BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 846,486 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 4Jun24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: IDF Say 4 Hostages Killed / EU Swings Right / South African ANC Lost Majority Held Since 1990s / Hunter Trial Begins / New EO on Limiting Asylum on Border / Fauci in Congressional Hot Seat / Binance's CZ Enters Prison for 4 Months / Saylor Settles With Tax Officials / Epoch Time CFO Arrested for Laundering / ISM Data Drops Unexpectedly / Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $69,134, 29.62 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $68,564 / Lo: $70,230 Vol: $29B (Up 17%) Mkt Cap: $1.36T (Even) HashRate: 620 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 26 sats/vBtye (Down Up 18%) Nodes: 18,937 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Israel announces the deaths of four hostages in Hamas captivity: IDF promises to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Chaim Peri, 79, Amiram Cooper, 84, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51. “We estimate that the four were killed together, in the Khan Younis area, several months ago, while being held by Hamas terrorists and while IDF forces were operating in Khan Younis,” the IDF said. (TimesofIsrael) 2. Europeans may be about to elect their most right-wing parliament in history: Europeans head to the polls this week in closely watched elections that threaten to shake the bloc’s traditionally mainstream political landscape. “We are seeing a rise in populist sentiment both in Europe and globally, which might result in the most right-wing European Parliament in history,” Tim Adams, president and CEO of the Institute of International Finance. (CNBC) 3. South Africa’s president won’t resign despite ANC losing majority for first time: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for unity after his African National Congress party failed to win a majority, marking a new era for Africa’s most advanced economy. The ANC is still the largest party, having won 40.2 percent of votes, but the 159 seats it secured are well short of the 200 required for a majority in the 400-seat National Assembly. In the previous parliament it had 230 seats. (Politico) -US Events- 1. Joe Biden’s worries grow as Hunter Biden’s trial begins: Hunter Biden faces three criminal counts for allegedly buying a gun while in the throes of addiction to crack cocaine and lying on an official form about it. The charges were brought by the president’s own Justice Department, and the trial is taking place in his family’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. (Politico) 2. Biden prepares an order that would shut down asylum if a daily average of 2,500 migrants arrive: The White House is telling lawmakers that President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border once the average number of daily encounters hits 2,500 between ports of entry, with the border reopening only once that number declines to 1,500, according to several people familiar with the discussions. The impact of the 2,500 figure means that the executive order could go into immediate effect, because daily figures are higher than that now. (AP) 3. Anthony Fauci defends his Covid response, distances himself from adviser accused of misconduct: Fauci sought to refute allegations from Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that he tried to suppress the theory that a lab accident in Wuhan, China, caused the pandemic. (Politico) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. Former Binance CEO CZ Begins 4-Month Prison Sentence in California: Lompoc II, the California prison where CZ will serve his sentence, is a low-security facility. At a net worth of $36.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Zhao is believed to be the richest person to ever go to prison in the U.S. (CoinDesk) 2. Billionaire Bitcoin Advocate Michael Saylor Agrees to $40 Million Settlement in Tax Evasion Case: The lawsuit also implicated Saylor’s company, Microstrategy, alleging that it assisted him in evading taxes by submitting fraudulent tax forms between 2005 and 2020. The report indicates that Saylor evaded over $25 million in income taxes by falsely claiming residency in either Virginia or Florida, where income tax rates are lower. Despite agreeing to the settlement, Saylor maintains his innocence, asserting that Florida remains his primary residence. (BitcoinCom) 3. Epoch Times CFO Bill Guan is charged in alleged $67 million global money laundering scheme: The finance chief of conservative global news outlet The Epoch Times was arrested and charged with leading a yearslong scheme to launder at least $67 million in illicit funds. The alleged scheme by Weidong Guan and others involved cryptocurrency, prepaid debit cards, fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits and stolen personal identification information, according to federal prosecutors. (CNBC) -Institutional Concerns- NSTR -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. BIS Plans Instant Cross-Border Payments Using Wholesale CBDC Settlement: In a move to improve traditional cross-border payments, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has announced the launch of Project Rialto. This project aims to enhance instant cross-border payments by integrating a modular foreign exchange (FX) component with settlement in wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). (BitcoinCom) -Economic Indicators- 1. ISM Manufacturing PMI Below Forecasts: The ISM Manufacturing PMI unexpectedly edged lower to 48.7 in May 2024 from 49.2 in April, below forecasts of 49.6. The reading showed another contraction for the manufacturing activity as demand was soft again, output was stable, and inputs stayed accommodative. (TradingEconomics) (AC-Both stocks prices and bond yields dropped on the news) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Chinese Crypto Trader Loses $1 Million From Binance After Chrome Plugin Exploit: The Binance user learned that the crypto heist was possible due to a malicious Google Chrome Extension. According to the victim’s investigation, the Aggr Chrome plugin stole all his web browsing and cookie data. With this information, the hacker hijacked his active Binance session without needing