Plus: U.S. Makes History At Milan Cortina Winter Games

Good evening,

Team USA’s Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse won silver in mixed doubles curling Tuesday, with Thiesse becoming the first American woman to ever earn an Olympic medal in the sport. The U.S. duo fell to Sweden in a narrow 6–5 final.

What’s the sport? Creator Cleo Abram explains it (dubbed “chess on ice") on IG in 60 seconds.
At Mo News, we like some of the fun facts about curling… Like:
- “Pebbling” is the process of spraying fine water droplets onto curling ice to create a textured, orange-peel surface. This texture is essential — it reduces friction and allows the stone to glide smoothly. We also love the video & music choice the Olympics posted (see above) ⬆️
- Speaking of the stone, there’s a small island off the coast of Scotland called Ailsa Craig — an uninhabited outcrop visible from Trump Turnberry Resort — that is the primary source of granite used for Olympic curling stones. The island’s rare microgranite is uniquely durable, resisting cracks in freezing conditions even when stones collide at full force. Each stone costs about $1,000.

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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

10 Days Into Search For Nancy Guthrie, FBI Releases Video, Photos Of Suspect

The FBI released surveillance photos and video on Tuesday of a suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Authorities say the person was armed, wearing a ski mask, and appears to have tampered with — and broken — a Nest security camera at Nancy’s front door.

The 84-year-old grandmother is believed to have been kidnapped from her Arizona home in the early morning of Sunday, February 1.

The images, posted on X by FBI Director Kash Patel, show the masked individual wearing gloves and a backpack standing outside Guthrie’s Tucson, Arizona, home on “the morning of her disappearance.”

Authorities were able to recover the videos, along with images, from residual data from backend systems. It appears the images have taken several days to access since Guthrie didn’t pay the monthly fee to have Nest, which is owned by Google, archive her footage. According to NBC, the family doesn’t recognize the man in the images.

Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov

FROM THE FAMILY
Savannah on Tuesday posted on Instagram: “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”

On Monday, Savannah said the investigation is in “an hour of desperation,” and pleaded with the public to help in the search. The last deadline listed in an alleged ransom note was Monday at 5 p.m. The potential abductors are reportedly demanding $6 million in Bitcoin.
Officials said in a statement Monday night that they are “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers.”

COULD THIS HELP SOLVE THE CASE?
Surveillance images have played a key role in identifying suspects in two recent high-profile killings.

A day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, the FBI released images of a suspect. Tyler Robinson’s father recognized it to be him and he was taken into custody shortly afterward.
Five days after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, a McDonald’s manager in Altoona, Pennsylvania, reported a suspicious customer. She told police the man’s eyes and eyebrows matched images of the suspect. Officers arrested Luigi Mangione, bringing the manhunt to an end.

The person at Guthrie’s house went to great lengths to conceal their identity — potentially making it harder to find an ID.

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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING

Congress Push On Epstein Files: Lawmakers Demand DOJ Publish Names Of Powerful Figures

The Justice Department unredacted additional names in the Jeffrey Epstein files after bipartisan lawmakers pressured the agency to release the identities of at least six men they described as “likely incriminated” in the documents. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) read the names of the men on the House floor Tuesday. They include: Emirati businessman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, billionaire U.S. businessman Leslie Wexner, Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo.

After being granted access to unredacted DOJ documents for the first time Monday, Khanna and Reps Thomas Massie (R-KY) said that the names were withheld from public view without clear legal justification.
- They threatened to preemptively share the names on the House floor if the DOJ didn’t. Massie on Monday evening released the information about Dubai Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who appeared to email about a “torture video” with Epstein.
- In response, the DOJ said it unredacted 16 of the 20 names and released more information from another document.

The developments come as new reporting from the Associated Press says the FBI, after a years-long investigation, found no evidence Epstein ran a coordinated sex-trafficking ring for powerful men. Investigators found overwhelming evidence that Epstein sexually abused young women and girls — but insufficient proof of a broader trafficking network or a formal “client list.” Khanna and Massie are among several members of Congress who are now questioning whether law enforcement engaged in a sufficient investigation based on looking at the documents.

MAKING HEADLINES: The Miami Herald reports that in July 2006, just as Epstein’s criminal sex charge became public, Trump called then-Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter to tell him that “everyone has known he’s been doing this,” regarding Epstein’s sex crimes. He allegedly called Ghislaine Maxwell ‘evil.’ That’s according to a 2019 FBI interview with Reiter from the DOJ Epstein files. However, the FBI says it doesn’t have confirmation of Trump’s phone call — beyond Reiter’s testimony.

One of the men in the Epstein files faced heated questions on the Hill Tuesday. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged that he visited Epstein’s private island for lunch years after previously saying he cut off contact with the convicted sex offender prior to Epstein's 2008 guilty plea. Lutnick insisted the newly-acknowledged 2012 interaction was brief and emphasized that his family and children were present.

In an interview last year, Lutnick insisted that after a 2005 encounter at Epstein’s home, he vowed to “never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.”

PLEAD THE FIFTH
Epstein’s longtime accomplice, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, refused to answer questions before a closed-door House Oversight Committee deposition Monday. Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right, citing efforts to overturn her conviction.

QUID PRO QUO? Maxwell’s attorneys say she is willing to testify — but only if President Trump grants her clemency. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. She appeared virtually from a minimum-security federal prison in Texas, where she was transferred over the summer after speaking with the Department of Justice.
- Bipartisan lawmakers rejected supporting her request.

MORE TO COME
More depositions are expected. Former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton are set to sit for depositions later this month. Epstein’s accountant and lawyer, along with former retail mogul Les Wexner (one of the six men who was named today), were also subpoenaed by the House Committee.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

‘Stop acting like the gestapo’: ICE chief, lawmakers clash in hearing (MO NEWS)
Justice Department moves to dismiss Steve Bannon’s criminal case (NBC)
Daughter of Minnesota governor candidate fatally stabbed (THE HILL)
Trump threatens to block opening of new US-Canada bridge, demands compensation (MO NEWS)
Republican Sen Susan Collins says she’s running for re-election (FOX)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

Israeli PM Netanyahu to discuss potential Iran strikes with Trump as Washington and Tehran resume talks (CNN)
Drought leaves people hungry in Kenya as their livestock die (AP)
Five missing workers from Canadian mining company found dead in Mexico (CBS)
Cuba says international airlines can no longer refuel there as Trump turns up the pressure (CNBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Paramount sweetens Warner Bros. Discovery bid, but stops short of raising its per-share value (CNBC)
Retail sales unchanged in December from November, closing out year on a lackluster tone (AP)
Spotify adds record 38 million monthly active users in fourth quarter (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
YouTube rolls out an AI playlist generator for Premium users (TECHCRUNCH)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Olympic skier Hunter Hess responds to Trump slamming him for having ‘mixed feelings’ about representing the U.S. (VARIETY)
US figure skater Amber Glenn resolves copyright issue with a Canadian music artist at the Olympics (AP)
Kid Rock explains “lip sync” Super Bowl performance, admits “it did not line up” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Philippe Gaulier, clown guru and mentor to theatre and comedy greats, dies aged 82 (GUARDIAN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… The U.S. does not pay its Olympic athletes a salary or pension — medal bonuses come from private fundraising, not the federal government.

That’s changing this year after billionaire financier Ross Stevens is personally giving $200,000 to every U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athlete, regardless of whether they medal. In total, it will cost Stevens about $100 million.

The move stands in stark contrast to how other countries reward Olympians — from lifetime pensions in Russia and China, to apartments and horses in Kazakhstan, to $768,000 for a gold medal in Hong Kong.