TechCrunch (techcrunch.com)

• Anduril has invented a wild new drone flying contest where jobs are the prize 
• Bluesky teases 2026 roadmap: a better Discover feed, real-time features and more
• Anthropic reportedly upped its latest raise to $20B
• Amazon agrees to pay consumers $309M in returns policy settlement
• TikTok joins Snap to settle social media addiction lawsuit
• Anthropic and OpenAI CEOs condemn ICE violence, praise Trump
• Google’s more affordable AI Plus plan rolls out to all markets, including the US
• OpenAI launches Prism, a new AI workspace for scientists

NPR News (www.npr.org)

• Fourth graders ask whether kids or adults have it better as part of NPR challenge
• Italian officials voice outrage at the presence of U.S. ICE agents at the 2026 Olympics
• Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter joins those calling for boycott of World Cup in U.S.
• A crackdown on immigration is leading to a sharp drop in U.S. population growth
• 'Fireworks' wins Caldecott, Newbery is awarded to 'All the Blues in the Sky'
• How did Tucker Carlson become one of the far right's most influential voices?
• Scientists shed new light on the brain's role in heart attack
• Families of killed men file first U.S. federal lawsuit over drug boat strikes

NYT Front Page (www.nytimes.com)

• Should Iran’s Executioners Go Unpunished?
• U.S. Population Growth Slows Sharply as Immigration Numbers Plunge
• Bari Weiss Urges CBS News to Think Like a ‘Start-Up’
• Microsoft Pledged to Save Water. In the A.I. Era, It Expects Water Use to Soar.
• Spain Offers Undocumented Migrants a Legal Way to Stay
• Texas Moves to Curtail H-1B Visas
• Man Went on ‘Trial Run’ Before Killing 4 Homeless Men, Prosecutors Say
• Photo Shows ICE Agents Deploying at Minneapolis Protest After Alex Pretti Shooting

Mashable (mashable.com)

• How to watch Rybakina vs. Swiatek online for free
• Pinterest to lay off staff and shift resources to AI, company says
• Lego unveils 5 more Star Wars Smart Play sets, including a Millennium Falcon: Where to preorder
• Good news, bad news: Samsung Galaxy TriFold finally has a U.S. release date and price tag
• OnlyFans baits and switches customers with false promises, lawsuit claims
• Amazon has curated its top 100 Valentines Day gifts. Here are our 10 favorites from the list.
• 30+ trendy gifts for teen girls in 2026, according to teenage girls IRL and online
• TikTok in the USA so far: Outages and outrage

Washington Post Politics (www.washingtonpost.com)

• U.S. judge orders ICE chief to appear in court, threatens contempt ruling
• Families of men killed in boat strikes sue Trump administration
• GOP backlash on Minnesota signals a tougher landscape for Trump
• Jeffries says House Democrats will push to impeach Noem if she’s not fired
• Alexander brothers raped victims lured with trips, party invites, prosecutors say
• Trump softens tone on Minneapolis violence amid calls for accountability
• Bondi presses Minn. for voter data as administration escalates pressure on blue states
• Trump aides declared 16 DHS shootings since July justified before probes completed

Reddit News (www.reddit.com)

• Federal judge issues temporary order prohibiting removal of 5-year-old boy and father who were detained in Minnesota
• FBI is investigating Minnesota Signal groups tracking ICE, Patel says
• Alex Pretti broke rib in confrontation with federal agents a week before death, sources say
• Gunmen open fire at soccer field in central Mexico, killing 11 and wounding 12
• Person in critical condition after being shot in incident involving border patrol in Arizona
• Americans' confidence in the U.S. economy falls sharply in January to lowest level since 2014
• First wrongful death lawsuit filed against Trump administration over drug boat strikes
• Families protest 5-year-old boy held at Texas facility separated from detained father

The Verge (www.theverge.com)

• The best fitness trackers and watches we’ve tested
• Razer’s testing a new tool for customizing its keyboards in your browser
• Amazon shutters all of its physical Go and Fresh stores
• A former Netflix game studio went indie to reach more players
• An app developer is suing Apple for Sherlocking it with Continuity Camera
• Anker’s foldable 3-in-1 charging station has hit a new low price of $50
• WhatsApp’s new ‘lockdown’ settings add another layer of protection against cyberattacks
• TikTok US is mostly back up and running

Techmeme (www.techmeme.com)

