CCS2 ports 600 kW fast-charging pitstops are coming to Formula E After a couple of years' delay, mid-race recharging is ready to go. Jonathan M. Gitlin Jan 23, 2025 8:25 am | 6 Credit: Oscar Lumley/LAT Images Credit: Oscar Lumley/LAT Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreNow 11 seasons in, Formula E has come a long way from its sometimes-chaotic early days and those mid-race pitstops to change cars. Car swaps went away a long time ago, but when the series gets back to racing next month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the mid-race pit stop will be back. Except this time, the cars will be quickly recharged by powerful 600 kW fast chargers.The new race feature, which Formula E is calling "pit boost," is a 30-second pitstop, during which time the car receives a 600 kW fast chargemore than twice as much power as a Tesla Superchargerthat adds 10 percent (3.85 kWh) to the battery's state of charge. It's mandatory for every car in the race, but a team is only allowed to charge one of its two cars at a time, and only within a specified window of time during the race.Some people are probably going to be unimpressed with the length of the stopswhile they're shorter than you might see at a prototype stop at Le Mans or Daytona, you also won't see mechanics running around changing tires. We're also talking an order of magnitude longer than a current Formula 1 pitstop, which will no doubt be used as ammunition by Formula E's detractors, just as the lap-time comparisons are.But the laws of physics are what they are. You can only safely put so much energy into a battery in a given time. Any recharge of a significant percent of the battery's state of charge would take several minutes, and that's really not conducive to an entertaining sprint race. (And it's not like the TV director would spend the entire time focusing on a car in the pits as opposed to all the other cars racing on track.)Trying new stuffPit boost joins attack mode in the Formula E box of tricks. The sport has never been afraid to try new things as a way to entertain the fans, and although not every experiment has been a raging success, others cannot be written off as failures.Fan boostwhere people voted online to give three drivers extra power during parts of the racewas not well-received and contributed little to the show. But "attack mode," a time-limited power-up that's activated by driving over a specific part of the racetrack, has added an interesting strategy component to the races and delivered plenty of excitement.Formula E has also shown it can respond to criticismthis year there's a new compound in Hankook tires that's far racier than the durable-but-gripless rubber of the last two seasons. And in addition to adding more power, during attack mode the front electric motor is allowed to actually send power to those wheelsnormally it is relegated to just harvesting energy under deceleration.Formula E wants pit boost to do something similar, but it neither replaces attack mode nor is tied to itit's now a second thing that race strategists are going to have to deal with."I think it's gonna be fantastic because it's gonna create a little bit of jeopardy into the race. And there are teams that are gonna be using that energy in different ways in different moments. And definitely, you know, it's gonna bring that excitement that we want," said Albert Longo, Formula E's co-founder and chief championship officer.The team view"Pit boost is mainly a strategic element, which, like any change of this nature, will impact our approach, as a stop mid race isnt something weve had in the Championship since the Gen1 era," said Frederic Espinos, team director at Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team."Choosing the right moment to pit, which balances the risk of losing track position with the extra power boost, will be essential, especially as only one car at a time will be able to come in for the pit boost, so we will have to go for slightly different strategies even if naturally it would seem going as soon as possible will be the best option. To add further jeopardy, pit boost will be available during the safety car, which could present a beneficial opportunity if you are lucky but if not it could destroy your race," Espinos said."Equally as important to the strategy of when to take pit boost is the execution of it. Although it isnt somewhere you can really gain time, there is the potential to lose a lot, so practice will be key as we introduce this new feature. Ultimately, we can expect added unpredictability in the race and a lot of learnings for the teams, particularly in the early stages," Espinos said.Not every race will feature pit boostthe idea is to give the series some variation. So one race of the Jeddah double-header will require pit boost, but the other will not. "What we thought for season 11 is that basically, let's launch this new system in places where we can do a completely different race the day after," Longo said. "Let's implement that in places where basically, in only 24 hours, you're gonna see a completely different race. So you are actually going to be seeing the difference... by the pit boost," Longo said.That's the plan for this season, at any rate; if it proves a success, Longo said it would probably be rolled out much more widely next year. Formula E says it's confident in the reliability of the chargers or it wouldn't be introducing themit called off pit boost in both 2023 and 2024, after all. But there will be a couple of spares in the paddock in case a team (or two) experiences a failure, according to Formula E's head of championship, Pablo Martino.The Jeddah double-header will be held next month on February 1415. If the first two rounds of this season were anything to go by, it should be worth watching.Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 6 Comments

No blackwing, though Cadillac gives the Lyriq a race car-inspired glow-up Now there's a Lyriq with 615 horsepower and Le Mans-inspired sounds. Jonathan M. Gitlin Jan 23, 2025 8:00 am | 9 Credit: Cadillac Credit: Cadillac Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe Cadillac Lyriq was the first of a new breed of General Motors' electric vehicles. Built around a common battery platform (which used to be called Ultium), the midsize SUV has been on sale for about three years now, and for model year 2026, there's a new version available, the first Cadillac EV to wear the V-series badge."V-Series captures the spirit of Cadillac, embodying our relentless pursuit of engineering excellence through our racing and production vehicles," said John Roth, vice president of Global Cadillac. "LYRIQ-V takes this commitment a step further in the EV era, pushing our performance pedigree of V-Series to new heights with a powerful, personalized and high-tech driving experience that fits perfectly into our customers' lives," Roth said.As with other Cadillac V-series cars, you can expect a much higher power output than the base models. In this case, that's a hefty 615 hp (459 kW) and 650 lb-ft (880 Nm)not quite double the output of the single-motor Lyriq we drove back in 2023. The Lyriq-V uses a pair of motors to achieve that output, powered by the same 102 kWh battery pack as in the normal Lyriq.That's sufficient for an EPA range estimate of 285 miles (459 km), which is less than the regular all-wheel drive Lyriq, but the range hit is probably down to the Lyriq-V's 22-inch wheels. (When fitted to the regular Lyriq, the larger wheels also sap some of that car's 307-mile EPA range.)There are some other new additions to the Lyriq-V to go with that increased output, like V-mode, which delivers a 060 mph time of 3.3 seconds when you engage launch control. There's also Competitive mode, which Cadillac says "enables a suite of traction management features specifically engineered to increase vehicle agility." Cadillac Cadillac Super Cruise is standard on the Lyriq-V. Super Cruise is standard on the Lyriq-V. Push the red V button when you want to have fun. Cadillac Push the red V button when you want to have fun. Cadillac Super Cruise is standard on the Lyriq-V.Push the red V button when you want to have fun. Cadillac To go with this improved canyon-carving ability, the new front seats have more side bolstering, and there's a sporty new soundtrack, with powertrain sounds that were inspired by Cadillac's V-Series.R sports prototoype, which make use of the 23-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system. There are also bigger front brakes from Brembo and some unique styling parts like the front fascia and side rockers.Oh, and did we mention it still features Apple CarPlay, unlike GM's slightly more recent (but still Ultium-based) EVs?Production of the Lyriq-V begins in the coming weeks at GM's Spring Hill factory in Tennessee, with a starting price of $79,990 (including destination charge).Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 9 Comments

