For: February 2, 2026
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks finished out the week in negative territory, closing down on Friday. It came as technology shares struggled despite investors appearing to approve of President Trump's choice of former Fed Board of Governors member Kevin Warsh to take over as head of the Federal Reserve. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 179 points to 48-892. The S&P 500 dropped 29 points to 69-39. The Nasdaq fell 223 points to 23-461.
>>Noteworthy Economic Reports On The Calendar
(Undated) -- Coming up in the business week ahead, the focus will be on the government's monthly employment report. The last one showed 50-thousand jobs added in December, which was less than most analysts expected. We'll get the latest numbers on Friday. Meanwhile, other reports start rolling in today with auto sales results released throughout the day. Job openings follow on Tuesday and ADP's employment report comes out Wednesday. First-time jobless claims are due Thursday with consumer credit and that always-closely watched monthly employment report bringing the week to a close.
>>Travelers Take Note: TSA ConfirmID Now In Effect
(Undated) -- The Transportation Security Administration's ConfirmID program is now in effect at airports nationwide. Passengers who don't have a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID will have to pay 45 dollars ahead of time for an alternative ID check. The fee is payable at the ConfirmID webpage on tsa.gov. Travelers then present the proof of purchase at the checkpoint. The fee will cover up to ten days of travel, including return trips within that window.
>>SpaceX Applies To Launch 1M Satellites Into Orbit
(Undated) -- Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to launch one million satellites into Earth's orbit to power AI. The application claims "orbital data centers" are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power. It would increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit dramatically. Its existing Starlink network of nearly ten-thousand satellites has already been accused of creating congestion in space, which Musk denies. The application filed Friday with the Federal Communications Commission did not specify a timeline for the plan.
>>Los Angeles Unified School District Union Members Authorizes Strike
(Los Angeles, CA) -- Members of United Teachers Los Angeles have voted to authorize their leadership to call a strike. A similar strike authorization vote by the schools systems' other largest union, Local 99 of Service Employees International Union is set to begin sometime this week. The vote does not necessarily mean there will be a strike, but it gives the elected Board of Directors of UTLA the authority to call one if the district does not agree to a new contract. The union is focused on an immediate 16-percent raise for new teachers, an across-the-board three percent raise in the contract's second year and significant automatic pay hikes tied to years of experience and continued education.
>>Toyota Recalling Over 160K US Vehicles
(Washington, DC) -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is announcing another recall. The agency says Toyota is recalling over 160-thousand vehicles in the U.S. for a problem with the rear-view camera display when vehicles are in reverse. The recall was announced Saturday.
