Russia’s economy has irreversibly turned toward a ‘stagnation trap,’ think tank says
By the numbers, neither Western sanctions nor the costs of three years of war in Ukraine have chipped at Russia’s growth momentum. The country’s GDP is expected to expand by 4% this year. “Yet this image of resilience is deceptive,” Alexandra Prokopenko wrote for Carnegie Politika this week. “Over the past two years, Russia’s economy…
A scientist working to create ‘mirror life’ discovered it could be ‘a perfect bioweapon.’ She’s asking other researchers to stop.
Mirror cells would probably multiply in a host organism without much resistance. Creating “mirror life” could be one of science’s greatest breakthroughs, but some researchers who began the effort are now calling for it to stop. No mirror-life microorganisms exist. But 38 scientists warned in a paper published in the journal Science on December 12…
How Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop lost its glow
Gwyneth Paltrow took a measured tone earlier this year when she discussed Goop, her newsletter turned e-commerce company, onstage at a Forbes event. She didn’t brag about the nine figures the brand had raised or its latest product release. Instead, she said she was proud Goop was still in business. “Some years we’re down, then…
Biden is withdrawing his broader student-loan forgiveness plans that were set to cancel debt for over 38 million borrowers
President Joe Biden withdrew his plan for broader student-loan forgiveness. President Joe Biden’s administration has officially scrapped its unfinished rules for broad student-loan forgiveness. The Education Department posted notices to withdraw its plans to cancel student debt for over 38 million borrowers. The withdrawal notices were for two of the department’s unfinished debt relief rules.…
Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian predicts live theater and sports will become more popular than ever as AI grows
Alexis Ohanian discussed the future of AI on the podcast “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” this week. Alexis Ohanian predicted that in a future oversaturated with artificial intelligence, people will seek out more raw, emotive human experiences. And in 10 years, he said, live theater will be more popular than ever. The 41-year-old, who co-founded…
Video game stocks look poised to soar amid a stacked 2025 release calendar, research firm says
GTA VI logo from the trailer displayed on a laptop screen and PlayStation DualSense controller. Video game stocks are poised to surge in 2025 ahead of a huge lineup of blockbuster releases, according to Ned Davis Research. The firm initiated the video game theme at “overweight” for 2025, predicting 22% upside relative to the S&P…
MrBeast’s ‘Beast Games’ on Amazon has a strange message about money
MrBeast in a promotional photo for his competition TV show, “Beast Games.” “Beast Games,” the game show on Amazon Prime Video from MrBeast, debuted Thursday, and I watched along with my elementary-aged son. As an adult, I enjoyed the spectacle and found the show highly watchable. But as a parent, I’m not sure I liked…
Elon Musk says he’ll fund ‘moderate candidates’ to challenge Democrats in safer seats
After spending at least $277 million on Trump and other Republicans in 2024, Musk says he’ll go after Democratic lawmakers in safer seats, like Rep. Richard Neal (left). Elon Musk spent at least $277 million supporting President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates in competitive races in 2024. Now, he says he plans to direct…
Nvidia stock has another 23% upside and the success of Blackwell will be the chipmaker’s big story of 2025, Morgan Stanley says
Nvidia’s Blackwell chip will be the company’s biggest story in 2025 — and the success of the next-gen GPU will overshadow any lingering concerns investors may still have, Morgan Stanley said. In a note this week, the bank reiterated its “overweight” rating on Nvidia stock and said the chipmaker remained its “top pick” going into…
