Good morning. In today’s edition:

• ⚖️ SCOTUS is tackling social media + free speech
• ✈️👝 Why airlines are raising baggage fees
• 🤔 Foiled assassination plots on US soil

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be about a 4.72-minute read.

P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

"The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us."

–Voltaire (1694-1778)

Later today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a pair of cases that are expected to produce a ​​major constitutional ruling on the First Amendment free speech rights of large social media companies.

The cases center around laws enacted in Florida and Texas that are aimed at prohibiting major platforms – including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X – from removing posts based on the political views they express, with exceptions for certain categories like violent threats and child exploitation.

• While the laws differ in their specific details, they both were born out of frustration among Republican lawmakers over some social media platforms’ decisions to ban President Trump after the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.

The Justices will be tasked with answering a key question: Do social media companies most closely resemble newspapers, or are they more similar to phone companies?

If the platforms are like newspapers, they can act as editors and publish what they want without government interference. But if they’re like phone companies, they must let visitors say what they like and transmit everyone’s speech.

• Supporters of the Florida and Texas laws argue social media platforms should be bound by the same laws as phone companies – aka transmit all users’ speech with very few restrictions – since online platforms have become a de-facto town square for widespread public expression and discourse.
• Opponents of the laws, including the DOJ and social media companies, contend that platforms should have the ability to moderate their own content without government interference. They also argue the state laws effectively force social media companies to publish objectionable content that harms users and advertisers.

⚖️☀️ It’s about to be a hot SCOTUS summer. A final decision in today’s cases is expected before July, while other major cases before the Court in the coming months include a case seeking to overturn FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone and a challenge to the federal government’s ban on bump stocks for semi-automatic rifles.

📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, should social media companies be regulated like newspapers and publish what they want, or should they be regulated like phone companies and transmit everyone’s speech with minimal restrictions?

• Like newspapers
• Like phone companies
• Unsure/other

Stop guessing what’s going to happen with the markets, and start making smarter decisions with Forecaster – the platform that takes your stock analysis to the next level.

• 🤿 Dive deep into company fundamentals, uncovering hidden opportunities with the fair value calculator.
• 🔬 Analyze seasonality patterns across all global markets, identifying optimal entry and exit points.
• 🔮 Stay ahead of trends with easy-to-spot overbought/oversold levels and price/indicator divergences.

The best part of Forecaster is that it’s easy to use and completely transparent… no blackboxed terms and indicators like other platforms. You can even try it for free for 24 hours.

Save 20% on Forecaster with code 20% and start investing better.

🇲🇽 Mexico’s capital city is close to running out of water. Mexico City, one of the world’s largest cities at ~22 million residents, is facing a severe water crisis due to a combination of factors including climate change, geography, disorganized urban development, and leaky water infrastructure. Nearly 90% of Mexico City is currently experiencing severe drought, according to a new report, with that figure projected to worsen even further in the coming months until Mexico’s rainy season starts in May.

🇮🇱 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu published his first plans for the Gaza Strip in the post-war era. The plan includes five main points: 1) Israel's military would maintain freedom of operation across Gaza indefinitely; 2) Gaza would be completely demilitarized except for weapons "necessary to maintain public order"; 3) Gaza's reconstruction would be carried out with “the financing and leadership of countries acceptable to Israel"; 4) Gaza would be governed by "local elements with management experience"; 5) the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza and the West Bank – which is facing allegations that some of its workers are linked to Hamas – would be shuttered.

🇩🇪🌿 German lawmakers approved a bill legalizing recreational cannabis. On Friday, the German parliament voted 407 to 226 in favor of a law allowing adults to carry up to 25 grams (nearly an ounce) of cannabis in public, and to privately own up to 50 grams. Germany’s health minister says the bill is aimed at fighting the existing cannabis black market and establishing drug standards to better protect young people. The law is scheduled to take effect starting April 1, pending a signature from Germany’s president (which is expected).

These days, airlines are like young musicians on the hunt for a record deal – trying to get that bag. On Friday, United Airlines said it’s raising its checked baggage prices on flights in North America, joining Alaska Airlines, American, and JetBlue on the list of airlines that have raised bag prices so far this year.

