By Emma Tucker
Many of the people mentioned in the Epstein files aren't royals or former presidents -- they are executives, doctors, lawyers and dealmakers at the top of their fields. As the Journal's Khadeeja Safdar and Neil Mehta write, their now-public messages and photographs reveal just how intricately Jeffrey Epstein spun his web of influence. We also have a guide to the famous names in the latest files, which we will continue to update as we sift through the documents.
Today's Headlines
Investors' fears that new developments in artificial intelligence will supplant software rippled through the stock market yesterday, wiping $300 billion off software and data stocks.
Disney's future now depends on Josh D'Amaro, its new CEO who had previously convinced the company to bet big on rides, cruise ships and a virtual world.
Musician Bad Bunny's anti-ICE comments are sparking backlash among conservatives ahead of his Super Bowl halftime performance.
President Trump said India is going to stop buying Russian oil, but the move is easier said than done.
Live From The Markets
Microsoft's pivotal AI product, its Copilot chatbot, is running into big problems.
Netflix Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos defended its planned $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. and HBO Max at a Senate hearing that occasionally grew contentious.
Read It Here First
Flirty emails and chummy photos show how far Epstein reached into the business world.
Casey Wasserman was in Italy for the Winter Olympics, scheduled to present to the International Olympic Committee on the progress of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Peter Attia, the longevity doctor with cult followers, was days into a new role as a CBS News contributor. And Brett Ratner was promoting "Melania," his documentary about the first lady -- his first film since 2017 when six women accused him of sexual misconduct. All three men had reached -- or returned to -- the pinnacle of their industries in February 2026. And all three, it turned out, had secrets in the Epstein files.
Stephen Miller stokes Trump's boundary-pushing impulses.
The White House deputy chief of staff was influential in the president's first term, but his power has expanded in the second one. He personally drafted or edited every executive order Trump signed, and faced little opposition from administration officials to his work to reshape immigration policy, report Josh Dawsey and Tarini Parti. Miller helped come up with the idea to blow up drug boats, administration officials said, and to deport migrants to a prison in El Salvador using the wartime Alien Enemies Act, an action now under court challenge.
Expert Take
Q: Why is Elon Musk merging SpaceX and xAI, and why does this deal matter?
The mashup values the rocket maker/AI company at $1.25 trillion before an expected IPO. With the merger, the billionaire is turning to his old playbook to keep his AI ambitions aloft, writes business columnist Tim Higgins.
A: Beyond raising money and exciting investors, the merger will ostensibly allow Musk to build a really big AI moat.
In a best-case scenario, Musk would control the hardware (rockets and orbital data centers) and the software (AI).
If he pulls off his orbital data centers and the cost advantages he promises, it could help him catch up with the significant head starts that Google and Microsoft have in AI with their cloud infrastructures.
"SpaceX has acquired xAI to form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth," Musk wrote in a message to employees.
It is a classic move from the Musk playbook. It changes the narrative around SpaceX ahead of the company going public, helping xAI continue to have access to the kinds of cash it needs to compete.
This speaks to what will likely be Musk's most enduring legacy: his unmatched ability to sell investors on his wild ideas. Those adventures tended to demand huge amounts of cash to make sci-fi real -- with varying degrees of success.
See The Story
Meet the Coast Guard special forces behind Trump's key missions.
With its special forces playing a key role in Trump's national-security missions, the Coast Guard is standing up a new command for its elite teams. The Journal's Shelby Holliday visited a unit in Miami to learn more.
Happening Today
Economic data: The ADP national employment report for January. The private-sector figures take on added importance as Friday's jobs report has been postponed.
Earnings: AbbVie, Alphabet, Boston Scientific, Eli Lilly, Qualcomm, Uber
Number Of The Day:
38%
The rough percentage that sales prices have shot up in Milan's high-end real-estate sector between 2020 and 2025, according to a Knight Frank report. Milan, a fashion and design hub that has long been Italy's main economic center, is increasingly becoming a tourist destination. Later this week, the city will host the Winter Olympics.
And Finally...
Pittsburgh has a sacred law: Don't mess with parking chairs.
Steel City's sacred civic tradition is simple: If you shovel out a spot, you can save it with a chair. Anyone who moves the chair -- no matter how long it's been there -- to park their own car risks an argument, bodily harm or a note on their windshield calling them a "jagoff." The unwritten law extends to other household castoffs spotted curbside: a green leather ottoman, a toilet and a statue of Jesus.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 04, 2026 06:12 ET (11:12 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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