FUTURE, MEET TRUMP. President Trump is back in office and wasting no time shaping America’s path on the digital frontier. Here’s what’s happening:
TIKTOK EXTENSION: Trump signed an executive order delaying the TikTok ban for 75 days, giving China-based ByteDance more time to negotiate a U.S.-based sale of the app. But you knew that already.
TRUMP TAPS ELON MUSK TO LEAD GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY INITIATIVE: Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Musk at the helm, tasked with cutting federal waste and streamlining operations. While Musk envisions bold reforms, lawsuits challenging DOGE’s transparency and oversight are already underway.
TRUMP REPEALS BIDEN’S AI SAFETY RULES TO ACCELERATE INNOVATION: Trump repealed Biden’s 2023 executive order that mandated AI developers share safety test results with the government. Critics of Biden’s order called it overly burdensome, while Trump’s repeal prioritizes reducing regulations to fast-track AI development and innovation.
The digital age is here, and Trump’s return marks a seismic shift in tech policy. Buckle up.
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 20. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
Back to the future...
FUTURES
Markets closed today for MLK Day.
📈 TRUMP SOFTENS ON TARIFFS, MARKETS RALLY. Wall Street cheered signs of a less aggressive trade stance from President Donald Trump, boosting U.S. equity futures as multinational firms gained breathing room. The dollar, however, dipped, reflecting uncertainty over tariffs' long-term impact on inflation and Fed policy.
—> QUOTABLE, Trump at his pre-Inaugural Rally: "I spoke with Tim Cook of Apple. He said they're going to make a massive investment in the United States because of our big election win.”
💼 FED EXITS GLOBAL CLIMATE GROUP: The Federal Reserve announced Friday it is withdrawing from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), citing concerns that the group’s activities exceed its legal authority.
—> BACKGROUND: The NGFS, formed in 2017, works with over 100 central banks and regulators to integrate climate risks into financial oversight. While the Fed joined in 2020, it now says the group’s expanded focus goes beyond its statutory mandate. Source: Fox Business.
CRYPTO
🚨 THE FIRST CRYPTO COUPLE: TRUMP MEMECOIN TAKES OFF AS BITCOIN HITS NEW HIGH. Trump’s newly launched cryptocurrency, $TRUMP, is making waves alongside a record-breaking Bitcoin rally:
$TRUMP SOARS: The meme coin, launched Friday, skyrocketed from under $10 to $74.59 over the weekend before settling. Its market cap now exceeds $10 billion.
TRADING FRENZY: The coin drew billions in trading volume, becoming the hottest asset in crypto circles since its debut.
BITCOIN BREAKS RECORDS: Bitcoin surged to an all-time high just hours before Trump’s return to the White House, fueling market excitement.
💸 CRYPTO COUPLE: Melania’s token also launched — $MELANIA — it soared 50% to $11.16 with a $2.15B market cap, while Trump’s $TRUMP dipped 20% to $53.74 Monday morning, per CoinMarketCap.
🚀 BITCOIN HITS NEW HIGH: Bitcoin surged to a record $109,350.72 overnight, buoyed by excitement around Trump’s inauguration and the launch of the first couple’s meme coins. It’s now holding steady at $106,622.54, according to Coin Metrics.
SPACE
🐋 HOW TO TALK TO ALIENS: TALK TO WHALES FIRST. SCIENTISTS THINK KILLER WHALES WON’T SHUT UP. New recordings suggest killer whales might be mimicking human speech patterns—and it's blowing researchers' minds. From "hello" to "bye-bye," these marine giants are making sounds eerily close to human words and tones. Could this be their way of saying, "Let’s chat?" Big questions ahead about what orcas are really trying to tell us. 🌊🔊
—> 🧠 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE REDEFINED. This discovery pushes the boundaries of what we know about animal intelligence and vocal learning, suggesting orcas might understand and replicate complex sounds.
—> 🌊 WHY IT MATTERS. If killer whales can mimic human speech, it could transform how we study marine life communication and deepen our understanding of animal consciousness… and potentially consciousness in other worlds. Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B | Daily Galaxy.
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
SAM ALTMAN: OPENAI HASN’T REACHED AGI. People are buzzing about whether OpenAI’s new robot, called o3-mini, is as smart as a human — something called AGI. But on Monday, OpenAI’s boss, Sam Altman, said that’s not true. He posted, “We haven’t built AGI, and we’re not launching it anytime soon. Chill out!”
—> WHAT IS AGI? AGI, or artificial general intelligence, is a robot brain that can think, solve problems, and understand the world just like people. Scientists dream of creating it one day, but it’s still a long way off.
—> WHAT IS THE O3-MINI? The o3-mini is OpenAI’s newest robot model, introduced in December. It’s a smarter version of their older robot, called o1, which could solve tough puzzles in science and math. While o3 is more powerful, it’s not the human-level super brain some people thought it might be.
Source: TechCrunch.com.
GEOPOLITICS
📱 TRUMP PAUSES TIKTOK BAN WITH 75-DAY EXTENSION. President Trump signed an executive order delaying banning China-backed Bytedance’s TikTok ban to give the platform more time to negotiate a U.S. deal. The move restores access for its 170 million American users while the administration reviews national security concerns and TikTok's proposed mitigation measures.
ONE MORE THING
🐾 PUP GLOW-UP: DOGS GET ANTI-AGING MEDS. Loyal, a San Fran biotech startup, is cooking up anti-aging meds for your furry best friend. These beef-flavored pills could add at least one more year to your pup’s life. Launching in 2026 for an as of yet undetermined price, per News Nation.
—> HUMANS NEXT? Aging research on dogs could unlock secrets for humans. Dogs share our environment, habits, and age-related diseases, making them the perfect test subjects for anti-aging breakthroughs. Scientists believe dogs could lead the way to longer, healthier human lives. Source: NewsNation.
—> SIGN OF THE TIMES: Welcome to the future, where Paris Hilton clones her dog… New Yorkers’ fur babies get Botox and filler… and anti-aging meds for pups are now the norm.
With gratitude,
Kev
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