Medal Tracker: Italy Keeps Top Spot, Norway Leads in Golds, US Gains Ground on Day 6 of Winter Olympics (New York Times - The Athletic)

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Day 6 of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics delivered high drama, historic bids and headline-making controversy across nine medal events, while the medal race tightened at the top.

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The biggest shock came in the women’s snowboard halfpipe, where South Korea’s 17-year-old Choi Gaon stunned two-time defending champion Chloe Kim with a soaring 90.25 on her final run to claim gold, denying Kim a record third straight Olympic title. Kim, who had mentored Choi in the lead-up to the Games, settled for silver in a gracious passing-of-the-torch moment, while Japan’s Mitsuki Ono took bronze.
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Italy thrilled the home crowd in alpine skiing as Federica Brignone captured gold in the women’s super-G, adding to the host nation’s momentum. On the oval, Francesca Lollobrigida edged the women’s 5,000m speedskating title for gold, with the Netherlands’ Merel Conijn taking silver and Norway’s Ragne Wiklund bronze.
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In cross-country skiing, Sweden dominated the women’s 10km as Frida Karlsson claimed gold and Ebba Andersson silver, while American Jessie Diggins powered to bronze to keep Team USA in the medal mix.
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Short track speed skating belonged to the Netherlands. Xandra Velzeboer won gold in the women’s 500m, with Italy’s Arianna Fontana taking silver and Canada’s Courtney Sarault bronze. The Dutch added another title in the men’s 1,000m, where Jens van ’t Wout finished first ahead of China’s Long Sun and South Korea’s Jongun Rim.
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Elsewhere, Germany captured gold in the luge team relay, and Australia’s Cooper Woods topped the podium in men’s moguls. Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle won gold in men’s snowboard cross.
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On the ice, Olympic men’s hockey began with statement wins. Germany struck just 23 seconds into its opener — Leon Draisaitl scoring one of the fastest goals to start a game in Olympic history — on its way to a 3-1 win over Denmark. The United States rolled past Latvia 5-1 behind two goals from Brock Nelson, and Canada opened with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic.

Off the field of play, Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified by the IOC for continuing to wear a helmet honoring athletes killed since Russia’s invasion. He has filed an appeal, adding a political flashpoint to the Games.
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With Norway surging in golds, Italy riding home support and the US stacking podium finishes, the medal race is tightening as the Games head into Day 7:

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This weekend, attention turns to women’s hockey quarterfinals, short-track speedskating medal races and more Alpine and Nordic events — with several marquee finals that could reshape the medal table heading into the second week.

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Happy Valentine's Day

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All Aboard the Love Train: New York’s Couples are Going Wild for Grand Central’s Hidden ‘Kissing Room’ This Valentine’s Day (New York Post)

After it debuted to the public in 1913, Grand Central Terminal had to open a “Kissing Room” — technically, the Biltmore Room — that allowed travelers to steal a sweet goodbye smooch from a loved one without clogging busy train platforms.

In its heyday, the historic alcove, once tucked beneath the now-shuttered New York Biltmore Hotel, even featured a cheeky warning: “no kiss longer than five seconds.”

But after years hidden away, stuck behind construction walls, the Kissing Room — now located on the commuter hub’s main level, near the Grand Central Oyster Bay bar — is back in plain sight, and bigger than it once was:

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Inflation Nation: Tariffs, Tight Cocoa Supplies Drive Valentine's Chocolate Prices to Record Highs (Axios)

Cocoa prices have plunged — down nearly 30% in the past month after peaking at $10,000 per metric ton in May — but don’t expect cheaper Valentine’s Day chocolate, since most sweets on shelves were made with cocoa bought at near record highs, Axios reports. 

Major chocolate makers like Mondelez and Hershey are still “hedged above current market levels,” limiting how much relief they can pass on to consumers, though they say 2027 could finally benefit if cocoa’s deflationary momentum continues.

Love Notes, Orchestras, and Tree Murals: Lonnie Anderson of Albuquerque is Crowned 'The King of Valentines' (New York Times)

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Valentine’s Day is not a competition. But if it was, Lonnie Anderson would win. Or at least he would be the runner-up, maybe behind the man who built the Taj Mahal, or perhaps Cupid himself, the New York Times writes. 

