— One Heated Rivalry star when pressed on his relationship status. Sometimes, no answer can feel like an answer.
International
Europe Is Bracing for the Trump Treatment
What's going on: The World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, often feels like a borefest for anyone who doesn't own a Patagonia vest. Not this year. World leaders have been bracing for President Donald Trump's arrival, hoping they can talk him out of his Greenland fixation — and maybe persuade him to lower a few tariffs. (Ironically, this year's theme is "A Spirit of Dialogue.") The president made his presence known before he even set foot in Europe. In text messages revealed earlier this week, Trump told the president of Norway that he no longer feels an "obligation to think purely of Peace" after his Nobel Peace Prize snub. He also posted screenshots of texts with French President Emmanuel Macron and a meme that reads "Greenland. U.S. Territory. Est. 2026." When asked at a White House press briefing on Tuesday how far he's willing to go for Greenland, Trump answered: "You'll find out."
What it means: If this were a marriage, Europe would be shopping for a divorce lawyer. Most leaders view Trump's Greenland ambitions as an unimaginable red line and one that demands a response. Some European leaders say it's time for their countries to usher in a new era of independence from the US. There are already talks of $109 billion in retaliatory tariffs, but many leaders still hope for an agreement this week. Any US attempt to take Greenland risks destabilizing NATO (which is one of the reasons Russia made a play for Ukraine in 2022). As for what Trump has planned in Davos, he will share details later this week about the Board of Peace, which will oversee reconstruction in Gaza (there's already been a tiff with Macron over it), and explain how he plans to tackle the US housing affordability crisis. Regardless of what happens, Trump's ambitions are reshaping the US-led global order.
🗞️ Congress faces another shutdown deadline. The latest bill? It keeps the lights on, but it doesn't include the one thing Democrats want.
🗞️ In a court filing, the Department of Justice said members of Elon Musk's DOGE may have accessed off-limits Social Security information. They also apparently had a plan for that data.
🗞️ Last January, VP JD Vance called for "more babies" in the US — and now, he and his wife just announced they're expecting their fourth child.
🗞️ The saga over who gets to buy Warner Bros. Discovery just got another plot twist.
Tech
Did Big Tech Just Hand Parents a Small Victory?
What's going on: You might've noticed a tiny shift in the parental-control universe recently. Last week, Google said it will no longer allow kids as young as 13 to opt out of parental controls without a parent's permission. The move, which the company insists had been in the works for a while, came after a concerned mom's viral social media post criticized Google for seemingly encouraging her tween son to unilaterally make changes to his account. Just a day later, YouTube (owned by Google) also followed suit, allowing parents to set custom time limits on their kids' accounts and their access to Shorts (the platform's equivalent of TikTok that is often responsible for the mindless scrolling). These changes come as Australia's sweeping social media ban has prompted other countries to consider similar restrictions. Sounds like a different type of trend is taking shape.
What it means: Google and YouTube's movessuggest Big Tech wants to appear serious about child safety online — at least in public. Another explanation may feel more convincing: companies see the writing on the wall. If they don't police themselves, governments will step in and do it for them. While a nationwide ban in the US seems unlikely (even though the danger of social media is one of the few things everyone can agree on), California and Texas are already debating statewide legislation. And if the government restrictions or self-regulation doesn't work, smaller tech companies see an opening. Many are now marketing tools that hand parents more control and offer a digital safety net…for a cost.
The Internet Wants To Turn Back the Clock — We Get It
What's going on: If your feed suddenly looks like Coachella 2016 never ended, you aren't alone. Everyone from your college roommate to A-list celebrities is posting throwback photos to 2016. They may not drop a #TBT, but the black chokers and grainy filters more than make up for it. The only thing missing is someone lip-syncing to the Chainsmokers and Halsey's "Closer." Call it nostalgia or escapism, but this collective fixation on 2016 is the latest social media trend to tap into millennial optimism and a longing for simpler times. It's only been a decade, but the internet and world have changed so fast it feels like we've lived a dozen lives in between. In the words of Kylie Jenner, "You just had to be there."
What it means: Absolutely no one is surprised that the internet has been reminiscing about 2016. Life felt simpler then — and so did the Snapchat filters, at least in hindsight. Experts say many people cling to that year because it feels like the last moment when both life online and the world felt "normal." Others link the trend to the start of a new year, when uncertainty about the future hits and looking backward feels safer. One columnist offered a reality check: As wild as 2026 already feels, bad things did happen in 2016, too. Still, a little romanticizing doesn't hurt. For now, we are more than happy to dust off our bomber jackets and thigh-high boots.
