2026 Lookahead: World Cup, Moon Travel, Grand Theft Auto VI and More

Good morning, Brew Daily Show. I'm Neil Freiman. And I'm Toby Howell. Today, get your players out. It's a preview of 2026. Here's what you need to stay ahead in the year ahead. It's Friday, January 2. Let's ride. Good morning. Hope you all had a great New Year's Day. Unfortunately, I'm already behind on my resolution to read 366 books. We've got a really fun special episode for you this morning, a preview of the year 2026. Of course, there will be plenty of twists and turns along the journey to next New Year's, but there are already a bunch of major events sharpied on the calendar that you'll want to know about to help you plan ahead or just get excited for. And finally, I will offer up some spicy hot predictions about what I think is gonna happen this year, and Neil will tell me just how right or wrong he thinks those are. But first, a word from our sponsor, Rubrik. Neil, sometimes these AI agents remind me of that over enthusiastic Jim bro who means well but ends up dropping a weight on your foot. They are just moving too fast and not really aware of their surroundings. That couldn't be me, Toby, but that is why Rubrik Agent Cloud exists. It's the only platform that actually lets you monitor, govern, and rewind what your AI agents do. Rubrik gives you total visibility, policy guardrails, risk scoring, and that clutch rewind button that restores everything in minutes way faster than recovering from leg day. Hospitals and banks already trust it because they can't afford a digital gym bro going wild. If your business relies on AI agents, you need the ability to monitor, govern, and rewind their actions. Right now, our listeners get exclusive early access to Rubrik agent cloud. Head to rubrik.com. That's rubrik.com. Rubrik.com. Let's start with a special someone celebrating a big birthday this year, The United States Of America. 2026 marks two hundred and fifty years since the declaration of independence was signed in 1776, and the country is going all out for its semi quintentennial. Throughout the year, you'll find any number of major events that celebrate America's founding and history from massive firework displays to parades, historical reenactments, and an attempt at the single largest flag waving celebration. There will also be a lot of reflecting about what it means to be an American and what America means to the world two hundred and fifty years after TJ wrote about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Polls show that Americans are less patriotic today than ever before. A Gallup poll last year found that 58% of US adults say they're very or extremely proud to be an American compared to 87% right after nine eleven. I think it will also be interesting to see the competition for who takes center stage during this birthday celebration. Philadelphia has been kind of maneuvering itself and trying to become the epicenter …