YouTube is now enforcing its Premium subscription requirement for background playback on mobile devices, closing a loophole previously exploited by users of browsers like Brave and Edge. This change, intended to ensure consistent functionality across platforms, impacts users who previously enjoyed background audio without a Premium subscription and may drive more users to subscribe. The move has sparked user frustration and workarounds are being explored.

YouTube is now enforcing its Premium subscription requirement for background playback on mobile devices, closing a loophole previously exploited by users of browsers like Brave and Edge. This change, intended to ensure consistent functionality across platforms, impacts users who previously enjoyed background audio without a Premium subscription and may drive more users to subscribe. The move has sparked user frustration and workarounds are being explored.

Google's upcoming Aluminium OS, a unified Android and ChromeOS, faces controversy as leaked court documents suggest a delayed launch until 2028, despite earlier promises of a 2026 release alongside potential devices like the Intel Panther Lake "Ruby" laptop. This discrepancy raises questions about the readiness of the new OS and its impact on the PC market, potentially affecting Google's competitive position against Windows and Mac.

Google's upcoming Aluminium OS, a unified Android and ChromeOS, faces controversy as leaked court documents suggest a delayed launch until 2028, despite earlier promises of a 2026 release alongside potential devices like the Intel Panther Lake "Ruby" laptop. This discrepancy raises questions about the readiness of the new OS and its impact on the PC market, potentially affecting Google's competitive position against Windows and Mac.

The Tesla Model S, ending its 14-year production run, revolutionized the auto industry by establishing Tesla as a major player in the EV market. Launched in 2012, the Model S demonstrated the viability of luxury electric vehicles and pushed technological boundaries, influencing subsequent EV development across the industry. Its impact extended beyond transportation, shaping perceptions of sustainable technology and inspiring innovation.

The Tesla Model S, ending its 14-year production run, revolutionized the auto industry by establishing Tesla as a major player in the EV market. Launched in 2012, the Model S demonstrated the viability of luxury electric vehicles and pushed technological boundaries, influencing subsequent EV development across the industry. Its impact extended beyond transportation, shaping perceptions of sustainable technology and inspiring innovation.

Vema Hydrogen is pioneering a cost-effective method of extracting hydrogen from underground rock formations, potentially revolutionizing energy supply for data centers and industrial applications. Their pilot project in Quebec demonstrates the viability of producing hydrogen for under $1 per kilogram, offering a cleaner and cheaper alternative to traditional steam methane reformation and paving the way for wider adoption of hydrogen power.

Vema Hydrogen is pioneering a cost-effective method of extracting hydrogen from underground rock formations, potentially revolutionizing energy supply for data centers and industrial applications. Their pilot project in Quebec demonstrates the viability of producing hydrogen for under $1 per kilogram, offering a cleaner and cheaper alternative to traditional steam methane reformation and paving the way for wider adoption of hydrogen power.

Five new economic papers presented at the American Economic Association's annual meeting offer insights into pressing issues like economic opportunity, the reliability of government statistics, and the pandemic's impact on inflation. These pre-peer review drafts provide a glimpse into emerging economic ideas and potential future news in the field.

Five new economic papers presented at the American Economic Association's annual meeting offer insights into pressing issues like economic opportunity, the reliability of government statistics, and the pandemic's impact on inflation. These pre-peer review drafts provide a glimpse into emerging economic ideas and potential future news in the field.

Planet Money attended the American Economic Association's annual conference, a major event for economists, to get a sneak peek at cutting-edge research. They highlighted several pre-peer review papers, including one exploring the productivity impacts of AI in American industries, suggesting AI initially slows productivity before ultimately accelerating it. This is based on observations and discussions with economists at the conference.

Planet Money attended the American Economic Association's annual conference, a major event for economists, to get a sneak peek at cutting-edge research. They highlighted several pre-peer review papers, including one exploring the productivity impacts of AI in American industries, suggesting AI initially slows productivity before ultimately accelerating it. This is based on observations and discussions with economists at the conference.

Synthesizing information from multiple news sources, Vema Hydrogen is pioneering a new method of hydrogen production by drilling wells to extract naturally occurring hydrogen from iron-rich rock, offering a potentially cheaper and cleaner alternative to traditional steam reformation of methane. Following a successful pilot project in Quebec and a deal to supply California data centers, Vema plans to drill its first commercial well next year, aiming to produce hydrogen for under $1 per kilogram and targeting the industrial sector as a key market.

