Daily Briefing: Welcome to Milano Cortina 🥇
Happy Friday! Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Here’s what’s breaking this morning:
- The "coldest air of the whole winter" is in the forecast.
- The high cost of living is forcing older Americans to "unretire."
- Amazon pulls "Melania" from theater over marquee joke, description.
Nicole Fallert and Jane Onyanga-Omara here, bringing you the news to know Friday, from the kickoff of the 2026 Winter Olympics to Super Bowl weekend and the latest on ICE reforms from Washington.
The Olympic opening ceremonies are tonight!
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are almost here, and the symbolic start to the Games will be the opening ceremony Friday. The lighting of the Olympic flame at the conclusion of the Olympic torch relay, parade of nations and international musical performances will be held at San Siro Stadium in Milan at 2 p.m. ET (with an encore presentation by NBC at 8 p.m. ET). Here's how to watch tonight.
USA TODAY Sports is sending a team of 16 journalists to Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and we've been training our roster to bring their best. Follow every twist and turn of the games with us:
- Bookmark USA TODAY's Olympics hub for photos, videos and the latest news about Team USA (and track the medal count!).
- Listen to our Milan Magic podcast hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennan and Olympic gold-medal figure skater Brian Boitano.
- Follow our WhatsApp channel, where we drop buzzy moments straight into your texts.
- Sign up for our Chasing Gold newsletter for daily updates from Milan straight to your inbox.
More news to know now
- Job cuts are the highest for any January since 2009. See why.
- Mejia and Malinowski in tight race as New Jersey primary goes down to the wire.
- Louvre to restore Napoleonic crown after brazen heist.
Take a look
The ransom note for Nancy Guthrie demanded Bitcoins. Here's why.
Amid the hunt for "Today" cohost Savannah Guthrie's mom Nancy Guthrie, TMZ and an Arizona CBS News affiliate report receiving demands for millions in Bitcoin for her release. TMZ said its note demanded millions of Bitcoin cryptocurrency and provided a specific Bitcoin address. While investigators continue to evaluate the validity of the notes, some Americans may wonder if the Bitcoin address would be enough to find the culprit or at least narrow the search for the kidnapper. It's not that simple. Here’s what to know.
Sports
It's Super Bowl weekend
Just in case you didn't have enough sports to watch between the Olympics and college basketball: Super Bowl 60 is set for Sunday in San Francisco. Make sure you prep your buffalo chicken dip by kickoff time as the New England Patriots face off against the Seattle Seahawks. Set up your streaming ahead of time and get caught up on Bad Bunny's best tunes before his halftime performance. And don't forget to register and rate your fave ads at USA TODAY Ad Meter!
Before you go
- Lego announces "KPop Demon Hunters" sets.
- Trump told a reporter to smile. Women aren't happy about it.
- NFL Honors 2026: Full awards results for MVP, top rookies and more.
Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at [email protected].