Lisa Morgan, Freelance WriterJanuary 23, 202510 Min ReadPanther Media GmbH via Alamy StockArtificial Intelligence is virtually everywhere, whether enterprises have an AI strategy or not. As AI capabilities continue to get more sophisticated, businesses are trying to capitalize on it, but they havent done enough foundational work to succeed. While its true that companies have been increasing their AI budgets over the last several years, its become clear that the ROI of such efforts varies significantly, based on many dynamics, such as available talent, budget, and a sound strategy. Now, organizations are questioning the value of such investments to the point of pulling back in 2025.According to Anand Rao, distinguished service professor, applied data science andartificial Intelligence at Carnegie Mellon University, the top three challenges are ROI measurement, realization, and maintenance.If the work Im doing takes three hours and now it takes a half an hour, thats easily quantifiable, [but] human performance is variable, says Rao. The second way is having a baseline. We don't [understand] human performance, but we are saying AI is 95% better than a human, but which human? The top-most performer, an average performer, or the new employee?When it comes to realizing ROI, there are different ways to look at it. For example, if AI saves 20% of five peoples time, perhaps one could be eliminated. However, if those five people are now spending more time on higher value tasks, then it would be unwise to let any of them go because they are providing more value to the business.Related:The other challenge is maintenance because AI models need to be monitored and maintained to remain trustworthy. Also, as humans use AI more frequently, they get more adept at doing so while AI is learning from the human, which may increase performance. Enterprises are not measuring that either, Rao says.[T]here's a whole learning curve happening between the human and the AI, and independently the two. That might mean that you may not be able to maintain your ROI, because it may increase or decrease from the base point, says Rao.Anand Rao, Carnegie Mellon UniversityTheres also a time element. For example, ChatGPT-4 was introduced in March 2023, but enterprises werent ready for it, but in six months or less, businesses had started investing systematically to develop their AI strategy. Nevertheless, theres still more to do.[T]he crucial fact is that we are still in the very early days of this technology, and things are moving very quickly, says Beatriz Sanz Saiz, global consulting data and AI Leader at business management consulting firm EY. Enterprises should become adept at measuring value realization, risk and safety. CIOs need to rethink a whole set of metrics because they will need to deliver results. Many organizations have a need for a value realization office, so that for everything they do, they can establish metrics upfront to be measured against, whether that is cost savings, productivity, new revenue growth, market share, employee satisfaction [or] customer satisfaction.Related:The GenAI ImpactWhile many enterprises have had plenty of success with traditional AI, Kjell Carlsson, head of AI strategy at enterprise MLOps platform Domino Data Lab, estimates that 90% of GenAI initiatives are not delivering results that move the needle on a sustained basis, nor are they on track to do so.[M]ost of these organizations are not going after use cases that can deliver transformative impact, nor do they have the prerequisite AI engineering capabilities to deliver production-grade AI solutions, says Carlsson. Many organizations are under the misconception that merely making private instances of LLMs and business apps with embedded GenAI capabilities available to business users and developers is an effective AI strategy. It is not. While there have been productivity gains from these efforts, in most cases, these have been far more modest than expected and have plateaued quickly.Related:Though GenAI has many similarities to driving business value with traditional AI and machine learning, it requires expert teams that can design, develop, operationalize and govern AI applications that rely on complex AI pipelines. These pipelines combine data engineering, prompt engineering, vector stores, guardrails, upstream and downstream ML and GenAI models, and integrations with operational systems.Successful teams have evolved their existing data science and ML engineering capabilities into AI product and AI engineering capabilities that allow them to build, orchestrate and govern extremely successful AI solutions, says Carlsson.Kjell Carlsson, Domino Data LabSound tech strategies identify a business problem and then select the technologies to solve it, but with GenAI, users have been experimenting before they define a problem to solve or expected payoff.[W]e believe there is promise of transformation with AI, but the practical path is unclear. This shift has led to a lack of focus and measurable outcomes, and the derailment of plenty of AI efforts in the first wave of AI initiatives, says Brian Weiss, chief technology officer at hyperautomation and enterprise AI infrastructure company Hyperscience. In 2025, we anticipate a more pragmatic or strategic approach where generative AI tools will be used to deliver value by attaching to existing solutions with clearly measurable outcomes, rather than simply generating content. [T]he success of AI initiatives hinges on a strategic approach, high-quality data, cross-functional collaboration and strong leadership. By addressing these areas, enterprises can significantly improve their chances of achieving meaningful ROI from their AI efforts.Andreas Welsch, founder and chief AI strategist at boutique AI strategy firm Intelligence Briefing, says early in the GenAI hype cycle, organizations were quick to experiment with the technology. Funding was made available, and budgets were consolidated to explore what the technology could offer, but they didnt need to deliver ROI. Times have changed.Organizations who have been stuck in the exploration phase without assessing the business value first, are now caught off guard when the use case does not deliver a measurable return, says Welsch. Set up a formal process and governance that assess the business value and measurable return of an AI product or project prior to starting. Secure stakeholder buy-in and establish a regular cadence to measure progress, ensure continued support or stop the project, [and] assess existing applications in your company. Which of those offers AI capabilities that you are not using yet? You dont need to build every app from scratch.Many Potholes to NavigateJamie Smith, CIO at University of Phoenix, says the cost of AI is being reflected more frequently in SaaS contracts, whether the contracts specify it or not.Weve seen this in the past 6 months, as the cost to compute using AI rises and rises and is set to continue to do so as models grow more robust -- and therefore more power hungry. SaaS providers are looking at their utility bills and passing the cost to businesses, says Smith. As a result, SaaS contracts -- and partnerships more broadly -- are going to come under a lot more scrutiny. If these costs are rising, then partners productivity needs to match.Edward Smyshliaiev, chief technology officer at Hedgefun:D says many organizations derail their AI ROI though a combination of overambition, under-preparation and a lack of alignment between AI teams and business leaders.AI isnt a magic wand; its a tool. To wield it effectively, companies need to ensure data pipelines are clean and reliable and invest in training staff to interpret and act on AI outputs, says Smyshliaiev. A shared vision between AI teams and leadership is critical -- everyone must know what success looks like and how to measure it.Sean Bhardwaj, managing partner at strategic consulting firm Breakthrough Growth Partners is a fractional chief AI officer and strategist. In this role, hes observed that two of the top reasons enterprises arent realizing better ROI on their AI initiatives is because they lack a foundational strategy and focus on the human side of AI adoption.For example, one of his clients wanted to implement AI-driven customer recommendations, only to discover mid-project that the data infrastructure couldnt support it. Similarly, organizations often assume that teams will adopt AI enthusiastically, which isnt necessarily the case.Planning for adoption with training and incentives is essential to see real engagement and impact, says Bhardwaj. I advise companies to see each stage as an investment in capability-building, with each phase laying the groundwork for the next.All too often, organizations discard AI