Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🏛️ The White House seeks more control over independent federal agencies
• 🤔 Lead poisoning + the fall of the Roman Empire
• 🚢 The world’s largest artificial reef

… and more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.20-minute read (1,118 words).

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“Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.”

–Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)

On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to give the White House greater control of independent federal agencies, raising questions about the limits of the presidential authority.

A breakdown

The order applies to independent agencies like the FCC, FTC, and SEC, which are in charge of passing and enforcing regulations for areas like banking, security, and telecommunications. The only exemption is the Federal Reserve’s handling of interest-rate policy – though it applies to the Fed’s other responsibilities.

In general terms, the order requires these independent agencies to submit all major regulations to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, instead of enacting those regulations themselves.

• OMB Director Russell Vought will set performance standards and objectives for independent agency heads, and provide guidance on how to adjust their budgets in accordance with the law.
• The order also bars independent agencies from taking legal positions different from those asserted by Trump or AG Pam Bondi.

Is this legal? Many Democratic lawmakers and legal experts have questioned whether Trump’s latest executive order is a violation of the federal government’s checks and balances, or in line with the president’s standard authority.

• The independent agencies in the order have typically been seen as operating outside of the Executive Branch, and were established by Congress with the intention of applying nonpartisan and independent expertise to regulatory questions.
• Congress has also granted autonomy to many agencies allowing them to take legal positions in areas of law they enforce, which runs counter to Trump’s new executive order.

But the Trump admin disagrees. With the order, the White House is pushing a theory known as the “unitary executive,” which argues the Constitution allows the president complete control of the government, and that Congress lacks the ability to shield specialized agencies from Trump’s order.

Looking ahead…Trump’s executive order is expected to face legal challenges that could eventually reach the Supreme Court.

📊 Flash poll: How do you feel about President Trump’s new executive order seeking to give the White House greater control of independent federal agencies?

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• Created by the team that grew Zillow to a $16B valuation, Pacaso’s digital marketplace offers easy purchase, ownership, and enjoyment of luxury vacation homes. And their target market is worth a whopping $1.3T. No wonder Pacaso has earned $100M+ in gross profits.
• Now, they’re focused on international expansion. With record-breaking sales in Paris, seven homes in Cabo, and the recent purchase of their most expensive European property yet in London, it’s happening fast.

But with this international expansion already underway, Pacaso’s current share price won’t last long.

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Hollywood was shaken and stirred yesterday, following an announcement that longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson relinquished creative control of the James Bond franchise to Amazon MGM.

• Ever since the first James Bond movie – 1962’s Dr. No – the franchise has been overseen by a Broccoli, with Barbara herself involved since 1987's The Living Daylights.
• The pair will still retain co-ownership.

The move settles a yearslong stalemate

Amazon purchased MGM in 2022 for $8.5 billion with visions of tuxedos and Aston Martins in its eyes.

The studio counted James Bond, with ~$7.8 billion in box-office sales to his name, as one of its biggest pieces of IP. The franchise was also riding high following the success of No Time to Die, which had turned in the third-best box office performance for a Bond film the year prior.

But…the only James Bond-related product to hit screens since has been the rarely viewed or talked about 007: Road to a Million, a reality show hosted by Succession’s Brian Cox. It was in development prior to the sale, with Broccoli’s approval.

Behind closed doors, Broccoli reportedly wasn’t a fan of Amazon’s moviemaking approach, according to a December 2024 Wall Street Journal investigative report, telling friends about the company: “These people are f— idiots.”

👀 Looking ahead: With disagreements in the rearview and Amazon in the driver’s seat, James Bond is seemingly clear to go back into the field. Spinoffs and additional movies could soon be in the works.

While Ancient Rome was flourishing thousands of years ago, something ominous was in the air – literally.

Lead pollution during the Roman Empire grew to a high enough level that it dropped the population's collective IQ, potentially aiding in the empire’s fall, according to a recent peer-reviewed study.

By the numbers

The research actually started far from Rome, in the Arctic temperatures of Greenland and Russia. Scientists located three ice cores with lead levels dated between 500 BCE–600 CE, roughly the same span as the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

• After analyzing the ice cores, the researchers concluded that Roman silver mining operations emitted an estimated 3,300-4,600 tons of lead into the atmosphere each year – the earliest known example of widespread industrial pollution.
• As a result, the average Roman had enough lead in their blood to cause a general IQ decline of ~3 points across the entire population.

📝 Bottom line: While there’s no definitive answer on the Roman Empire’s fall, the study's authors say their findings show “lead was one of many risk factors that could have contributed to [its] decline.”

