Fact And Comment

Freight trains criss-crossing the country carry cars of coal and tanks of oil and natural gas to power plants to help keep the nation’s electric grid going. Could freight trains haul electrons generated by renewable energy sources for the same purpose? That was a question that Christopher Smith, who has an extensive background in the renewable energy industry, asked himself.

NEW YORK — U. S. stock markets will be closed on Jan. 9 in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, continuing a long-held Wall Street tradition in mourning the nation’s leaders. Both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq announced this week that they plan to close their equity and options markets next Thursday in observance of a National Day of Mourning for the 39th U.

There aren't that many movies specifically set on New Year's Eve, but one of the best is The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Joel and Ethan Coen's visually striking, affectionate homage to classic Hollywood screwball comedies. The film turned 30 this year, so it's the perfect opportunity for a rewatch. (WARNING: Spoilers below.) The Coen brothers started writing the script for The Hudsucker Proxy when Joel was working as an assistant editor on Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (1981).

The most powerful leaders in the tech industry are trying out a new playbook to engage Donald Trump, who has been historically opposed to their dominance: in-person dining. A steady stream of some of the biggest names in technology — Meta Platforms Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos — have all made pilgrimages to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to meet with the president-elect, a stark reversal from his 2016 victory, when many business leaders kept their distance, instead currying favor by hiring well-connected lobbyists. “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!,” Trump posted to Truth Social recently. That remark echoes a comment he made during a press conference drawing a contrast with his first term when “everyone was fighting” to now, with corporate executives clamoring to dine with him on his Palm Beach resort’s patio. Trump is the first Republican in the last 20 years to win the popular vote.

BOSTON — The Dartmouth men’s basketball team is dropping its attempt to unionize, ending a push to become the first college athletes to bargain for a contract in order to avoid a potentially damaging precedent from a National Labor Relations Board that soon will be controlled by Republicans. Service Employees International Union Local 560 filed a request to withdraw the NLRB petition on Tuesday rather than take its chances with an unfriendly labor board. “While our strategy is shifting, we will continue to advocate for just compensation, adequate health coverage, and safe working conditions for varsity athletes at Dartmouth,” local president Chris Peck said in a statement that called collective bargaining “the only viable pathway to address issues” facing college athletics today. The Dartmouth players petitioned the labor board in 2023 for the right to unionize, saying the New Hampshire school exercised so much control over their schedules and working conditions that they met the legal definition of employees.

Make 2025 the year of sleep quality with these simple resolutions.