Electricity demand will rise much faster than overall energy growth in the coming decades, underscoring the need for diversified energy sources, according to an analysis released Wednesday.
The report by the International Energy Agency said renewable energy, led by solar power, will grow faster than any other major source in the next few years and that coal and oil demand will likely peak globally by the end of this decade. The report noted that many natural gas projects were approved in 2025, due to changes in U.S. policy, indicating worldwide supply will rise even as questions remain about how it will be used. Meanwhile, global nuclear power capacity is set to increase by at least a third by 2035 after being stagnant for years.
The release of the annual World Energy Outlook coincided with U.N. climate negotiations in Brazil this week, where global leaders are calling for ways to curb the planet’s warming.
Regional dynamics
The IEA says building greater resilience in energy systems is especially important as data centers, heating and cooling, electrification, and more drive energy demand. Investment in data centers is expected to reach $580 billion this year, exceeding investment in the oil supply, according to the report.
Growing economies including India and nations in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, will increasingly shape energy market dynamics in the years, the IEA said, noting their potential for solar power.
China, meanwhile, has accounted for half the global growth in demand for oil and gas, and more than half for electricity, since 2010.
In a break from the trend of the past decade, the increase in electricity consumption is no longer limited to emerging and developing economies, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a release. Birol said that electricity use is also rising in advanced economies.
Nations are grappling with meeting demand while preparing for the risks brought on by the planets warming. The IEA says the world is falling short on universal energy access and climate change goals. Around 730 million people still live without electricity, according to the IEA, and despite progress, nearly one-quarter of the global population still relies on inefficient cooking methods that hurt their health or the environment. 2024 was also the hottest year on record.
Nations should diversify their energy sources and cooperate to expand supply chains for critical minerals used to make things like batteries for electric vehicles and components for solar and wind power generation, the IEA said. This also includes making quick improvements to the grid, energy storage and broader infrastructure.
When we look at the history of the energy world in recent decades, there is no other time when energy security tensions have applied to so many fuels and technologies at once, Birol said. With energy security front and (center) for many governments, their responses need to consider the synergies and trade-offs that can arise with other policy goals on affordability, access, competitiveness and climate change.
In a conference call Wednesday, Birol said: We will still use oil, we will still use gas. But the growth of electricity demand is spectacular.
He noted the role transportation plays in accounting for 45% of global oil consumption, for example. How the electrification of the transportation takes place, especially in countries beyond China and Europe, will determine the shape of the oil demand and growth.
Global reaction
Wednesday’s edition of the yearly report is the first released since the start of U.S. President Donald Trumps second term. Trump’s administration has for a second time opted out of the Paris agreement, rolled back dozens of climate regulations, slashed federal support for renewable energies such as wind and solar power, and is reversing the endangerment finding that sits at the core of U.S. climate policy.
Trump has pledged his support instead to the fossil fuel industry, investing in coal and loosening restrictions on pollution.
But energy analysts said the shift to clean power is happening regardless of climate policy around the world.
The evidence on the ground is overwhelming. EV sales are taking off in many emerging countries, solar is permeating even through the Middle East, said Dave Jones, chief analyst at global energy think tank Ember. “Renewables and electrification will dominate the future.
Maria Pastukhova, energy transition program lead at climate change think tank E3G, said the report makes the choices for the global energy system and the global economy unambiguous.
If countries want to grow their economies and protect their citizens from roller-coaster energy prices, they need to focus relentlessly on energy efficiency and the (decarbonization) of energy demand, Pastukhova said.
Others, however, were critical of how the outlook addressed oil and gas. Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, said the outlook does not fully capture the momentum in renewables, and that it should have emphasized the trajectory for renewable energy is accelerating, driven by the decreasing cost of the technologies, strong policy support and the move toward electrification.
Were accelerating, he added. You can see it all around the world and we can see it in our numbers for last year, but also in our numbers for the first half of this year. It looks very, very exciting, both for wind and for solar, in fact, and for next year, even more so.
