Image: NintendoNintendo has received a nomination for the upcoming 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards for its trans representation in 2024's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Switch remake (thanks, Eurogamer).The game, launched on 23rd May 2024, featured the inclusion of dialogue from the 2004 GameCube version that had originally been altered for its release in the West. Focused on Mario's ghost companion Vivian, the change effectively restored the character's trans identity.The Thousand-Year Door joins nine other nominees in the 'Outstanding Video Game' catagory, alongside Blumhouse Games' wonderful horror title Fear the Spotlight, which explored the relationship between the title's two protagonists, Amy and Vivian.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kWatch on YouTube Here's the full list of nominees:- Caravan SandWitch (Studio Plane Toast / Dear Villagers)- Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts)- Dread Delusion (Lovely Hellplace / DreadXP)- Dustborn (Red Thread Games / Spotlight by Quantic Dream)- Fear the Spotlight (Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games)- Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)- Minds Beneath Us (BearBone Studio)- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)- Sorry Were Closed ( la mode games / Akupara Games)- Until Then (Polychroma Games / Maximum Entertainment)The winner of last year's GLAAD award for 'Outstanding Video Game' was Larian Studios' Baldurs' Gate III. Viva la Vivian!Not folding yetWhich game would you like to see win this year's award from the list of nominees? Let us know with a comment in the usual spot.[source glaad.org, via eurogamer.net]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:03 Nintendo Lifes resident horror fanatic, when hes not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Asks Wii U Owners To Refrain From Using "Unauthorised" Online ServicesUpdate: Pretendo respondsThe Switch eShop Is A Nightmare, So We've Made Our Own "Better eShop"Fixing what Nintendon'tRandom: Donkey Kong Country's Artist Reacts To Nintendo's Redesign"Everything changes!"

The new Galaxy S25 Ultra may be the best Google Pixel alternative in 2025, especially if Samsung's software improvements are as promised.

The upgrade from Home to Pro is quick and easy. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNETIf you purchase a new PC with Windows 11 Home preinstalled, you might be able to get right to work. But for demanding PC owners, this entry-level edition doesn't have some essential features, like the ability to connect to a Windows domain-based network, manage disk encryption, fine-tune update schedules, or create virtual machines. (For a detailed list of Pro-only features, see"7 reasons Windows 11 Pro is worth the upgrade - and the best way to do it.")To get those features, you need to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro. That's a pretty straightforward process, but if you're not careful, you can end up spending much more than you need to on the upgrade. And you can also find yourself having to do it all over again if you need to reinstall Windows.Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025In this article, I cover three common scenarios for upgrading from Windows 11 Home edition to Pro:You're setting up a new PC that came with Windows 11 Home edition preinstalled.You're doing a clean install of Windows 11 Pro on a PC that you previously upgraded.After resetting your PC, you need to restore your Home-to-Pro upgrade.If you're upgrading a PC for the first time, you need one essential ingredient to get started: a product key.First things first: You need a product keyThe simplest way to upgrade a PC from Windows 11 Home to Pro is to use a product key.If you've been building, buying, and upgrading PCs for a while, it might be worth rummaging through your desk drawers, storeroom, or email archives to see if you can locate an old product key for Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro, even if it's already been used. (Yes, a product key for Windows 10 can be used to activate Windows 11, and vice-versa.)One option that used to work is, alas, no longer available. Previously, you could reuse an old product key from Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8/8.1 Pro to enable an upgrade from Windows 10/11 Home to Windows 10/11 Pro, potentially saving you the upgrade fee. Microsoft closed that loophole in September 2023 when itfinally ended its free Windows 10 upgrade program. If you purchased a retail copy of Windows 10 Pro and used it on an old PC that's since been retired, you can freely reuse the key that came with it. (OEM copies that were preinstalled on the PC when you bought it aren't transferable.) As an alternative, you can look for a discounted copy online. Microsoft's retail price for Windows 11 Pro is $199, but you can find much bigger discounts without having to look far. I've seen discounted copies of Windows 11 Pro for sale right here on ZDNET for $20 or less. Just be aware of the risk associated with "gray market" software.Also:Can you still get a Windows 10 upgrade for free in 2025? Short answer: MaybeIf you want to skip the product key completely, you can pay Microsoft $99 for an upgrade directly from the Microsoft Store. A word of caution, though: that license is tied to the computer on which you upgrade and can't be transferred to a different device.You only need to use that product key one time. After you complete the upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, a digital license is attached to the specific hardware you just upgraded. That digital license allows you to reinstall and automatically activate the Pro edition on that hardware anytime, without the need to find that product key and re-enter it.I've been testing upgrade/activation scenarios on a wide variety of hardware over the years to see how things work. Here's the scoop.Scenario 1: How to upgrade a new PCLet's say you buy a new PC with Windows 11 Home installed by the OEM. Some vendors offer an upgrade option as part of the purchase, but many PCs sold in the retail channel (Best Buy, Costco, and the like) are preloaded with Home edition, for the simple reason that it costs less.Also: What is a TPM, and why does Windows 11 require one?In this case, the upgrade takes just a few minutes. 