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The Heart of the TARDIS

@TheHeartoftheTARDIS@pixelfed.social · 9 hours ago

What a spineless creature #meme #memes #trump #donaldtrump #politics #uspolitics #whitehouse #republicans

- Trending: Gavin Newsom hereswhykevin 7h © california Governor Gavin Newsom had Ben Shapiro as a guest on his podcast this week and found a lot of common ground with the racist Republican commentator. Newsom conceded that Renee Good's murder was not ‘state sponsored terrorism, which his Gavin Newsom Press account on X tweeted out last week. HERE'S > € s | e T R

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Chewie boosted

Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈

@Lazarou@mastodon.social · 17 hours ago

But despite this fucking insanity, they still won't put into motion the procedures for when their President is mentally incapable of performing the job.

#Trump #USPOL #USPOLITICS #25thAmendment #MentalHealth #Norway #NobelPeacePrize

Dear Jonas:

Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace
Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer fecl an obligation
to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but
can now think about what is good and proper for the United States
of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China,
and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no
written documents, ics only a boa that landed there hundreds of
years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for
NATO than any person since its founding, and now, NATO should
do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless
we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you!
President DJT — Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer fecl an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, ics only a boa that landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT

ophiocephalic 🐍 and 2 others boosted

MiniMia 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇵🇸 🏴

@fkamiah17@syzito.xyz · 20 hours ago

Oh look - another thing to thank JOE FUCKING BIDEN for.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-technology-the-trump-administration-could-use-to-hack-your-phone

#USPolitics #FuckICE

I n September, the Department of Homeland

Security (D.H.S.) signed a two-million-dollar contract with Paragon, an Israeli firm whose spyware product Graphite focusses on breaching encrypted-messaging applications such as Telegram and Signal.

Wired first reported that the technology was acquired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an agency within D.H.S. that will soon be involved in
executing the Trump Administration's promises of mass deportations and crackdowns on border crossings. A source at Paragon told me that the deal
followed a vetting process, during which the company was able to demonstrate that it had robust tools to prevent other countries that purchase its spyware from hacking Americans—but that wouldn't limit the U.S. government's ability to target its own citizens. — I n September, the Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.) signed a two-million-dollar contract with Paragon, an Israeli firm whose spyware product Graphite focusses on breaching encrypted-messaging applications such as Telegram and Signal. Wired first reported that the technology was acquired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an agency within D.H.S. that will soon be involved in executing the Trump Administration's promises of mass deportations and crackdowns on border crossings. A source at Paragon told me that the deal followed a vetting process, during which the company was able to demonstrate that it had robust tools to prevent other countries that purchase its spyware from hacking Americans—but that wouldn't limit the U.S. government's ability to target its own citizens.

The Technology the Trump Administration Could Use to Hack Your Phone

Other Western democracies have been roiled by the use of spyware to target political opponents, activists, journalists, and other vulnerable groups. Could it happen here?

Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈

@Lazarou@mastodon.social · 17 hours ago

But despite this fucking insanity, they still won't put into motion the procedures for when their President is mentally incapable of performing the job.

#Trump #USPOL #USPOLITICS #25thAmendment #MentalHealth #Norway #NobelPeacePrize

Dear Jonas:

Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace
Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer fecl an obligation
to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but
can now think about what is good and proper for the United States
of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China,
and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no
written documents, ics only a boa that landed there hundreds of
years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for
NATO than any person since its founding, and now, NATO should
do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless
we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you!
President DJT — Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer fecl an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, ics only a boa that landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT

Flipboard boosted

Flipboard News Desk

@NewsDesk@flipboard.social · 18 hours ago

"Trump's letter to Norway should be the final straw," writes Anne Applebaum for @TheAtlantic. She breaks down the bizarre document, and what it means: "Donald Trump now genuinely lives in a different reality, one in which neither grammar nor history nor the normal rules of human interaction now affect him."

https://flip.it/hssqtd

#News #TrumpAdministration #Norway #NobelPrize #Greenland #Denmark #USPolitics

Trump’s Letter to Norway Is Utterly Maniacal

Will Republicans in Congress ever step in?

Flipboard News Desk

@NewsDesk@flipboard.social · 18 hours ago

"Trump's letter to Norway should be the final straw," writes Anne Applebaum for @TheAtlantic. She breaks down the bizarre document, and what it means: "Donald Trump now genuinely lives in a different reality, one in which neither grammar nor history nor the normal rules of human interaction now affect him."

https://flip.it/hssqtd

#News #TrumpAdministration #Norway #NobelPrize #Greenland #Denmark #USPolitics

Trump’s Letter to Norway Is Utterly Maniacal

Will Republicans in Congress ever step in?

