The tech ecosystem that surrounds today's teens is fueling loneliness.

• Why it matters: It's a dangerous environment for a generation that's already sad and stressed. And it's more difficult than ever for their parents, teachers and coaches to understand and help them, Axios' Erica Pandey writes.

📈 The big picture: Data shows that teens are spending less time hanging out with friends in person, and more time on their devices.

• America's 15- to 24-year-olds spend 35% less time socializing face-to-face than they did 20 years ago, The Atlantic reports.
• Instead, American kids and teenagers spend nearly six hours a day looking at screens, according to the Digital Parenthood Initiative.

Parents' concern about how kids use tech isn't new. We saw it with chatrooms in the '90s, then with the advent of social media in the aughts. But the way teens typically use tech today — via smartphones and tablets — is different.

• "There's a ton of tech out there. But the one thing that's different about this tech is that it's used in private," says Jeffrey Hall, a professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas. That's leading to new stress — often away from parents' eyes.

📱 Case in point: Sharing locations isn't reserved for parents. High schoolers are tracking each other, seeing in real time when their friends are hanging out without them.

• It's not uncommon to have the locations of dozens of peers, especially on Snapchat's Snap Maps, says Meghan Whitten, a junior at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, who wrote about the phenomenon for her school's newspaper.

"I do get FOMO [fear of missing out] when I see my friends hanging out," Whitten says.

• Even if it's not intentional, "it definitely contributes to anxiety around social situations — especially during high school, which is all around a stressful time."

On top of that, the fact that much of teens' socialization happens online is contributing to loneliness.

• Spending time with people releases certain chemicals in the brain and boosts our mood. You can't get the same benefits from texting or even audio or video calls, Hall says.
• Interacting with others via group chats or social media posts has even less value.

🤖 What to watch: The latest tech danger teens are facing is the rise of AI chatbots.

• These AI friends or romantic interests have been heralded as a cure for loneliness. But they might escalate feelings of isolation, experts say. And they could be especially dangerous for teens who already struggle with depression or anxiety.

Keep reading.

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is the congenial dealmaker for the very brash dealmaker-in-chief.

• Witkoff has an expanding portfolio that now includes Trump's biggest geopolitical challenge — negotiating a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as part of a controversial reset of U.S. foreign policy.

Why it matters: Trump's cage-rattling agenda — which has shocked European allies — is a keystone of his second term. He'll rely heavily on Witkoff, a billionaire real estate investor and friend for 40 years, to make it happen, Axios' Alex Isenstadt, Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report.

🔎 Zoom in: Associates describe Witkoff, 67, as something of a velvet glove when it comes to negotiating — smooth and to the point.

• He helped persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to release U.S. teacher Marc Fogel on Monday, after talks in Moscow.
• He played a key role in getting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire-and-hostage deal with Hamas last month.
• He's also Trump's point man for talks the president wants to have with Iran to try to reach a new nuclear deal later this year, U.S. officials say.

👀 Between the lines: Witkoff's negotiating tactics are rooted in his experience as a New York real estate mogul, according to those who know him.

• They say Witkoff knows when to employ charm, which he prefers, and when to apply pressure that can channel Trump's intimidating demeanor.
• "The president sees Steve as one of the world's great dealmakers," said one White House official. "Game respects game."

Israeli officials who worked with Witkoff on the Gaza ceasefire deal described him as energetic and informal. Witkoff even came to some negotiation sessions in Doha wearing sweatpants, a sweatshirt and sneakers.

• Witkoff's energy "was a key factor that led to the deal," an Israeli official said.

Reality check: Israeli and Arab officials told Axios that Witkoff still needs to become more knowledgeable about the Middle East — the different players and the historical and emotional sensitivities that underpin conflicts there.

• Concerns about the U.S. trying to impose a shortsighted policy in Gaza have heightened amid Trump's call for Palestinians to be removed from war-torn Gaza and relocated permanently to Jordan and Egypt — a plan few see as remotely workable.

Keep reading.

Elon Musk's DOGE is planning to cut staff from dozens of offices across the executive branch as part of its purge of DEI programs from the federal government, The Washington Post reports from a look inside the agency's playbook for getting rid of DEI. (Gift link)

• "Among the groups targeted are a Veterans Affairs office that works to ensure all veterans receive equal access to care and an office within Health and Human Services that provides information about the health of minority populations," The Post reports.

