• The European Aviation Safety Agency has warned against flying over western Russia.
• It said there was a risk of airliners being misidentified and shot down.
• Many airlines have been avoiding Russia since it invaded Ukraine, but others still fly there.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has warned airlines against flying over western Russia due to the risk of being shot down.

It comes after Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was severely damaged while coming to land at Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechnya, on Christmas Day.

Of the 67 people on board, 38 died. Azerbaijan's president and a White House official have said the Embraer E190 appeared to have been shot by Russian air defense systems.

"The ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine poses the risk of civil aircraft being unintentionally targeted in the airspace of the Russian Federation," EASA said in Thursday's bulletin.

The warning applies to Russian airspace west of the 60th meridian east, which includes the cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg.

EASA said Russia "has not demonstrated full proficiency to address existing airspace risks by implementing an efficient and proactive approach to the airspace deconfliction."

No European Union airlines have flown to or over Russia since the war in Ukraine began.

This has caused complications on flights to eastern Asia, forcing airlines to find longer routes and increasing ticket prices. British Airways stopped flying directly to Beijing last October.

EASA's bulletin also applies to any airline that flies to or from the European Union. For example, Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways fly to Moscow and several European countries.

The agency also noted that its EU Conflict Zone Alerting System was established following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

In 2014, the Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile while passing over eastern Ukraine.

All 298 people on board the plane were killed.

• The US economy added 256,000 jobs in December, more than the forecast of 164,000.
• Unemployment was expected to hold steady at 4.2% but fell to 4.1%.
• Economists expect 2025 to be a tough labor market for job searchers.

The US labor market ended 2024 on a high note, adding 256,000 jobs in December, above the forecast of 164,000.

Unemployment unexpectedly dropped from 4.2% in November to 4.1% in December. The consensus expectation was that the rate would hold steady.

Labor force participation remained at 62.5% in December. The employment-population ratio increased from 59.8% in November to 60% in December.

Wage growth cooled slightly. Average hourly earnings increased to $35.69 in December, a 3.9% increase from a year earlier. Earnings rose by 4.0% in October and November.

Many sectors saw job growth, especially in healthcare. However, manufacturing, mining and logging, and utilities lost jobs in December.

The new jobs report likely won't derail the Federal Reserve's widely expected pause in its interest-rate easing campaign at its coming meeting after three rate cuts in a row.

CME FedWatch, which shows what traders think will happen to interest rates based on market activity, indicated after the jobs report a 97% chance that rates wouldn't be changed in the first scheduled Federal Open Market Committee meeting of 2025 on January 28 and 29, up from around 93% before the jobs report. There are eight scheduled FOMC meetings in 2025, but the Committee's members signaled in December that the Fed plans only two cuts this year.

In a press conference after the December meeting — where the Fed cut rates by 25 basis points — Fed chair Jerome Powell said that "the labor market is now looser than pre-pandemic" and is gradually still cooling down. He added further cooling isn't needed to reach the Fed's 2% inflation target.

Economists predict the job market in 2025 will be challenging for job searchers, and employers might be cautious in their hiring plans during the start of the year.

"While business sentiment has picked up somewhat since the election, there is still a lot of uncertainty about future policy changes that will likely make businesses hesitant to ramp up hiring, particularly in the first half of 2025," Dante DeAntonio, a labor economist with Moody's Analytics, said in a written statement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Ronda Rousey and husband Travis Browne have welcomed a new addition to their family with the birth of their second daughter.

At least 10 people have been killed as a result of the wildfires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles.

Congress will ban TikTok unless its Chinese owners agree to sell it, but the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea from the social media platform.

The Boston Red Sox reportedly aren't done dealing and could make a "significant" trade for one of baseball's best pitchers.

Star third baseman Nolan Arenado reportedly is willing to accept a trade to teams other than the Boston Red Sox.

One home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles remained intact while others on the same street were completely destroyed by a wildfire.

The U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs in the final month of 2024, while the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, the Labor Department said on Friday.

