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January 20, 2013 | | DOLLARS The big-money, big-name donors from Obama’s first inauguration have disappeared – as has most of his fundraising transparency. The Daily Beast’s Lauren Streib on the murky money trail. RED PLANET NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has found white veins of minerals in rocks, which were likely created by water flowing through fissures in the rocks. Yellowknife Bay, the area Curiosity is currently exploring “is literally shot through with these fractures,” according to one geologist. Curiosity also found many berry-shaped spherules that scientists say are sedimentary concretions that formed in water. One expert said, “Basically these rocks were saturated with water,” adding that Yellowknife Bay represents “a jackpot unit.” Curiosity landed on Mars in August and has spent the last six months testing its instruments. It has traveled roughly a quarter of a mile since landing. POTUS After Lincoln, no president has managed to deliver a truly memorable second inaugural address. The Daily Beast's John Avlon asks if Barack Obama can break the pattern. AFGHANISTAN A new U.N. report claims that widespread torture and abuse of detainees continues at Afghan police and intelligence facilities. Earlier this month President Hamid Karzai said that all detainees held by the U.S. and its allies would be transferred to Afghan custody. But the new allegations of torture could make such a transfer illegal. The 100-page report, which will be released on Monday, was based on several hundred interviews and about half of the interviewed detainees and former detainees alleged torture or abuse. In 2011, a similar report caused the U.S. to halt transfers of detainees to nine Afghan facilities. TRAGIC The death toll following the hostage crisis at an Algerian gas facility may go up. So far, 23 hostages have been confirmed dead, but many of the hostages remain unaccounted for and an Algerian security official said that de-mining squads had discovered "numerous" bodies in the plant. Algeria’s communications minister Mohammed Said explained that he "strongly feared" that the death toll "would rise." Said promised that final official tally would be released in the coming hours. He also said that the militants came from six different countries, saying that they were “nationals of Arab and African countries, and of non-African countries.” All 32 hostage takers were reportedly killed by Algerian troops. | | 
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