|  | Nasdaq | 23,547.17 | |
| | S&P | 6,944.82 | |
| | Dow | 49,462.08 | |
| | 10-Year | 4.179% | |
|  | Bitcoin | $93,382.98 | |
| | AIG | $78.06 | |
| | Data is provided by |  |
*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 4:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Markets: The S&P 500 notched another record high as stocks continued their early 2026 momentum ahead of the release of new economic data this week. But, like a Reddit Guy at a frat party, AIG could not join in on the fun, sinking more than 7% after the insurance giant's CEO abruptly resigned.
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INTERNATIONAL Europe pushed back against Trump's renewed calls to annex Denmark's Alaska Greenland, which came after the US forcibly removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power over the weekend. Yesterday, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Denmark jointly released a statement declaring that only the people of Greenland and Denmark can decide Greenland's future. They affirmed that the US and its NATO allies have a collective responsibility to defend the strategically important Danish territory (Denmark, including Greenland, is part of NATO). Gimme the Green Trump said this weekend that the US needs Greenland for national security in the Arctic, arguing that Denmark can't defend its territory sufficiently as the region becomes a hotspot for Chinese and Russian military activity. One of his top advisors, Stephen Miller, questioned Denmark's claim to the territory and told CNN that the US would not face any military pushback if it tried to plant its flag there. And the White House later said it was looking at a "range of options" to acquire Greenland, including "utilizing the US military." Closer to home than the European pushback, Trump's Greenland-grabbing rhetoric also drew sharp rebukes from Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly told some congressional lawmakers in a briefing about Venezuela that President Trump planned to buy Greenland rather than invade it. Prime real estate The world's largest island is becoming a geopolitical holy grail at the crossroads of emerging trade routes and naval passageways as Arctic ice melts. Last fall, Denmark tried to placate Trump by boosting its Arctic military spending commitment by $4.3 billion. There's also green to be found under the land: - Greenland is home to massive deposits of valuable rare earth minerals.
- China currently dominates the supply chain for these minerals, which are vital ingredients in computer chips, EVs, and military hardware.
But Greenland's mineral riches are difficult to access due to rugged terrain and a climate that makes the weather in The Shining seem tropical. Winter is coming…for Greenland's fishing-based economy. The island of 57,000 people is facing sharp population decline, shrinking shrimp stock, and government budget shortfalls, according to a report that Denmark's central bank published yesterday.—SK | | |
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WORLD  Grok under scrutiny for generating sexualized images of women and children. Regulators in the UK, France, India, and other countries are looking into reports that Grok, Elon Musk's AI chatbot, allowed X users to request and share deepfakes of people—including children—in bikinis. Several US lawmakers also condemned X, while the Justice Department said it will "aggressively prosecute any producer or possessor" of child sex abuse materials. Grok posted an apology last week for generating images that "violated ethical standards and potentially US laws," but has continued to provide them in response to users' prompts. X says that it removes illegal content and permanently suspends accounts associated with it. Yesterday, xAI, the company that owns both Grok and X, announced it raised $20 billion in a Series E funding round.—AE
 Trump says the Venezuelan govt is cooperating with his efforts. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, President Trump said of the Venezuelan government, "I do get the sense that they're cooperating." He also said, "We have to nurse the country back to health." Despite Maduro's capture, his government seemingly remains intact, with his vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president. In a post to Truth Social yesterday evening, President Trump said that "the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America." He went on to say that the oil would be sold at market price, and that he would control the proceeds, which would be used to "benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States."—HVL
 Hilton cuts ties with franchise after it turned away ICE agents. Hilton took the rare step of severing its relationship with an independently owned franchise hotel near Minneapolis after it refused booking for Department of Homeland Security officials. On Monday, Everpeak Hospitality, which owns the hotel, apologized for "canceling a prior reservation for real DHS agents because of their work on immigration enforcement," CNBC reported. But yesterday, conservative influencer Nick Sortor posted a video on X in which he visited the location after the apology posing as a DHS representative and attempted to book rooms for immigration enforcement agents, but was denied by the desk clerk, who cited company policy. "A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values," Hilton said in a statement. "As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems."—AE
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TECH UK techies hoping to ask their glasses what to make with leftover beans and bread will have to resort to institutional knowledge for now. Meta said yesterday in a blog post that it's pausing the international rollout of its Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses to focus on fulfilling orders in the US amid massive popularity and limited inventory. Meta said it's received "an overwhelming amount of interest" in the specs that put a computer on your face without it actually looking like there's a computer on your face. The company released the Display glasses with Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica last fall to relatively positive reviews, offering a counterpoint to the historically flop-filled category of AI wearables and smart glasses. EssilorLuxottica credited its record Q3 sales last year partly to the success of the glasses, boasting a 11.7% YoY revenue increase, to $8.1 billion: - The newest version of the glasses costs $799 and, in addition to an upgraded camera, it has built-in AI features and comes with a wristband to help answer calls and texts.
