Anthropic claims Chinese AI labs  (DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and MiniMax) created 24,000+ fake accounts to generate 16M interactions with Claude, allegedly using “distillation” to sharpen their own models. The accusations land as Washington debates AI chip exports to China, including advanced hardware from Nvidia. Anthropic argues large-scale distillation reinforces the case for tighter controls in an already heated AI battle. (TechCrunch)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 823 points Monday (-1.66%) after President Trump proposed a new 15% tariff plan days after the Supreme Court struck down his previous approach. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also fell, while the CBOE Volatility Index climbed above 20. Gold rallied, bitcoin slipped, and AI disruption chatter added to the cautious tone. All in all, not the strongest day for stocks. (CNN)

Mortgage rates just dipped below 6% for the first time since 2022, hitting 5.99% as a stock sell-off pushed investors into bonds and dragged yields lower. Refinancing applications are up 130% YoY, but buyers still aren’t rushing in, pending home sales actually slipped in January, per the National Association of Realtors. Cheaper money might be back, but confidence isn’t. If rates hold near 6%, housing could become one of 2026’s bigger comeback stories. (Business Insider)

FedEx just became the first major company to sue for a refund after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled President Trump’s emergency tariffs illegal. The company is asking for a “full refund” of duties paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, filing in the U.S. Court of International Trade. FedEx previously warned trade policy could cost it $1B in earnings. The tariff era may be on pause, but the cash fight is just getting started. (CNBC)

𝕏 says it will roll out new AI-content labels and stronger bot detection to curb automated spam, according to head of product Nikita Bier. The push comes as the platform simultaneously embeds its Grok chatbot deeper into the posting experience, encouraging users to generate content with AI. Basically, 𝕏 is trying to protect the “human pulse” of the feed while scaling its own AI tools. It’s the modern platform dilemma: monetize AI without letting it hollow out the product. (Social Media Today)

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