ICE influencers, a world-record trade surplus, and the moon goes nuclear

The Trump administration has allocated $100 million for a "Wartime Recruitment Strategy" to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically targeting Gen Z and millennials through an $8 million influencer marketing program. This initiative aims to "humanize" ICE careers via social media storytelling, contributing to a rapid hiring surge that has already increased the workforce from 10,000 to over 22,000 employees. Simultaneously, China’s trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion last year, driven by massive exports of inexpensive goods to Europe and emerging markets. This surge in Chinese manufacturing capacity has prompted retaliatory measures, such as Mexico’s 35% tariffs, as nations struggle to balance the benefits of cheap consumer goods against the protection of local industries. Looking toward future infrastructure, NASA and the Department of Energy are developing a 40-kilowatt lunar nuclear reactor by 2030 to support long-term human presence on the moon as part of Project Artemis.