The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, drawing an angry response from China.The State Department announced the sales late Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump, who made scant mention of foreign policy issues and did not speak about China or Taiwan at all. U.S.-Chinese tensions have ebbed and flowed during Trump’s second term, largely over trade and tariffs but also over China’s increasing aggressiveness toward Taiwan, which Beijing has said must reunify with the mainland.If approved by Congress, it would be the largest-ever U.S. weapons package to Taiwan, exceeding the total amount of $8.4 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during the Biden administration.The eight arms sales agreements announced Wednesday cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS similar to what the U.S. had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend itself from Russia worth more than $4 billion. They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion.Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million.The eight sales agreements amount to $11.15 billion, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.The State Department said the sales serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”“The proposed sale(s) will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” the statements said.China’s Foreign Ministry attacked the move, saying it would violate diplomatic agreements between China and the U.S.; gravely harm China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity; and undermine regional stability.“The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.“This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war. The U.S. support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” he added.Under federal law, the U.S. is obligated to assist Taiwan with its self-defense, a point that has become increasingly contentious with China, which has vowed to take Taiwan by force, if necessary.Taiwan’s Defense Ministry in a statement Thursday expressed gratitude to the U.S. over the arms sale, which it said would help Taiwan maintain “sufficient self-defense capabilities” and bring strong deterrent capabilities. Taiwan’s bolstering of its defense “is the foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung similarly thanked the U.S. for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” which he said are key for deterring a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating Taiwan from China’s mainland.The arms sale comes as Taiwan’s government has pledged to raise defense spending to 3.3% of the island’s gross domestic product next year and to reach 5% by 2030. The boost came after Trump and the Pentagon requested that Taiwan spend as much as 10% of its GDP on its defense, a percentage well above what the U.S. or any of its major allies spend on defense. The demand has faced pushback from Taiwan’s opposition KMT party and some of its population.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te last month announced a special $40 billion budget for arms purchases, including to build an air defense system with high-level detection and interception capabilities called Taiwan Dome. The budget will be allocated over eight years, from 2026 to 2033.The U.S. boost in military assistance to Taiwan was previewed in legislation adopted by Congress that Trump is expected to sign shortly.Last week, the Chinese embassy in Washington denounced the legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it unfairly targeted China as an aggressor. The U.S. Senate passed the bill Wednesday.
Mistreanu reported from Beijing. AP video journalists Olivia Zhang in Beijing and Johnson Lai in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.
Matthew Lee and Simina Mistreanu, Associated Press
A new hotspot just opened in New Yorkand its in terminal 5 of John F. Kennedy International Airport. BlueHouse, a 9,000-square-foot space exclusively available to select JetBlue Airways customers, welcomed its first guests at 5 a.m. this morning as the airlines first foray into the pitched battle for lucrative premium fliers.
Designed by Gensler, BlueHouse is a smorgasbord of New Yorks iconic and eclectic design heritage. From the Art Deco elevator indicator to black-and-white deli tile on the floor and the Grand Central Terminal-inspired ceiling mural, the space screams Big Apple while staying true to JetBlues quirky and, well, blue heritage.
[Photo: JetBlue]
Its unquestionably a hip New York experience, said Marty St. George, president of JetBlue, on a recent pre-opening tour of BlueHouse. His favorite feature is the 45 pieces of art that fill the space from artists around the city and three of the airlines crewmembers, as it calls its staff, including a bespoke piece from New Yorker illustrator Matt Reuter.
[Photo: JetBlue]
JetBlue goes premium
BlueHouse is part of the larger premiumization trend sweeping air travel. Everyone from JetBlue to egalitarian stalwart Southwest Airlines and even discounter Spirit Airlines are unveiling more upscale offerings for their planes and at airports. The aim is two-fold: strengthen loyalty among top tier customers and wring more money from everyone all in the hope of improving their bottom lines.
JetBlues effort, dubbed JetForward, includes BlueHouse locations at JFK and, in 2026, Boston Logan International Airport. Its also introducing domestic first class on its fleet of Airbus planes, a new partnership with United Airlines, and changes to its TrueBlue loyalty program aimed to make customers even more loyal to the airline.