- Meta is also rolling out a teleprompter feature that can display text notes.
Big picture: Tech companies and retailers think smart glasses could be the next big thing, with Google, Apple, and Amazon all in talks to release their own, despite strict AI and data rules abroad and privacy concerns everywhere.—MM | | |
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FOOD & BEV What exactly is in a McRib? The question you've been too afraid to ask for fear of the answer is at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against McDonald's. The plaintiffs are accusing the fast-food giant of deceiving the public about the contents of its cult-favorite sandwich. Much like your one ex, the McRib comes into and out of your life with no notice and disappears for long stretches. It returned in a limited capacity in November and, perhaps like that same ex should, it is now facing scrutiny: - The federal case, filed in Illinois last month, alleges that the McRib contains lower-grade pork products like heart, tripe, and scalded stomach formed into a rib-shaped patty—but no actual rib meat.
- The suit alleges that using "rib" in the name allows the restaurant to charge a premium price—as much as $7.99, per McRib Locator—for a non-premium product, creating "millions of dollars in consumer harm."
McDonald's told news outlets that the lawsuit "distorts the facts," and that there are no hearts, tripe, or scalded stomach in the McRib. What's next? The four plaintiffs are seeking class certification for anyone who bought the sandwich over the past four years, along with damages and restitution "to prevent further deceptive advertising practices."—DL | | |
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STAT Your friend who only flies Delta has probably told you this already, but now there's some real data to back it up. For the fifth consecutive year, the airline with the red triangle logo was the most on-time in 2025 out of all North American carriers, according to the analytics firm Cirium. Here are the top 10, with the percentage of on-time arrivals in parentheses: - Delta (80.9%)
- Alaska (79.2%)
- Spirit (78.8%)
- United (78.8%)
- Southwest (77%)
- American (76.4%)
- JetBlue (74.7%)
- WestJet (73.6%)
- Air Canada (73.3%)
- Frontier (72.1%)
Globally, Aeroméxico was the best, with a 90% on-time rate. The most timely airport, meanwhile, was Chile's Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. Newark was nowhere to be found.—AE |
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Together With The New Money A public company is taking on one of the world's oldest assets. Streamex (NASDAQ: STEX), backed by mining billionaire Frank Giustra, is betting tokenization can disrupt the global gold market. Discover more on The New Money. |
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NEWS - California Rep. Doug LaMalfa died at 65 after experiencing a medical emergency on Monday night.
- The Trump administration froze $10 billion in funding to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York due to "massive amounts of fraud," according to a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson.
- American Airlines is launching free wi-fi for loyalty program members this month, in an attempt to catch up to rivals.
- Ford reported its best annual sales since 2019, despite production issues with its F-series pickup trucks.
- Nascar Commissioner Steve Phelps resigned after inflammatory texts he sent were revealed during the company's federal antitrust trial.
- Netflix expanded its partnership with the WWE to become the home of its library, including replays of popular series like WrestleMania.
- Aldrich Ames, a 31-year CIA veteran who was convicted of spying for Russia in 1994, died while serving a life sentence in prison. He was 84.
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RECS  Be inspired: This coffee table book will take you on 200 breathtaking rail journeys.**
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PLAY Word Search: Alpha, bravo, Charlie…how well do you know your phonetic alphabet? It comes in handy for this week's Word Search. Play it here. Geography trivia There is only one US state whose east and west borders are almost entirely formed by rivers. Can you name it? |
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SHARE THE BREW  Share the Brew, watch your referral count climb, and unlock brag-worthy swag. Your friends get smarter. You get rewarded. Win-win. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
morningbrew.com/r/?kid=eaab23a8 |
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ANSWER Iowa (the Mississippi on the east, and Missouri and Big Sioux on the west) Word of the Day Today's Word of the Day is: rebukes, meaning "expressions of sharp disapproval or criticism." Thanks to Debbie from Cranston, RI, and others for the suggestion. Submit another Word of the Day here. |
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