Constellation secures historic $1 billion deal to supply US gov’t with power
America’s largest operator of nuclear power plants, Constellation, secured a historic agreement on Thursday, Jan. 2, with the U.S. government. The deal is worth more than $1 billion and will supply more than a dozen federal agencies and lead conservation projects over the next decade.
It’s reportedly the biggest energy purchase in the U.S. General Services history and means Constellation, which is based out of Baltimore, will power some 80 government facilities starting in late April. The deal includes powering buildings that are home to the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The deal also includes one contract worth $840 million for the electricity supplied by Constellation. The second contract awards Constellation $172 million to complete conservation projects like weatherizing federal buildings and expanding the installation of LED lights at government facilities.
Constellation’s CEO said the contract is a sign of how things have changed toward more investment in nuclear energy. He notes nuclear energy has largely been left out of corporate and government purchases in the past.
GSA officials said this purchase gives the U.S. government budget stability amid uncertain electricity costs in the future and growing demand from artificial intelligence facilities by keeping energy prices fixed over the next 10 years.
Meta’s new head of global policy Joel Kaplan has close Republican ties
Meta is putting a Republican in charge of global policy just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes back the White House. Joel Kaplan is a former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush and has close ties to the Republican Party. He’ll replace former deputy prime minister of Britain Nick Clegg.
Clegg said it was the “right time” for him to move on as Meta’s president of global affairs in a Facebook post.
“Joel is quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time – ideally placed to shape the company’s strategy as societal and political expectations around technology continue to evolve,” Clegg wrote.
Joel Kaplan (far right) is pictured in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in 2007. Kaplan served as President George W. Bush’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. Getty Images.
Kaplan has been at Facebook since 2011, most recently as Clegg’s deputy. In a comment on Clegg’s post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told the former Liberal Democrat party statesman he’s grateful for his service over the past seven years.
“I’m excited for Joel to step into this role next given his deep experience and insight leading our policy work for many years,” Zuckerberg said.
The switchover comes as Meta cozies up to Trump ahead of the White House switchover. Meta recently donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, a break from tradition. Meta did not donate to President Joe Biden’s inauguration or Trump’s first one.
The donation came after Zuckerberg visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago following the election. Trump has previously called Facebook a “true Enemy of the People” and accused Zuckerberg and his wife of using election donations to boost Democratic voter turnout.
As Zuckerberg tries to smooth things over with the future president, Clegg’s politics might have become a hurdle if he had stayed. He didn’t shy away from sharing his thoughts. Just this past month, he said on a BBC podcast that X owner Elon Musk, who is very close to Trump, could become a “political puppet master.”
“Elon Musk is obviously now playing an outsized role in both the election and now the formation of the new U.S. administration,” Clegg said.
Meanwhile, Kaplan has previously faced pressure for his Republican ties. He once apologized to Meta staffers after he was spotted sitting behind his close friend Brett Kavanaugh during Kavanaugh’s contentious Supreme Court nomination hearing.
But those ties could help Meta navigate a new terrain today. Among those praising Kaplan’s promotion is Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who called Kaplan a friend of 25 years.
Congratulations. Both Joel and Kevin have been friends of mine for 25 years, and I am hopeful that their promotion signals a renewed commitment to free speech online. For the past decade, Big Tech has been far too eager to censor and silence, I hope that Meta will now join X in…
“I am hopeful that their promotion signals a renewed commitment to free speech online,” Cruz wrote on X. “For the past decade, Big Tech has been far too eager to censor and silence, I hope that Meta will now join X in fighting to protect free speech for everyone.”
Kaplan’s Facebook profile is pretty bare. His only post of 2024 is one sporting a photo of him with Vice President-elect JD Vance, taken when Trump rang the New York Stock Exchange bell.
Apple agrees to pay $95 million over Siri eavesdropping lawsuit
Apple reached a $95 million settlement on Tuesday, Dec. 31, over a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of using its virtual assistant Siri to secretly record Apple users’ conversations via iPhones and other Apple devices. The lawsuit alleged that the recordings occurred even when people did not activate the virtual assistant using the key phrase: “Hey, Siri.”
The lawsuit goes on to claim that some of the recorded conversations were shared with advertisers in the hopes they would sell their products to interested customers. The allegations are in conflict with Apple’s long-running pledge to protect its customers privacy.
As part of the settlement, Apple does not have to admit any wrongdoing. The deal must be approved by a federal judge, and lawyers have proposed a Feb. 14 court hearing to review the legal terms.
If the settlement is approved by the federal judge, the agreement would award money to tens of thousands of Apple users who owned iPhones and other Apple devices from Sept. 17, 2014, through the end of last year.
