1A

Most Americans now get at least some of their news from social media. But these days, the internet can seem less a place for humans to connect and more a playground for AI-powered bots.

One estimate found around 20 percent of accounts on social media are automated, while another study found that, for controversial topics, nearly half of the posts could be bot–generated.

Experts are sounding the alarm. Large-scale automated social media campaigns could threaten our democracy and the next presidential election.

We know conversations we have online can influence how we experience this political moment, but what happens when bad actors fan the flames with AI-generated photos, bot campaigns, and misinformation?

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Border czar Tom Homan announced the end of the ICE operation in Minnesota in the coming days following weeks of operations by federal law enforcement in the state.


Customs and Border Patrol officials closed airspace around the El Paso airport this week after firing an anti-drone laser, and failing to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration.


And President Donald Trump ordered pride flags at New York City’s Stonewall National Monument, a prominent site in LGBTQ history, removed as part of a larger campaign to change displays at national parks around the country.

And, in global news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week meeting with President Donald Trump. Items on the agenda were Iran, its ballistic missiles, and Iranian nuclear capabilities.

Meanwhile, European leaders gathered in Belgium to counter economic pressure from China and military threats from Russia.

And the Trump Administration threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Memorial Bridge over disputes with the Canadian government. The structure, which connects Michigan and Ontario, took several years and billions of dollars to build.

We cover the most important stories from around the globe on the News Roundup.

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In his latest round of verbal attacks against Canada, Donald Trump says the country is trying to “take advantage of America.”

The comments come as the president threatens to block the opening of a bridge between Michigan and Ontario. The Gordie Howe International Bridge cost about $4.7 billion dollars to build and has been under construction since 2018. The bridge is due to open this year. That’s according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the Canadian government entity behind its construction.

But in a post on his social media on Monday, Trump said he won’t allow the bridge to open, saying the U.S. won’t benefit. While the bridge is financed by the Canadian government, it’s publicly owned by the governments of Canada and Michigan.

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Thousands of people protested the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota last month, including hundreds of religious leaders. At least a hundred clergy were arrested during a demonstration at Minnesota’s largest airport.

Meanwhile in Maine, local religious leaders have been lining up outside of businesses targeted by ICE to form a “spiritual shield” to protect immigrant workers. But the actions of these faith leaders is a stark contrast to the conservative Christianity touted by the Trump administration.

The relationship between religion and social activism is far from new. But how is that relationship evolving in the current political moment?

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Northwest Georgia is a picturesque place, with rolling hills and open farmland. Its creeks and rivers have sustained families for generations. On the surface, the environment looks pristine.

But something toxic lurks within the lush landscape that you can’t see, smell, or taste. For many years, locals weren’t aware of its presence.

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used to repel water and stains. Many of them don’t break down in nature, which is why they’re often called ‘forever chemicals.’ They can build up in the environment and our bodies over time.

These chemicals were used for years in the production of carpets in northwest Georgia. And the long-term environmental and human cost in the region is high.

In this installment of our Local Spotlight series, we head to the “carpet capital” of the world to examine its chemical problems.

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We’re just a few weeks out from the very first state primary elections of the year. And President Donald Trump and the GOP are, at the moment, unpopular.

As people around the country prepare to head to the polls to decide who will run in this year’s midterms, the president is once again trying to undermine the most basic functions of elections. He’s still spreading lies about past elections he lost and is now sowing seeds of doubt in the local elections process. There is no evidence to support Trump’s repeated, false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

In late January, the FBI seized boxes of 2020 election ballots and other voting records in Fulton County, Georgia, which for years has been the focus of his baseless conspiracy theory that the election was rigged.

In this installment of our weekly politics series, “If You Can Keep It,” we explore what the president’s latest attacks on election integrity mean for the future of our democracy.

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The Trump administration now says a “softer touch” might be required when it comes to their immigration agenda in Minnesota. Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border head, says that 700 ICE agents will leave the state.

In another warning sign for Republicans in Washington, a Democratic candidate won an upset in a special election for a Texas State Senate seat.

And the Department of Justice released another round of Epstein emails on Friday, revealing communications between the late New York financier and several public figures, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk.

Talks between the U.S. and Iran got off to a stuttering start this week, one moment being tabled, and the next moment being back on. Arab leaders lobbied the White House on Wednesday to not walk away from the table entirely.

The Trump administration revealed a plan to create a critical mineral reserve and a new trade alliance, aimed at taking away China’s ability to use its near monopoly of the rare metals as leverage in trade negotiations.

Spain is set to follow Australia’s lead and implement a ban on social media use for minors.

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Immigration enforcement is arresting a growing number of refugees and detaining them in Texas.


It’s a strategy immigration lawyers call a conveyor belt. The number of children in ICE detention has also grown sixfold under the Trump administration – with most being held in Texas.

The ICE detention budget grew by billions last year. What’s the effect on refugees?

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This week, 330,000 Haitian immigrants who’ve lived and worked in the U.S. legally, sometimes for decades, were set to lose their immigration protections.

That’s after the Trump administration announced it would end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians on Feb. 3. After a federal court order on Monday, the program remains in place for now, but could still be undone. The administration says it will appeal the ruling, potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court.

What does it mean for Haitians who rely on TPS, who could go from integral parts of their community to undocumented immigrants? Even if they never crossed a border illegally or overstayed a visa?

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Thousands of people have signed up to document and protest the actions of immigration agents in Minnesota.

They say they are legal observers, exercising their constitutional rights. The government claims they’re impeding the lawful work of a federal agency.

Where is the line between observer and disrupter? And what are the limits to how federal agents can respond?

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