US EditionDaily Briefing
COVID led to a huge methane spike; push back on gender-affirming care for minors; FBI beaten by iPhone's Lockdown mode
15 Articles •
Bessent Says China May Be Developing Gold-Backed Digital Assets
L 17%
Center 83%
What happened: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified Thursday that China may be developing digital assets potentially backed by gold and testing them through Hong Kong's financial system. He urged passage of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act amid ongoing disputes between crypto firms like Coinbase, banking groups, and lawmakers over stablecoin yields and deposit stability.
Why it matters: A Chinese gold-backed digital asset could directly challenge the dollar's reserve currency status and U.S. financial leadership by offering a stable alternative outside American monetary policy and sanctions. Domestically, unresolved stablecoin regulations could trigger deposit flight from community banks, reducing their ability to lend to agriculture, small business, and real estate sectors while raising national security concerns around decentralized finance.
Blindspot: No Coverage from Right Sources
93% of sources are Original Reporting
29 Articles •
Study: COVID Lockdowns Linked to Record Methane Surge
L 21%
Center 58%
R 21%
What happened: Atmospheric methane surged at an unprecedented pace in the early 2020s, driven by a sharp drop in hydroxyl radicals during 2020–21 that reduced the atmosphere's ability to break down methane. This chemical shift, combined with increased emissions from wetlands, inland waters, and rice paddies due to prolonged La Niña conditions, caused methane to reach a record 1,921 ppb in 2023.
Why it matters: The findings reveal that cleaner air from reduced pollution can paradoxically worsen methane buildup, a powerful greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years. As climate change brings wetter conditions and countries continue reducing NOx emissions through electrification, methane from wetlands and managed landscapes will increasingly drive near-term warming, requiring updated mitigation strategies to meet the Global Methane Pledge's 30 percent reduction target by 2030.
162 Articles •
Plastic Surgeons Recommend Delaying Gender Surgery to 19
L 16%
Center 46%
Right 38%
What happened: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the nation's largest professional organization for plastic surgeons with 11,000 members, announced this week it recommends delaying gender-affirming chest, genital and facial surgeries until patients reach age 19. The group cited insufficient evidence that benefits outweigh risks for minors and relied on the Cass Review and a 2025 HHS report in making its decision.
Why it matters: This is the first mainstream medical association to recommend an age-19 cutoff, potentially affecting clinical practice nationwide and influencing hospital policies that determine access to care for transgender youth. The recommendation arrives as hospitals pause pediatric gender care under federal pressure and detransitioner lawsuits increase, with one plaintiff recently awarded $2 million in damages.
20 Articles •
FBI Stymied by Apple's Lockdown Mode After Seizing Journalist's iPhone
Left 30%
Center 60%
10%
What happened: The FBI seized Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's iPhone during a January 14 raid at her northern Virginia home but could not extract data because Apple's Lockdown Mode blocked their forensic team. Agents obtained only her phone number from the SIM card and paused further extraction efforts.
Why it matters: This case demonstrates that Lockdown Mode, a free iPhone feature available since 2022, can protect your device from sophisticated forensic tools used by law enforcement and mercenary spyware. While designed for high-risk individuals, any iPhone user running iOS 16 or later can enable this extreme protection despite some convenience tradeoffs.
95% of sources are Original Reporting
18 Articles •
Wargame Finds Russia Could Seize Lithuanian City in Days
L 22%
Center 33%
Right 45%
What happened: A December wargame simulating October 2026 found Russia could seize Lithuania's Marijampole within days using only 15,000 troops by declaring a humanitarian crisis in Kaliningrad. The US declined to invoke NATO Article 5, Germany hesitated, and Poland mobilized but didn't intervene, allowing Russia to dominate the Baltics rapidly.
Why it matters: The simulation reveals NATO's vulnerability stems from political paralysis, not military weakness—Russia succeeded by exploiting Western indecision and semantic pretexts rather than overwhelming force. This exposes critical gaps in collective defense that could undermine alliance credibility and deterrence if member states fail to coordinate rapid responses to hybrid threats.
94% of sources are Original Reporting
26 Articles •
Black Hole Emits Energy a Trillion Times Greater than Death Star
L 15%
Center 85%
What happened: A supermassive black hole nicknamed Jetty McJetface has been emitting a radio jet that has grown 50 times brighter since 2018, with energy output rivaling gamma-ray bursts. The emission continues rising and may peak around 2027, making it potentially one of the most powerful cosmic events ever detected.
Why it matters: This unprecedented late-stage brightening challenges existing models of how black holes behave after destroying stars, suggesting similar powerful jets may have been missed due to limited long-term monitoring. The discovery could reshape how astronomers allocate telescope time and understand the universe's most energetic phenomena.
Blindspot: No Coverage from Right Sources
66 Articles •
Macron Advisor Travels to Moscow for Kremlin Talks
Left 26%
Center 43%
Right 31%
What happened: Emmanuel Bonne, President Macron's senior diplomat, traveled to Moscow yesterday to meet with Kremlin officials including Yury Ushakov, Putin's senior aide. The technical-level discussions aim to restart dialogue on Ukraine and security guarantees after nearly four years of frozen EU-Russia contact since the 2022 invasion.
Why it matters: Europe has been excluded from U.S.-led Ukraine peace negotiations, prompting France to restore its own diplomatic channels with Russia. If successful, these talks could give Europeans a seat at the table in shaping post-war security guarantees and prevent the U.S. from negotiating alone on issues affecting European security.