Mike McCue and 1 other boosted

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

Newsletter: Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-99/

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

Citation Needed

Issue 99 – They’ve bought themselves a Congress

Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump

MiniMia 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇵🇸 🏴

@fkamiah17@syzito.xyz · 20 hours ago

Oh look - another thing to thank JOE FUCKING BIDEN for.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-technology-the-trump-administration-could-use-to-hack-your-phone

#USPolitics #FuckICE

I n September, the Department of Homeland

Security (D.H.S.) signed a two-million-dollar contract with Paragon, an Israeli firm whose spyware product Graphite focusses on breaching encrypted-messaging applications such as Telegram and Signal.

Wired first reported that the technology was acquired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an agency within D.H.S. that will soon be involved in
executing the Trump Administration's promises of mass deportations and crackdowns on border crossings. A source at Paragon told me that the deal
followed a vetting process, during which the company was able to demonstrate that it had robust tools to prevent other countries that purchase its spyware from hacking Americans—but that wouldn't limit the U.S. government's ability to target its own citizens. — I n September, the Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.) signed a two-million-dollar contract with Paragon, an Israeli firm whose spyware product Graphite focusses on breaching encrypted-messaging applications such as Telegram and Signal. Wired first reported that the technology was acquired by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an agency within D.H.S. that will soon be involved in executing the Trump Administration's promises of mass deportations and crackdowns on border crossings. A source at Paragon told me that the deal followed a vetting process, during which the company was able to demonstrate that it had robust tools to prevent other countries that purchase its spyware from hacking Americans—but that wouldn't limit the U.S. government's ability to target its own citizens.

The Technology the Trump Administration Could Use to Hack Your Phone

Other Western democracies have been roiled by the use of spyware to target political opponents, activists, journalists, and other vulnerable groups. Could it happen here?

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

The Senate has confirmed the CFTC’s new Chairman, Michael Selig. He has very minimal regulatory experience, and is now the only Commissioner on what is supposed to be a five-person bipartisan Commission.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

The CFTC has a new Chairman now that the Senate has confirmed Michael Selig. Selig’s background is primarily in private practice representing crypto clients like Paradigm and eToro.20 In 2025, he briefly served as chief counsel for the SEC’s crypto task force, but besides that, Selig has extremely minimal regulatory experience — particularly in the many non-crypto markets the CFTC is expected to regulate.

Selig is also the only commissioner at the normally five-person CFTC, as Trump has seized control of regulators by appointing his own loyalists without appointing replacements for departing commissioners. Acting Chair Caroline Pham had previously announced she planned to leave when a chairman was appointed, and she has followed through on that promise. She immediately rocketed through the revolving door right into the lap of the crypto firm MoonPay, where she is now chief legal and administrative officer.21 You might recognize MoonPay as a frequent Trump crypto partner, helping process payments for both the $TRUMP memecoin and for Melania Trump’s 2021 NFT projects. You also might remember that they snagged that lucrative Trump memecoin partnership only weeks after attempting to make a $250,000 contribution to Trump’s inaugural committee, but got scammed instead [I88]. — The CFTC has a new Chairman now that the Senate has confirmed Michael Selig. Selig’s background is primarily in private practice representing crypto clients like Paradigm and eToro.20 In 2025, he briefly served as chief counsel for the SEC’s crypto task force, but besides that, Selig has extremely minimal regulatory experience — particularly in the many non-crypto markets the CFTC is expected to regulate. Selig is also the only commissioner at the normally five-person CFTC, as Trump has seized control of regulators by appointing his own loyalists without appointing replacements for departing commissioners. Acting Chair Caroline Pham had previously announced she planned to leave when a chairman was appointed, and she has followed through on that promise. She immediately rocketed through the revolving door right into the lap of the crypto firm MoonPay, where she is now chief legal and administrative officer.21 You might recognize MoonPay as a frequent Trump crypto partner, helping process payments for both the $TRUMP memecoin and for Melania Trump’s 2021 NFT projects. You also might remember that they snagged that lucrative Trump memecoin partnership only weeks after attempting to make a $250,000 contribution to Trump’s inaugural committee, but got scammed instead [I88].

