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Received yesterday — 13 February 2026

Trump Erased the Endangerment Finding. Here Come the Lawsuits.

✇NYT: Science
By:Karen Zraick
13 February 2026 at 17:52
The battle is expected to reach the Supreme Court, which is far more conservative today than it was when the measure was established.

© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

President Trump announced on Thursday that his administration would scrap the endangerment finding.

F.T.C. Chair Warns Apple Against Bias in Apple News

✇NYT: Technology
By:Cecilia Kang
13 February 2026 at 13:59
Andrew Ferguson of the F.T.C. said in a letter to Apple that it might be violating consumer protection law by stifling conservative speech in its news aggregation service.

© Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Trump-appointed leaders of federal agencies have been using consumer protection laws to punish media and tech companies for perceived left-leaning bias.
Received before yesterday

Gail Slater Leaves Role as Justice Dept.’s Antitrust Chief

✇NYT: Technology
By:David McCabe
12 February 2026 at 14:30
Her departure follows months of mounting tension over her division’s work to determine whether companies violated antitrust laws.

© Pete Kiehart for The New York Times

Abigail Slater was in the job as assistant attorney general for the antitrust division for roughly a year, after her confirmation in March.

Trump Repeals Key Greenhouse Gas Finding, Erasing EPA’s Power to Fight Climate Change

✇NYT: Science
By:Lisa Friedman
13 February 2026 at 09:27
The Environmental Protection Agency rejected the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being. It means the agency can no longer regulate them.

© Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Rigorous scientific findings since 2009 have shown that greenhouse gases and global warming are harming public health.

What to Know About the E.P.A.’s Big Attack on Climate Regulation

✇NYT: Science
By:Lisa Friedman and Maxine Joselow
13 February 2026 at 21:03
The Trump administration has repealed the scientific determination that underpins the government’s legal authority to combat climate change.

© Jenny Kane/Associated Press

E.P.A. administrator Lee Zeldin has claimed that previous administrations used the endangerment finding to justify “trillions of dollars” in regulations on polluting industries and its reversal will help the economy.

Anthropic Donates $20 Million to Super PAC Operation to Counter OpenAI

✇NYT: Technology
By:Theodore Schleifer
12 February 2026 at 09:33
Anthropic and OpenAI now have their own well-funded political groups that will square off in the midterm elections over artificial intelligence safety and regulation.

© Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Dario Amodei, a co-founder and chief executive of Anthropic, formerly worked at OpenAI.

Bans on Many CBD Products Loom This Year

✇NYT: Science
By:Jan Hoffman
12 February 2026 at 05:00
A federal law taking effect in November severely limits the amount of THC, the euphoric cannabis compound, allowed in over-the-counter items. Many groups are fighting back.

© Bryan Anselm for The New York Times

Trump Orders Dept. of Defense to Buy Electricity From Coal Sources

✇NYT: Science
By:Brad Plumer
11 February 2026 at 18:11
Mr. Trump is trying to revive coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. At the White House, coal executives awarded him a trophy as the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal.”

© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

President Trump signed an executive order. On the desk beside him is a trophy labeled “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal.”

U.S. Health Officials Defend Rejection of Moderna’s Flu Vaccine

✇NYT: Science
By:Christina Jewett
11 February 2026 at 16:53
The F.D.A.’s refusal to examine the company’s mRNA shot drew widespread criticism from doctors and was divisive within the agency.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Dr. Marty Makary, the F.D.A. commissioner, suggested that the agency might eventually approve Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine.

F.D.A. Refuses to Review Moderna Flu Vaccine

✇NYT: Science
By:Christina Jewett and Rebecca Robbins
10 February 2026 at 21:49
The vaccine maker’s shots involve the successful Covid vaccines’ RNA technology. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has broadly rejected it, canceling millions of dollars in research projects.

© Brian Snyder/Reuters

Moderna is a pioneer in using mRNA technology, first with the Covid vaccine. Its flu shot was being developed for people 50 and older.