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📉 US markets fell across the board (S&P: -0.4%; Dow: -1.0%; Nasdaq: -0.5%). | 🔫 Palantir shares fell 5% yesterday following a 10% drop on Wednesday; per analysts, the decrease is being driven by CEO Alex Karp's new stock sale plan and the Trump admin’s plan to slash defense budgets.
• 🏪 Walmart posted Q4 earnings in line with analysts' expectations; though shares fell ~6% on weaker-than-expected forward guidance. | 💰 More wealthy shoppers are flocking to Walmart. | 💪 Amazon surpassed Walmart in quarterly revenue for the first time.
• 🥤 Celsius, the energy drink maker popular with Gen Z, is acquiring rival Alani Nu for $1.8 billion.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with NoNetz

• 🏒 4 Nations Face-Off: Canada beat Team USA 3-2 on an OT goal from Connor McDavid to take home the trophy. | ⚽️ Luis Rubiales, former president of the Spanish Football Federation, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female athlete after he kissed her on the lips without consent following the 2023 Women's World Cup. | 🏀 Victor Wembanyama will miss the rest of the NBA season; the San Antonio Spurs superstar was diagnosed a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his shoulder.
• 📺 ESPN is planning to add user-generated content to its upcoming “flagship” streaming service.
• 🏆 Wicked star Cynthia Erivo is slated to host this year’s 78th annual Tony Awards.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• ⚛️⛰️ Large reserves of white hydrogen – a clean-burning fuel source – may be hidden under the world’s mountain ranges, per a new study.
• 💉 Personalized mRNA vaccines show promise as a treatment for pancreatic cancer, per a new Phase I clinical trial; the disease has a five-year survival rate of ~10%.
• 🪨🏭 Scientists have developed a way to create a material from common minerals that can suck carbon out of the atmosphere and deposit it deep in Earth’s oceans.

MISCELLANEOUS

in partnership with MANSCAPED®

• 🌨️🥶 100+ million Americans were under winter weather advisories yesterday, with freezing temps in the Central/South and snow in the East causing travel delays.
• 💰✈️ Delta is offering $30,000 with “no strings attached” to each passenger of a jet that flipped over and caught fire on a Toronto runway this week.
• 🏛️ Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who served as the GOP’s Senate leader from 2007 until last month, announced he won’t seek reelection in 2026. | 🏛️ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed senior Pentagon leaders to develop plans for cutting 8%/year from the defense budget through 2030. | ✅ The Senate confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel in a 51-49 vote mostly along party lines.

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The SS United States embarked on her final voyage yesterday, sailing from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama, ahead of its final destination – at the bottom of the ocean, serving as the world’s largest artificial reef.

Upon making it to Alabama, the 1,000-ft-long historic ship will be cleaned, prepped, and sunk off Florida’s Gulf Coast. Officials hope the SS United States will become a barnacle-encrusted paradise for local sea life, as well as a signature diving attraction that could generate millions of dollars annually in local tourism.

Fun fact: The 72-year-old ship once carried thousands of troops and was considered the peak of American engineering. To this day, it holds the trans-Atlantic speed record for an ocean liner, crossing in just 3 days and 10.7 hours at an average speed of ~41 mph.

☝️🇪🇬 Researchers in Egypt found the tomb of King Thutmose II, the last undiscovered royal tomb of the 18th Egyptian dynasty; it’s the first ancient pharaoh’s tomb discovered since Tutankhamun's in 1922.

🤔 Did You Know? Dust from the Sahara Desert helps fertilize the Amazon Rainforest, despite an ocean separating the two.

📰 Worth a Read: Meet the capuchin monkey: Curious, creative and vengeful

🖱 Clickbait: The most decorated dog in US history

🐾📸 Photographer John Fabiano quit his corporate job to start photographing dogs and their owners around the world – and he couldn’t be happier.

🖌️ Street murals in Singapore are more than public art displays – they’re helping residents with dementia safely navigate their neighborhoods.

🎨 Artist Sydney Blum had accepted she would never see two of her sculptures again, after they were lost in the mail en route to an art fair. That is, until Sonja Krawesky found them at a bargain store 850 miles away.

Our weekly news quiz just dropped. Click to see how your news superpowers stack up against our team.

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Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Flour
• Creole
• Chicken
• Olive oil
• Diced tomatoes
• Green chile peppers
• Sweet pickles
• Red wine vinegar
• Drained capers
• Garlic

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Pistachios
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Garbanzo beans
• Lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Butter
• Green onions
• Jalapenos
• Garlic
• Spinach
• Greens seasoning
• Water
• Cream cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Parmesan

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☝️ Recipe #1: Chicken piquant

✌️ Recipe #2: Pistachio hummus

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Jalapeño spinach dip