Free Republic

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump’s attempt to be a broker in the conflict between India and Pakistan has the spotlight on a deal the hostile neighbour recently negotiated with World Liberty Financial (WLF), a cryptocurrency venture in which the president’s family has 60% stake. The deal was signed between WLF and the hastily-launched Pakistan Crypto Council, which early last month appointed as its adviser Changzpeng Zhao (CZ) — founder of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance — with the ambitious objective of making Islamabad South Asia’s crypto capital. Though the Crypto Council was barely a month old, WLF sent...

In a massive sting operation straight out of a crime thriller, Spanish police have smashed one of Europe’s most powerful underworld banks – a slick, secretive syndicate laundering millions using the ancient and shadowy “hawala” method. Cash, crypto and contraband – the works. In unbelievable scenes, Spain’s National Police, backed by EUROPOL and EUROJUST, swooped on a web of luxury and illegality. The secret January raids – now revealed – saw over 250 officers hit 13 locations across Spain and Belgium in a coordinated blitz, nabbing 17 suspects, seizing mountains of loot and blowing apart a money-moving machine that had...

Flailing and struggling amid a brutal assault, this is the moment the daughter of a major cryptocurrency company executive and her two-year-old child were the victims of a violent attempted kidnapping in Paris. The 34-year-old was walking down Rue Pache in the capital yesterday morning when three armed men approached her. The group tried to force her and her toddler into a white van after hitting the child's father, who tried to intervene. Footage filmed by an onlooker from his apartment window also shows the woman - believed to be the daughter of a top crypto exec - grab a...

Miami International Autodrome First Grand Prix2022 Number of Laps57 Circuit Length5.412 kmRace Distance308.326 kmLap Record1:29.708Max Verstappen (2023)Track

Nothing sums up the spirit of our current times like Haliey Welch—a.k.a. Hawk Tuah Girl—becoming an overnight celebrity only to see her rapid rise lead to a meteoric downfall after she ended up at the center of a cryptocurrency scam.

Singaporean Malone Lam – arrested and charged over one of the biggest crypto heist in the US – splurged up to US$500,000 (S$665,000) a night at clubs and was seen giving Hermes Birkin bags to models and influencers in his lavish outings. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the 20-year-old and co-accused, American Jeandiel Serrano, 21, were arrested in September 2024 and charged with “conspiracy to steal and launder over US$230 million in cryptocurrency from a victim in Washington, DC”. At today’s prices, the 4,100 stolen Bitcoin are worth more than US$450 million. In his latest court hearing last...

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are targets of choice for online criminals, who often exploit weaknesses in major trading platforms or individual users’ digital “wallets” to make major scores. A recent $1.5-billion heist of Ethereum from the Bybit platform — attributed by the FBI to North Korean hackers — is believed to be the largest yet in an ever-longer litany of thefts. How common is crypto theft? Cryptocurrencies are based on blockchain technology, which publicly records transactions between people holding and exchanging them. That has not kept a lid on theft, with an estimated $2.2 billion worth of the assets...

I own a small amount of crypto assets in my portfolio, so I am not against this asset class per se. I do object to the federal government starting their own reserve fund. Crypto is a relatively new asset and we are still in the beginning stages of exploring how it works as an asset for investing. We have already determined that it does not work as a currency in the U.S. The primary reason is that you must declare capital gains or losses with each transaction. The government should not pick winners and losers. Right now, the Trump administration...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson BREAKING: President Trump just announced the creation of a U.S. Crypto Reserve.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to host an event on cryptocurrency at the White House next week. The Crypto Summit will be held on Friday, marking the first-ever White House event of its kind. Trump is expected to deliver remarks during the summit, the White House said. The event will include "prominent founders, CEOs, and investors from the crypto industry, as well as members of the president’s Working Group on Digital Assets," according to the White House. The summit will be led by venture capitalist and White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks and will be administered by the...

The political rise of economist Javier Milei to the presidency was largely driven by Argentinians' hope that he could revive the debt-laden country's economic fortunes. But now the libertarian's key credentials as an economic expert have suffered a massive blow as lawyers have filed a fraud lawsuit against him in an Argentine court. What's come to be known as the "cryptogate" scandal is gripping Argentina, with the rapid rise and collapse of the $LIBRA cryptocurrency at the center of controversy. Investors — most of them reportedly from Argentina and the United States — had poured the equivalent of $100 million...

