By Alicia Wallace, CNN

(CNN) — Mass layoffs outlined by the likes of Amazon and UPS meant last month was the worst January for job cut announcements since the Great Recession, new data showed Thursday.

US-based employers announced 108,435 job cuts in January, a threefold increase from layoff announcements in December and more than double what was tallied in January a year earlier, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ latest monthly report.

It’s the highest number of layoff announcements made in January since 2009, Challenger said.

About 40% of January’s layoff announcements can be tied to two firms: Amazon and UPS, which outlined plans for 16,000 and 30,000 job cuts, respectively. Last month’s layoff announcements were limited to five industries – transportation, technology, health care and health products, chemical and financial, according to the report.

“Generally, we see a high number of job cuts in the first quarter, but this is a high total for January,” Andy Challenger, chief revenue officer at the outplacement and executive coaching firm, said in a statement. “It means most of these plans were set at the end of 2025, signaling employers are less than optimistic about the outlook for 2026.”

Last year, the US labor market saw the weakest job growth outside of a recession since 2003, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

And, based on Challenger’s tallies, there wasn’t a dramatic turnaround in the first month of 2026.

In January, US-based employers announced hiring plans for 5,306 workers. That’s the lowest total ever for the month of January, according to Challenger, which began tracking hiring announcements in 2009.

New data released Wednesday by payroll firm ADP showed that private-sector hiring increased by just 22,000 jobs in January.

The biggest reasons cited for the month’s planned cutbacks were contract loss (30,784), followed by market and economic conditions (28,392), restructuring (20,044) or closures (12,738), according to the report. Artificial intelligence was cited for 7,624 cuts last month and tariffs were cited for 294 cuts, Challenger noted.

“It’s difficult to say how big an impact AI is having on layoffs specifically,” he said. “We know leaders are talking about AI, many companies want to implement it in operations, and the market appears to be rewarding companies that mention it.”

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By Karla Cripps, CNN

Let’s set the scene. You’ve been dating someone for a few months, things are going well. It’s time to take the next step — a weekend away together.

You find a great hotel that ticks all the right boxes: nice neighborhood, some enticing food and drink options and phenomenal reviews for its “fun” design elements.

Then, you check in. Entering the room together, you quickly realize things are going to get a bit more intimate than planned.

The toilet, set in a small cubicle, is shielded only by a thin panel of glass with strategically placed frosting, just steps from the bed. The human form, though blurred, will most certainly be seen, no matter where you are in the room, the user’s feet fully visible because, for some reason, the designer didn’t think the bottom section of the cubicle needed that frosting. Do take a moment to consider the potential audio issues.

First, let me just say, no judgment if that’s your thing.

My own expectations of privacy while traveling dissipated long ago. I’ve been married for nearly 20 years and have two teenagers nearing adulthood. We’ve encountered some incredibly bizarre hotel bathroom designs over the years at all price points.

Family rooms with bathtubs in open view. Blinds on the EXTERIOR of a window looking into the bathroom. Sliding doors that leave wide cracks of space — a dream for clingy toddlers or curious young looky-loos who’ve yet to learn about personal boundaries. The list goes on.

I have always begrudgingly accepted it as part of the travel experience. But it only takes a quick search of review sites like TripAdvisor or travel forums on Reddit to realize there are plenty of other frustrated travelers out there.

Well, I’ve got good news for all of you fed-up privacy seekers. A movement is taking shape, and help has arrived in the form of Bringbackdoors.com, which has a database of hotels that are guaranteed to have bathroom doors in their rooms, as well as ones that don’t.

Sadie Lowell, an American marketer based in Europe, launched the site late last year. Having traveled most of her life, she says she got used to seeing strange hotel bathroom setups. However, in 2024, while visiting London with her father for a show, she was struck by the absurdity of their situation.

“We booked two twin beds in a room, and when we walked in, there was no bathroom door, and there wasn’t even a semblance of a bathroom door,” she tells me.

Lowell couldn’t stop thinking about how strange it was: she booked twin beds, so why no door?

“I don’t know if it’s the developers, the designers or the architects who made that choice, but they’ve strayed far from what people actually want and are looking for — they don’t connect,” she says. “Having twin beds in your room means that you absolutely want bathroom privacy.”

Months later, while planning another trip, the experience with her father was still fresh in her mind and she thought to herself, “I wish there was a way to check this.”

By mid-October 2025, Bringbackdoors.com was up and running. Lowell says she started posting TikTok videos to highlight the issue and, before long, the reactions and submissions started pouring in.

“It’s been kind of a crazy roller coaster ever since, just slowly gaining more and more momentum,” she says.

To date, Lowell says she’s added around 800 submissions from around the world, and Bringbackdoors.com has been promoted in multiple global media outlets.

“This is beyond my wildest imagination of what this website would actually become,” she says.

“It just feels really good because I went after such an unusual topic. There was a part of me that said, ‘Are people going to care about this? Maybe, maybe not.’

By Vanessa Yurkevich, Amy O’Kruk, CJ Riculan, CNN

(CNN) — Americans are gearing up to host Super Bowl parties, and the game day spread will likely be front and center for many of them.

Shopping for this year’s Super Bowl brings news that’s worthy of a touchdown dance: hosting a party might not break the bank.

