Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  Trump meme coin sparks crypto world backlash President Trump is facing backlash after he and first lady Melania Trump launched two cryptocurrency tokens just days before his inauguration.   © Mark Humphrey, Associated Press While the move sparked predictable criticism from political opponents, it was also met with mixed reactions in the crypto world, which largely welcomed his return to office and newfound support for the industry.     The digital currency industry has expressed optimism Trump will roll out more crypto-friendly policies, but now some are concerned his recent launch of two meme coin tokens will cast a negative light on his efforts to boost crypto.   “It undermines the seriousness of any liberalization of regulations that Trump undertakes for the crypto space because it makes it look self-interested,” said Nic Carter, a founding partner at crypto investment firm Castle Island Ventures.     “It makes the industry look bad and … kind of takes away some of the impact of what Trump was going to do for the crypto industry,” added Carter, who noted he has been a public supporter of Trump but does not agree with some of his crypto policies.   The White House, nor the companies behind the meme coins, immediately responded to The Hill’s request for comment.    But Trump himself shrugged off concerns raised by his meme coin during Tuesday remarks at the White House.   When a reporter noted he had made several billion dollars from the token, the president dismissed the sum as “peanuts” for the people he’s spent the last few days with.   Meme coins are cryptocurrencies that are usually based on internet trends and start with no inherent value. Their value can surge when there is a high demand, making them a highly volatile asset.   Trump last week launched his first meme coin, $TRUMP, which quickly surged in value and jumped from $10 each to about $70 in the first 48 hours.   Melania Trump announced another meme coin for her, $MELANIA, on Sunday, one day before Trump was sworn into office.     $TRUMP traded at about $39 and $MELANIA traded at around $4 as of Wednesday afternoon.     Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Laura Loomer pleads for Trump help amid Musk dispute: ‘A slap in my face’ Laura Loomer, a close ally of President Trump’s and a far-right activist, asked the president to intervene as she continues to accuse billionaire Elon Musk of censoring her account on his social media platform X. “It’s outrageous,” Loomer wrote Wednesday in a post on X. “I worked my a‑‑ off to help President Trump get elected and now I am being retaliated against, censored, and deliberately financially attacked as an independent …  Full Story   Why some Instagram users are suddenly following Trump, Vance Meta on Wednesday pushed back against claims its platforms were automatically forcing users to follow the Instagram accounts of President Trump and Vice President Vance following Inauguration Day. 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Read more here.   The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   Google to invest another $1B in Anthropic  Google plans to invest more than $1 billion in Anthropic, building on its earlier $2 billion investment in the artificial intelligence (AI) startup, CNBC reported.   Microsoft no longer OpenAI's sole cloud provider Microsoft is no longer the only cloud provider permitted to service OpenAI, although the tech giant will maintain the right of first refusal on new cloud computing capacity, TechCrunch reported.   On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The House Communications and Technology Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled "Strengthening American Leadership in Wireless Technology" at 10 a.m. EST on Thursday.    In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Trump faces crypto world backlash after launch of meme coin  President Trump is facing backlash after he and first lady Melania Trump launched two cryptocurrency tokens just days before his inauguration.   While the move sparked predictable criticism from political opponents, it was also met with mixed reactions in the crypto world, which largely welcomed his return to office and newfound support for the industry.   The digital currency industry has expressed optimism Trump … Full Story   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Speaker Johnson forms committee to probe Jan. 6, Democrats’ original investigation Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday said he will establish a new select subcommittee that will probe the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — and likely … Read more Senate Democrats block GOP’s ‘born-alive’ abortion bill Senate Republicans failed on Wednesday to invoke cloture on a bill legislating care for infants “born alive” during attempted abortions, … Read more   What Others are Reading  Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Why fining airlines for chronically late flights is a bad idea   A TikTok ban means losing the one platform making Americans want to read books Why exactly are tech billionaires kissing Trump’s ring?     You're all caught up. 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