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close video Cathie Wood makes a prediction about Amazon’s future workforce

Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood predicts Amazon will have more robot employees than humans by 2030.

A town in Virginia voted to provide Amazon with a special use permit to build a data center despite protests from over 100 speakers, including actor Robert Duvall, at a town hall meeting on Tuesday. 

"As an actor, I have the privilege to play many roles. My work has taken me all over the world, but I have always returned to Fauquier County, Virginia, with a sense of relief that comes from my appreciation for all that makes this place special," Duvall said. "The remarkable outpouring of opposition to this proposal indicates that the vast majority of the town and county believe this is a bad use of this site."

Robert Duvall during an interview for the June 24, 2021 show for the “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. Image is a screen grab. (CBS via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Duvall, noting that he has lived on a farm in Virginia for 27 years, called the state "the last station before heaven" and demanded the town "keep it that way." The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he returned to his seat.

Amazon wants to build a 220,000-square-foot data center in Warrenton, and town councilmember Henry Herouix stressed the company has not asked for any tax breaks.

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Amazon projects that about 50 workers will be employed at the data center, and supporters said the data center will generate about $900,000 in tax revenue for the town annually. Ticker Security Last Change Change % AMZN AMAZON.COM INC. 97.20 -0.95 -0.97%

Herouix argued the tax revenue could go toward the county and schools. The permit for Amazon’s construction would include noise restrictions, bans on construction of an electric substation on the site and the requirement that any distribution lines go underground.

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Debate over the data center lasted some eight hours, but 92-year-old Duvall’s impassioned speech, along with the protests of roughly one hundred other speakers, seemed to make little impact as Warrenton’s town council voted 4-3 on Wednesday to approve a special permit for Amazon. 

The groups Protect Fauquier, Citizens for Fauquier County and the Piedmont Environmental Council organized an Oct. 26, 2022 town hall meeting in Warrenton, Virginia to explain to residents why they are opposed to a plan from Amazon Web Services to bu (Teo Armus/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The northern Virginia region is home to the greatest concentration of data centers, 275 in total, which support modern internet use.

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But the continued expansion of data centers has faced pushback as residents complain about the noise, the increased resource use to power the stations, and the increasing wires and other infrastructure that appear across the towns. 

Kevin Ramundo with Citizens for Fauquier County and Cindy Burbank with Protect Fauquier walk on Main Street on February 10, 2023 in Warrenton, Virginia. Both are opposed to Amazons plan to build a data center in the area. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Councilmember David McGuire acknowledged that the decision was a "pivotal moment" for the town, which would "never be the same as we know it, whether that’s good or bad," WUSA 9 reported. 

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Amazon has committed to invest roughly $35 billion by 2040 to build more data centers across Virginia. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Sports

Source: 5-star Keys flips from LSU to Tennessee

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Source: 5-star Keys flips from LSU to Tennessee

Five-star pass catcher Tristen Keys, ESPN’s No. 2 wide receiver in the 2026 class, flipped his commitment from LSU to Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, a source told ESPN.

Keys, who is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, is the No. 10 prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300. He is the second-ranked member of the Vols’ 2026 class, trailing only five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, ESPN’s No. 8 recruit this cycle.

Keys, who is from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, had verbally committed to the Tigers since March 19. However, he maintained an open recruitment throughout the summer, speaking with multiple programs during official visits to Auburn, Miami, Tennessee and Texas A&M. With Keys’ flip, LSU has lost a five-star wide receiver pledge in consecutive cycles, after Dakorien Moore‘s decommitment in 2025.

Keys headlines a stacked pass-catching class that the Vols are building around Brandon, ESPN’s No. 3 pocket passer prospect. Keys joins Salesi Moa (No. 35 overall), Tyreek King (No. 52) and Joel Wyatt (No. 66) as the program’s fourth top-100 wide receiver pledge in 2026. Tennessee ranked 15th in ESPN’s class rankings for the cycle prior to Keys’ flip.