• Texas Instruments reports Q4 revenue up 10% YoY to $4.42B, vs. $4.44B est., and forecasts Q1 revenue above estimates; TXN jumps 9%+ after hours (Arsheeya Bajwa/Reuters)
• Sources: the interim director of CISA, Madhu Gottumukkala, triggered automated security warnings last summer by uploading sensitive documents to ChatGPT (John Sakellariadis/Politico)
• Privacy-focused MVNO Cape, which has raised $61M from a16z and others, launches across the US following a March 2025 beta, offering a $99 monthly plan (Steven Melendez/Fast Company)
• Meta blocks users from sharing links to ICE List, which compiles names of DHS staffers; Meta cites a policy against "asking for personally identifiable" info (David Gilbert/Wired)
• Revolut launches full banking operations in Mexico in its first expansion outside Europe, with capital of $100M+, more than double the regulatory minimum (Yamini Kalia/Reuters)
• Apple releases iOS 12.5.8 for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6, extending software support for these devices to 13 and 12 years after their respective launches (Juli Clover/MacRumors)
• Court filings: Mark Zuckerberg approved allowing minors to access AI chatbot companions that safety staffers warned were capable of sexual interactions (Jeff Horwitz/Reuters)
• Tether launches USAT, a US-regulated stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, marking the company's direct return to the US market that it left in 2018 (Emily Nicolle/Bloomberg)

CNN Top Stories (www.cnn.com)

• Taxes are due tomorrow. Here's how to file for an extension
• 50+ products to make your life easier and our planet cleaner
• A head-to-toe guide of how men should dress this spring, and where they should shop
• 42 of the most useful travel products you can buy on Amazon
• The 7 best high-yield savings accounts of April 2023
• Russia is 'going backwards' in equipment and deploying post WWII-era tanks, according to Western officials
• Bidets save you money and reduce waste — we tested the best options out there
• Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste. Here's how to do it

BBC Top Stories (www.bbc.co.uk)

• Storm Chandra brings disruption and road closures across UK
• King and Queen meet Holocaust survivors at Palace
• Hadjar crashes new Red Bull in F1 testing
• 'We all know someone who was killed' - Iran protesters tell BBC of brutal crackdown
• Koepka 'rang Woods first' over PGA Tour return
• British Army officer dies after incident during live fire training
• Conte reunion a sharp reminder of Chelsea's fall
• US to send ICE agents to Winter Olympics, prompting Italian anger

WSJ Technology (www.wsj.com)

• Being a White House VIP Thrusts Tim Cook into the Political Fray
• TikTok Settles Teen Mental-Health Lawsuit Before Trial
• Construction Companies See Promise in AI Agents
• Meta Enters Up to $6 Billion Data-Center Fiber-Optic Cable Deal With Corning
• Google to Get EU Instructions on Sharing of Search Data, Android AI Tools
• A Parent’s Only Wish: ‘I Just Want to Sit in My Car and Scroll’
• Nvidia Invests $2 Billion in CoreWeave in AI-Factory Collaboration
• Nvidia Invests $2 Billion in CoreWeave in AI-Factory Collaboration

Reuters (www.reuters.com)

• S&P 500 closes nominally higher amid COVID-19 spikes, muted data
• Pelosi says Trump 'ethically unfit' for presidency, will continue oversight
• Trump unfit to be U.S. president, Democrat Pelosi, conservative Bolton agree
• World stock markets slip on second wave virus fears, safe-havens rise
• Tesla wants to start building a new U.S. vehicle plant this summer
• Trump pledges new list of conservative Supreme Court contenders
• Atlanta officer says he is not 'state's witness' in Rayshard Brooks case
• Facebook takes down Trump ads over 'organized hate' policy

Sweepsy (www.sweepsy.com)

• Iowa Bill Paving Way For Sweeps Cease-And-Desists Set For Jan. 29 Hearing
• After Setback, Virginia’s Sweeps Ban Bill Gets Another Hearing
• Is New ‘Multiple’ Currency Language In Sweeps Ban Bills A Smart Move?
• ARB Interactive Founder Working With States To File Sweepstakes Modernization Acts
• SGLA Adds Global Payments Platform Paysafe As Newest Partner
• Indiana Sweeps Bill To Get Second Hearing; Maryland Bills Set For First Hearings
• Iowa Bill Granting IRGC Power Over ‘Illegal Sweepstakes’ Officially Filed
• Florida Bill That May Be Problematic For Sweeps Casinos Passes 2nd Committee

Bloomberg Market News (bloomberg.com)

• Returning to the Moon
• Hidden Risks Build at Vietnam Banks on Mounting Debt Guarantees
• Pop Mart’s Early Backer Bets Price War Will Persist in China
• Bond Traders Target Dovish Fed Pick as Rieder’s Momentum Builds
• BMO Capital Markets Hires Wells Fargo’s Malik as Operating Chief
• Euro Rallies Above $1.20 on Broad Dollar Weakness, Trump Remarks
• Stablecoins Are $500 Billion Risk to Bank Deposits, Report Finds
• Trump Says He’s Not Concerned With Decline of US Dollar