A spread for 10 people with many of the common Super Bowl fixings this year will cost $140 on average, just 1.6% higher than last year, according to an analysis by the Wells Fargo Agri-Institute, thanks to increased production and stronger harvests. That’s a slower rise than the overall cost of groceries, which is up 2.4% from a year ago, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

CNN breaks down a winning Super Bowl food table. What costs less, more — and which items stayed the same:

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By Arit John, CNN

(CNN) — A crowded primary in the New Jersey suburbs Thursday has become an early testing ground for the debates that will shape the Democratic push to retake the US House in this year’s midterms.

The race to replace now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill has drawn a range of candidates – local elected officials, community advocates, a former paratrooper, a former lieutenant governor and a former congressman.

Democrats continue to grapple with how best to motivate their base and win back voters who’ve drifted away. National Democratic officials have drilled down on cost-of-living issues, while progressives and grassroots activists have criticized party leaders, arguing their opposition to President Donald Trump has been anemic.

In the reliably blue 11th District, candidates have taken the latter approach. They’ve railed against immigration enforcement, condemned the deaths of two Minneapolis protesters shot by federal agents and bemoaned the erosion of democratic norms.

Other familiar themes are at play in Thursday’s Democratic primary, including the power of the Democratic establishment and the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other well-funded outside groups.

Four candidates have emerged as perceived front-runners: Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, former New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski, former New Jersey Working Families Alliance leader Analilia Mejia, and former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way.

“For each of those four people, I could give you a list of reasons why they will win and a list of reasons why they won’t,” said Laura Matos, a New Jersey-based Democratic strategist. “It really comes down to who turns out to vote, and which candidate brings their voters out.”

The rest of the field includes former paratrooper Zach Beecher; community advocate, lawyer and comedian J-L Cauvin; Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett; Cammie Croft, who worked in the Obama administration; Jeff Grayzel, a two-term mayor of Morris Township; Chatham Borough Council Member Justin Strickland; and community advocate Anna Lee Williams.

Once a Republican stronghold, Democrats have held the 11th District – which includes parts of northern New Jersey’s Essex, Morris and Passaic counties – since Sherrill flipped the seat in 2018. The district shifted further left in 2022 after redistricting.

Whoever wins Thursday’s primary will be the odds-on favorite to win the April 16 general election against the lone Republican candidate, former mayor of Randolph Township Joe Hathaway. They’ll also have an edge in the June primary for a full term beginning in January.

A look at a wide-open race

Leading into Thursday’s vote, the candidates have called on their party to take on a more confrontational stance in Washington, particularly towards US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several candidates argued the agency should be defunded.

“We see what’s going on out in Minnesota,” said Way, the former lieutenant governor and secretary of state. “Totally unacceptable, unconstitutional and un-American, with the ICE raids, but also trying to extort personal data off of the voter rolls.”

Way noted her own fights against Republicans who sued to access New Jersey’s voter data as an example of her record pushing back on the administration.

Gill has pointed to his experience as both an elected official and former congressional staffer, as well as his work with his local Democratic Party, which organized a “No Kings” protest.

“I think I have, at certain times, felt that we needed to be more aggressive in our pushback against what’s coming out of Washington,” he said, arguing Democrats should have rejected more of Trump’s po

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

Former Vice President Kamala Harris relaunched her old Kamala HQ account today, which has millions of followers across X and TikTok. She said it will serve as “an online organizing project for next generation campaigning.”

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Tearful plea

In an emotional video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie pleaded for her missing mother to return home, days after her apparent abduction. Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home against her will, though no suspects have been identified. “We need to know without a doubt that she’s alive and that you have her,” Guthrie said in response to reports of a potential ransom note. Sitting beside her siblings in the video, Savannah Guthrie indicated her family is “ready to talk” with possible abductors. “We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen,” Guthrie said, stressing that her 84-year-old mother is in “constant pain” and needs her medication to survive.

2⃣ Immigration

The Trump administration is signaling its intent to dial back its immigration enforcement tactics. Border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security will immediately withdraw 700 personnel from Minnesota, leaving about 2,000 officers on the ground. President Donald Trump also suggested in an NBC interview that his administration could use a “softer touch” on immigration following the fatal shootings of two US citizens in Minneapolis. This comes as recent polls show Americans overwhelmingly view the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents as involving “excessive force” and consider the shooting unjustified.

3⃣ Epstein probe

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee warned that his party would seek to interview President Trump as part of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation if Democrats regain control of the chamber. Rep. Robert Garcia said Republicans set a new precedent by demanding testimony from former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who are expected to give highly anticipated depositions later this month. Trump, meanwhile, shrugged off the prospect of being called to testify on Capitol Hill and said he feels “badly” that the Clintons will have to go through the ordeal of testifying.

4⃣ Electricity bills

Aging coal-fired power plants across the US are being brought back online under the Trump administration — a move that could raise electricity bills, experts say. The administration has so far prevented five aging coal plants from shutting down at their planned retirement dates. Administration officials say this is a cost-saving solution for Americans at a time when rising energy bills are causing concern nationwide. But experts say it’s likely to increase energy prices, instead. New analysis shows that keeping these plants open could cost US utility customers between $3-6 billion by the end of 2028.

5⃣ Washington Post layoffs

The Washington Post laid off roughly one