Good Morning!

It's Friday, February 13, 2026, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:

• Microplastics are all over your to-go coffee cups. 

• Did RFK Jr really brag about snorting”cocaine”?

• Leftover pasta can really help weigh loss!

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Top headlines

SPILL THE NEWS

US News

Trump Administration Axes Key Climate Ruling on Emissions

President Donald Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding, a legal determination that classified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. Trump called it “a disastrous Obama-era policy” with “no basis in fact or law.” It says that climate pollution is harmful.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin described it as the “holy grail of the climate change religion.” The repeal also eliminates Biden-era vehicle emissions standards. Former President Barack Obama said the reversal would make Americans “less safe, less healthy.” Environmental groups plan to challenge the move in court. All of US administration’s climate moves in the last seven days.

Health

Is This The End of Take-Away Coffee?

Daily coffee consumption in the US is at a record high, with 67% of Americans drinking coffee each day, according to 2024 data from the National Coffee Association. A new study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics examined how to-go coffee cups shed microplastics at different temperatures. 

Researchers analyzed past studies and tested polyethylene (PE) plastic cups and PE-coated paper cups collected from Brisbane. Both cup types released microplastics, but PE cups shed the most, especially when heated. Microplastic release increased with temperature, rising 38.4% in PE cups and 3.3% in PE-coated paper cups.

Amazon Prime members: See what you could get, no strings attached

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This might be one of the most powerful cash back cards available, especially considering how much most people spend on Amazon each month. It gives you the chance to earn cash back on the purchases you’re already making, turning your routine shopping into something that actually pays you back.

If you shop at Amazon or Whole Foods, this card could help you earn meaningful cash back on every purchase you make. But this offer won’t last forever — and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, this card is as close to a no-brainer as it gets.

Amazon Prime members: See what you could get, no strings attached

Learn How To Apply

Relationships

Breaking Up, But Make It Business

Public breakups have quietly become a mini economy of their own, playing out in cafés, bars and restaurants where emotions meet menus. With shrinking homes, rising rents and shared finances, couples increasingly choose neutral public spaces to end relationships. 

For service staff, this means front-row seats to emotional scenes — and often higher tips. From who pays the bill to which venue feels “safe” to exit from, breakups now come with financial and logistical considerations. Even heartbreak, it seems, has its own market dynamics.

In the know

DON’T MISS

🪖 National Guard troops leave Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland as Trump immigration operations conclude.

🥣 Gut feeling off? From yogurt to kimchi, these fermented foods transform digestion and strengthen immunity.

😳 Did RFK Jr really brag about snorting “cocaine off of toilet seats”?

🍟 Wait. Something happens to the air in your kitchen when you’re using the air fryer!

👤 North Korea wants this person to be the next leader after Kim Jong Un.

🍷 From the moment you take that first sip, how drinking alcohol affects the biology of your body?

🎓 Two killed, one injured in shooting on South Carolina State University campus.

📂 Top Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler resigns after her name revealed in Epstein files, portraying close ties.

⚖️ Judge in Illinois blocks Trump administration plan to cut $600 million from four Democratic-led states.

Health & Wellness

FOR YOUR WELLBEING

🧠 If you’re trying to get stronger and build muscles — believe us, your brain is literally doing the heavy lifting too. 

🥑 Team low-fat or low-carb? That matters little — the move should be to focus on nutrient-dense and healthy versions of whatever diet you choose.

🍝 No slander for leftover pasta! Cooking and then cooling your carbs creates “resistant starch” — a fiber that fuels your gut, steadies blood sugar, and supports weight loss. Here are some other ways to fulfill your intake. 

👀 It’s the small things that keep your eyes healthy — like these 13 ophthalmologist-approved habits. Time to throw away that ages-old eyeshadow palette!

Fashion & Beauty

BEYOND THE MIRROR

💘 Is your dating era secretly styling you? Crushes can sneak into your wardrobe choices before you even catch on.

💄 Spring beauty arrives with airy texture, cloud-soft lips, and chrome-glazed nails delivering the season’s freshest, dreamiest trends to try. Hailey Bieber is giving all three!

🌸 Spring dressing gets tricky once heavy coats disappear, so here are chic, low-effort outfit formulas that make warm-weather elegance feel simple.

💇‍♀️ This waterless wonderabsorbs oil, boosts freshness, and gives hair a quick reset when washing simply isn’t happening.

Hollywood

THE FAME FRAME

🎶 Taylor Swift urges the government to block “Swift Home” trademark.

🎬 Warner Bros is running dual Oscar campaigns for ‘Sinners’ and ‘One Battle After Another’.

🤝 Could Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settle their ‘It Ends With Us’ case?

Interactive

WEIGH IN

Lifelong learning may offer powerful protection against dementia, according to new US research tracking nearly 2,000 adults over eight years. Activities like reading, writing and learning languages were linked to a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer’s, with the most intellectually enriched participants developing symptoms five to seven years later than others. Scientists say cognitive stimulation across childhood, midlife and older age may help delay decline, even though the study shows association, not proof.

“A powerful woman is simply a woman who finally trusts herself.”

 — Glenn Close