"What if I fall? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?"

I want to take a moment to condemn antisemitism. The swirl around Kayne West can be found here and via Google. That’s all the time I’ll give him.

So much to cover, Congrats to the Eagles! Fly Eagles, Fly. As far as the half-time show, it could be my age, or the amount of food I had Sunday, but I took a power nap during the show. Sorry, Kendrick. My teenager, however, was enthralled.

Happy Birthday to the New Yorker, at the ripe old age of 100. And welcome back TikTok.

T-Mobile and Starlink made a splash on Sunday with a new ad to announce a partnership that will extend service to dead zones.

The Washington Post issued its inaugural Next 50 List – highlighting 50 people shaping society in 2025.

The world’s leading minds in AI gathered in Paris for the AI Action Summit, which kicked off on Monday. Heads of state, top government officials, CEOs and scientists from more than100 countries participated in the two-day international summit. Vice President JD Vance also attended and addressed attendees. ?

Monday Meta announced they’d be laying off about 3,600 people. The Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp parent previously announced—via?an internal memo?distributed last month—a 5% cut to its global workforce of about 72,000. Those cuts went into effect this week.

Cage matches were sooo 2024. How do billionaires fight in 2025, online of course. Monday presented a few interesting exchanges between Elon and Sam. Thank you, next.

According to those that attended Wall Street Journal’s CIO Summit this week, we’re still in the hype cycle of generative AI. Speaking of hype cycles, re-enter the plastic straw. President Trump has banned paper straws in the big house.

The Administration continues to review and upend various parts of the federal government and its departments. According to reports, the next target appears to be NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But until then we’ll be tracking the weather and the vast amounts of snow expected to hit 29 million Americans. Additionally, nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — roughly one-tenth of the agency’s workforce — are being forced out under the Trump administration’s. All eyes are also on the future of the Department of Education.

If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you’re well aware of eggflation.

Penny for your thoughts? Not anymore. For those that celebrate, Happy Valentine’s Day. According to a new survey from CouponFollow, on average, Americans in relationships plan to spend around $155 on the day of love this year. But Gen Z is budgeting around $235 to make their special someone feel even more special. In case you’re interested, Best Friends Animal Society?is offering pet sleepovers.

In entertainment and sports news the NBA is descending on San Francisco for All-Star weekend and Saturday Night Live celebrates 50 years with a series of special tributes, concerts and episodes. ?

Let’s also celebrate and honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln, as we have a three-day weekend.

More context next week on one of my favorite quotes "What if I fall? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?" - Erin Hanson

Hot Off the Press This Week

·?????? Administration: Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Trump’s health secretary

·?????? Airlines: At least 1 person is dead following a jet crash in Arizona, authorities say

·?????? Media: ‘We’ve Already Won’: Podcasters and Influencers Gain New Standing in Trump’s White House

·?????? Media: BuzzFeed Designing AI-Driven Social-Media Platform as Part of Continuing Business Overhaul

·?????? Media: BuzzFeed to Cut About 5% of Workforce

·?????? Media: Condé Nast, McClatchy and Other Publishers Accuse AI Firm Cohere of Copyright Violations

·?????? Media: Who’s Watching What on TV? Who’s to Say?

·?????? News: What to know about the car attack in Munich

·?????? News: Russian Drone Sets Fire to Chernobyl’s Containment Shield

·?????? Policy: Trump Layoffs Hit Federal Workers With Less Than a Year on Job

·?????? Tech: Mark Zuckerberg warned employees to prepare for an ‘intense year.’ He just laid off 3,600 workers—including some who claim they got glowing reviews

·?????? Tech: Vance Warns U.S. Allies to Keep AI Regulation Light

·?????? Tech: What to make of JD Vance’s speech at the Paris AI summit

·?????? Tech: Apple and Google Restore TikTok to Mobile App Stores

What Else I Read

·?????? Business: The ‘nice’ CEO is no longer en vogue as business pressures reshape leadership styles

·?????? Finance: How Mastercard’s CFO views the wave of AI fraud hitting the financial sector

·?????? Finance: Plaid has boomed since its failed $5.3 billion Visa merger. Now its CEO is predicting a fintech summer

