The MAGA Investment Firm Turning Patriotism Into Billions

U.S.-China trade meeting

Tech fund’s "patriotic capitalism" strategy

Erika Kirk’s pro-faith speech

Trump, fresh from pacts in Malaysia and Japan, called Xi a "friend" in 1-hour-40-minute talks at Gimhae Airport, joking he's a "tough negotiator" while praising Beijing's vow to "work very hard" on fentanyl crackdowns and energy buys like Alaskan oil.

China recommitted to "openly and freely" flowing rare earths, critical minerals, and magnets for a year—renewable annually—averting tech disruptions for EVs, AI, and defense amid Trump's post-January tariff blitz.

Xi urged "friends and partners" thriving "side by side," echoing Kuala Lumpur aide talks; Trump plans an April Beijing visit, with Xi eyeing a U.S. trip later this year.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points for the second time in 2025, while signaling an end to quantitative tightening by year-end. (INV)

The U.S. and South Korea sealed a trade pact capping U.S. tariffs at 15%, as Seoul committed $150 billion to shipbuilding investments and another $200 billion toward broader investment pledges. (BBG)

Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer said the U.S. government shutdown could extend into November. (RTS)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Dollar General's shares have surged 34% in 2025, yet trade at a surprising discount—13% below Morningstar's $117 fair value—bolstered by its moat of over 20,000 rural stores. (MS)

Intuitive Surgical is a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) that dominates robotic surgery with a 75% market share, fueling record Q3 revenue as da Vinci system placements surge 18%. (ZK)

Barron's recommends buying Progressive stock, highlighting its undervalued 10.5 times forward earnings amid robust auto insurance pricing power and 13% revenue growth, with a $300 target implying 15% upside. (BAR)

Keurig Dr Pepper's shares, at under 15 times earnings, invite investors to build positions for a projected 25% rebound, buoyed by a $7 billion KKR-Apollo stake, according to MarketBeat. (MB)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Alphabet's third-quarter revenue surges 15% to a record $102.35 billion, fueled by a 35% leap in Google Cloud (CNBC)

General Motors laid off over 3,300 UAW workers at EV and battery plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee amid sluggish electric-vehicle demand. (WSJ)

Eli Lilly partners with Walmart to distribute its weight-loss drug Zepbound directly to U.S. patients via pharmacies and home delivery. (FBN)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: U.S. and Canadian leaders eye reviving the Keystone XL pipeline. (POL)

India's state-owned Indian Oil Corp. is seeking 24 million barrels of U.S. crude to supplant sanctioned Russian supplies from Rosneft and Lukoil. (OP)

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth declares the U.S. has merely scratched the surface of its vast oil reserves, with emerging technologies set to solidify American energy supremacy. (FBN)

Global Laser Enrichment's SILEX laser isotope separation technology promises to slash U.S. reliance on French fissile fuel imports by enabling low-cost domestic uranium enrichment at a fraction of energy demands. (EN)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Blockworks is shuttering its news arm to refocus entirely on data and analytics. (TS)

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao is considering filing a defamation lawsuit against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for falsely claiming he pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. (CT)

Mastercard is in late-stage talks to acquire crypto infrastructure firm Zerohash for up to $2 billion. (FM)

Bitwise's Solana ETF hit $72 million in second-day volume, which Bloomberg Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas called a "huge number." (TB)

Self-made professionals, 30-55 years old, $5M-$100M net worth

Confidential discussions, peer advisory groups, live meetups

Institutional-grade investments, $100M+ invested annually

Malik spotlighted blockbuster holdings in Anduril (autonomous defense), Hadrian (military parts), and Elon Musk’s full private suite—SpaceX, xAI, Neuralink—already winning 2025 Pentagon contracts to bolster national security.

New stake in Vulcan Elements drives rare-earths independence from China, fueling a U.S.-only portfolio that’s rocketed from $900M to $2B AUM.

