Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🏘️ MA rent-control measure
• 🧾 Average tax returns are up
• 🌨️ Why winter is crazy in 2026

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.57-minute read (949 words).

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"Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."

–Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944)

A fight is brewing in Massachusetts over a proposal to establish one of the nation’s strictest rent-control measures.

Last week, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu became the latest local leader to weigh in, declaring her support for the proposed ballot measure that would establish a cap on rent hikes across the state.

If approved by voters in November, the proposed ballot measure would limit the amount by which landlords can increase rent for tenants each year, tying the annual percentage to either the US Consumer Price Index or 5% (whichever is lower).

• Newly constructed buildings would be exempt for their first 10 years, in an effort to avoid discouraging new development.
• Owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units would also receive an exception to the new measure.

More context: If adopted, the Massachusetts law would mark one of the strictest such measures in the US. Other areas with rent-control laws, including California, Oregon, and Maryland’s largest county, allow landlords to raise rents by an additional margin above inflation.

It comes as rents for the average two-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts are ~72% above the national average, according to Zillow data ($2,530 vs. $1,473).

The arguments

Massachusetts’ rent-control proposal has received divided reviews from economists, housing advocates, and lawmakers, relaunching a familiar debate over affordability vs. supply when it comes to housing.

Supporters of the move say rent caps provide predictability in a state where housing costs rank among the highest in the country, and avoid instances where sudden rent spikes displace tenants in larger cities like Boston and Cambridge.

Other proponents, including city leaders in LA and NYC, say rent-control measures represent an effective tool to slow the rate at which housing becomes less affordable for working- and middle-class residents.

On the flip side: Opponents argue that strict rent caps can make new housing projects harder to justify financially, particularly in already expensive markets. Over time, limiting rent growth could slow construction and tighten the housing market even further.

Critics also point to Minnesota’s Twin Cities as a real-world test-case:

• After St. Paul adopted one of the country’s toughest rent-control laws in 2022, permits for new apartment buildings fell, causing the policy to be rescinded in 2025.
• Nearby Minneapolis, which didn’t implement rent control, saw building activity rise during the same period.

Looking ahead…If Massachusetts lawmakers decline to pass the rent-control measure by midyear, it’s widely expected to secure a spot on November’s ballot by reaching 100,000 signatures.

📊 Flash poll: Do you support or oppose the new proposed rent-control measure in Massachusetts?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🧾 Average US tax refund for last year currently stands at $2,290, up nearly 11% from the same point last year, new IRS data reveals.
• 🏦 Goldman Sachs reportedly plans to drop its DEI criteria for the company’s board seats; move follows request from a conservative activist nonprofit.
• 🎥 Warner Bros. Discovery is reopening deal talks with Paramount Skydance; move sets the stage for a potential bidding war with WBD’s preferred buyer, Netflix.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 💸 Wrestler and YouTube star Logan Paul sells ultra-rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card for $16.49 million; deal sets a Guinness World Record for most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.
• 📺 Anderson Cooper is leaving 60 Minutes after 20 years as a part-time correspondent; he'll continue as a CNN anchor. | Actor Shia LaBeouf is arrested on battery charges in New Orleans during Mardi Gras celebrations. | 🙏 Frederick Wiseman, an Oscar-winning documentarian, died at 96.
• 🥊 Ronda Rousey is returning to MMA for the first time in nearly a decade to face Gina Carano; the May 16 event, produced by Jake Paul’s company, will be streamed live on Netflix.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🍽️ Intermittent fasting makes little to no difference to people's weight loss or quality of life compared to traditional dieting advice (like reducing calorie intake and eating healthier), new research shows.
• 🔋 UCSB scientists create new “liquid battery” material that captures and stores solar energy for later use; material outperforms conventional lithium-ion batteries in testing.
• 🏭🧠 Long-term exposure to air pollution is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, even after factoring for other health issues, according to new research.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🙏 Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights icon and former US presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, passed away at 84.
• 📺 Late Show host Stephen Colbert posts interview with Senate candidate James Talarico (D-TX) to YouTube, saying CBS lawyers told him not to air it; CBS says the show wasn’t prohibited from airing the interview, but presented with options to avoid triggering the FCC’s equal-time rule for political candidates on broadcast TV/radio.
• 🇺🇸🇮🇷 US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner meet with Iranian officials in Switzerland for a second round of talks over sanction relief and a potential nuclear agreement; officials say some progress was made, with Iran expected to offer detailed nuclear proposals in the next two weeks.

👆 Fat Tuesday and Lunar New Year (aka Chinese New Year) fell on the same day this year, with colorful celebrations held around the world. Fat Tuesday (English for “Mardi Gras”) is the last night of indulgence before the Christian season of Lent. The Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse.

🤔 Did you know? When Disneyland opened in 1955, Tomorrowland was designed to depict the far-off future of…1986. The park’s Tomorrowland is now in its third generation, following a series of updates aimed at preventing it from becoming “Yesterdayland.”

📰 Worth a read: Only humans have chins: Study shows it's an evolutionary accident

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Why winter in the US is crazy this year, in 5 charts
• The Norwich pigeon wars: how birds are dividing a UK city
• A new kind of prime number

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📺 Not just for humans: Why videos aimed at pets are drawing millions of views.

🏖️ Move over, Florida: These states may be the best places to retire for your health.

📰 Read: Britain’s monarchy can’t escape the shadow of the Epstein scandal.

🏟️ Sports fandom can feel intimidating, but gatekeeping is out. The GIST is your judgment-free home for men’s and women’s sports, no expertise required. Know what's up tomorrow, and subscribe to their free 4x-weekly newsletter.*

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❓ Trivia: Which two US state names contain three sets of double letters?

🎓 True or false?…Teaching at Oxford began before the Aztec Empire was officially formed in 1428.

🤔 Riddle me this: I have one head, one foot, and four legs. What am I?

🐕 A neighborhood dog became an unlikely hero in Louisville, KY, after leading police to a missing 3-year-old boy last month. 

The pup barked at an officer, guided him to a backyard car where the child was found unharmed, and then disappeared, leaving authorities to credit their mysterious four-legged friend” with the dramatic rescue.

❓ Trivia: Mississippi and Tennessee

🎓 T/F: True; teaching at Oxford dates back to 1096

🤔 Riddle: A table

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