The outlook foresees the likelihood of surpassing the warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) established in the Paris Agreement. Nonetheless, Stephan Singer, global energy senior advisor at CAN International, a global network of environmental organizaions, said getting below that point is still possible.
The IEA addressed some of the criticism in the call Wednesday. It said that it sees differences economically, politically, and with regard to clean energy efforts across the globe, and that its analysis tries to account for those differences.
In a nutshell, the IEA is backsliding. As a global think tank, the IEA has largely failed to represent where most countries in the (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and the developing world are, as theyre supporting net zero emissions with 98% CO2 emissions reductions by mid-century,” Singer said.
Alexa St. John, Associated Press climate reporter
Associated Press reporters Jennifer McDermott and Sibi Arasu contributed to this report.
The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Watch out, Dr. Pepper: Mr. Pibb is in the house.
After almost 25 years, Coca-Cola announced in late October that its bringing back Mr. Pibb, its spicy cherry soda that first launched in 1972. If you were born after the turn of the century, chances are you may have never seen a can of Mr. Pibb. That’s because, in 2001, Coca-Cola renamed and rebranded the drink to Pibb Xtra, and its remained largely untouched since then.
Now, Coca-Cola is giving Mr. Pibb another chance. The company is reformulating the beverage, adding extra caffeine, and giving the entire brand a makeover. Its new branding is a combination of burgundy, red, and black, complete with an eye-catching gold exclamation point and a few subtle callbacks to Mr. Pibb’s ’90s look. Mr. Pibb will fully replace Pibb Xtra across the U.S. by 2026, according to A.P. Chaney, Coca-Colas head of creative for sparkling flavors.
Mr. Pibbs big return is Coca-Colas bid to cash in on the spicy cherry beverage category, which Chaney says is now the third-largest sparkling soft drink sector. With its added caffeine content, Mr. Pibb is also playing into the current interest in functional beveragesand the brand itself is adding a distinctly bold new voice to Coca-Colas portfolio.
[Image: The Coca-Cola Company]
A new, highly caffeinated contender enters the chat
Growing up in the 90s, Chaney remembers watching Mr. Pibb commercials on TV. Now that the spicy cherry segment is trending up, she says, it felt like the perfect time to introduce a new generation to the soda millenials and Gen Xers remember from yesteryear.
But the flavor profile isn’t quite the same as what it once was, either. Mr. Pibbs new formulation is a bolder version of what Pibb Xtra was, according to Chaney. The drinkwhich will come in both regular and zero sugar iterationsis an intense cherry flavor layered with notes of caramel.
The real change to the drinks composition is its added caffeine: Mr. Pibb will come with 30% more caffeine than Pibb Xtra, at 54 milligrams of caffeine per serving (about the same as a cup of coffee). Its a move that reflects the fact that functional has become something of a buzzword in the beverage industry, wherein add-ins like prebiotics, adaptogens, and caffeine serve as added selling points for bringing a certain beverage into a customer’s daily routine.
The caffeine is going to be a differentiator, specifically in this spicy cherry segment, Chaney says.
[Image: The Coca-Cola Company]
Coca-Cola spices up Mr. Pibbs
The brands new look and voice are intended to call back to Mr. Pibbs original identity, while also bringing new soda drinkers into the fold.
Mr. Pibbs chunky, bold font is a reference to its 90s eras cans. Its burgundy, cherry red, and black color palette is also pulled from the brands original packaging. But one of the most striking elements of the can design is entirely new: a bright gold exclamation point in place of the i in Pibb, which Chaney explains is specifically engineered to grab shoppers attention in stores.
We were really trying to cue what makes sense: Like, is it a formal Mr. Pibb or is it just Mr. Pibb, the homie? There were all these different personas we were trying to figure out, Chaney says. That comes through in the fontMr. Pibb feels more accommodating and amicable in terms of the logo, but then you have the jagged edges that make it rebellious and bold, so you’re kind of bringing in these two different personalities.
