Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,064 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Education Department gets Trumped

• Waffle House is adding an egg surcharge

• How music can alleviate pain

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Big Story

America Bets Big on the Super Bowl

The upcoming Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs is projected to generate $1.39 billion in legal bets across America, an 11.2% increase from last year.

• The prediction comes from the American Gaming Association, which also found that three-quarters of Americans support legal betting in their states. When these same teams met in the 2023 Super Bowl, Pennsylvania residents alone bet $84.3 million on the game.

• Sports betting is now legal in Louisiana, where this year's Super Bowl will take place. While Missouri, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, has legalized sports betting, it isn't yet operational there. According to the American Gaming Association's 2024 survey, 90% of Americans now view sports betting as an acceptable form of entertainment.

• Meanwhile, Super Bowl LIX tickets cost less than last year, with SeatGeek reporting an average resale price of $9,257 — an 18% drop from $11,262 in 2024. Even though prices are lower, the “get in” price for the cheapest available seat was still at $4,122 on Tuesday afternoon.

Big Story

Goodbye Department of Education

The White House is preparing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, though President Trump cannot actually shut down the department without Congress's approval.

• The Department of Education, established in 1979, currently serves over 50 million students in public and private schools and helps more than 12 million college students with financial aid.

• The idea has strong Republican backing and is part of their party platform. However, even with Republican control of Congress, such a move would face major challenges in the Senate, where they would need Democratic support to overcome a filibuster - support that's unlikely to materialize.

• The National Education Association strongly opposes the plan, warning it would harm vulnerable students, increase class sizes, and make higher education more expensive.

• Meanwhile, Trump has already signed an order to expand school choice programs and outlined other education priorities, including cutting funding for programs teaching critical race theory and creating a new teacher certification system focused on "patriotic values."

Big Story

Sweden Shooting

A tragic mass shooting occurred at Campus Risbergska, an adult education center in Orebro, Sweden, about 125 miles west of Stockholm.

• Around 10 people were killed, including the gunman, though the final death toll could increase. The shooting began around 12:30 PM after many students had left following a national exam. A teacher reported hearing about 10 gunshots, and students had to shelter in place or evacuate.

• Police believe the shooter acted alone and wasn't previously known to law enforcement. They raided the suspect's home but haven't released information about what they found. While authorities don't suspect terrorism, they haven't identified a motive for the attack.

• Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called this the worst mass shooting in Swedish history, describing it as "brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people." The incident stands out because gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden.

Quick Stories

US News

• Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won crucial Senate committee votes for the lead positions in intelligence and Health and Human Services. Both nominees are likely to be confirmed during a full Senate vote later this week. (More)

• Airport workers from Maryland were arrested for illegally copying and leaking surveillance footage of the collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane at Reagan National Airport last week. (More)

• Four dads tackled and disarmed an 83-year-old shooter who had wounded one person at a Texas high school band competition. They held the gunman until police arrived and arrested him. (More)

World

• Taliban deputy foreign minister Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai reportedly fled Afghanistan after publicly opposing the ban on girls' education. The Taliban allegedly ordered his arrest after he made his comments. (More)

• President Bukele of El Salvador has offered to accept and jail deportees from the US, including “dangerous American criminals,” according to Marco Rubio. Human rights groups note that deporting US citizens would be illegal. (More)

• China announced tariffs on US goods and warned companies like Google about potential sanctions in response to President Trump's trade restrictions on Chinese imports. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed higher on Tuesday (S&P +0.72%, Nasdaq +1.35%, Dow +0.30%). Palantir’s 24% gain pushed the Nasdaq and S&P higher. (More)

• Waffle House restaurants have added a 50-cent surcharge per egg due to nationwide shortages caused by a bird flu outbreak. It is believed to be the first major restaurant chain to do so. (More)

• GM's self-driving car company Cruise is cutting half its workforce after GM stopped funding the project. Despite investing $10 billion since 2016, GM is ending support for Cruise. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• The FireAid benefit concert for Los Angeles wildfire victims raised over $100 million through ticket sales, merchandise, and donations. The six-hour event featured multiple artists and reached 50 million streaming viewers. (More)

• 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers last night after missing 15 games with knee and foot injuries. He posted a triple-double and scored the go-ahead basket to give the Sixers a 117-116 win. (More)

• Tiger Woods announced the death of his mother Kultida, age 80, who he called his "biggest fan." Just days before her passing, she watched him compete in Florida. Woods credited her support for his successful career. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Despite 2019 guidelines advising against daily aspirin for healthy adults over 70 due to bleeding risks, nearly half of Americans still believe its benefits outweigh the risks. Many without heart disease history continue taking aspirin unnecessarily. (More)

• Scientists discovered high-speed rock impacts formed two moon canyons in under 10 minutes. The canyons, Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck, stretch over 160 miles long and are about 2 miles deep. (More)

• Research from Ontario shows new schizophrenia cases linked to cannabis use have tripled since 2006. The study of 13.5 million medical records suggests increasing marijuana availability may raise risks of developing serious mental illness. (More)

Extra Credit

👅 The hardest tongue twister in English.

🌹 This year’s 100 most romantic restaurants. 

🙅 The science behind feeling “the ick.”

🎵 How music can alleviate pain.