Issue 70 – The Cryptocurrency States of America
38:12 Share

I'm mollie White and you're listening to the audio feed for the citation ation needed newsletter deter. You can see the text version of the newsletter online at cite needed dot news. Issues seventy, the cyp to currency states of america, crypt o's efforts to buy the twenty twenty four elections paid off and we're in for a bumpy ride.

As you might have already heard, Donald trump was recently elected to be the next president of the united states. The gypt to currency industry is in seventh heaven, happy to ditch their supposedly anti government proof freedom ideology in favor of embracing and authoritarian. If IT means number go up and number has gone up, bitcoin recently hit a new all time high of nearly ninety three thousand dollars, shattering the preelection record of around seventy two thousand dollars. Other cypher currencies have also rally to marine degree, as they tend to do when bitcoin Prices rise. Hints of the future cyp to stained presidency already cropping up.

Donald trump has announced tea plans to create a department of government efficiency, or doge for short an idea elon mask has been promoting with sofa ic doge coin memes for months now, though not nearly as long as he's been toying with the Price of doge coin by tweet various memes and veiled references, perhaps not trusting mosque with sole leadership of this new department, truth says he'll make musk and fellow cypher doing enthusiasts to vivacity from a swarming cohered. Musk's first response to the president elect announcement was to tweet the merch will be in the a string of fire, which is certainly an odd priority for someone who has promised to slash government access. Indeed, dose merch, giving a nod to the mean coin, has already made its way into trumps official web store, which now features A T shirt emblazon with trumps and musk faces, along with a photograph of the ship.

But you knew dog that serves as dog coins mass got various other crypt to. Promoters are joining trumps orbit, including his transition team code Howard, ltc, attorney general pic map gates and defense secretary nominee pete hegseth. All of this to say, I suspect I won't be running out of things to write about any time soon.

If you haven't all already subscribed to this newsletter, consider signing up for a free or pay what you want subscription to receive each issue in your inbox and to support my work, which is entirely possible, thanks to support from readers like you in the courts, the final defendant in the F, T, X case, cofounder and former chief technology officer, gary wong, will be sentenced next week. He's requested a non custodial sentence, and I think he's extremely likely to get one based on the government's sentencing of mission. The government notes that wong, quote, decided to CoOperate immediately, even though he was not involved in many aspects of the criminal enterprise, and there was little documentary evidence linking wong to the frauds on F, T, X is customers and investors.

The government also notes that wong has since developed a tool for the government to detect fraud in the stock market, the details of which are rejected from the public record. They write that quote. Wong is in the process of developing a similar tool for cyp dio currency markets, which if he is sentenced to a time served sentence, the government hopes that will be able to take advantage of early next year.

There is co Operating and then there's CoOperating. Prosecutors in the F, T, X case have also filed a forefinger complaint aimed at seizing around sixteen million dollars in various crypto assets held in a baLance account. The prosecutors say they believe these funds belong to the recipients of a one hundred fifty million dollar bribe to chinese officials by F T X executives paid to unfreeze alameda accounts containing around one billion dollars in crypto assets that had been frozen by chinese authorities.

The amendment for edit was originally charged with conspiracy to violate the anti bribery provisions of the foreign corrupt practices act, but as with several charges added after bank man fried was extradited from the bahamas, IT was split into a separate trial, which later was dropped by prosecutors after bank man fried earned twenty five year prison sentence on the first set of charges, a license in the man behind the twenty sixteen theft of nearly one hundred twenty thousand bitcoins from the bit finex cyp to currency exchange husband sentenced to five years in prison after both he and his wife had sakon Morgan pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy rose kon is set to be sentenced on monday and he is likely to get a lighter sentence due to her lack of involvement in the original theft. Roman sterling off has been sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison for his role for Operating the bitcoin fog cyp to currency mixing service. He has also been ordered to pay a nearly four hundred million dollar judged men roughly the value at time of receipt of the more than one point two million bitcoins laundered by a bitcoin fog without its Operation.