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

The SEC is in a similar situation, having just lost its last Democratic and crypto-cautious Commissioner, Caroline Crenshaw. In her last speech as a Commissioner she warned of “dire repercussions” from the SEC’s deregulatory pivot, drawing comparisons to the period prior to the Great Depression.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

Trump’s strategy to control the regulators is also playing out over at the SEC, where the single remaining Democratic and crypto-cautious Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw has departed after her renomination vote was canceled in December 2024 after complaints from the crypto industry.22 In her last speech, she expressed concern that the SEC is “shrouding its policymaking in darkness, shunning public comments and, instead, relying on hidden voices to drive its agenda.”22 She summarized the past year:

“The appetite to deregulate has been rapacious; the analysis of the costs and benefits of our policies has been non-existent; and, the repercussions, I would argue, could be dire. We live in an echo chamber where politicians and policymakers make their own truth through repetition. But, the markets have a way of correcting themselves—not always immediately, but over time. So, I think the true advisability of these policies will reveal themselves eventually. I certainly wouldn’t be alone in analogizing the trend toward deregulation in the current environment to the period prior to the stock market crash in 1929.” — Trump’s strategy to control the regulators is also playing out over at the SEC, where the single remaining Democratic and crypto-cautious Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw has departed after her renomination vote was canceled in December 2024 after complaints from the crypto industry.22 In her last speech, she expressed concern that the SEC is “shrouding its policymaking in darkness, shunning public comments and, instead, relying on hidden voices to drive its agenda.”22 She summarized the past year: “The appetite to deregulate has been rapacious; the analysis of the costs and benefits of our policies has been non-existent; and, the repercussions, I would argue, could be dire. We live in an echo chamber where politicians and policymakers make their own truth through repetition. But, the markets have a way of correcting themselves—not always immediately, but over time. So, I think the true advisability of these policies will reveal themselves eventually. I certainly wouldn’t be alone in analogizing the trend toward deregulation in the current environment to the period prior to the stock market crash in 1929.”

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto project has applied for a national trust bank charter. If approved, the Comptroller of the Currency — who serves at the pleasure of the President — will be expected to enforce the law against Trump’s own company and its competitors.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto company has announced that they have applied for a national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, through a proposed entity called World Liberty Trust Company. Senator Elizabeth Warren quickly sent a letter to Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould to urge him to delay the review of World Liberty Financial’s application “until President Trump divests from WLF and eliminates all financial conflicts of interest involving himself or his family and the company.” She wrote:27

“If the application is approved, you would promulgate rules that influence the profitability of the President’s company. You would also be responsible for directly supervising and enforcing the law against the President’s company—and its competitors. You would be in charge of these functions while serving at the pleasure of the President. In effect, for the first time in history, the President of the United States would be in charge of overseeing his own financial company.” — The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto company has announced that they have applied for a national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, through a proposed entity called World Liberty Trust Company. Senator Elizabeth Warren quickly sent a letter to Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould to urge him to delay the review of World Liberty Financial’s application “until President Trump divests from WLF and eliminates all financial conflicts of interest involving himself or his family and the company.” She wrote:27 “If the application is approved, you would promulgate rules that influence the profitability of the President’s company. You would also be responsible for directly supervising and enforcing the law against the President’s company—and its competitors. You would be in charge of these functions while serving at the pleasure of the President. In effect, for the first time in history, the President of the United States would be in charge of overseeing his own financial company.”

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

The Senate has confirmed the CFTC’s new Chairman, Michael Selig. He has very minimal regulatory experience, and is now the only Commissioner on what is supposed to be a five-person bipartisan Commission.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

The CFTC has a new Chairman now that the Senate has confirmed Michael Selig. Selig’s background is primarily in private practice representing crypto clients like Paradigm and eToro.20 In 2025, he briefly served as chief counsel for the SEC’s crypto task force, but besides that, Selig has extremely minimal regulatory experience — particularly in the many non-crypto markets the CFTC is expected to regulate.

