A landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down presidential trade powers dominated headlines today, triggering an immediate escalation as the White House announced even higher tariffs. Meanwhile, regulatory pressure mounts on Big Tech across multiple fronts, and the UK faces calls for inquiry into royal controversies.

TRADE POLICY IN TURMOIL

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a stinging 6-3 rebuke to the Trump administration's signature tariff policy, declaring the use of emergency powers for trade levies illegal (Washington Post, NPR). The ruling could force the government to pay an estimated $175 billion in refunds to importers, with investment firms that bet against the regime positioned to profit.

President Trump wasted no time responding. Less than 24 hours after the ruling, he announced plans to raise global tariffs from the previously announced 10 percent to 15 percent, invoking Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act (Reuters, AP). This provision allows temporary tariffs for 150 days without congressional approval—a legal workaround that sidesteps the Court's decision while buying time. Certain Canadian and Mexican goods and specific agricultural products will reportedly be exempt. The move creates fresh uncertainty for U.S.-China trade relations and global markets.

BIG TECH UNDER FIRE

Nvidia faces a regulatory reckoning as French authorities prepare to file antitrust charges against the AI chip giant—making France the first country to take enforcement action against the company (Reuters). The charges center on alleged anti-competitive practices amid Nvidia's commanding dominance of the artificial intelligence chip market.

In other tech developments, NPR journalist David Greene is suing Google for allegedly using AI to replicate his voice without authorization, describing the discovery as "deeply unsettling" (NPR). Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark social media addiction trial, while West Virginia filed suit against Apple over iCloud safety tools. Anthropic and the Pentagon are reportedly clashing over military applications of AI (various outlets).

STARTUP STRUGGLES AND INDUSTRY SHIFTS

Google has warned AI startups about survival challenges ahead, even as the AI boom drives up global memory chip and PC prices (TechCrunch). Lucid Motors announced 12 percent workforce reductions, and Wikipedia blacklisted Archive.today following a DDoS attack. OpenAI faced internal debate over whether to report a suspected shooter's chat logs to police, while Sam Altman addressed concerns about AI's growing energy consumption.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RIPPLES

A partial government shutdown has suspended TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs, creating travel headaches for millions of enrolled passengers (DHS, NPR). Amid the disruption, NASA confirmed it's targeting March 6 for the Artemis II moon mission launch, while Gaza marks the start of Ramadan under a fragile ceasefire.

UK ROYAL SCANDAL DEEPENS

British newspapers are demanding an inquiry into what they call a "conspiracy of silence" following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest for misconduct in public office (UK press). Investigations are focusing on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, including his use of taxpayer-funded flights and police security at Epstein's New York residence. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and various MPs are calling for transparency about who knew of Andrew's activities and when. Separately, Ghislaine Maxwell is mounting a legal challenge to block release of additional Epstein-related documents, arguing disclosure laws are unconstitutional.

CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

The traditional Korean genre "trot" is experiencing a remarkable revival, fueled by social media and generative AI tools creating trot-style covers of modern K-pop hits (various outlets). The comeback is sparking debate over copyright and artistic authenticity. In language learning, new methods like microlearning and AI-driven tools are transforming acquisition for busy learners, though experts caution these technologies may lack the cultural nuance of traditional study (NPR).

LOOKING BACK

NPR reporter Tom Dreisbach and colleagues have established a comprehensive archive documenting the January 6th Capitol attack, five years after the event. The project aims to preserve an accurate historical record of the attempt to stop certification of the 2021 presidential election.