[Photo: JetBlue]
The lounge is also an effort to counter JetBlues nemesis at JFK and Boston: Delta Air Lines. While St. George did not name the carrier, keeping JetBlues customers from leaving the fold and, maybe, wooing some widget fliers away from Delta is top of mind.
Our number one goal was to not repeat the mistakes our competitor made with lounges, he said. Delta is known for overcrowded lounges and, at times, long waits to access its Sky Clubs.
[Photo: JetBlue]
Access to BlueHouse is, for now, limited to only JetBlues most loyal frequent fliers, transatlantic Mint business class passengers, and holders of its premium credit card, which has an annual fee of $499.
Delta has also upped its lounge game with the exclusive Delta One Lounges, the first of which opened at JFK in mid-2024. It now has four locations, including in Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
[Photo: JetBlue]
Inside BlueHouse
Travelers enter through a foyer that can best be described as a quintessential New York apartment lobby: a Just Ask desk in the place of a doormans desk in front of a set of mailboxes (inside are keepsakes for visitors, just ask for a key), a stairway to the second level lined with art, an elevator with a Deco indicator and a blue tunnel leading to the lounge area of the lounge.
Elsewhere across the lounges two floors, books curated by the Strand bookstore match JetBlues white-and-blue color palette line bookshelves and ledges. Bespoke wallpaper by Brooklyns Flavor Paper decorates the restrooms. And craft cocktails by Please Dont Tell in the East Village are served at the bar.
A Republican push to make drilling cheaper on federal land is creating new fiscal pressure for states that depend on oil and gas revenue, most notably in New Mexico as it expands early childhood education and saves for the future.The shift stems from the sweeping law President Donald Trump signed in July that rolls back the minimum federal royalty rate to 12.5%. That rate the share of production value companies must pay to the government held steady for a century under the 1920 Mineral Leasing Act. It was raised to 16.7% under the Biden administration in 2022.Trump and Republicans in Congress say the rate reset will boost energy production, jobs and affordability as the administration clears the way for expanded drilling and mining on public lands.States receive nearly half the money collected through federal royalties, depending on where production takes place. The environment and economics research group Resources for the Future estimates a roughly $6 billion drop in collections over the coming decade.The stakes are highest in New Mexico, the largest recipient of federal mineral lease payments. The state could could forgo $1.7 billion by 2035 and as much as $5.1 billion by 2050, according to calculations by economist Brian Prest at Resources for the Future.More than one-third of the general fund budget in the Democratically-led state is tied to the oil and gas industry.“New Mexico’s impact is way bigger than Wyoming or Colorado or North Dakota,” Prest said, “and that’s just because that’s where the action is on new development.”The effects will unfold gradually, since federal leases allow a 10-year window to begin drilling and production. Still, state officials say they’re already prepping for leaner years.“It all hurts when you’re losing revenues,” said Democratic state Sen. George Muoz of Gallup, who said lawmakers still hope to invest more in mental health care and support Medicaid, even if federal royalty payments decline. “We’ve learned that until the chicken’s got feathers, we’re not even looking at it.”The higher federal royalty rate was in place for roughly three years while leasing activity was muted, Prest said. New Mexico budget forecasters never tallied the additional income.
New Mexico’s nest-egg strategy
A nearly five-fold surge in local oil production since 2017 on federal and state land in New Mexico delivered a financial windfall for state government, helping fund higher teacher salaries, tuition-free college, universal free school meals and more.The state set aside billions of dollars in investment trusts for future spending in case the world’s thirst for oil falters, including a early childhood education fund to help expand preschool, child care subsidies and home wellness visits for pregnancies and infants.The state’s investment nest egg has grown to $64 billion, second only to Alaska’s Permanent Fund. Earnings from the trusts are New Mexico’s second-biggest source for general fund spending.That sturdy financial footing shaped a defiant response to this year’s federal government shutdown, when lawmakers voted to subsidize the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange, cover food assistance and backfill cuts to public broadcasting.But lawmakers reviewing state finances last week learned that predictable income fell 1.6% the first contraction since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Muoz said matters would be worse if the state had not raised its own royalty rates this year to 25%, from 20%, for new leases on prime oil and gas tracts, while ending a sales moratorium, under legislation he co-sponsored this year.