Selig is also the only commissioner at the normally five-person CFTC, as Trump has seized control of regulators by appointing his own loyalists without appointing replacements for departing commissioners. Acting Chair Caroline Pham had previously announced she planned to leave when a chairman was appointed, and she has followed through on that promise. She immediately rocketed through the revolving door right into the lap of the crypto firm MoonPay, where she is now chief legal and administrative officer.21 You might recognize MoonPay as a frequent Trump crypto partner, helping process payments for both the $TRUMP memecoin and for Melania Trump’s 2021 NFT projects. You also might remember that they snagged that lucrative Trump memecoin partnership only weeks after attempting to make a $250,000 contribution to Trump’s inaugural committee, but got scammed instead [I88]. — The CFTC has a new Chairman now that the Senate has confirmed Michael Selig. Selig’s background is primarily in private practice representing crypto clients like Paradigm and eToro.20 In 2025, he briefly served as chief counsel for the SEC’s crypto task force, but besides that, Selig has extremely minimal regulatory experience — particularly in the many non-crypto markets the CFTC is expected to regulate. Selig is also the only commissioner at the normally five-person CFTC, as Trump has seized control of regulators by appointing his own loyalists without appointing replacements for departing commissioners. Acting Chair Caroline Pham had previously announced she planned to leave when a chairman was appointed, and she has followed through on that promise. She immediately rocketed through the revolving door right into the lap of the crypto firm MoonPay, where she is now chief legal and administrative officer.21 You might recognize MoonPay as a frequent Trump crypto partner, helping process payments for both the $TRUMP memecoin and for Melania Trump’s 2021 NFT projects. You also might remember that they snagged that lucrative Trump memecoin partnership only weeks after attempting to make a $250,000 contribution to Trump’s inaugural committee, but got scammed instead [I88].

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

Trump has claimed “the leaker” has been jailed, seemingly referring to a group of wallets that made large profits from Polymarket bets with apparent advance knowledge of US military action against Venezuela. One such wallet profited around $410,000.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

3 media

In prediction markets
After the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, observers were quick to notice that several Polymarket accounts had all placed large bets on a market pertaining to whether Maduro would be removed from power by the end of January, and other Venezuela-related markets. One account began placing bets in late December, and continued to add thousands of dollars to its positions right up to the day Maduro’s capture was announced, ultimately purchasing $32,000 in shares. The trader profited $410,000 when their predictions came to pass, leading many to believe they had access to inside information.29 — In prediction markets After the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, observers were quick to notice that several Polymarket accounts had all placed large bets on a market pertaining to whether Maduro would be removed from power by the end of January, and other Venezuela-related markets. One account began placing bets in late December, and continued to add thousands of dollars to its positions right up to the day Maduro’s capture was announced, ultimately purchasing $32,000 in shares. The trader profited $410,000 when their predictions came to pass, leading many to believe they had access to inside information.29

Table of closed Polymarket bets Maduro out by January 31, 2026? 436,759.6 Yes at 7¢ Total bet $32,537.28 Amount won $436,759.61 $404,222.33 (1,242.34%) Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by January 31? 5,371.7 Yes at 5¢ Total bet $249.99 Amount won $2,714.64 $2,464.65 (985.91%) Market icon Will the U.S. invade Venezuela by January 31, 2026? 17,857.9 Yes at 6¢ Total bet $999.99 Amount won $3,143.26 $2,143.27 (214.33%) US forces in Venezuela by January 31, 2026? 1,197.8 Yes at 12¢ Total bet $146.00 Amount won $1,197.77 $1,051.78 (720.4%)

Days later, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced a bill seeking to prohibit elected officials and other politicians and staff from participating in prediction markets connected to “government policy, government action, or political outcomes” when they possess or could obtain inside information.30

Then, on January 14, Trump said in a press conference that “The leaker [on Venezuela] has been found and is in jail right now” and would likely face a long sentence. He also noted that “there could be some others”.31 The identity of the leaker, how they gained access to sensitive information, and whether they were also the person who placed the bet has not been disclosed, nor has the charge on which they’ve been jailed. — Days later, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced a bill seeking to prohibit elected officials and other politicians and staff from participating in prediction markets connected to “government policy, government action, or political outcomes” when they possess or could obtain inside information.30 Then, on January 14, Trump said in a press conference that “The leaker [on Venezuela] has been found and is in jail right now” and would likely face a long sentence. He also noted that “there could be some others”.31 The identity of the leaker, how they gained access to sensitive information, and whether they were also the person who placed the bet has not been disclosed, nor has the charge on which they’ve been jailed.

