Plus: Family Pleads For Nancy Guthrie’s Return As Second Ransom Deadline Looms

Good evening,

21-year-old American figure skater Ilia Malinin made his Olympic debut in Milan — and is redefining what’s possible in the sport.

Known as the “Quad God,” he is the only person to successfully complete a quadruple axel in competition. And while he has yet to show off that skill at the Olympics this year, he did become the first skater in five decades to legally land a backflip at the Games — helping secure a U.S. gold over the weekend in the figure skating team event Sunday.

He’s being compared to Simone Biles in gymnastics and Michael Phelps in swimming — AKA the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time).

The Atlantic notes, “To fully appreciate how revolutionary Malinin is, consider some fundamental physics and biomechanics. The gold-medal-determining long program, also known as the ‘free skate,’ lasts for four and a half minutes. Roughly 30 seconds in, Malinin’s heart rate rises to 90 percent of its capacity, about 180 beats a minute, and stays there for the duration. The effort is comparable to that sustained by the world’s fastest milers.”

Malinin's next events are Tuesday at 12:30pm ET and Friday at 3pm ET.

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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Sports’ Biggest Stages Are Becoming Political Battlegrounds

Two of the world’s biggest sporting events this weekend revealed how politics seems to be infused into everything these days.

At the Milan–Cortina Olympics, some American athletes used their platform to speak out about the challenges of representing the U.S. when they disagree with U.S. government policy. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance Sunday sparked outrage on the right, and a similarly hostile defense on the left. President Trump weighed in on both.

SUPER BOWL LX
The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29–13 on Sunday, delivering a defensive masterclass on the field. But the action on the field was overshadowed by political backlash to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance.

Much of the controversy stemmed from Bad Bunny’s decision to deliver the performance almost entirely in Spanish on the biggest stage in U.S. television during the American sport’s biggest game. Those defending the move said the show was about celebrating Latino culture and his music’s global dominance (he is the world’s most-streamed artist) at a time the NFL is looking to expand its appeal around the world and to younger fans. Some conservatives called it un-American, woke and unpatriotic.

Visual notes: From sugar cane fields (symbolizing colonialism and slavery in the Caribbean) to the electric poles (representing Puerto Rico’s fragile power grid and frequent outages), Bad Bunny didn’t shy away from political messaging. Still, there were no explicit anti-ICE calls like the one he made at the Grammys. His overarching message centered on unity: “Together, we are America,” read a football he held.

But that, too, proved politically divisive: after Bad Bunny declared “God Bless America” (in English) during his performance, he called out the names of more than a dozen nations across South, Central and North America — not just the United States of America — challenging who gets included in the idea of “America.”
Fact vs fiction: There was a rumor that Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old detained with his father during an immigration raid in Minnesota, was featured during the performance; but the boy in question was actually a child actor meant to symbolize Bad Bunny as a young boy. However, what was real was the wedding during the show!

Conservative activist group, Turning Point USA, ran counter-programming, featuring Kid Rock, that they dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show.” It drew more than 6 million live views on YouTube. The show is now up to a total of 20 million views as of Monday afternoon. By comparison, Bad Bunny’s performance is projected to have gotten 130 million live viewers and is up to 30 million views on YouTube.
If you don’t speak Spanish, and couldn’t understand him, you are not alone. Some native Spanish speakers told us they also had trouble understanding Bad Bunny’s unique Puerto Rican accent/dialect.

WINTER OLYMPICS
Trump also took to Truth Social on Sunday to criticize U.S. Olympic freestyle skier Hunter Hess as “a real Loser” after Hess said that wearing the American flag doesn’t mean he represents every administration policy. U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, the daughter of immigrants, defended athletes’ right to voice their opinions in response to Trump’s post on Monday: “We need to lead with love and compassion,” she said.

Speaking Friday in Milan, Hess was addressing questions about representing the country amid the administration’s ICE enforcement and backlash: “It’s a little hard,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told Hess on X to “shut up and go play in the snow.” Some other prominent conservatives are saying they will not support US athletes who are critical of the US government and there are even calls to send athletes like Hess home.
- Fellow U.S. skier Chris Lillis said, “I love the USA and I would never want to represent a different country,” but added that he feels “heartbroken” by events surrounding ICE and protests back home. Lillis said he hopes that when people watch American athletes compete, “they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”
Amber Glenn, who won a gold medal as part of the team event this weekend, is the first openly queer woman to represent Team USA in figure skating. She said the LGBTQ+ community is facing “hard times… in this administration.”

