Mark Zuckerberg; Tricia McLaughlin; Iran-U.S.; CBS : NPR
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Today’s best stories
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Speak Today in Los Angeles in a lawsuit that could reshape social media. The plaintiffs accuse platforms like Instagram and Facebook of being intentionally designed to hook teens, sparking a nationwide youth mental health crisis. The case hinges on whether tech companies design “defective products” to exploit vulnerabilities in young people’s brains.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify Wednesday in a major lawsuit against social media companies that claim their products are defective and harmful to children.
Nic Coury/AP
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Nic Coury/AP
- 🎧 For years, social media companies avoided legal consequences using a legal shield known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, says NPR’s Bobby Allyn. The law protects online platforms from liability for user-generated content by treating the sites as intermediaries rather than publishers. Now, lawyers are suing tech companies under product liability laws. They argue that the platforms are essentially defective products due to features like infinite scrolling and autoplay. The plaintiffs say the impact of social media sites on children’s brains is similar to that of a slot machine and that companies should be held responsible. If the jury sides with the plaintiffs, the case could result in a multibillion-dollar settlement and significant changes to the way social media apps work.
Tricia McLaughlin, the public face of the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy, is leaving the Department of Homeland Security. The agency yesterday confirmed her departure as DHS assistant secretary for public affairs. McLaughlin’s departure comes as the agency is shuttered after lawmakers failed to pass a budget to fund it through the end of the fiscal year.
The United States and Iran pledged to continue negotiations after representatives of the two countries held indirect talks in Geneva this week. Both sides said they would meet again to try to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. The Trump administration wants Iran to be free of nuclear weapons and enrichment. Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for research and civilian use.
- 🎧 The next meeting should take place in a few weekssays NPR’s Jackie Northam. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday’s meeting was constructive and negotiators had made progress. However, Araghchi added that there was still work to be done before the two countries met again.
Warner Bros. Discovery gave CBS parent company Paramount Skydance one last chance. to sweeten his offer against Netflix for the company. The news comes as Anderson Cooper announced his departure from 60 minutes after nearly two decades as a correspondent. Stephen Colbert also recently accused CBS of preventing an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico from being broadcast on television.
- 🎧 Recent headlines should not be viewed as separate incidentstells NPR’s David Folkenflik First. The Ellison family, behind Paramount, is close to President Trump and wants to stay by his side. The family’s ties to the president shaped decisions about the company’s information division. One of those choices is the network’s recent choice for CBS News Executive Editor Bari Weiss. She came to CBS with the idea that the mainstream media is too woke and anti-Trump, Folkenflik says. He adds that many of his decisions were not well received by CBS journalists. Cooper says he’s leaving the show to spend more time with his kids. NPR spoke with three associates, who are not authorized to discuss what’s happening inside CBS, who say Cooper has also expressed concerns about Weiss’ leadership.
Deep dive
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) search the interior of a car during a traffic stop August 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Although DC does not have a 287(g) agreement, MPD officers may cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
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Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
President Trump’s second term has seen a dramatic expansion of federal immigration enforcement, driven by a program that tasks local police with enforcing immigration laws. The growth of the 287(g) program is one of the most visible changes in Trump’s immigration strategy. In 2019, during Trump’s first term, local police departments signed only 45 of these 287(g) agreements. As of February 13, ICE reported 1,412 active agreements across 40 states and territories, with more than 1,130 signed in 2025 alone. Here’s a look at how the program works:
- ➡️ The program’s prison enforcement model involves local authorities screening all individuals entering prison with pending criminal convictions or charges to verify their legal status in the United States. If they are in the country illegally, ICE will be notified and they will be held in jail pending removal.
- ➡️ The arrest warrant officer model, like the prison sentence enforcement model, allows police to execute administrative warrants against migrants in their prisons.
- ➡️ The program’s task force model allows agents to stop, question, and make arrests for immigration violations. This model represents the majority of 287(g) agreements in force, according to ICE data.
- ➡️ The Department of Homeland Security says the task force model training includes 40 hours of training on immigration law, ICE use of force policy, civil rights law and more. Previously, local police needed about a month of training to become certified.
Life advice
There are times when you meet someone and the conversation just flows and you want to know more about them. Then you could say, “We should see each other sometime.” » This statement may be vague. Kat Vellos, author of We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendshipssays the best thing you can do is schedule an actual time to hang out. In a conversation with Life kitshe shared some ideas on how to turn a stranger into a friend:
- 🫂 The spark may die out if you wait too long to see the person again. Research shows that if you spend a lot of time together early in the relationship, it is more likely to last.
- 🫂 Try to choose a memorable activity that you can do together. Doing something out of the ordinary will give you both a memory you can share.
- 🫂 Remember, it’s okay if this person isn’t your best friend. There are different levels of friendship. You might also decide that it’s best if you’re both strangers.
For tips on how to keep a friendship going, listen to this episode of NPR Life kit. Subscribe to THE Life kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
3 things to know before you leave
Adeliia Petrosian of the Individual Neutral Athletes Team competes in the women’s figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Ashley Landis/AP
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Ashley Landis/AP
- Rare athleticism and national pride define the Olympics. With the Games ending in just a few days, NPR’s Word of the Week looks at the origins of the term “Olympics.”
- Authorities have rescued six backcountry skiers who survived an avalanche yesterday in the Castle Peak area near Truckee, California, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Rescuers are still looking for several others. (via CapRadio)
- DNA from the glove found near Nancy Guthrie’s home does not match any of the more than 26 million people listed in the CODIS system, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department announced yesterday.
This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.
