Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🏛️ Council of elders
• 🌉 Disputed US-Canada bridge
• 🤧 ACHOO syndrome

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.37-minute read (896 words).

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"Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

–Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)

Age-limit proposals are making the rounds again in Washington, where working well past the traditional retirement age has become the norm for many of America’s top elected officials in the federal government.

Catch up quick: If America’s government attended a dinner, it’d probably be served around 4:30 pm. US lawmakers have been getting steadily grayer for decades, and the trend shows no signs of reversal.

• In the 100th Congress, which ran from 1987 to 1989, the average House member was 51 years old, and the average US senator was 55.
• In today’s 119th Congress, averages stand at 58 years in the House and 65 in the Senate, marking the third-oldest Congress on record (dating back to 1789).
• For context: members of Congress are re-elected ~90% of the time they run, incentivizing incumbents to stay in office.

Some of the oldest lawmakers include Sen. Chuck Grassley (92 years), the chamber’s president pro tempore, along with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (85), Sen. Bernie Sanders (84), and Sen. Mitch McConnell (83).

America’s leaders have also been unusually old this past decade. Both former President Biden and President Trump (in his second term) set new all-time records for age at their presidential inaugurations, at 78+ years.

Some lawmakers want a change

Politicians across the political aisle have voiced support for restricting US lawmakers’ ability to serve past a certain age limit.

• Rahm Emanuel, a longtime Democratic politician exploring a possible 2028 presidential bid, has proposed a mandatory retirement age of 75 for top lawmakers and judges, arguing that age limits could help “force a reset” in Washington and make reforms easier to implement.
• Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley previously backed term limits and mental competency tests for politicians over 75, saying voters shouldn’t have to guess about whether a candidate is fit for office.

On the flip side: Some lawmakers argue that governing is inherently complex, and that lawmakers require institutional knowledge and experience built over decades to become truly effective at their jobs.

Others warn that a hard age cutoff could force out capable leaders while failing to address what they see as the real problem: ensuring accountability and transparency for all officials, regardless of age.

Bottom line: The Constitution specifies a minimum age requirement of 25 for the House, 30 for the Senate, and 35 for presidents, but doesn’t address a maximum age limit.

📊 Flash poll: Would you be in favor of enacting a maximum age limit for elected US officials?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🛍️ US retail sales were flat in December following a 0.6% increase the previous month, per new Commerce Dept. data adjusted for seasonality but not inflation.
• 🛻 Ford Motor reports lower-than-expected quarterly earnings for first time since 2024; automaker says the earnings miss largely due to unexpected tariff costs of ~$900 million.
• 🎥 Paramount says it sweetened the hostile takeover offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, but stopped short of upping its per-share offer of $30.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚨 FBI releases first surveillance images and video showing masked suspect of interest in the Nancy Guthrie investigation; it marks the first lead since the 84-year-old mother of TODAY host Savannah Guthrie went missing 11 days ago.
• 🏈 Bad Bunny sets new all-time Super Bowl halftime record with an estimated 135-142 million viewers, surpassing Kendrick Lamar.
• 🎶 Britney Spears sells ownership share in her music catalog to publisher Primary Wave.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🏭 Trump admin reportedly plans to repeal the US government’s 2009 “endangerment finding,” removing the legal basis for federal greenhouse gas regulation. (Stay tuned for full coverage on Friday)
• 🌎 Earth’s core contains an estimated 9 to 45 times more hydrogen than all the water contained in the planet’s oceans, according to newly published research.
• 👶 CDC reports just over 3.6 million US births in 2025, with the total coming in ~24,000 births lower than 2024 after a slight bump the prior year.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🇺🇸🇨🇦 President Trump threatens to block the opening of a bridge between Michigan and Ontario, citing perceived transgressions by Canada’s gov’t; Trump’s social media post also says he’ll seek 50+% US ownership in the $4.7 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is expected to open this year.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Federal judge blocks California from enforcing a new state law that would ban all law enforcement officers—including federal immigration agents—from wearing face coverings.
• 🏛️ House Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) say the DOJ redacted the names of at least six men "likely incriminated" by the Jeffrey Epstein files. | Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admits to visiting Epstein’s island with his family in 2012; Lutnick previously claimed he cut off contact with Epstein several years prior to Epstein’s first sex offender conviction in 2008.

👆You’re looking at some of the winners from the annual Travel Photographer of the Year awards, which drew 20,000+ submissions from 160 countries. The top honor went to Greek photographer Athanasios Maloukos, whose two winning shots include a haunting capture of Holy Week processions in Zamora, Spain (top right).

🤔 Did you know? If bright sunlight makes you sneeze uncontrollably, you might have ACHOO syndrome (yes, that’s the real name). It’s a genetic quirk that happens when your brain’s vision and facial-nerve signals get crossed, and affects 18%-35% of people.

📰 Worth a read: If microbes entered the Olympics, these one-celled superstars would win gold

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• Avoiding conflict is killing your relationships
• How many athletes from your state are competing in the Winter Games?
• Why some dinosaur species had such short, stubby arms

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1. 🛒 $100: Average e-commerce order volume worldwide
2. 👃 6: Senses humans can detect
3. 👂 25%: Percentage of people who can wiggle their ears

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Their method of intimidation? A high-pitched warning cry that witnesses described as sounding like “an old man laughing.”

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2. 👃 Over; 20+ senses
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