Keys caught 58 passes for 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns in his junior season last fall, guiding Hattiesburg (Miss.) High School to Mississippi’s 6A state title game. He later participated in the Under Armour All-America Game and the Polynesian Bowl earlier this year.

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Technology

Affirm’s stock soars 15% on earnings, revenue beat

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Affirm's stock soars 15% on earnings, revenue beat

Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal and chief executive officer of financial technology company Affirm, arrives at the Sun Valley Resort for the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Drew Angerer | Getty Images

Affirm shares rose 15% in extended trading on Thursday after the provider of buy now, pay later loans reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter.

Here’s how the company did versus LSEG consensus estimates:

  • EPS: 20 cents vs. 11 cents estimated
  • Revenue: $876 million vs. $837 million estimated

Revenue climbed 33% in the period from $659 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Gross merchandise volume rose 43% to $10.4 billion from $7.2 billion a year ago.

Affirm reported net income of $69.2 million, or 20 cents a share, after recording a loss a year earlier of $45.1 million, or 14 cents a share.

 “This consistent execution led Affirm to achieve operating income profitability in FQ4’25 – right on the schedule we committed to a year ago,” the company said in its shareholder letter.

For the first quarter, Affirm said revenue will be between $855 million and $885 million, while gross merchandise volume will be $10.1 billion to 10.4 billion.

Shares of Affirm were up 31% this year before the after-hours pop, topping the Nasdaq’s 12% gain.

Affirm, which went public in 2021, faces growing competition in e-commerce. It has partnerships with Amazon and Shopify, but Walmart recently shifted to competitor Klarna, which is expected to go public in the near future. Last year, Affirm announced a deal with Apple.

WATCH: Affirm posts earnings and revenue beat

Affirm posts earnings and revenue beat for Q4

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Environment

Stellantis reveals stylish, affordable, capable EV – why can’t the US have it?

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Stellantis reveals stylish, affordable, capable EV – why can't the US have it?

Chrysler parent company Stellantis is sinking billions on electric Jeeps and Chargers that no one wants, but the they’ve developed market-leading EVs in Europe, and this latest, £36,995 DS Automobiles No4 is exactly the sort of electric crossover that could rejuvenate the brand’s American prospects. The only question now is: why won’t they bring it here?

Both the Dodge and Jeep-branded Stellantis EVs are being offered with huge discounts in a bid to generate some kind of market interest, but the company’s American product and marketing teams seem to be deeply confused about what the market actually wants. Over in Europe, though, Stellantis’ EVs are hot sellers – and this latest five-passenger crossover from the company is expected to steal even more sales from the Model Y.

The new all-electric No4 E-Tense model from Stellantis’ French brand DS Automobiles will be offered at three trim levels starting with the Pallas at £36,995 (approx. $48K US), rising to £39,160 for the Pallas+ and topping out at £41,860 (approx. $56K US, before incentives get applied) for the range-topping Etoile. 

All three trims use a front-mounted electric motor rated at 213 hp, drawing from a 58.3‑kWh battery pack. That setup delivers up to 280 miles on the WLTP cycle (about 240 miles by EPA estimates). That feels like a lot of miles from a relatively small battery, aided no doubt by the DS No4’s aerodynamic. Inside the No4’s sculpted flanks is enough room for five adults and a bunch of their stuff, as well as an incredibly sexy dash and infotainment layout that (in the official press photos, at least) seems positively slathered in Alcantara (think “vegan suede”).

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With 120 kW fast charging capabilities, the No4’s battery pack can replenish from 20 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. Thanks to built‑in V2L/V2X tech, the No4 can also supply power back to external devices.

Electrek’s Take


I think it would be a hit. As for why the marketing gurus at whatever’s left of the old Chrysler corporation seem to think an electric muscle car that no one asked for or a Dodge-branded Alfa Romeo that no one will ever ask for is a better use of their marketing dollars – that’s simply beyond me.

Maybe you guys know? Check out these photos of the new DS No4, then scroll on down to the comments and let us know what you think of Stellantis’ US product plans, and whether or not they messed up canceling the Airflow after all.

SOURCE | IMAGES: DS Automobiles.


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