Controversial child obesity guidelines; trade jobs are sitting empty; new ways to predict pandemics

Plus, how necessary are work meetings, really? [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Suzanne Nuyen Good morning. It's the end of an era: Sen. [Dianne Feinstein]( the oldest sitting member of Congress at 89, says she's retiring. Here's what we're following today: 🥇 First up [Children share apples in Sydney, Australia.]( Natalie Board/Getty Images/EyeEm The American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations advising doctors to treat obesity earlier and more aggressively in children. But eating disorder specialists are sounding the alarm, saying that [focusing on weight and BMI instead of health]( will "perpetuate deep-rooted, damaging stigmas." A team at Yale University is using open-source materials to document the forced removal of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia without parental consent — a [potential war crime](. Russia says its actions are part of a vast humanitarian program. Graduate high school. Go to college. Get a degree. Get a job. This life trajectory is drilled into young students as the only way to guarantee success in life. Yet, thousands of [high-paying trade jobs]( that require less education sit empty, because many parents remain wary of programs that don't lead to a four-year degree. The fate of a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News lies in the hands of Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric M. Davis. Known for his [unflinching poker face]( Davis will be hearing Dominion Voting System's lawsuit against Fox for airing false claims that it helped cheat Donald Trump of a presidential win in the 2020 elections. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- 📸 Picture show Olivia Taussig-Rees for NPR For years, scientists have looked for new viruses in wild animals before they can spill over and infect humans, in hopes of preventing the next pandemic. But it's a daunting task, and some researchers wonder [if predicting the next pandemic this way is even feasible](. That's why they're taking a different approach, and cataloging unknown infections in humans first. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🎧 Today’s listen [Rep. George Santos, R-NY, made sure he was in a prime position for the State of the Union address.]( Pool/Getty Images We used to live in a time when shame was a powerful force in American politics. But Rep. George Santos, a Republican freshman who fabricated much of his life story but has defiantly resisted public pressure to leave, has shown just how much things have changed. 🎧 Listen to [what it means for the U.S. to be in an era of post-shame politics]( or [read the story](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🛑 Before you go [The amount of time people spend in meetings tripled in the pandemic, Microsoft found in one study. Now, companies are looking at ways to cut back.]( woojpn/Getty Images - Shopify takes "this meeting could have been an email" very seriously. The e-commerce platform has [deleted 322,000 hours of meetings in the past month]( giving employees time back to be more productive, and leaving the world wondering if a future without meetings is possible after all. - Rihanna's Super Bowl maternity outfit wasn't just fashionable. It was revolutionary. A fashion consultant walks us through the [history of maternity fashion]( and 🎧 [how Rihanna challenges norms](. - A new Banksy work appeared this week, with a poignant message about [violence against women]( just in time for Valentine's Day. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]