Luke Vargas

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify today in a landmark trial on social media addiction.

It's the first of several bellwether trials planned in California.

and revolves around a young woman's claim that platforms like Meta's Instagram foster addiction in adolescents.

Meta says that it's consistently put teen safety ahead of growth, and the company's lawyers say its products aren't addictive and aren't responsible for a plaintiff's mental health issues.

Meanwhile, Europe is dialing up the pressure on big tech.

The Spanish government this week asked prosecutors to investigate several social media platforms for potential crimes against minors relating to AI-generated images.

Ireland is now probing X, the UK's prime minister is cracking down on chatbots, and the EU wants TikTok to ditch its infinite scroll.

The companies have denied any wrongdoing.

And Japan's finance minister is defending the country's economic plans after the IMF urged it not to cut taxes and to refrain from fiscal loosening.

That warning follows Prime Minister Sanai Takeichi's pledge to suspend sales tax on food and beverages to address affordability concerns.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Index ended the day higher, with most other Asian markets closed for the Lunar New Year.

European stocks are gaining in midday trading, and U.S.

stock futures are pointing to a higher open.

And we've got a lot more coverage of the day's news on the WSJ's What's News podcast.

You can add it to your playlist on your smart speaker or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Here is your Morning Brief for Tuesday, February 17th.

I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S.

government is emerging from the holiday weekend partially shut down, with only the Department of Homeland Security currently affected.

Its immigration enforcement personnel are still working and getting paid, but not so for the TSA, whose staffers at the nation's airports can log hours, but likely won't be compensated for them until after the shutdown is resolved.