Each person would reportedly get $20 for each Siri-equipped device covered in the settlement, but would be limited to five devices they claim. The payment may be higher or lower depending on the number of claims filed. Court documents show that only 3% to 5% of eligible Apple customers are expected to file claims.
Lawyers who brought the lawsuit against Apple assert that the $95 million settlement reached is only a small fraction of the roughly $1.5 billion Apple would have paid if it were found guilty of violating wiretapping and privacy laws had the case gone to trial.
Tesla fails to grow sales in 2024 for the first time in more than a decade
Tesla has been on a tear to close out 2024, but its annual sales are telling a different story. Tesla deliveries on the year declined for the first time since 2011, according to company data released Thursday, Jan. 2.
Tesla delivered about 1.79 million cars in 2024, down from about 1.81 million in 2023. That’s about a 1% drop in sales year over year for 2024, compared to a 38% growth in sales the year before.
The car company still set a record in the fourth quarter of 2024. Tesla delivered a record 495,570 vehicles in the final three months of the year while producing a record 459,445. Still, that fell short of expectations, causing the company to miss its chance at a slight sales growth for the year.
Tesla shares slid more than 6% by midday Thursday on the news.
Tesla is worth more than $1 trillion to start 2025, and its stock price surged about 63% in 2024, most of that coming since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. Tesla became part of the Trump trade, with CEO Elon Musk’s close ties to the incoming administration.
Musk said in October he expects the company to see 20% to 30% growth in 2025, even as the EV market as a whole struggles with a slowdown.
As Trump’s team looks to end federal electric vehicle tax credits, Musk has said, “It will only help Tesla.” Legacy automakers are still selling EVs at a loss, while Tesla has a yearslong head start in the space. Getting rid of subsidies would likely force automakers already selling at a loss to drop EV prices even more to stay competitive.
After Trump’s victory, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation urged him to keep the $7,500 credit in place. The trade group, which represents major automakers excluding Tesla, said they are up against unfair competition from heavily subsidized EVs from China.
BYD isn’t just threatening U.S. automakers or the EV space. It’s accelerating in the race for total global auto group sales. Japan’s Toyota has the runaway lead, but BYD is pulling ahead of Japan’s Honda and Nissan.
In December, Honda and Nissan announced a proposed merger by 2026 to better compete with China. Together, they would be the world’s third-largest auto group.
Small business owners concerned as TikTok ban looms
The popular social media app TikTok could be banned in the U.S. in a matter of days and the looming threat has some small business owners concerned. Since the app launched in 2017, small business owners say they have used TikTok in several ways, from advertising and marketing to selling goods directly.
TikTok estimates the ban would cost the company more than $1 billion in revenue in a single month.
If the ban does take effect, small businesses could still turn to alternatives like Instagram Reels, Snapchat and YouTube Shorts. However, owners raised concerns that it may be harder to reach teens since TikTok tends to be their preferred social media app.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over whether the ban violates the First Amendment on Jan. 10.
President-elect Donald Trump, who is not set to take office until Jan. 20, the day after the ban is scheduled to take effect, asked the Supreme Court to consider a delay on the ban taking effect.
Spotify moderation features in question as users see porn in search results
Spotify is facing backlash for sexually explicit content allegedly showing up in search results. The Verge first reported on Sunday, Dec. 29, that a Reddit user shared a screenshot of a pornographic video they said appeared after looking up the artist M.I.A.
Several other Spotify users on the Reddit thread said they also saw it or something similar and mentioned erotic audio tracks ending up on playlists.
The spokesperson for the streaming service said the content mentioned has been removed due to a violation of its policies.
These incidents raise the question of how explicit content gets past the platform’s content-blocking settings.
While Spotify hasn’t commented on the specifics of content moderation, Mashable noted the company doesn’t police podcasts before they’re uploaded, which may explain how the explicit content slipped through.
This situation comes as Spotify looks to invest in more video features with the demand for visuals growing, especially with podcasts.
Edison Research found about 84% of monthly podcast listeners consume podcasts with video and about 71% actively watch the podcast while listening.
Spotify reported a 140% increase in the number of video podcasts in its top 50 U.S. podcasts list in 2024 compared to 2023.
Spotify’s top two podcasts, “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Call Her Daddy,” both include video.
The platform currently hosts more than 300,000 video podcast shows.
Spotify is also looking to capitalize on the popularity of audiobooks by adding video features.
Authors now have an option to submit a short video for their audiobooks, including interviews or behind-the-scenes footage from the audio recording.