Universal free child care under scrutiny
The slowdown has cast uncertainty over a universal free child care initiative launched by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last month.Some fellow Democrats in the Legislature have balked at a proposed $160 million spending increase. State Rep. Meredith Dixon of Albuquerque said hundreds of families earning more than $320,000 annually could qualify for free child care despite not needing it.“Universal child care is a fantastic idea,” said Dixon, a Democrat. “I 100% don’t agree with this approach.”Lawmakers are also under court order to carry out a remedial plan to improve K-12 education for Native American students and others from low-income households. New Mexico has long ranked near the bottom nationally on education outcomes, with lagging test scores and low graduation rates.
Encouraged in Alaska
After New Mexico, the states receiving the most federal oil and gas royalties are Wyoming, Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas.Texas, the nation’s top oil producer, shares the bountiful Permian Basin with New Mexico but has far less federal land and therefore less exposure to changes in royalty policy.In Alaska, state officials say they are encouraged by the royalty cut, seeing potential for increased development in places like the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, where the massive Willow project approved in 2023 and now under development is viewed by some as a catalyst for further activity. The reserve is expected to hold its first lease sales since 2019.“If reduced federal royalty rates stimulate new leasing, exploration and production, that also could increase other kinds of revenue,” said Lorraine Henry, a spokesperson for Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources.In North Dakota, federal royalties are split evenly between the state and county governments where drilling occurs. State Office of Management and Budget Director Joe Morrissette said the industry’s future remains difficult to forecast.“There are so many variables, including timing, price, availability of desirable tracts, and federal policies regarding exploration activities,” Morrissette said.
Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; and Jack Dura in Bismark, North Dakota, contributed.
It might surprise people that my husband and I pay a financial planner, given that I spend a lot of time on financial, tax, and investment planning at work. However, hiring a planner has delivered a return that can’t be quantified: peace of mind.Here are some key reasons we pay for financial advice.1) We wanted a second opinion on a few important decisions.I wanted a different perspective on less-familiar subjects, such as handling employer stock, and whether we needed long-term care insurance. We could have confronted both issues on our own, but having professional guidance helped us move forward more confidently.2) We found a business model that makes sense for our situation.We were delighted to find a financial planning firm that could work with us on an hourly basis to address our specific questions, rather than ongoing portfolio management. Paying for financial advice on an ongoing basis, via an assets-under-management fee or other arrangement, can be right for some people. Shop around to find a business model that fits with the type and level of service you need. This requires clarity on what you want.Most holistic financial planners, including ours, are uncomfortable answering questions without fully understanding your financial situation. My question about long-term care insurance seemed straightforward, but our planner could only answer confidently if she understood our retirement assets, expected Social Security, and anticipated in-retirement spending. A good-quality planner needs time to review your total situation before giving answers. (I consider it a red flag if a planner is willing to give targeted advice without a comprehensive review.) That can mean more fees than you anticipated.3) It gave us an impetus to get, and stay, organized.A holistic financial planner also requires you to share a lot of informationstatements for all your financial accounts, tax returns, pay stubs, and so forth. If you’re paying hourly, it’s in your best interest to gather all that documentation yourself rather than turning over piles of disorganized paperwork. Gathering the documents was not a light lift, but I was able to cull a lot of financial paperwork through that process. That initial organization blitz has continued to pay dividends: We maintain just a small sheaf of financial documents and can readily access anything we need.4) We love having a succession plan.As an unexpected benefit to working with a planner, they now have current information on every financial relationship we have: our bank accounts, company retirement plans and IRAs, and insurance policies. Our accounts are linked to the firm’s financial planning portal so that our planner can see what’s happening with them in real-time, without needing fresh documents. Any of the planners in the firm could also access our information in a pinch. If something happened to us, our loved ones would have a one-stop resource to help them sort things out. You can keep scrupulous records and develop your own succession plan, but storing all of our documentation with a third party helps alleviate worries about records being damaged or lost.5) A third party can help give us “permission to spend.”My husband and I don’t deprive ourselves, but we’ve spent our lifetimes earning and saving. Turning the spending switch “on” in retirement could be mentally challenging. Our planner’s retirement projections (including stress tests for big market downdrafts and tax-law changes) have provided tremendous peace of mind. There are other avenues to help with the “permission to spend” problem, but for me a financial planner can provide a lot of value in this context. For our own peace of mind as we age, it’s a relationship we plan to maintain.
