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GOP's Senate Panic: Polls Signal Losing Majority as Red-State Races Tighten (Axios)
Top Republicans are increasingly worried about private polls that paint a dire picture of the midterms, Axios reports.
For the first time, GOP strategists are telling Axios that losing the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority, is a real possibility, and that they'll have to fight harder than expected to keep it.
Internal
polling shows the GOP facing competitive Senate races
not just in traditional battlegrounds (Michigan, Maine, North Carolina), but also in conservative states (Alaska, Iowa, Ohio).
MAGA Fractures on Fed: GOP Senators Say Powell Probe ‘Waste of Time’ Amid Kevin Warsh Impasse (Bloomberg)
Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee are raising doubts over the Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, amid a threat by one member that could block President Trump’s nominee to lead the central bank until the probe is resolved — or ended.
Senate Republicans, who have broadly applauded Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed, increasingly view the probe as an unnecessary roadblock in a confirmation process that would otherwise be uneventful.
Yet the Trump administration’s attacks on the central bank under Powell’s leadership, which have escalated into a full-blown probe over whether he lied to Congress about a multi-billion-dollar renovation project, now risk delaying Warsh’s consideration indefinitely.
Terminal Conditions: Trump Wanted Dulles Airport, Penn Station Named After Him — in Exchange for Releasing Federal Funds (NBC News)
The Trump administration asked
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the Washington region’s Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station to be named after President Donald Trump in exchange for releasing the federal funds required to build a long-delayed tunnel between New York and New Jersey, known as the Gateway project, multiple sources told NBC News.
"The president stopped the funding, and he can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers," a source close to Schumer said.
The Gateway project warned that it will be forced to halt construction soon if the money doesn’t start flowing. If that happens, thousands of construction workers would be laid off.
Today
in Oman: Iran, US Hold Indirect Talks to De-Escalate Mideast Tensions (Bloomberg)
Iran and the US held indirect talks on Friday to reduce tensions that have threatened to spiral into war, with Tehran saying the meetings will be the first stage of a longer diplomatic process.
US-Japan Talks: Trump to Host Japan’s Takaichi Next Month at the White House (Bloomberg)
Ouster Aftermath: Venezuela Lawmakers Give Initial Nod to Landmark Amnesty Bill (Bloomberg)
Venezuela’s
National Assembly gave unanimous preliminary approval
to a landmark amnesty bill for political offenses, the latest step in a broader opening following the US capture of strongman Nicolás Maduro.
Under acting President Delcy Rodríguez — Maduro’s former right hand who is seen as appeasing the Trump administration’s demands for political change — authorities are slowly releasing hundreds of political prisoners. The amnesty bill, which is expected to win final approval by the rubber-stamp assembly, would release many more.
The law would grant amnesty for a wide range of offenses linked to political activity, ruling-party lawmaker Jorge Arreaza said upon presenting the bill. Acts resulting in death or serious physical harm are excluded, he said.
Canadian Car Sovereignty: Mark Carney Stakes Canada’s Auto Future on Electric Vehicles as It Pulls Away From the US (New York Times)
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada announced on Thursday a sweeping plan to offer billions of dollars in incentives and tax breaks for auto industry investment designed to help turn Canada into a global leader in electric vehicles.
Prediction Market Surge: Kalshi Downloads Zoom Past Gambling Apps Ahead of Super Bowl (Bloomberg)
In January, Kalshi was downloaded 3 million times, more than four times the tally for either DraftKings Inc. or
FanDuel, a US unit of Flutter Entertainment Plc —
and more than either of those companies even during their fastest periods of growth — according to the data firm Apptopia.
For those without addictive personalities: check out how to make Super Bowl bets on Kalshi here — but make sure you understand how its event contracts work and the insider-trading rules the platform has put in place ahead of the big game.
Star Power at the Super Bowl: Celebrities Fuel the 2026 Ad Lineup, with Sabrina Carpenter, George Clooney, Laura Dern, and More (Hollywood Reporter)
Whether it’s an ad featuring a group of stars (like Uber Eats’ with Bradley Cooper and Matthew McConaughey) or solo features (like Squarespace’s team-up with Emma Stone), viewers tuning into the NFL’s big event can expect to see a myriad of stars repping varying brands during commercial breaks.
The
lineup isn’t limited to celebrity talent:
Bloomberg Beta, Bloomberg’s early-stage venture capital arm, also appears, with its logo making a cameo in an ad from TBPN, a daily live video and audio podcast focused on business and technology news. Watch the clip here.
Ahead of Bad Bunny: Ranking the Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows in History (NBC Sports)
What's your favorite? Was it Bruce, Madonna, Gaga, MJ, Beyonce, Prince, Katy Perry or U2 in 2002? Please discuss...
🔊 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.
February Art Spotlight: 8 Must-See Shows of Black Art Across the US This Black History Month (Artsy)
This Black History Month, galleries and museums across the US are spotlighting Black artists who explore subjects ranging from housing policy and interpersonal relationships to colonialism with nuance and visual verve. Across photography, painting, collage, and immersive installation, these exhibitions pair historical inquiry with contemporary urgency.
Highlights include Consequences of Being at New York’s Flag Art Foundation, Deborah Roberts’s first institutional solo show in the city, where she expands her incisive explorations of Black identity to include ceramic sculpture, and In Aludria at Miami’s Mindy Solomon Gallery, a presentation of Lanise Howard’s vibrant, allegorical paintings that merge personal history with richly imagined worlds.
Coming
up in Washington, DC, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is showcasing Nick Cave: Mammoth, an immersive, family-friendly exhibition that layers the artist’s experience as a Black man in America with themes of ancestry, memory, and imagination, on view from Feb. 13.
Best in Showstoppers: 7 Unforgettable Dogs at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, from Sleek Discipline to Teddy-Bear Charm (New York Times)
The yearly parade of canine excellence and exuberance that is the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show wrapped up this week at New York City's Madison Square Garden when a Doberman pinscher, Penny, was named best in show.
Over the course of two frenzied days of
ring trotting, the original field of 2,500 aspirants — good boys and girls, one and all — were whittled down to some best in group winners, the New York Times writes.
Best in show’s Penny had an impossibly sleek coat, irresistible over-eye markings — a breed standard — and a stature that rivaled that of a Marine, as pictured on the left. But for all the Doberman pinscher’s obvious discipline, it was her TV-antenna ears that were most noticeably standing at attention.
Whereas Graham, pictured on the right, was enveloped in a cloud of hair that looked as if it had been frizzed up and teased by a giant egg whisk. The Old English sheepdog who won the herding group was the floofiest and goofiest of the seven Westminster finalists, according to the New York Times.
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