The platform also released a “follow along” feature found in the “extras” section. It intends to makes users feel like they’re flipping through a book with illustrations, photos and graphics.
“Next stop launch,” Bezos said in a post on X that also featured a video of a rocket test.
New Glenn is reportedly set to lift off on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
The first mission is expected to be launching technology related to its Blue Ring program, which is a business venture that reportedly offers spacecraft to the Pentagon.
Project Kuiper involves deploying more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites over roughly a decade to provide global broadband access. Blue Origin is also working on certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the National Security Space Launch program.
Trump asks Supreme Court to pause potential US TikTok ban
Donald Trump is continuing to engage in the legal battle over a possible TikTok ban. In a brief filed Friday, Dec. 27, the president-elect said the court should block the law from taking effect on Sunday, Jan. 19, one day before he takes office.
Trump’s brief is unusual because it does not comment on the case’s merits. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is suing the U.S. government, alleging a violation of its First Amendment rights.
Instead, Trump’s brief signaled his opposition to the ban and asked that he have the opportunity to resolve the issue, citing his election win as a factor.
“Through his historic victory on Nov. 5, 2024, President Trump received a powerful electoral mandate from American voters to protect the free-speech rights of all Americans –– including the 170 million Americans who use TikTok,” the brief states.
Earlier this year, Congress passed a law forcing TikTok to sell its U.S. operations or face a potential ban. The law set the deadline for ByteDance to sell or close TikTok one day before the next president took office.
The Biden administration is defending the law in court. They allege the app’s parent company operates primarily from headquarters in China. The company’s ties to China and its ruling Communist Party, they say, pose a grave threat to U.S. national security.
While Trump’s brief may not change much legally, it offers a clear signal that he opposes the ban. This could open the door to TikTok negotiating a deal to save its U.S. operations before the deadline.
The law allows a president to issue a 90-day extension if significant progress toward a sale exists.
TikTok has suffered at least one defeat along the way. An ideologically mixed three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted unanimously to reject TikTok’s challenge.
Understanding ‘Gen Beta’: A new era begins in 2025
You’ve heard of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, but get ready to usher in a new era: Generation Beta. The new age group’s debut is Jan. 1, 2025, with babies in this category being born until 2039.
The babies will be the children of younger millennials and older Gen Zs, making up 16% of the global population by 2035. Many will live to see the 22nd century.
Gen Beta will grow up in a time with rapid advances in technology but unlike their predecessors, they’ll be immersed in it completely from the start, with smart homes, AI-powered tools and virtual reality being a part of everyday life.
Experts say with climate change now at the forefront of politics, sustainability will also be second nature for them and they’ll likely embrace eco-friendly habits.
If you’re wondering how generations get their names, there’s actually no official group that comes up with them. Instead, the different monikers and birth year cutoffs are proposed by various theorists and authors, with a consensus developing in popular culture.
Social analyst and demographer Mark McCrindle is credited with coining Gen Beta, as well as the two previous groups, Gen Alpha and Gen Z.
The shift to the Greek alphabet marks how Beta and Alpha are growing up at completely transformed points in history.
This trend is set to continue with Gen Gamma, Gen Delta and so on.
One challenge that’s expected for Beta is increased anxiety and depression as they work to find a balance between online interactions and real-world relationships.
Brain processes thought at a fraction of the speed of Wi-Fi connection: Study
A new study has revealed that the speed of human thought is 10 bits per second. To put into perspective how slow that is, the average Wi-Fi connection can process 50 million bits per second.
The study was led by Jieyu Zheng, a graduate student at Caltech.
The researchers also discovered the body’s sensory systems gather data about the environment at a rate of one billion bits per second.
The study’s authors said the fact that our sensory systems absorb information at a rate 100 million times faster than our brains process thought raises several questions.
For instance, there are 85 billion neurons in the brain. Each neuron is more than capable of processing information far faster than 10 bits per second. But scientists are wondering why neurons don’t process faster, why people have powerful neurons but don’t use them and why humans can only think about one thing at a time.
Scientists said they have a few ideas.
Researchers found that the brain seems to operate in two modes. The outer brain absorbs high-dimensional sensory information and motor signals while the inner brain processes information needed to control behavior, which is significantly less data than is absorbed by all the senses.
Another factor is that 10 bits is really all humans need to make the decisions necessary to survive. In fact, they said 10 bits per second is only for “worst case situations” the rest of the time, humans don’t even use that much.
The team suggests more research needs to be done to discover how the “one thought at a time” operating procedure is woven into the architecture of the human brain.
The research also had an interesting look into the future. There are multiple companies trying to develop neural interfaces that would create a direct link between a brain and a computer.
