In partnership with

Anna's Daybreak News

_{Just facts, you think for yourself}

Thursday, 5:13 AM

February 20, 2025

Good morning news friend! See the bigger picture as today’s events shape the world of tomorrow. 📰🌟

Would you like to see the poll results and comments from our previous edition? Click here to see what other readers had to say about: a Ukraine peace deal with territorial concessions, the government’s role in IVF affordability, ETF investing, AI tools usage and more!  

Insights from DOGE

DOGE, led by Elon Musk, revealed that the federal government's credit card program cost taxpayers nearly $40 billion last year alone. It oversees 4.6 million active credit cards, which process 90 million transactions annually.

In addition, DOGE reported over $232 million in savings within the Social Security Administration (SSA) from cuts in IT, telecom services and unnecessary subscriptions.

DOGE's findings also include $59 million spent by FEMA on housing undocumented immigrants in luxury hotels. Meanwhile, the EPA identified $20 billion in wasteful spending.

The Pentagon has been ordered to cut its budget by 8% for the next 5 years. The DoD has faced scrutiny for wasteful purchases, including $1,300 coffee cups and $149,072 soap dispensers.

Sources: ABC, NYPost, NewsWeek, AOL, FoxNews

Trump and Zelensky Rift

In a social media post, President Trump escalated tensions with Ukrainian President Zelensky by calling him a "dictator without elections." Trump claimed that Zelensky must "move fast" for peace or risk losing his country.

This statement came after Zelensky accused Trump of being influenced by Russian disinformation. Trump argued that Zelensky had mismanaged US aid amounting to $350 billion.

Zelensky noted the ongoing martial law prevents elections, contradicting Trump's demands. Meanwhile, a recent poll showed that Zelensky's popularity dropped 40% since the war began.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are planning visits to Washington.

Sources: FinancialTimes, WallStreetJournal, Reuters, Bloomberg, FoxNews, APNews.

Bibas Family Remains to Be Returned

Today, Israel received the remains of four hostages from Gaza. Among them are Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel, aged 4, and Kfir, aged 9 months, who were taken captive during the October 7 Hamas attack. Also included is 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

The Bibas family has become a poignant symbol of the conflict. Their fate remained uncertain, even amid previous hostage releases.

The family's plight attracted global attention, with images of Shiri and her children being kidnapped shared on social media.

Hamas has claimed that the Bibas family perished in Israeli airstrikes, but Israel has not confirmed this. Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband, was released earlier this month but reported being informed of the tragic news regarding his family.

Sources: APNews, WallStreetJournal, TOI, USAToday, BBC, NDTV.

Microsoft’s Majorana 1

Microsoft unveiled its Majorana 1 quantum chip. It was developed over nearly 20 years and uses topological qubits based on Majorana fermions, a new state of matter.

The Majorana 1 chip currently hosts eight qubits, with plans to scale up to one million. Microsoft believes that commercially viable quantum computers could be ready in years, not decades, a timeline that competes with Google’s and IBM’s predictions.

Microsoft’s innovation involves a topological superconductor made of indium arsenide and aluminum, which allows for the detection of Majorana particles. Unlike traditional qubits, Majorana qubits are more stable and less error-prone.

Sources: Reuters, NYTimes, Microsoft, TheRegister, TQI, TechReview, QCR.

Homebuilding Hits a Wall

Housing starts in January 2025 decreased by 9.8%, reaching an annual rate of 1.366 million units. Single-family home starts dropped 8.4% to 993,000 units, marking a 1.8% decline from a year earlier. The multifamily sector fell 11.0% to 355,000 units.

Building permits increased by 0.1% to 1.483 million units, while single-family permits remained unchanged at 996,000. However, these figures reflected a 1.7% decrease from January 2024.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index reached a five-month low. Concerns over potential 10-25% tariffs on key materials like lumber linger.

The Northeast experienced a 27.6% decline in combined housing starts, while the West saw a 42.3% increase.

Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, AP, REN, NAHB, Realtor.

Google’s AI Co-Scientist Launch

Google introduced an AI co-scientist designed to aid biomedical researchers. This tool, built on Gemini 2.0, helps scientists generate novel hypotheses and refine research plans.

Scientists can provide their research goals in natural language, and within 15 minutes, the AI proposes potential approaches. The system can analyze literature and enhance hypotheses over time.

The AI proposed drug repurposing candidates for acute myeloid leukemia, showing viability in tests. For liver fibrosis, the AI identified promising epigenetic targets that demonstrated anti-fibrotic activity.

Early testing involved 15 research goals, with experts noting that the AI’s outputs showed greater potential for novelty and impact compared to standard models.

Sources: Reuters, Google, NewScientist, SiliconAngle, ArsTechnica.

“What fools call ‘wasting time’ is most often the best investment.”

Did you know we wrote an in-depth deep dive on Iran’s nuclear program? It’s 20 pages long, packed with insights, and has received rave reviews. If you’re up for a detailed, action-packed read, check it out here!

Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️