Malik confirmed reports that the fund has expanded into investing in real estate development projects in South Florida.

Other 1789 Capital executives include founding partner and CIO Chris Buskirk, who founded the pro-Trump news site American Greatness.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: OpenAI is preparing for an IPO that could value the company at up to $1 trillion, eyeing a 2026 filing to raise at least $60 billion in one of the biggest public offerings ever. (RTS)

Cursor launched Cursor 2.0, introducing its first coding model, Composer, which the company says is four times faster than rivals and features a new multi-agent interface. (CUR)

Google unveiled Pomelli, a new AI tool that auto-generates brand campaigns by extracting a business’s “DNA” from its website and then producing custom, editable social-media and ad assets. (UNI)

Adobe previewed new AI tools that animate photos, edit video audio from text, and relight or auto-edit entire clips from a single frame. (CB)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Researchers pioneered a "supramolecular robotics" framework that makes soft materials capable of autonomous motion, adaptation, and self‑assembly via dynamically molecular interactions. (PHYS)

Boston is considering legislation that would curb driverless taxis, posing a direct challenge to Waymo’s operations. (BBG)

KIMM developed ultra-light “fabric muscles,” enabling wearable robots that weigh under 2 kg yet assist movements across shoulder, elbow and waist joints. (IE)

A new generation of ocean robots, inspired by sea creatures’ fluid movements and built for autonomous deep-sea exploration, is redefining how we map and monitor the underwater world. (FOR)

DoorDash rolled out its autonomous delivery robot Dot in Arizona, capable of navigating sidewalks and roads, while carrying loads of up to 30 pounds. (FCM)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: The U.S. is negotiating a “mega‑drone deal” with Ukraine that would see Washington acquire battlefield‑tested Ukrainian drones and technologies in exchange for increased military aid. (TCP)

The U.S. will share sensitive nuclear‑propulsion technology to help South Korea build a nuclear‑powered submarine, with construction planned at the Philadelphia shipyard. (DN)

Red Cat’s “Black Widow” drone completed the first-ever U.S. Army‑certified flight using visual navigation in a GPS‑ and signal-denied environment, in partnership with Palantir. (DP)

Russian engineers unveiled Impulse‑M, a remotely operated assault-bridge system designed to enable rapid river and ravine crossings while keeping troops out of direct danger. (DB)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Legal‑AI startup Harvey raised $150 million in a round led by a16z at an $8 billion valuation. (FOR)

Swedish legal AI startup Legora raised $150 million in a round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, boosting its valuation to $1.8 billion. (RTS)

AI video platform Synthesia, which creates videos using AI avatars, raised $200 million in a round led by GV at a $4 billion valuation. (FOR)

Apollo Global Management partnered with 8VC to channel billions in private capital into tech startups, leveraging asset-backed financing to fuel growth in high-potential sectors. (8VC)

Erika, wearing a “Freedom” T-shirt, fought tears after a tribute video and revealed she slept on Charlie’s side of the bed to finally see his daily framed mantra: “They will be known by the boldness of their faith.”

Erika shared Charlie’s three daily questions taped to his desk: “What can I do for someone today? Add value to the world? Honor God?”—calling them “action points for courage.”

The packed arena of students in “Freedom” shirts heard her vow: “If you’re nervous about standing up for truth, my husband’s murder puts it in perspective.”

Erika introduced VP JD Vance as a friend who “transcends race and background,” then closed: “This moment is your turning point—don’t let it be someone else’s role to defend this country.”

⭐ Editor’s Pick: The “Bible Tweet” case against Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen, first acquitted in lower courts, has now reached Finland’s Supreme Court as prosecutors treat quoting Scripture as alleged “hate speech.” (ADFI)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) launched a sweeping audit of state university budgets, targeting DEI programs. (WFLA)

The Trump administration is overhauling Biden’s $42.5 billion broadband program, which connected zero households in its first four years, due to red tape and DEI mandates. (BN)