initiatives that dont meet initial expectations rather than rethinking their approach.John Bodrozic, co-founder and CIO at homeowner lifecycle platform HomeZada, has observed that enterprises are relying solely on standalone AI to solve problems or find new growth opportunities, but they are ultimately being led by development teams and not product management teams.There are so many areas where AI can impact bottom-line cost savings and top line revenue growth, but only when these use-case scenarios are explored by cross-functional teams that combine software and AI development specialists with members of the functional team, says Bodrozic. Without this direct interaction, ROI from AI is challenging at best.The Business ViewA 2023 Gartner report found that only 54% of AI projects get past the proof-of-concept phase, and many of those fail to deliver on the promised financial or operational impact. According to Ed Gaudet, CEO and founder of health care risk management solution provider Censinet, companies may believe that AI will make everything better, but they never specify what better means.Enterprises must take a phased, strategic approach [that requires] defining clear use cases that have actual business value like the automation of a drudgery, supply chain optimization, or leveraging chatbots to meet better customer experience. Secondly, organizations need to create structural capabilities like a good data governance framework, scalable infrastructure and strong developer and engineering skills. Companies that train their employees in AI have a 43% higher success rate deploying AI projects.Nicolas Mougin, consulting and support director at global cloud platform Esker, credits rushed implementations as a reason for ROI shortfalls.The pressure to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape drives many organizations to implement AI without sufficient planning. Instead of conducting thorough needs assessments or piloting solutions, businesses often rush to deploy tools in the hope of gaining an edge, says Mougin. However, hastily executed projects overlook key considerations such as data readiness, scalability or user adoption.Edward Starkie, director, GRC at global risk intelligence company Thomas Murray, believes that most organizations are not in a suitable position to be able to adopt AI and exploit it to its fullest extent.To be successful there is a level of maturity that is required which [depends] upon having the necessary mechanisms supporting the design, creation and maintenance of the technology in a field which is short of genuine expertise, says Starkie. [E]specially at board level, a lack of education is a key contributing factor. [Mandates] are being issued without the without understanding the importance of the core components being in place.About the AuthorLisa MorganFreelance WriterLisa Morgan is a freelance writer who covers business and IT strategy and emergingtechnology for InformationWeek. She has contributed articles, reports, and other types of content to many technology, business, and mainstream publications and sites including tech pubs, The Washington Post and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Frequent areas of coverage include AI, analytics, cloud, cybersecurity, mobility, software development, and emerging cultural issues affecting the C-suite.See more from Lisa MorganNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

Feedback is delighted by a YouTuber's sterling efforts to make Michael Crichton's velociraptors more accurate but points out that they're still far too big 22 January 2025 Josie FordJurassic Feathered ParkThe wheel of time turns, the cycle repeats and another Jurassic Park movie is coming out this year. Feedback has faint hopes due to the presence of director Gareth Edwards, who proved in Monsters and Godzilla that he can direct films featuring huge creatures. But still, yawn.While we all wait with bated breath, YouTuber CoolioArt is supplying dinosaur footage to keep us sated. They are using the animation tool Blender to redo key scenes from the original Jurassic Park, in order to give the Velociraptors feathers. So far, they have done the kitchen scene and the climactic scene in the visitor centre (just before, spoiler alert, the Tyrannosaurus rex saves the day).Given the amateur nature of the project, the animations are really good. However, one problem remains: the raptors are still way too big. You see, despite his reputation for careful research, Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton was a bit prone to getting things badly wrong.AdvertisementCrichtons biggest scientific fail was arguably his 2004 climate change novel State of Fear. This features environmental terrorists who fake natural disasters to convince the world of the dangers of global warming. They have to do this because, in the universe of the book, all the scientific evidence that greenhouse gas emissions are heating up the climate is flawed or faked.There is even a series of pages entirely dominated by graphs from weather stations in the US that show local temperature declines, and which are meant to be more meaningful than the trend in the average global temperature for some reason. Crichton also recycles the myth that the warming trend is an artefact of urban heat islands. Its like a terrible Reddit thread in book form.Even Jurassic Park, Crichtons most famous creation, wasnt immune. He wanted to feature a dromaeosaurid dinosaur, as they were understood to be fast and intelligent hunters contrasting with the lumbering T. rex. Unfortunately, the scariest ones had a name that Crichton didnt think was cool Deinonychus antirrhopus so he used every detail of that species but incorrectly called them Velociraptor.Thats why, in the books and films, an adult Velociraptor is about as tall as a human being. In reality, a Velociraptor was about as tall as a turkey. Feedback imagines that an angry Velociraptor could still cause problems for a human being, but its just not the same when the terrifying predator is about the size of the average toddler.The irony is that the evidence that dromaeosaurids had feathers was pretty equivocal in the 1990s, so it was justifiable to present the raptors as featherless but not to triple their height.Which explains why CoolioArt has overdubbed some of the dialogue in the kitchen clip. When the girl whispers What is it?, a female voice dubbed over the boys now cheerily says Its a Deinonychus. 10/10, no notes.AI for rOAdsSometimes, on a grey Monday when the column is due, Feedback can be found hastily scratching around for story ideas because nobody has done anything especially silly within sight of us. However, on Monday 13 January the following item dropped into our lap.The UK government announced that it was going to unleash AI because of its vast potential to improve the countrys decaying public services. This vision of the future is called the AI Opportunities Action Plan. Feedback feels that the name could have used a bit of work: it abbreviates to AIOAP, which sounds like the Terminator movie Arnold Schwarzenegger will make when hes 85 and an old-age pensioner himself.The AIOAP contains a lot of proposals, one of which caught Feedbacks eye. According to BBC News, AI will be fed through cameras around the country to inspect roads and spot potholes that need fixing.Like a rabbit caught in headlights, or, more aptly, like a driver heading straight for a pothole because theyre being tailgated and theres no room to steer, Feedback found ourself staring blankly forward into space, stunned by the visionary nature of this vision.Its not that we doubt that AI could be trained to spot potholes. On the contrary: it would probably do it rather well. Instead, we are concerned that this might be solving a non-existent problem.The BBC reported in March 2024 that English and Welsh roads are blighted by potholes, with a backlog of repairs estimated to cost 16.3 billion. That is a long way short of Elon Musk buying Twitter money, but its still roughly equivalent to the GDP of Jamaica. Furthermore, Feedback can attest to a deep familiarity with the numerous potholes in our local area, many of which have gone unrepaired for months.The problem, in short, doesnt seem to be lack of knowledge about where the potholes are. We wouldnt have a backlog that would cover the cost of building several skyscrapers if the potholes werent being logged. This is doubly so for any road busy enough to have cameras on it.Instead, the problem seems to be getting the actual repairs done. Feedback doesnt see how the AI will help with that. No, we need to turn to genetics.The only solution is an army of Ron Swanson clones to go and fill the potholes.Got a story for Feedback?You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This weeks and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.