Mr. Pibb is a brand thats not afraid to mess around and crack a few jokesand thats how fans can expect it to show up going forward.
[Image: The Coca-Cola Company]
Coca-Cola is for everyone, as it should be, and it’s about uplift and it’s a beautiful and historic brand, Chaney says. Mr. Pibb is a challenger, and it’s an up-and-comer. We have more room to play in terms of how we show up and where we show up. We can make mistakes in ways that other brands can’t outside of Coca-Cola.
Plenty of brands are actually playing into some level of marketing brashness lately, in a trend that Fast Company has previously termed “DGAF branding.” In an era when platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok are both shortening our attention spans and informing our collective senses of humor, it makes sense for brands like Nutte Butter, Duolingo, and Sour Patch Kids to take a few risks with their positioning.
It’s rarer to see a major legacy brand like Coca-Cola play into these internet-informed trendsand, to be clear, Mr. Pibb’s marketing is fairly tame compared to the aforementioned examples. Still, the Mr. Pibbs rebrand is clearly tapping into the zeitgeist by embracing a more unexpected sense of humor.
[Image: The Coca-Cola Company]
That spicy brand personality shines in a series of new ads for the soda. The team turned to old Mr. Pibb adswhich had a bold tone and often included the slogan, Mr. Pibb: Put it in your headfor inspiration. Chaney says that while most soda ads today focus solely on getting viewers to fall in love with the liquid, Coca-Cola wanted Mr. Pibb to have a bit more personality. She describes the spots tone as like if Reese’s and Arbys had a baby.
In one spot with more than five million views on YouTube, narrated by actor Roy Wood, shots of Mr. Pibb are accompanied with the voiceover, Most sodas call it at a reasonable hour. Thats when Mr. Pibb is just getting started. When Mr. Pibb texts, U up? its not a questionits a promise. Mr. Pibb, apparently, is a soda brand thats not afraid to send a casual booty call.
Three paintings from famously chill public television legend Bob Ross sold Tuesday for more than $600,000 at auction. The paintings were the first of 30 Ross works being sold to benefit public TV stations hurt by cuts in federal funding.At the live auction at Bonhams in Los Angeles, a serene, snow vista called “Winter’s Peace” that Ross painted entirely during a 1993 episode of “The Joy of Painting” went for $318,000 to a bidder on the phone.“For a good cause and you get the painting,” auctioneer Aaron Bastian said during the bidding. He invoked a common sentiment of Ross, who died in 1995, during a brief lull. “Bob would remind you that this is your world, and you can do anything you want.”Another painting done on a 1993 episode, a lush, green landscape called “Home in the Valley,” went for $229,100. A third, “Cliffside,” sold for $114,800.The final prices include a charge for the auction house added to the final bid known as the buyer’s premium. The identities of the buyers weren’t immediately revealed.Bids for all three paintings went well past pre-auction estimates of their value, which topped out around $50,000.Three more Ross paintings will be up for auction at Bonhams in Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Jan. 27, with others to follow in New York and London.All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.Ross, a public television staple in the 1980s and ’90s, was known for his dome of hair and warm demeanor.The special sales seek to help stations in need of licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that along with Ross’ show include “America’s Test Kitchen,” “Julia Child’s French Chef Classics,” and “This Old House.” Small and rural stations are particularly challenged.The stations “have been the gateway for generations of viewers to discover not just Bob’s gentle teaching, but the transformative power of the arts,” Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., said in a statement.As sought by the Trump Administration, Congress has eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, leaving about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations.Ross died at age 52 of complications from cancer after 11 years in production with the therapeutic how-to show, “The Joy of Painting.” The former Air Force drill sergeant was a sort of pioneer, known for his calm and calming manner and encouraging words.Ross spoke often as he worked on air about painting happy little clouds and trees, and making no mistakes, only “happy accidents.”He has only became more popular in the decades since his death, and his shows saw a surge in popularity during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew Dalton, AP Entertainment Writer
Space weather forecasters issued an alert on Tuesday for incoming severe solar storms that could produce colorful northern lights and temporarily disrupt communications.In the past few days, the sun has burped out several bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that could reach Earth Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The potential severe geomagnetic storms could disrupt radio and GPS communications, according to forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.How bright the auroras are and how far south they are visible will depend on when the solar bursts get here and how they interact with Earth’s atmosphere. The vibrant displays could be visible across much of the northern U.S., and as far south as Alabama and Northern California.