According to prosecutors, bitcoin fog was a quote, go to service for criminals to launder their cyp to currency, a process by which dirty tokens linked to scams, deaths or other various criminal activities are made more difficult to trace on the otherwise highly tractable public ledger known as block chains. Throughout the trial, stirring off maintain that he did not run bitcoin fog, but was merely a user of the service. Prosecutors sought a thirty year sentence, but the judge opted to go lower, stating that he wished to baLance deterring other would be criminals while also matching sterling on degree of capability.

The judge in cell as founder alex missions keys criminal trial has denied his january twenty twenty four motion to dismiss two charges, meaning that absent further dismissal for other reasons, mission skee will face all seven original charges when his trial begins in january twenty twenty five. South korean police have arrested two hundred and fifteen people suspected of stealing the equivalent of around two hundred twenty eight point four million dollars in cyp tis game that impacted around fifteen thousand people. Victims were promised high returns while the group manipulated the markets for the tokens to artificially inflated the Prices.

Indian police have arrested a man they believe maybe linked to the two hundred thirty five million dollars. Was your x hack in july? IT doesn't seem that the man was himself behind the hack, but instead had opened an account on wasa ex under an alliance and then sold IT to another percent.

Hacker is regularly attempt to fragile leny obtained credential accounts on platforms that require no your customer verification and this legal action demonstrates the risk that people selling such accounts may find themselves in hot water for the actions of their customers in bankrupts. Former allies tra research coc E O sam trabucos has agreed to forfeit assets to the F T, X estate as part of a settlement. As a refresher, thanks to either a great timing or the knowledge that things were about to go belly up, tribu go resigned from alumina research in aug.

Twenty twenty two, only a few months before the F T X empire collapsed. He has remained a member of my conspicious sly missing list of F T X ej cent power players who were rarely mentioned in the criminal trial. For a while, many wondered if he might be hiding out in international waters on his two point five million dollar fifty two, but yacht purchase for him by the company.

And Christ soaked my deck. The real story is likely less interesting. He's just been living examples. Ces go, keeping a low profile and periodically interacting with governments and bankrupcy representatives via his lawyers. This is supported by the conversation I had with ryan salem last month, who, when I asked about tributa, replied, he's living his life in his apartment in and Frances go, I see him from time to time, maybe once a quarter, you know, I think he's just waiting until everything shakes out.

Tribunal has agreed to forfeit two 3Francesco apartments that he purchased in june twenty twenty one for a combined eight point seven million dollars claims on approximately seventy million dollars and assets on F， T, X. And sadly for him, his beloved soaked my deck. According to the filing quote, daters have determined that during his tenure at dolomitic, tribunal received the benefit of approximately forty million dollars in potentially avoidable transfers from the debts.

F, T, X has also unleashed a flood of thirty six adversary cases seeking to recover assets from various entities and individuals. They make for very informative reading as far as the kind of shady business that was happening not only within F T X, but within the broader orbit of other crypto currency companies, customers, investors and various other vendors doing business with them because of the quantity, I think they deserve their own stand alone issue. So stay tuned for that.

In governments and regulators, the meteoric rise of the cyp to betting platform Polly market, the billions of dollars placed in bats on the outcome of the united states presidential election and rumors of market manipulation and other mouth seasons seem to have culminated in various investigations against the platform. One from Francis gambling regulator seeks to quote, examine Polly markets Operation and compliance with french gambling legislation. French law requires gambling platforms to register with and submit to oversight from the country's gambling thorning, as well as pay rather hefty taxes.

Polling market has not done any of these things, and so he is likely to be shut down in the country, although Francis gambling regulator has reportedly been eying the platform for a while now, the headline making bets on a Donald trump win from a trader who claims to be french may have hastened things along. Over here in the U. S.

The F, B. I raided the apartment of Polly market CEO shame coplin on november thirteen, although Polly market is based in the united states, IT is not meant to be available to U. S.

Based matters following twenty twenty two wine down order and fine from the cftc. However, Polly market, like many crypto to platforms, does the bare minimum to pretend they are putting in effort to prevent prohibited users from using the platform. If a person tries to place bets while connected from an I P address that geo locates to the united states, the site prevents them from doing so. However, I P based location spooky is an incredibly easy task, and many americans have been using this technique to gain access to battling on the site, as is becoming the norm for crypto related platforms, or people in platforms associated with the american right when scrutinised by low enforcement or regulators.