Steven Puetzer/Getty ImagesHow did you sleep last night? Your response might depend on how long you were in bed, how much of that time you spent tossing and turning or whether you feel rested. But it might also depend on whether you exercised today, what your wearable device says, or when you are being asked.This article is part of special series investigating key questions about sleep. Read more here.Everyone has their own definition of sleep quality and that is the problem, says sleep researcher Nicole Tang at the University of Warwick, UK.Though sleep quality and what defines it is a puzzle scientists are still figuring out, we do know that a good nights rest involves a series of sleep cycles, the distinct succession of phases of brain activity we experience during sleep (see diagram below). And for most of us, each stage of those cycles is necessary to wake up feeling refreshed. The average person experiences four to five complete cycles during a night and disrupting these can come with health consequences, both in the short and long term.Poor sleep quality is associated with many adverse physical health outcomes, says Jean-Philippe Chaput at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Similar to what you can expect from not sleeping enough (see Why your chronotype is key to figuring out how much sleep you need), these include a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and weight gain.Although there is no definitive consensus on what defines sleep quality, researchers and doctors frequently analyse sleep with an electroencephalogram (EEG), which tracks brain activity during sleep

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. This is what might happen if the US withdraws from the WHO On January 20, his first day in office, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization. The US is the biggest donor to the WHO, and the loss of this income is likely to have a significant impact on the organization, which develops international health guidelines, investigates disease outbreaks, and acts as an information-sharing hub for member states. But the US will also lose out. Read the full story.Jessica HamzelouWhy the next energy race is for underground hydrogen It might sound like something straight out of the 19th century, but one of the most cutting-edge areas in energy today involves drilling deep underground to hunt for materials that can be burned for energy. The difference is that this time, instead of looking for fossil fuels, the race is on to find natural deposits of hydrogen. In an age of lab-produced breakthroughs, it feels like something of a regression to go digging for resources. But looking underground could help meet energy demand while also addressing climate change. Read the full story.Casey Crownhart This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Reviews weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. Cattle burping remedies: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2025 Companies are finally making real progress on one of the trickiest problems for climate change: cow burps. The worlds herds of cattle belch out methane as a by-product of digestion, as do sheep and goats. That powerful greenhouse gas makes up the single biggest source of livestock emissions, which together contribute 11% to 20% of the worlds total climate pollution, depending on the analysis. Enter the cattle burping supplement. DSM-Firmenich, a Netherlands-based conglomerate, says its Bovaer food supplement significantly reduces the amount of methane that cattle belchand its now available in dozens of countries. Read the full story.James Temple Cattle burping remedies is one of our 10 Breakthrough Technologies for 2025, MIT Technology Reviews annual list of tech to watch. Check out the rest of the list, and cast your vote for the honorary 11th breakthrough. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Tech leaders are squabbling over Trumps new Stargate AI project Musk says its backers dont have enough money. Satya Nadella and Sam Altman disagree. (The Guardian)+ Its far from the first time Musk and Altman have clashed. (Insider $)+ The scrap could threaten Musks cordial relationship with Donald Trump. (FT $) 2 Trump has threatened to withhold aid from California He falsely claimed the states officials have been refusing to fight the fires with water. (WP $)+ A new fire broke out along the Ventura County border last night. (LA Times $)3 Redditors are weighing up banning links to X In response to Elon Musks salute. (404 Media)+ Not everyone agrees that the boycott will have the desired effect, though. (NYT $)4 How right-leaning male YouTubers helped to elect TrumpYoung men are responding favorably to content painting them as powerless. (Bloomberg $) 5 Why the US isnt handing out bird flu vaccines right now Its not currently being treated as a priority. (Wired $)+ How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic. (MIT Technology Review)6 Why you might be inadvertently following Trump on social media And why it may take a while for Meta to honor requests to unfollow. (NYT $)+ The company has denied secretly adding users to Trumps followers list. (Insider $)+ Handily enough, Trump has ordered the US government to stop pressuring social media firms. (WP $)7 Investors interest in weight-loss drugs is waningA disappointing trial and falling sales spell bad news for the sector. (FT $) + Drugs like Ozempic now make up 5% of prescriptions in the US. (MIT Technology Review)8 A software engineer is trolling OpenAI with a new domain nameAnanay Arora registered OGOpenAI.com to redirect to a Chinese AI lab. (TechCrunch) 9 Macbeth is being turned into an interactive video game The Scottish play is being given a 21st century makeover. (The Verge) 10 Why measuring the quality of your sleep is so tough Not everyone agrees on what counts as good sleep, for a start. (New Scientist $)Quote of the day I acknowledge that this action is largely just virtue signalling. But if somebody starts popping off Nazi salutes at the presidential inauguration of a purported first world country, then virtue signalling is the least I can do. A Reddit moderator explains their decision to ban links to X in their forum after Elon Musks gestures at a post-inauguration rally this week, NBC News reports. The big story Welcome to Chula Vista, where police drones respond to 911 calls February 2023 In the skies above Chula Vista, California, where the police department runs a drone program, its not uncommon to see an unmanned aerial vehicle darting across the sky. Chula Vista is one of a dozen departments in the US that operate what are called drone-as-first-responder programs, where drones are dispatched by pilots, who are listening to live 911 calls, and often arrive first at the scenes of accidents, emergencies, and crimes, cameras in tow. But many argue that police forces adoption of drones is happening too quickly, without a well-informed public debate around privacy regulations, tactics, and limits. Theres also little evidence that drone policing reduces crime. Read the full story. Patrick Sisson We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + If you were struck by the beautiful scenery in The Brutalist, check out where it was filmed.+ This newly-unearthed, previously unreleased Tina Turner track is a banger.+ What to expect from the art world in the next 12 months.+ Let's take a look at this years potential runners and riders for the Oscars.

