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Happy Tuesday, N2K reader!

Joan Benson won last week’s world-famous news haiku competition™ with this beauty about the winter Olympics:

Congratulations, Joan! Here’s your “celebratory” Youtube video:

And here’s how the cheddariños voted on the competition:

⬜️⬜️⬜️ Olympics skier, Lindsey Vonn broke a leg it, Was downhill from there. ~Bob Epstein (82)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Gravity retreats, While graceful bodies take flight, They all are winners ~Joan Benson (163)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Friday 1PM, Loop-de-Loop-de-Loop-de-Loop, All Eyes on Quad God ~Katilyn Pino (38)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Yay! The Olympics! Obsessive watching all night, Helps me block the news.~Susan Weinstein (134)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Athletes assemble, U.S. politics invade Mongolians rock ~ Bob Andersen (35)

452 Votes via @beehiiv polls

This week’s world-famous news haiku competition™ is about all the high-profile business, tech and finance people who’ve shown up in the Epstein Files. Send me your entry — to our spiffy email address, haiku at cheddar dot com — by noon ET Thursday, for consideration by your Cheddar peers!

And now for something completely diff.

Matt Davis — Need2Know Chedditor

News You Need2Know

• Inflation fell more than expected in January

• More Epstein-file-related business departures pile …

• Ring walks back new panopticon product after Super …

• Free yourself from advertising forever!

• Estée Lauder sues Walmart over alleged counterfeit …

• We interviewed Drew Brees about his Super Bowl win …

• Poll of the day: Oucheee Oucheee Ouch!

What’s the stock market up to, eh?

$SPX ( ▲ 0.05% ) $DJI ( ▲ 0.1% ) $NDX ( ▼ 0.22% )  

Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

$DPW ( ▲ 0.62% )  $GS ( ▲ 0.07% )  $AMZN ( ▼ 0.41% )  $FLOCK ( ▼ 0.42% )  $AXON ( ▼ 1.41% )  $EL ( ▲ 1.71% )  $WMT ( ▲ 0.19% )  

Inflation fell more than expected in January

The latest Consumer Price Index report for January 2026 shows promising signs of easing inflation, with prices rising just 2.4% year-over-year — down from 2.7% in December. This marks the lowest inflation rate since April 2025, when President Donald Trump imposed aggressive tariffs on U.S. imports. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, also cooled to 2.5%, its lowest level since April 2021.

“This is great news on inflation,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. “Inflation fell to the lowest level since May, and key items such as food, gas, and rent are cooling off. This will provide much-needed relief for middle-class and moderate-income families.”

Month-over-month, overall prices increased a modest 0.2%, with key contributors like shelter costs rising just 0.2% and energy prices falling 1.5%. Egg prices, which skyrocketed in the past year, are now down 34%. However, some categories remain volatile—airline fares jumped 6.5% in January compared to last year. And there’s bad news for bolognese fans: Ground beef is up 17%.

The president’s people said this good news is a result of his efforts.

“This combined formula of tax cuts, of deregulation, of lowering inflation, unleashing American energy — all of the president’s actions combine to make a stronger economy [and put] more money in the pockets of the American people,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said on Newsmax. “Today’s report proves that. Of course, the jobs report also coming out this week proves that.”

Amazingly, the president’s opponents said this isn’t the good news they were promised.

“Donald Trump promised to lower costs ‘on day one,’” Sen. Elizabeth “I’m Warren You!” Warren (D-Mass.) said in a statement. “But one year into his second term, food continues to get more expensive, utility costs are soaring, and housing prices are rising. Trump is making life less affordable for American families — and instead of fixing the economic pain he’s caused, he says this is the Trump economy, and he is ‘very proud’ of it.”

More Epstein-file-related business departures pile up...

Never mind Billionaire Philanthropist and $MSFT ( ▼ 0.13% ) founder Bill Gates, Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, or (checks notes) current U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Two more very high-profile business executives at public companies resigned last week over their connections to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, highlighting the ongoing fallout from revelations contained in the Department of Justice files on the matter.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the longstanding CEO and chair of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World $DPW ( ▲ 0.62% ) , and Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs $GS ( ▲ 0.07% ) , both stepped down following mounting public and institutional pressure.

Sulayem, who helped transform DP World into one of the world's leading logistics companies, resigned after documents revealed inappropriate exchanges with Epstein. These included messages referencing sexual experiences and Sulayem’s alleged involvement in arranging training for Epstein’s “masseuses,” who were in fact underage girls he had trafficked.

DP World’s international partners, such as Canada’s La Caisse pension fund and the UK’s British International Investment fund, had suspended future deals until action was taken. A BII spokesperson told The Financial Times, “We welcome today’s decision by DP World.”

Meanwhile, Ruemmler, Goldman's general counsel, announced her resignation citing the "distraction" her ties to Epstein caused. Emails revealed she had accepted gifts and disparaged Epstein’s victims. Goldman CEO David “Judgment Of” Solomon expressed regret, saying, “I reluctantly accepted her resignation… She is a tremendous human being.”

Critics argue the bank could have handled the situation with more elegance to protect its otherwise spotless reputation. Is your name in the Epstein Files? Honestly, at this point I feel like everyone is in there. Have you checked? If it is, and you can prove it, I will give you a GIF.