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For the past 30 years, Lonnie has pulled off over-the-top, larger-than-life Valentine’s Day surprises for his wife, Anne Bolger Witherspoon.

He once put a carousel (complete with music and galloping horses) in their front yard so Anne could experience childlike wonder under the glow of the twinkling lights. He wrote out a love poem using hundreds of rocks that you could read only from the sky. He set up a private concert from a local orchestra. The list goes on, according to the New York Times.

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Lonnie has been doing this for so long, he has become well known in Albuquerque as the “King of Valentines.” Over the years, more and more people have pitched in to help him pull off his romantic escapades. In a way, his personal project of showing love has become a community project.

🎉 In addition to Valentine’s Day, February 14 also marks Mike Bloomberg’s birthday.

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What I'm Reading

📅 Programming Note: The next Daily Read will arrive in your inbox on Monday, February 23 after the US observes Presidents Day on Monday, February 16.

Hope as ICE Retreats: Trump to End Minnesota Immigration Blitz After Deaths, Protests (Bloomberg)

President Trump agreed to end sweeping federal immigration operations in Minnesota, White House border czar Tom Homan said, a landmark retreat from a mission that spurred national outrage over the killings of two US citizens.

Homan signaled that enforcement actions would continue, saying that “a small footprint of personnel will remain for a period of time to close out, and transition full command and control back to the field office.”

The moves come as Trump’s approval rating on immigration, once a political asset, has cratered amid widespread criticism over the aggressive actions of federal agents in US cities.

Pushback on the Pentagon: Judge Temporarily Blocks Pete Hegseth from Punishing Mark Kelly for Video (New York Times)

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from punishing Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, for participating in a video that warned active-duty service members not to follow illegal orders.

Judge Richard J. Leon of the District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in a 29-page opinion that the Defense Department’s move to discipline Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, ran roughshod over his freedom of speech.

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Judge Leon barred Hegseth and the Pentagon from taking any steps to reduce the senator’s retirement rank and pay, or using the findings against Mr. Kelly in a criminal proceeding.

American Tariff Tab: US Businesses and Consumers Pay 90% of Tariff Costs, New York Fed Says (Financial Times)

US businesses and consumers paid nearly 90% of the cost of Donald Trump’s tariffs last year, according to new Federal Reserve research that undercuts the president’s claim that foreign companies would bear the burden.

The study by the New York Fed found that the majority of tariff costs were passed through to Americans in the first 11 months of 2025, although exporters shouldered an increasing amount as the year progressed.

Jitters in Munich: Europe Fears a Future Exposed by Putin’s War (Bloomberg)

Worries over growing economic strains in Russia have replaced dreams of victory parades in Kyiv.
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Yet it’s European leaders arriving at the Munich Security Conference today who are agonizing over the existential military and economic vulnerabilities exposed by Putin’s challenge to the post-Cold War order.

Ouster Fallout: Venezuelan Protests Revive as Repression Ebbs After Maduro Raid (Bloomberg)
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Venezuela is experiencing a surge in protests as the socialist regime eases up on political repression following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces.

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🔊 New Episode Alert: The Daily Read Podcast is live with an AI-fueled breakdown of today’s biggest headlines. Smarter context, sharper analysis—stream it now on Spotify or  Apple Podcasts.
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Capitol Bets: Anthropic Pledges $20 Million to US Candidates Who Favor AI Safety (Bloomberg)

Anthropic is donating $20 million to a political advocacy group called Public First that’s backing congressional candidates who favor safety rules for artificial intelligence, bolstering the company’s fight for “responsible AI” as Silicon Valley money floods into congressional races across the US.

Anthropic has set itself apart from rivals, including OpenAI, by pushing for stringent AI regulations. OpenAI and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz have lobbied aggressively against state AI safety rules across the country, arguing they could hamper innovation and imperil the US in its technology race against China.