On January 20, his first day in office, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization. Ooh, thats a big one, he said as he was handed the document. The US is the biggest donor to the WHO, and the loss of this income is likely to have a significant impact on the organization, which develops international health guidelines, investigates disease outbreaks, and acts as an information-sharing hub for member states. But the US will also lose out. Its a very tragic and sad event that could only hurt the United States in the long run, says William Moss, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. A little unfair? Trump appears to take issue with the amount the US donates to the WHO. He points out that it makes a much bigger contribution than China, a country with a population four times that of the US. It seems a little unfair to me, he said as he prepared to sign the executive order. It is true that the US is far and away the biggest financial supporter of the WHO. The US contributed $1.28 billion over the two-year period covering 2022 and 2023. By comparison, the second-largest donor, Germany, contributed $856 million in the same period. The US currently contributes 14.5% of the WHOs total budget. But its not as though the WHO sends a billion-dollar bill to the US. All member states are required to pay membership dues, which are calculated as a percentage of a countrys gross domestic product. For the US, this figure comes to $130 million. China pays $87.6 million. But the vast majority of the USs contributions to the WHO are made on a voluntary basisin recent years, the donations have been part of multibillion-dollar spending on global health by the US government. (Separately, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $830 million over 2022 and 2023.) Its possible that other member nations will increase their donations to help cover the shortfall left by the USs withdrawal. But it is not clear who will step upor what implications it might have to the structure of donations. Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene at Tropical Medicine, thinks it is unlikely that European members will increase their contributions by much. The Gulf states, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa, on the other hand, may be more likely to pay more. But again, it isnt clear how this will pan out, or whether any of these countries will expect greater influence over global health policy decisions as a result of increasing their donations. Deep impacts WHO funds are spent on a range of global health projectsprograms to eradicate polio, rapidly respond to health emergencies, improve access to vaccines and medicines, develop pandemic prevention strategies, and more. The loss of US funding is likely to have a significant impact on at least some of these programs. It is not clear which programs will lose funding, or when they will be affected. The US is required to give 12 months notice to withdraw its membership, but voluntary contributions might stop before that time is up. For the last few years, WHO member states have been negotiating a pandemic agreement designed to improve collaboration on preparing for future pandemics. The agreement is set to be finalized in 2025. But these discussions will be disrupted by the US withdrawal, says McKee. It will create confusion about how effective any agreement will be and what it will look like, he says. The agreement itself also wont make as big an impact without the US as a signatory, says Moss, who is also a member of a WHO vaccine advisory committee. The US would not be held to information-sharing standards that other countries could benefit from, and it might not be privy to important health information from other member nations. The global community might also lose out on the USs resources and expertise. Having a major country like the United States not be a part of that really undermines the value of any pandemic agreement, he says. McKee thinks that the loss of funding will also affect efforts to eradicate polio and to control outbreaks of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Burundi, which continue to report hundreds of cases per week. The virus has the potential to spread, including to the US, he points out. Moss is concerned about the potential for the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trumps pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is a prominent antivaccine advocate, and Moss worries about potential changes to vaccination-based health policies in the US. That, combined with a weakening of the WHOs ability to control disease outbreaks, could be a double whammy, he says: Were setting ourselves up for large measles disease outbreaks in the United States. At the same time, the US is up against another growing threat to public health: the circulation of bird flu on poultry and dairy farms. The US has seen outbreaks of the H5N1 virus on poultry farms in all states, and the virus has been detected in 928 dairy herds across 16 states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been 67 reported human cases in the US, and one person has died. While we dont yet have evidence that the virus can spread between people, the US and other countries are already preparing for potential outbreaks. But this preparation relies on a thorough and clear understanding of what is happening on the ground. The WHO provides an important role in information sharingcountries report early signs of outbreaks to the agency, which then shares the information with its members. This kind of information not only allows countries to develop strategies to limit the spread of disease but can also allow them to share genetic sequences of viruses and develop vaccines. Member nations need to know whats happening in the US, and the US needs to know whats happening globally. Both of those channels of communication would be hindered by this, says Moss. As if all of that werent enough, the US also stands to suffer in terms of its reputation as a leader in global public health. By saying to the world We dont care about your health, it sends a message that is likely to reflect badly on it, says McKee. Its a classic lose-lose situation, he adds. Its going to hurt global health, says Moss. Its going to come back to bite us.