This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance.Christine Benz is director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar.Related Links
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Christine Benz of Morningstar
In a surprising move, Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT) said on Thursday that it is fusing itself to a fusion company.
The company will merge with TAE Technologiesa privately held fusion energy firm thats backed by Alphabet, Chevron Technology Ventures, and othersin a deal thats worth more than $6 billion.
Its an all-stock deal, which is expected to close sometime next year, and is a huge and eyebrow-raising move for Trump Media, which is best known as the owner of President Trumps social media platform, Truth Social.
When all is said and done, shareholders of both companies will own approximately 50% of the combined company on a fully diluted equity basis, per the company release.
Following the announcement, DJT shares jumped nearly 30% during premarket trading. The stock was up almost 35% in early trading on Thursday as of this writing.
However, shares are down nearly 70% year to date, and are down roughly 92% from their peak in March 2022.
Why is this merger happening?
As for the logic behind the surprising merger, the combined company aims to build massive fusion power plants that can supply energy to power the ongoing AI boom.
In 2026, the combined company plans to site and begin construction on the worlds first utility-scale fusion power plant (50 MWe), subject to required approvals,” the company’s statement reads. “Additional fusion power plants are planned and expected to be 350 500 MWe.”
It added: Fusion power plants are expected to provide economic, abundant, and dependable electricity that would help America win the A.I. revolution and maintain its global economic dominance.
Devin Nunes, chairman and CEO of Trump Media and a former California congressman, echoed the sentiment in a statement included in that releasein true Trumpian fashion.
Trump Media & Technology Group built uncancellable infrastructure to secure free expression online for Americans, and now were taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement Americas global energy dominance for generations, he said, adding that “fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s.”
Notably, there are not currently any operating fusion power plants. A report published in October by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit environmental group, counts 29 fusion energy startups in the U.S. that have attracted significant funding in recent years.
Further, the latest annual survey from Fusion Industry Association found that 75% of respondents dont expect fusion power plants to start supplying energy to the grid until the 2030s.
Update Thursday, December 18, 1:35 p.m.:
Shares of Trump Media and Technology Group (Nasdaq: DJT) remained elevated throughout early trading on Thursday following the Truth Social parent company’s eye-opening announcement that it will merge with the privately held fusion energy company TAE Technologies.
As of midday, the stock was up more than 40% to roughly $14.67 a share. The stock is still down roughly 56% year to date. Shares had peaked for the year in January, early into President Trump’s second term.
Original story:
In a surprising move, Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT) said on Thursday that it is fusing itself to a fusion company.
The company will merge with TAE Technologiesa privately held fusion energy firm thats backed by Alphabet, Chevron Technology Ventures, and othersin a deal thats worth more than $6 billion.
Its an all-stock deal, which is expected to close sometime next year, and is a huge and eyebrow-raising move for Trump Media, which is best known as the owner of President Trumps social media platform, Truth Social.
When all is said and done, shareholders of both companies will own approximately 50% of the combined company on a fully diluted equity basis, per the company release.
Following the announcement, DJT shares jumped nearly 30% during premarket trading. The stock was up almost 35% in early trading on Thursday as of this writing.
However, shares are down nearly 70% year to date, and are down roughly 92% from their peak in March 2022.
Why is this merger happening?
As for the logic behind the surprising merger, the combined company aims to build massive fusion power plants that can supply energy to power the ongoing AI boom.
In 2026, the combined company plans to site and begin construction on the worlds first utility-scale fusion power plant (50 MWe), subject to required approvals,” the company’s statement reads. “Additional fusion power plants are planned and expected to be 350 500 MWe.”
