President Trump announced plans to establish a national cryptocurrency reserve including Solana, Cardano, XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum, raising concerns about potential corruption and self-dealing. The initiative has connections to Trump-affiliated ventures like World Liberty Financial and Trump Media's fintech fund, with significant financial implications and controversial trading patterns following the announcement.
Reports indicate a potential economic slowdown in America coinciding with Trump's presidency, driven by protectionist policies and erratic decision-making. Early analysis suggests that Trump's arrival at the White House may be both causing and correlating with economic weakness, contrasting with his inaugural promise of American prosperity.
The Department of Defense is terminating numerous grants under the Minerva Research Initiative, which funds social science research for national security. Dozens of researchers studying topics like violent extremism, disinformation, and climate change threats have had their funding cut, signaling a possible end to the 15-year-old program. The initiative's $46.8 million funding supported crucial research on security challenges, from AI applications to drug cartels.
The U.S. government's digital transformation team 18F was abruptly terminated on March 1, 2025, despite previous praise from leadership as the 'gold standard' of civic tech. Critical government technology projects with NOAA, Department of State, and IRS were halted without transition planning, following similar cuts to the US Digital Service.
GSA has eliminated 18F, a government tech consultancy team of approximately 90 employees, declaring it 'non-critical' under White House-directed workforce reductions. The decision impacts a decade-old office that completed 450 government tech projects, including the IRS Direct File system and ada.gov redesign. The closure aligns with broader Trump administration efforts to reduce federal workforce and consulting functions.
A Department of Energy (DOGE) employee Jordan Wick has been publicly sharing sensitive work-related code on GitHub, including a Twitter DM downloader and geospatial data analysis tools for undersea cables and critical minerals.
Government access to personal data through tech giants has dramatically increased, with Meta, Google, and Apple sharing details of 3.16 million accounts over the past decade. The US government made nearly 500,000 data requests to Google and Meta in the last measured 12 months, exceeding all other 14 Eyes Alliance members combined. These companies' business models prevent them from implementing strong privacy protections, as they rely heavily on user tracking for revenue.
DOGE's widespread disruption of federal agencies has resulted in significant staffing cuts, program terminations, and institutional knowledge loss across multiple sectors. The organization's actions have impacted critical areas including cybersecurity, scientific research, social services, and international aid programs. The consequences of these cuts are expected to have long-lasting effects on government operations and public services.
The U.S. Forest Service recently laid off approximately 3,400 workers (10% of workforce) as part of Trump administration cost-cutting measures, affecting crucial services across national forests and grasslands. The agency, already understaffed and under a hiring freeze, faces significant challenges in maintaining public lands and responding to climate disasters. Former employees describe deteriorating working conditions and inadequate resources, while unions challenge the layoffs through legal action.
A massive power outage in Chile affected 8 million homes across 14 regions, disrupting transportation, internet, and mobile services. The government declared a state of emergency and implemented a curfew while investigating the cause of the blackout, which stemmed from a disrupted high-voltage transmission line. By Wednesday, 90% of affected areas had power restored, though 220,000 customers remained without electricity.