79% of sources are Original Reporting
Daily Briefing
COVID led to a huge methane spike; push back on gender-affirming care for minors; FBI beaten by iPhone's Lockdown mode
15 Articles •
Bessent Says China May Be Developing Gold-Backed Digital Assets
L 17%
Center 83%
What happened: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified Thursday that China may be developing digital assets potentially backed by gold and testing them through Hong Kong's financial system. He urged passage of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act amid ongoing disputes between crypto firms like Coinbase, banking groups, and lawmakers over stablecoin yields and deposit stability.
Why it matters: A Chinese gold-backed digital asset could directly challenge the dollar's reserve currency status and U.S. financial leadership by offering a stable alternative outside American monetary policy and sanctions. Domestically, unresolved stablecoin regulations could trigger deposit flight from community banks, reducing their ability to lend to agriculture, small business, and real estate sectors while raising national security concerns around decentralized finance.
Blindspot: No Coverage from Right Sources
93% of sources are Original Reporting
29 Articles •
Study: COVID Lockdowns Linked to Record Methane Surge
L 21%
Center 58%
R 21%
What happened: Atmospheric methane surged at an unprecedented pace in the early 2020s, driven by a sharp drop in hydroxyl radicals during 2020–21 that reduced the atmosphere's ability to break down methane. This chemical shift, combined with increased emissions from wetlands, inland waters, and rice paddies due to prolonged La Niña conditions, caused methane to reach a record 1,921 ppb in 2023.
Why it matters: The findings reveal that cleaner air from reduced pollution can paradoxically worsen methane buildup, a powerful greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years. As climate change brings wetter conditions and countries continue reducing NOx emissions through electrification, methane from wetlands and managed landscapes will increasingly drive near-term warming, requiring updated mitigation strategies to meet the Global Methane Pledge's 30 percent reduction target by 2030.
162 Articles •
Plastic Surgeons Recommend Delaying Gender Surgery to 19
L 16%
Center 46%
Right 38%
What happened: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the nation's largest professional organization for plastic surgeons with 11,000 members, announced this week it recommends delaying gender-affirming chest, genital and facial surgeries until patients reach age 19. The group cited insufficient evidence that benefits outweigh risks for minors and relied on the Cass Review and a 2025 HHS report in making its decision.
Why it matters: This is the first mainstream medical association to recommend an age-19 cutoff, potentially affecting clinical practice nationwide and influencing hospital policies that determine access to care for transgender youth. The recommendation arrives as hospitals pause pediatric gender care under federal pressure and detransitioner lawsuits increase, with one plaintiff recently awarded $2 million in damages.
20 Articles •
FBI Stymied by Apple's Lockdown Mode After Seizing Journalist's iPhone
Left 30%
Center 60%
10%
What happened: The FBI seized Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's iPhone during a January 14 raid at her northern Virginia home but could not extract data because Apple's Lockdown Mode blocked their forensic team. Agents obtained only her phone number from the SIM card and paused further extraction efforts.
Why it matters: This case demonstrates that Lockdown Mode, a free iPhone feature available since 2022, can protect your device from sophisticated forensic tools used by law enforcement and mercenary spyware. While designed for high-risk individuals, any iPhone user running iOS 16 or later can enable this extreme protection despite some convenience tradeoffs.
95% of sources are Original Reporting
18 Articles •
Wargame Finds Russia Could Seize Lithuanian City in Days
L 22%
Center 33%
Right 45%
What happened: A December wargame simulating October 2026 found Russia could seize Lithuania's Marijampole within days using only 15,000 troops by declaring a humanitarian crisis in Kaliningrad. The US declined to invoke NATO Article 5, Germany hesitated, and Poland mobilized but didn't intervene, allowing Russia to dominate the Baltics rapidly.
Why it matters: The simulation reveals NATO's vulnerability stems from political paralysis, not military weakness—Russia succeeded by exploiting Western indecision and semantic pretexts rather than overwhelming force. This exposes critical gaps in collective defense that could undermine alliance credibility and deterrence if member states fail to coordinate rapid responses to hybrid threats.
94% of sources are Original Reporting
26 Articles •
Black Hole Emits Energy a Trillion Times Greater than Death Star
L 15%
Center 85%
What happened: A supermassive black hole nicknamed Jetty McJetface has been emitting a radio jet that has grown 50 times brighter since 2018, with energy output rivaling gamma-ray bursts. The emission continues rising and may peak around 2027, making it potentially one of the most powerful cosmic events ever detected.
Why it matters: This unprecedented late-stage brightening challenges existing models of how black holes behave after destroying stars, suggesting similar powerful jets may have been missed due to limited long-term monitoring. The discovery could reshape how astronomers allocate telescope time and understand the universe's most energetic phenomena.
Blindspot: No Coverage from Right Sources
66 Articles •
Macron Advisor Travels to Moscow for Kremlin Talks
Left 26%
Center 43%
Right 31%
What happened: Emmanuel Bonne, President Macron's senior diplomat, traveled to Moscow yesterday to meet with Kremlin officials including Yury Ushakov, Putin's senior aide. The technical-level discussions aim to restart dialogue on Ukraine and security guarantees after nearly four years of frozen EU-Russia contact since the 2022 invasion.
Why it matters: Europe has been excluded from U.S.-led Ukraine peace negotiations, prompting France to restore its own diplomatic channels with Russia. If successful, these talks could give Europeans a seat at the table in shaping post-war security guarantees and prevent the U.S. from negotiating alone on issues affecting European security.
79% of sources are Original Reporting