Why it matters: Hiring unexpectedly roared in December, capping a year of resilient labor market conditions that defied naysayers and kept the economy humming.

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• The report is being watched closely by Federal Reserve officials. Friday's strong figures will likely support expectations that the central bank might hold interest rates steady later this month, as the labor market shows few signs of slowing down.

By the numbers: The number is well above the roughly 155,000 jobs economists anticipated were added last month.

• In terms of revisions, the government said there were 212,000 payrolls in November — 15,000 fewer jobs than initially forecast.
• Meanwhile, jobs growth in October was revised slightly higher by 7,000 jobs to 43,000 payrolls.

What to watch: Jobs growth has held up, without the much-feared surge in layoffs, raising prospects that the economy can achieve a soft landing.

• But it's no guarantee that will continue. Inflation progress has stalled out, prompting many Fed officials to roll back how much the central bank anticipates lowering rates this year.
• Some Fed officials fear inflation could flare up again if President-elect Trump implements aggressive trade and deportation policies.

President-elect Trump said late Thursday that a meeting is in the works with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

Why it matters: Trump said on the campaign trail that he would swiftly end the nearly three-year-old war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

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Driving the news: Putin "wants to meet, and we are setting it up," Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago Thursday.

• "We have to get that war over with. That's a bloody mess," he added.

Between the lines: Trump gave no timeline for the potential meeting.

• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that the Kremlin had not yet received an official request for contact, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
• However, Putin is prepared to meet with Trump without any conditions, Peskov added.

The big picture: Despite Trump's ambitious campaign promises, unnamed European officials told the Financial Times that Trump's team has now pushed the timeline for ending the conflict to "several months."

• According to the officials, Trump has not yet decided how to end the war and that aid to Ukraine is likely to continue after Trump's inauguration, the Financial Times reported Friday.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Trump's ability to help end the war earlier this month.

Go deeper: Ukraine's lame duck danger: Biden and Putin escalate before Trump arrives

• Jean Smart called on TV networks to consider not broadcasting award ceremonies following the LA fires.
• Some entertainment journalists said outright cancellations would hurt gig workers in LA the most.
• A debate has erupted on whether award season should go ahead at all.

Jean Smart called on TV networks to not broadcast this year's award ceremonies amid the Los Angeles wildfires, but some journalists believe this move would hurt those who work behind the scenes on the show.

The awards season has already been altered this week in response to the fires, which JPMorgan analysts estimate could result in losses of $50 billion.

On Wednesday, Joey Berlin, the CEO of the Critics Choice Association, said its awards ceremony would be pushed back to January 26. The SAG nominations broadcast has also been canceled.

Oscars nominations are now expected to be delayed by two days to January 19, per an email from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts reported by multiple outlets.

The Academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

But some people think more should be done.

Smart, the Emmy-winning actor who stars in "Hacks," posted on Instagram on Wednesday: "With ALL due respect during Hollywood's season of celebration. I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have gathered to victims of the fires and the firefighters."

Brandon Lewis, a film critic, said on X that all the awards shows should be pushed back, adding: "I just don't see how anyone will be able to focus on something comparatively trivial like campaigning with people's homes destroyed and lives upended."

Some X users agreed, while others called for awards season to be canceled.

Eric Andersen, the founder and editor in chief of Awards Watch, an awards-focused outlet, and other users on X suggested that the networks and awards organizers should donate the revenue from broadcasts to people affected by the wildfires.

Andersen added that the award organizations would not generate any money without televising their shows.

The Academy Awards made $143.5 million in revenue in 2023 from the Oscars and related events, according to financial statements reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Marc Malkin, a senior editor at Variety, told KTLA 5 that "priorities have to shift," but Hollywood was a "gig economy" that relied on award shows.

"Makeup artists, hairstylists, drivers, waiters," Malkin said. "Yes, the celebrities are going to be fine. They don't need an awards show money-wise, but all of this gig economy, all of those people. It's a day rate. They're all going to lose work."

