Today’s Big Story

Indoor Air Pollution

Scented products pollute the air as much as car exhaust

When I get anxious, lighting a nice scented candle can really help calm me down and improve the vibe. That warm flicker and aroma can create an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation, right? But beneath this cozy feel, scientific research is uncovering a troubling truth: These products are polluting the very air we breathe.

That’s because using scented products indoors actually changes the chemistry of the air—producing as much air pollution as car exhaust does outside, according to a new study. Researchers say that breathing in these nanosized particles could have serious health implications. New Atlas reports that researchers at Purdue University examined how scented products—everything from air fresheners and candles to cleaning products—are a significant source of tiny particles small enough to get deep into your lungs, posing a potential risk to respiratory health.

“A forest is a pristine environment, but if you’re using products full of chemically manufactured scents to recreate a forest in your home, you’re actually creating a tremendous amount of indoor air pollution that you shouldn’t be breathing in,” said Nusrat Jung, a professor and co-author of the study. They even pointed out that products marketed as safer alternatives can be harmful. For instance, scented wax melts are marketed as a flameless, smoke-free, non-toxic alternative to traditional candles—a safer way of making your home or office smell nice. To assess the truth of these claims, the researchers comprehensively measured the nanoparticles formed when they warmed wax melts in their mechanically ventilated test house. The scented wax contributed significantly to the number of new particles formed in the indoor air, comparable to concentrations emitted by traditional lighted candles, gas stoves and diesel engines.

Other studies have shown that nearly all fragranced products—including “green” and “organic” ones—released at least one hazardous chemical​. These emissions are strong enough to trigger problems even if they aren’t burned: just by being in the room, a scented candle can cause issues.

Making matters worse is the fact that modern homes are often not sufficiently ventilated because they are designed for energy efficiency rather than air exchange. So unlike outdoor pollution, indoor air pollution from candles and air fresheners is trapped in enclosed spaces, leading to prolonged exposure. So using heavily scented candles, for example, will boost fine particle concentrations up to 15 times the limits prescribed by the World Health Organization. But, like with many studies, further research is still needed. And we should also address the sense of scale. A scented candle won’t kill you, and in fact, one study reported that under “normal conditions,” scented candles do not pose known health risks to the consumer. Ultimately, it’s up to everyone to decide how much they value the indulgence of a scented candle versus the potential risk.

House Passes G.O.P. Budget

Johnson and Trump pull off surprising win to advance Republican agenda after vote whiplash

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson pulled off a stunning turnaround Tuesday night to rescue a critical vote to advance President Trump’s agenda that had seemed doomed just moments earlier. Surprising even some of his critics, Johnson and his leadership team capped hours of drama in the Capitol by successfully flipping multiple Republican holdouts to pass a framework for a sweeping multi-trillion dollar plan to address defense, energy, immigration and tax policy.

Tuesday's vote was a critical step forward for House Republicans—as passage allows them to unlock a complicated legislative tool known as reconciliation. It's a process that Republicans can use to avoid a filibuster from Democrats in the Senate, but in order to use it they had to first agree on a budget blueprint. Earlier Tuesday, Trump appeared to walk back his endorsement of the House budget by saying he is also considering the narrower version the Senate advanced last week. Of course, there are still more hurdles to clear. Johnson will also have to continue contending with right-wing hardliners in his conference, just a handful of whom can tank any party-line vote.

Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would extend tax cuts otherwise set to expire, along with major spending cuts elsewhere. It puts a $4.5 trillion upper limit on the size of any tax cuts over the next 10 years, but does not dictate which taxes should be reduced, a complex and politically tricky question of its own that could take months to sort out. It also calls for slashing $2 trillion in spending over the same period, without specifying which programs should be cut, though top Republicans have targeted Medicaid and food aid programs for poor Americans. However, the package would likely add as much as $11.25 trillion over 10 years to the United States’ existing $36.2 trillion in debt, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Texas Measles Outbreak Grows

And anti-vaccine movement falsely blames measles shots for the spread

Earlier this month, Texas health officials reported that measles was spreading among an insular religious community in Gaines County, Texas, where nearly 14% of schoolchildren have an exemption (granted in some states for reasons of conscience, including for religious beliefs) from the required childhood vaccinations. But now the outbreak is spreading (still mainly in children and teens) and measles has since been detected in a bordering New Mexico county.

The fast-moving outbreak is certain to expand, health authorities said. On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services alerted the public that a person infected with measles had traveled outside of the outbreak area to other parts of the state. Thankfully, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the highly contagious virus. “People are more and more nervous,” Katherine Wells, director of public health for Lubbock's health department, told NBC News. “We’ve vaccinated multiple kids that have never been vaccinated before, some from families that didn’t believe in vaccines.”

Still, anti-vaccine groups are pushing a familiar and false theory: That the virus is being caused by the vaccine itself. And this outbreak comes just as the U.S.’s foremost vaccine skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has ascended as its top health care official. So far, he has not commented on the Texas outbreak. But the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot is remarkably safe and effective, experts said, and the mild reaction that some people experience after receiving it is unlikely to be confused with measles.

Baseball’s Robot Umpires

The computerized system is getting its first MLB test during spring training

If there’s one thing baseball fans are averse to, it’s change. Over the MLB’s 149-year history, alterations to the game’s rules, like lowering the pitcher’s mound (1968) or introducing instant replay challenges (2014) came only after years of heated debate between reformers and purists. Maybe the most contentious issue ever to divide these two camps is whether or not to replace notoriously inaccurate human home plate umpires with less fallible machines.

But here we are: MLB games officiated by so-called “robot umpires” are now closer to reality than ever before. A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as 2026 could be used to aid MLB home plate umpires, but not replace them.

Ballplayers have long believed that they could call a game better than the umpire standing behind home plate, right? Now they’re finally getting a chance to prove it. But those who have already seen the robo-umps in action say that players are about to find out that they don’t know the strike zone nearly as well as they think they do. “There are people that will be humbled, probably,” New York Mets Triple-A manager Dick Scott told the Wall Street Journal. “As they should be.”

The Long Read

Hamas has dragooned its hostages, Jewish and not, into perverse performance art

Just keep going.