1. Go to the Activation page in Settings In Windows 11, start by going to Settings > System > Activation. That step opens the page shown here. Confirm that your system is properly activated. If it's not, you'll want to stop and deal with that issue before you proceed. Show more The Pro upgrade no longer accepts product keys from older versions, but a Windows 10 Pro key can be used with Windows 11 and vice-versa. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET 2. Enter the Pro product key Click the arrow to the right of the "Upgrade your edition of Windows" heading to expand that section. Locate your product key for Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro, click the "Change product key" button and enter that 25-character key here.If you don't have a Pro product key and want to upgrade immediately, click "Open store"; there, you'll have the option to purchase an upgrade for $99. Just be aware, as mentioned earlier, that the upgrade will be locked to the machine on which you make the purchase and cannot be transferred. Show more Enter a product key here and then follow the prompts. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET 3. Perform the upgrade After entering the product key, follow the prompts to perform the upgrade.You'll see a succession of progress screens and your system will restart. After the upgrade completes, you should see a Success notification. Go to Settings > System > Activation again to confirm that you're now running Windows 11 Pro and that activation was successful. Show more Scenario 2: How to reinstall a clean copy of Windows 11 ProAfter successfully performing a Home-to-Pro upgrade, you can file that product key away. Your upgrade is now a digital license, attached to your unique hardware.If you perform a reinstallation of Windows, Microsoft's activation servers will recognize and activate Windows automatically -- I've tested the process personally on hundreds of physical and virtual systems of systems over the years and can confirm it works.1. Start up from a bootable USB flash driveTo install a clean copy of Windows on a PC that already has a digital license for Windows 10/11 Pro, you need to boot from a USB flash drive that contains the Windows setup files. When you see the option to enter a product key, choose "I don't have a product key". (The screen shown here is from the Setup program included with Windows 11 version 24H2; this screen looks slightly different if you're using version 23H2.) If your PC already has a Pro license, don't enter a product key when reinstalling. 2. Choose to install the Pro editionAs part of the installation process, Windows Setup will display a list of available editions. Be sure to choose Windows 11 Pro as the edition to install. Don't choose any of the options whose names end with the letter N, and don't choose Windows Pro for Workstations.Also:The best laptops: Expert tested and reviewedFollow all the prompts to complete the installation and go through the Out of Box Experience to sign in for the first time on the newly installed operating system.3. Check the activation statusAfter setup is complete, sign in and check the activation status (Settings > System > Activation). Assuming you didn't make major hardware changes, Microsoft's servers will recognize the hardware and you should see a notice that the system is activated with a digital license. If the system isn't properly activated, click Troubleshoot to see if you can resolve the issue.Scenario 3: How to restore the Pro edition upgrade after a reinstallThe one gotcha in this series of scenarios comes when you have a system that includes digital licenses for both Home and Pro editions. This will be the case if you purchased a PC with Windows Home edition preinstalled and then upgraded with a Pro product key.In that scenario, you might inadvertently restore the original Home edition. That has happened to me multiple times during the course of testing Windows installations and upgrades. Recently, for example, Iused a recovery image to reinstall Windows 11on a Microsoft Surface Pro that had originally shipped with Windows 11 Home and had been upgraded to Windows 11 Pro.Also:How to screen record in Windows 10 or 11If that happens to you, don't bother searching for the product key you used to upgrade.Instead, use Microsoft's generic Windows Pro product key to force the upgrade. Follow the steps below.1. Go to the Activation page in SettingsGo to Settings > System > Activation and check the currently installed edition and activation status. If you see a properly activated copy of Windows 11 Home, expand the "Upgrade your edition of Windows" section and click "Change product key".2. Enter the generic Windows Pro product keyEnter the following product key:VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66TThis generic product key is intended specifically to change editions on PCs that have a properly activated copy of Windows 11 Pro. There's nothing magical about it, and you can't use it to get an upgrade that you're not entitled to. If your hardware doesn't already have a Pro license, you'll get an activation error and need to supply a proper product key or pay for an upgrade.3. Follow the prompts to complete the upgradeFollow the prompts and restart to complete the upgrade.Because you previously upgraded to Pro on this hardware, Microsoft's activation servers will recognize the digital license and activate your newly installed copy.FAQs Show more What is the difference between Windows Home and Pro?The biggest difference between Windows Home and Pro editions is support for advanced business features. For day-to-day work, there's little difference between the two editions, which have the same user interface