History is repeating itself

Per the carriers, these higher fees are meant to help offset higher costs for labor and fuel. Which, coincidentally, is similar to how baggage fees on major airlines originated in the first place.

• For decades, it was free on major airlines to check at least one bag. But in 2008, amid rising fuel prices and economic turmoil, airlines such as American and United began tacking on a $15 charge for checked bags, Vox reports.

These fees add up. In the first nine months of 2023, US airlines brought in over $5.4 billion from baggage fees, up more than 25% from the same period of 2019, according to the Transportation Department’s latest data.

👀 Looking ahead… The spate of recent announcements leaves Delta Air Lines as the only major US carrier without a recent baggage fee increase (outside of Southwest, which prioritizes other things like efficiency ahead of revenue from checked bags). But, since airlines often mimic each other’s fee increases, this may not be the case for much longer.

With countless tabs cluttering your browser, planning your dream getaway can feel like a chore. Give your brain a vacay with Niphtio, the free browser extension that makes it easier to save, find and read what matters to you.

How does it work?

• 😁 Conveniently save any webpage with just one click
• 🔖 Add tags to pages for easy organization
• 🔎 Search item content, not just titles
• ✅ Prioritize and check off important reads

Niphtio can be your travel buddy, too! Access your library from any device, anywhere in the world, and find exactly what you need to know within seconds.

Start planning with Niphtio for free today.

💬 Quoted… "We face a rising threat from authoritarian regimes who seek to reach beyond their own borders to commit acts of repression."

• Other countries also have a “Gray Man” program that spits out Mr. and Mrs. Smiths – not just the US. Over the past 18 months, the Department of Justice has foiled four different state-sponsored assassination plots that aimed to kill people on American soil. These plots, detailed in a series of federal indictments, include allegations that an Iranian soldier planned to murder former US national security adviser John Bolton in retaliation for the US killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, as well as a plot organized by an Indian government official to kill a US citizen in New York City.

🇺🇦 Stat of the Day: President Volodymyr Zelensky said a total of 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its invasion (compared to 180,000 Russian troop deaths), marking the first public confirmation of Ukraine’s death toll due to the war. Sunday’s announcement, which came one day after the two-year anniversary of Russia’s initial invasion, carries a significantly lower total than the ~70,000 Ukrainian troop deaths estimated by US officials in August 2023.

🤔 Did You Know?... Around 100 BCE, Rome became the first city in history to reach a population of one million. This milestone wouldn’t be reached again until London in the 1800s.

📰 Worth a Read: How the bubonic plague rewired the human immune system → (BBC Future)

• ☝️ Artist Caroline Ghosn, aka Glitter Kitty, revealed the design for this year’s Burning Man temple, titled Temple of Together.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with Hers

• 💰 US markets closed mixed on Friday (S&P: +0.03%; Dow: +0.2%; Nasdaq: -0.3%); all three indexes closed up for the week. | 💪 Natural-gas futures recently hit their cheapest prices (inflation-adjusted) since trading began on the NY Mercantile Exchange in 1990.
• 🍿 Warner Bros. Discovery posted Q4 earnings that missed analysts' estimates for both revenue and earnings; shares dropped 10% on Friday. | 📝 Read Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.
• 📱 AT&T is giving a $5 credit to any customer affected by Thursday’s hours-long cellphone network outage. (Background)

*From our partners: 🌞 Stop hair loss and regrow hair by summertime*… Thousands of women just like you turn to Hers for hair regrowth. Check out their results—and the prescription options tailored to your needs made with clinically proven regrowth ingredients.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🎭🤖 Producer, director, and actor Tyler Perry has put a planned $800 million expansion of his Atlanta studio on hold after seeing Sora, the new text-to-video AI tool from OpenAI, per The Hollywood Reporter.
• 🙏 Actor Kenneth Mitchell, who starred in Star Trek: Discovery and Captain Marvel, passed away at the age of 49 following a battle with ALS.
• 🏀 Duke center Kyle Filipowski, a 7-footer who’s projected as a top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, sprained his ankle when Wake Forest students stormed the court after Saturday’s upset victory.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with moomoo

