Good Morning!

It's Monday, February 9, 2026, and in today’s edition of Rise & Recap, we look at:

• US has seen significantly fewer CDC alerts than ever before.

• You are cleaning your ears wrong. 

• This is the forgotten fifth pillar of health!

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Top headlines

SPILL THE NEWS

Money

This Is No Ordinary Tax Season

Millions of Americans are set to receive larger tax refunds this filing season due to new tax breaks passed in last summer’s federal tax and spending bill, which benefits higher-income households most. The IRS, operating with over 25 percent fewer staff than last year, may struggle to answer taxpayer questions. Everything you need to know.

The law makes several Trump-era tax cuts permanent, including a larger standard deduction, and adds new provisions such as “no taxes on tips and overtime,” which experts say are more complex than they sound. The Tax Foundation estimates individual taxes will fall by $129 billion in 2025. Also, here’s how AI could and couldn’t help.

Health

CDC Alerts Might Be On DND

The CDC has issued only six Health Alert Network advisories in 2025, far fewer than in typical years. Public health experts say the reduced alerts leave clinicians and health departments less prepared for emerging threats. Dr. Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association said, “We’re absolutely flying blind,” calling HANs an essential early-warning system.

Experts including Lauren Sauer and Dr. Nahid Bhadelia emphasized the alerts’ role in guiding screening and preparedness. Former CDC chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry said CDC communications declined after mass firings. An HHS spokesperson, Andrew Nixon, called claims of reduced alerts “false.”

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Health

Hims & Here Withdraws $49 Weight-Loss Pill

Hims & Hers announced it will stop selling its low-cost knockoff of Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy pill after federal regulators suggested the product might be illegal. The move followed a referral to the Justice Department from HHS’s top lawyer, Mike Stuart, and an FDA statement from Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary saying the agency would act against mass-marketed copycat drugs. 

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler said Hims’ pill used different technology and was not a true copy. Novo Nordisk executive Mike Doustdar said consumers would be “wasting $49” because the knockoff lacked the company’s SNAC absorption technology.

In the know

DON’T MISS

💔 This brand wants to pay you … for your ex’s things. Boy, can we really trade emotional baggage.

💼 The employment market is so saturated that job hunters are paying to get hired!

🍽️ Self-care much? Treating yourself to a solo-meal might’ve become a norm.

😴 We get it, you’re not an athlete. But in the spirit of the Olympics, here’s five sleeping habits to learn from players.

👂 Put that Q-tip down — you’re most-likely cleaning your ears wrong!

⛷️ Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic downhill comeback ended in a crash, a broken leg and a surgery.

🇺🇸 A Trump-backed group is raising money for America’s 250th birthday. You won’t believe what donors are getting for $1 million.

📰 Washington Post union calls for Jeff Bezos to sell the paper after CEO Will Lewis resigns. 

🇯🇵 Pro-US Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wins big in election gamble.

🏂 This snowboarder had an interesting way of celebrating his win. To be fair, it was his second gold!

Health & Wellness

FOR YOUR WELLBEING

🥤 Sleep experts say there’s a popular drink disrupting your sleep (even if you have it early), and no, it’s not coffee.

⏳ Tracking how long we’ll live has become a toxic obsession. But what if trying to biohack your future means you’re stressing out the present, way beyond the point of actually living? 

💡 Big light haters — your annoyance is valid, and even scientifically backed! Let the experts answer why that overhead glare feels so aggressive. 

🎨 We’ve found the forgotten fifth pillar of health. Turns out, having a creative hobby is an actual medicine — and you don’t even have to be good at it to reap the rewards.

Fashion & Beauty

BEYOND THE MIRROR

👗 Fashion month begins as early runways hint at lush romance, new volume, clever sport influences, and bold color energy for Fall-Winter 2026.

💅 Barcode nails? 2026 nails are going bold, but one trend stands out for its soft shimmer and digital-age charm. Here’s the look everyone’s bookmarking.

👟 This delightfully awkward shoe from the early ’00s is trending again, proving fashion’s quirkiest ideas always return with unexpected charm.

💆‍♀️ This buzzy age-booster is promising deeper product absorption and instant glow is taking over beauty feeds. Here’s why everyone’s curious.

Hollywood

THE FAME FRAME

🏈 Bad Bunny lights up Super Bowl with halftime show as celebrities party on the stage. Even President Trump watched.

💄 Did Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton just hard launch their relationship?

🎬 Taylor Swift releases a star-studded video of ‘Opalite’. 

Interactive

WEIGH IN

Smart homes promise ease, but many of us are finding the opposite. Touch panels, app-dependent appliances, glitchy thermostats, and “intelligent” systems often make simple tasks — turning on lights, running the dishwasher, adjusting the temperature — feel oddly complicated. Instead of saving time, these upgrades can create tiny daily frustrations that add up, leaving people wondering if convenience has become its own kind of chore. As our homes get smarter, the real question might be whether we’re actually getting the simplicity we were sold.

“You get one life—make it the loudest truth you ever tell.” 

— Brené Brown