🌎 RIP Penny

Trump surprisingly backs Nippon Steel “partnership” with US Steel

US Steel will stay in… the US. After an outright acquisition was blocked earlier this year, President Trump cleared a merger between Japanese-owned Nippon Steel and US Steel.

Steeling business

Japanese-owned Nippon Steel attempted to acquire US Steel last year, a deal that was ultimately blocked by the Biden Administration, citing national security concerns. Trump also opposed the acquisition at the time, saying the company should remain in American hands.

Now approved by Trump, the fine details of the “planned partnership” aren’t immediately clear, but the framework of the merger has been set:

• Nippon Steel is set to invest $14 billion into U.S. operations, including up to $4 billion for a new steel mill, with the promise of creating 70,000 jobs.

US Steel’s headquarters will remain in Pittsburgh, a main point of contention among critics of the deal, and most of the investment will take place over the next 14 months.

New foundation

US Steel, which once held the title of the world’s largest company, remains an icon of the US economy, although a diminished one:

• The business has long lagged behind other European and Asian steel producers, which have become more efficient and use less labor.

• It currently relies on just 14,000 US workers, down from a record of 340,000 in 1943.

The President said that investment in the company, not ownership, would bring about a new era for the company. The partnership has been met with both praise and criticism:

• Backers of the deal say Nippon Steel could breathe new life into US Steel—fixing crumbling facilities, boosting output, and bringing in fresh tech.

• The United Steelworkers Union (USW) has voiced concerns, saying Nippon has “a long and proven track record” of violating trade laws.

However, USW President David McCall has repeatedly said that investment in the company would make its plants among the most efficient in the world, and that they would remain competitive for years to come.

The market seemed to like it: The announcement was met with optimism from investors, as shares of US Steel surged over 20% after the news broke.

Unknown strain of bacteria found on Chinese Space Station

Maybe it’ll tell us where the UFOs are coming from. Chinese scientists discovered a bacterium aboard the Tiangong space station that has never been seen before on Earth, sparking both curiosity and concern in the scientific community.

Out of this world

Collected during the Shenzhou-15 mission in May of 2023, the bacterium, named niallia tiangongensis, was found on cockpit controls and taken back to Earth. Using genetic and biochemical tests, scientists were able to analyse the alien microbe:

• The microscopic bacterium is rod-shaped and appears to form spores, helping it survive in the harsh conditions of space.

• It also exhibits unique adaptations to microgravity, including the ability to hydrolyze gelatin, form protective biofilms, and withstand oxidative stress and radiation damage.

So essentially, it’s a superbacteria. Scientists still have no idea if it evolved in space or originated from an Earth-based source they’re yet to find, however, it is slightly related to a bacteria we are familiar with.

• The genetic structure of the space germ is somewhat related to Niallia circulans, which is known to cause sepsis in immunocompromised individuals.

• Though the two have significant genetic differences, the link could provide insight into future findings.

The discovery proves we have much to learn: Scientists say the finding underscores the importance of monitoring microbial life in space and will help astronauts design sanitation protocols during long-duration missions.

US discontinues the penny after two centuries

The one prominent chin we all loved to look at is gone. Over the weekend, the US Treasury Department announced it would stop issuing new pennies in 2026, ending 223 years of production.

Penny pinching

The move aligns the US with countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which have already phased out their lowest-denomination coins. By early next year, the final batch of one-cent coins will run out, leading to shortages:

• Americans will still be able to use their pennies, but businesses will start rounding prices to the nearest five cents for cash transactions once they become scarce.

• Non-cash transactions and digital payments, such as credit card payments, will continue to be charged at exact amounts.

The penny is a monetary American staple and holds a significant place in American culture. However, the penny's practical use has diminished over time, as roughly 60% of the coins (~$14 billion worth) sit unused in, what I like to believe, are piggy banks.

It doesn’t make cents

The decision to get rid of the penny is largely driven by cost. While it would be sad never to see Lincoln’s right cheekbone again, it costs a chunk of change to keep the penny in circulation:

• Each penny (which usually ends up on the ground or in couch cushions) costs around 3.7 cents to make, which resulted in an $85 million loss for the US in 2024.

• The Treasury projects that ceasing production of the coin will save taxpayers $56 million every year.

As the US increasingly embraces digital transactions and a more efficient currency system, retiring the penny signals both an economic and cultural turning point. Learn more about the penny’s history here.

But wait… the change might end up costing money: The nickel still costs 13.8 cents to make, and demand will likely rise after the penny is killed, which could cut into some of the expected savings.

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AI chatbot threatened blackmail when developers said it would be shut down

I think we all knew it would get to this point. Anthropic’s newly launched AI system, Claude Opus 4, is being hailed for its powerful reasoning and coding chops, however, it’s also been flagged for occasionally crossing ethical lines during safety tests.

Rogue AI

Anthropic says its newly released Claude models—Opus 4 and Sonnet 4—are the new benchmarks for advanced reasoning, AI agents, and programming tasks, adding that Opus 4 has better code-related performance than models from industry leaders like Google and OpenAI.

While Anthropic might be able to rant and rave about Claude’s computing achievements, it can’t say the same for its performance on safety tests:

• In a fictional workplace scenario, the AI was fed hints that it would be replaced and that the engineer responsible was having an extramarital affair.

• When limited to just two options—accept deletion or retaliate—Claude chose blackmail 84% of the time, threatening to expose the affair to preserve itself.

Claude doesn’t stop there: In testing, the Opus 4 model was more likely to report perceived serious wrongdoing, including contacting authorities or the media, while also performing “extremely harmful actions” when limited to a small number of choices.

People are seeking therapy from robots more than ever

Screens are proving to be more comforting than your human therapist. Therapy and companionship have become the top use cases for generative AI, surpassing enhanced learning, generating code, and creativity, according to an analysis done by Harvard Business Review.

Robot reassurance

Rating the use cases based on “perceived usefulness and scale of impact,” HBR compiled a case report of the top 100 uses for generative AI this year. The results showed AI therapy rose through the ranks:

• The number one use case was “Therapy/Companionship”, achieving a “Usefulness” score of 7 and “Reach” score of 9.

• Personal and professional support was the theme of 31% of prompts, rising from the third spot last year to the top ranking this year.

Why are so many people using AI therapy? Put simply, they’re always awake, cheap, and don’t judge. HBR found that generative AI has the potential to be a helpful companion, constantly listening, engaging, and offering comfort.

• One study found that those seeking counseling prefer AI therapists since they are more compassionate than human ones.

However, experts say you should be careful: Outside of taking their jobs (ouch), human practitioners say AI lacks the ability to read body language or ask follow-up questions like a trained therapist.

FAST FACTS
Catch up on this week’s weird news

Star Wars Speeder: Polish startup Volonaut unveiled its Airbike, a jet-propelled hoverbike reminiscent of Star Wars speeder bikes that can reach speeds up to 124 mph. 

Sailing Solo: Oliver Widger, a 29-year-old from Oregon, completed a solo sailing journey from Oregon to Hawaii with his cat, Phoenix, after quitting his job and documenting the adventure on social media.

Dash Denial: A DoorDash driver inadvertently accessed restricted areas of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, driving for miles before being spotted by air traffic control. Authorities say it was an “honest mistake,” and no charges were filed.

Dog Days: Buenos Aires has seen a significant cultural shift as more Argentines are choosing dogs over children, with nearly 80% of households owning pets amid economic instability and a declining birth rate.

Passing Punctuation: The semicolon, once a common pause in literary rhythm, is now used half as often as it was in 2000, dropping from once every 205 words in 2000 to once every 390 today.