Latest News Digest - February 8, 2026

National News

Winter Olympics Opens in Milan-Cortina, Italy - The 2026 Winter Olympics officially opened on February 6 in Milan-Cortina, Italy, with a dazzling ceremony that blended Renaissance artistry, Alpine traditions, and cutting-edge light displays in San Siro Stadium. Over 2,900 athletes from 93 nations paraded under their flags, with notable moments including Ukraine’s delegation receiving prolonged applause and neutral-status athletes from Russia and Belarus competing without national symbols. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach emphasized unity and peace in his address, while early competition began the following day with curling and skiing events drawing strong global viewership.  So far, the U.S. has won two gold medals:  in the women's downhill alpine skiing event, won by Breezy Johnson, and in the figure skating team event. - athlonsports.com, usatoday.com, apnews.com, nytimes.com

Stock Market Climbed to New Record - On Friday, February 6, the Dow Jones Industrial Average led a market rebound by surging about 2.5%, climbing to more than 50,000 points for the first time.  Investors cited easing inflation data, a resilient economy and optimism around artificial intelligence investments as key drivers, though analysts cautioned about potential volatility ahead of upcoming Federal Reserve comments. The surge provided a boost to retirement accounts and underscored continued strength in the technology sector despite broader economic uncertainties. - finance.yahoo.com, wsj.com

Savings on Prescription Medications Available Now Through New Platform - President Trump launched TrumpRx.gov on February 5, 2026, a new government website designed to help Americans access dramatically lower prices on prescription drugs, particularly for cash-paying patients without full insurance coverage. The platform fulfills a key administration promise to reduce drug costs through "Most Favored Nation" pricing agreements with pharmaceutical companies, ensuring U.S. prices align with the lowest in other developed nations. At launch, the site lists about 40–43 popular brand-name medications (including high-cost ones like GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Zepbound for weight loss/diabetes), providing coupon codes for use at participating pharmacies or direct links to manufacturers' discounted purchasing options—no account or registration required, and it's free to use. - whitehouse.gov

Seattle Seahawks Win Superbowl - The Seattle Seahawks secured a dominant victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, beating them 29 -13.  Seattle controlled the game with their effective defense.  Running back Kenneth Walker III won the MVP award. This was the second superbowl win for the Seattle. -  espn.com

President Donald Trump publicly criticized Bad Bunny's Super Bowl 2026 halftime performance, describing it as an affront to American greatness, amid the artist's celebration of Puerto Rico with a celebrity-filled show. - Truth Social Post of Donald J. Trump

Turning Point USA hosted an "All-American" alternative halftime show during Super Bowl 2026 that drew over 6 million viewers on the TPUSA channel and as many as 20 million viewers on all other sites, positioning it as a patriotic rival to the official NFL event and honoring the organization's late founder Charlie Kirk. - yahoo.com

Musk Offers to Fund Defenses for Epstein Truth-Tellers - Elon Musk stated on his X account that he will cover the legal defense costs for any Epstein victim who names Epstein's clients and is sued as a result.  Millions of files have been released so far by the DOJ in the Jeffrey Epstein case but those files have redacted many names, making it difficult to determine who committed the crimes against the underage women and men.  Victims have been fearful of the powerful and wealthy perpetrators, and no one has been arrested so far. - X Account of Elon Musk

California News

Supreme Court Declines to Block New Congressional Districts - The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the newly redrawn congressional map that was backed by Democrats and endorsed by the voters under Proposition 50 in November 2025.  This could potentially allow Democrats to flip five seats currently held by Republicans. - abcnews.go.com

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Asks California to Honor ICE Detainers - Since January 20, the Department of Homeland Security reported that 4,561 criminal illegal aliens have been released from jails in California due to sanctuary policies.  There are currently 33,179 aliens in the custody in California with serious crimes, including homicides, assaults, and burglaries.  Each have active ICE detainers out on them, yet California is refusing to cooperate to hand over these criminals to ICE. - DHS.gov