U.S.-CHINA TRADE WAR—XI COMES FOR CALVIN KLEIN. The Chinese Communist Party just launched its latest round of trade war retaliation, and its first target? Calvin Klein. Yes, really. Xi Jinping is cracking down on American companies, including CK’s parent company, PVH Corp., as if gunning for America’s designer underwear is going to shake the U.S. economy.
—> DIG DEEPER: Trump hit China with 10% tariffs on imports, while cutting last-minute deals with Canada and Mexico. Instead of going punch-for-punch with tariffs, China is playing small-ball—hitting select U.S. companies and industries in ways that might not hurt as much as they think.
—> CHINA'S "BIG" COUNTERMOVES:
🚫 NO MORE DESIGNER BOXERS? China blacklisted Calvin Klein’s parent company, PVH Corp., along with gene-sequencing firm Illumina. Why? Because when you're losing a trade war, apparently banning premium underwear and biotech innovation is the answer.
⛏️ CUTTING OFF SUPPLIES: China is tightening exports of tungsten and other critical metals used in electronics, aviation, and defense. It's a warning shot, but U.S. companies have already been working to diversify supply chains.
💰 SLAPPING TARIFFS: China’s new 10% tariffs on tractors and 15% on coal and liquefied natural gas sound serious—except the U.S. barely exports LNG to China anymore.
🔍 "WE’LL SHOW YOU!" (GOES AFTER GOOGLE): China launched an antitrust investigation into Google, because… sure, why not?
Does Xi have a clue? The Chinese leader is trying to look tough, but these moves feel more like a hastily thrown-together response than a real economic threat. Meanwhile, Trump says he's open to a deal—but only on his terms.
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 35. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. Spotify. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
Back to the future...
DON’T QUIT YOUR JOB RIGHT NOW. The U.S. job market is still solid—but the days of easy job-hopping are over. More via WSJ:
There are now just 1.1 job openings per unemployed worker, down from a high of 2 in March 2022. For workers who do get laid off or who want a new role, the path to an offer is far more challenging.
—> REALITY CHECK: The labor market is cooling but still steady… Layoffs remain limited… The next jobs report (out Friday) is expected to show unemployment holding at 4.1%. 📉
Source: WSJ.
FUTURES
PALANTIR SURGES 23% ON AI MOMENTUM. Palantir stock hit a record high after crushing Q4 estimates. 📊
—> WHAT DROVE PALANTIR:
🏦 U.S. government revenue jumped 45% YoY.
📊 U.S. commercial revenue soared 64%.
🤖 CEO Alex Karp: “The momentum is unlike anything that has come before.”
Source: CNBC.
NO DEAL: ROBINHOOD NIXES SUPER BOWL BETTING ROLLOUT. The online brokerage scrapped its event contracts for Super Bowl betting less than a day after launch.
—> MARKET IMPACT: Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) shares dipped as investors digested the CFTC's intervention.
—> SUPER BOWL BETTING BOOM: Americans are expected to wager $16B+ on the game. The product would have let users bet on game results, a growing market amid retail investing’s shift into high-risk derivatives.
Robinhood says it’s “disappointed” but will revisit event contracts later this year.
📌 Source: Investing.com.
CRYPTO
STABLECOIN BILL HITS THE SENATE. Crypto-friendly Republicans are rolling out new stablecoin legislation today put out by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
—> THE BASICS: The GENIUS Act would define payment stablecoins and set up a regulatory framework.
—> THE BACKDROP: The House passed a bill last year, but Senate Democrats blocked it. Will this version get bipartisan support?
Source: CoinDesk.
SPACE
🚀 MARS BY 2029? A BOLD PROMISE FROM TRUMP. Trump says he wants astronauts on Mars by the end of his term. But is it feasible?
THE BIG CHALLENGES:
🔥 SpaceX’s Starship: Uncrewed Mars flights planned by 2026, but human missions remain uncertain.
🛢️ Fuel: Producing and storing enough propellant in space is unproven.
☢️ Radiation & Life Support: No current solutions for shielding astronauts from deadly cosmic rays.
Experts say 2029 is wildly optimistic. But with SpaceX’s rapid progress, some believe the dream isn’t entirely out of reach.
Source: Daily Galaxy.
Shoot for the Moon… if you miss… you’ll be halfway to Mars!
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
BILL GATES: QUANTUM COMPUTING COULD ARRIVE IN 3-5 YEARS. The Microsoft co-founder says usable quantum computers might be here sooner than expected.
—> GATES’ TAKE: “We could have true logical Qubits solving tough problems in the next three to five years.”
—> TECH DEBATE: Nvidia’s CEO says it could take 15-30 years for quantum computing to go mainstream.
Microsoft is betting big on quantum, with its most powerful quantum machine set to debut in 2025.
Source: Quantum Insider.
GEOPOLITICS
TRUMP: UKRAINE MUST “PAY” WITH RARE EARTH MINERALS. Trump wants Ukraine to compensate the U.S. for aid—by supplying rare earth minerals.
DIRECT QUOTE:
“We’re telling Ukraine they have very valuable rare earths… We’re looking to do a deal where they secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
—> WHY IT MATTERS:
Rare earths power electric vehicles, smartphones, and defense tech.
The U.S. relies on China for most rare earths.
Ukraine has lithium, uranium, and titanium but isn’t a major global supplier.
Source: Reuters.
ONE MORE THING
RECORD SPACEFLIGHT DAY: FIVE LAUNCHES IN 24 HOURS. 🚀 SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and Roscosmos all have launches scheduled today. And here’s some good news for Team America — four out of the five are U.S. backed space companies.
Want to catch them all? You’ll need:
☕ Caffeine.
🕛 A flexible schedule.
😴 Strategic power naps.
Source: Space.com.
What a time to be alive…
With gratitude,
Kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums.
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