TRUMP SAYS HE HAS NO PLANS TO REMOVE POWELL AS FED CHAIR. President-elect Donald Trump told NBC’s Meet The Press he will NOT remove Fed Chairman Jerome Powell (as we predicted several weeks ago).
ON FED CHAIR POWELL, Trump on firing Powell: “I think if I told him to, he would. But if I asked him to, he probably wouldn’t.”
ON CHINA INVADING TAIWAN… WOULD TRUMP SEND TROOPS? “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?… I’d prefer they don’t [invade]… I have a very good relationship with President Xi. We have been communicating with each other.”
NEXT GEN, Trump on the youths: “I won youth by 30%. All Republicans lose youth. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s changing. And last time, we were down 30% with youth. This time, we’re up 35% with youth.”
Source: NBC News.
FUTURES
MARKET WATCH: CALM START AHEAD OF INFLATION DATA. Futures are steady as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ride a three-week winning streak, while the Dow lags slightly. Key inflation data this week could shake things up.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: WEDNESDAY ‘CORE INFLATION’ // CPI DATA RELEASED… 12.18.24 // FED FINAL RATE CUT DECISION OF THE YEAR…
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. Your one-stop shop for markets, tech, and the future. The day is 343. The year is 2024. The planet is Earth. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn.
NEW MEDIA, cyber security expert Brian Krebs created a multi-million dollar niche news site… and now WSJ profiled him: “While many researchers sell cybersecurity services to companies, Krebs, a former Washington Post reporter, makes most of his money from banner ads on the website where he shares his findings. His site, Krebs on Security, routinely pulls in more than 1 million visits a month. He hears from law enforcement and other officials who read his posts—and from hackers, too.”
Back to the future...
GIVE THE GIFT THEY WANT: DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS, via WSJ. “These creative annual subscriptions and unique apps won’t end up in the landfill…”
RISKY BUSINESS: YOUNG MEN ARE DRIVING HIGH-RISK INVESTMENTS. Young men disproportionately invest in high-risk assets like cryptocurrency and meme stocks, fueled by unique gender attitudes and financial behaviors.
42 percent of men aged 18-29 have invested in or used cryptocurrency, compared to just 17% of women in the same age group (Pew Research Center).
11 percent of men aged 25-34 own both gold and silver, nearly double the U.S. population average of 6.5% (Gold IRA Guide).
Despite these trends, men account for only a slight majority of all investors.
Source: Pew Research Center // WSJ.
BITCOIN HITS $100K AMID TRUMP-DRIVEN RALLY. Bitcoin surged past $100,000 for the first time, fueled by optimism over President-elect Trump's pro-crypto stance and his nomination of blockchain advocate Paul Atkins as SEC chair.
DIG DEEPER: The cryptocurrency has more than doubled this year, recovering from its $17K low after FTX's collapse just two years ago.
WHY IT MATTERS: Bitcoin’s rally highlights its volatile nature and potential to reshape financial markets, though risks remain high for investors.
More: Associated Press.
QUOTABLE, Skybridge Capital’s Anthony Scaramucci to Bloomberg: “I probably have to buy Donald Trump a Christmas gift — like a gift card to McDonald’s.”
60 MINUTES: Crypto industry flexed its political muscles in 2024 election | 60 Minutes.
NASA DELAYS ARTEMIS II MOON MISSION… AGAIN. NASA has postponed Artemis 2's moon flyby to April 2026 and Artemis 3's crewed moon landing to mid-2027, citing the need to finalize Orion capsule preparations. Source: Space.com.
NASA SEARCHES FOR MINERALS WE NEED. NASA’s GEMx project is looking for hidden minerals like lithium and rare earths across 190,000 square miles of the U.S. These materials are critical for making products like smartphones, electric cars, and wind turbines, which are in higher demand than ever. Source: NASA.
NATO PLANS DRONE FLEET TO PROTECT UNDERSEA CABLES. After recent undersea cable disruptions, NATO is preparing a fleet of surveillance drones to monitor waters like the Baltic and Mediterranean. French Admiral Pierre Vandier likened the system to “CCTV cameras” for oceans, using proven U.S. Navy drone technology. Source: Tom’s Hardware.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE // ALPHABET
GOOGLE’S DEEPMIND GENIE 2: AI CREATING NEW 3D WORLDS. Imagine creating a 3D world within seconds. We’re there. Google’s DeepMind’s Genie 2 generates immersive 3D environments from text, paving the way for AI-driven gaming, education, and creative exploration.
DIG DEEPER: This breakthrough gamifies learning and storytelling, offering endless possibilities for interactive education, virtual training, and entertainment.
WHY IT MATTERS: Genie 2 shows how generative AI can transform how we experience and create virtual worlds, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.
Source: TechCrunch.com.
MYSTERIOUS DRONE FLIGHTS SPOTTED IN NEW JERSEY. Large drones, some as big as SUVs, were reported over South Jersey, with sightings stretching from Burlington County to Cherry Hill. Evesham police and federal authorities are investigating, noting the drones’ ability to navigate strong winds raises concerns. While officials stress no known public threat, the mystery deepens as similar activity has been reported across the state since November. Source: NBC10 Philadelphia.
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.
Source: Variety.