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1. Threat of another winter storm this weekend
While millions of Americans are still reeling from the winter storm that hit this past weekend, there could be another one on the way this upcoming weekend, the New York Times reports. This one won't be quite as large in scale, as current forecasts are showing the impact will be confined to the East Coast.
The strength of this storm is still to be determined, but it is expected to form on Saturday off the southeastern coast before moving north into the Mid-Atlantic and New England on Sunday.
“We’re pretty confident that a strong area of low pressure is going to develop along the East Coast sometime this weekend and then move to the north and produce widespread gusty winds,” said Frank Pereira, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center. “Depending on where it develops and where it tracks will determine how much precipitation spreads inland, and what the precipitation type is.”
2. US government could face partial shutdown
The U.S. government is trending toward a partial shutdown just months after the longest government shutdown in the country's history. CNBC reports that Democratic senators are banding together to object to a bill that features a more-than-$1.2 trillion spending package that accounts for the bulk of government spending for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Included in the spending package is funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has been under fire after a second recent killing of a U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis. Democrats are demanding that portion of the bill to be cut in exchange for their votes, and Republicans so far are not backing down.
“In the meantime, I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled, and Senate Democrats are overwhelmingly united on this issue,” Senate Minority Leader and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said. “If [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune insists on holding a vote on DHS legislation that he knows will not pass, then he will guarantee yet another unnecessary government shutdown this Friday.”
3. Aimbridge alleges founder Dave Johnson lied in court filing during lawsuit
Aimbridge Hospitality is seeking legal sanctions against its founder and former executive chairman Dave Johnson, CoStar News' Bryan Wroten reports. Aimbridge first filed suit against Johnson in December, alleging he violated an exclusivity requirement in a consultancy contract.
The third-party hotel management company now alleges Johnson purposely misled the court in proceedings for its initial December lawsuit, claiming Johnson made several intentionally false statements about his relationship with competing management company Dreamscape Hospitality Management.
“The Johnson Declaration, which Johnson signed ‘under penalty of perjury,’ contained multiple demonstrably false representations that Johnson knew were false when he made them,” the filing states. “Even worse, Johnson made those false representations about factual matters that occurred just three weeks prior to the date he signed the Johnson Declaration.”
4. Ex-FIFA head supports World Cup boycott
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter voiced his support of a boycott of World Cup matches in the United States, the Associated Press reports.
In an interview with newspaper Der Bund, Swiss lawyer Mark Pieth said, "If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
Blatter responded to a post with Pieth's comments on X, "I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup."
The former FIFA head joins a growing contingency of voices calling for a boycott of this year's games due to the Trump administration's travel bans and aggressive tactics dealing with migrants and protestors in American cities, the AP reports.
5. PPHE Hotel Group releases year-end trading update
London-based hospitality real estate group PPHE Hotel Group released a year-end trading update ahead of its earnings call next month on Feb. 26. PPHE reported revenue per available room in 2025 improved by 2.6% to £123.40 ($170.25), led by a 1.7% increase in average daily rate to £164.30 and close to flat occupancy at 75.1%.
"2025 was another year of financial and strategic progress for PPHE Hotel Group, achieved against a volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. We are encouraged by our solid delivery in the final quarter of the year, with full-year results expected to be in line with market expectations," Greg Hegarty, co-CEO of PPHE, said in a news release.