It added: Fusion power plants are expected to provide economic, abundant, and dependable electricity that would help America win the A.I. revolution and maintain its global economic dominance.
Devin Nunes, chairman and CEO of Trump Media and a former California congressman, echoed the sentiment in a statement included in that releasein true Trumpian fashion.
Trump Media & Technology Group built uncancellable infrastructure to secure free expression online for Americans, and now were taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement Americas global energy dominance for generations, he said, adding that “fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s.”
Notably, there are not currently any operating fusion power plants. A report published in October by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit environmental group, counts 29 fusion energy startups in the U.S. that have attracted significant funding in recent years.
Further, the latest annual survey from Fusion Industry Association found that 75% of respondents dont expect fusion power plants to start supplying energy to the grid until the 2030s.
Every year since 2010, Ive posted an article about what trend I expect to dominate the next twelve months. Throughout the 2010s, these forecasts usually focused on emerging technologies or new currents in management thinking. But around 2020, that began to shift. The annual trends increasingly centered on how we cope with change rather than the change itself.
Last year my trend was The Coming Realignment. History tends to propagate at a certain rhythm and then converge and cascade around certain points. Years like 1776, 1789, 1848, 1920, 1948, 1968, 1989and, it seems, 2020mark these inflection points. The years that follow are usually spent absorbing the shock and navigating the consequences.
Today, everything is up for question. Will AI boom or bust? Will it take our jobs or bring new prosperity? What kind of economic system will we adopt for the future? We are in the midst of a great realignment. What we know from previous inflections is that what comes after will be profoundly different from before. What we most need to watch is our institutions.
AI boom or bust?
Today, the AI investment boom is without a doubt the single biggest factor propping up the US economy. Just this year, tech giants are expected to invest roughly $364 billion in the technology. And the spending wont stop there. McKinsey projects that building AI data centers could add up to $5.2 trillion in investment by 2030.
This boom is different from what weve seen in the past because the main investors arent speculators or startups, but some of the worlds most profitable companies, including Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft. Unlike in past cycles, if the industry hits a downturn, there will still be tens of billions of dollars in annual profits to cushion the blow.
Still, as investor Paul Kedrosky points out, there are reasons to worry. Investment in data center infrastructure has already surpassed the peak of the dot-com boom and is beginning to approach levels last seen during the railroad frenzy of the 19th century. Also, 60% of the cost of those data centers goes to AI chips, which have a useful life of only about three years.
That means this is not a boom that can wait decades to pay off. If todays investments dont generate returns in the near future, much of the infrastructure could fully depreciate before delivering meaningful profit. In practical terms, unless tech firms can earn more than $200 billion in profiton these investments alone, not from their core businessesthey will be underwater. And as investment accelerates, that bar only rises.
Kedrosky also notes signs of growing systemic risk. Increasingly, tech giants are choosing to finance their infrastructure build-outs with Enron-like special-purpose vehicles. These structures cost more but keep the debt off their balance sheets. That risk, in turn, is increasingly being passed to more traditional investors, including REITs.
Will AI displace humans or enhance us?
A 2023 report by the World Economic Forum, analyzing 673 million jobs, predicted structural job growth of 69 million jobs and a decline of 83 million, an overall decrease of 14 million jobs. An IMF analysis found that 40% of global employment is exposed. In an interview with Axios, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years.
Yet more grounded economic analyses suggest a much more modest impact. A study by the St. Louis Fed suggests a 1.1% increase in aggregate worker productivity, with much of that increase concentrated in the tech sector. A paper by Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu, which looks at total factor productivity (TFP), a measure which takes use of capital into account, sees a 0.66% increase over 10 years, translating to a 0.064% increase in annual TFP growth.
A recent McKinsey report takes an optimistic view. While noting that many routine office and production jobs are likely to disappear, those that leverage technical, social and emotional skills are likely to flourish, just as Autor has predicted. However, there is reason to suspect that optimists may be merely extrapolating from historical trends that may no longer apply.