Pony market was quick to condemn the RAID as quote, obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polly market for providing a market that correctly called the twenty twenty four presidential election in elections and political influence cyp to packs, while egypto currency industry failed to convincingly prove their many claims that there was a flood of single issue crypto voters just waiting to hit the polls, they proved that they ve didn't actually need people to care about. Cyp do so long as the billionaire industry executives had enough money to roll around, and they sure did. The crypto currency industry spent roughly one hundred ninety million dollars on this go alone.

While some individual cyp to currency industry executives contributed to the presidential race. Crypto to focus super packs steered clear, instead sticking to congressional races. Seven executives from the cyp da world directly contributed more than one hundred thousand dollars a peace to back trump, while only one put funding behind Harris trump barkers were mark Anderson, who contributed five point three five million dollars.

Both win kle VS twins who contributed one point three million dollars of peace, crackings Jesse Powell, who contributed one million dollars, secos doug leone, who also contributed one million dollars, ripples steward alderdene, who contributed three hundred thousand dollars, and multicolor capitals kyle Simoni, who contributed three hundred thousand dollars. They were all outspent, however, by the single donor to commonly herri rip cofounder and executive chairman Chris larson, who contributed twelve point six million dollars. As for the congressional races, the encrypt focus super pack spent in sixty eight races across thirty five states, seventy point nine million dollars went to support republicans and forty eight point three million dollars back to democrats.

Only ten races failed to go their way. Eight, if you exclude two races where candidates they backed in the primaries withdraw. And in both of those two races, the ecliptic packs chose new candidates to support, who later went on to win fifty eight races, went how they wanted them to go with either their supported candidate winning the election or candidates spent to oppose losing the remaining two races.

California's house district forty five and alaska house at large district have still not been called as a writing. Certainly, some of their success comes down to the packs willingness to shell out massive amounts of money. The crop to packs put forty million dollars behind ohio's republican senator, oral candidate, cars salesmen in one time, blockchain entrepreneur berny marino, and the tight margins in his race against democratic incumbent and crypto o opponent shared Brown means that it's quite possible that IT was the crypto to spending that made the difference.

However, it's important to note that the gypt a currency packs were largely going with a back the winner of strategy in this cycle, exemplified by their spending on candidates like jim justice, a republican who won west vigilias senate race, and john curtis, or republican who won the senate race in who are all but assured to win their races and whose races were called moments after polls closed. Although IT took a while for me to realize this, there were times when I wondered why the crapo packs were supporting some candidate when their opponents seemed roughly equivalent in their cypher to related stances. The strategy later became clear.

As I noted in an earlier issue, a wapping thirty two of the thirty nine candidates endorsed by coin basis advocacy group stand with crypto had been in seventy, seventy five percent or more chance of winning their respective races. I wrote then that the crypto to industry seem to be, quote, setting themselves up for a guaranteed post election Victory lap by betting on the winners. Now, a week after election day, they're still circling the track and hering about their Victory long after most of the spectator or have gone home.

We've sent out emails shamelessly boasting about buying the elections with lines like cyp tos, big bet pays off and the cypher army is striking. This strategy of betting on the winners was partly to ensure loyal advocates in congress, but IT was also because the crypto industry spending was as much a show of force as IT was about actually achieving their desired outcomes. They revealed this during the primaries when they dumped ten million dollars in opposition spending against katy porter in california, two million dollars against jamal bowman in new york, in one point four million against bush in missouri, although none of these candidates were were particularly outspoken against crip.

Do that wasn't really the point. Instead, the crypto industry use those races to send a message, fall in line or we might deploy our millions against you too. IT didn't really matter if the industry spending directly cause their targets to lose their races, so long as there was applausive argument that IT played a role in both bowman.

