What's Happening

Politics

The Baby Boom Agenda

What's going on: The Trump White House has caught a serious case of baby fever. Influenced by the growing “pronatalist” movement — which wants Americans to marry and multiply, with Elon Musk and VP JD Vance leading its cheer squad — the administration seems to be exploring ways to encourage higher birth rates. And the pronatalists’ Pinterest board of policy ideas includes everything from reserving some government-funded scholarships for married people with kids to offering classes on the menstrual cycle. Interest groups are also pitching the White House on a $5,000 post-delivery baby bonus, a “National Medal of Motherhood” for women with six or more kids, and expanded child tax credits (though that would require an act of Congress). While the policy ideas are in flux, the Heritage Foundation — yes, the same one behind Project 2025 — will release a report of suggestions in the coming weeks. 

What it means: The pronatalism movement isn’t exactly unified — they’re split on IVF, family structures, and motivations (religion vs. economics). But one thing’s clear: They’ve got Trump’s attention (he did, after all, call himself the “fertilization president”). The New York Times reports he’s weighing policies to boost birth rates, even as his administration has already cut funding for fertility research and maternal health, and has proposed nothing on paid leave, affordable childcare, or the rising maternal death rate. While expanded research into fertility struggles and reproductive health could be a rare bipartisan win, some scientists warn that much of this movement is driven more by religious ideology than science. And with so much focus on birthing more babies, there’s growing concern that single people, the child-free, those who can’t give birth, and families that don’t fit traditional molds could be increasingly marginalized.

Related: Yes, Baby Products Are About To Get More Expensive, Too (AP) 

Business

Google and the DOJ Have Antitrust Issues 

What's going on: After back-to-back antitrust losses, Google is staring down what may be the biggest threat to its empire yet. The DOJ isn’t just asking the $1.81 trillion company to play nicer — it's asking a judge to break it up. Last August, a judge ruled Google illegally maintained a monopoly in search and search advertising. Then, just last week, a second court found it also abused its dominance in the digital ad market. Now, in the next phase of the landmark search case, the DOJ is pushing for sweeping structural changes: spinning off Chrome, removing Google from default search slots on devices, and even forcing it to share its search and ad tech with rivals. Google dismissed that as a “wish list” that would give away trade secrets. Execs from Mozilla, OpenAI, Perplexity, Yahoo, and Microsoft are expected to testify before closing arguments in May.

What it means: These aren’t just isolated court losses — they could mark a turning point in the decades-long effort to rein in Big Tech. And after years of paying fines and dodging serious consequences, Google’s back-to-back defeats are a warning shot to the rest of Silicon Valley. Amazon, Apple, and Meta are all tangled in their own antitrust battles, and despite their executives' presence on the inauguration stage, the DOJ has shown no signs of backing down. The political climate is shifting, with bipartisan support for breaking up Big Tech — and for the first time, real business consequences could be on the table. A Google breakup would reshape antitrust law and shake up more than just search and ads. It could impact AI too, where Google's stronghold is already raising red flags. For the first time in decades, Big Tech's dominance could be cracked open.

Related: Emails Reveal Just How Desperate Meta Got (TechCrunch)

Health

The FDA's Food Safety Net? It's Coming Apart at the Seams 

What's going on: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to quietly hand off most of its routine food safety inspections to state and local agencies, a move triggered by recent staffing cuts. Although inspectors weren’t laid off, the support staff responsible for booking travel, managing logistics, and processing reimbursements have been let go. As a result, some inspectors are canceling international trips because of complex paperwork issues or delayed reimbursements. These trips are vital for overseeing factories that produce essential products like baby food, eye drops, and pharmaceuticals, and without them, maintaining product safety will be even harder, NPR reports. And it wasn’t like the FDA was running smoothly before this. The agency was already falling short on inspection goals, with high vacancy rates and a backlog of food and drug facility visits. Now, the cracks are turning into chasms.

What it means: Some experts warn these cuts could actually compromise the US's food and drug supply — not exactly Making America Healthy Again. This move could also create a patchwork inspection system — with safety depending on where your food comes from and whether your state can pick up the slack. While the inspectors themselves still have jobs, the infrastructure supporting them is collapsing. And that’s not great news when most of our generic drugs are made overseas, baby formula recalls are still fresh, and we're still worried about lead in our cinnamon. While an FDA spokesperson promised the agency is still committed to “ensuring critical programs and inspections continue,” one inspector stressed the importance of preserving these trips, stating they're “America's first line of defense for the safety of their food and their drugs.”

Related: Meet the Food Blogger Who Has RFK Jr.'s Ear (USA Today)