How northern lights happen
The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come.Aurora displays known as the northern and southern lights are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s atmosphere.Skygazers are spotting the lights deeper into the United States and Europe because the sun is going through a major face-lift. Every 11 years, its poles swap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way.Last year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. And soon afterward, a powerful solar storm dazzled skygazers far from the Arctic Circle when dancing lights appeared in unexpected places including Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.The sun’s active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year, though when solar activity will peak won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA.
How solar storms affect Earth
Solar storms can bring more than colorful lights to Earth.When fast-moving particles and plasma slam into Earth’s magnetic field, they can temporarily disrupt the power grid. Space weather can also interfere with air traffic control radio and satellites in orbit. Severe storms are capable of scrambling other radio and GPS communications.In 1859, a severe solar storm triggered auroras as far south as Hawaii and set telegraph lines on fire in a rare event. And a 1972 solar storm may have detonated magnetic U.S. sea mines off the coast of Vietnam.Space weather experts aren’t able to predict a solar storm months in advance. Instead, they alert relevant parties to prepare in the days before a solar outburst hits Earth.
How to see auroras
Northern lights forecasts can be found on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center website or an aurora forecasting app.Consider aurora-watching in a quiet, dark area away from city lights. Experts recommend skygazing from a local or national park. And check the weather forecast because clouds can cover up the spectacle entirely.Taking a picture with a smartphone camera may also reveal hints of the aurora that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Adithi Ramakrishnan, AP Science Writer
A little more than a year ago, Ryan Sprankle welcomed President Donald Trump to one of the three grocery stores his family owns near Pittsburgh. Trump was on the campaign trail; they talked about high grocery prices, and the Republican nominee picked up a bag of popcorn.But these days, Sprankle would have a different message if Trump or any lawmakers visited his store. He wants them to know that delayed SNAP benefits during the government shutdown hurt his customers and his small, independent chain.“You can’t take away from the most needy people in the country. It’s inhumane,” Sprankle said. “It’s a lack of empathy and it’s on all their hands.
The Trump administration froze funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at the end of October, impacting food access for some 42 million Americans. On Monday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would reopen the federal government and replenish SNAP funds, but the U.S. House of Representatives still must consider the bill. It’s unclear when SNAP payments might resume if the government reopens.In 2024, SNAP recipients redeemed a little more than $96 billion in benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. The majority 74% was spent at superstores and supermarkets, a category that includes big chains like Walmart and Kroger but also some independent stores like Sprankle’s.Around 14% was spent at smaller grocery and convenience stores, businesses often tucked into neighborhoods and more easily accessible to SNAP beneficiaries.