Best actor in a supporting roleGuy Pearce in "The Brutalist." A24 Yura Borisov, "Anora"Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"Best actress in a supporting role"Wicked" stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Giles Keyte / Universal Pictures Monica Barbaro, "A Complete Unknown"Ariana Grande, "Wicked"Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"Zoe Saldaa, "Emilia Prez"Best original scoreCynthia Erivo as Elphaba in "Wicked." Universal Pictures "The Brutalist""Emilia Prez""Conclave""Wicked""The Wild Robot"Best costume designPaul Mescal as Lucius in "Gladiator II." Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures "A Complete Unknown""Conclave""Gladiator II""Nosferatu""Wicked"Best adapted screenplayRalph Fiennes in "Conclave." Focus Features "A Complete Unknown""Conclave""Emilia Prez""Nickel Boys""Sing Sing"Best original screenplayMikey Madison in "Anora." Cannes Film Festival "Anora""The Brutalist""A Real Pain""September 5""The Substance"Best animated feature film"The Wild Robot." Universal Pictures "Flow""Inside Out 2""Memoir of a Snail""Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl""The Wild Robot"Best animated short film"Magic Candies." Toei Animation "Beautiful Men""In the Shadow of Cypress""Magic Candies""Wander to Wonder""Yuck!"Best live-action short film"The Last Ranger." Kindred Films "A Lien""Anuja""I'm Not a Robot""The Last Ranger""The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent"Best makeup and hairstylingLily-Rose Depp in "Nosferatu." Focus Features "A Different Man""Emilia Prez""Nosferatu""The Substance""Wicked"Best cinematographyTimothe Chalamet in "Dune: Part 2." Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. "The Brutalist""Dune: Part Two""Emilia Prez""Maria""Nosferatu"Best documentary feature film"No Other Land." Yabayay Media "Black Box Diaries""No Other Land""Porcelain War""Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat""Sugarcane"Best documentary short film"Death by Numbers." KA Snyder Productions "Death by Numbers""I Am Ready, Warden""Incident""Instruments of a Beating Heart""The Only Girl in the Orchestra"Best film editingZoe Saldaa in "Emilia Prez." Netflix "Anora""The Brutalist""Conclave""Emilia Prez""Wicked"Best international feature filmSelena Gomez as Jessi in "Emilia Prez." Shanna Besson/Page 114 - Why Not Productions - Path Films - France 2 Cinma "I'm Still Here""The Girl with the Needle""Emilia Prez""The Seed of the Sacred Fig""Flow"Best original songColman Domingo and Clarence Maclin in "Sing Sing." A24 "El Mal" from "Emilia Prez""The Journey" from "The Six Triple Eight""Like a Bird" from "Sing Sing""Mi Camino" from "Emilia Prez""Never Too Late" from "Elton John: Never Too Late"Best production designAdrien Brody in "The Brutalist." A24 "The Brutalist""Conclave""Dune: Part Two""Nosferatu""Wicked"Best soundTimothe Chalamet playing Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." Macall Polay "A Complete Unknown""Dune: Part Two""Emilia Perez""Wicked""The Wild Robot"Best visual effects"Alien: Romulus." 20th Century Studios "Alien: Romulus""Better Man""Dune: Part Two""Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes""Wicked"Best actress in a leading roleDemi Moore in "The Substance." Christine Tamalet/Mubi Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"Karla Sofa Gascn, "Emilia Prez"Mikey Madison, "Anora"Demi Moore, "The Substance"Fernanda Torres, "I'm Still Here"Best actor in a leading roleSebastian Stan in "The Apprentice." Briarcliff Entertainment Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"Timothe Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"Best directorJames Mangold and Timothee Chalamet on the set of "A Complete Unknown." Macall Polay/Searchlight Pictures Sean Baker, "Anora"Brady Corbet "The Brutalist"James Mangold, "A Complete Unknown"Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Prez"Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"Best pictureTimothe Chalamet in "Dune: Part Two." Warner Bros. "Anora""The Brutalist""A Complete Unknown""Conclave""Dune: Part Two""Emilia Prez""I'm Still Here""Nickel Boys""The Substance""Wicked"

Yipit sued two ex-employees in October, alleging they stole "secret information" from its business.Yipit's new filing seeks to add fellow alternative-data giant M Science and its CEO as defendants.M Science then sued Yipit, accusing its rival of stealing its intellectual property.The chatter at the alternative data industry's annual shindig, the BattleFin conference at Nobu's five-star Miami Beach resort, isn't about the latest AI tool being unveiled but the legal fight between two of the field's biggest names.A trade-secrets lawsuit that had the burgeoning industry buzzing this past fall now has onlookers worried about the fallout for the entire sector and its clients thanks to recent legal moves by the Carlyle-backed Yipit and the Jefferies-owned M Science.Alternative data is a catch-all term for information that traders use beyond typical market data, such as stock prices and earnings reports. The industry has exploded over the past decade as credit-card transactions, geolocation-tracked foot traffic, and web-scraping bots have provided hedge funds with insight into companies' statuses.Yipit originally sued two former employees, Alex Pinsky and Zachary Emmett, in October, accusing them of stealing "secret information at the heart" of its business. The lawsuit said the pair shared the information with the firm's rival M Science, a data provider that, like Yipit, is ubiquitous across hedge funds.In a motion filed in the federal district court in Manhattan on Thursday, Yipit is hoping to add M Science; its CEO, Michael Marrale; and Valentin Roduit, its former chief revenue officer, as defendants. The new filing says: "M Science, Marrale, and Roduit encouraged and directly participated in Emmett and Pinsky's theft of Yipit's trade secrets."M Science and Marrale declined to comment. Roduit, who left M Science in November, according to his LinkedIn profile, did not respond to requests for comment. An attorney for Pinsky did not respond to requests for comment. No email address, phone number, or legal counsel could be found for Emmett.M Science on Tuesday brought its own lawsuit against Yipit, accusing the credit-card-data company of many of the same practices.M Science claims Stephen Luban, a Yipit vice presidentThe M Science complaint says Luban used his login nearly 200 times from 2020 to 2022, alleging he accessed data that "someone in a product development role at a competitor could use to gain an unfair advantage over Plaintiffs in developing or enhancing the specialized in-depth research that Plaintiffs' customers are willing to pay substantial sums for."Luban did not respond to a request for comment. Yipit said in a statement: "This complaint is nothing but a meritless smokescreen concocted by M Science.""The allegations in this case are circumstantial, magical thinking by M Science and relate to purported events from five years ago, demonstrating their complete lack of merit," the statement added.The result of this dirty laundry airing is an industry on edge, said Don D'Amico, the founder of Glacier Network, which advises data buyers and sellers."We are all in this connective chain of data collection and data delivery. There was an understanding among the players that disputes could be settled between one another," said D'Amico, who was previously the general counsel for the data consultancy Neudata."All of this stuff is done on a trust basis, and it's been eroded," he added.An uneasy marketplaceThe original Yipit lawsuit alleged Pinsky and Emmett stole information on Yipit's hedge-fund clients, including those with approaching renewal dates that could be targeted by M Science, where the pair worked after Yipit. It accused Emmett, who joined M Science after Pinsky did, of downloading client information to personal devices as he was leaving Yipit, via messaging platforms on Facebook and LinkedIn. The original suit said he attempted to conceal files by renaming some with titles like "ZEtaxes2024."Yipit's motion claims the pair of salespeople did not act alone but were encouraged by M Science's leadership."The examples of Marrale's, Roduit's, and