Today's News. Why It Matters to You.
TheWkly delivers expert-explained news with personal-impact insights, mood filters, and quick polls—free in your inbox.
Today's Top Stories
Environment
See allCalifornia Mandates Solar Panels on All New Homes by 2027, Accelerating State's Clean Energy Transition
California regulators have approved a mandate requiring solar panels or equivalent battery storage on all new single-family homes starting January...
UN Reports 2025 as Hottest Year on Record, Shattering Previous Climate Benchmarks
The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization has confirmed that 2025 was the hottest year on record, surpassing all previous benchmarks...
New research shows Arctic permafrost thawing 30% faster than models predicted amid 2025-2026 heat
Researchers analyzed satellite data from NASA's GRACE-FO mission alongside ground-based soil core samples from 45 sites in Alaska and Siberia....
Politics
See allSupreme Court Declines to Block Trump's Executive Order on Federal Workforce Reductions
The U.S. Supreme Court on February 22, 2026, refused to issue an emergency stay against President Trump's executive order mandating a 20%...
EU Imposes 50% Tariffs on U.S. Tech Exports in Retaliation to Trump's Trade Policies
The European Union has slapped 50% retaliatory tariffs on key U.S. technology exports, including products from Apple and Google, in direct...
U.S. Military Strikes Boats in Caribbean and Pacific, Killing at Least 11 People
The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on three boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, resulting in at least 11 deaths. These actions are part of a...
Business
See allFed Holds Rates Steady Amid Cooling Inflation, Signals Potential Cuts Later in 2026
The U.S. Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates unchanged at 4.25-4.50% during its February 2026 meeting, citing progress on inflation...
Banks Cut Lending 15-20% to Flood-Risk Firms After Major Events, NBER Study Shows
This NBER study analyzed loan-level data from U.S. commercial banks, matched with FEMA flood maps and historical flood events from 2001 to 2024,...
Harvard Study Shows AI Cuts Supply Chain Recovery Time by 42% After 2025 Disruptions
A Harvard Business School working paper analyzed data from 450 global manufacturing firms between 2023 and 2025 to measure AI's impact on supply...
Health
See allFDA Approves First AI-Powered Implantable Device for Real-Time Diabetes Management
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first implantable device that uses artificial intelligence to monitor blood glucose...
FDA Approves Groundbreaking Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease in Children
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a pioneering CRISPR-based gene therapy for children with sickle cell disease, developed...
Phase 3 Trial Reveals 85% Efficacy for mRNA RSV Vaccine in Adults Over 60
Researchers conducted a large phase 3 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, randomizing 28,000 adults aged 60 and older from 20...
Sports
See allNBA Trade Deadline Bombshell: Lakers Acquire Luka Dončić in Blockbuster Deal with Mavericks
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a stunning trade on the NBA deadline, acquiring superstar Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for...
Djokovic Claims Record 25th Grand Slam at Australian Open, Surpassing Federer and Nadal
Novak Djokovic won a record 25th Grand Slam title by defeating Jannik Sinner 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in the Australian Open final at Melbourne Park. The...
How to watch 2026 Winter Olympics online for FREE - Schedule, When is the Closing Ceremony?
The 2026 Winter Olympics are currently underway in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, featuring a wide array of winter sports competitions. For...
Technology
See allOpenAI Releases GPT-5 with Breakthrough Multimodal Capabilities, Sparking AI Arms Race Concerns
OpenAI unveiled GPT-5 on February 22, 2026, featuring unprecedented multimodal processing that handles text, images, video, and real-time voice...
OpenAI Unveils AGI Prototype, Sparking Global Regulatory Debate
OpenAI has unveiled a prototype artificial general intelligence (AGI) system that exceeds human-level performance on diverse benchmarks, marking a...
Researchers Cross Quantum Error Correction Threshold on 1000-Qubit Processor
Researchers used a 1000-qubit superconducting quantum processor cooled in a dilution refrigerator to implement surface code error correction,...
World
See allUN warns of worsening famine in Gaza as aid blockade continues into third month
The United Nations issued a stark warning on February 22, 2026, stating that famine conditions in Gaza are deteriorating rapidly due to an ongoing...
Trump Announces Tariffs on Chinese EVs and Semiconductors in Bid to Boost US Manufacturing
President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese electric vehicles and semiconductors, targeting imports to protect American...
Global Day of Action for Iranian People Sees Massive Rallies Worldwide
On February 14, 2026, over a million people participated in global rallies supporting Iranian protesters, with significant turnouts in Munich,...
Education
See allFederal Judge Blocks Trump's Executive Order on Banning DEI Programs in K-12 Schools
A federal judge in California issued a preliminary injunction on February 20, 2026, halting President Trump's executive order that sought to...
Global Student Debt Crisis Peaks: 1 in 3 Graduates Worldwide in Default or Delinquency
A joint UNESCO-World Bank report reveals that 33% of higher education graduates worldwide are in default or delinquency on student loans, marking...