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto project has applied for a national trust bank charter. If approved, the Comptroller of the Currency — who serves at the pleasure of the President — will be expected to enforce the law against Trump’s own company and its competitors.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto company has announced that they have applied for a national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, through a proposed entity called World Liberty Trust Company. Senator Elizabeth Warren quickly sent a letter to Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould to urge him to delay the review of World Liberty Financial’s application “until President Trump divests from WLF and eliminates all financial conflicts of interest involving himself or his family and the company.” She wrote:27

“If the application is approved, you would promulgate rules that influence the profitability of the President’s company. You would also be responsible for directly supervising and enforcing the law against the President’s company—and its competitors. You would be in charge of these functions while serving at the pleasure of the President. In effect, for the first time in history, the President of the United States would be in charge of overseeing his own financial company.” — The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto company has announced that they have applied for a national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, through a proposed entity called World Liberty Trust Company. Senator Elizabeth Warren quickly sent a letter to Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould to urge him to delay the review of World Liberty Financial’s application “until President Trump divests from WLF and eliminates all financial conflicts of interest involving himself or his family and the company.” She wrote:27 “If the application is approved, you would promulgate rules that influence the profitability of the President’s company. You would also be responsible for directly supervising and enforcing the law against the President’s company—and its competitors. You would be in charge of these functions while serving at the pleasure of the President. In effect, for the first time in history, the President of the United States would be in charge of overseeing his own financial company.”

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams is fending off rug pull allegations after a wallet connected to his “NYC Token” project extracted almost $1 million in liquidity less than an hour after launch, crashing the token price.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

4 media

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched “NYC Token”: half memecoin, half social experiment to determine how many glaring red flags you can stuff into one pitch and still convince people to buy. A figurehead who Trump had to rescue from federal bribery and corruption charges: check. An unidentified team running the project: check. Massive quantity of tokens to be held back in “reserve” with no details around custody, access control, or planned use: check. Pointers to documentation that doesn’t exist: check.c Lofty and numerous promises — educating kids about crypto, combatting “antisemitism” and “anti-Americanism” in NYC, and providing financial aid to students seeking higher education — with no specifics whatsoever about how they will fulfill them: check.

With all those red flags flapping in the wind, it’s perhaps no surprise that the token launch quickly turned into disaster [W3IGG]. Almost immediately after the token was launched, the project’s liquidity providerd withdrew more than $2.4 million in USDC from the one-sided liquidity pool,e causing the token price to plummet by about 85%. Though the project team later claimed they had been “rebalanc[ing]” liquidity, they only returned $1.5 million to the liquidity pool, with more than $900,000 of it left sitting in the LP wallet. That same wallet then began making automated purchases of $NYC every minute, which the team claimed is part of a TWAP (time-weighted average price) buying strategy. This is a strange explanation that doesn’t address why the third-party liquidity was withdrawn, why it was only partially returned, or why the remaining USDC is now being used in a way that seems intended to create the appearance of sustained demand without any new money actually coming in.

Since then, Adams has been fighting off allegations that he “rug pulled” the token. It seems too early to tell on that front, as the unaccounted funds are still sitting in the crypto wallet — perhaps to be restored to the liquidity pool, or perhaps to be withdrawn once whoever controls the wallet thinks attention has moved elsewhere. Some have speculated that this was all a way for Adams to surreptitiously accept belated bribes, I guess by having a would-be briber purchase a large amount of the token, and then extracting the funds as we saw. This is certainly possible, I suppose — there are some wallets that spent tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase the token. But with Adams out of office and no longer needing to file disclosures, I don’t see why he’d go about it this way rather than just quietly creating a wallet and having people transfer crypto to him directly.

Neither Adams nor the NYC Token team responded to questions about the removal of liquidity, the automated buying strategy, or details about the token, its team, or its plans to follow through on its promises. However, shortly after I sent the questions, the automated token buys stopped. — Since then, Adams has been fighting off allegations that he “rug pulled” the token. It seems too early to tell on that front, as the unaccounted funds are still sitting in the crypto wallet — perhaps to be restored to the liquidity pool, or perhaps to be withdrawn once whoever controls the wallet thinks attention has moved elsewhere. Some have speculated that this was all a way for Adams to surreptitiously accept belated bribes, I guess by having a would-be briber purchase a large amount of the token, and then extracting the funds as we saw. This is certainly possible, I suppose — there are some wallets that spent tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase the token. But with Adams out of office and no longer needing to file disclosures, I don’t see why he’d go about it this way rather than just quietly creating a wallet and having people transfer crypto to him directly. Neither Adams nor the NYC Token team responded to questions about the removal of liquidity, the automated buying strategy, or details about the token, its team, or its plans to follow through on its promises. However, shortly after I sent the questions, the automated token buys stopped.