Theres no guarantee that the future will look like the past. An analysis in Harvard Business Review suggested that AI could disrupt the non-routine creative work that, to this point, has been hard to automate. Meanwhile, research in Science has found that, although AI may enhance individual creative work, it diminishes the diversity of novel output, potentially stifling the very innovation it aims to support.
What will be the economic system of the future?
Before 1789 the world was ruled by the divine right of kings and the feudal system. Yet that year would prove to be an inflection point. The American Constitution, the French Revolution, and the first Industrial Revolution, already underway since the introduction of the steam engine in 1776, together created a fundamental realignment of power.
These forces would build and clash for decades until things came to a head in the revolutionary year of 1848. Today, we seem to be in a similarly liminal space, as we decide what kind of future we want to live in. The next century and a half would be dominated by the tensions between socialism and capitalism.
When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the West was triumphant. Communism was exposed as a corrupt system bereft of any real legitimacy. Yet for anyone paying attention, communism had long been discredited. As far back as the 1930s, Stalins disastrous collectivization and industrialization campaigns had led to mass starvation. By the 1970s, Soviet total factor productivity growth had gone negative, meaning more investment actually brought less output.
Yet today, it is capitalism that finds itself under siege from all sides. Leftist progressives like Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani advocate for reining in the private sector and creating a bigger safety net. The mercantilist American president rails against free trade and nationalizes the means of production. Christian nationalists openly call for theocratic rule.
At the same time, a new cadre of theorists has emerged whose ideas dont fit the traditional right-left paradigm. New Right thinkers such as Curtis Yarvin and Patrick Deneen call for wholesale reordering of society. On the more technocratic side, a new school of thought is emerging that is associated with Ezra Klein and Derek Thompsons book Abundance.
Its the institutions, stupid
In Why Nations Fail, economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson explain why the fate of nations rests less on innate factors such as geography, culture, or climate and more on the quality and types of institutions they build. In particular, they make the distinction between inclusive institutions and extractive institutions.
Inclusive institutions protect property rights broadly across society, establish fair competition, and reward innovation. Extractive institutions, on the other hand, concentrate wealth in the hands of a small elite who exploit the broader population. These elite players control resources and use state power to enrich themselves at society’s expense.
We are clearly in a liminal period in which we are struggling to adapt to shifts in technology, economics, and identity. Will AI oppress or empower regular people? Will we trade openly or retreat behind national barriers? Will we focus primarily on our local communities or see ourselves as citizens of a larger planet?
As ever, there will be no shortage of pundits predicting the paths the future will take. Many of their narratives will be persuasivebut also mutually contradictory. The real tell will be what kinds of institutions we build and which ones we allow to decay or be destroyed outright. Are we creating institutions that strengthen rights and the rule of law, or those that serve the powerful?
The outcome is still unclear, but the lines of battle have been drawn. If you want to know what to expect in the near to mid-term, pay less attention to predictions about technology, politics, or ideology and focus instead on institutions. Those are what create the norms and rituals that will shape the behaviors of the future.
Stargazers and scientists are getting a holiday present from the cosmos this week.
3I/ATLAS, an interstellar comet, will get closest to Earth on Friday, December 19, as part of its journey across the galaxy.
Lets break the facts of this natural phenomena down because it sounds like it could be the plot of an exciting science fiction thriller.
What is an interstellar comet?
Much like a Christmas tree, planets in our Solar System revolve around our star, the sun.
Its not the only planetary system out there. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains other systems, and if you zoom out even further, there are even more.
The comet 3I/ATLAS is labeled interstellar because it comes from outside our star system and is not gravitationally bound to the sun. Its on an elliptical vacation of sorts, exploring new locations with a greater freedom than the other objects surrounding it.
When was 3I/Atlas discovered?
Scientists only recently discovered 3I/ATLAS, on July 1, 2025.
The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System survey telescope, funded by NASA and located in Rio Hurtado, Chile, first laid eyes on the object. This observation caused scientists to go back and look over records from other Atlas telescopes to learn more.
These pre-discovery findings found evidence of the comet dating back to June 14, 2025.