A stalled economic engine
Etharin Cousin, a former director of the United Nations World Food Program and founder of the nonprofit Food Systems for the Future, said the cutoff of SNAP benefits had immediate impacts on grocers and convenience stores of all sizes, most of which operate on slim profit margins of 1% to 2%.“SNAP isn’t just a social safety net for families. It’s also a local economic engine,” Cousin said. “SNAP benefits flow directly into neighborhoods, stores, regional distributors and community jobs.”Walmart declined to comment on the impact of the SNAP funding lapse but noted that it has been lowering prices and donating to local food banks. Kroger also declined to comment.Shoppers not receiving their food benefits affects all retailers but becomes “a big problem more quickly” at small chains, Sprankle said. His Kittanning, Pennsylvania, store gets 25% of its revenue from SNAP, but customers who don’t get government assistance also are worried about the shutdown, according to Sprankle. They’re spending less, trading down to cheaper goods or heading to food banks, he said.Sprankle said lower sales cut into the overtime he can offer to the chain’s 140 employees. Many are worried about losing their jobs, he said.“They have families to feed, they have kids for buy gifts for,” he said. “If I have to sell my truck, we’re going to give Christmas bonuses.”Liz Abunaw, the owner and operator of Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago, recently saw a customer putting back a full cart of groceries because she couldn’t afford them without SNAP.Abunaw opened the supermarket in September after years spent selling produce at pop-up markets and in delivery boxes. Only about 12% of Abunaw’s revenue comes from SNAP benefits right now, she said. But without it or if SNAP recipients spend less money in her store — it will slow Forty Acres’ growth and make it harder to pay the workers, suppliers and farmers who depend on her, she said.“SNAP is currency. I get money I then use in this economy. It’s not a food box,” Abunaw said. “The economic impact of SNAP is larger than the dollars spent.”
From neighborhood shops to food pantries
The suspended food aid also had an immediate impact on Kanbe’s Markets, a nonprofit that stocks produce in coolers at 110 convenience stores around Kansas City, Missouri. Kanbe’s distributes a mixture of donated food and food purchased from wholesalers to keep prices low, founder and CEO Maxfield Kaniger said.Kanbe’s also distributes free food to 50 food pantries and soup kitchens around the city.Kaniger said some of the convenience stores he works with saw their sales drop 10% in the days after Nov. 1, when SNAP benefits weren’t paid. At the same time, the food pantries he supplies asked for double or triple their usual orders.Because it’s giving away more food than usual, Kanbe’s has to spend more buying produce for the coolers it stocks. It’s frustrating for Kaniger, who must make decisions quickly before food spoils.“It should be enough that people are going without food. Period, end of sentence. People going without food is wrong,” he said.Babir Sultan sells berries, lemons, potatoes, bananas and other produce from Kanbe’s at his four FavTrip convenience stores in the Kansas City area. His stores are in food deserts, far from other groceries or big retailers, he said, so it’s important to him to stock fresh produce for those neighborhoods.Sultan said foot traffic at his stores fell 8% to 10% in early November after SNAP funding ceased. He decided to offer $10 of free produce to SNAP beneficiaries but said he’s also happy to help out other customers who might be struggling right now.“If you’re in need, just ask, we’ll take care of you,” Sultan said. “Everybody is affected whenever the customer is feeling the pinch.”
Durbin reported from Detroit. Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Business Writer
Circle Internet Group released its third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, November 12, announcing a 66% jump in revenue and reserve income year-over-year (YOY). The $740 million figure stemmed, in large part, from a 97% increase YOY of average USDC in circulation.
USDC, Circles flagship cryptocurrency stablecoin, is pegged to the U.S. dollar. Its also one of the largest stablecoins in the world. In August, Circle announced Arc, a public blockchain designed specifically for stablecoins, such as USDC.
In the earnings report, Circle claimed that over 100 companies are taking part in the launch of Arc public testnet.
Jeremy Allaire, cofounder, CEO, and chairman at Circle, said the test was met with extraordinary enthusiasm from partners across traditional and digital financeevidence of the deep and diverse ecosystem forming around open, programmable money.”
Furthermore, Circle reported a net income of $214 million, a 202% improvement YOY. Notably, this is only Circles second earnings report after going public in June.
All YOY figures are reported by Circle based on private earnings during quarter three 2024.
