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Kansas daily brief

Kansas and US news for busy people - Feb 10, 2026 edition

10 Feb 2026 • 2 min read

🌾Kansas

School Phone Ban Softened: Kansas House Education Committee voted to change a statewide school cellphone ban from mandatory to optional after superintendents argued local boards should control device policy, while adding liability protections and banning two-way communication between staff and students.
Child Safety Laws Advance: After parents testified their teenage sons died by suicide within minutes of sextortion threats, Kansas lawmakers advanced multiple bills strengthening online child protection, including increased penalties for sextortion and liability for chatbot providers—with no opposition.
Noncitizen License Check: Kansas House Elections Committee approved a bill requiring voters who present driver's licenses marked "noncitizen" to cast provisional ballots while officials verify citizenship status.
Charlie Kirk Resolution Passes: Kansas House Republicans defeated Democratic amendments (including one honoring Malcolm X) and passed a resolution designating a day honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk along party lines.
Kansas Upsets #1 Arizona: Kansas defeated top-ranked, undefeated Arizona 82-78 at Allen Fieldhouse despite losing star freshman Darryn Peterson to illness, with Flory Bidunga scoring 23 points.

Cuba's Fuel Crisis: Sanctions triggered severe fuel shortages, forcing Air Canada and Russian carriers to cancel flights and dispatch empty planes to evacuate thousands of stranded tourists from the island.
Climate Endangerment Repeal: The Trump administration plans to overturn the 2009 finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health, eliminating the legal foundation for federal vehicle emission standards in what officials call the largest deregulation act in U.S. history.
Capital vs. Labor: Nvidia is now 20x more valuable than 1985's IBM but employs only a tenth of the workers, illustrating how soaring profits increasingly benefit shareholders while average workers see marginal gains.
Obesity Infection Risk: A new Lancet study reveals obesity increases the risk of hospitalization and death from common infections like flu and pneumonia by 70%, expanding understanding of obesity's health dangers beyond diabetes and heart disease.
Shale Goes Global: With the Permian Basin maturing, U.S. shale producers are expanding internationally for the first time in a decade, acquiring acreage in Argentina, Turkey, and the Middle East in a new "Global Shale 2.0" era.

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