Axios AM

February 06, 2026
Happy Friday! Smart Brevityโข count: 1,245 words ... 4ยฝ mins. Thanks to Alex Fitzpatrick for orchestrating. Edited by Mark Robinson and Bill Kole.
๐จ Progressive punch: A U.S. House Democratic primary in northern New Jersey is too close to call. Progressive insurgent Analilia Mejรญa, a former political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders, has a 486-vote lead over former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, who had been favored early in the race to replace Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
- NBC's Steve Kornacki says Mejรญa's strength "feels momentous," since the state party's "increasingly activist/professional class base has been in revolt." Get the latest.
1 big thing: GOP suddenly sweats Senate

Top Republicans are increasingly worried about private polls that paint a dire picture of the midterms, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports.
- ๐๏ธ It's not just the House they're afraid of losing โ that's expected, based on history. Now, it's also the Senate, which looked safe.
- A Democratic takeover of the Senate would be a political earthquake โ and neuter President Trump's last two years in office.
For the first time, GOP strategists are telling Axios that losing the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority, is a real possibility, and that they'll have to fight harder than expected to keep it.
- ๐ Internal polling shows the GOP facing competitive Senate races not just in traditional battlegrounds (Michigan, Maine, North Carolina), but also in conservative states (Alaska, Iowa, Ohio).
๐ต Top GOP strategists acknowledge that immigration and the economy โ the two issues that drove Trump's win in 2024 โ are now liabilities.
- One Republican operative tells Axios: "A year ago, I would have told you we were almost guaranteed to win the Senate. ... Today, I would have to tell you it's far less certain."
Three key issues are setting off Republicans' alarm bells:
๐บ๏ธ 1. The map problem.
- Republicans privately concede that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has done a good job of recruiting Senate candidates in conservative states once seen as out of Democrats' reach.
๐ข 2. The Texas problem.
- If incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn loses the upcoming GOP primary to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, polls suggest it could open the door to a Democrat winning Cornyn's seat in November.
๐ 3. The Georgia problem.
- The GOP's failure to recruit popular Gov. Brian Kemp for a Senate run has been a major setback in the party's efforts to pick off the most vulnerable Senate Democrat up for reelection: Georgia's Jon Ossoff.
๐ฎ Reality check: It's far too early to make predictions about 2026 Senate races.
- Primary season has barely begun, and Democrats could nominate weak contenders in states such as Iowa, Maine and Michigan.
- ๐ฐ The GOP will also benefit from the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. super PAC, which has a staggering $304 million in cash.
2. ๐ Bitcoin nosedives as investors lose faith


Bitcoin plummeted to $60,000 yesterday as a weeklong selloff accelerated, Axios' Pete Gannon and Madison Mills report.
- The plunge is testing both Wall Street's newfound crypto confidence and the resolve of new retail investors who bought near the top.
- Many new investors are already underwater.
๐ฅ The OG cryptocurrency is being hit from multiple angles.
- Investor sentiment is turning, after institutions and retail traders poured billions of dollars into the market.

๐จ Zoom out ... Big shift in Wall Street mood: The "headlong rush into the most popular trades, from tech stocks to gold to cryptocurrencies, has given way to a sudden retreat from risk," Bloomberg reports (gift link).
- "Investors are pulling back, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 declining, and assets like silver, Bitcoin, and tech stocks experiencing significant drops, while U.S. Treasuries rallied as a haven of last resort."
3. ๐ TrumpRx discount drug site launches

The White House last night launched its TrumpRx discount drug website, offering a new cash option for buying prescription drugs instead of using insurance, Axios' Maya Goldman reports.
- ๐ฉโโ๏ธ The site is a key part of President Trump's efforts to lower health costs.
- But most Americans likely already have access to even cheaper medicines through their health plans.
๐ต The site features discounts that the Trump administration negotiated with several big drug companies, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, EMD Serono, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
- People can't buy drugs directly from the site.
- Instead, it's a landing page with links to pharmaceutical companies' direct-to-consumer platforms or to pharmacy coupons.
๐๏ธ Trump, at a White House unveiling: "People are going to save a lot of money and be healthy."
4. ๐บ Super Bowl ads: Smart glasses & betting

This year's Super Bowl ads will spotlight a slew of companies shaping American culture, Axios' Kerry Flynn and Sara Fischer report.
- ๐ฐ Brands see big value in the big game, with some paying a record $10 million-plus for 30 seconds of airtime.
๐ค Anthropic is running a 60-second pregame spot and a 30-second in-game spot that pledge Claude will be ad-free โ unlike OpenAI's ChatGPT.
- OpenAI is expected back after running its first TV commercial during last year's game.
- ๐ Meta will advertise its Oakley smart glasses in two 30-second spots.
Health startup Hims & Hers returns to the Super Bowl this year.
- ๐ฐ Fanatics Sportsbook is running its first-ever big game commercial, featuring Kendall Jenner. "Saturday Night Live" stars Colin Jost and Michael Che are in DraftKings' spot. FanDuel's ad runs prior to kickoff.
5. ๐ Mapped: Car insurance relief

Car insurance prices dipped last year after a post-pandemic stretch of skyrocketing costs, Alex Fitzpatrick writes from a new Insurify report.
- ๐ The average annual full-coverage premium fell 6% nationally from 2024 to 2025, to $2,144.
๐ That relief comes after costs rose nearly 50% from 2022 to 2024, "partially due to risky driving behavior following the pandemic," the insurance-comparison platform says.
6. ๐ Sure AI winners: Energy suppliers

A San Jose energy company's stock has quietly shot up nearly 500% over the past year, thanks to deals with power-hungry AI giants, Axios' Amy Harder reports.
- Bloom Energy makes shipping-container-sized fuel cell units that generate power with natural gas.
Why it matters: The Silicon Valley company shows how suppliers, not just the giant AI companies, are benefiting from the boom.
๐ The company's promise: Deliver on-site power faster than traditional options โ a critical edge as data centers scramble for juice.
- It has signed major deals with Oracle, utility AEP and Brookfield (a leading data center asset financier and owner).
๐ Co-founder and CEO KR Sridhar: "We went from zero hyperscalers directly talking to us to pretty much every hyperscaler talking to us."
7. ๐ Axios in Italy: Milan arena opens

โธ๏ธ The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics open today in Italy and run 17 days, through Feb. 22. The three-hour opening ceremony begins at 2 p.m. ET, with a primetime encore at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
MILAN, Italy โ The first Olympic match at Milan's brand new Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena went off without a hitch yesterday, with the Italian women's team beating France 4-1, Axios' Ina Fried reports.
- ๐๏ธ Construction delays brushed up against this week's deadline. But most in the crowd couldn't tell just how close a shave it was: The arena isn't fully finished, but the play on the ice was stellar.
๐บ๐ธ In a separate women's match played at the smaller Rho Arena, Team USA handily defeated the Czech Republic, 5-1.
- ๐ What we're watching: Canada-Finland was postponed amid a norovirus flare-up among the Finns, fueling worries of a broader outbreak.
8. ๐ค 1 for the road: Soaring ticket prices

Sports ticket prices skyrocketed over the last decade across the country's hottest leagues, Axios' Travis Meier reports from new Gametime data.
- ๐ Average NFL ticket prices on the ticketing platform nearly tripled from 2015 to 2025, after adjusting for inflation.
College football prices are up 119%, MLB is up 111%, and the NBA is up 70%.
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