Hope for rhinos, social media ban, and salt in tea.

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Big Stories

Florida restricts social media use for teens

Florida lawmakers approved a bill that bans social media platforms from letting teens under 16 create new accounts.

• The bill mandates that social media companies must delete existing accounts of minors. It would also require an independent third party to verify users’ age. The bill passed the Florida House with a 106-13 vote and now heads to the Senate.

• Republican lawmaker Fiona McFarland likened the addictive nature of social media to "digital fentanyl" during the hearing. McFarland’s statement follows US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s warning that social media is dangerous to children’s mental health and that more research is needed to understand the effects fully.

• Florida joins other states in taking action against teenagers' unrestricted social media use. Utah has banned those under 18 from social media without parental consent and limited usage during certain hours. This week, New York City declared social media a "public health hazard."

Hope for nearly-extinct rhinos

Scientists have achieved the first successful embryo transfer in white rhinos, offering hope for the critically endangered northern white rhino.

• A German-backed consortium called BioRescue successfully performed the first embryo transfers in southern white rhinos, paving the way for the technique to be applied to their rarer northern counterparts.

• In September 2023, two southern white rhino embryos were transferred successfully into surrogates at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Unfortunately, the father and the pregnant mother died from an unrelated bacterial infection when the fetus was 70 days old. Despite this setback, researchers view the pregnancy as proof that the technique can work.

• The next step is to implant the first northern white rhino embryo by May or June, using sperm from deceased males and eggs from one of only two living northern white rhinos. A southern white rhino surrogate will carry the embryos. Scientists hope that they can use the remaining 30 embryos to produce at least six calves.

Ex-Trump advisor given jail time over Jan. 6 probe

Peter Navarro, former adviser to President Trump, has been sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack investigation.

• Navarro was convicted in September for not producing documents and skipping his deposition during the congressional probe. Prosecutors argued for a six-month prison term.

• Steve Bannon, another former Trump adviser, faced the same sentence recommendation for two counts of contempt of Congress. Bannon was also sentenced to four months in prison, but he remains free pending appeal, arguing he was following legal advice.

• US District Judge Amit Mehta will decide if Navarro's sentence is deferred after receiving written arguments from his counsel.

Little Stories

• The directors of the CIA and Mossad, William Burns and David Barnea, are set to meet Qatari officials in Europe to discuss a potential second Gaza hostage deal and a temporary pause in fighting. The last meeting between US and Israeli intelligence chiefs led to a brief truce in November that resulted in the release of over 100 hostages. (More)

• President Biden announced a nearly $5 billion investment in 37 major infrastructure projects across 12 states, focusing on repairing and building bridges. The announcement was made during a visit to Superior, Wisconsin, with a significant portion of the funding allocated for a key bridge connecting Wisconsin to Minnesota. (More)

• Apple announced big changes to its app policies in Europe to comply with new regulations. For the first time, third-party app stores will be allowed on iPhones and iPads. The company also plans substantial cuts to its app store fees. (More)

• Cervical cancer cases are increasing among women in low-income regions of the United States. While rates of cervical cancer have generally declined due to advancements in screening and HPV vaccines, a new study revealed a rise of 4.4 percent per year since 2007 among non-Hispanic white women in low-income areas. (More)

• Amazon's Ring will no longer allow police to request users' doorbell video footage through its neighborhood watch app. Police can still obtain videos with a search warrant or subpoena. (More)

Extra Credit

The U.K. is upset over an American chemist’s recommendation to put salt in tea.

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