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Seven-Day Play: Bloomberg Expands Live Business, News Coverage to Weekends With New Three-Hour Show (Variety)

“Bloomberg This Weekend,” a three-hour broadcast that airs from 7 AM to 10 AM on Saturday and Sunday, will debut February 28. The show, hosted by David Gura, Christina Ruffini, and Lisa Mateo, will simulcast worldwide across Bloomberg’s audio, video and digital platforms, and offer real-time reporting, as well as stories on politics, lifestyle and culture to its audience. Carolyn Cremen, a veteran of CBS News and CNN, will serve as executive producer.

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NYC Theater Guide: 18 Off Broadway Shows (and Some Puppets) to Defrost Your February (New York Times)

From intimate solo thrillers to epic Shakespeare and sharp-edged political drama, The New York Times has curated a list of 18 productions that capture the breadth and vitality of New York theater right now.

Highlights include Sean Hayes commanding attention in The Unknown (which I saw and loved), a gripping new solo thriller by David Cale that finds the Tony winner channeling a blocked writer in psychological free fall, as well as the biting finance-world satire Chinese Republicans, where ambition and generational power plays collide.

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The Plastic Detox

Can Giving Up Plastic Improve Your Fertility? A New Netflix Documentary Aims to Find Out (People)

Six couples struggling with infertility strip their lives of plastic — and see if it helps them conceive — in the new Netflix documentary, The Plastic Detox., premiering on March 16. 

The trailer begins with the sobering statement: “Microplastics are in everything now.”  Watch the trailer here or by clicking the poster art below. 

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“Even the smallest levels of exposure can have profound effects,” the trailer continues, a nod to recent studies that have found that microplastics can lead to oxidative stress, which can result in cell damage, inflammation, or cardiovascular disease. Through recent animal studies, researchers have also discovered that microplastics can also cause fertility issues, impaired learning and memory, various cancers, and a disrupted endocrine and immune system.

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“Fertility worldwide is going down, and it is tightly linked to chemicals that are commonly used in plastic,” Dr. Shanna Swan, a leading environmental and reproductive health epidemiologist, says in the trailer, which points out that, in the United States, very few chemicals are banned from personal care products — while more than 1,100 are banned in the European Union, People reports. 

Weekend Streaming Guide

Race (Netflix)
Race (2016) is an inspiring biographical sports drama about African American track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens, who defied racism at home and Nazi propaganda abroad to win four record-breaking gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Starring Stephan James alongside Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons, the film captures Owens’ historic triumph on one of the world’s most politically charged stages.

Artful Dodger (Hulu, Disney+)
The newly released season of The Artful Dodger continues the story of Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), the former Dickensian pickpocket turned surgeon in 1850s Australia. As Fagin (David Thewlis) lures him back into high-stakes crime, Dawkins juggles dangerous schemes with his growing romance with the ambitious Lady Belle (Maia Mitchell). 

The Mishal Husain Show: David Miliband (Bloomberg)
With an annual budget of more than $1 billion, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is among the world’s largest humanitarian agencies. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, its CEO, David Miliband who was once a top British politician, talks about the geopolitical reality of running a humanitarian organization, UK politics and his own family heritage.

Best of Late Night

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On Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, where she delivered combative responses to questions regarding President Trump and the Epstein files:

“She's like the woman who stresses everyone out at book club, but it’s not worth uninviting her because then it will become a whole thing.” 
-- Jordan Klepper

“Keep in mind, this is not how these hearings traditionally go. The attorney general used to carry some level of seriousness and gravitas. It’s only recently that they’d spend a congressional hearing acting like a bratty senior who got called into the principal’s office.” 
-- Jordan Klepper

On Bondi calling Trump "the most transparent president in the nation's history":

“He’s so transparent, you had to black out his name like a thousand times.”
-- Jimmy Kimmel

And from The Daily Show: Attorney General Pam Bondi goes off the rails in front of Congress over Epstein questions, an Olympic biathlete confesses to an affair after winning a bronze medal, and Grace Kuhlenschmidt gives Jordan Klepper the easy-to-solve riddle of Trump's sudden opposition to opening a new US-Canada bridge. Click the photo below to watch.
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