Meanwhile, Edward Cullen — whose Innovate NY PAC spent nearly $100,000 on AI-generated flyers and other materials to back Andrew Cuomo last October after his last-minute crypto industry appeal — is back. Cullen claims that he pitched the NYC Token idea to Adams last year, and that Adams stole it from him, then “butchered” it for “short-term gain”. Cullen is now threatening to sue, although I’m not sure on what grounds.40

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

Trump has claimed “the leaker” has been jailed, seemingly referring to a group of wallets that made large profits from Polymarket bets with apparent advance knowledge of US military action against Venezuela. One such wallet profited around $410,000.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

3 media

In prediction markets
After the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, observers were quick to notice that several Polymarket accounts had all placed large bets on a market pertaining to whether Maduro would be removed from power by the end of January, and other Venezuela-related markets. One account began placing bets in late December, and continued to add thousands of dollars to its positions right up to the day Maduro’s capture was announced, ultimately purchasing $32,000 in shares. The trader profited $410,000 when their predictions came to pass, leading many to believe they had access to inside information.29 — In prediction markets After the US military kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, observers were quick to notice that several Polymarket accounts had all placed large bets on a market pertaining to whether Maduro would be removed from power by the end of January, and other Venezuela-related markets. One account began placing bets in late December, and continued to add thousands of dollars to its positions right up to the day Maduro’s capture was announced, ultimately purchasing $32,000 in shares. The trader profited $410,000 when their predictions came to pass, leading many to believe they had access to inside information.29

Table of closed Polymarket bets Maduro out by January 31, 2026? 436,759.6 Yes at 7¢ Total bet $32,537.28 Amount won $436,759.61 $404,222.33 (1,242.34%) Trump invokes War Powers against Venezuela by January 31? 5,371.7 Yes at 5¢ Total bet $249.99 Amount won $2,714.64 $2,464.65 (985.91%) Market icon Will the U.S. invade Venezuela by January 31, 2026? 17,857.9 Yes at 6¢ Total bet $999.99 Amount won $3,143.26 $2,143.27 (214.33%) US forces in Venezuela by January 31, 2026? 1,197.8 Yes at 12¢ Total bet $146.00 Amount won $1,197.77 $1,051.78 (720.4%)

Days later, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced a bill seeking to prohibit elected officials and other politicians and staff from participating in prediction markets connected to “government policy, government action, or political outcomes” when they possess or could obtain inside information.30

Then, on January 14, Trump said in a press conference that “The leaker [on Venezuela] has been found and is in jail right now” and would likely face a long sentence. He also noted that “there could be some others”.31 The identity of the leaker, how they gained access to sensitive information, and whether they were also the person who placed the bet has not been disclosed, nor has the charge on which they’ve been jailed. — Days later, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced a bill seeking to prohibit elected officials and other politicians and staff from participating in prediction markets connected to “government policy, government action, or political outcomes” when they possess or could obtain inside information.30 Then, on January 14, Trump said in a press conference that “The leaker [on Venezuela] has been found and is in jail right now” and would likely face a long sentence. He also noted that “there could be some others”.31 The identity of the leaker, how they gained access to sensitive information, and whether they were also the person who placed the bet has not been disclosed, nor has the charge on which they’ve been jailed.

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

But Coinbase’s flex may have caused something of a power struggle with the White House. “This is President Trump’s bill at the end of the day, not Brian Armstrong’s,” said a source close to the Trump administration.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

This brazen display seems to have caused something of a power struggle between Coinbase and President Trump, who was reportedly infuriated by Coinbase’s surprise “rug pull”. “This is President Trump’s bill at the end of the day, not Brian Armstrong’s,” a source close to the Trump administration told journalist Eleanor Terrett, adding that the White House was considering yanking its support for the bill if Coinbase can’t come up with a satisfactory compromise proposal on stablecoin yield.13 Armstrong later objected to Terrett’s reporting, claiming “The White House has been super constructive here”, but confirming that the White House had directed Coinbase to “go figure out a deal with the banks”.14

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams is fending off rug pull allegations after a wallet connected to his “NYC Token” project extracted almost $1 million in liquidity less than an hour after launch, crashing the token price.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

4 media

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched “NYC Token”: half memecoin, half social experiment to determine how many glaring red flags you can stuff into one pitch and still convince people to buy. A figurehead who Trump had to rescue from federal bribery and corruption charges: check. An unidentified team running the project: check. Massive quantity of tokens to be held back in “reserve” with no details around custody, access control, or planned use: check. Pointers to documentation that doesn’t exist: check.c Lofty and numerous promises — educating kids about crypto, combatting “antisemitism” and “anti-Americanism” in NYC, and providing financial aid to students seeking higher education — with no specifics whatsoever about how they will fulfill them: check.