He added: "People rely on this to feed their kids, to pay their rent. We can't ignore that."

Maggie Lovitt, a Collider editor, Matthew Rettenmund, an author and freelance editor, and other users on X agreed with this sentiment.

Some users on Instagram also hit back against Smart's statement in her comments section, with one writing: "Productions shutting down will further contribute to the demise of LA. How will those of us rebuild if we can't work?"

• Elon Musk's $1 million sweepstake ended with a Michigan man winning the final prize.
• The selection process faced legal scrutiny for not being random, as the winners were handpicked.
• The last winner was paid thousands by the Trump campaign and was pictured at campaign events.

Elon Musk's controversial $1 million swing state giveaway concluded with the final prize going to a Michigan man who had worked on President-Elect Donald Trump's campaign.

The sweepstakes, funded by Musk through America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC, distributed daily prizes in the lead-up to the election.

The prizes went to registered voters in swing states who signed an online petition pledging support for free speech and gun rights.

In return, participants received cash payments of up to $100 and a chance to win $1 million.

On the sweepstakes' final day, America PAC announced Tyler VanAkin of Reading, Michigan, as the last $1 million check recipient.

"Tyler was traveling but we were able to meet up with him before he boarded his flight," it said in a post on X.

However, it omitted key details about VanAkin's work for the Republican presidential campaign, and also that he was en route to Trump's election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Financial Times was the first to report the details, based on election filings.

The controversial giveaway

In announcing the sweepstake on October 19, Musk said, "We're gonna be awarding a million dollars, randomly, every day from now until the election."

It was later revealed that it was not random at all and that America PAC was hand-selecting recipients.

In October, Philadelphia County District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and his super PAC, characterizing it as an illegal lottery scheme.

But Judge Angelo Foglietta of Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas allowed the giveaway to continue in Pennsylvania, writing in a decision that Musk's giveaway failed to meet the criteria required for a lottery under Pennsylvania law.

One of those criteria is that winners need to be chosen at random.

During the hearing, America PAC's treasurer testified that those chosen to win were "selected by the organization in a multi-step process."

The PAC said this involved reviewing participants' social media posts and meeting them in person.

Musk's lawyers also said at the hearing that individuals were selected based on their "suitability" to serve as spokespersons for the PAC, and that the windfall would not be lottery winnings but compensation for being chosen as spokespeople.

The Trump campaign paid him for 'advance consulting'

A year-end FEC filing by America PAC shows that VanAkin was paid $1 million on November 12, 2024, a week after his win was announced, for his services as a "spokesperson consultant."

The other announced winners are also listed in the filing, but only VanAkin received income from political committees, per the Financial Times.

FEC filings for the Trump campaign show that VanAkin worked for them between June and October, earning a little over $14,200 for "advance consulting & per diem," and receiving more than $16,300 in travel reimbursements.

Instagram posts also show that VanAkin, who works as a chiropractor, attended a bus tour stop with campaign staff, wearing a Trump-Vance branded jacket, and was in attendance at the West Palm Beach election watch party.

America PAC, the Trump campaign, and VanAkin did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.

As wildfires continue to devastate large areas of Southern California, a number of stars are speaking out.

"Y'all LA is burning down and Kimberly Noel is literally posting, telling us to go buy Skims," a woman posted on Instagram.

An American aircraft carrier continued to patrol the South China Sea, and a Chinese "flattop" concluded a sea trial.

New York is one of only two states that does not allow trial proceedings to be broadcast without the judge's approval.

A photo of the discovery on Reddit has racked up 40,000 upvotes in less than 24 hours. One user described it as "nasty."

The fires sweeping across LA have burned down thousands of buildings, leaving the destruction of iconic and historic landmarks in their wake.

President-elect Trump is scheduled to be sentenced Friday morning in his New York hush money case at a 9:30 am ET hearing.

Why it matters: With the proceeding, Trump will become the first former president sentenced for a crime, but he is expected to avoid time behind bars or any significant punishment for his historic felony conviction.

