A 13-year-old Australian boy utilized his endurance to swim for four hours and seek rescue for his family, who were swept out to sea while paddleboarding. After drifting 14km offshore due to unexpected wind and lost equipment, the family was rescued, highlighting the importance of water safety awareness. The teen's actions demonstrate the potential for quick thinking in emergency situations.

A 13-year-old Australian boy utilized his endurance to swim for four hours and seek rescue for his family, who were swept out to sea while paddleboarding. After drifting 14km offshore due to unexpected wind and lost equipment, the family was rescued, highlighting the importance of water safety awareness. The teen's actions demonstrate the potential for quick thinking in emergency situations.

Multiple news sources reveal a complex global landscape marked by geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties, and technological advancements, alongside domestic issues such as a partial government shutdown triggered by House inaction on a funding bill, investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's network, and the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother. President Trump urged House lawmakers to pass the Senate-approved funding bill to end the shutdown, highlighting Speaker Johnson's challenge in navigating partisan divisions.

Multiple news sources reveal a complex global landscape marked by geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties, and technological advancements, alongside domestic issues such as a partial government shutdown triggered by House inaction on a funding bill, investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's network, and the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother. President Trump urged House lawmakers to pass the Senate-approved funding bill to end the shutdown, highlighting Speaker Johnson's challenge in navigating partisan divisions.

Multiple news sources detail how snowboarder Kevin Pearce, once a major rival to Shaun White, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2009 accident while practicing for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, ending his competitive career and leaving him with lasting neurological effects. The injury occurred after Pearce, driven to match White's skill, attempted a difficult trick, and he has no memory of the accident or the following month, later undergoing extensive rehabilitation.

Multiple news sources detail how snowboarder Kevin Pearce, once a major rival to Shaun White, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2009 accident while practicing for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, ending his competitive career and leaving him with lasting neurological effects. The injury occurred after Pearce, driven to match White's skill, attempted a difficult trick, and he has no memory of the accident or the following month, later undergoing extensive rehabilitation.

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.

Drawing from multiple sources, this summary highlights key developments: Google's unified Android and ChromeOS, "Aluminium OS," may face delays until 2028, according to leaked documents, while the Tesla Model S concludes its 14-year production run after revolutionizing the EV market, and the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold over 17 million units since its release.

Drawing from multiple sources, this summary highlights key developments: Google's unified Android and ChromeOS, "Aluminium OS," may face delays until 2028, according to leaked documents, while the Tesla Model S concludes its 14-year production run after revolutionizing the EV market, and the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold over 17 million units since its release.

SpaceX has acquired Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, in a deal valuing the combined entity at $1.25 trillion, according to Bloomberg News, with Musk citing the need for space-based data centers to overcome the limitations of terrestrial AI infrastructure. This merger, reported across multiple sources, aims to solve the growing energy demands of AI and secure a continuous revenue stream for SpaceX through satellite launches, though it raises questions about a potential IPO and the financial challenges of both companies.

SpaceX has acquired Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, in a deal valuing the combined entity at $1.25 trillion, according to Bloomberg News, with Musk citing the need for space-based data centers to overcome the limitations of terrestrial AI infrastructure. This merger, reported across multiple sources, aims to solve the growing energy demands of AI and secure a continuous revenue stream for SpaceX through satellite launches, though it raises questions about a potential IPO and the financial challenges of both companies.

Multiple news sources report that Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is on trial in Oslo facing 38 charges, including rape, domestic violence, drug possession, and making death threats, to which he has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges but admitted guilt to some lesser offenses. Following new accusations, police are seeking to keep Hoiby in custody for an additional four weeks, potentially adding to the existing charges.

Multiple news sources report that Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is on trial in Oslo facing 38 charges, including rape, domestic violence, drug possession, and making death threats, to which he has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges but admitted guilt to some lesser offenses. Following new accusations, police are seeking to keep Hoiby in custody for an additional four weeks, potentially adding to the existing charges.

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.

Drawing from multiple news sources, approximately one million people missed the January 31st deadline to file their UK tax returns with HMRC and now face penalties, including an initial £100 fine, even if no tax is owed. While millions filed on the final day, HMRC urges those who missed the deadline to submit their returns as soon as possible to minimize further penalties and interest charges.

Drawing from multiple news sources, approximately one million people missed the January 31st deadline to file their UK tax returns with HMRC and now face penalties, including an initial £100 fine, even if no tax is owed. While millions filed on the final day, HMRC urges those who missed the deadline to submit their returns as soon as possible to minimize further penalties and interest charges.

Multiple news sources report that Jelly Roll, after winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Country Album, expressed gratitude to Jesus and his wife, Bunnie XO, while also stating he avoids political commentary due to his self-proclaimed ignorance stemming from a challenging upbringing and disconnection from current events. He admitted to being a "dumb redneck" and said people shouldn't care about his political opinions because of his lack of knowledge.

Multiple news sources report that Jelly Roll, after winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Country Album, expressed gratitude to Jesus and his wife, Bunnie XO, while also stating he avoids political commentary due to his self-proclaimed ignorance stemming from a challenging upbringing and disconnection from current events. He admitted to being a "dumb redneck" and said people shouldn't care about his political opinions because of his lack of knowledge.

Several sports, including bandy, ski ballet, and equestrian skijoring, have appeared in past Winter Olympics but will not be included in the 2026 games. These sports, ranging from a mix of field hockey and soccer to dancing on skis while being judged on artistry, had brief appearances in the Olympic program, with some like ski ballet influencing modern freestyle events.

Several sports, including bandy, ski ballet, and equestrian skijoring, have appeared in past Winter Olympics but will not be included in the 2026 games. These sports, ranging from a mix of field hockey and soccer to dancing on skis while being judged on artistry, had brief appearances in the Olympic program, with some like ski ballet influencing modern freestyle events.

Multiple news sources report that archaeologists in Alta, Utah, unearthed a 150-year-old alcohol bottle from the town's mining era and brought it to High West Distillery to determine its contents. Experts noted the bottle's good condition and a vinegary smell emanating from the cork before carefully extracting the liquid for analysis.

Multiple news sources report that archaeologists in Alta, Utah, unearthed a 150-year-old alcohol bottle from the town's mining era and brought it to High West Distillery to determine its contents. Experts noted the bottle's good condition and a vinegary smell emanating from the cork before carefully extracting the liquid for analysis.