With all those red flags flapping in the wind, it’s perhaps no surprise that the token launch quickly turned into disaster [W3IGG]. Almost immediately after the token was launched, the project’s liquidity providerd withdrew more than $2.4 million in USDC from the one-sided liquidity pool,e causing the token price to plummet by about 85%. Though the project team later claimed they had been “rebalanc[ing]” liquidity, they only returned $1.5 million to the liquidity pool, with more than $900,000 of it left sitting in the LP wallet. That same wallet then began making automated purchases of $NYC every minute, which the team claimed is part of a TWAP (time-weighted average price) buying strategy. This is a strange explanation that doesn’t address why the third-party liquidity was withdrawn, why it was only partially returned, or why the remaining USDC is now being used in a way that seems intended to create the appearance of sustained demand without any new money actually coming in.

Since then, Adams has been fighting off allegations that he “rug pulled” the token. It seems too early to tell on that front, as the unaccounted funds are still sitting in the crypto wallet — perhaps to be restored to the liquidity pool, or perhaps to be withdrawn once whoever controls the wallet thinks attention has moved elsewhere. Some have speculated that this was all a way for Adams to surreptitiously accept belated bribes, I guess by having a would-be briber purchase a large amount of the token, and then extracting the funds as we saw. This is certainly possible, I suppose — there are some wallets that spent tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase the token. But with Adams out of office and no longer needing to file disclosures, I don’t see why he’d go about it this way rather than just quietly creating a wallet and having people transfer crypto to him directly.

Neither Adams nor the NYC Token team responded to questions about the removal of liquidity, the automated buying strategy, or details about the token, its team, or its plans to follow through on its promises. However, shortly after I sent the questions, the automated token buys stopped. — Since then, Adams has been fighting off allegations that he “rug pulled” the token. It seems too early to tell on that front, as the unaccounted funds are still sitting in the crypto wallet — perhaps to be restored to the liquidity pool, or perhaps to be withdrawn once whoever controls the wallet thinks attention has moved elsewhere. Some have speculated that this was all a way for Adams to surreptitiously accept belated bribes, I guess by having a would-be briber purchase a large amount of the token, and then extracting the funds as we saw. This is certainly possible, I suppose — there are some wallets that spent tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase the token. But with Adams out of office and no longer needing to file disclosures, I don’t see why he’d go about it this way rather than just quietly creating a wallet and having people transfer crypto to him directly. Neither Adams nor the NYC Token team responded to questions about the removal of liquidity, the automated buying strategy, or details about the token, its team, or its plans to follow through on its promises. However, shortly after I sent the questions, the automated token buys stopped.

Meanwhile, Edward Cullen — whose Innovate NY PAC spent nearly $100,000 on AI-generated flyers and other materials to back Andrew Cuomo last October after his last-minute crypto industry appeal — is back. Cullen claims that he pitched the NYC Token idea to Adams last year, and that Adams stole it from him, then “butchered” it for “short-term gain”. Cullen is now threatening to sue, although I’m not sure on what grounds.40

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

The crypto lobby wrote their dream bill. Senators proposed some amendments. Coinbase tweeted their disapproval, and Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott immediately canceled the markup. When you spend $130M, you expect to get exactly what you want.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

4 media

Last Wednesday afternoon, Coinbase withdrew its support for the Senate’s draft market structure bill, citing concerns about limits on tokenized stocks and stablecoin rewards, burdensome requirements for defi protocols, and excessive authority granted to the SEC.1 Within hours, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-SC) canceled the markup hearing scheduled for the following day.

While mainstream news sources are often hesitant to draw cause and effect between two suspiciously timed events, it was too overt even for them, with the New York Times writing that Coinbase had “scuttled” the vote.2 Coinbase further emphasized its degree of control over the Senate when CEO Brian Armstrong stated in an interview with CNBC, “We’ve got a chance to do a new draft and hopefully get back into a markup in a few weeks” — speaking as if Coinbase, not Congress, controlled both the drafting process and legislative calendar.

