January 2, 2026

On Our Agenda

A look at some of the news events sure to make headlines in politics, sports, pop culture, and technology.

Politics

Midterm elections: History dictates that the president's party typically underperforms in the midterms, and Democrats have high hopes that will be true in 2026, particularly in the House. Still, nothing is guaranteed (remember the red wave that never came in 2022?). As for the Senate, Republicans may have an edge. “It's probably less likely that the Democrats will retake both houses of Congress,” explains Mary Ziegler, a law professor at UC Davis focused on reproductive health issues. But there are several interesting races involving female politicians this year. There’s Sen. Susan Collins’s (R-ME) reelection bid, and in Arizona, Democrat JoAnna Mendoza — a single mother and veteran — has a real shot of unseating Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani. Ziegler says abortion will definitely be on the ballot in Missouri and Nevada, and could soon follow in at least five other states.

Eyes on the courts: This year, the Supreme Court could decide multiple big cases that tackle issues involving trans athletes, crisis pregnancy centers, and mail-in ballots. Ziegler adds that several reproductive-health-related cases in the lower courts could snake their way up to the Supreme Court quickly, potentially curbing future abortion access. “There's a variety of attempts to get federal courts either to shoot a hole through shield laws or to interpret the Comstock Act as an abortion ban,” she says. Ziegler is keeping a particularly close eye on Louisiana v. FDA, which could bring back the in-person dispensing requirement for abortion medications. It could essentially cut off access to mifepristone mailed from out of state. 

Sports

The Winter Olympics: Clear your calendar: The Olympics hit Italy in February, promising peak sport on ice and snow. NBC says that 2026 will mark the most gender-equal Winter Games ever — 47% of athletes will be women. Keep an eye out for this new event (looks hard) and for Snoop Dogg, who was recently named the first honorary coach of Team USA. We’d love to hear his locker-room speech.

The World Cup: The World Cup returns this summer (June 11–July 19). Expect breakout stars, national heartbreak, and at least one VAR decision that riles up your group chat. Argentine great Lionel Messi’s participation is still TBD, though his worst-case scenario doesn't sound too bad.

Science and Technology  

More MAHA moves: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has plans to phase out most petroleum-based, synthetic food dyes by the end of the year, and we’ll likely start to see that take effect (bye-bye, Red 40). But that’s just one piece of his agenda that will kick into high gear. KFF wonders if vaccination rates will continue to decrease as well. 

Artemis II launch: Sometime early this year, NASA plans to send humans around the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. Yes, it’s a bigger deal than the Blue Origin crew’s 11-minute flight to space. 

On Our Bingo Card…

We asked experts in pop culture, sports, and tech what they expect to go down in each category. We sure hope some of these predictions come true.

Pop culture

Featured Expert

Rebecca Jennings

Rebecca Jennings, features writer at New York magazine and author of Be the Bombshell 

Intellectualism as a flex: We’re going to see way more book clubs, Substacks, and in-depth video-essay content from celebrities and influencers looking to show that they’re more than just mouthpieces for beauty brands and shoddy TikTok Shop junk. I think more famous people will follow Dua Lipa and Charli xcx in launching side projects in an attempt to establish themselves as Serious Literary Minds. Goes without saying not all of these will be successful or even interesting, but hey, great artists take risks!

Wutherssey will be this year’s Barbenheimer: Sure, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey are coming out months apart, but the stakes of “girl movie” versus “boy movie” have never been higher. I’m obsessed with adaptations that only exist to piss off the most pearl-clutching, AP-English-brained purists, and that’s exactly what both of these will be. Is Margot Robbie too old to play Cathy? Yes! Is Matt Damon convincingly Greek? Nope! Who cares! I know what I’ll be doing on February 14 and July 17. Give them both the Oscar already.

Rhode Island is the new Utah: A few years ago, reality TV shows about Utah Mormons were suddenly everywhere. I think that’s about to happen to another topographically gorgeous but undeniably weird state. Thanks to Taylor Swift’s wedding, rumored to be happening in Rhode Island this June, and the premiere of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island — the cast of which includes former Bachelor contestant Ashley Iaconetti and RHONJ’s Dolores Catania — I’m so ready to hear more of that very bizarre accent.

Sports

Featured Experts

Blake Morgan and Caroline Hendershot

Cohosts of theSkimm’s Well Played podcast 

The WNBA will probably reach a historic labor agreement: We all know women in sports are paid dismally compared to their male counterparts. But the WNBA’s next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) could begin to put a dent in this disparity. Negotiations between the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have mostly been held up by sticking points on salary structure and revenue sharing. If they can't agree, the WNBPA has shared how it plans to respond.

France will win the 2026 World Cup: The FIFA World Cup will be played in 16 different venues across North America, and we have a feeling France will take it all. Très inévitable, non?

The Rams will make the Super Bowl: After an upset for the reigning Chiefs, the Rams are heating up at the perfect time. A capable quarterback, a defense that knows how to flip the switch, and zero fear of the moment equal kinetic energy all the way to the big game.

Internet culture and tech 

Featured Expert

Michelle Santiago Cortés

Freelance writer and editor

The end of virality: Can anything actually go viral on TikTok anymore? I think the era of viral content is over. There is too much slop, too much atomization, and too much suspicion, cynicism, and messiness for anything to go viral in the same way it did before 2019. And I think that's a good thing!

More AI slop: Undoubtedly, there will be more AI. More AI in places it shouldn't be, in ways that will make everything worse, and in ways that make no sense. This is going to push some people over the edge and amplify the anti-AI sentiments sprouting across the culture. But some people will be incentivized to participate in the AI hype in the hopes that they will have something to gain from it whenever this alleged future arrives…. Slop will go everywhere, the stakes are going to get higher, but it's never too late to take control of our futures. Slop is in its flop era.

Goodbye, endless internet trends: People are just over microtrends and internet trends in general. Too many people want to launch careers as trend forecasters and consultants. But that market is already saturated by people who have just recently popped off, but only after literal decades of studying the part of culture they are now paid by brands to talk about. If you want to stand out, you have to know your stuff and you have to put in the time.

Jumpstart Your New Year

While we are weary about intense new year propaganda, we do believe in adopting a few practices to kickstart your wellness journey. Below are some of the things we’re eyeing for a healthier 2026: 

• A month of unlimited classes at Orange Theory, at a discounted price

• Guided audios to motivate and inspire yourself

• A new emotional support water bottle

• Bala Bangles to help intensify morning walks

• A tasty, protein-packed afternoon snack (that satisfies a chocolate craving)

Game Time

Kick your weekend off with Pile-Up Poker, a brand-new game where poker meets solitaire. Create as many poker hands as possible to earn cash and climb the leaderboard. We’re all in.