NLRB Dismisses Case Brought by Fired SpaceX Employees

✇NYT: Technology
By:Noam Scheiber and Ryan Mac
10 February 2026 at 15:57
The National Labor Relations Board, having accused the company of unfair retaliation in 2024, now says it has no jurisdiction over Elon Musk’s space company.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Eight SpaceX employees were fired soon after asking the company to distance itself from comments made by Elon Musk, including one in which he made light of accusations of harassment directed at him.

Behind the E.P.A.’s Rush to Repeal the Endangerment Finding

✇NYT: Science
By:Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman
10 February 2026 at 15:17
The agency is racing to repeal a scientific finding that requires it to fight global warming. Experts say the goal is to get the matter before the justices while President Trump is still in office.

© Kent Nishimura/Reuters

Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, at the agency’s headquarters in Washington last year.

Europe Accuses TikTok of ‘Addictive Design’ and Pushes for Change

✇NYT: Technology
By:Adam Satariano
6 February 2026 at 07:06
European Union regulators said the app’s infinite scroll and personalized algorithm led to “compulsive” behavior, especially among children.

© Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

TikTok and other social media companies are under mounting pressure globally for hooking young users.

F.D.A. Relaxes Rules on ‘Naturally Derived’ Dyes

✇NYT: Science
By:Sheryl Gay Stolberg
5 February 2026 at 12:23
Food makers will now be able to claim that their products have “no artificial colors,” so long as they use dyes that are not petroleum-based.

© George Walker IV/Associated Press

“We’re asking people now, ‘Eat real food,’” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the Tennessee State Capitol on Wednesday.

F.T.C. Settles With Express Scripts Over High Insulin Prices

✇NYT: Science
By:Rebecca Robbins and Reed Abelson
4 February 2026 at 16:40
The Trump administration announced that the company, a pharmacy benefit manager, had agreed to make significant changes to its practices.

© Sarah Holm/The Virginian-Pilot, via Associated Press

High insulin prices generated public outcry for years, though changes in the past few years have reduced patients’ costs to no more than $35 a month in most cases.

Congress Reins In Drug Middlemen in Effort to Lower Prescription Prices

✇NYT: Science
By:Reed Abelson and Rebecca Robbins
4 February 2026 at 05:00
The legislation will impose new restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers, giant companies like CVS Caremark, Optum Rx and Express Scripts that oversee prescription drug benefits.

© Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

Executives at the largest pharmacy benefit managers testified before a congressional committee in 2023.

Spain Aims to Ban Social Media for Children Under 16

✇NYT: Technology
By:José Bautista
3 February 2026 at 16:15
The announcement is part of a broader push by countries to curb access to online platforms for minors. It also points to Europe’s stricter approach to regulating social media.

© Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

A child playing on a phone in Barcelona in 2024. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain said the social media ban would be part of a series of measures pushed by his government.

Move Fast, but Obey the Rules: China’s Vision for Dominating A.I.

✇NYT: Technology
By:Meaghan Tobin and Xinyun Wu
2 February 2026 at 02:30
Beijing wants to lead the world in developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence, but it also wants companies to adhere to an increasingly complex set of rules.

© Tommy Wang/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Executives at Zhipu AI, one of China’s most promising A.I. start-ups, alongside others, at a launch event at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last month.

D.O.E. Panel to Question Climate Science Was Unlawful, Judge Rules

✇NYT: Science
By:Lisa Friedman
30 January 2026 at 16:57
The researchers produced a report that was central in a Trump administration effort to stop regulating climate pollution.

© Nathan Howard/Reuters

The judge ruled that Energy Secretary Chris Wright violated the law when he handpicked researchers to work in secret to produce a government report on global warming.

Pillbugs Are Getting Top Dollar Online. Poachers Have Noticed.

✇NYT: Science
By:Madeline Shaw
28 January 2026 at 12:31
A robust, largely unregulated online trade in isopods could pose a serious threat to some vulnerable species, scientists warn.

