Economy

Bitcoin to $300k

Some experts say yes, and even higher potentially.

Roundtable anchor, Rob Nelson, hosted a panel featuring Caitlin Long (CEO of Custodia Bank), Kelly Kallam (Director at BitLab Academy), and Armando Pantoja (investor and futurist), to discuss bitcoin’s price in the coming year.

With a (now) pro-crypto president set to take office in a few weeks in Donald Trump, there’s a lot of optimism for bitcoin’s future.

Long shared a bullish outlook: “We are in the bull market phase. It’s going to continue through 2025 most likely.” She also added that price growth often accelerates around U.S. presidential elections. 

Kellam offered a more specific range, projecting that bitcoin could reach $220,000-$240,000 by late 2024, with peaks potentially hitting $380,000. “Every price point creates another incentive for a different seller to sell,” Kellam said. He also forecasted a possible pullback in mid-year, cautioning investors about market volatility. 

Brandon Green of Bitcoin Magazine predicted that bitcoin could soar to $1.5 million within the next 18 months. 

Meanwhile, Pantoja highlighted a psychological shift that could fuel momentum toward a $1 million valuation: “People would say, ‘wow, it’s only a cent, I can buy a thousand of them.’”

Pantoja said “the absolute highest this cycle is half a million, but more realistically, I think $250,000 to $300,000 is where we’ll land next year.” The entire group of panelists agreed that the trajectory of bitcoin is “up and to the right.”

And if President Trump does make good on his promises of creating a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, that will only further help the cryptocurrency. 

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Business

UnitedHealth Group CEO Admits Healthcare System is Flawed

“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it,” Witty wrote in a New York Times opinion piece..

Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, made his first public comments since the slaying of co-worker Brian Thompson and acknowledged what most Americans have already been saying… the U.S. health-care system is “flawed” and in need of reform. 

“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it,” Witty wrote in a New York Times opinion piece on Friday. “No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did. It’s a patchwork built over decades.”

Witty said that it is now UnitedHealth Group’s “mission to help make it work better.”

“We are willing to partner with anyone, as we always have - health care providers, employers, patients, pharmaceutical companies, governments and others - to find ways to deliver high-quality care and lower costs,” Witty continued. 

UnitedHealthcare is the largest private insurer in the U.S. and UnitedHealth Group is the nation’s biggest health-care conglomerate, as it held a $475 billion market cap at the time of Thompson’s murder on December 4th. UnitedHealthcare also has the most denied claims for any insurance company in the country and Thompson’s murderer, Luigi Mangione, was a major critic of the health-care industry, according to investigators.

To that point, Witty said, “the reasons behind coverage decisions are not well understood. We share some of the responsibility for that.” (Probably the biggest understatement of his whole written piece). Witty also said that Thompson had done his best to help patients navigate the health-care system.

They’re good words from Witty. But we’ll see if it’s just a PR attempt to put out the fires, or if something truly does come from it. 

Meanwhile, Mangione has become a “hero” of sorts, because of how high that frustration has climbed with the healthcare industry.

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Tech

Big Tech Donate to Trump

Altman, Bezos and Zuckerberg donate to Trump's inauguration fund.

What’s the famous JFK line? “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Well, the tech moguls of the country are realizing what this country, under president-elect Donald Trump, can continue to do for them.

So much so that OpenAI Ceo Sam Altman, Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are all donating to Trump’s inauguration fund. Now there is, of course, the ideology that you should support whoever the president is. But Meta had previously restricted President Trump and, many believe, his supporters too. 

Now, Zuckerberg is donating $1 million and hoping to have a role in the administration. He was previously spotted at a Trump dinner at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Altman is also donating $1 million and Bezos has promised $1 million too. 

Additionally, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has a meeting scheduled with Trump and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said he is “turning the page” on his strained relationship with Trump. Hmm, interesting timing… 

Benioff also owns Time, the publication that just declared Trump the “Person of the Year.”

It’s an industry kissing the ring of the incoming president in hopes of getting something in return. It’s also believed that Trump will be more beneficial for the tech world than President Biden was. Especially with Elon Musk seemingly playing a fairly big role in Trump’s second term. 

For reference sake, Amazon contributed only $276k to Biden, while Meta didn’t contribute at all.

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U.S. News

Drones Over Jersey

For almost a month, drones have flown over New Jersey without explanation.

It’s been nearly a month and, yet, we still have no clarity on the drones that have been flying over New Jersey. Just a lot of conspiracy theories and concerned residents… 

U.S. authorities have been unable, or unwilling, to provide any definitive answers, saying only that the objects are not believed to pose a danger to the public. (But, do you believe that…?)

Homeland Security Secretary Alejando Mayorkas confirmed yesterday that the sightings have included drones, as well as manned aircrafts, which are commonly mistaken for drones. He added that he knows of “no foreign involvement” to do with the unmanned aerial vehicles. 

Many lawmakers, especially in the Garden State, have criticised the government’s handling of this situation and the lack of information they have provided. 

The drone sightings in New Jersey first began on November 18th and have continued, by the dozens, since. There have also been other drone sightings reported throughout the northeast since. 

Some of these flights were spotted near a military research facility, as well as near President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in New Jersey. 

There were drone sightings in New York on two separate days last week and police confirmed “suspicious drone activity” in Connecticut. In Maryland, there were reports of “dozens of drones” flying overhead and multiple sightings have been reported near Philadelphia. 

The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that mysterious drones were seen for 17 days in October near U.S. military facilities in Virginia. 

But it isn’t just in this country, as drones were also spotted over three US airbases in the UK a few weeks ago. Drones were also reported near the U.S. military airbase in Germany earlier this month. 

An official from the FBI said “there has been a slight overreaction” to these drones. But how could you blame people? As it’s been a month, and still no explanation, reason, or even theories from the government. Which only makes things even more concerning.

There have been many theories, from UFOs to other countries, to our government searching for nuclear weapons and beyond.

The homeland security secretary told ABC News on Sunday that he knows of “no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the northeast. And we are vigilant in investigating this matter. If there is any reason for concern, if we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American public accordingly.”

The aircrafts are believed to be up to six feet in diameter and able to disappear quickly, such as when they’ve been approached by helicopters. 

President-elect Donald Trump offered his thoughts on social media, saying “let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down.”

New York State Governor Hochil has called on the federal government to allow states to crack down on the drones.

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Global News

François Bayrou, France’s Next Prime Minister

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist ally François Bayrou as prime minister.

French President Emmanuel Macron named centrist ally Francois Bayrou as prime minister on Friday in an effort to address the country’s deep political crisis, after a historic parliamentary vote ousted the previous government last week. 

Bayrou is 73 and a crucial partner in Macron’s centrist alliance. He has been a well-known figure in French politics for decades. His experience is seen as key in efforts to restore stability as no single party holds a majority at the National Assembly. 

Macron said in a statement that Bayrou “has been charged with forming a new government.” And that “no one knows the difficulty of the situation better” than he does.

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Politics

Nancy Pelosi Hospitalized in Luxembourg

Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was hospitalized after sustaining an injury during a trip to Luxembourg as part of a congressional delegation.

The Defense Department provided medevac support to transport her from Luxembourg to the U.S. military’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Sources familiar with the matter say Pelosi injured her left leg in a fall. Spokesperson Ian Krager declined to specify the nature or severity of the injury but said that Pelosi will continue to work from the hospital and “looks forward to returning home to the U.S. soon.”

She was there for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive on the western front during World War II. Pelosi, who is 84 years old, served as Democratic leader in the House for 20 years, before stepping aside two years ago. She was one of 18 lawmakers from both parties to travel there for the event.  

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