and manage files and apps identically.Windows Pro edition adds the following features that are not available with Home edition: Domain Join, Hyper-V, BitLocker, Microsoft Update for Business, Remote Desktop Server, and Assigned Access. You can find a detailed comparison in this article:"7 reasons Windows 11 Pro is worth the upgrade - and the best way to do it."Do I need Windows 11 Pro?That depends. If you want the option to connect to business networks, or to encrypt all files on all drives using BitLocker Drive Encryption, then consider going Pro. Likewise, the Pro edition offers the ability to defer monthly updates using Group Policy and includes access to Hyper-V virtualization and the incredibly useful Windows Sandbox feature.However, if you're just using your PC for routine tasks at home or in a small office and you don't need those advanced features, the Home edition should work for you just fine. Be sure to sign in with a Microsoft account to ensure the system drive is encrypted and the BitLocker Recovery key is properly backed up to the cloud.What is a clean install?A clean install removes a previous software installation and installs a new copy with default settings. This article was originally published on December 23, 2015, and has been updated many times since. It was last updated January 22, 2025.Windows

AI in HRgettyEven though organizations are increasingly making use of machines and AI systems to power their processes, companies are still powered by people. When you have people delivering the most critical aspects of an organizations services and products, you have the need to handle all the processes involved in managing those people. AI is significantly transforming the Human Resources (HR) industry by streamlining processes, improving decision-making, and enhancing employee experiences.AI-Assisted Hiring and RecruitmentAI is seeing significant use helping with hiring and recruitment, especially for organizations that have constant jobs to fill such as in warehouses and logistics, or seasonal jobs. But even beyond these industries, AI is now a core part of many firms recruiting and hiring processes. AI is automating and streamlining many of the necessary HR processes, such as screening resumes, matching candidates with job openings, and even conducting initial interviews.While many AI-augmented HR processes have seen negative publicity with often implicit bias and improper screening leading to inappropriate candidate selection, increasingly companies are using AI in an augmentative role to assist human hiring managers ensure they identify the broadest scope of potential candidates.In this way, organizations are leveraging AI-based tools to improve diversity and inclusion efforts by identifying biases in job descriptions, recruitment processes, and performance evaluations. AI tools analyze language and hiring patterns to ensure more inclusive practices, potentially leading to a more diverse workforce.During the hiring process, AI tools analyze market trends, employee preferences, and company policies to optimize employee benefits and compensation, recommending personalized benefit packages and competitive compensation strategies that align with both employee expectations and organizational goals.MORE FOR YOUOn the planning side, AI helps HR professionals better anticipate future workforce needs. Organizations might find a need for a rapid ramp-up in hiring due to new product launches or seasonal or regional expansion needs. AI-based predictive analytics tools can identify skill gaps, hiring requirements, and potential attrition.These platforms offer insights into workforce trends, helping organizations make data-driven decisions about staffing and resource allocation.AI Augmented Employee ExperienceOnce an employee is part of the team, they need to be able to accomplish their primary job with as much support and minimal bureaucracy as possible. AI systems are helping improve the employee experience, simplifying onboarding, completion of necessary requirements and paperwork, and assisting with HR and company-related questions and inquiries. AI improves the onboarding process by providing personalized training programs, automated deployment and provisioning of resources, automating paperwork, and tailored guidance.These AI tools can also monitor and enhance employee engagement by analyzing feedback and surveys and performance data, identifying trends in sentiment for employees and predict possible potential turnover and recommending actions to improve satisfaction retention.To further enhance employee satisfaction, companies are rolling out self-service AI chatbots and assistance tools that help employees with their daily HR needs. These tools provide employees with access to HR information, such as benefits and policies and payroll details, as well as routine tasks such as IT help desk and ticket issues, assistance with travel, meeting scheduling, and other tasks that reduce the HR administrative burden.Improving the Workforce with AIAI is able to also streamline different performance management tasks. Using various HR data, AI systems can provide insights into employee productivity, identify areas that employees might need help, augment performance reviews, and in general help optimize organizational efficiency. Tools use AI to offer real-time feedback, set goals, and track progress, making performance management more continuous and effective.These AI systems can also personalize learning and development programs by recommending courses, content, and training based on an employees role, skills, and career goals, creating tailored learning paths that help employees develop relevant skills more effectively. In addition, these systems can help identify high-potential employees and create succession plans by analyzing performance data, career trajectories, and leadership qualities.Were well on the way to a future where AI in HR is helping make the work experience more valuable for the employee and employer, delivering results so organizations can thrive.

