This content will air on Townsquare Media’s SuperTalk 1270AM from 9-10AM on Monday December 29, 2024.
As 2025 kicks off, Steve Bakken hosted Jason Spiess for an exciting predictions show on SuperTalk 1270AM’s Talk of the Town, delivering engaging insights on major topics—from Super Bowl outcomes to the year’s hottest political and energy developments.
🏈 Super Bowl 2025: A Winner and Loser for the Ages?
Bakken opened the segment with asking Jason about his prediction he teased last week previewing the Prediction Show.
Prediction #1: The Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills
A potential Super Bowl matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills would be a clash of two historically unlucky franchises in the championship arena. Both teams share a dubious honor: four Super Bowl appearances without a single victory.
The Vikings made their four trips to the Super Bowl in the 1970s, facing formidable opponents like the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite being a powerhouse during the era, they struggled to translate regular-season dominance into postseason success.
The Bills, meanwhile, famously made four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1990 to 1993, only to lose each one, with heartbreaks such as Scott Norwood’s missed field goal in Super Bowl XXV adding to their legacy of near-misses.
This matchup would represent a chance for one franchise to finally shed its label as perennial underdog and claim its first Lombardi Trophy. Fans and analysts alike would likely focus on the emotional stakes, the shared legacy of disappointment, and the determination to end decades of frustration for their loyal supporters.
One historic winner would be crowned while the other becomes the biggest loser in NFL Super Bowl history. Now that’s a media storyline for the ages.
However, another huge super storyline would be… Prediction #2: The Kansas City Chiefs 3-Peat, Travis Kelce proposes to Taylor Swift on the 50-yeard line, then takes HER last name. Travis Swift will start the movement of men taking women’s name in marriage in 2025 and be paid handsomely for it.
🏛️ Trump’s Appointments: Who’s The First One Gone?
Discussing Donald Trump’s second-term administration, Spiess and Bakken analyzed three key appointments shaping 2025 - Doug Burgum, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kristi Noem.
Doug Burgum: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has been selected to lead the Department of the Interior. Burgum ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primary before becoming a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump. His appointment suggests a push for technology, digital transitions and ramping up AI energy production in federal lands.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Despite facing backlash and controversy throughout the year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has remained a prominent political figure. There’s no direct confirmation in the search results about his specific cabinet role, but his visibility and experience in environmental and health advocacy may align with a potential advisory or departmental position. Will RFK Jr turn the US into Europe 2.0?
Kristi Noem: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Known for her strong stance on border security and conservative policies, her selection highlights a commitment to stringent immigration controls and national safety measures under the Trump administration.
Bakken and Spiess discuss a number of issues surrounding these candidates as well as whether traditional energy sources like oil and gas would be promoted without the push for Artificial Intelligence and lucrative government contracts in technology.
This AI and Tech Transition requires a significant amount of energy:
AI and Data Centers: Generative AI systems and other AI technologies demand substantial computing power. Current estimates suggest that AI tasks can use up to 33 times more energy than traditional computational tasks, and by 2026, data centers may consume as much electricity as an entire country like Japan.
Electric Vehicles (EVs): EV adoption is rapidly increasing, with governments directing dollars to consumer spending. In fact nearly one in five cars sold in 2023 being electric. This state-sponsored-shift requires substantial investment in charging infrastructure and a corresponding rise in electricity demand. A sustainable transition is crucial to balance environmental benefits with economic and industrial stability, otherwise trillions of dollars will be spent and billions of taxpayers will be left in the dark - broke, cold and hungry.
Technology Transition: The combined demand for powering AI, EVs, and digital technologies highlights the need for more global energy systems discussions, transparency and an ability to expand and innovate. Ethical energy sources, grid upgrades, and efficiency improvements will play critical roles in supporting this transition.
As energy consumption grows, aligning technological advancements with sustainable energy solutions will be vital to mitigating environmental impacts, workforce development and increasing a community’s quality of life.
🌱 Carbon Pipelines: Boom or Bust?
Energy transitions also took center stage as the hosts dissected the role of carbon pipelines. With projects like Summit Carbon Solutions potentially breaking ground, Bakken cited local opposition and safety concerns, as well as regulatory hurdles in South Dakota as a key roadblock to the project.
Spiess disagreed and believes this project has been approved since before the public knew anything about it and is playing out like the plot of Ocean’s Twelve.
Ocean's Twelve begins three years after Danny Ocean and his crew's successful heist of Terry Benedict's three casinos. Benedict tracks down each member of the crew and demands repayment of the $160 million they stole from him, plus interest. Facing a two-week deadline, Danny and his team reunite to plan a new series of heists in Europe to raise the funds.
In Europe, the crew attempts to steal a valuable stock certificate but encounters a rival thief known as the "Night Fox," who informs them that he tipped off Benedict about their identities. The Night Fox challenges Danny's team to a competition: whoever successfully steals a famous Fabergé egg first will be considered the world's best thief.
The crew meticulously plans the heist but is ultimately outmaneuvered by the Night Fox. However, a twist reveals that the Ocean's team had already switched the egg during an earlier phase of their plan. Using deception and teamwork, they manage to win the competition.
In the end, they just had to go through the motions to not let on they already stole the egg, or have already told the investors the carbon pipeline is approved for the billions in government subsidies and contracts.
🔍 Transparency in 2025: Real Progress or Smoke and Mirrors?
As the conversation pivoted to governance, the duo scrutinized the promises of enhanced transparency in political and corporate realms. Bakken asked Spiess about transparency in the media and also government.
Spiess listed three reasons why the media has changed:
Paid subscribers allows editorial freedom whereas marketing directors and advertising agencies use marketing budgets as leverage to control the editorial, resulting in content not relevant or appealing to subscribers.
More billionaires will sue influencers, media professionals and anyone attempting to publicly hold billionaires accountable, government subsidy recipients or citizens who dare question the state for more transparency.
The majority of news media outlets will lose their trust with their audience. Major media outlets are no longer news organizations, rather Opinion and Editorial stations. Most of the “news” is nothing short of pundit speculation and manufactured, low percentage scenarios used to invoke emotions and trigger responses. Lawsuits have proven that the news is not fact, rather a point of view, therefore it has become increasingly more difficult to sue media organizations distributing their opinion and point of view instead of facts. For example, in the information and transparency industry, government departments are producing podcasts to compete with private media rather than working with media to distribute the public information. More governments are spending their marketing budgets with corporate social media sites to promote themselves to their personal network rather than an established network from long-standing traditional media outlets.
Spiess noted in government, the frequent disparity between rhetoric and results. How their words rarely match their actions.
From sports excitement to political intrigue, Jason Spiess and Steve Bakken’s lively discussion underscored the unpredictable yet fascinating nature of 2025. With strong opinions and compelling analysis, Talk of the Town continues to keep listeners informed and entertained.
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