President Donald Trump's plans to establish a government stockpile of cryptocurrencies took a notable step forward this past weekend, as he unveiled the five assets he will include in his federal crypto reserve. The U.S. will be the "crypto capital of the world," Trump said in a Truth Social post touting XRP, solana, cardano, bitcoin and ether as the first currencies in a stockpile designed to "elevate this critical industry after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden administration." The value of these currencies has since skyrocketed. But Trump's plans have begun alarming financial experts, who warn that crypto's extreme market volatility and susceptibility to manipulation could spell trouble for the country. 

What did the commentators say?
Trump's crypto plan has produced backlash from "conservatives and even ardent crypto backers" who cite concerns over "giveaways to an already wealthy community" and "delegitimizing the digital currency industry," said The New York Times. Some Republicans criticized the plan to use tax dollars to purchase crypto rather than "paying down the national debt." 

Trump's announcement was also met with "skepticism" among "tech bigwigs," who question the decision to "include assets other than 'digital gold' bitcoin in the fund," said Forbes. With bitcoin as the "most battle-tested and decentralized" of the cryptocurrencies, some worry Trump's inclusion of nonbitcoin crypto "invites the government to pick winners and losers in the crypto market," said CNBC.

"People should be calling this what it is, which is a crypto bailout," said journalist Adam Serwer on Bluesky. Including members of the Trump family who have recently launched their own crypto businesses, "they are cutting cancer research so they can bail out rich, degenerate gamblers."

What next?
Crypto analysts from Bernstein Wealth Management have cited "unresolved questions" with Trump's proposal, said Business Insider. It "lacks details on size, timing and whether it will be managed by the Federal Reserve or another new or existing entity," said Andrew O'Neill, the digital assets managing director for S&P Global Ratings, to Forbes. Analysts now look ahead to this Friday's "first-of-its-kind" White House cryptocurrency summit, said The Hill. 

The "body positivity" movement, celebrating all physiques and body types no matter how big or small, first emerged during the 1960s and enjoyed a revival during the 2010s. Now, the "parade of skeletons" at recent Hollywood events seems to show that the movement was "built on wishful thinking," said Paula Froelich at The Free Press. Images from awards shows have fuelled fears that its latest chapter is coming to a close. 

'New-old ideal' 
The pictures from the Feb. 23 Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet, for example, "speak for themselves" and "make for uncomfortable viewing," said Lisa Armstrong, the head of fashion at The Telegraph. Body diversity is "rapidly becoming a distant memory" replaced by the "new-old ideal" of weight loss. Last year, Chioma Nnadi, the editorial director of British Vogue, told the BBC that the fashion industry "should be concerned" by the resurgence of underweight models, pinning some of the blame on the popularity of weight-loss drugs. 

A recent report that the Advertising Standards Authority banned a Next advert because the model's pose and the camera angle made her appear "unhealthily thin" seems like the "kind of story that should be straight out of 2002," said Olivia Petter at The Independent. It appears that body positivity, "fun as it was for a while," was "only ever going to be transient" in the industry. 

'Insidious, inescapable argument' 
The movement's "vague, platitudinal statements" were supposed to be "subversive rallying cries" and "signals of a shifting culture," said Sarah Manavis at The New Statesman. But that "blurry language" can be used to "promote the exact beauty standards it set out to disrupt." Now, an "insidious, inescapable argument" sees many people "encouraging women to prioritize skinniness above all else" and "flipping body positivity language back on itself" by using its "self-care underpinnings" to "rebrand thinness as a health issue." 

But body positivity isn't "over," Dr. Charlotte Markey, a psychology professor and body image specialist, said to Page Six. At its core, it isn't about corporate platitudes or red-carpet looks but rather the "psychological health" of the individual. "Most people want to feel positive in existing versions of themselves, and body positivity was never about seeking perfection," she said. "It was always about psychological health."