Jackie Davidson's List: 2.5 Researching Credible Connections Assignment

The vigilantes came to violence-torn towns with a simple pitch: Join us and fight back before the cartel kills you.

For some in the western state of Michoacan, long a flashpoint in Mexico's drug war, it was an offer they couldn't refuse.

They toted guns and called themselves self-defense groups as they patrolled the streets, claiming they were forced to fight the Knights Templar cartel themselves because the state had failed to protect them.

January is the month of juice: Your Instagram feed is full of cleansing acquaintances clutching their juice bottles in an effort to lose weight and your inbox is overflowing with offers from the biggest juice companies. Maybe even your coworkers are in on it -- suggesting you all "flush out the toxins" together.

Unfortunately, all of this is a bit of magical thinking on the part of your friends -- and marketing on the part of juice companies. There's nothing we can eat that will "detoxify" us -- our kidneys, liver and colon do that work for us.

Obama will also announce he is taking steps to modify the data collection program to require that a judicial process be required before the data is accessed.

The Friday announcement is part of a highly anticipated speech that comes months after one of the largest intelligence leaks in U.S. history shook national confidence in the federal government.  In announcing come curbs to the controversial program, the president is striking a middle ground in a debate over privacy and security that has raged for much of the past year.