San Francisco Teachers Strike Ends With Tentative Agreement on Raises, Benefits
After a week-long strike, the United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) reached a tentative...
Opinion
See allThe Supreme Court's Immunity Ruling Risks Turning Presidents into Kings
In a New York Times op-ed, legal scholar Laurence Tribe argues that the Supreme Court's recent expansion of presidential immunity from prosecution...
Climate Denialism is Dead—Now We Must Confront the Economic Catastrophe of Net Zero
The article argues that while the science of climate change is settled and denialism is obsolete, aggressive net-zero policies represent an...
A Scam': Trump, EPA Revoke Scientific Proof That Climate Change Is Harmful
The Trump administration has revoked a 2009 EPA scientific finding that climate change poses a public health threat, labeling it a "scam." This...
Lifestyle
See allFDA Recalls Multiple Brands of Organic Baby Food Over Heavy Metal Contamination
The FDA announced a voluntary recall of several popular organic baby food brands, including Earth's Best and Happy Baby, due to elevated levels of...
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce End Engagement After Two Years
Pop superstar Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce have ended their engagement after two years, with representatives confirming the split due to...
Global Plant-Based Meat Sales Surge 45% in 2025, Led by New Lab-Grown Alternatives
Global sales of plant-based meat products skyrocketed 45% in 2025, fueled by affordable lab-grown alternatives that mimic real meat's taste and...
Investigation
See allFBI Expands Probe into 2024 Election Interference Involving Foreign Actors
The FBI has expanded its investigation into foreign interference in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, revealing new evidence of cyberattacks...
New subpoenas issued in inquiry on response to 2016 Russian election interference, AP sources say
The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in a Florida-based investigation into the U.S. government's response to Russian interference in...
What Meetings Among Trump Lawyers Reveal About the FBI’s Seizure of Election Records in Georgia
An investigation reveals that Thomas Albus, the U.S. Attorney for Missouri's Eastern District, participated in multiple meetings with top...
Entertainment
See allTaylor Swift Announces Retirement from Touring After Record-Breaking Eras Tour Extension
Taylor Swift has announced her retirement from live touring after the Eras Tour extension grossed over $2.5 billion, making it the highest-earning...
Streaming Algorithms Boost Session Times by 28% but Fuel Viewer Fatigue, USC Study Finds
Researchers at USC Annenberg analyzed anonymized viewing data from over 500,000 U.S. households on Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video from January...
Netflix New Releases: 7 Shows and Movies to Stream This Week (Feb. 16–22)
From February 16 to 22, 2026, Netflix is adding a diverse lineup of new content. Highlights include the return of "The Night Agent" for its third...
Science
See allYale Researchers Demonstrate Room-Temperature Quantum Entanglement in Macroscopic Oscillators
Researchers at Yale University used optical cavities and laser cooling to chill two macroscopic silica mechanical oscillators—tiny drum-like...
NASA launches twin rocket missions from Alaska to study mysterious black auroras
NASA launched two suborbital rockets from Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range in early February 2026 to investigate "black auroras," phenomena...
Researchers Achieve Record Efficiency in Perovskite Solar Cells
Researchers have developed a new method to enhance the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, achieving a record conversion efficiency of over 30%....
Research & Analysis
In-depth insights from academic and investigative sources
IATA Modeling Projects 15-20% Aviation Emissions Cut by 2030 from SAF if Investments Scale, but Costs Limit 2026 Adoption
The IATA Economics report uses econometric modeling based on data from 150 airlines, fuel suppliers, and regulatory filings to simulate...
Banks Cut Lending 15-20% to Flood-Risk Firms After Major Events, NBER Study Shows
This NBER study analyzed loan-level data from U.S. commercial banks, matched with FEMA flood maps and historical flood events from 2001 to 2024,...
Gig Economy Workers Face 40% Higher Anxiety and Depression Rates Than Traditional Employees
A new study from the Economic Policy Institute analyzed longitudinal survey data from 5,000 U.S. gig workers on platforms like Upwork and Uber,...
Premium Feature
Get exclusive Research & Analysis content with in-depth insights from academic and investigative sources.
Upgrade to PremiumPremium Content
Get exclusive access to in-depth analysis, advanced features, and premium content that helps you make better decisions.
In-Depth Analysis
Exclusive data-driven insights and expert commentary
Ad-Free Experience
Clean, distraction-free reading across all devices
Rabbit Hole
Explore What's Being Claimed
Colombian Mercenary Pipeline Funnels South American Fighters To Ukraine's Frontlines
Colombian Mercenary Pipeline Funnels South American Fighters To Ukraine's Frontlines Bombardment stopped mid-last week w...
Grading America’s progress toward becoming the crypto capital of the world
A year after issuing an open letter to the incoming Trump administration, crypto law experts reflect on their regulatory...
California Plans "Mileage Tax" To Bleed Citizens For Even More Cash
California Plans "Mileage Tax" To Bleed Citizens For Even More Cash Lawmakers in the California State Assembly have move...
Want more curated news?
Subscribe to TheWkly and get the latest stories delivered directly to your inbox, just how you like it.