CRCL takes a tumble in premarket trading
Despite impressive revenue and net income growth, Circle shares (NYSE:CRCL) still took a tumble. After already closing 5.57% down on Wednesday, the drop continued in premarket trading on Thursday, falling more than 5%.
One factor could be Circle raising its expected 2025 adjusted operating expenses from between $475 million and $490 million to $495 million and $510 million.
Circle blamed the updated outlook on growing investment in building our platform, capabilities and global partnerships to meet the accelerating market interest and opportunity, as well as higher payroll taxes anticipated from option exercises.
New York-based Circle Internet Groups IPO was one of the most high-profile listings of the year. After shares were priced at $31, they reached a high of close to $300 less than a month after their market debut.
But the stock price has swung wildly since then. It’s down roughly 28% over the last month as of Tuesday’s close.
The longest government shutdown in history could conclude as soon as Wednesday, Day 43, with almost no one happy with the final result.Democrats didn’t get the heath insurance provisions they demanded added to the spending deal. And Republicans, who control the levers of power in Washington, didn’t escape blame, according to polls and some state and local elections that went poorly for them.The fallout of the shutdown landed on millions of Americans, including federal workers who went without paychecks and airline passengers who had their trips delayed or canceled. An interruption in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional distress going into the holiday season.The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of governmentfood aid, veterans programs, and the legislative branch, among other things. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills.Here’s a look at how the shutdown started and is likely to end:
What led to the shutdown
Democrats made several demands to win their support for a short-term funding bill, but the central one was an extension of an enhanced tax credit that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.The tax credit was boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic response, again through President Joe Biden’s big energy and health care bill, and it’s set to expire at the end of December. Without it, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.“Never have American families faced a situation where their health care costs are set to doubledouble in the blink of an eye,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York.While Democrats called for negotiations on the matter, Republicans said a funding bill would need to be passed first.“Republicans are ready to sit down with Democrats just as soon as they stop holding the government hostage to their partisan demands,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said.Thune eventually promised Democrats a December vote on the tax credit extension to help resolve the standoff, but many Democrats demanded a guaranteed fix, not just a vote that is likely to fail.Thune’s position was much the same as the one Schumer took back in October 2013, when Republicans unsuccessfully sought to roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act in exchange for funding the government. “Open up all of the government, and then we can have a fruitful discussion,” Schumer said then.
Democratic leaders under pressure
The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term has seen more than 200,000 federal workers leave their job through firings, forced relocations or the Republican administration’s deferred resignation program, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Whole agencies that don’t align with the administration’s priorities have been dismantled. And billions of dollars previously approved by Congress have been frozen or canceled.Democrats have had to rely on the courts to block some of Trump’s efforts, but they have been unable to do it through legislation. They were also powerless to stop Trump’s big tax cut and immigration crackdown bill that Republicans helped pay for by cutting future spending on safety net programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.The Democrats’ struggles to blunt the Trump administration’s priorities has prompted calls for the party’s congressional leadership to take a more forceful response.Schumer experienced that firsthand after announcing in March that he would support moving ahead with a funding bill for the 2025 budget year. There was a protest at his office, calls from progressives that he be primaried in 2028, and suggestions that the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.This time around, Schumer demanded that Republicans negotiate with Democrats to get their votes on a spending bill. The Senate rules, he noted, requires bipartisan support to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance a spending bill.But those negotiations did not occur, at least not with Schumer. Republicans instead worked with a small group of eight Democrats to tee up a short-term bill to fund the government generally at current levels and accused Schumer of catering to the party’s left flank when he refused to go along.“The Senate Democrats are afraid that the radicals in their party will say that they caved,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Lousiana, said at one of his many daily press conferences.