The comet got its name because it is a tradition to name objects after the people or system that discover them. In this case, it was named after Atlas. The 3 and the I tell the world this is the third interstellar object found.
Animation of comet 3I/ATLAS’s trajectory through our solar system. [Animation: NASA/JPL]
How close will 3I/ATLAS actually get?
On Friday, 3I/ATLAS will get the closest to Earth in its orbit, but close is a relative term.
It will cross within 167 million miles of our planet. To put that in perspective, that is around two times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The comet poses no danger to Earth, meaning there’s no need to hire a ragtag group of oil drillers la the 1998 film Armageddon.
How best to view 3I/Atlas
Unfortunately, 3I/ATLAS cannot be viewed by the naked eye. Dedicated stargazers will need a small telescope. But the silver lining is that the comet will hang around until spring. For best results, view in the early, predawn hours.
According to NASA, those who are extra enthusiastic and planning a Friday adventure should focus on the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo, as 3I/ATLAS should appear near that location.
For those who are without a telescope and would rather sleep in, NASA has done the work for you. You can visit the NASA website to view 3I/ATLAS from many different angles. Maybe the pictures will inspire you to write the next great science fiction tale.
Finally, NASA’s “eyes on the solar system” tool lets you view a simulated live version of 3I/ATLAS as it hurls through space.
The Christmas holiday season is a time to step back from the busy pace of modern life and connect with our nearest and dearest instead of screens, apps and chatbots.Here are some suggestions on how to unplug from the online world for the next few weeks as you sit down for a festive meal, exchange gifts or take time out for some self-reflection.
Do not disturb me
Your phone already has built-in features that can help you stop getting distracted.To temporarily silence all those attention-seeking notifications, use the Focus setting on your iPhone or Android device. This mode is designed to stop interruptions when you want to concentrate. You can customize it by blocking specific apps or muting only when you’re doing certain things, like sleeping or reading.Android and iOS also have related screen time controls to manage overall device usage. Too much Instagram scrolling? Limit yourself to a daily total of 20 minutes.There are other tricks you could try, like turning the screen gray to make it less appealing. On iPhones or Android devices, tweak the color filter or adjustment settings. On Android, activating Bedtime Mode also turns the screen gray.
Delete apps
If you need to be more strict with yourself, then delete any or apps you’re addicted to. An effective way to stop looking at your phone is by removing those apps that you spend the most time scrolling through, even if temporarily. You can always reinstall them again if the withdrawal symptoms become too much.
Get outside
When the temperature drops, it’s tempting to hunker down inside and stay cozy. But don’t sit on the couch all day. Head outdoors, away from Wi-Fi signals. If it’s been snowing where you are, have a snowball fight or go sledding. To keep your hands warm, don’t forget to put on bulky mittens which your phone’s touch screen won’t respond to.Even if there’s no snow, take a walk in the woods, a park or along some tree-lined streets. Time spent outdoors, and away from screens, can benefit your mental health and physical well-being. There’s even a term for it: forest bathing.
And touch grass
There’s an app you can use to force yourself to literally get back in touch with nature. Touch Grass takes its name from a viral catchphrase for when someone has lost their connection to the real world because they’re consumed by what’s on their screens.It’s similar to other apps designed to restrict screen time by forcing users to take a timeout from scrolling. The difference is that Touch Grass requires users to go outside and take a picture of themselves physically touching some grass.Touch Grass has a free service level that allows you to block two apps. I found it was quite effective at stopping me from opening two of my favorite time-wasters, Reddit and Instagram, though I ended up spending more time on other apps like Facebook. To block all apps, you’ll have to shell out for a subscription $6 a month or $50 annually.If you can’t find grass because it’s winter, there’s also the option to touch snow or sand. It’s only available for iPhones so far, but there are copycat versions for both iOS and Android, though we haven’t tested them.
Putting pen to paper
When was the last time you sent a Christmas card? Most digital natives find it easier to type out holiday greetings or send digital cards over chat apps, than to put pen to paper.The consequence of all the time that we spend tapping, typing or swiping on our devices is that handwriting is becoming something of a dying art. But there are neurological and cognitive benefits of handwriting, research suggests. For example, taking notes by hand is a better way for students to learn and to remember information.So use this time of year to write a thoughtful message to someone special, a letter to a long-lost friend, or thank you notes for presents received.
