1.11.2025

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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. 

1440 Business & Finance

This upcoming week, we'll be exploring the dynamic world of startups, including: 

> The economic impact of launching new companies.

> The world's "unicorns"—startups that have reached $1B in value.

> Which colleges produce the most founders. 

... and much more. The newsletter comes out Thursday morning—sign up here for free!

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Today, we're sharing a story from reader Annie C. in Evansville, Wyoming.

"My daughter, her friend, and I were driving to Iowa to visit family. When I stopped for fuel, I noticed oily-like spatters on the side of my truck and the back of my tailgate. Checking the fluid levels, starting with the transmission fluid, I noticed it was slightly low. When we got to our first destination, Villisca, Iowa, we stopped by the farmers co-op, and while buying some transmission fluid, three of the men, hearing that I was traveling and far from home, proceeded to go outside (it was 14° out) and take a look."

"Within a minute or two, they discovered that while my transmission fluid was just a bit low, my pick-up had an active power steering leak. The co-op employee got me the exact types of fluid I needed, topped off the transmission fluid, and another gentleman topped off the power steering fluid. He explained to me how to watch it and fill it for the remainder of our trip, until I can get it home to my mechanic. The men were reassuring and confident and put my mind at ease. I went from worried to happy traveler in just minutes."

What act(s) of kindness did you experience this week? Tell us here.