In bushes, races crop to industry money made up only about twenty percent of the opposition spending. We can expect the industry to do the same in future elections. Claim responsibility for the outcomes of all the races where they spent money, even if those outcomes were likely not impacted much by crypt du industry involvement.

Given various candidates willingness to buy the industry manufactured myth about blocks of single issue cropped voters, I worry that candidates in future elections may also fall for this story and choose to submit to crypto industry pressures rather than risk millions opposition spending next time they stand for real election. And the industry is already scrambling to ensure politicians have no doubts about the wealth cyp T O packs might muster against them refilling the super pack war chest with another twenty five million dollars from coin base and twenty three million dollars from entries and horowitz. As for the losers, the crypto industry y's two point three million dollars in spending wasn't enough to get incumbent democrat yara carava reelected in colorado district AIDS extremely close race as ranking member of the houses digital asset sub committee.

Cara veo had been a strong ally to the gypt to currency industry, and SHE was one of several sitting congress people to appear during a crypto for haris event in August. In or against district fifteen, one point five million dollars wasn't sufficient to secure a win for republican incumbent Lorry chavez damar, who'd written in response to stand with cyp du. That quote is clear that there is a space for the said he goes system in the free market of the united states.

Republican incumbent my Garcia lost reelection in california's district twenty seven despite one million dollars in cyp to currency industry bagging, which he earned with a promise to, quote, be a champion for crypto in congress. And finally, long shot cyp du candidate john deton failed to oust cyp to number one enemy on the hill in combat, master husted senator Elizabeth Warren, who has predicted easily won a third term. This race was one of the clearest indicators that the major industry packs were more concerned about appearing to back winners rather than risk losses to support those with whom they were strongly ideologically aligned.

They didn't put a cent towards this race despite warrants permanent presence in the industries cross hairs and despite deein running on an explicitly pro critical platform, instead deepens two point one million dollars. And backing came from a completely separate superphosphate wealth unity fund. The vast majority of the funding for this pack, in turn came from the same wealthy donors who backed fair shake, and the bigger industry packs the wing of us twins ripple and fill power of potter ventures.

However, by splitting the spending into a separate committee, fair shake is able to sweep Warren landslide Victory under the rug. Not only will warrant return to her seat to continue her push for strict regulations on the gypt to currency industry, but he will also become the ranking member of the senate banking committee following shredded Browns loss in ohio and mark Warner choice to remain the top ranking democrat on the senate intelligence committee amusingly, in ousting Brown, the gypt to currency industry may have handed more power to an even more aggressive enemy. Trump h's political appointments.

Trump has been announcing new editions to the trump of sphere at a rapid fir Epace, seemingly making ever more horrifying selections every time. While senate rejections of presidential cabinet appointments are rare, trump seems to be chAllenging his newly republican congress to defy him with some of the pegs. However, he's also announced he wishes to be permitted to make resets appointments, which would enable him to bypass the Normal senate hearing in confirmation process first to discuss trump transition team coach ir Howard leta ck, who also heads the counter for its jailed financial services firm counterfeits chilled has just wrapped up hosting its own cypher digital assets and A I infrastructure conference in miami and offers cyp t of services of its own let.

Nick has also personally vouched for the shade's stable coin you are tether, which has been proven to have lied about the stable coin being fully acted by dollars and dollar like assets, but now insists that we should all just trust them that IT is now, even if IT wasn't, then rather than produce legitimate audits, tother instead leaned on lta ck to vouch for them. Quote, they have the money. They say, they have.

He stated earlier this year that's basically in on IT, right? A propose of nothing. Tother has mended seven billion dollars in new tokens since trump s win. Tether is also reportedly still under investigation by the department of justice, though that investigation is only one of many whose futures are uncertain given the new administration.

Anyway, ludin is in a serious position of power with his role on the transition team where he helps to staff trumps future administration and the group to currency industry knows IT, with coin base C E O and political mega donor brian armstrong reportedly seeking to secure meetings with that neck bt nick has self lesser, put his own name in the running as a potential pic for treasury secretary, and is reportedly one of two candidates trump is considering. The other is got bent, a fellow trump mega donor. And crypto enthusiasts basin has been a proponent of integrating crept to currency into the broader, and of course, of broader deregulation.

