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| Good morning. It’s Monday, Feb. 16, and Presidents’ Day. Our colleague went to see 42 massive, decaying presidential heads — her experience was strangely profound. Let’s catch up. Quick note: The 7 podcast is taking a break for the holiday. It’ll be back tomorrow. | |
 | The White House is declaring victory on turning around the economy. | - Why? Officials point to a record-breaking stock market and surprisingly strong inflation and jobs reports. But these positive signals are unevenly felt and skew toward the wealthy.
- What Americans say: The prices of everyday essentials, like housing and health care, are at the top of voters’ concerns. “Affordability” is the buzzword of the moment — here’s why.
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 | Border czar Tom Homan said a small security force will remain in Minnesota. | - Days after declaring an end to Operation Metro Surge: Homan said some federal officers will stay behind to support immigration operations and respond to protests.
- In a school district near Minneapolis: Students kept being detained by immigration authorities. So schools started taking an aggressive approach to protecting families.
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 | The race to succeed Mitch McConnell shows how Republicans have soured on him. | | | Many in the MAGA movement still view McConnell as the embodiment of the Republican establishment that sought to hold President Donald Trump back. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) | - In Kentucky: Three GOP candidates are keeping their distance from the longtime Senate majority leader. One ran an ad showing a cardboard cutout of McConnell in the trash.
- Other key races to watch: A handful of congressional primaries this year could show where Republicans, Democrats and the U.S. are headed — keep an eye on these six contests.
- A microcosm of chaos: Political disagreements are tearing this small town apart.
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 |  | This NPR host claims Google stole his voice for an AI podcast tool. | | | The case is the latest to pit individual human creators against a booming AI industry. (Stephen Voss) | - Meet David Greene: He’s a public radio veteran who felt “completely freaked out” when he heard the voice of Google’s NotebookLM. It sounded just like him — listen here.
- He’s convinced he’s been ripped off: Greene is suing Google, alleging it replicated his voice without payment or permission for the podcast tool. Google denies his claims.
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 | Changes in a Florida ocean current could wreak havoc worldwide. | - How? If the Florida Current is slowing down, it could mean the Atlantic’s larger circulation system is weakening. That could cause floods, droughts and sea rise among other impacts.
- Will it happen? Climate scientists are at odds. They largely agree the system may weaken over this century as the world warms but differ on whether it is already slowing down.
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 | An oncologist told us how he eats to reduce his cancer risk. | - In his work: Mikkael A. Sekeres is often asked by patients whether there are any changes they can make to their diets that lower their chances of developing cancer later in life.
- Luckily, the answer is yes: He recommends these four dietary changes. Personally, he says he rarely eats fast food, avoids processed meats and has eliminated sugary drinks.
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 | Southwest fans are mad about changes at the airline. | | | Some people are in mourning for a company that they say once stood out but now blends in with the crowd. (LM Otero/AP) | |
Jamie Ross and 
