EU Abortion Access, Instagram Safety, Serial Stowaway

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Adam Rogers
February 27, 2026

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The European Union announced yesterday that its €147 billion Social Fund can be used to cover abortion costs for women across all 27 member states, regardless of which country they come from. It is the first time the EU has formally confirmed that existing funds can guarantee access to abortion care — no new legal instrument was created.
The decision was triggered by My Voice, My Choice, a cross-border women's rights campaign that collected more than one million signatures. Under EU rules, initiatives reaching that threshold require formal deliberation by the bloc's executive. Nearly 500,000 unsafe abortions occur in Europe annually, according to EU Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib.
Opponents argued the decision overrides member states' sovereign choices. Abortion remains tightly restricted in Poland, Malta, Liechtenstein, and Monaco.

Instagram announced yesterday that it will notify parents when teenagers repeatedly search for suicide and self-harm terms, rolling out the feature next week in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Parents will receive alerts via email, text, WhatsApp, or within the app when teens search for concerning phrases during a short period of time.
The announcement comes as Meta faces multiple trials over claims that Instagram’s design harms teen mental health. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified last week in a Los Angeles case brought by a plaintiff who says she became addicted to the platform as a minor. Legal experts have called the wave of lawsuits social media’s “big tobacco moment,” and the fallout is already spreading: the National PTA recently ended its funding relationship with Meta.
The feature requires both parents and teens to enroll. Meta also plans to extend similar alerts to AI chatbot conversations involving self-harm.

Jeff Galloway, the 1972 US Olympian who pioneered the run-walk-run method and inspired millions of everyday runners, died Wednesday at 80 following a hemorrhagic stroke. He completed more than 230 marathons, was still planning another after surviving heart failure in 2021, and remained the official training consultant for runDisney until his death.
Galloway developed his method in 1974 while teaching a running class at Florida State University. He found that strategic walking breaks reduced injury, conserved energy, and kept confidence high. He proved it himself by walking through every water station at the 1980 Houston Marathon — finishing faster than his previous run-only races.
His approach made running accessible to people who never considered themselves athletes. "I never thought I would be a runner," said Karen Bock-Losee, 70, who discovered Galloway's method on her 60th birthday and has since run several half marathons.

Hillary Clinton told Congress yesterday she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, never flew on his plane, and doesn't recall ever meeting him. (More)

Gerald Brown, a retired Air Force pilot who once flew nuclear missions, was arrested for secretly training Chinese military pilots without government approval. (More)

ICE agents arrested Columbia neuroscience senior Elmina Aghayeva in her dorm, allegedly posing as missing-person responders, citing a visa cancellation from 2016. (More)

US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva ended Thursday with Oman claiming 'significant progress,' but no agreement on Iran's right to enrich uranium or what happens to its existing stockpile. (More)

Hong Kong overturned fraud charges against Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai, but the pro-democracy activist stays in prison on a separate 20-year national security sentence. (More)

Mexico's navy busted a hidden meth lab in Durango, seizing over 5,000 pounds of meth and drug-making chemicals worth $265 million. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -0.54%, Nasdaq -1.18%, Dow -0.03%). (More)

30-year mortgage rates dropped below 6% for the first time in nearly four years. (More)

State Farm announced a $5 billion dividend for car insurance members — about $100 per customer — the largest payout in the company's 103-year history. (More)

The Miami Dolphins topped the NFL Players Association's workplace report card for the third straight year, while the Pittsburgh Steelers finished last for the first time. (More)

Azzi Fudd scored 24 points in her final home regular-season game as UConn beat Georgetown 84-52, extending the top-ranked Huskies' winning streak to 46 games. (More)

Indiana signed a bill offering the Chicago Bears $1 billion in incentives to build a new stadium in Hammond, funded by new taxes on food, hotels, and game tickets. (More)

A new single daily pill combining two HIV medications kept the virus suppressed in 96% of long-term patients in a 15-country trial, matching complex multi-pill regimens. (More)

Poorly worded exam questions don't stump strong medical students, but they do trip up weaker ones — a fairness problem Boston University researchers say schools need to fix. (More)

Google launched Nano Banana 2, an updated AI image generator with faster speeds, better text rendering, and real-time information from Gemini for more accurate images. (More)

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