• 📸🤖 Google temporarily stopped allowing users to generate images of humans with its Gemini AI tool; the move came after complaints of historically inaccurate pictures from Gemini, including Black founding fathers, a female pope, and nonwhite Nazi soldiers; users also said it produced gay couples when asked for straight couples.
• 🏃‍♀️ Women may see better health benefits from moderate exercise than men, according to a new peer-reviewed study.
• 🛰️🌕 Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander, which last week became the first private craft to successfully touch down on the Moon, tipped over during its landing attempt and is laying on its side; the positioning isn’t expected to affect the lander’s mission.

*From our partners: 🥳 Trade US stocks, ETFs, and options commission-free**... Moomoo provides free investor education resources and a paper trading tool so you can learn to trade with greater confidence. Sign up for moomoo and deposit to get up to 15 free stocks.***

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🔐 More than 120,000 biometric gun safes are being recalled over concerns they could be opened without authorization, including by young children.
• 🤖🗣️ A former political consultant for long-shot Democratic presidential challenger Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) said he was behind an AI-generated robocall impersonating President Biden that told some New Hampshire residents not to vote in the primary.
• 🗳️ Former President Trump won Saturday’s South Carolina GOP primary by a 60%-40% margin over Nikki Haley, who served as South Carolina’s governor for six years; Trump has now won the first five GOP nominating contests by double-digit margins. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right) | 🚫 A Charles Koch-backed group paused its financial support of Nikki Haley’s campaign one day after the South Carolina primary; Haley said she plans to remain in the race.

CLICKBAIT

• 🤔🐍 Why are there so many snakes?

Monday: Hungary is expected to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO

Tuesday: Michigan holds presidential primary elections

Wednesday: Hunter Biden will appear before the House for closed-door testimony

Thursday: Leap Day, aka February 29

Friday: The deadline for Congress to avoid a partial government shutdown

On Friday, we covered how roughly half of recent US college graduates work in jobs where their degrees aren’t needed, which has major implications on their future earnings potential and career path.

❓ Our question to you: To all our readers in the workforce who are college graduates – do you work in a job where your degree is needed?

• 👍 Yes: 62%
• 👎 No: 38%

❓ Follow-up question: What is your age range?

• 21-30: Yes – 14%; No – 11%
• 31-40: Yes – 20%; No – 31%
• 41-50: Yes – 20%; No – 24%
• 51-60: Yes – 20%; No – 21%
• 60+: Yes – 26%; No – 13%

Click here to read some of the best responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 4,827 votes and 405 longform responses. Some may have been edited for length.

At only eight years old, Ashwath Kaushik just became the youngest person to beat a chess grandmaster in a classical tournament game. 

• Ashwath, who lives in Singapore, practices chess for around seven hours per day. He beat 37-year-old Jacek Stopa from Poland at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.
• “It felt really exciting and amazing," he said of the win. "I felt proud of my game and how I played, especially since I was worse at one point but managed to come back from that." 

😮 Naturally gifted... Ashwath's parents have been blown away at their son's success, as neither of them have any background in chess or sports competitions.

Guess the definitions of the following Greek/Latin root words:

1. Anim
2. Brom
3. Clast
4. Digit
5. Fant

(keep scrolling for the answers)

👆 Check out the referral prizes you can get, just for introducing people you know to little old us. 

What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like the DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize. (Pro tip: there's no need to ration points, you're entitled to a prize at each tier.)

Start referring.👇

1. Anim = Breath (e.g., animal)
2. Brom = Stench (bromide)
3. Clast = Broken (iconoclast)
4. Digit = Finger (digital)
5. Fant = To show (fantasy)

*Based on separate individual studies of topical and oral finasteride and minoxidil.

**$0 commission trading is available only to US residents trading in the US markets through Moomoo Financial Inc. Other fees may apply. Securities offered through Moomoo Financial Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. For more information, visit moomoo.com/us/pricing.

***Terms and Conditions apply; please visit moomoo.com/support/topic4_410 for details.