Pick up a book
If you still don’t know what you want for Christmas, why not ask for a book? It’s easy to find inspiration and ideas at this time of year, when many people like to share the books they’ve read over the past 12 months, and outlets including The Associated Press compile their list of the year’s best books.Reading long-form literature or non-fiction has many benefits that can’t be gained from glancing at short-form bursts of text on your device, including a deeper understanding of a topic, developing empathy, increasing your focus and concentration and more.
Lock your device up
If you’re looking for a last-minute gift, how about a time-lock vault to put your devices out of reach for, say, 15 minutes, a few hours or even weeks?There are plenty of versions for sale online. For about $30, I bought a battery-powered gray plastic model that can hold several smartphones. The instruction leaflet says it’s intended to “enhance self-discipline.”Punch in the amount of time up to 30 days and a digital display will count down until it unlocks. The lid has portholes so you can thread in cables for charging while you wait.One evening, I locked my phone up for an hour and then grabbed my laptop to do some online Christmas shopping. But my plans were foiled because I forgot that authentication requests for my credit card and Amazon went to my phone.
Not-as-smart phones
For another gift idea, consider putting a brick phone under the tree. Also known as a feature phone, these devices cater to those who want a back-to-basics phone without all the digital stimulation that comes with a smartphone.Retro devices from Nokia evoke the early days of the cellphone era no touch screens, numeric keypads and throwback video games like Snake. Most can only make voice calls and send text messages.If that sounds too primitive, there are so-called digital minimalist phones that serve a similar market niche. Devices from Light, Punkt and Balance offer sleek, modern designs but with a stripped-down experience.
Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.
Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer
One of the best things about the Christmas period is all the yummy desserts found in peoples kitchens. But now one of the largest food companies in America is issuing a warning about one of those sweet treats.
Heres what you need to know about a new recall from Danone U.S., which impacts one of its dairy-free frozen desserts.
Whats happened?
On December 15, North American food producer Danone U.S. announced a voluntary recall of one of its dessert products, per a notice posted on the website of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company is recalling its So Delicious Dairy Free brand of Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert.
The recall is due to concerns that the product may contain foreign materials mixed into the dessert. Specifically, there is a chance that the cashews in the frozen dessert may have small stones and other hard objects embedded within them.
The potential for foreign material contamination is obviously concerning, which is why Danone U.S. is pulling the impacted products from the shelves and urging consumers who have them not to eat them.
What products are included in the recall?
Only one product is listed as being part of this recall, though the product has multiple best-by dates:
Product Name: So Delicious Dairy Free Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert pints
SKU: 136603
UPC: 744473476138
Best-By Dates / Lot No (Exp Dates): Before 08 Aug 2027
The recalled product, as the notice on the FDA website states, can have multiple Best-By Dates / Lot No (Exp Dates), all of which are before August 8, 2027.
Danone U.S. has also posted photographs of the recall product, which you can view here.
It should be noted that the recalled product actually came in two different packaging designs. Products purchased before February 7, 2025, have a different package design than those purchased after.
Has anyone been harmed by the recalled product?
The recall notice does not state whether anyone has been harmed by the presence of foreign materials in the frozen dessert.
Danone U.S. says, So Delicious Dairy Free is working swiftly with retail partners to remove the potentially impacted product from shelves. In the meantime, the company has already identified and corrected this issue and will soon be able to bring back the frozen dessert so many people enjoy.
Where was the recalled product sold?
The notice does not specify where the product was sold. Fast Company has reached out to Danone U.S. for additional details.
What should I do if I have the recalled product?
You should not consume the recalled product if you have it in your possession.
Instead, the recall notice posted on the So Delicious website states that you should dispose of the product.
For information about a refund for the product, consumers are asked to contact So Delicious via the contact form on its website. Alternatively, consumers can call the company on the So Delicious Dairy Free Care Line at 1-833-367-8975.
