MOTHER JONES DAILY: Here’s the Thing About Bad Bunny’s Light Poles, 10 Worst Crises You Won’t See in Headlines (But Should), What being a billionaire scion taught JB Pritzker about standing up to one, He fled torture in Uganda. ICE is trying to send him back., Trump’s NIH slashed research on chronic diseases in 2025. Will it happen again?, The biggest thing missing from TPUSA's halftime show: joy, How Minneapolis taught America to fight back 9FEB26

 

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February 9, 2026 While taking in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday, I was overwhelmed with how much feeling the show managed to pack in. If you somehow missed it, I recommend diving into the countless analyses exploring the artistic, cultural, political, and personal angles of the superstar’s show—especially amid the right-wing misinformation about Bad Bunny right now. One thing that stood out for me took place toward the end of the show, when Bad Bunny scaled electric poles and delivered verses from his song “El Apagón.” In addition to hoping he didn’t fall (the pole looked like it was shaking!), I wanted to learn more about what he may have been referencing with the set.  “El Apagón,” which translates to “the blackout,” considers the devastating and ongoing power outages that have hit Puerto Rico in recent years. That includes Hurricane Maria, which destroyed the territory’s power grid in 2017 and resulted in the longest blackout in US history. Since then, the grid has yet to be adequately rebuilt. There is a long list of reasons why. But at the heart of it all, it’s Puerto Rico's residents who experience the ruinous effects, but also continue to demand change. It's also the people who find joy in their collective pride for Puerto Rico. —Alex Nguyen

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Here’s the Thing About Bad Bunny’s Light Poles The artist scaled an electric pole while performing “El Apagón,” which literally translates to "the blackout." BY ALEX NGUYEN

SPONSORED POST 10 Worst Crises You Won’t See in Headlines (But Should) CARE’s annual Crisis Report notes countries the media isn’t covering. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY CARE.ORG.

What being a billionaire scion taught JB Pritzker about standing up to one BY TIM MURPHY He fled torture in Uganda. ICE is trying to send him back. BY ISABELA DIAS Trump’s NIH slashed research on chronic diseases in 2025. Will it happen again? BY ANNA ROGERS The biggest thing missing from TPUSA's halftime show: joy BY ARIANNA COGHILL

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How Minneapolis taught America to fight back Our Minnesotan reporters connect with friends and neighbors back home and find resolute resistance to ICE at every turn. BY REVEAL

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