M Science's intentional acts of theft and conspiracy" will be outlined in the amended complaint, the filing says. The filing adds that it has "reached settlements in principle" with its two former employees but could not reach an agreement with M Science.M Science, meanwhile, accuses Yipit and its employees of conduct "contrary to honest industrial and commercial practices."While it's not clear whether these fights will be settled before a trial, there's already a clear loser: alternative data.The niche industry has always been under the microscope of clients and regulators alike because of its data-collection methods. A three-year investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into the now-renamed data provider App Annie and a subsequent $10 million fineput the industry on noticethat its Wild West days were over.Now, its infighting is threatening sectorwide collateral damage as two of its most-well-known brands take each other to court."Trust is going down as the stakes are going up," D'Amico said, referring to the increased revenues flowing into the industry thanks to an uptick in buyers and prospective datasets."My general concern," he added, "is this brings a lot of instability to the market, for both buyers and sellers."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a lot of controversial agenda items if he is confirmed as President Donald Trumps Health and Human Services secretary: pharmaceuticals, vaccines, fluoride in the water the list goes on. But he also plans to go after a facet of American life that doesnt have many full-throated defenders: school lunch. Ill get processed food out of school lunch immediately, Kennedy told Fox & Friends last fall. Sounds good, right? The National School Lunch Program serves nearly 30 million students every day. Its a vital source of nutrition for many of those kids, but that doesnt mean they enjoy it. School lunchs rubbery pizza and mystery meat have been a cultural punching bag for decades (who can forget Adam Sandlers classic Saturday Night Live sketch Lunch Lady Land?).But making school lunch healthier and tastier is harder than it might seem. And the history of those efforts is an interesting case study that speaks to the challenges Kennedy and the Make America Healthy Again movement are likely to encounter as they try to remake the countrys food system.This idea that you just buy food and you cook it and you give it to kids it should be simple. But it has never been simple, Jane Black, a food journalist who has hosted a podcast on the history of school lunch, told Today, Explained co-host Noel King. At the same time, school lunch is this weird little world, this complex upside down and backward world that is shaped by rules that were made for specific reasons at the time, but that when youre trying to change things, make it very difficult to untangle and do something that just seems like common sense.Black spoke with Today, Explained about the origins of school lunch, how it became the program we know today, and why it has proved resistant to change. A partial transcript of the conversation, edited for length and clarity, follows. You can listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find podcasts.Noel KingIf were going to tell a history of school lunch in the United States, where does it come from? Jane BlackSo school lunch was born in the Depression. There were a lot of hungry children, obviously, and they were these ad hoc programs at different schools where children were in need. The government helped out by providing money for this, but they also helped out by buying food from farmers because in the Depression they were struggling to sell the products that they needed. So the government would buy these things in order to stabilize prices so that farmers could make a living and take that food and give it to schools. The program became formalized in 1946. Its called the National School Lunch Act. It was signed by President Harry Truman. And he says this famous line when he signs the bill: No nation is healthier than its children or more prosperous than its farmers. And so I think thats such an important line because this program was never really only about children and nutrition. The program always had two masters. And the fact that the program was controlled and directed by the US Department of Agriculture, rather than, say, the Department of Education or the Department of Health and Human Services shows who is really driving this program. It was agriculture.Noel KingWhats on the plate? Back in the earliest days.Jane BlackYou know whats funny is its not that different from the way we picture school lunch right now. Its 1950s food. Its chicken. Its scoops of mashed potatoes that you take out with the ice cream scoop. Its green beans. Its bread rolls. In poorer schools, they may not have had a hot lunch. They may have a sandwich and an apple. But I think that what you need to know about school lunch at the beginning was that it was cooked in the schools. Okay. So its not processed food, a TV dinner thats brought in and just reheated and given to kids. There are lunch ladies. Theyre cooking it and theyre making it fresh and theyre serving it to the kids. My husband, who grew up in West Virginia, always tells stories about when he was in elementary school that you could smell the bread baking. And, you know, what a lovely memory.Noel KingYoure saying, like, within our lifetime, right? This is something that was done on-site. And so the food is what we would expect it to be. No real surprises. But then you report in your podcast that a change did come. And it was at a point in American history when a lot of things were changing.Jane BlackWhat happened? Reagan is elected president, and he comes in planning to slash budgets everywhere that he can. And school lunch is no exception. And so they cut the budgets. And the way that I often describe it to people is that schools are a lot like families. When a ton of your income disappears, what do you do? You cut back, right? You have to cut costs. And at this point in the 80s, the easiest way for them to do that is to get rid of the staff that are cooking. They have salaries. They also at that point had pensions that people didnt really want to pay anymore. So well get rid of the lunch ladies and we wont have to maintain all this equipment. We wont have to have stoves and refrigerators and walk-ins. Well just get these suddenly available big food companies to make all the food, package it, and bring it in. And that doesnt mean there was no cooking going on. But increasingly, you see preprepared foods and processed foods coming into schools because theyre cheaper.Noel KingSo we moved from the bread being baked in the kitchen in West Virginia to what?Jane BlackWell, I remember from the 80s, you know, there were tater tots, which I loved. There were sloppy Joes. And then Friday was pizza day. And it was not a triangle. It was a square. And it had, you know, tomato sauce. And then I always remember it was like the shredded cheese that was kind of sprinkled on. Like it had never moved. But we loved it. And so thats what there was. And thats what kids got used to seeing, not only at school but increasingly throughout society. We all start eating a lot more processed foods and a lot more fast food.Noel KingSo one of the problems that children have always had is that they cannot vote, but farmers can. And they do. And they do in great numbers. So at the same time that kids in school are no longer getting fresh bread, theyre getting cheese-speckled pizza. What is happening to the farmers who used to provide the schools with the produce?Jane BlackTheyre cutting budgets, so there is some lessening of funds for farmers, but they are very careful not to alienate the farmers because, as you say, farmers vote. So a good example of this, and its a story I really like to tell, is that in 1981, the United States found itself just awash in excess dairy. And theres an interesting reason for this, if youll allow me to digress briefly, which is that in the 70s, they discovered hormones for cattle. The hormones make the cattle produce more milk. Farmers are like, Great, we can produce more milk. But then they have