This is nothing new — just the latest demonstration of the crypto industry’s power over Congress after it spent over $130 million installing allies in the 2024 election. Within weeks, House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) made the new power dynamic explicit when he said how crypto legislation was being drafted in “tripartisan” fashion, with the crypto industry forming the new third political wing of Congress [I76].

In an alternate universe, Congress might be focused on passing laws that don’t elevate the interests of corporations and oligarchs above the everyman. Ones that ensure the stability of the American financial system, protect consumers, address officeholder ethics concerns, and prevent financial crimes. Sadly, in this universe, lawmakers are primarily concerned with satisfying the demands of their newest and most generous campaign contributors. Senate Banking Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Politico, “These are folks who think that when they’ve bought themselves a Congress, then they expect it to behave the way they say.”3 After a year of this Congress, it would be hard to argue they’re wrong.

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

But Coinbase’s flex may have caused something of a power struggle with the White House. “This is President Trump’s bill at the end of the day, not Brian Armstrong’s,” said a source close to the Trump administration.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

This brazen display seems to have caused something of a power struggle between Coinbase and President Trump, who was reportedly infuriated by Coinbase’s surprise “rug pull”. “This is President Trump’s bill at the end of the day, not Brian Armstrong’s,” a source close to the Trump administration told journalist Eleanor Terrett, adding that the White House was considering yanking its support for the bill if Coinbase can’t come up with a satisfactory compromise proposal on stablecoin yield.13 Armstrong later objected to Terrett’s reporting, claiming “The White House has been super constructive here”, but confirming that the White House had directed Coinbase to “go figure out a deal with the banks”.14

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

Newsletter: Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-99/

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

Citation Needed

Issue 99 – They’ve bought themselves a Congress

Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io replied · 20 hours ago

The crypto lobby wrote their dream bill. Senators proposed some amendments. Coinbase tweeted their disapproval, and Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott immediately canceled the markup. When you spend $130M, you expect to get exactly what you want.

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

4 media

Last Wednesday afternoon, Coinbase withdrew its support for the Senate’s draft market structure bill, citing concerns about limits on tokenized stocks and stablecoin rewards, burdensome requirements for defi protocols, and excessive authority granted to the SEC.1 Within hours, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-SC) canceled the markup hearing scheduled for the following day.

While mainstream news sources are often hesitant to draw cause and effect between two suspiciously timed events, it was too overt even for them, with the New York Times writing that Coinbase had “scuttled” the vote.2 Coinbase further emphasized its degree of control over the Senate when CEO Brian Armstrong stated in an interview with CNBC, “We’ve got a chance to do a new draft and hopefully get back into a markup in a few weeks” — speaking as if Coinbase, not Congress, controlled both the drafting process and legislative calendar.

This is nothing new — just the latest demonstration of the crypto industry’s power over Congress after it spent over $130 million installing allies in the 2024 election. Within weeks, House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) made the new power dynamic explicit when he said how crypto legislation was being drafted in “tripartisan” fashion, with the crypto industry forming the new third political wing of Congress [I76].

In an alternate universe, Congress might be focused on passing laws that don’t elevate the interests of corporations and oligarchs above the everyman. Ones that ensure the stability of the American financial system, protect consumers, address officeholder ethics concerns, and prevent financial crimes. Sadly, in this universe, lawmakers are primarily concerned with satisfying the demands of their newest and most generous campaign contributors. Senate Banking Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Politico, “These are folks who think that when they’ve bought themselves a Congress, then they expect it to behave the way they say.”3 After a year of this Congress, it would be hard to argue they’re wrong.

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io · 20 hours ago

Newsletter: Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-99/

#crypto #cryptocurrency #USpol #USpolitics #CitationNeededNewsletter

Citation Needed

Issue 99 – They’ve bought themselves a Congress

Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump

Wouter Tebbens ⁂ boosted

@MarvinFreeman@mastodon.online · 23 hours ago

Instead of reciprocal tariffs, Europeans should announce they will no longer honor US patents and copyrights. Or, wouldn't honor US intellectual "property" on its current absurd terms.

Tariffs on US goods would hurt European consumers. Dispensing with copyrights and trademarks from the US wouldn't. If the US retaliated, the balance of pain would still favor the Europeans.

The US billionaires supporting Trump make their money from intellectual property.

#USPolitics #EU #Greenland

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