a “Pythonista”. This event will take place Thursday, January 26, from 4:30 to 6 pm, in the International Affairs Building, room 215, 420 West 118th Street. Contact Moacir P. de Sa Pereira at mpd2149@columbia.edu for more information.

El-Eye-Double-Ar via Wikimedia Commons