The blame game
The political stakes in the shutdown are huge, which is why leaders in both parties have held nearly daily press briefings to shape public opinion.Roughly 6 in 10 Americans say Trump and Republicans in Congress have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility for the shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to the poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.At least three-quarters of Americans believe each deserves at least a “moderate” share of blame, underscoring that no one was successfully evading responsibility.Both parties looked to the November 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and elsewhere for signs of how the shutdown was influencing public opinion. Democrats took comfort in their overwhelming successes. Trump called it a “big factor, negative” for Republicans. But it did not change the GOP’s stance on negotiating. Instead, Trump ramped up calls for Republicans to end the filibuster in the Senate, which would pretty much eliminate the need for the majority party to ever negotiate with the minority.
Damage of the shutdown
The Congressional Budget Office says that the negative impact on the economy will be mostly recovered once the shutdown ends, but not entirely. It estimated the permanent economic loss at about $11 billion for a six-week shutdown.Beyond the numbers, though, the shutdown created a cascade of troubles for many Americans. Federal workers missed paychecks, causing financial and emotional stress. Travelers had their flights delayed and at times canceled. People who rely on safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw their benefits stopped, and Americans throughout the country lined up for meals at food banks.“This dysfunction is damaging enough to our constituents and economy here at home, but it also sends a dangerous message to the watching world,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas “It demonstrates to our allies that we are an unreliable partner, and it signals to our adversaries that we can’t work together to meet even the most fundamental responsibilities of Congress.”
Follow the AP’s coverage of the federal government shutdown at https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown.
Kevin Freking, Associated Press
President Donald Trump boasts that his tariffs protect American industries, lure factories to the United States, raise money for the federal government, and give him diplomatic leverage.Now, he’s claiming they can finance a windfall for American families, too: He’s promising a generous tariff dividend.The president proposed the idea on his Truth Social media platform Sunday, five days after his Republican Party lost elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and elsewhere largely because of voter discontent with his economic stewardshipspecifically, the high cost of living.The tariffs are bringing in so much money, the president posted, that “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”Budget experts scoffed at the idea, which conjured memories of the Trump administration’s short-lived plan for DOGE dividend checks financed by billionaire Elon Musk’s federal budget cuts.“The numbers just don’t check out,” said Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.Details are scarce, including what the income limits would be and whether payments would go to children.Even Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, sounded a bit blindsided by the audacious dividend plan. Appearing Sunday on ABC’s This Week, Bessent said he hadn’t discussed the dividend with the president and suggested that it might not mean that Americans would get a check from the government. Instead, Bessent said, the rebate might take the form of tax cuts.The tariffs are certainly raising money$195 billion in the budget year that ended September 30, up 153% from $77 billion in fiscal 2024. But they still account for less than 4% of federal revenue and have done little to dent the federal budget deficita staggering $1.8 trillion in fiscal 2025.Budget wonks say Trump’s dividend math doesn’t work.John Ricco, an analyst with the Budget Lab at Yale University, reckons that Trump’s tariffs will bring in $200 billion to $300 billion a year in revenue. But a $2,000 dividendif it went to all Americans, including childrenwould cost $600 billion. “It’s clear that the revenue coming in would not be adequate,” he said.Ricco also noted that Trump couldn’t just pay the dividends on his own. They would require legislation from Congress.Moreover, the centerpiece of Trump’s protectionist trade policiesdouble-digit taxes on imports from almost every country in the worldmay not survive a legal challenge that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.In a hearing last week, the justices sounded skeptical about the Trump administration’s assertion of sweeping power to declare national emergencies to justify the tariffs. Trump has bypassed Congress, which has authority under the Constitution to levy taxes, including tariffs.If the court strikes down the tariffs, the Trump administration may be refunding money to the importers who paid them, not sending dividend checks to American families. (Trump could find other ways to impose tariffs, even if he loses at the Supreme Court; but it could be cumbersome and time-consuming.)Mainstream economists and budget analysts note that tariffs are paid by U.S. importers who then generally try to pass along the cost to their customers through higher prices.The dividend plan “misses the mark,” the Tax Foundation’s York said. “If the goal is relief for Americans, just get rid of the tariffs.”
Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer
Jonathan Haidt, author of ‘The Anxious Generation,’ breaks down the psychology behind Gen Zs social media addiction and what digital dependance actually does to a young person’s brain.
It shouldnt be much of a surprise that an AI-powered tool called Oz is heading out of, or near, the Emerald City.
On November 12, Microsoft and Land OLakes announced that the two companies have co-developed an AI-powered agricultural science tool called Oz, designed to help farmers and agricultural operations. Specifically, farmers are facing some very serious problems: labor shortages and lower yields associated with changing climates. Further, costs for fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and tools, not to mention international trade issues, have put agricultural operations in an even tighter vise.
Oz was built to help agronomists and farmers do more with what they have, tapping into Land OLakess vast reams of agricultural data and insights, previously available only in a bound, 800-page book. Oz itself is an AI application that is accessed and used on a mobile device, tapping into Land OLakess intellectual property to offer guidance and information on the fly.
Were putting 20 years of data into [farmers] hands, says Leah Anderson, who serves as SVP of Land OLakes and president of its crop inputs and insights business, WinField United. Oz is designed to be put into the hands of an agronomist, or an agricultural scientist, she says, who can then offer the farmer on the ground insight and guidance about what to plant, where to plant it, and whenalong with myriad other things, such as weather insights, pest and pesticide information, and more.
What were doing with AI . . . is using the structured, high-quality, standardized data from over the past 20 years and feeding it into Oz. That cuts out the noise, Anderson says, noting that it also helps farmers trust that the data source was correct.
In other words, using Oz as an AI assistant or tool to ask questions about a given farming operation should be more trustworthy and less prone to hallucination than a broader AI tool, such as ChatGPT, which is trained on the entire internet. Oz, instead, generates insights from only one source, which is known and trusted by farmers.
Oz is currently in beta testing and is in the hands of numerous retailers across the country, with plans for further expansion this year. Its also been in the works for a whilethe product of a now five-year-long partnership between Land OLakes and Microsoft.
Lorraine Bardeen, corporate vice president of AI transformation at Microsoft, says she has worked at the tech giant for more than two decades in numerous departments, from finance to the Xbox team. But she decided to work on the project with Land OLakes because it was a chance to get AI tech into the fieldliterally.
The first major waves of our partnership were about digitally transforming American agriculture, bringing a lot of workloads and capabilities to the cloud, she says. Over the last five years, Land OLakes has really established itself as an innovator in American agriculture.
Farming on the brink
The timing is critical, too, because the agriculture industry is in crisis. A June 2025 study published in Nature finds that even if farmers adapt to a changing climate, staple crops will be 24% lower by the end of the century than they are today. This year, farmers are facing an estimated $44 billion in crop losses due to rising costs, low crop prices, and international trade issues. Farmers are also struggling to find workers, a problem exacerbated by the Trump administrations immigration raids.
Unchecked, these issues could compound, leading to less food production, higher prices, and even shortages.
While a tech tool cant help on the trade war front, it may be useful when deciding how much or little to water certain crops, when weather patterns are expected, what types of fertilizer may be the most effective given specific soil compositions, and more. In all, it could help replace lost manpower and make better decisions with materials on hand in order to reduce waste and costs. Again, all the suggestions and insights that Oz generates draw on data that Land OLakes has compiled over many years.
Land OLakes has created this really rich set of intellectual property, Bardeen says. But its historically been brought to bear in an 800-page tome. It brings incredible value, information, and insights to farmers. Oz shifts everything from a literal, static book to a dynamic, AI-powered coach.
Anderson adds that farmers have more to look forward to from the Land OLakes-Microsoft partnership. American farmers are under incredible pressurewe see the stress on their faces, she says. For those farmers, its about reducing uncertainty, and nobody knows more about that than we do. What were doing with Oz is really the tip of the iceberg as to what were going to be able to do with AI.
