US hiring in December surges past economists' expectations.
The US labor market ended 2024 with robust job growth, adding 256,000 jobs in December and surpassing forecasts of 155,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% month-over-month and 3.9% year-over-year. Analysts say the data suggest continued economic strength and may provide the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year. See all data here.
Constellation Energy agrees to buy Calpine for roughly $16B.
The cash-and-stock transaction values Calpine at nearly $27B when including debt and creates the largest clean energy provider in the US. The acquisition combines Constellation's nuclear expertise with Calpine's natural gas and geothermal assets while expanding Constellation's presence in markets like Texas and California—America's two most populous, energy-consuming states.
US Supreme Court appears likely to uphold federal TikTok law.
Supreme Court justices on Friday appeared to lean toward upholding a federal law ordering TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to either divest the video-sharing app or face a national ban. Justices signaled the primary concern was national security issues related to the app's Chinese ownership and said because the law targets its foreign owner, TikTok may not be able to claim First Amendment protections.
US announces $25M reward for arrest of Venezuela's president.
The US imposed new sanctions on high-ranking Venezuelan officials and increased the reward for information leading to President Nicolás Maduro's arrest to $25M, coinciding with Maduro's third-term inauguration following a disputed election. The sanctions include visa restrictions. The Biden administration also extended temporary protected status for certain Venezuelan migrants in the US.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to attempt first orbital flight tomorrow.
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, is set to launch its New Glenn rocket tomorrow from Cape Canaveral, Florida, marking its long-awaited debut after more than a decade of development. The launch, initially intended for 2020, will carry a test version of Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft platform and aims to validate its communications and tracking capabilities during a six-hour mission.
Global temperature rise breached 1.5 degrees Celsius for first time in 2024.
Last year was Earth's hottest year on record since preindustrial times, with global temperatures temporarily surpassing a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold set in a 2015 internationally agreed-upon pact. See an overview of the benchmark here. See data from scientists here.
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