Argentine President Javier Milei could face an impeachment trial in Congress, opposition lawmakers said on Saturday, after the libertarian leader touted a cryptocurrency which crashed soon after.

Famed rapper Snoop Dogg lost more than 500,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 20,000 on X after his appearance at the Crypto Ball, a celebratory event tied to Donald Trump’s inauguration. The “Gin and Juice” singer’s Instagram dropped by 571,800 and 17,177 on X as fans accused Snoop of hypocrisy due to his past criticism of Trump. Snoop Dogg, who boasted 88.1 million followers on Instagram as of Monday, isn’t the only A-list celebrity to have followers abandon him in droves over perceived support for the Republican president. Kim Kardashian, the reality television star and entrepreneur, lost nearly 150,000 social...

In a move celebrating President-elect Donald Trump’s second presidency, one that blends business with the digital age, he has minted a staggering $31 billion by launching his official $TRUMP crypto meme coin. Capitalizing on cryptocurrency's explosive growth and meme coins' popularity, Trump’s latest venture has already attracted a massive following, making nearly $30 billion in just 24 hours. The $TRUMP coin not only marks Trump’s entry into the world of blockchain and crypto assets but also leverages his brand’s influence, tapping into both his loyal fanbase and the growing interest in alternative digital investments. A report from Axios pointed out...

Snoop Dogg has come under fire for performing at Donald Trump’s Crypto Ball just days ahead of the President Elect’s inauguration. The event took place on Friday (January 17) at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C., with a VIP reception hosted by Trump’s crypto czar David Sacks. Among the performers on the night was Snoop, despite having been somewhat vocal in his opposition to the Republican in the past. His appearance has prompted several fans to criticise him online, with some saying that it was “a bridge too far”.

This week’s Economist/YouGov poll covers the health-care system, the presidential transition, the economy, President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, and cryptocurrency.Health careTwo-thirds (66%) of Americans with health insurance say they are very or somewhat satisfied with it; 14% say they are dissatisfied while 20% say they do not have health insurance or are not sureThe highest satisfaction levels are among Americans with health insurance coverage from Medicare (86%) or Medicaid (89%)One in four Americans (25%) say they or an immediate family member have ever had a health insurance claim denied60% of Americans who have had an insurance claim in...

Google announced on Dec. 9th that it had developed a new quantum computing chip known as ‘Willow.’ The chip performed a computation that would take a supercomputer ten septillion (1025) years in under five minutes. Google’s Quantum AI lead Neven said Willow was a major breakthrough in quantum error correction. There is speculation that the new developments could threaten crypto.

The video platform, which hosts content creators like gamer Dr. Disrespect, conservative host Dan Bongino and Dana White's Power Slap, will receive $250 million, with the remaining going to a tender offer.The crypto stablecoin venture Tether says that it is investing $775 million in the video sharing platform and cloud provider Rumble, which has become a favorite of conservative hosts and content creators and positions itself as a free speech alternative to its competitors. The companies announced the deal Friday evening. Rumble will receive $250 million in the deal, with the remaining proceeds “to fund a self tender offer for...

Hailey Welch has gone MIA. The "Hawk Tuah" girl has not released a new episode of her popular weekly podcast, Talk Tuah, in two weeks. There was no previously announced hiatus of the show. Welch also has not posted on her social media channels in weeks either. Welch became a viral sensation over the summer after dropping what would go on to become her catchphrase "Hawk Tuah" in a video clip that spread across the internet like wildfire. Welch capitalized on her internet fame by selling merchandise like t-shirts and then eventually launching a weekly podcast called Talk Tuah, which...

Valley investor David Sacks will serve as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s new artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto czar, advising the White House on the two critical emergent technologies. Sacks was an early backer of Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) during the 2024 Republican presidential primary but later jumped ship as the campaign struggled, eventually backing Trump’s bid to retake the White House.A close ally of technology and space exploration mogul Elon Musk, Sacks, too, hails from South Africa. He was born in Cape Town before his parents emigrated to Tennessee. In 1999, Sacks—then a business consultant with McKinsey & Company—joined the...