Axios

Tens of thousands of U.S. workers have already requested time off for the Monday after the Super Bowl — and history suggests many more will call out same day.

Why it matters: Even in a tight job market, this predictable spike in absences known as "Super Bowl Flu" isn't going anywhere.

Construction on the largest infrastructure project in the country, a rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, is set to stop at 5 pm Friday because the Trump administration cut off funding.

Why it matters: Thousands of jobs are on the line, as is the long-term economic health of the New York metro area and the Northeast Corridor — critically important to the nation's overall economic growth.

The news from mega-tech companies this week — specifically their ambitious capital spending plans for 2026 — amounts to a macroeconomic story.

The big picture: The AI investment surge that powered economic growth in 2025 looks likely to do even more so in 2026, based on guidance from four companies.

The price of misjudging the switch to electric vehicles swelled again Friday as Jeep-maker Stellantis announced 22.2 billion euros ($26.2 billion) in charges, the largest yet by any global automaker.

Why it matters: The auto industry is saddled with billions of dollars in stranded investments inspired by clean vehicle policies that got ahead of consumer demand.

Data centers are slated to account for a whopping 50%-ish of U.S. power demand growth the remainder of this decade, a new International Energy Agency analysis shows.

Why it matters: The AI-driven rise of huge data centers is a big reason IEA sees overall U.S. demand rising an average of 2% annually from 2026-2030 — twice the pace of the 2016-2025 stretch.

Super Bowl LX is Sunday, with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks meeting in a rematch more than a decade in the making.

The big picture: Watching the big game is on the rise, with 69% of U.S. consumers planning to watch, up from 65% last year, according to a Numerator survey of 6,971 people.

House Democrats reacted with swift fury Thursday evening over reports that President Trump floated renaming Dulles Airport and Penn Station after himself in exchange for unfreezing $16 billion in funds for the Gateway Development Project.

Why it matters: Trump administration officials proposed the deal to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Axios has confirmed. Schumer's fellow Democrats have angrily echoed the Senate leader's refusal.

President Trump last month offered to drop his hold on billions of dollars for a major infrastructure project in New York, but only if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles International Airport after Trump.

• Schumer (D-N.Y.) rejected the offer, a source familiar with the talks told Axios, prolonging the standoff over funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project connecting New York to New Jersey.

Why it matters: Trump, whose allies renamed the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Institute of Peace after him, is continuing his efforts to reshape American institutions in his image.

President Trump escalated his feud with Rep. Thomas Massie on Thursday, using his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast to call the Kentucky Republican a "moron."

Why it matters: Trump's political operation has launched an aggressive effort to unseat Massie, its first such effort to defeat a sitting Republican incumbent.

If your tax return hits a snag this year, getting help from the IRS could take longer — and more complex refunds could be slow to arrive too.

Why it matters: A Treasury watchdog report warns the Internal Revenue Service entered the 2026 filing season short-staffed and overwhelmed, increasing the risk of delays and service problems for millions of taxpayers.

Bitcoin plummeted below $64,000 on Thursday, down over 13% on the day as a weeklong selloff accelerated.

Why it matters: The plunge is testing both Wall Street's newfound confidence in crypto and the resolve of new retail investors who bought in near the top.

Workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory won 20% raises and lower health care costs in their first UAW contract after nearly two years of bargaining.

Why it matters: The agreement is being billed as a historic breakthrough in the UAW's decades-long effort to unionize foreign-owned auto plants in the South.

Coca-Cola is discontinuing Minute Maid's frozen juice concentrates in the U.S. and Canada, ending an 80-year run that turned a freezer-aisle cylinder into an American breakfast ritual.

Why it matters: It's not just the end of a mid-century grocery icon — the move could hit lower-income households hardest, as frozen concentrate has long been one of the most affordable ways to buy juice.

As tech stocks are getting hammered, Wall Street is bidding up real-world, real-goods companies, so-called consumer staples that are likely to stick around even as AI disrupts other industries.

Why it matters: When investors don't understand tech bubbles, they buy soap bubbles instead.

The Trump administration on Thursday announced a new rule to make it easier to fire senior-level civil servants.

Why it matters: An estimated 50,000 workers would fall into the new category, effectively placing them on an at-will footing similar to private-sector employees, who can be dismissed for nearly any reason.

The labor market that appeared to be entering a more stable phase is now showing hard-to-ignore cracks, with job openings collapsing and early signs of a pickup in layoffs.

Why it matters: It raises the risk that policymakers misjudge whether the labor market is stabilizing or sliding deeper into a slump at a pivotal moment.

Most institutional investors say AI is a key part of their investment research process, according to a new report from Brunswick Group.

Why it matters: It's not just young retail investors that are relying on AI to inform investing strategies.

President Trump's multi-front push to shore up critical minerals could pay long-term dividends for low-carbon U.S. industries — though it's hardly the intent.

Why it matters: Cleantech industries — like batteries, renewables manufacturing, advanced grid systems and others — need secure access to raw and processed materials.

The software selloff is giving investors an opportunity they haven't had in a year: tech stocks on sale.

Why it matters: Investors just have to delineate between the stocks that can survive and the ones that will become the BlackBerrys of AI disruption.

Here's what's new on Prime Video, Peacock, Netflix, Tubi and Hulu.

What we're watching: A fresh rom-com ahead of Valentine's Day, a series based on an early Tom Hanks film and a new season of "The Lincoln Lawyer."

Dramatic cuts to the Washington Post are being met with outrage as employees and the broader journalism community try to understand how such a storied institution could unravel so quickly.

Why it matters: Continued success at rival papers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, suggests the Post's challenges are self-inflicted.

A trio of AI titans is barreling toward watershed IPOs this year, posing the ultimate test of whether their lofty ambitions, breakneck spending and founder feuds can survive life under public scrutiny.

Why it matters: Between OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk's xAI, trillions of dollars in potential value — and enormous influence over the world's most powerful technology — are coming up for judgment in 2026.

President Trump discussed AI, immigration, the Fed, and more as he sat down with NBC News' Tom Llamas on Wednesday.

The big picture: NBC released an extended version of his "NBC Nightly News" interview on Wednesday night, ahead of more excerpts airing during the network's Super Bowl LX pre-game show Sunday.