Polar bear on ice floe. Melting iceberg and global warming. Climate changegettySea level rise mostly due to glacial melt largely caused by anthropogenic climate change has been a hot button topic for the past half century. But historically defining the basic parameters of global sea level has never been a trite exercise.Yet in a revelatory new book, Sea Level: A History, author Wilko Graf von Hardenberg, a senior research scholar at Germanys Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, deftly chronicles just how difficult it was to come up with a standard method of measuring mean sea level.In the process, Hardenberg gives us a richly detailed yet very accessible history of how over five centuries, the concept of measuring mean sea level was a painstaking process that advanced in fits and starts.Mean sea level is quite simply the average height of the ocean's surface over time. But the boundaries between land and sea are often skewed.The concept of sea level as an average is only one step in the long-term pursuit of a point of reference in a space that is never at rest, Hardenberg writes. Neat distinctions between land and sea are relatively recent products of the modern age, he notes. Coasts are actually ecotones, spaces in which different ecosystems meet and interact, porous regions that are part land, part water, he continues.Early DataThe earliest available data series on sea level relative to land began to be produced consistently almost five centuries ago in Amsterdam, Hardenberg writes in Sea Level. Elsewhere, tide gaugesthe tools necessary to collect sea-level measurementswere installed in an unorderly, piecemeal fashion, he notes. Such haphazard and unbalanced development and the consequent unevenness of available series has produced biases in our historical understanding of sea-level rise, Hardenberg writes.Long before the advent of advanced geodetic buoy systems, altimeters and satellites, our ancestors took a credible stab at defining a global mean sea level. They werent altogether successful, but they tried. And one must remember that even with todays global satellite technology, measuring changes in sea level from on high remains a somewhat iffy proposition.Sea Level: A HistoryUniversity of Chicago PressThats arguably one reason why recent dire predictions about climate change have thankfully not always come true.In a 2011 article for Climate Central, I point out that the state ofIn fact, according to NOAA, global mean sea level has risen about 89 inches since 1880. The rising water level is mostly due to a combination of meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets and thermal expansion of seawater as it warms, NOAA reports.Getting a handle on mean sea level.At the 1867 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Ohio-based geologist and surveyor Charles Whittlesey presented a paper on the impact of glaciation on the level of the oceans, Hardenberg writes. Whittlesey concluded that the melting of existing ice caps would cause a catastrophic rise, the author notes.Satellites have allowed scientists to overcome the limits of a sparse network of tide gauges and gravimeters, along the coasts and on midocean islands, finally supplying continuousand nearly globalsea-level data, Hardenberg writes.Yet satellites precision is not absolute, Hardenberg writes. In fact, valid, long-term series of observations reliably collected on the ground are essential for calibrating the instruments deployed on satellites, he notes.Dire PredictionsModels predict a rise of at least 15 centimeters by 2050 and possibly more than a meter by 2100, Hardenberg writes.As Sea Level points out, Miami has been dubbed the most vulnerable major coastal city in the world. And with its deltaic geography, the country of Bangladesh is virtually defenseless against tidal floods and sea-level rise, Hardenberg notes.Trial and ErrorSea Level offers a fascinating account of how science is often a piecemeal undertaking of trial and error. But the book also offers a sobering reminder of the inexactitude of today's global sea level measurements.As for sea level rise caused by anthropogenic climate change?Even though there's no question that anthropogenic climate change has played a major role in the current run-up of the global mean sea level, some of the most histrionic predictions about pending inundations have mercifully remained just that. Predictions. Not reality.Thats not to say that we should not take the subject seriously. But sea level rise linked to anthropogenic climate change is both insidious and nuanced. Those who are not well versed in the history of our planets long-term geology are often not aware that Earth's climate and its oceans have waxed and waned over millions and billions of years.The Bottom Line?There are no easy solutions; the climate change genie is out of the bottle, and we still have much to learn. But for those interested in learning how sea level fluctuations have historically been measured, the book Sea Level is well worth a read.

