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Here's your midday brief for Friday, January 9th. I'm Alex O'Sullough for the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. employers added 50,000 jobs in December, a slight slowdown from November and an end to the

weakest year for hiring since the pandemic. A Labor Department report out today shows the economy

added 584,000 jobs in 2025, a sharp drop from the two million positions created

the year before. The unemployment rate slipped to 4.4%, but businesses remain hesitant on hiring

people because of uncertainty over tariffs and AI. Facebook Parent Meta said today that

it's backing several nuclear power projects to power its AI data

centers. It's working with developers to build new reactors and struck a deal to buy more power

from three existing plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. For the new reactors, Meta wants to see them

delivered within four to six years, a fast timeline that the company says is challenging, but important

to meet the urgent

demand for electricity for its data centers. Financial details weren't disclosed. And the European

Union has approved a trade deal with four South American countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay,

and Uruguay, as it tries to diversify trade and depend less on the U.S. and China. The deal was approved by

EU countries' representatives, even after opposition from France and several other countries.

The agreement still needs approval from the EU Parliament to take effect, which appears likely,

but isn't guaranteed. Heads up, an artificial intelligence tool helped us make this episode by

creating summaries that were based on WSJ reporting and then reviewed and adapted by an editor.

We'll have more coverage of the day's news on the WSJ's What's News podcast. You can add it to your playlist on your smart speaker or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Nearly home.

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