Today’s Big Story

Microplastics Continue Their Creep

But researchers are working to find out how ‘five bottle caps worth of plastic in our brains’ affects us

Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our takeout containers, bags and bottles. A convenient staple of modern life. But it’s also breaking down in such small particles that it’s ending up everywhere from the plaque in our arteries to our brains. In fact, a recent study that examined brains in 2024 found an average of seven grams of plastic per brain—as much as what makes up a disposable spoon or about five water bottle caps.

It’s not yet clear what effect this amount of plastic has on human health, but it’s enough to cause alarm. “I don’t think I’ve talked to a single person who’s said: ‘Fantastic! Love to know that there’s all that plastic in my brain,’” one of the study’s lead doctors told the New York Times. His group is now studying tissue from cross-sections of a single brain to find out whether certain regions have higher microplastics concentrations and whether that could be linked to issues like Parkinson’s or memory loss. Ideally, for comparison, he would like to study a brain from before the 1970s or 1960s, when plastics became ubiquitous.

When the world became aware of microplastics years ago, the concern was mostly environmental. As plastics broke down into tiny pieces, they were too small to collect, let alone recycle. But as more and more testing comes in, the plastics (and the chemicals that leach from them) pose potentially harmful health risks.

And they really do come from everywhere, it seems. NBC News visited a lab studying everyday items—from plastic cutting boards, food storage containers and even the thin plastic lining on paper coffee cups. They heat and stir, use and reuse these items, and everything they tested showed an alarming amount of micro- and nanoplastic particles under a microscope. Those get injected by humans and get stuck inside our bodies like that trash island floating in the Pacific Ocean.

Even more concerning? That sugarless gum you chew to prevent cavities? Yeah, it likely has microplastics in it. A new study from the University of California has discovered that there are microplastics in all of the 10 most-popular brands of chewing gum. The researchers said gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastic particles per piece into saliva—no matter if the gum is made of synthetic or plant-based polymers. And, in case you were wondering, how much plastic is too much? “There is no officially established ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ level of microplastic intake,” Dr. Joseph Mercola, a board-certified family medicine osteopathic physician tells CNET. “So it makes sense to want your exposure to be as low as possible.”

Trump Tariffs Kick In

Global markets convulsed and businesses brace for the worst

Despite rattled financial markets, threats of retaliation and some of President Donald Trump’s biggest supporters encouraging him to back off his signature economic policy, he didn’t give in. His punishing “reciprocal” tariffs kicked in early today and are, as predicted, throwing the global trading order that has persisted for decades into chaos.

The U.S. began charging reciprocal tariffs on about 60 countries, on top of the baseline 10% tariffs it started collecting last Saturday. Trump says it’ll revitalize the U.S. economy and bring about a fairer global order. Economists and executives say it will certainly fracture global alliances and lead to a painful recession. The levies are almost universal, but some products are expected to be hit harder than others. The worst affected by the highest new tariffs in almost a century are video games, computer parts, smartphones, clothing and aerospace parts.

Goods from China, by far the biggest target, are now subject to at least a 104% tariff. Trump tacked on even higher tariffs than initially announced after Beijing didn’t back off its promise to impose 34% retaliatory tariffs Tuesday. China has retaliated with its own levies, and European Union officials said they were drawing up plans to target American exports. This, of course, has heightened fears of a global recession with U.S. stocks ending lower Tuesday, capping a volatile session.

Acting IRS Commissioner to Resign

Melanie Krause set for exit after immigration data-sharing agreement, extending turmoil at agency

Melanie Krause, who had served as acting head of the Internal Revenue Service since February, is resigning over a deal to share immigrants’ tax data with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. The departure extends an already extraordinary period of turmoil at the IRS as the Trump administration shrinks and reshapes the agency—just before tax day!

Losing three agency leaders in three months is “unprecedented,” one confidential source told the Washington Post. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this at IRS.” Treasury Department officials in recent days sought to circumvent IRS executives so immigration authorities could access private taxpayer information, the people said. And those conversations largely excluded Krause’s input.

The Treasury Department says the agreement will help carry out President Trump’s agenda to secure U.S. borders and is part of his larger nationwide immigration crackdown, which has resulted in deportations, workplace raids and the use of an 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants. Advocates, however, say the IRS-DHS information-sharing agreement violates privacy laws and diminishes the privacy of all Americans.

The Trouble With Read Receipts

Why are those tiny timestamps so triggering?

Are you for or against read receipts on your phone? Some might say they’re a convenient way to confirm that someone’s seen your message, or even make you a better person. But ask a group of friends and you’ll realize: Most people hate read receipts. And yet they shape a surprising amount of our digital behavior. In one recent study, nearly half of the respondents said that read receipts made them feel either ignored (34.7%) or anxious while waiting for a reply (13.9%). I definitely fall in that latter category.

And when you’re dating, those feelings are amplified: Participants said they were far more aware of read receipts in conversations with a romantic interest than with family, friends or workers. No surprise there. “We are such an instant gratification culture with social media,” one psychologist tells Mashable. Six years ago, waiting a day to respond was normal. But then the pandemic hit. We went from checking our phones periodically to having them become a permanent extension of our hands. Now, a work meeting is no longer a valid excuse for silence.

But according to Vox, bad manners aren’t the only reason read receipts are a bad idea. They can be an invitation for scammers to target you. And while you can turn them off on iOS and Android’s default messaging apps, you might even consider using an entirely different app for your day-to-day texting needs that allow you even more privacy protections.

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