Well, perhaps the only blessing in the two thousand twenty two cyp to currency wipe out was that people without crypto currency investments were pretty much entirely insulated from the carnage, unlike other historical financial collapses such as the one in two thousand eight. I fear we may soon wave goodbye to such a firewall as trumps, crp, du enthusiastic administration and the new congress allow crypto to self within the broader financial and banking systems. As far as things to keep an eye out for and mobilize on, this is a big, although hopefully eliza's warn on the banking committee will provide somewhat of a ball work trumps cabinet stands to have.

A substantial number of proscriptive members showed his nominees pass senate approval, although summer destined for roles where they are likely to have little in the way of direct influence over cyber policy, bitcoin enthusiasts Robert f. Kennedy junior, for example, has been selected to lead health and human services department, but his bitcoin beliefs fall well behind his opinions on vaccines, florrie and infectious disease studies when IT comes to believe that are concerning for a public health official. Although I personally wouldn't put IT past him to support some of the hair brain schemes i've seen to put medical records on a public blockchain, more consequences might be trumps pick for attorney general who will advise him on legal matters and oversee the country's entire legal system.

Matt gates, who at least appears to share trumps procurement for breaking laws, including, but not limited to, those prohibiting sexual abuse, is also a big bitcoin fan, among other things. The summer, he proposed a bill that would allow people to pay federal income tax with bitcoin. For some reason, trump selected cyp du enthusiast towsey gabbard for the director of national intelligence, likely thanks to her shared desire to root out the quote deep state SHE used to twenty twenty three speech at the annual bitcoin conference to condemn quote allegest cabal that he believed was working to under mine trump.

Claim that lawmakers who oppose bitcoin don't understand IT, but quote, no enough to know they shouldn't like IT because they will undermine their ability to control us. Trump s nominee for a secretary of the interior, doug burgan, will have a major role to play in trumps plans to ramp up energy production. Burger is a product of the tech industry.

Having founded a software company and software focused venture capital firm. He's also been a proponent of bitcoin mining in his home state of north dakota, much to the program of nearby residents use. Energy Prices Spiked by twelve million dollars after the mining Operation moved in.

Fox in france, cohoes pete hegseth has been tapped as secretary of defense. Hegseth has praised trump for a quote making bitcoin great again and has boosted of his own bitcoin holdings. Trump has once again nominated former C. C. Chairman jay cline as the U. S.

Attorney for the southern district of new york, a district that regularly prosecutes financial crimes as well as other high profile cases such as the sex crime cases against dd and you maxwell or corruption cases against former senator bob in index and current new york mayor eric Adams. The current U. S.

Attorney for the southern district, damian Williams, has prosecuted a number of high profile script to currency cases, including those against sam bank, man fried and the other fp x executives. The ongoing case against L C, A CEO alex machine scheme and the ongoing case against torna cash developer roman storm. Trump tried to nominate clinton once before in twenty twenty while attempting to oust U.

S. Attorney Jeffery burma, who is in the process of investigating trump allies, including rudy Juliane. Burma initially refused to leave, objecting to clients complete lack of experience as a prosecutor, but later step down when he was determined he would be replaced by a deputy instead of obtaining prosecutorial experience.

In the meantime, clayton has spent three years since his december twenty, twenty, S, C, C departure, enjoying the revolving door, taking the typically lucrative advisory positions with crypto or crypto a Jason firms, including electric capital, fire blocks, one river asset management now owned by coin base and Apollo global management. The biggest excitement for the gypt currency world is the prospective of N S, C C, no longer headed by gary ginza ler, who has over the past few years worked to enforce existing securities regulations against the induction. Much to its shock and horror, many of the heavy spenders in the selection cycle are themselves locked in court battles with the S, C, C, including coin base, rebel and cracking, and the millions of dollars they paid to install crypto.

Friendly politicians may well pay off in legal savings down the line. Traditionally, S E C chairs resign when a new administration is elected and gangster, or will likely not buck tradition, despite the fact that trump likely won't have the opportunity, not to mention the fact that he's not legally allowed. Trump has corded the crypto faith with brush promises of firing gary gangster er quote on day one.

Trump has not yet indicated who he might install as a replacement, but the cypher industry has been salivating over which crypto friendly regulators they'd like to see him choose coin basis. Bryan armstrong has proposed A C, C commissioner has to peers who the industry has weirdly doub crypto mom for her support of cyp to currencies and her regular dissents from various proposals and lawsuits targeting the industry. However, some in the cyp to world were disappointed with his suggestion criticising paris for past decisions they felt benefited major institutions at the expensive of individual cyp to holders.

As I wrote in july quote, it's interesting to me that even some on the more ideological end of cyp to see billionaire ecus ves and VC spending money on politicians and go, yes, good. They're fighting for me. Ripple C E O brad guarding house has proposed three other options.

Former C F T C head Christ hang carlo, who now enjoys several advisory roles to prominent cyp to firms former acting controller of the currency brian Brooks, who was later briefly the CEO of finance U S, or a former S C C commissioner Daniel gallagher, who is chief legal officer at the stock encrypt or trading firm Robin hood. So anyway, things are about to get pretty bucks wild out there. If nothing else, I will be here to chronic IT big coin strategic reserve, big coin nars.

But also some mainstream media articles have been making much of the potential for a trump win to usher in the creation of a, quote, bitcoin strategic reserve, to the point that I think the idea has earned some t bunking IT harkens back to the bitcoin conference this past july. Although he was not trump who first brought IT up, IT was his then opponent, Robert f. Kennedy junior, to quote from issue sixty three, Robert f.

Kennedy juniors, biggest promise by far announced to thundrous applause was that he would establish a strategic reserve of four million bitcoins, two hundred twenty five billion dollars at today's Prices, an amounting to around twenty percent of the total bitcoin supply, which he did not disguise as a promise to pump the audiences bags. Quote the casket. Ating impact from these actions will eventually move bitcoin evaluation of hundreds of billions of dollars, he concluded.

Note that the two hundred twenty five billion dollar estimate was july Prices with recent Price movements, four million bitcoins would be Priced around three hundred fifty billion dollars today. R, F, K, junior, so thorough, upstaged trump the day before a trump was scheduled to speak, that trump seemed to showroom n in his own promise of equal strategic national bitcoin stockpile in order to try to keep up. However, I think many who are picturing a strategic reserve now are picturing, not with trump described, but rather are of k juniors fever.

Dream trust version was a far cry from R F, K. Juniors plan to spend five percent of the national budget pumping bitcoin. But I was still weird. He promised that the stockpile would consist of the crypto asset seized as a result of various law enforcement activities, which they Normally sell in batches once the assets have been formally formated. A practice trump says he would stop as .

the final part of my plan. Today, I am announcing that if I am elected, IT will be the policy of my administration, united states of america, to keep one hundred percent of all the bitcoin the U. S.

Government currently holes or requires into the future, will keep one hundred person. I hope you do well, please. This will serve an effect as the core of this strategic national bitcoin stockpile as.

As you know, most of the bit going currently held by the united tes government was obtained through law enforcement action. You know that they took IT from you. Let's take that guys life.

Let's take his family, his house. His bitcoin will turn IT in the bitcoin. It's been taken away from you because that's where we're going now. That's where this country is going to fascist regime. And so as I take steps to transform that vast wealth into a permanent national asset to benefit all americans.

it's not entirely clear to me whether trump was merely acknowledging there that many of these seized cyp to assets are seized from cyp to thieves who themselves wrongly stole cyp to from the types of people likely to be in the audience that bit coin twenty twenty four or if he was stating that law enforcement had no right to see, sees assets from the perpetrators of the twenty sixteen bit the next hack.

Either way, he fails to acknowledge that much of the time when the government seizes crypto assets and then sells them later on, the proceeds are returned to the victims of the crime. Trumps plan, at least as illustrated on stage and july, is to put a stop to this practice and instead holds onto those assets that he himself stated had been stolen from people like those in the audience. It's a weird plan, but I also hold a lot more skepticism that he will follow through with that.