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• The sentencing, which Trump fought to delay or block altogether, comes just 10 days before his inauguration to a second term in the White House.
• The Supreme Court refused to intervene late Thursday, dashing a last-ditch bid by Trump's legal team to stop the proceeding.
• Judge Juan Merchan has already indicated that Trump won't face jail time.

Catch up quick: Merchan wrote in a filing earlier this month that "unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality" and allow Trump to pursue his appellate options.

• A court may impose a sentence of unconditional discharge when it believes "no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant's release," under New York law.
• Merchan noted that prosecutors no longer viewed jail time "as a practicable recommendation" given Trump's election victory.

Flashback: Trump became the first-ever former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony last May, when a New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

• He was charged in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter. Trump has repeatedly denied the affair.
• Since then, Trump's team has repeatedly tried to have his case thrown out under the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts."

The big picture: Just last year, Trump faced four criminal indictments.

• Since his election win, two federal cases against him have been dropped.
• His Georgia election interference case was cast into further limbo after the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis late last month. She is appealing the decision.

Go deeper: Trump seeks to stop Smith releasing final report

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

AI technology is advancing rapidly and if you're not already using it at work, brace yourself.

Why it matters: That was Sam Altman's message, buried in a blog post.

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• "We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents 'join the workforce' and materially change the output of companies," writes the OpenAI founder.

State of play: The possibility of using AI agents to do work instead of expensive humans has some companies super excited. It's making many workers super anxious.

• Distinct from an AI chatbot, an AI agent can work autonomously. You tell it what to do, and the agent goes off and does it in the real world. In other words, it could theoretically fully replace a human.

For example, a scientist could use a bot to conduct research and possibly even design an experiment.

• But an AI agent, when prompted, can act as a research assistant. It can not only do the research and design an experiment, the agent can conduct it and compile the results. (In a recent paper, scientists at AMD and Johns Hopkins University described how they successfully had an agent do just that.)

Zoom out: Altman, of course, has a big interest in a future where AI plays a bigger role at work. And it's not clear yet what happens to U.S. workplaces in 2025.

• But the idea of AI agents in our workplaces is hardly just an AI entrepreneur's fantasy, researchers and experts say.

Zoom in: Some companies are already experimenting with AI agents in limited pilot programs to conduct drug discovery, for project management, or to design marketing campaigns.

The big picture: The key question is what happens to people's jobs? Most experts agree that agents will change the nature of work over the coming years — particularly for those who work at a desk in front of a computer.

That could mean an agent starts doing some of your work. "In an ideal world, this is a multiplier of effort where I delegate the worst parts of my job to AI," says Ethan Mollick, a management professor at Wharton who studies AI.

• Altman said something similar in a podcast interview. He doesn't think about "what percent of jobs AI will do, but what percent of tasks will it do," he said on Lex Fridman's podcast last year. AI will let people do their jobs, "at a higher level of abstraction."
• AI has made workers more efficient, but there's still a lot more work to do. "The one thing I'm not worried about is that we're running out of work," GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke tells Axios.

Yes, but: While humans will still absolutely be needed to supervise the AI's work, agents will start replacing humans over the next two years, says Anton Korinek, an economics professor at the University of Virginia and a visiting scholar at Brookings.

• "Any job that can be done solely in front of a computer will be amenable to AI agents within the next 24 months," Korinek says in an email, assuring this reporter that he was not himself an AI. (He also agreed he could be replaced by one.)
• "From my conversations with business leaders, the majority of large companies employing white-collar workers are looking into what they can automate with AI."

Between the lines: Humans are moving more slowly than the technology. Companies have to figure out how to adjust operations to accommodate AI workers, says Lareina Yee, a senior partner at McKinsey and an AI expert.

• And that can be a costly endeavor. The biggest challenge to moving AI agents into the workplace isn't the tech, it's the people, she says. "This is not a technology strategy moment, it's a business strategy moment."