A nuclear fusion reactor in China, dubbed the "artificial sun," has broken its own record

A number of federal employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US federal agency that monitors and models the oceans and atmosphere for the purpose of predicting changes in climate and weather, have received orders to temporarily cease communicating with foreign nationals, including those working directly with the US government, WIRED has learned. An internal email obtained by WIRED shows that the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) received orders to pause “ALL INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENTS.” (Emphasis theirs.) The message states that the orders extend to participation in international commissions and even emails “with foreign national colleagues.”

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong’s biotech firm is preparing three applications needing approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

A coalition of unions is asking a federal court to block far-right billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the internal systems of the Department of Labor (DOL), after In These Times broke the news that the tech billionaire is planning a ​“kickoff meeting” with the agency today. For the past several weeks, Musk and his DOGE project have been slashing and burning their way through the U.S. government on a self-directed mission of destruction. Now, he’s coming after the DOL. On February 4, in an afternoon meeting with senior management, workers were ordered to turn over access to the DOGE operatives wherever they ask for it. Those who impede the process or refuse to reply were told they risk termination. Sources said that the orders came down from Acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone, and that the DOGE operatives will be staying for ​“an indeterminate period of time.” Workers were dismayed. ​“I work for the American people,” one DOL worker told me. ​“To turn over their data to a bunch of idiots without proper clearance feels wrong.”

The VA may be the next government agency to go dark, if Pete Hegseth’s digital Rolodex is anything to go by.

Grassroots efforts in places like North Carolina show what we can—and increasingly must—do in a world plagued by climate disasters.

Laid off staffers allege union busting and misrepresentation at an organization that promised a fleet of mobile abortion clinics.

"This is my best attempt to summarize some key pieces of news and hopefully cut through some of the noise to explain what’s going on and where we could be headed."

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison cannot rely on a misinformation expert whose court filing included made-up citations generated by artificial intelligence, a federal judge ruled in a case involving a "deepfake" parody of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The arrest took place amid Trump's immigration crackdown. An armored vehicle with battering ram and dozens of ICE agents were present to arrest a man.

The site calls out workers who have been involved with DEI initiatives. A majority are Black.

Google removed a pledge to not build AI for weapons or surveillance from its website this week. The change was first spotted by Bloomberg. The company appears to have updated its public AI principles page, erasing a section titled “applications we will not pursue,” which was still included as recently as last week. Asked for comment, the company pointed TechCrunch to a new blog post on “responsible AI.” It notes, in part, “we believe that companies, governments, and organizations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.”

Orange fool Donald Trump has said the US will “take over” and “own” Gaza after resettling Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East”. In a shock announcement upending decades of US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump said on Tuesday that his administration would spearhead economic development in the enclave to “supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area”.

The suspension of international parcels from China and Hong Kong is effective immediately, the USPS said.

The president doesn’t actually have the power to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. So why has Children’s National “paused” certain forms of care?

The world’s richest man now has the power to override congressional spending decisions and access to private information about every US taxpayer.

The founder of a Florida-based neo-Nazi group has been convicted of conspiring with his former girlfriend to plan an attack on Maryland’s power grid in furtherance of their shared racist beliefs.

Police have said five people have been shot at a school in Sweden. The attack occurred at an adult education centre in the city of Orebro on Tuesday. The area where the centre, called the Risbergska School, is located also houses several other schools, including those with children in attendance.

President Donald Trump's new tariff orders against Canada, Mexico and China all contain clauses suspending a duty-free exemption for low-value shipments below $800 that is widely seen as a loophole that has allowed shipments of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the United States.

Over the 15 years that Pierre Jean has lived in Brooklyn, his daily earnings as a taxi driver have often reflected people’s activities and movements. Last Friday, as he stood outside a florist shop along Nostrand Avenue, Jean said the $70 to $80 per day he had been earning recently dipped to well below half in the past week. That Friday, he had made only $30 by the afternoon — hardly enough to pay for gas, he said.