The ransom note felt credible because it included details about a specific damaged piece of property and the placement of an accessory in the home. LA Times

New York City private school tuition has soared past $70,000 – as institutions nod to a sky-high cost of living and the need to ramp up financial aid offerings. New York Post

VOA VIEW: Madness!

After a decade of denial, America’s medical establishment is starting to blink. Two of the country’s most powerful doctors’ organizations now say gender surgeries should generally wait until adulthood — a stunning reversal after years of waving them through on children. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Medical Association have reversed course,... New York Post

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Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar who has denounced ICE, celebrated Latino heritage in his largely Spanish-language performance. New York Times

VOA VIEW: It was second rate.

In part, the problem has to do with how users are asking their questions. New York Times

VOA VIEW: A serious problem.

One to two cups of caffeinated tea per day helps too, researchers found after following nearly 132,000 people for 40 years. New York Times

Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana traditionally were America’s educational basement, but now they are showing blue states a way forward. New York Times

Given the growing harms from marijuana use, American lawmakers should do more to regulate it. New York Times

VOA VIEW: It's becoming a serious problem.

The strike closed public schools for more than 50,000 students in the city and had no end date. Health care costs are a key issue in negotiations. New York Times

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The retiring congressman hopes his endorsement will carry Assemblyman Micah Lasher past a crowded primary field, including a Kennedy. New York Times

VOA VIEW: Nadler is a joke.

The world's biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Opening statements for the first, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, begin this week. Washington Times

VOA VIEW: They should lose.

Americans expect inflation and unemployment to worsen this year, even as the stock market improves. Washington Times

The Trump administration has quietly struck a legal settlement that not only ends one of President Biden's mass migrant "parole" programs but could block future presidents from trying to revive them. Washington Times

VOA VIEW: It was bad, period.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is heading into a challenging reelection bid as she continues to suffer fallout from last year's devastating wildfire and ongoing criticism of City Hall on issues from street paving to homelessness. Washington Times

A leading U.S. health official on Sunday urged people to get inoculated against the measles at a time of outbreaks across several states and as the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status. Washington Times

VOA VIEW: People should listen.

Google and Pepsi were among the best ads of the Big Game, while Coinbase and ai.com got failing grades. CBS

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The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots Sunday to win the 2026 Super Bowl. CBS

Pilots in two different planes reported seeing a mysterious object over Arizona last month. The exchange with air traffic control sounded like something out of the Twilight Zone. CBS

A North Carolina prosecutor declined to bring charges against Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Brentley Vinson, saying the evidence shows the September shooting of Keith Lamont Scott was justified. CBS

VOA VIEW: So be it.

Ballad Health, the nation's largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, plans to rebuild Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee on land that two climate modeling companies say is at risk of flooding. CBS

Novo is asking the court to permanently ban Hims from selling compounded versions of its drugs that infringe patents, and is seeking to recover damages. CNBC

VOA VIEW: Time will tell.

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The update comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that supplies Cuba with oil. CNBC

VOA VIEW: Cuba will lose the battle.

The FBI last month raided an election facility central to President Donald Trump's debunked claims of fraud in the 2020 election. CNBC

Democratic Socialists of America faces congressional scrutiny over alleged 'malign foreign influence' from China, Venezuela and Cuba. FOX News

VOA VIEW: The Dems will lose.

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Mexican authorities arrested alleged Sinaloa cartel fentanyl producer Ivan Valerio Sainz Salazar, who is accused of supplying deadly pills to the Chapitos faction. FOX News

VOA VIEW: They will pay the price.

Anti-ICE protesters were arrested in Minneapolis after chaos unfolded outside a federal building, with footage showing confrontations with officers. FOX News

VOA VIEW: As they should be.

A multi-agency investigation led to statutory rape charges against a 29-year-old man in North Carolina. The victims were allegedly contacted through Snapchat. FOX News

Canadian "snowbirds" are continuing to avoid Florida's tourism hotspots as strained international relations spill over into a second year. UPI

VOA VIEW: It is what it is.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said early Monday that colleague Juan Pablo Guanipa was kidnapped hours after he and 34 other jailed politicians were released from prison. UPI

VOA VIEW: As they should be.

Democrat Chasity Verret Martinez beat out her Republican opponent Brad Daigle, accumulating some 5,159 votes during Louisiana's special election. UPI

Investigators towed a vehicle and searched Nancy Guthrie's Tucson, Ariz., home and property and have video footage of a vehicle of interest. UPI

Federal health officials reported 145 new measles cases amid outbreaks across 20 states over the past week, raising the nation's total to 733. UPI

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