It’s likely to be taken to court by the fossil fuel firms
On the first day of his administration, US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order which directs federal agencies to ensure “a sufficient amount of energy supplies” is available. The order also directed officials to work towards “eliminating all fossil fuel and coal-fired power plants within the next five years”. This comes amid rising demand for electricity, according to reports.
TikTok isn’t available in the US from the app stores
The US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has said it will not enforce a law barring the TikTok app from being available in American apps. “It’s certainly in the interest of these companies to to curry favour with the new administration and I guess it’s conceivable…that even $850 billion of liability exposure and even voluntarily violating…law might be worth it to some companies,” The Information reported.
The TikTok CEO flatters the President before the ban deadline
The US Supreme Court has allowed China’s ByteDance to sell its video-sharing platform TikTok in the country. “Congress has determined… divestiture is necessary to address its…national security concerns regarding TikTok’s…relationship with a foreign adversary,” the court said. The US government told the court that if the ban takes effect, it might just give the US government enough leverage to sell TikTok.
Microsoft has tripled down on artificial intelligence
Microsoft, in an interview with Bloomberg, revealed it’s creating a new group of AI engineers as part of its transformation into a technology company. Microsoft said it is combining its AI platform work with its developer division to build software solutions for customers and their own teams. This comes after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that AI-powered apps would be built by AI engineers.
Scott Bessent is Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary
Donald Trump’s nominee for Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, said he’d focus on safety on the roads and skies and reduce red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects. “Our efforts show that we’re able to work together and accomplish important things,” Duffy added. US Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced Duffy to the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing.
John Deere is being sued over farmers’ ability to repair machines
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it would sue Deere and its subsidiaries, alleging they kept a monopoly power over repairing farm equipment. The agency had filed a complaint against Deere alleging it didn’t give access to its software and kept a monopoly power over repairs. It added that Deere reaps profits from selling parts rather than generic alternatives.
Microsoft raises prices and bundles features into its subscription service
Microsoft will bring its AI-powered chat service Copilot Pro to all Office 365 subscribers in US, said Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer of AI at work. “Our plan all along has been how do we bring this value to as many subscribers as possible in a way that works for them and for us,” Spataro said. Copilot Pro is free for subscribers.
There’s a better way to define obesity according to the commission
A panel of international scientists has proposed a revised definition of obesity that includes measuring waist circumference, using low-level X-rays to measure fat mass, and measuring a person’s level of adiposity. The definition, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, uses objective measures of illness instead of body mass index (BMI), which links a person’s weight to their height.
L.A. Fires were less than expected but could pick up on Wednesday
The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a “particularly dangerous situation” warning for California, saying strong winds will “result in the ignition of wildfires”. The weather service added that the warnings would be in place from 8 am on Tuesday to 3 pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the number of people under evacuation orders has dropped to about 92,000, with 89,000 under evacuation warnings.
California’s fires may affect its insurance market
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said that climate change is making the way homeowners are insured in the United States different. It added that traditional insurance models have had trouble accounting for the “known unknown” risks that climate change poses. “I think the big question now…is how far can regulatory changes go in helping maintain insurability in this environment of really catastrophic wildfire risk?” it said.