all this milk and they say, Well, who are we going to sell this to?And in the early 80s, theres just so much milk sloshing around and cheese piling up. And there is actually a place in Kansas City called the Inland Dairy Storage Facility. And if you can imagine it, it is literally miles of caves that are dug out underneath the city. And in the early 80s, they were stacked to the ceiling with cheese. There were pictures of this that I saw in the New York Times. It was big news. And so the USDA says, well, what are we going to do with all of this? And they say, We will buy it and we will give it to schools. They do that soon, a couple of years later. They also say, you know, we just cant keep dealing with all this cheese, so lets get rid of some of the cattle, which they slaughter and turn into hamburger. And they say, what are we going to do with all this hamburger? I know. Lets give it to schools. So they do. And this is happening at the exact moment that the United States is descending into this anti-fat frenzy. And so, again, I bring this up because its just a very interesting example of, were helping the farmers. But are we helping the kids? Well, no, were dumping all this stuff with saturated fat on them at the exact time that doctors are telling us to eat less of it.Noel KingAnd so, again, what we have here is American kids who are seen as a convenient place to get rid of excess [food]. At what point, and Im hoping one comes, does somebody in a position of authority say, hey, maybe we should rethink what were doing with school lunch and actually make it work for kids versus everybody else?Jane BlackThe person who comes along and raises a ton of awareness about whats happening with school food is Michelle Obama. And so when Obama was elected in 2008, Michelle Obama, like many first ladies before her, chose an issue. Nancy Reagan had Just say no to drugs. And Laura Bush was very focused on literacy. And Michelle Obama is going to focus on healthy eating and healthy kids. And so a part of that is school lunch. And so youve got her bringing chefs to the White House, to the newly planted garden on the South Lawn. Shes out there talking about how important school lunch is to children, especially children who are hungry and getting some of their most important calories of the day [from school lunch], and how it is essential to make those meals as healthy as possible.Noel KingHow does her advocacy go over?Jane BlackSo it really depends who you talk to. Michelle Obama was a hero to so many liberals. Like I said, these events harvesting kale on the South Lawn, TV crews would show up and everybody was so excited about it. And a lot of people really loved the way she was making the case that we deserve this food and that this is a right for kids to eat well. On the other hand, you then have the opposition, the Republicans, who are not into this at all. To them, what Michelle Obama is doing is the ultimate nanny state. Shes saying, heres what you can eat. Im going to tell you what to eat. You know, parents shouldnt have control. Kids shouldnt have control. It was very much portrayed as if she was stepping on parents toes and telling them that they werent allowed to feed their kids. The other piece of it that I think is worth mentioning is that there was a big pushback partially from people in the school food world who were saying, hey, not so fast. If we give kids quinoa and roasted vegetables, are they going to eat them? They like pizza. The school lunch program is a program that has to make money, so they are reliant on it. So to be successful, they need a lot of kids to eat lunch. They need kids to want to eat pizza. So they were afraid that their programs would have big budgetary problems if they start serving all this different food and kids say no thanks.Noel KingAnd pizza, which kids and all of us do love, kind of becomes a bit of a flashpoint here. Remind us of this embarrassing chapter.Jane BlackYes, this was quite a moment. So one of the things that Michelle Obama discovers when she dives into school food nutrition rules is that one-eighth of a cup of tomato paste counts as half a vegetable. Which is weird. And theyre able to say, Hey, wait a minute, look at this. Something is wrong here. Pizza is a vegetable. Do you see how crazy this has become? What was really crazy was that she lost that battle. You know, the school lunch people, the food companies, the pizza makers get to members of Congress and theyre like, wait a minute, you are not going to say that pizza doesnt count as a vegetable. And they refused to let it happen. And I mean, just to complicate the story just a little bit, I did talk to some nutritionists and I think this is really interesting. They didnt really object to the fact that an eighth of a cup of tomato paste does give you some nutrients. In fact, they told me it is about the equivalent of half an orange in terms of vitamins and nutrients. Whats crazy, though, is just how quickly this was shut down. And I think it shows how powerful interests really have a hold on the school lunch program. And again, coming back to what we were talking about at the very beginning, how difficult it is to make common sense changes because there are so many people who have opinions.Noel KingAnd this, I would argue, is why RFK feels so potent. Whether you agree with everything he says, whether you understand there are some parts of this mans argument that are not grounded in science, there are other parts that are incredibly compelling, including that he would like to take ultra-processed foods out of the school lunch environment. Youve laid out how difficult it has been to get that done because of various interests at play. So can RFK actually do this?Jane BlackI think youre absolutely right that RFK has changed the framing on this in a really important way. Instead of making it about nutrition standards, hes made it about pushing back on powerful interests that are harming you or harming your children. Like, why are we letting this happen? Why are we letting them make money off of our health? Its shocking that nobody has figured out how to frame it that way before.Noel KingYes, it is.Jane BlackI mean, Ive had a number of conversations with people who have said, how did Democrats and in particular, Michelle Obama miss that? But is it possible? Its tricky for a couple of reasons. The first thing is that if you look at the Trump administration, the first Trump administration, they were not interested in fixing those are my air quotes to just shorthand what weve been talking about fixing school lunch. In fact, they made a very strong effort to roll back much of what Michelle Obama had tried to do. And they were doing it right up until Joe Biden came into office. So people in my nerdy school lunch world will look at it and say, does Trump really care about this? Are they really going to do this? [But] I think we are having a moment. I think there is a lot of energy behind the ideas that [RFK Jr.] is putting out there this new frame hes putting out there about companies and powerful interests taking advantage of us. And that appeals both to Democrats and to Republicans who feel it happening in this country. How do you translate that energy into real change is a big question, and I think thats why school lunch is a really good thing to talk about, because it gives us these things that seem like they should be simple but are actually not that simple. And in order to really change it, in order to pull ultra-processed foods out of school lunch, thats making over the entire menu, thats hiring thousands and thousands of people to cook in schools. Thats building thousands and thousands of school kitchens that cost a lot of money. So people have to put their money where their mouth is. And I think its the same thing when you look at a lot of the other areas that the budget movement is talking about You know, they talking about regulating ingredients that they put in foods. They need a staff of hundreds and hundreds of people at the FDA in order to begin doing that. And it would take years. So, again, a lot of these are good ideas, but putting them into practice, its a long haul.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: