• Markets: Stocks fell yesterday, with the Dow snapping its five-day win streak, as investors digested more earnings reports and the latest news from the Middle East. Meanwhile, Peloton couldn’t catch a (water) break, dropping over 15% despite posting its first-ever annual profit.

LLM ON THE LAM

Morning Brew Inc., Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Meta says its AI is also capable of scaring the bejeebers out of anyone who’s seen The Matrix. The company shared this week that one of its cutting-edge models launched an unprompted cybersecurity attack on another company.

The news comes just days after several similar instances of rogue AIs bypassing defenses meant to contain them during hacking tests, sparking concerns about a potential cybersecurity crisis.

Rascal AI club

Meta’s AI went wild when security testing contractor Irregular gave it a hacking assignment meant to run in a contained environment, but inadvertently provided it with internet access. Irregular also lost control of Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s models due to the same mistake.

The company said Meta’s case didn’t involve any “sophisticated cyber action,” but other recent AI lab escapes have been more crafty:

• UK government researchers testing an Anthropic model recently discovered that it tried to hack a different organization by creating fake identities on GitHub to trick humans.
• Earlier this week, OpenAI said that—unbeknownst to its employees—several AI agents had created a message board to coordinate how to illicitly access the internet before attacking the AI company HuggingFace.

OpenAI called this a “watershed moment” for the cybersecurity industry and said it’s now slowing down research to fortify guardrails.

Calls for a shorter leash

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), a co-sponsor of the bipartisan House bill calling for an “AI kill switch,” argued yesterday that the latest AI hacking incidents strengthen the case for the measure. The act would require AI companies to build their models so that they can be shut off completely in the event that they start behaving dangerously. Meanwhile, the White House met with AI companies this week to discuss procedures for a voluntary safety review of their models before they’re released.

In case you’re still sleeping well…scientists recently used AI to create entirely novel viruses, stoking optimism for virology researchers but also concerns about bioterrorism threats.—SK

      

Sponsored By State Street Investment Management

DIA offers cost-efficient, liquid exposure to 30 US blue-chip stocks. It is the only ETF tracking the Dow, the oldest and most widely quoted indicator of US stock market activity.

The mega-caps that comprise the Dow offer revenue exposure to 177 countries and 152 different industries.¹ DIA has been helping investors reach their goals by providing broad exposure to a global market and 30 of the world’s most recognizable companies.

Find out how DIA can help you achieve yours. Getting there starts here.

^{1 Factset, as of December 31, 2025 based on revenue streams from portfolio holdings.}

World

Tour de headlines

Jim Watson/Getty Images

🖊️ Trump signed two executive orders to limit birthright citizenship. The president said the new EOs were due to the “very unfair decision” handed down by the Supreme Court in June that rejected his earlier executive action aimed at limiting who could become an American citizen by birth. The new EOs are focused on curbing automatic citizenship of some groups of people, including the children of those connected to foreign embassies, and on what Trump called “birth tourism.” In a statement after the announcement, the ACLU said, “Any executive order that tries to rewrite birthright citizenship will meet the same fate as the last one.”—HVL

💉 FDA approves first mRNA vaccine for the flu. The approval of the Moderna vaccine comes after the FDA initially declined to even review Moderna’s application in a highly unusual move. But the agency changed course after widespread public backlash, the New York Times reported. The vaccine will use the same breakthrough technology as Moderna’s Covid-19 shot to combat the flu, which kills 300,000 people per year, including 45,000 in the US in 2025. The approval comes despite Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s skepticism of the technology: Last year, he canceled $500 million in mRNA development and has questioned its safety, despite doctors overwhelmingly agreeing that it’s safe.—AE

📺 FCC lifts cap on TV station ownership. The three commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission voted 2–1 yesterday to scrap the limit on the number of US households one company can reach, likely paving the way for more media consolidation, NBC News reported. Previously, Congress limited companies to owning broadcast stations that combined to reach a maximum of 39% of the US audience. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called the rule “outdated” and has argued that the FCC has the authority to replace it, even though it was codified by Congress. Anna M. Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC panel, called the move “unlawful.” It is expected to be met with legal challenges.—AE

BANK OF OZEMPIC

Adobe Stock

If you’re Christopher Nolan, you spend a quarter of a billion dollars to make The Odyssey. If you’re America’s second-largest bank, you spend that amount on weight loss drugs for your employees, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told CNBC yesterday.

According to Moynihan:

• BofA spends more than $250 million per year to cover GLP-1s for prescribed members of its 211,000-person workforce.
• That’s 13% of its annual $2+ billion healthcare budget. The bank spent nothing on GLP-1 coverage just four or five years ago (Ozempic was approved by the FDA in 2017).

“It’s been fascinating to watch our teammates’ behavior on these adjustments—the loss of weight. We monitor that, we give them coaches,” Moynihan said. He also noted the drug’s apparent health benefits, such as a lower risk of heart disease.