Facepalm: There was a lot of excitement when Dragon Age: The Veilguard was first announced, but it's fair to say that it failed to live up to the hype. EA has now revealed that the game had 1.5 million players, not unit sales, in its first two months of launch half what the company was expecting. In its preliminary third-quarter results for fiscal year 2025, EA writes that it is revising its anticipated mid-single-digit growth in live services net bookings to a mid-single-digit decline.EA places most of the blame on Global Football, aka EA Sports FC, which it says that after two consecutive years of double-digit net bookings growth is slowing down. CEO Andrew Wilson singled out EA Sports 25 for underperforming.EA also pointed to Dragon Age: The Veilguard for forcing it to revise projections. The company writes that the game "engaged" approximately 1.5 million players during the quarter, down nearly 50% from EA's expectations. The RPG was the other title that Wilson said underperformed.The use of the word "engaged" suggests that EA isn't talking about Dragon Age's unit sales. As noted by IGN, the game was available on the EA Play Pro subscription service, and the company may even be counting the free trial that was part of the cheaper EA Play service in its figures, so the actual number of units sold in the first two months (it launched after a third of Q3 had already passed) could be a lot lower than 1.5 million. Veilguard certainly wasn't a disaster on the scale of something like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League or Sony's Concord it was briefly Steam's best-selling game. Many companies would be more than happy to reach around 1.5 million sales in the first couple of months, but EA had big expectations for the game, and its launch week sales failed to reach the same levels as two other major RPGs: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Dragon's Dogma II. // Related StoriesVeilguard was one of those games that critics appeared to enjoy more than players, based on the Metacritic scores. Beyond the gameplay itself, it was hard to ignore the controversy around what many called a political message that pushes too hard the cutscene in which a character misgenders another and does a set of push-ups to apologize, before lecturing the others on why this is better than traditional apologies, managed to irritate almost everyone, regardless of their views. The use of the term "nonbinary" in a fantasy setting didn't go down too well, either.Developer BioWare has confirmed there won't be any DLC for Veilguard as it is now concentrating fully on the next Mass Effect game. The disappointing sales likely influenced that decision.EA writes that it now expects net bookings of approximately $2.215 billion for the third fiscal quarter and an updated range of $7 billion to $7.15 billion for fiscal year 2025.

