Good Morning! Today’s edition is 922 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Measles cases continue to grow

• USA wins first Cortina gold

• Pooch pirates

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Big Stories

Takaichi Wins Supermajority

• Japan's conservative prime minister Sanae Takaichi won a supermajority in a snap election on Sunday, surpassing the 310 seats needed in the 465-seat lower house. The supermajority allows her Liberal Democratic Party to override the upper house, giving her power to advance her agenda without obstruction.

• Takaichi seeks to increase Japan's defense capabilities and boost its influence amid growing security threats. In November, she told lawmakers that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response, going further than any sitting Japanese leader previously. China retaliated by banning Japanese seafood imports, restricting rare earth mineral exports, and warning Chinese nationals against traveling to Japan.

• Takaichi has gained massive support among young voters, with polls showing more than 80% approval. A motorbike enthusiast and heavy metal drummer, she has 2.6 million social media followers, and items like her pink pen and $900 handbag have gone viral and sold out.

Seahawks Win the Super Bowl

• The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 Sunday night to claim their second Super Bowl title in franchise history. The Seahawks' defense dominated quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots offense, holding New England to just 78 scoreless yards and five first downs through three quarters while recording five sacks.

• Seattle led 12-0 on four field goals by Jason Myers before linebacker Derick Hall sacked Maye and forced a fumble at the Patriots' 44-yard line in the third quarter. Five plays later, quarterback Sam Darnold found tight end A.J. Barner for a touchdown and a 19-0 lead. Maye threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown by Uchenna Nwosu, sealing the victory.

• The Patriots were seeking a record seventh Super Bowl title under Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel, who engineered a 10-win turnaround this season.

Measles on the Rise

• Federal health officials reported 145 new measles cases over the past week, bringing the nation's total to 733 so far this year across 20 states. The 2026 total is already more than four times the pre-2025 annual average of 180 cases. South Carolina has been hit hardest, with 44 new cases this week.

• The United States declared measles eradicated in 2000, but that designation will likely end due to recent outbreaks. Unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status account for 689 cases, or 94% of the total. Children and teens make up 85% of cases: 203 under age 5 and 417 ages 5-19.

• So far, 23 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported this year. Last year, 2,276 cases were reported across 45 states. At current rates, 2026 is on pace to surpass last year's total.

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Quick Stories

US News

• Nancy Pelosi will endorse Jack Schlossberg, JFK's grandson, in New York's Democratic congressional primary to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler. (More)

• California has seen four deaths and three liver transplants from death cap mushroom poisonings since November, prompting officials to warn people against all mushroom foraging this year. (More)

• Nearly 80 million people across the East Coast faced extreme cold warnings this past weekend, with wind chills reaching minus 20s in some areas and frostbite possible within 30 minutes. (More)

World

• Jimmy Lai, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon, was sentenced to 20 years under Beijing’s national security law. (More)

• Dubai extradited a Russian suspect to Moscow in connection with the shooting of GRU deputy director Vladimir Alekseyev in his apartment. (More)

• French police arrested six people after a magistrate and her mother escaped kidnappers who held them for 30 hours, demanding cryptocurrency ransom and threatening mutilation. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed higher on Friday (S&P +1.97%, Nasdaq +2.18%, Dow +2.47%). The Dow Jones closed at 50,116—the first time the stock market index has ever crossed 50,000. (More)

• Washington Post CEO Will Lewis resigned Saturday, three days after the paper laid off one-third of its newsroom. (More)

• Hims & Hers will stop selling its cheaper semaglutide weight-loss pill after Novo Nordisk threatened legal action and the FDA announced plans to restrict the copycat drug. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Team USA edged Japan 69-68 for Olympic figure skating gold after Ilia Malinin redeemed Saturday's mistakes with five quad jumps in the men's finale. (More)

• 3 Doors Down's founding member and lead singer, Brad Arnold, died Saturday at 47 after battling stage 4 kidney cancer diagnosed in May 2025. (More)

• Breezy Johnson, the reigning world champion, won Olympic downhill gold Sunday—Team USA's first medal at Milan Cortina. (More) | Lindsey Vonn crashed and fractured her leg 13 seconds into her Olympic downhill comeback run Sunday. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Kanzi, a bonobo who understood English, could track invisible juice in pretend games like a child's tea party—the first proof apes can imagine hypothetical scenarios. (More)

• The US has 733 measles cases in just weeks—quadruple a typical year—as kindergarten MMR vaccination rates fell from 95% in 2019 to below 93%, risking herd immunity. (More)

• A button-sized Bermuda snail, rediscovered in 2014 in a single Hamilton alleyway, is now safe from extinction after conservationists bred and released over 100,000 back home. (More)

Extra Credit

Airlines with the most leg room in economy class.

“Pooch pirates” steal packages from a front porch.

Which should you choose: Cash bonus or more vacation time?

Why has it been over 40 years since we’ve made a new antibiotic?