Synthesizing information from multiple news sources, Vema Hydrogen is pioneering a new method of hydrogen production by drilling wells to extract naturally occurring hydrogen from iron-rich rock, offering a potentially cheaper and cleaner alternative to traditional steam reformation of methane. Following a successful pilot project in Quebec and a deal to supply California data centers, Vema plans to drill its first commercial well next year, aiming to produce hydrogen for under $1 per kilogram and targeting the industrial sector as a key market.

Multiple sources highlight economic issues, including a potential economic boom discussed by Charles Payne and a warning about dormant bank accounts. A retiree's savings account was closed due to inactivity, with the funds escheated to the state, raising concerns about the security of savings, especially for seniors, and the potential for scams.

Multiple sources highlight economic issues, including a potential economic boom discussed by Charles Payne and a warning about dormant bank accounts. A retiree's savings account was closed due to inactivity, with the funds escheated to the state, raising concerns about the security of savings, especially for seniors, and the potential for scams.

Multiple news sources from early February 2026 paint a picture of a world grappling with geopolitical tensions, including developments in Gaza and Iran, alongside technological advancements like Waymo's expansion and cultural milestones such as Spielberg's EGOT. These advancements are juxtaposed with anxieties surrounding international conflicts, immigration debates, ethical AI dilemmas, economic uncertainties, and events like a mass blackout in Ukraine, creating a complex narrative of both progress and significant global challenges.

Multiple news sources from early February 2026 paint a picture of a world grappling with geopolitical tensions, including developments in Gaza and Iran, alongside technological advancements like Waymo's expansion and cultural milestones such as Spielberg's EGOT. These advancements are juxtaposed with anxieties surrounding international conflicts, immigration debates, ethical AI dilemmas, economic uncertainties, and events like a mass blackout in Ukraine, creating a complex narrative of both progress and significant global challenges.

Multiple news sources highlight a dire global situation: a study covering 23 conflicts reveals international humanitarian law is failing, with over 100,000 civilian deaths and widespread war crimes, while simultaneously, Sudanese families displaced from El Fasher are desperately seeking food aid. The Geneva Academy's "War Watch" report emphasizes the urgent need for action to prevent the complete erosion of laws protecting civilians during armed conflict.

Multiple news sources highlight a dire global situation: a study covering 23 conflicts reveals international humanitarian law is failing, with over 100,000 civilian deaths and widespread war crimes, while simultaneously, Sudanese families displaced from El Fasher are desperately seeking food aid. The Geneva Academy's "War Watch" report emphasizes the urgent need for action to prevent the complete erosion of laws protecting civilians during armed conflict.

Multiple news sources report that Target's new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, is facing immediate pressure to address immigration raid concerns and protests, despite outlining priorities focused on improving the customer experience and strengthening communities; meanwhile, Elon Musk is merging xAI and SpaceX to pursue data centers in space, and global stocks are rebounding after recent volatility.

Multiple news sources report that Target's new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, is facing immediate pressure to address immigration raid concerns and protests, despite outlining priorities focused on improving the customer experience and strengthening communities; meanwhile, Elon Musk is merging xAI and SpaceX to pursue data centers in space, and global stocks are rebounding after recent volatility.

Recent Twitter posts featuring excerpts from old emails with unusual equals signs have sparked curiosity about their origin. Contrary to theories suggesting code or scanning errors, the equals signs are remnants of "quoted-printable" encoding, a method used to handle long lines in emails by inserting an equals sign followed by a line break to indicate line continuation, which was improperly converted in these examples. This explanation synthesizes information from technical analyses and historical context to clarify the phenomenon.

Recent Twitter posts featuring excerpts from old emails with unusual equals signs have sparked curiosity about their origin. Contrary to theories suggesting code or scanning errors, the equals signs are remnants of "quoted-printable" encoding, a method used to handle long lines in emails by inserting an equals sign followed by a line break to indicate line continuation, which was improperly converted in these examples. This explanation synthesizes information from technical analyses and historical context to clarify the phenomenon.