Quote of the Day

Ring walks back new panopticon product after Super Bowl flap

Did you catch the Super Bowl commercial saying Ring was going to help neighbors find lost dogs by networking with other Rings in the neighborhood? Did you then turn to your partner and say, “Oh, great, so Amazon $AMZN ( ▼ 0.41% )  is getting in on the surveillance state.”

Because that’s what I did, and it turns out, we were all thinking the same thing. Amazon-owned Ring has since announced the cancellation of its partnership with Flock Safety $FLOCK ( ▼ 0.42% ) , a manufacturer of AI-powered surveillance cameras. Ring’s controversial Super Bowl ad showcasing its AI-powered "Search Party" feature, which enables neighborhood cameras to locate lost pets. Critics expressed concerns that such technology could be misused against people, intensifying fears about mass surveillance.

The partnership, unveiled in October, aimed to integrate Ring doorbell users into Flock’s expansive network of public safety agencies, facilitating “evidence collection and investigative work.” Flock, whose AI cameras are widely used by police and government entities, has faced criticism due to its surveillance ties with agencies like ICE. Flock asserts it does not explicitly work with ICE, but activists argue its technology exacerbates systemic racial biases when used in law enforcement.

Ring attributed the termination of the partnership to logistical challenges, stating it “would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated.”

Yeah. Right.

Though this partnership is now defunct, Ring maintains other methods of sharing user footage with law enforcement, including through Axon $AXON ( ▼ 1.41% ) , a Flock competitor. Critics continue to highlight Ring’s troubled history with security failures, including a $5.8 million FTC fine in 2023 for mismanaging customer video data. It’s almost like they don’t really care about any of this stuff.

Song of the Day: Fred Again, ‘Lights Burn Dimmer’

Two of my finance bro mates paid $400 each to see Fred Again in concert recently. They both said they would see Fred Again again, for the same ticket price. I feel like this probably means you’ll either love today’s song of the day or hate it. I love it. But that’s the thing about la musique, non? C’est subjective! #NotFinancialAdvice

Free yourself from advertising forever!

Estée Lauder sues Walmart over alleged counterfeit beauty sales

Estée Lauder $EL ( ▲ 1.71% ) has filed a lawsuit against Walmart $WMT ( ▲ 0.19% ) , accusing the retail giant of profiting from counterfeit beauty products sold by third-party sellers on its online marketplace. The luxury beauty brand alleges that Walmart facilitated the sale of fake items bearing trademarks like La Mer, Clinique, Aveda, Tom Ford, and Estée Lauder, calling its conduct “extreme, outrageous, fraudulent … despicable and harmful.”

Somewhat like this newsletter!

According to Estée Lauder’s complaint, it purchased and tested products like an Advanced Night Repair serum and Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Eye Cream, which were determined to be fakes. The lawsuit also asserts that Walmart promoted the professionalism of its marketplace sellers but did “very little to ensure only authorized and authentic products” were available. Estée Lauder alleged, “[Walmart] knows or had reason to know that the sellers they partnered with… were selling products which infringe upon the Estée Lauder Marks.”

Walmart responded, stating, “We have zero tolerance for counterfeit products,” even though that’s evidently not true. The firm pledged to address the complaint appropriately.

We interviewed Drew Brees about his Super Bowl wins stretching

StretchZone CEO Tony Zaccario and the newest member of the Football Hall of Fame, Drew Brees, a StretchZone franchise owner, joined us last week for an interview.

Brees, whose 20-year career was a testament to longevity, shared his personal journey with the brand. "That’s how I found StretchZone was late, especially later in my career, where Father Time and the aging process really begins to take hold. You’re looking for every edge possible to maximize what you’re doing in the weight room, what you’re doing on the field," he said.

For the legendary quarterback, the results were undeniable. “It really helped me maximize all those things that helped prolong my career by helping me maintain the flexibility and mobility that I needed to generate power as a thrower, as a rotational athlete.”

His belief in the business was so strong that he became an owner. “I sought out Tony, I sought Jordan, I sought StretchZone, saying how can I get more involved because I see the benefit it has for me. This should have so much benefit to others as well,” Brees told us.

In the hyper-competitive NFL, Brees emphasized that recovery was as important as training. "From Monday to Thursday, you feel like you’ve been in a car wreck… Monday through Thursday, it’s a race to recover." This is where practitioner-led stretching was a critical element to his preparation.

But the benefits extend far beyond the gridiron. Brees pointed out that StretchZone is for everyone: "Whether you’re 13 years old or 113 years old, there’s some benefit to it that will help you improve your quality of life, whatever it is you’re striving for."

Tony Zaccario also mentioned the new clinical research, the "Stretch Zone Effect," which validates these results, proving the brand's efficacy with hard data on pain reduction, better sleep, and increased energy.

I just take a Creatine in the morning and cross my fingers but then again, I’m a trained and licensed yoga teacher. So I guess I do buy the benefits of stretching for exercise.

Do you? Let us know in today’s poll!

Should you check your 401(k) today?

👍️ 

Okay but don’t get too excited.

Poll of the day: Oucheee Oucheee Ouch!

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P.S. So, you remember the cheese puns that used to open this newsletter? Suffice to say, they were divisive. Now, thanks to a thing called “dynamic content options,” I can offer you the option to see cheese puns again, if you’re one of the thousands who got in touch bemoaning their departure six months ago. All you need to do is answer “true” on this survey, and submit it. If you never want to see cheese puns in this newsletter again, don’t click that link, don’t fill out the survey, don’t submit it. Just keep reading and pretend this conversation never happened. Mmmkay? Thank you.