Claude Clash, Cuba Boat, and Best of February

 Need To Know 

Claude Deadline Looms

Anthropic has until this evening to meet the terms of use demands by the Defense Department. If not, the artificial intelligence company risks losing its contract and being labeled a supply chain risk.

Last year, the Pentagon granted Anthropic a $200M contract to develop tools for the military. Since then, the US reportedly relied on Anthropic's large language model, Claude, in its raid to capture Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. Anthropic has pushed for guarantees that Claude will not be used for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. In response, the Pentagon says it will use the tool lawfully and has threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act (see explainer) to compel Anthropic to remove guardrails.

The Pentagon has reached out to Boeing and Lockheed Martin to assess their use of Anthropic. A supply chain risk designation would force those and other companies to choose between doing business with Anthropic and the US military. The designation is typically reserved for foreign entities working with US adversaries.

Speedboat Shootout Suspects

The 10 people who opened fire on Cuban soldiers from a Florida-registered speedboat this week were Cuban nationals living in the US, the Cuban government alleges. Four passengers were killed and six were wounded; one Cuban soldier was also wounded.

Cuban officials claimed most of the seven passengers identified have criminal histories and two were wanted in connection with terrorism. One passenger lived in the US for over two decades and was committed to freeing Cuba from its communist government, according to his brother. Another had called for regime change in an interview with a US-based news outlet last year. As of this writing, the US has confirmed that at least two US citizens and one US visa holder were aboard the boat.

Separately, the US on Wednesday eased an embargo imposed last month, now allowing Venezuelan oil sales to Cuba’s private sector. Sales to the government and military remain sanctioned as the US pushes for political reform.

Epstein Fallout Continues

The Justice Department yesterday denied allegations that it intentionally withheld files related to President Donald Trump in the recent release of Jeffrey Epstein records mandated by federal law.

The materials in question include reported FBI memos from 2019 interviews about a woman’s alleged claims that she was sexually assaulted decades earlier by Epstein and Trump when she was a minor. An FBI index reportedly shows four interview summaries were created, but only one has been released. DOJ officials say the remaining documents are being withheld under laws protecting victims’ identities and ongoing investigations, not for political reasons. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say the gaps suggest illegal withholding. The woman later joined and withdrew a lawsuit against Epstein’s estate and was denied compensation from a victims fund without specified reasons. 

Separately, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told lawmakers yesterday she was unaware of crimes committed by Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Former President Bill Clinton is set to appear before the committee today.

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Apple strikes deal with Netflix to share coverage of F1 "Drive to Survive" and the Canadian Grand Prix; the docuseries was released on Netflix and Apple TV overnight (More) 

> Megan Thee Stallion to make Broadway debut as first female-identifying performer to play Harold Zidler in "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" (More) | Filmmaker Park Chan-wook becomes first South Korean president of Cannes Film Festival (More)

> Singer D4vd, 20, is confirmed as target of grand jury probe into the killing of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found last year in a Tesla registered to him (More) 

🌹 What we learned about the Harlem Renaissance: Tomorrow's 1440 Society & Culture newsletter takes a look at the arts-driven revitalization of the Manhattan borough during the early 20th century. We're also exploring graffiti, the history of pizza, and much more. Sign up here to get it in your inbox!

Science & Technology

> Lunar rock analysis shows the early moon's magnetic field briefly shifted from very weak to stronger than Earth's 3.5 billion to 4 billion years ago (More) 

> Google introduces Nano Banana 2, the newest version of its popular AI-powered image generator; tool is part of the Google Gemini app, which has over 750 million monthly active users (More) 

> Genetic analysis reveals interbreeding between Neanderthals and ancient humans was primarily between Neanderthal males and human females; findings explain why modern humans have a relatively small genetic contribution from Neanderthals (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets mixed (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow +0.0%, Nasdaq -1.2%); Nvidia shares fall 5% despite beating Q4 revenue estimates (More) | Payment processor Block lays off more than 4,000 employees, roughly 50% of its headcount; stock jumps more than 20% (More)

> Netflix won't match offer from Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery, effectively ending a monthslong bidding war; WBD had previously agreed to a $72B deal from Netflix prior to Paramount's counteroffer (More) 

> Mortgage rates fall below 6% for the first time since September 2022 for 30-year fixed loans; median price for a new home at the end of 2025 was $405K (More) | Everything you need to know about mortgages (1440 Topics) 

Politics & World Affairs

> The US and Iran tout progress in nuclear negotiations, with another round of talks scheduled for next week (More) | Talks come against the backdrop of a US military buildup in the Middle East; see previous write-up (More)

> Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest Columbia University student from Azerbaijan; NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) says she will be released after speaking with President Donald Trump (More) 

> Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen calls snap elections for next month after seeing a surge in public opinion polls amid US President Donald Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland (More) 

In-Depth

> From Island to Ice

Reuters | Anand Katakam and Adolfo Arranz. Curling stones remain steeped in tradition, carved from ancient Scottish rock and crafted much as they were decades ago. (Read) 

> Inside the Reviewnaissance

CJR | Carolina Abbott Galvão. A wave of small, niche “review”-style magazines is reviving long-form cultural criticism, filling the void left by shrinking newspaper sections. (Read) 

> Rikers Island’s Kitchen

Business Insider | Staff. Inside New York City’s Rikers Island jail, professional chefs—not inmates—cook for nearly 7,000 detainees under strict lockdown, surrounded by surveillance cameras and chained dull knives. (Watch) 

> The Age of Orality

Plain English | Derek Thompson. In a world largely driven by feeds, podcasts, and viral clips, the rise of oral culture offers new insight into our politics, media, and national psyche. (Listen) 

Editor's note: More than 12 million monthly clicks can't be wrong. Here are the most popular stories we ran in February. Enjoy!

(2/19/26) The US' most (and least) expensive supermarkets. 

(2/5/26) What’s the word for forgetting words? 

(2/24/26) Why Olympians were given stuffed animals. 

(2/18/26) Pizza Hut stirs curiosity with vertical pizza box.

(2/4/26) How much protein do we actually need each day? 

(2/4/26) Watch the first (mainly) AI-generated Super Bowl ad.

(2/11/26) See Team Haiti's stunning hand-painted Olympic uniforms.

(2/10/26) Olympic organizers investigate why medals are breaking.

(2/5/26) A buried Supreme Court footnote quietly broke constitutional law.

(2/11/26) Average babysitter rates by city.

(2/25/26) Meet Dobby: the foster kitten with four ear flaps.

Clickbait: Hidden beneath a dresser: a secret Underground Railroad passage.

Historybook: Author John Steinbeck born (1902); Actress Elizabeth Taylor born (1932); Nobel Prize-winning physiologist Ivan Pavlov dies (1936); 22nd Amendment is ratified, limiting US presidents to only being elected to two terms (1951); Mister Rogers dies (2003).