January 06 2025

1. Office workers face longer job searches
2. Republican Johnson narrowly re-elected as Speaker of the House
3. Big Tech invests heavily in data centers to support AI
4. US risks digital Pearl Harbor as Chinese cyberattacks lie dormant in critical networks
5. NFL playoffs set, Chiefs #1 seed in AFC
January 6, 1838: Samuel Morse unveils telegraph, revolutionizing communication

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1. Office workers face longer job searches

The U.S. economy has added more than two million jobs over the past year. But more people who are out of work are having a hard time getting back in.  As of November, more than seven million Americans were unemployed, meaning they didn’t have work and were trying to find it. More than 1.6 million of those jobless workers had been job hunting for at least six months, according to the Labor Department. The number of people searching for that long is up more than 50% since the end of 2022.  On average, it now takes people about six months to find a job, roughly a month longer than it did during the postpandemic hiring boom in early 2023, according to the Labor Department. The pain is largely in high-paying white-collar jobs, including in tech, law and media, where businesses grew fast when the economy reopened from the pandemic but now have less need for new hires.  A labor market that looks healthy in the headlines is, under the surface, weaker than it seems. The unemployment rate, at 4.2%, remains well below the average during the decade before the pandemic. But there is now just about one job posting per unemployed worker, down from two in early 2022.  

Editors note: AI will continue to put pressure on white-collar workers while a labor shortage, fueled by demographic trends, will make the labor market favorable for blue-collar workers

Article Source: WSJ

2. Republican Johnson narrowly re-elected as Speaker of the House

Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday won re-election to the top post in the House, salvaging his job in a dramatic last-minute turnabout by putting down a revolt from conservatives who initially voted to block his ascent. Mr. Johnson barely mustered the majority he needed to win re-election on the first ballot, with help from President-elect Donald J. Trump, who interrupted a golf game to lobby holdouts by phone. That allowed the speaker to avoid the humiliation of a multiday slog of failed votes like the one his predecessor Kevin McCarthy suffered through before ultraconservatives relented and elected him two years ago. Mr. Johnson won with just enough votes to clinch the gavel, 218 to 215.

Article Source: NYT

3. Big Tech invests heavily in data centers to support AI

Microsoft is planning to invest about $80 billion in fiscal 2025 on developing data centers to train artificial intelligence (AI) models and deploy AI and cloud-based applications, the company said in a blog post on Friday. Investment in AI has surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, as companies across sectors seek to integrate artificial intelligence into their products and services. AI requires enormous computing power, pushing demand for specialized data centers that enable tech companies to link thousands of chips together in clusters. Microsoft has been investing billions to enhance its AI infrastructure and broaden its data-center network.

Article Source: Reuters

4. US risks digital Pearl Harbor as Chinese cyberattacks lie dormant in critical networks

The worst-case scenarios for a US-China conflict, as military and policy experts describe it, usually involve China invading Taiwan and seeking to disable growing US military capability in Guam to impede a response. This could mean a missile attack—some Chinese ballistic missiles have been nicknamed “Guam killers” for their ability to reach the island. But the top US military leader on Guam says cyberattacks are more likely. US officials have recounted in testimony and briefings how Chinese hackers are building the capacity to poison water supplies nationwide, flood homes with sewage, and cut off phones, power, ports and airports, actions that could cause mass casualties, disrupt military operations and potentially plunge the US into “societal panic.” The aim, US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly told Congress in January 2024, would be to take down “everything, everywhere, all at once.” The hacking campaign involving Guam is now widely known as “Volt Typhoon,” and National Security Agency officials have said that defanging it has become a top priority. Across the country, the US has already discovered more than 100 intrusions related to the campaign, according to someone who’s been briefed on the investigations and asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the subject  

Article Source: Bloomberg

5. NFL playoffs set, Chiefs #1 seed in AFC

Wild-card round: Jan. 11, 12 and 13

NFC

(7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Philadelphia Eagles
 Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox

(5) Minnesota Vikings at (4) Los Angeles Rams
 Monday, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC/ESPN+

(6) Washington Commanders at (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 Sunday, 8 p.m. ET on NBC

Bye: (1) Detroit Lions

AFC

(7) Denver Broncos at (2) Buffalo Bills
 Sunday, 1 p.m. ET on CBS

(5) Los Angeles Chargers at (4) Houston Texans
 Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS

(6) Pittsburgh Steelers at (3) Baltimore Ravens
 Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime

Bye: (1) Kansas City Chiefs

Divisional round: Jan. 18 and 19

There will be four divisional-round games -- two on Jan. 18 and two on Jan. 19. Game times will be announced come at a later date. Here's what we know so far:

In the NFC, the 1-seed Detroit Lions will host the team with the lowest seed.

In the AFC, the 1-seed Kansas City Chiefs will host the team with the lowest seed.

Conference championships: Jan. 26

The NFC and AFC Championship Games will be played at the home stadiums of the highest-remaining seeds for each conference.

The NFC Championship Game will be on Fox on Jan. 26, with the game time to be announced at a later date.

The AFC Championship Game will be on CBS on Jan. 26, with the game time to be announced at a later date.

Super Bowl LIX: Feb. 9

The Super Bowl for the 2024 season will be played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The game will air on Fox. Kendrick Lamar will perform during the halftime show. The NFC representative will be the home team. Article Source: ESPN

January 6, 1838: Samuel Morse unveils telegraph, revolutionizing communication

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Sources

1. https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/job-search-workers-unemployment-months-5a4cfcee?st=Fek8Ja&reflink=article_copyURL_share

2. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/us/politics/speaker-johnson-house-vote.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

3. https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/microsoft-plans-spend-80-bln-ai-enabled-data-centers-fiscal-2025-cnbc-reports-2025-01-03/

4. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-01-03/chinese-cyber-hackers-terrify-us-intelligence-after-infiltrating-guam

5. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43228036/nfl-playoff-schedule-bracket-afc-nfc-tv-dates-locations-2025