Hi there! Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Here's what's breaking this morning:
ICE will patrol elections, an ex-Trump aide says.
Hundreds gathered in Ohio to show support for Haitian immigrants.
Pizza Hut is shuttering 250 locations.
Nicole Fallerthere, feeling grateful my job isn't toski jump. We have Thursday's news, from Savannah Guthrie's latest plea involving her mother's disappearance to Bill Gates reply to allegations involving the Epstein list. Plus: Meet Snoop Dog, Olympic coach.
Guthrie family pleads for mom Nancy to 'come home'
"Today" show host Savannah Guthriedelivered an emotional pleaWednesday as the search for her 84-year-old mom continues.
TMZ and CBS affiliate KOLD News have confirmed that their newsrooms receivedNancy Guthrie ransom notes, which are currently unverified as the FBI works with local Arizona law enforcement on the search.
In a video posted to Instagram the evening of Feb. 4, Savannah Guthrie andher siblingsaddressed those reports.
Sitting between her sister Annie Guthrie and brother Camron Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie said, "We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media." As she continued, she appeared to speak directly to a possible kidnapper, telling them, "We need to know without a doubt that she's alive and that you have her." The trio also shared messages of love for their mother.
Read Savannah Guthrie's full statementhere.
Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's Arizona communitygathered for a vigil Wednesday eveningwhile the worldcan't look awayfrom an incident that is deeply, horrifically sad and frightening.
More news to know now
Bill Gates says he "regrets every minute" spent with Jeffrey Epstein. Gates denied allegations of his involvement with Epstein, including that he used Epstein to facilitate trysts with women and that he hid a sexually transmitted disease from his then-wife, Melinda French Gates.
Keep that winter jacket handy. A major change to the polar vortex is expected this month, so the frigid temperatures that have been plaguing the country's eastern half won't go away anytime soon.
Are space data centers a thing? Potentially. Elon Musk is merging his SpaceX rocket company with his artificial intelligence startup known as xAI in a move meant to push forward the mogul's agenda of building data centers in space.
Olympics 2026
'Coach' Snoop Dogg
No one loves the Olympics like Snoop Dogg. The rapperjoined American athletes in Milan this weekas Team USA's first-ever honorary coach and a torchbearer for Milan Cortina. We're one day from the 2026 Winter Olympicopening ceremony, but the Gamesare already in actionThursday.
Health & Wellness
One in three cancers is preventable
Good news for those who want to lower their risk of cancer. Anew study published this weekin Nature Medicine found an estimated 7.1 million of 18.7 million new cancer cases in 2022 — about 37.8% — were attributable to 30 modifiable risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption and high body mass index.
Sports corner
We talked to Tom Brady about co-parenting.
A Tennessee softball player made NIL history.
This US women's hockey player was cut before the last Olympics. Now, she's indispensable.
Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Daily Briefing: Savannah Guthrie's plea