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Two sides of the US gun control debate meet at a protest in Cincinnati, OhioReuters/James Lawler DugganOutragedKurt Gray (Pantheon)It is hard to ignore just how bitterly divided the world feels right now. Over the past year, elections in more than 100 countries have exposed the widening gulf between opposing views. Online, debates spiral into hostility within seconds. In person, contentious topics are often avoided altogether.Like many, I have struggled to understand the other side, let alone imagine bridging the divide. But in Outraged: Why we fight about morality and politics and how to find common

Thursday is the last full day of the World Economic Forum in Davos.The rich and powerful have been discussing what 2025 will bring for the economy, tech, and business.This is what BI is seeing and hearing on the ground.Thursday is the last full day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the rich and powerful have been discussing the year ahead in economics, business, and tech.This is what Business Insider is hearing and seeing on the ground.Who will manage your AI colleagues?The AI agents are coming, but who will manage them? It's a very real concern among some business leaders I've met with.HR software maker Lattice got some backlash last year when it announced it would start giving AI workers official employment records. The idea might not seem so ridiculous now as business leaders think about how to govern a new class of AI capable of carrying out certain tasks without human input. "We were ahead, but by months," Lattice CEO Sarah Franklin told BI at Davos.ManpowerGroup chief commercial officer Becky Frankiewicz also told BI she'd been hearing from business leaders who are thinking about ways to govern AI agents. Tech companies will likely be the first to jump in, she said, but she already knows of one consulting firm grappling with this challenge of the new AI era. "They've done the agents already," she said. "The next question they were asking was: do we need to have managers for the agents?" Hugh LangleyDavos is already prepping for 2026The conference doesn't technically wrap until midday Friday, but things are already winding down. Some people leave Thursday, while a good chunk of the delegates head out early Friday.But an end is just a new beginning, and that's the case for Davos 2026.Planning for next year's event has already begun. Plenty of companies will lock down their spaces along the Promenade the main street that runs through town where retail shops are transformed into a "haus" for the business renting it by the end of the week if they haven't already done so. When I first arrived on Sunday afternoon, I saw one shop with a large display advertising itself as a potential 2026 home base.Reservations at restaurants for big dinners also start filling up fast, although one person involved in event planning told me some establishments opt to wait a bit in hopes they can just rent out the entire space in one go.The entire week is a boon for local businesses and homeowners, who make many multiples above what they see selling things or renting out their space any other week of the year.Of course, some shops choose to stay open, like the town's luxury watch shop. (Its Rolex signage fits in quite well with the vibes, to be honest.)And then there's the one souvenir shop in the middle of town, which might secretly do the best business. A simple cotton T-shirt with some Davos branding can run you close to $40. Dan DeFrancesco

Saudi Arabia said it will invest at least $600 billion in the US over the next four years.President Donald Trump has long enjoyed a good relationship with Saudi Arabia's crown prince.Trump has moved quickly since taking office, signing executive orders and announcing investments.Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told newly inaugurated President Donald Trump that his oil-rich nation will invest at least $600 billion in the US over the next four years.The crown prince told Trump about the investment during a congratulatory phone call on Wednesday evening, per a report from the state-run Saudi Press Agency published on Thursday.According to the report, the two leaders discussed how the US and Saudi Arabia can work together to promote peace and security in the Middle East.Representatives for Trump and Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.Trump has long enjoyed a good relationship with the crown prince. Saudi Arabia was the first foreign nation he visited during his first term.When Trump met the crown prince in June 2019, he described him as a "friend of mine " and lauded him for "opening up Saudi Arabia."Deal after dealShortly after being sworn in on Monday, Trump moved quickly, issuing a wave of executive orders covering areas including trade, immigration, and energy.He's also inked deals, both domestically and abroad.On Monday, Trump signed an executive order that would pause the ban on TikTok for 75 days. Trump said while signing the order that the US should own half of TikTok if he's able to halt the ban."I may not do the deal, or I may do the deal. TikTok is worthless, worthless, if I don't approve it," Trump said, adding that the social media platform could be worth $1 trillion.And on Tuesday, Trump announced Stargate, a new joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank. The president said Stargate plans to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure across the US."Before the end of my first full business day in Washington and the White House, we have already secured nearly $3 trillion of new investments in the United States and probably that's going to be six or seven by the end of the week," Trump said while announcing Stargate on Tuesday, though he did not elaborate on the sources of the new investments.Later, on Wednesday, Trump made an overture to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war. Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was doing Russia a big favor by offering to end the conflict."If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump wrote."We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better," Trump added.Saudi Arabia has its own prioritiesIt is unclear how Saudi Arabia's new investment in the US aligns with its economic priorities.In 2016, Saudi Arabia launched its Vision 2030 plan to transform its oil-dependent economy into a more diversified one boosted by tourism and sports. The kingdom has already pumped billions into its economic pivot, with some investments going to the US.But Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, said last year that it would focus more on its domestic economy. The PIF is the world's sixth-largest sovereign wealth fund, per the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute.The PIF's governor, Yasir Al Rumayyan, told delegates at Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative business conference in October that the fund was planning to cut the proportion of foreign investments from 30% to between 18% and 20%."A lot of people would come looking for our money to be invested abroad. But that thing shifted over the years," Al Rumayyan said."So now, we're more focused on the domestic economy and we've been achieving and doing so many big things," he added.