·?????? Finance: Zelle payments top $1 trillion in 2024 as network’s growth outpaces rivals including PayPal

·?????? Gen Z: Gen Z teens tell us why they stopped trusting experts in favor of influencers on TikTok

·?????? Health/Tech: Pharma Companies Turn to AI to Speed Up Drug Development, But Hit Hurdles

·?????? Leadership: Kroger hires PepsiCo exec for CFO role as grocery battles heat up

·?????? Media: Arena Group Removes Sara Silverstein as CEO After Less Than a Year

·?????? Media: BuzzFeed to launch new social media platform called BF Island

·?????? Media: Fox Acquires Firm Behind Conservative and True Crime Podcasts

·?????? News: Pentagon bans transgender people from joining the military

·?????? News: Trump Says He and Putin Agreed to Open Talks on Ending Ukraine War

·?????? Oil/Energy: Behind the Oil Industry’s Biggest Divorce: Chevron Versus California

·?????? Personal Finance: Paying your mortgage with a credit card is a bad idea. But two credit card startups want to reward you for mortgage payments

·?????? Personal Finance: Back Up Everything. Even if Elon Musk Isn’t Looking at It.

·?????? Policy: The Musk Deputy Running DOGE’s Huge Cost-Cutting Drive

·?????? Policy: Trump to announce 25% steel and aluminum tariffs

·?????? Real Estate: Aging Boomers Are About to Rekindle the Senior-Housing Market

·?????? Retail: Joann fabrics is closing hundreds of stores: See the full list of doomed locations in bankruptcy update

·?????? Sports/Entertainment: Golden State Warriors release an album from their own record label featuring Bay Area artists

·?????? Tech: AI Agents Are Everywhere…and Nowhere

·?????? Tech: Anthropic hired president Daniela Amodei’s husband to work on the company’s AI safety strategy

·?????? Tech: At A.I. Summit in Paris, a Push for Innovation Before Regulation

·?????? Tech: China’s Strategy in Trade War: Threaten U.S. Tech Companies

·?????? Tech: France Taps Nuclear Power in Race for AI Supremacy

·?????? Tech: How Did DeepSeek Build Its A.I. With Less Money?

·?????? Tech: How Trump’s Policies Have Shaken America’s IT Departments

·?????? Tech: How YouTube CEO Neal Mohan conquered the living room and positioned creators as ‘the new Hollywood’

·?????? Tech: Intel’s AI Chief to Leave Chip Maker in Wake of CEO Exit

·?????? Tech: NASA astronauts are streaming live on Twitch from space. Here’s how to watch

·?????? Tech: PIN AI launches an encrypted AI assistant with personal loyalty and privacy as its main focus

·?????? Tech: AppLovin Could Be the Next TikTok, Analysts Say

·?????? Tech: Turns Out AI Is More Empathetic Than Allstate’s Insurance Reps

·?????? Tech: U.K. drops AI safety focus and signs up Anthropic to help transform public services

·?????? Tech: Why Do AI Chatbots Have Such a Hard Time Admitting ‘I Don’t Know’?

·?????? Tech: Sam Altman lays out plans for OpenAI’s much-anticipated GPT-5, promising the end of ‘hated’ model picker

·?????? Wellness: More Millennials and Gen Xers are getting colorectal cancer. Adding these foods to your diet may help

·?????? Wellness: Your Happy Hour Habits Could Raise Your Cancer Risk

·?????? Workplace/Policy: Trump blasts WFH policies: ‘Nobody is gonna work from home. They are gonna be going out, playing tennis, playing golf

·?????? Workplace: Alarmed, Employers Ask: What Is ‘Illegal D.E.I.’?

·?????? Workplace: Apple, Coca-Cola, IBM, Berkshire Hathaway: These companies are facing a DEI shareholder showdown in 2025

·?????? Workplace: DEI has fallen out of favor—but many CEOs still have their pay tied to pursuing its goals

·?????? Workplace: How women are fighting back against the resurgence of ‘bro culture’

·?????? Workplace: Wall Street Talked Endlessly About Diversity. Trump Ended That.

·?????? Workplace: Workplace Wellness: Calm CEO’s guide to prioritizing mental health