/Top Stories/ Last Updated: Fri, Jan 10th, 2025 @ 2:25pm EST

Fast Company

Jessica Bursztynsky

The TikTok ban is being weighed by the Supreme Court. Here’s what to know

Lawmakers argue the ByteDance–owned app poses a threat to national security.

The Supreme Court of the United States is hearing arguments today to decide the fate of TikTok.

Fast Company

Alexei Koseff

The L.A. fires underscore how much California has to lose if Trump withholds disaster aid

The federal government typically covers 75% of rebuilding costs after a major disaster. Trump has threatened to withhold firefighting money from California.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

Fast Company

The Conversation

How Trump’s EPA could use ‘science’ to weaken environmental protections

Uncertainty is an important scientific term that the first Trump administration used to promote deregulation, particularly for chemicals.

Environmental issues were conspicuously absent from the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, but moves by President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration and his leadership picks for his next administration offer clues to what may be ahead.

ESPN.com

Pete Thamel and Max Olson

Ex-Georgia QB Carson Beck commits to Miami

Carson Beck has committed to Miami, just 24 hours after the former Georgia quarterback hit the transfer portal.

The Verge

Jay Peters

Fortnite Festival is turning into Rock Band with local multiplayer

Image: Epic Games

Fortnite Festival, the game’s Rock Band-like music mode where you play along with real songs, is getting local multiplayer for up to four people on PlayStation and Xbox on January 14th.

Currently, you can only play Fortnite Festival multiplayer online, but with this change, you’ll be able to get your former Rock Band back together and jam out on the same TV screen — well, with a major asterisk. Fortnite Festival currently only supports certain Rock Band guitar...

The Verge

Kylie Robison

How Elon Musk’s xAI is quietly taking over X

Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge

When Elon Musk launched his own AI startup, xAI, he touted a key advantage over his competitors: access to the vast trove of data from his newly acquired social media platform Twitter. By implementing new API fees on the network he quickly renamed X, Musk locked out other AI companies, maintaining exclusive access for his own models. And he began using X’s millions of users to test the results.

Musk has been using this distribution channel...

The Verge

Emma Roth

Automattic cuts WordPress contribution hours, blames WP Engine

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Automattic, the company that runs WordPress.com, is scaling back its contributions to the WordPress open-source project, according to an announcement on Thursday. The company says it’s decreasing contributions to “match” the amount of time companies like WP Engine spend on the ecosystem, further escalating the tension between Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and the community.

Now, instead of spending 3,988 hours per week developing the WordPress...

The Verge

Emma Roth

Meta disbands diversity team and says DEI has become ‘charged’

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta is eliminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs because of the “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts” in the US, according to a memo to employees seen by Axios. Meta will also roll back representation goals and end its “diverse slate approach” to hiring.

The memo, which was written by Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, said the company would replace DEI...

Mashable

Mark Zuckerberg named in lawsuit over Meta’s use of pirated books for AI training

A group of authors, including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sarah Silverman, alleged in a court filing that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved "Meta's torrenting and processing of pirated copyrighted works" to train the company's AI models.

The California filing, which was made public on Wednesday, claims that Zuckerberg supported the use of the LibGen dataset, an archive that originated in Russia and contains a library of pirated books, to train its Llama AI. In a document submitted to the court, Meta...

Mashable

Failed your drivers test? Uber has your back with free rides

FREE UBER RIDES: As of Jan. 10, teens who fail their driver's test can get free rides from an Uber Teen account for a limited time.

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Mashable

Score a 14-inch HP laptop for under $220 at Amazon

SAVE $37.99: As of Jan. 10, you can snag a 14-inch HP Laptop (Intel Quad-Core, 8GM RAM, 64GB eMMC+, 128GB Ghost Manta SD Card) for just $212 at Amazon. That's a 15% discount and $37.99 off the list price.

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Mashable

Secure 3 free weeks of YouTube TV with this limited-time offer

GET 3 FREE WEEKS: As of Jan. 10, YouTube TV is offering new users a 21-day free trial to test out the live TV streaming service. After that, you'll pay just $59.99 per month for your first three months of the YouTube TV Base Plan — that's $69 in savings.

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Mashable

I love LUCI: This lifelogging camera pin seriously impressed me at CES

The last thing I came across at this year's CES was LUCI, an AI-powered wearable video camera created by OpenInterX for lifelogging and vlogging. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the convention center, LUCI felt like a hidden gem waiting to be uncovered.

It might be my favorite discovery at CES 2025 — and I nearly missed it.

Extended recording time

The LUCI Pin is a compact square pinnable wearable device with an ultra-wide 12MP camera that captures up to 4K video. Unlike other wearables...

Mashable

Buy $35 of groceries at Amazon and save $10 right now

BUY $35 OF SELECT GROCERIES, SAVE $10: As of Jan. 10, spend $35 on select groceries at Amazon and get $10 off your purchase. The discount will automatically be applied at checkout.

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SBNation.com

Joseph Acosta

Why Marcus Freeman making history as a Black and Asian head coach matters

Photo by Michael Pimentel/ISI Photos/Getty Images

The first Black head coach to make a national title game means so much more than what Brett Favre will try to tell you.

As Notre Dame football players tossed oranges and waved to the crowd after their thrilling 27-24 win over Penn State, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman was asked a question by ESPN’s Molly McGrath. The game between Notre Dame and Penn State was the first one in the College Football Playoff Semifinal that was...

Fast Company

Clemen Chiang

Why now is the best time to IPO

Business conditions look good with the new federal administration to go public, but first do your preparation.

Timing is essential for the success of an IPO. Similar to how a seed needs the proper nutrients to sprout and thrive, new companies going public need a regulatory and economic environment that supports growth. In the years leading up to the 250th anniversary of the United States, signs look good for startups eyeing an IPO.

Fast Company

Jack Lynch

5 GenAI principles for K-12 education

Put empathy, safety, and privacy first when creating policy for this technology in the classroom.

Imagine this: A new technology has arrived, drawing enormous public discussion. Among the questions is how it might be used in schools. Advocates call for its widespread adoption, saying it will revolutionize schooling and motivate students. Others are wary, fearing it will make kids lazy.

Fast Company

Michael Grothaus

WBA soars: Walgreens stock up 25% on earnings despite store closures, as investors hope the worst is over

The long-struggling chain reported better-than-expected revenue for its Q1 2025, although operating losses grew as it plans to shutter over a thousand locations.

Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) are surging this morning after the company reported its first quarter fiscal 2025 results. As of the time of this writing, WBA shares are currently up over 25% to $11.53 per share. That’s their highest level since August 2024.

ESPN.com

Eagles' Hurts clears protocol, set to face Packers

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has made it through the concussion protocol and will play against the Packers on Sunday.

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