McDonald's is marking Valentine's Day by turning a long-running internet joke into an official product drop: Chicken McNuggets with caviar.
The big picture: The fast-food giant is leaning into ironic luxury — turning internet-native jokes into official products as brands chase cultural relevance, not just customers.
SpaceX made it official on Monday, acquiring xAI ahead of the decade's most hotly anticipated IPO.
Why it matters: Elon Musk is making one of the most audacious moves in the history of business and tech, arguably betting his empire on the idea of orbital data centers that are powered by the sun.
Oracle plans to raise up to $50 billion in cash through equity and debt sales in 2026 to build more capacity in its cloud Infrastructure business, doubling down on spending to serve the AI economy.
Why it matters: Concerns about debt tied to AI projects are billowing as tech giants rush to build the systems needed to fuel their AI ambitions.
College football national champion Fernando Mendoza made the inaugural Latinos in Sports (LiS) Power Players list.
Why it matters: The Heisman Trophy winner's visibility underscores the growing influence of Latino athletes in college sports, as Hispanic participation in NCAA athletics hits record highs.
Retail is in its AI-powered era. From using AI to plan birthday parties to trusting AI agents for product recommendations, consumers are already rewriting the buyer journey.
Balaji Balasubramanian, President & Chief Product Officer for customer experience & consumer industries at SAP,breaks down what "agentic commerce" really means, how retailers can get ahead of the shift — and why structured product data may be your most valuable asset in 2026.
Interactive Advertising Bureau CEO David Cohen announced proposed draft legislation and plans to push for action to protect publishers from AI companies using their content to train models and generate summaries without compensation.
Why it matters: The move reflects growing concern that AI companies could undermine the business model that keeps journalism and online content viable.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to meet on Friday in Istanbul together with representatives of several Arab and Muslim countries to discuss a possible nuclear deal, according to two sources with knowledge and a U.S. official.
A fourth source familiar with the planning said a meeting on Friday was "the best case scenario" but cautioned that nothing is final until it happens.
Why it matters: This would be the first meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials since the collapse of the negotiations and the 12-day war last June. It comes during a massive U.S. military buildup in the Gulf, and with President Trump insisting the only way to avoid military conflict is a swift deal.
From the National Mall to the streets of Minneapolis to TikTok screens across the country, harmonizing has become a tool of resistance.
The big picture: Protest anthems have punctuated tense moments in American history, rallying demonstrators during the early labor movement and again during the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam upheavals of the 1960s.
Data: Realtor.com; Note: Calculated using personal savings rate, median household income and median down payment amount; Chart: Axios Visuals
It takes the typical household in Dallas-Fort Worth over five years to save for a down payment on a median-priced home, according to a Realtor.com analysis.
The big picture: The typical U.S. household needed almost seven years to save for a median home down payment in 2025.
The median down payment was $30,400 in the third quarter of 2025, up from $13,900 six years earlier.
Zoom in: The median down payment in Dallas-Fort Worth for January through November was $25,193.
"The Loving Story" — the 2011 documentary about the Virginia couple who paved the way for marriage equality — was one of 25 films added to the National Film Registry this week.
Why it matters: The honor recognizes movies deemed vital to preserving America's film heritage due to their "cultural, historical or aesthetic significance."
Eight seconds on a bull has always been about instinct, not data. That's starting to change, as artificial intelligence moves into rodeo arenas and brings analytics to one of America's most tradition-bound sports.
Why it matters:Rodeo has long defined itself as the last major American sport untouched by analytics. If AI takes hold in training and broadcasts, it won't just change how riders compete but redefine the cowboy's identity.
Stars at the Grammys protested President Trump's immigration policies in speeches and by wearing pins saying "ICE OUT" at Sunday's event in Los Angeles.
The big picture: Bad Bunny received a standing ovation during his "ICE out" acceptance speech, Billie Eilish and Kehlani both said "f**k ICE" as they accepted their Grammys and Olivia Dean noted she's the granddaughter of an immigrant as she clutched her award.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) vowed to continue his campaign against the immigration detention of children after picking up 5-year-old Liam Ramos from an ICE facility and escorting him back to Minnesota Sunday.
Why it matters: After Ramos' release, Democrats are now focusing on other children that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained and the condition of detention centers.
