Axios PM

February 09, 2026
π₯± How's that Monday football hangover? Today's newsletter, edited by Alex Fitzpatrick, is 677 words, a 2Β½-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.
β‘ "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie said in an Instagram video this afternoon that she believes her mom β Nancy Guthrie, 84, of Tucson, Ariz. β is "still out there" as the family enters Week 2 "of this nightmare":
- "I just want to say, first of all, thank you so much for all of the prayers. And the love that we have felt, my sister and brother and I. And that our mom has felt. Because we believe that β somehow, some way β she is feeling these prayers, and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place."
"We believe our mom is still out there," Guthrie continued. "She was taken and we don't know where. ... We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help." Watch the video.
1 big thing: π§πΎ What babysitters make

Average babysitting rates in the U.S. rose nearly 5% last year, hitting $26.24 per hour for one child, Alex Fitzpatrick reports from new UrbanSitter data.
- πΈ Parents are paying nearly $30/hour on average for two kids, the sitter-finding platform says.
Rates tend to be higher in places with steeper costs of living.
- π San Francisco ($29.63/hour for 1 kid) and Seattle ($27.70/hour) have some of the highest rates.
2. π Epstein rocks Europe

Fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal is sweeping Europe β while in the U.S., many powerful people have skated, Axios' Avery Lotz reports.
π¬π§ U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's director of communications and chief of staff departed amid a firestorm over Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed as U.K. ambassador to the U.S. due to his Epstein links.
- Starmer is now fighting for his political life, despite never having met Epstein himself.
- British police are also assessing claims that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) emailed confidential trade visit reports to Epstein.
π³π΄ In Norway, a former prime minister is under investigation, an ambassador resigned and the crown princess has apologized for her friendship with Epstein.

ποΈ In Washington today, Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions during a closed-door, virtual deposition with the House Oversight Committee as part of its probe into Epstein, Axios' Kate Santaliz reports.
- Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told reporters afterward: "Unfortunately, she had an opportunity today to answer questions that every American has β questions that would be very important in this investigation β and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment."
Maxwell was sentenced to prison in 2022 after a federal jury found her guilty of helping Epstein traffic teenage girls.
- She has denied abusing anyone and says she was scapegoated after Epstein died in prison in 2019. Prosecutors denied that.
π What's next: Members of Congress can access millions of uncensored Epstein records starting today.
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), on X: "We will not rest until the Epstein class is brought to justice."
3. β‘οΈ Catch me up

- π¦ π Budweiser's "American Icons" Super Bowl commercial, tied to America's 250th anniversary, won USA Today's annual Ad Meter contest βΒ a record-setting 10th win for the brand. Anheuser-Busch says "Free Bird" was the first and only choice for the soundtrack. Watch the ad.
- π Tenant advocates in Minnesota are warning of mass evictions as fear of ICE keeps many immigrants home from their jobs, Axios Twin Cities' Kyle Stokes reports. Go deeper.
- π At least seven private schools in New York City, including three on Manhattan's Upper East Side, will charge over $70,000 for tuition next school year β "an amount exceeding that of many elite colleges" β due to soaring expenses, including teacher salaries, Bloomberg reports. (Gift link.)
4. πΊ 1 for the road: 63 days of sports ecstasy

The Super Bowl and Winter Olympics are just the start of an incredible few months for sports fans.
- A few highlights ahead, via Yahoo Sports' Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy:
π Feb. 15: NBA All-Star Game
π Feb. 15: Daytona 500
βΎοΈοΈ March 5β17: World Baseball Classic
ποΈ March 6β8: F1 Season Opener
π March 19β22: March Madness Opening Weekend
βΎοΈοΈ March 25β26: MLB Opening Day
π April 4 & 6: Final Four
β³οΈοΈ April 9β12: The Masters
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