Zoom out: DOGE is also looking to fire workers who don't explicitly work in DEI, but have jobs that the DOGE team determined were linked to DEI, though it was unclear how they would decide that.

• That approach could draw legal challenges, DOGE team members acknowledge in the documents reviewed by The Post.

Dive into DOGE's DEI playbook, annotated by WaPo (gift link).

The single sentence above, which President Trump posted yesterday on his social media channels, "appears to encapsulate his attitude as he tests the nation's legal and constitutional boundaries in the process of upending the federal government and punishing his perceived enemies," the N.Y. Times' Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Jonathan Swan write (gift link).

• Why it matters: Trump, the reporters note, "through his words and actions, has repeatedly suggested that surviving two assassination attempts is evidence that he has divine backing to enforce his will."

🎬 Napoleonic echo: In the 1970 film "Waterloo," a similar line is delivered by Rod Steiger starring as Napoleon Bonaparte — the French general who crowned himself emperor. ("He who saves a nation violates no law.")

• Watch the clip.

President Trump said yesterday the U.S. will treat value added tax (VAT) systems in other countries the same as tariffs when calculating the reciprocal levies on other countries he ordered earlier this week.

🌍 Why it matters: At least 175 countries have a VAT. So that could change the math on any reciprocal tariff for most nations around the world, Axios managing editor Ben Berkowitz writes.

• The European Union, which has standardized value added taxes with an average rate of almost 22%, could be hit hardest.

⚡ Catch up quick: This follows a memo Trump issued Thursday, ordering trade officials to study assessing reciprocal tariffs on any country that levies the import of U.S. goods at a higher rate than the U.S. charges that country's goods.

• When he signed the memo, Trump told reporters he felt VATs were worse than tariffs.

That immediately sparked fears of a trade war with Europe, particularly given Trump's recent promises to eventually target the EU with tariffs

• Tax analysts generally argue that the European VAT isn't much of a burden on U.S. exporters.

How VAT works.

Some 40% of houses for sale in 2024 came with homeowners association fees — and those dues are rising, Axios' Sami Sparber writes from a Realtor.com report.

• Catch up quick: HOA dues typically cover maintenance and amenities like pools and gyms, plus other costs that keep a community running. They're common in areas full of condos, townhouses and newly built single-family homes.
• Friction point: HOAs often enforce strict rules on everything from holiday decor to lawn care, with fines for residents who fail to comply.

America's median monthly HOA fee climbed from $110 to $125 in the last year, the report found.

• Share this story.

SAN FRANCISCO — The NBA All-Star Game airs tonight (8 p.m. ET) with a new format that culminates in a tournament-style showdown. Last night, the stars faced off in the dunk and three-point shooting contests, Axios' Ina Fried and Claire Reilly report from the Chase Center.

• Ina, sitting courtside, checked out new tech that allowed fans around the world to rate the dunks in real time using the NBA app. The fan votes —weighted equally alongside judge scores — were compiled and shared by popular YouTuber Jesser.

🐊 The Orlando Magic's Mac McClung won the dunk contest, and the Miami Heat's Tyler Herro took home the 3-point shooting prize.

Claire got tips from Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Andre Jackson Jr.

• His best advice for a newbie: "I think the best place for you to start is defense," Jackson said. "Be a pest. Turn defense into offense."

Watch our video from the dunk contest.

"Saturday Night Live" was built with a cast of young no-names performing countercultural comedy. Fifty years later, it is firmly part of the culture, dictating mainstream comedy instead of throwing spitballs from the margins,

• The show has become an incubator of talent — think Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Phil Hartman, Pete Davidson and Tracy Morgan, AP reports.

🎤 Many of those star alums are in New York for SNL's three-hour 50th anniversary show tonight — "one night 50 years in the making," as an ad puts it.

• Iconic past hosts, from Steve Martin to Robert DeNiro to Kim Kardashian, will appear. Musical guests will include Paul McCartney, Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny.

📺 "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" airs live from 8-11 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with red carpet at 7 p.m. (How to watch.)

• Cast quotes: SNL stars name their favorite sketches.