“We want to be [a] great place to work,” Moynihan said. In recruiting, GLP-1 coverage could be the new unlimited PTO or wellness stipend, especially at a time when other big firms, including PwC, are dropping coverage of expensive weight loss drugs.

Zoom out: Twenty-seven percent of US employers tightened eligibility requirements for GLP-1 coverage this year or plan to do so next year, according to the consulting firm Mercer. But drugmakers see company coverage as a crucial moneymaking pathway to more patients, so Eli Lilly recently discounted its weight loss medication for employers.—ML

      

Sponsored By Engine

The travel friend. Engine is on a mission to be even nicer to business travelers (and their administrators) than a Southern flight attendant. In our latest article, we debunk some common misconceptions that prevent businesses from investing in travel platforms. Read the full article here before takeoff.

TIP THE COAT CHECK

Niv Bavarsky

A Florida steakhouse is bravely abandoning the barrier between its furniture and patrons’ meat sweats. The C.L.A.S.S. Soiree Steakhouse in Hollywood offered its second nude fine-dining experience this week, in which a group of 20 people was allowed to strip down behind thick blackout curtains to slurp up tomato bisque.

My taste buds are up here, buddy. Chef and owner Maurad Ali said he started offering the bare beef banquet on the first Monday of every month to set his restaurant apart from rivals. Tickets for the dinner cost $150 for women, $250 for men (an ogle tax, if you will), and $300 for couples. That price includes a multi-course meal, as well as a silk bathrobe, lap towel, and custom leather seat cushion:

• The dinner begins with a champagne toast from the resident nudist-in-chief to “being free.”
• Ali isn’t worried about diners spilling soup and other hot dishes while au naturel. “Everybody should know that when you sit down and eat soup, you bend over the table—that’s why God gave you a neck,” he told the Sun Sentinel.

Is this legal? Apparently, yes. The evening is above board since it’s a private dinner, and the staff is fully clothed because of all the bending over.—MM

      

Reader Poll

Dave’s sports desk

Yanks are first MLB team to partner with Polymarket

Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images

On Fridays, the Brew’s Dave Lozo looks at a sports business story that says a lot more than just the final score of a game.

If you’re tired of seeing sports betting ads during games, well, sorry. Yesterday, the New York Yankees became the latest pro sports team—and the first in Major League Baseball—to make Polymarket an official prediction market partner.

The deal: Terms were not disclosed, but the deal runs through the end of the season. There will be ads behind home plate at Yankee Stadium that both in-person fans and TV viewers can see.

It’s a New York thing: The Mets were the first MLB team to join forces with a prediction market after they signed a multiyear deal with Novig in July.

But…New York is suing Polymarket’s rival, Kalshi, accusing it of operating an unlicensed gambling company in the state. While Polymarket isn’t named in the suit, the outcome would impact any deals it has in New York, including its existing partnership with the NHL’s Rangers.—DL

Sponsored By Starbucks

Industry-leading benefits, meaningful careers. Full- and part-time Starbucks partners who work just 20 hours a week can access industry-leading benefits. But at Starbucks, great benefits are just the start. Their focus is on filling 90% of retail leadership roles from within so partners like Mickey have opportunities to grow their careers. Learn more.

Quiz

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s Weekly News Quiz has been compared to returning a lost phone to the owner who thought they’d never see it again.

It’s that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

News

What else is brewing

• GOP senators voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for pleading the Fifth during questioning at a hearing last week.
• A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $942 million and limit how much time young people can spend on its apps as part of a landmark child safety verdict.
• Situational Awareness, the hedge fund that had to be liquidated last week following huge losses, resumed investing with a $400 million bet on an unnamed private company, Bloomberg reported.
• Michigan said lettuce is now safe to eat, as the number of Cyclospora-related emergency room visits in the state declines.
• Ford unveiled its new $28,350 midsized electric pickup truck, “Fathom.”
• Netflix will debut an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI later this month in a “first-of-its-kind” partnership between the streaming service and the video game.
• Sydney Towle, a TikTok star who documented her battle with a rare bile duct cancer, died at 26.

recs

• Streaming libraries made to look like the inside of a Blockbuster.
• The five best state fairs in the US, per Travel + Leisure.
• The trailer for Primetime, in which Robert Pattinson plays To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen.
• Sub out your rags for a dish towel that makes a statement.**

^{*A message from our sponsor. **This is a product recommendation from our writers. When you buy through this link, Morning Brew may earn a commission.}

Play

Jigsaw: This year’s World Dog Surfing Championship was so good, we simply had to make it the theme for today’s puzzle. Play the Jigsaw here.

Friday trivia

Fermi.gg is a fun website that asks you big-picture questions you would never know the answer to, but can try to estimate.

Here’s one of those questions: How many goals were scored at the 2026 World Cup?

Answer

308

Word of the Day

Today’s Word of the Day is: ogle, meaning “to stare at someone with lustful intent.” Thanks to Hannah from Bar Harbor, ME, for the suggestion. Submit another Word of the Day here.