© Nicky Bay

The Cuban Spiky, Pseudarmadillo spinosus, is one of the isopods most prized by hobbyists. A few live specimens can sell for hundreds of dollars.

Elon Musk’s X Faces EU Inquiry Over Sexualized AI Images Generated by Grok

✇NYT: Technology
By:Adam Satariano
26 January 2026 at 09:16
Regulators said the company’s lack of controls had led to the widespread use of deepfakes created with the chatbot Grok.

© Nicolas Tucat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The investigation is likely to escalate a confrontation between Europe and the United States over the regulation of online content.

S.E.C. Drops Case Against Cryptocurrency Firm Founded by Winklevoss Twins

✇NYT: Technology
By:Ben Protess and Sharon LaFraniere
23 January 2026 at 18:35
The agency says that victims of an investment offering involving Gemini Trust got their money back, though after a regulatory action brought by the New York attorney general.

© Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss at a digital assets summit at the White House last March.

Will I Have to Download a New TikTok App? And Other Big Questions About The Deal.

✇NYT: Technology
By:Emmett Lindner
22 January 2026 at 22:36
The popular short form video app has a new corporate structure in the United States, which could result in some changes for the 200 million Americans who use TikTok.

© José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times

It is unclear how much, if anything, will change for TikTok’s 200 million American users.

What’s a Human Life Worth? The E.P.A. Says Zero Dollars.

✇NYT: Science
By:Maxine Joselow
21 January 2026 at 05:03
The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules.

© Bettmann/Getty Images

Los Angeles smog in 1979. For decades, government agencies have used a theoretical value of human life when calculating the costs and benefits of new regulations.

F.T.C. Appeals Loss in Meta Antitrust Case

✇NYT: Technology
By:David McCabe
20 January 2026 at 16:20
The agency is aiming to reverse a setback in the government’s campaign to rein in the power of the biggest tech companies.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

The Federal Trade Commission argued that Meta had bought Instagram and WhatsApp to get rid of the threat posed by young competitors.

The Rise of Prediction Markets

✇NYT: Technology
By:David Yaffe-Bellany
19 January 2026 at 05:01
Billions of dollars are trading hands on sites like Polymarket and Kalshi, where people bet on everything from Taylor Swift’s wedding date to election outcomes.

© Mojo Wang

On prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi, people can place wagers on virtually anything, from the outcomes of sports matchups and political elections to the date of Taylor Swift’s wedding.

World’s First Treaty to Protect the High Seas Becomes Law

✇NYT: Science
By:Sachi Kitajima Mulkey
17 January 2026 at 07:12
Over two decades after negotiations began, the High Seas Treaty is designed to protect biodiversity in international waters by enabling conservation zones.

© Jakub Gojda/Alamy

The High Seas Treaty represents the first time that the vast majority of international waters, which lie outside of any country’s jurisdiction and cover nearly half the globe, can be protected.

Coinbase, the Biggest U.S. Crypto Company, Asserts Its Power in Washington

✇NYT: Technology
By:David Yaffe-Bellany
15 January 2026 at 14:00
The top executive of the crypto exchange Coinbase scuttled a planned Senate committee vote on a major cryptocurrency bill after voicing his concerns, a sign of the company’s clout.

© Karsten Moran for The New York Times

A planned vote on a cryptocurrency bill on Thursday was canceled after Brian Armstrong, Coinbase’s chief executive, objected to the measure in a social media post on Wednesday evening.

E.P.A. Moves to Limit States’ Ability to Block Pipelines

✇NYT: Science
By:Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman
13 January 2026 at 14:08
The agency wants to curtail a section of the Clean Water Act that Democratic governors have used to restrict fossil fuel development.

© Paul Ratje for The New York Times

A gas pipeline under construction near Amarillo, Texas, in November.

U.S. Emissions Jumped in 2025 as Coal Power Rebounded

✇NYT: Science
By:Brad Plumer
13 January 2026 at 05:02
The increase in planet-warming emissions came after two years of decline as demand for electricity has been surging.

© Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

A coal-fired power plant near Emmett, Kan. Demand for power has started surging in recent years amid a boom in data centers, an upswing of domestic manufacturing and the spread of electric vehicles.

Psilocybin Leads in Psychedelic Medicine, but Rollout Is Bumpy

✇NYT: Science
By:Andrew Jacobs
13 January 2026 at 17:01
Psilocybin-assisted therapy is legal in three states, but access has so far been limited and expensive.

© Mason Trinca for The New York Times

Dr. Bonny Koeber prepared a therapy room with sage before a patient arrived from New York for psilocybin therapy at Satya Therapeutics in Ashland, Ore.

F.D.A. Decisions on Abortion Pill Were Based on Science, New Analysis Finds

✇NYT: Science
By:Pam Belluck
12 January 2026 at 11:37
A study of more than 5,000 pages of agency documents on mifepristone over 12 years found that agency leaders almost always followed the evidence-based recommendations of scientists.

© Hannah Yoon for The New York Times

Elon Musk’s X Under UK Investigation Over Grok’s Sexualized A.I. Images

✇NYT: Technology
By:Adam Satariano
12 January 2026 at 17:25
A British regulator said it had started a formal investigation into Mr. Musk’s chatbot over the spread of illegal images.

© Andria Lo for The New York Times

Grok’s prompt page on a phone. In recent weeks, the chatbot has posted sexualized photos of real people, including children, in response to user prompts.

Grok, Elon Musk’s A.I., Is Generating Sexualized Images of Real People, Fueling Outrage

✇NYT: Technology
By:Kate Conger and Lizzie Dearden
9 January 2026 at 15:48
Late Thursday, Mr. Musk’s chatbot, Grok, limited requests for A.I.-generated images on X to paid subscribers of the social media site amid an outcry from victims and regulators.

© Andria Lo for The New York Times

Grok’s prompt page is displayed on a phone.

China Is Investigating Meta’s Acquisition of the AI Start-Ip Manus

✇NYT: Technology
By:Meaghan Tobin · Xinyun Wu and Eli Tan
8 January 2026 at 13:56
Regulators said they would look at whether the deal for Manus, a Singapore start-up with Chinese roots, complied with China’s export and investment rules.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Meta’s deal for Manus last month capped a year of extravagant spending by the American company on elite artificial intelligence researchers.

Optimism About Nuclear Energy Is Rising Again. Will It Last?

✇NYT: Technology
By:Ivan Penn
6 January 2026 at 12:36
Companies like Kairos Power are building new types of reactors with the encouragement of the Trump administration, but their success is far from assured.

© Ramsay de Give for The New York Times

Kairos Power, which is developing a new kind of nuclear reactor, makes many of its parts at a facility in Albuquerque, N.M.

A Study Is Retracted, Renewing Concerns About the Weedkiller Roundup

✇NYT: Science
By:Hiroko Tabuchi
2 January 2026 at 15:25
Problems with a 25-year-old landmark paper on the safety of Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, have led to calls for the E.P.A. to reassess the widely used chemical.

© Seth Perlman/Associated Press

U.S. regulators consider it safe, but the World Health Organization has said glyphosate is probably carcinogenic.

Before Electric Vehicles Became Political, There Was the Toyota Prius

✇NYT: Technology
By:Lawrence Ulrich
27 December 2025 at 05:00
The political polarization of battery-powered cars may have started when Toyota released its first hybrid model 25 years ago.

© Adam Riding for The New York Times

The marketing for the Toyota Prius may have inadvertently started the culture war around hybrid and electric vehicles by characterizing them as a way to save the planet, some experts say.

Worn Down by Worry, Parents Look Longingly at Australia’s Social Media Ban

✇NYT: Technology
By:Adam Satariano and Lynsey Chutel
27 December 2025 at 05:00
After the country barred children under 16 from using social media, many parents have been asking whether similarly tough action is needed in their own countries.

© Matthew Abbott for The New York Times

Students waiting for the bus in Sydney, Australia, in November. The country’s new law barring children from using social media has helped fuel emotional debate across the world.
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