BIGGER PICTURE
This isn’t the first time athletes have leaned into politics on a national or global stage. A few examples:

2018: NBA star Lebron James criticized President Trump’s policies and comments as “laughable and scary.” Some conservatives attacked him, and said he should “shut up and dribble.”
2016: NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice. He became a polarizing national figure and did not ever play another down in the NFL after that season.
1968: After winning gold and bronze in the 200m at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black Power Salute, raising their fists during the national anthem in a statement against the systemic oppression of Black people in the U.S.
- They were suspended from the U.S. team and expelled from the Olympic Village within 48 hours. The symbol has since become a common and defining act of the civil rights movement.
1936: Jesse Owens, a Black American, entered the Berlin Olympics as a political target in Nazi Germany. His four gold medals became a powerful rebuke of Hitler’s Aryan supremacy propaganda.

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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING

Family Pleads For Nancy Guthrie’s Return As Second Ransom Deadline Looms

The search for Nancy Guthrie has entered its second week, as the deadline on an alleged ransom note expires today at 5 p.m. local time in Arizona. The potential abductors are reportedly demanding $6 million in Bitcoin.

‘Today Show’ host, Savannah Guthrie, published her latest social media video Monday afternoon, calling this moment “an hour of desperation,” and pleading with the public to help in the search. “We believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place,” she said of her mother. “We believe our mom is still out there.”
The 84-year-old grandmother is believed to have been kidnapped from her Arizona home in the early morning hours of February 1.

THIS WEEKEND: Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron, posted a group video pleading for their mother’s return over the weekend, adding: “We will pay.”

INSIDE THE SEARCH
The plea comes as a Tucson television station, KOLD, reported receiving a second ransom note Friday (not yet authenticated) appearing to come from the same sender as the first. According to the station, the note contained sensitive details but did not include a deadline. Earlier ransom notes sent to KOLD, KGUN 9, and TMZ reportedly demanded $6 million in Bitcoin and included two deadlines — one last Thursday and another on Monday.

Law enforcement officials remained at Nancy’s home on Monday morning after visiting both her and her daughter Annie’s homes over the weekend.
No suspects have been publicly named. President Trump said Friday that the investigation was going “very well,” citing what he described as “strong clues,” though he did not elaborate.

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s return.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to testify without Trump pardon (MO NEWS)
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces bipartisan calls to resign over latest Epstein revelations (POLITICO)
Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump’s 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows (CBS)
San Francisco teachers begin first strike in nearly 50 years (KSBW) NYC nurses reach tentative agreements with some hospitals to end strike (ABC)
U.S. births dropped last year, suggesting the 2024 uptick was short-lived (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

As Epstein-linked appointment sparks backlash, UK PM Starmer faces party revolt amid resignation calls (FOX)
Japan’s conservative PM Takaichi secures historic supermajority in landslide election victory (CNN)
Hong Kong media baron and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison (CNBC)
A record 13 people died in Italian mountains over last week, including 10 in avalanches, as Winter Olympics start (CBS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Novo Nordisk sues Hims & Hers over copycat versions of Wegovy drugs (CNBC)
Starbucks rolls out broad menu reset as it pivots to growth (AXIOS)
Kroger names former Walmart executive as its new CEO (ABC)
Lawyers set to argue that Instagram and YouTube intentionally addicted and harmed teen in landmark social media trial (CNN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Kenneth Walker III becomes 1st running back to win Super Bowl MVP in 28 years (AP)
Logan Paul calls out brother Jake Paul for saying Bad Bunny is a ‘fake American citizen’ (NBC)
Skiers back Vonn’s call to race at Olympics, even after crash (ESPN)
2026 Winter Olympics committee looking into medals breaking and “taking the issue seriously” (CBS)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Politics aside, the memes coming from Bad Bunny’s performance — especially the sugar canes (they were people) — are lol funny.