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Energy Freeze: US Winter Storm Risks to Linger as Ice Coated Power Lines Threaten Grid (Bloomberg)
A sprawling winter storm that brought ice and sub-zero wind chill from Texas to New York is finally on its way out — but the worst is still to come for the US power grid.
Frigid wind chills are expected to last all week and the heavy snow dumped across a broad swath of the country will likely act as an insulator, locking in colder air. The ice that coated power lines and trees won’t easily melt away, raising the risk of outages from fallen branches and lines that tumble under their own weight.
Electricity prices have soared and grid operators have been obtaining federal waivers from some pollution limits so they can employ dirtier power-plant fuels such as diesel and coal. The US government also asked grid operators to make backup power available from facilities including data centers.
Fed Succession Buzz: BlackRock's Rieder Takes the Lead in Race for Trump’s Fed Chair Pick (Axios)
Traders on major betting exchanges now assign top odds to BlackRock executive Rick Rieder to be President Trump's Fed chair nominee.
Rieder had 47% odds Monday morning on Polymarket, with former Fed governor Kevin Warsh second at 28%. Rieder's odds were below 3% on Jan. 12.
Rieder, as the chief investment officer for global fixed income at BlackRock, is in an unusual position for a potential Fed chair, having published research notes on economic data, which offer insights into his thinking on major debates of the moment.
US Economic Check-In: Voters See a Middle-Class Lifestyle as Drifting Out of Reach, Poll Finds (New York Times)
Americans are deeply pessimistic about their economic future, driven by financial anxiety among all but the oldest Americans and by a widespread belief that a middle-class lifestyle is out of reach for most people, a New York Times/Siena poll found.
Majorities of voters said they do not feel confident in their ability to pay for housing, retirement and health care, all traditional staples of a middle-class lifestyle. Separately, more than half said housing and education are now so expensive that both have become unaffordable.
Such cost-of-living concerns have emerged as a major issue in the midterm elections and a notable weakness for President Trump, as he works to push his agenda through Washington. 51% of voters said that Trump’s policies had made life less affordable for most Americans.
Fatal Takeoff in Maine: At Least Six Dead After Private Plane Crashes in Maine (Bloomberg)
At least six individuals are dead after a private plane crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening, local authorities said in an update.
There were six people on the plane according to the flight manifest, the statement from the Bangor police said. “No one from the incident was transported to the hospital, and all on the flight are presumed to be deceased.”
The accident occurred while the Northeast was being pummeled by a massive snowstorm, and the US National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into the crash.
Today in Paris: G-7 Finance Ministers to Discuss Rare Earths, Ukraine on Tuesday (Bloomberg)
France will hold the first meeting of Group of Seven finance officials under its presidency today, with discussions expected to focus on securing supplies of critical raw materials and continued support for Ukraine.
Autonomy Push: Venezuela’s Leader Says Country Has ‘Had Enough’ of US Meddling (Bloomberg)
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Venezuela has “had enough” of US interference, while addressing state oil workers in Anzoátegui state on Sunday.
“Enough of Washington’s orders to Venezuelan politicians, let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and conflicts,” Rodríguez told the crowd. “Enough of foreign powers.”
Rodríguez and her brother Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, stepped up their rhetoric over the weekend as the government faces pushback from public sectors and leftist parties against a proposed overhaul of the oil industry.
Power Shift: How Orban Went From Invincible to Underdog in Hungary (Bloomberg)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spent the past 16 years perfecting what he called an “illiberal laboratory” in the European Union member state, holding it up as an election-proof model for nationalist allies such as US President Donald Trump to follow.
Yet Orban’s Fidesz party now finds itself trailing in most polls ahead of a parliamentary election scheduled for April 12. Long-time regime insider Peter Magyar broke with Orban in 2024 and founded a rival party, Tisza. He’s struck a nerve with Hungarians frustrated by a stagnating economy, a cost-of-living crisis, corruption and mismanagement.
The election will decide the future of one on the world’s most recognizable populist leaders, who has become a thorn in the side of European allies with his embrace of Russia and China.
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Film News: White House Launches Desperate Bid to Save Melania’s Movie (Daily Beast)
The White House is pulling out all the stops to try to salvage Melania Trump’s documentary, which is widely predicted to bomb when it opens next weekend.
The project, for which Jeff Bezos’ Amazon reportedly paid $40 million, is projected to make a measly $5 million on the weekend following its Jan. 30 release. That is despite the studio spending an additional $35 million on marketing and opening the release to 27 different countries.
Tech Tag 2.0: Apple Announces New AirTag with Longer Range, Louder Speaker (Bloomberg)
Tennis Heats Up: Australian Open Forced to Alter Schedule Again Over Extreme Heat (BBC Sport)
The Australian Open has altered its schedule for the second time in four days because of extreme heat, with temperatures expected to reach 42C, or 107F, in Melbourne on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Italy’s Jannik Sinner survived a major scare in near-40C conditions after the Australian Open’s heat rule was invoked mid-match, allowing the roof to be closed and play to pause just as the top seed was cramping and close to defeat. Sinner later admitted he was “lucky” as the stoppage proved pivotal, helping him recover and eventually beat American Eliot Spizzirri to stay on course for a third straight title.
With extreme heat continuing through the week, it will be crucial to see how the top players manage conditions as the finals unfold at Melbourne Park.
Global Sports Latest: Calls for World Cup Boycott Increase After US-Europe Tensions (Bloomberg)
Slope Boycott: Canadian Skiers Skip US Mountain Resorts This Season, Thanks to Trump (Bloomberg)
Olympics Preview: Top Athletes to Watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics—Including Lindsey Vonn’s Historic Return (Parade)
During this year’s Winter Olympics, over 3,000 athletes will thrill a worldwide audience across 16 sports and 116 events in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Snowy sports will take center stage for the first time in four years after fans last enjoyed the Games in Beijing, China.
Mikaela Shiffrin from the US and Eileen Gu from China will compete in skiing, with Shiffrin the “greatest Alpine skier of all time” going to her fourth Olympics and Gu returning as a high-flying freestyle star.
Chloe Kim from the US and Stefan Kraft from Austria will compete in snowboarding and ski jumping, with Kim aiming for another halfpipe title and Kraft the all-time FIS Ski Jumping World Cup points scorer.
Marco Odermatt from Switzerland and Ilia Malinin from the US will compete in alpine skiing and figure skating, with Odermatt a dominant World Cup force and Malinin known as the men’s singles figure skating “Quad God.”
Also returning to competition, Lindsey Vonn from the US will compete in her fifth Winter Olympic Games in alpine skiing, making a remarkable comeback after retirement.
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