Then many in the crypto industry who are in turn being heavily quoted by media with little scrutiny of their claims. To me, IT seems like gave hastily attacked on promise, likely to fall, by the way, side with many others made by presidential candidates as they seek to court voters, donors on the campaign trail, everything else familiar, sly. Despite trump s win and the crypto markets enthusiastic response, trump's own project continues to limp along.

Trump's world liberty financial crypto o project has sold only one point three three billion of the twenty billion, reduce total token supply or around six point seven percent. Much of the lackluster response can probably be blamed on the strict limitations around token resale and remuneration to token holders and availability only to a credit investors, limitations which were rather obviously crafted to try to dodge security enforcement. If trump s succeeds with his plans to define the S.

C, I expect these limitations to swiftly change, likely significantly financial, benefiting trump in family who received seventy five percent of net protocol revenues in addition to the initial allocation of twenty two point five billion world liberty financial tokens. Elsewhere in cyp, do there's been more violence in the crypto sphere? In what seems to be a worsening trend in recent months, the C E, O of a canadian cyp to currency company called wonder fy was kidnapped off the street in toronto and held until he agreed to transfering one million canadian dollars, or around seven hundred twenty thousand us.

Dollars, over in montreal. A missing crypto currency influencer, unsuspected pumped dump scammer named Kevin marsha, was found dead in a park after disappearing in june. Marshal, he had been under investigation by quebec financial authorities and have been ordered by the regulator to see some financial and social media activities in thailand.

A ukrainian tourist was kidnapped and threatened with violence until he agreed to transfer two hundred fifty thousand dollars in the tether stable coin, a list of violence attacks against crypt of currency holders maintained by prominent bit coiner Jason lop shows seventeen incidents this year, with eleven of them occurring in the second half of the year alone. The web three is going just great recap. There were three entries between november three in fourteen, averaging point three entries per day.

Three, six point nine. Three million dollars was added to the grist counter. Delt T A prime lost four point eight million dollars. In a second hack, a trader revealed he had lost twenty eight million dollars to a bad copy paste, and the metal win casino was hacked for four million dollars worth a read.

Ez itron wrote, really kick as peace on the election, the tech industry and the media is brought approach to covering tech developments. He ends IT on a hopeful but pragmatic note that I really needed. It's titled lost in the future, and it's published in his wares. You add newsletter.

If you are looking for other hopeful but pragmatic election related reading, you should also read can Whites and yet IT moves in his popt newsletter and rusty Fosters election day in today on trail and republished in the washington post, the columbia journalism review published p titled trump threatens new york times penguin random house over critical coverage. Trump is continuing to issue legal threats against newsrooms that dare to criticize him. Perhaps the columbia journalism review editors decided IT went without saying, but IT feels worth mentioning that if his appointments go as planned, he will have the entire judicial branch to bring to bear on journalists, not just his work, lawyer, neighbor.

This is really something to keep an eye out for. In the news, Michael Hilton wrote really lovely profile of me focused on my recent sparring match with coin base and my I am my own legal department. An article is titled Molly Whites message for journalists going freeLance, be ready for the pitfalls.

And it's published in the last Angeles times. I was rather amused to discover from this article that coin bases paul gray wall actually claim, ed, that no legal threat was implied by his tweet, that continuing my coding would be T T T unwise. CNN quoted me in an article titled a trump bitcoin promises what crypto o fans once fought against.

They love IT. Anyway, it's about how the clipt, the world's embrace of Donald trump is completely in congress with the original ideology. Many of them still claim to a spouse.

Finally, in a quick store update, i've added a few new items for those wanting to show their support for reading libraries and access to information more broadly. These stickers, shirts and sweatshirts are based on a line, a cut print I created earlier this year. You can check them out t at store dot Molly way dot t that's all for now, folks, until next time.

This has been mali White. Thanks for listening to this issue of the citation needed newsletter. To learn how to support my work, visit mollie White dot net lash support. If you'd like to read the text versions of these episodes, sign up to receive the newsletter in your email or support my work on a recurring basis, go to ccitt needed that news.