the password or go through 2FA. (Bitcoinist) -Technology- 1. The Goal for China’s Chip Giant: Cut Out the U.S.: It is a part of a broader campaign to eradicate American technology in China, dubbed “Delete A” or “Decouple From A,” which has accelerated in recent years as the world’s two biggest economies intensify their battle to dominate in next-generation technology. -Bitcoin Community- NSTR -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 73/100 (Even) Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 846,350 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 3Jun24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Mexico Elects First Woman President, Peso Falls / Ahmadinejad Re-emerges in Iran / Israel Will Not Accept Hamas Rule / Hunter Biden Trial Beginning / Trump Joins TikTok / Donald Jr Meets With Bukele / Biden Vetos SAB 121 Law / Australia Launches Spot BTC ETF / Ripple Leads CBDC Tech / $300M BTC Hack on Japanese Exchange / China Lands on Far Side of Moon / 6.8% of World own 'Crypto' Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $69,134, 29.65 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $69,313 / Lo: $67,315 Vol: $24B (Up 92%) Mkt Cap: $1.36T (Up 1%) HashRate: 710 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 21 sats/vBtye (Down 35%) Nodes: 18,434 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Claudia Sheinbaum projected to be Mexico's first woman president: The climate scientist and Mexico City’s former mayor rode the wave of popularity of her longtime political ally, outgoing leftist Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and their Morena party. (CNN) 2. Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers for presidential election: Iran’s hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered Sunday as a possible candidate for the presidential election, seeking to regain the country’s top political position after a helicopter crash killed the nation’s president. (NYT) 3. ‘We will not accept the rule of Hamas in Gaza at any stage’: Israel: ‘We will not accept the rule of Hamas in Gaza at any stage’: Israel won’t accept Hamas’s rule of Gaza and is examining alternatives, its defence minister said, a further indication it’s brushing aside a ceasefire proposal announced by US President Joe Biden as Palestinian fighters continue to resist the invasion. “While we conduct our important military actions, the defence establishment is simultaneously assessing a governing alternative to Hamas,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement on Sunday.(AlJazeera) -US Events- 1. Jury selection is beginning in gun case against President Joe Biden’s son: Hunter Biden, who spent the weekend with his father, has been charged with three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase when he was, according to his memoir, in the throes of a crack addiction. He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application used to screen firearms applicants when he said he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days. (AP) 2. Donald Trump joins TikTok and rapidly wins three million followers: The decision to join the platform on Saturday could help the former president reach younger voters in his third bid for the White House. Biden's election campaign is already on TikTok, with over 340,000 followers, although Biden has signed a bill that would ban the app, which is used by 170 million Americans, if its Chinese owner ByteDance fails to divest it. (Reuters) 3. El Salvador’s President Tells Donald Trump Jr.: ‘We Don’t Jail the Opposition’: El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele told Donald Trump Jr. that his country does not “jail the opposition,” days after a Manhattan jury convicted former President Donald Trump. -Regulatory and Legal- 1. U.S. President Biden Vetoes Resolution Overturning SEC Guidance:: SAB 121 is a controversial piece of SEC accounting guidance that directs financial institutions holding crypto for customers to keep the assets on their own balance sheets. Critics of the guidance say it makes it too difficult for financial institutions to work with crypto companies. In his statement announcing the veto, Biden said he would not support any "measures that jeopardize the well-being of consumers and investors." -Institutional Concerns- 1. Mexican Billionaire Ricardo Salinas Urges Followers to Buy Bitcoin as Nigerian Naira Falls Under a Satoshi: The top 1% is starting to realize the opportunities that bitcoin, as a financial asset, can bring as a hedge for fiat currency devaluation. Ricardo Salinas Pliego, a Mexican entrepreneur with a fortune worth over $14 billion and owner of Salinas Group, has recommended its followers on X to purchase bitcoin and take advantage of its constant appreciation in value. The Nigerian official currency has been facing a rough period, becoming the worst-performing currency against the U.S. dollar in May. This has prompted a series of measures from the Nigerian government to try stabilizing the currency, cracking down on crypto operators to force them to withdraw it from their platforms, and accusing them of currency manipulation. (BitcoinCom) 2. Australia's First Spot Bitcoin ETF With Direct BTC Holdings to Go Live on Tuesday: Australia-based Monochrome Asset Management’s Monochrome bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) (IBTC) will begin trading on the Cboe Australia exchange on Tuesday, the company told CoinDesk. The product is the first and only ETF that holds bitcoin directly in Australia, the company said. (CoinDesk) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Ripple Leads the Charge in CBDC Adoption Across Dozens of Countries: CBDCs and tokenisation are the two blockchain use cases that every stakeholder has rallied behind, from crypto enthusiasts to global behemoths and regulators. Ripple is in prime position to become a global leader in both, with the XRP Ledger emerging as one of the best technologies to issue digital currencies and tokens. (CryptoNewsFlash) (AC-Although this article is designed to praise the efforts of Ripple, it not only highlights the company's efforts to join forces with governments in creating and lobbying for CBDCs, but it also conflates crypto, blockchain and CBDCs to the point of confusing any readers of the nuance between them. The lesson is clear, Ripple is not a friend of bitcoin, self-custody, or P2P self-sovereignty. Look for Ripple to befriend government control entities and vice versa. ) -Economic Indicators- 1. Mexican Peso Plunges After Election: The Mexican peso plunged toward 17.5 per USD in June, the lowest since November 2023, after preliminary counts pointed to a supermajority win of the Moderna party and its allies in the Mexican Congress, increasing the state’s control over the economy. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Japanese Exchange DMM Bitcoin Suffers Significant Hack, Over $300M Stolen From Wallet: The breach occurred around 1:30 pm local time, with DMM Bitcoin reporting that approximately 4,503 BTC, valued at around $308 million at the time, had been "illegally leaked" from its wallet. The company has yet to provide details on how the hack was executed but confirmed that an investigation is underway and measures are being taken to prevent future attacks. This hack is the most substantial crypto-related exploit the industry has faced in some time. It surpasses any hack seen so far this year or in 2023.(Yahoo) -Technology- 1. China Makes Historic Landing on Far Side of Moon to Collect Lunar Samples: The landing took place in the enormous crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 6:23 a.m. Beijing time, as reported by AP News. This is the sixth Chang'e lunar exploration mission, named after the Chinese moon goddess. (TechTimes) -Bitcoin Community- 1. Global Crypto Ownership Reaches 562 Million: 6.8% of World Population Now Own and Use Digital Currencies: A new report reveals that 562 million people globally now own digital currencies, an increase from 420 million in 2023, making up 6.8% of the world’s population. Asia is at the forefront of this growth, with North America close behind. Overall, cryptocurrency adoption is rising worldwide, with notable increases seen across all continents. Triple A, a fintech company that enables businesses to process digital currency payments and payouts, recently published a report, titled “The State of Global Cryptocurrency Ownership in 2024,” (BitcoinCom) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 73/100 (Even) Analyst Comments (AC): It sounds innocuous, but the Chinese landing on the far side of the moon is significant for those of us who understand military positioning. In military doctrine, holding the 'high ground' is key to controlling an area. The far side of the moon is THE most significant 'high ground' covering the earth with a built in defense of mass. Imagine what might be stored on the back side of the moon, secure from attack, but can move out to target anything on earth. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 845,904 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 31May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Biden Secretly Allows US Weapons to Strike Russia / US, UK Airstrike Hit Houthis / Trump Convicted on 34 Counts, World Reacts / mRNA Vax May be Pushed for Bird Flu / Do Kwon Settles with SEC / Univ. of Austin Starts Bitcoin Endowment / Home Routers Hacked / OpenAI Used for 5GW / BTC HashRate ATH Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $68,498, 29.17 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $67,101 / Lo: $68,348 Vol: $26B (Down 2%) Mkt Cap: $1.34T (Even) HashRate: 509 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 34 sats/vBtye (Up 11%) Nodes: 19,282 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Biden lets Ukraine strike inside Russia with U.S. weapons: President Joe Biden secretly gave Ukraine permission to use American weapons to strike inside Russia, two American officials said Thursday, a U-turn that Kyiv’s allies hope helps turn the tide of the war. On May 15, National security adviser Jake Sullivan took the proposal to the president, making the case that it was common sense for Ukraine to be able to fend off Russian attacks by missiles, troops and bombers before they crossed the border, the official said. (NBC) 2. Houthi rebels say at least 16 killed and 42 others wounded in joint US-British airstrikes in Yemen: Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a then-ongoing attack, described the strikes Thursday as hitting a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities. They called it a response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the Israel-Hamas war. (AP) -US Events- 1. Trump conviction heralds a somber and volatile moment in American history: A jury foreperson announced he was guilty on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to an adult film star. Americans have never seen an ex-president convicted of a crime, and a country already torn apart by bitter political and cultural polarization is likely in for a rocky time. (CNN) 2. mRNA Vaccine Shows Promise Against H5N1 Bird Flu: Researchers claim that an experimental H5N1 avian flu mRNA vaccination prevented severe sickness and mortality in lab mice. Experts claimed that vaccination may help stop H5N1 bird flu epidemics in US wild birds, poultry, and cows. (TechTImes) (AC-No, this article is not satire.) 3. Massive fire breaks out at Illinois farm housing over 1 million chickens: Authorities were alerted to the fire at Farina Farms Inc. Poultry Farm around 6:30 p.m. Wabash Valley Produce as the 24th largest egg producer in the U.S. with locations in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. (USAToday) (AC-How many farms need to burn down in the US (unattributed) before sabatoge is not seriously considered?) -Regulatory and Legal- 1.Terraform Labs and CEO Do Kwon to Settle Fraud Case with SEC: Terraform Labs and CEO Do Kwon reach a preliminary settlement with the SEC over allegations of misleading investors. The settlement terms are set to be finalized and submitted for court approval by June 12, 2024. (CryptoNewsFlash) 2. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Patrick McHenry press President Biden not to veto SAB 121: In a letter sent on Thursday to President Biden, Republicans Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., among other lawmakers, cited bipartisan votes in the House and Senate as a reason not to veto. President Biden previously said he planned to veto the measure to repeal the SEC’s staff accounting bulletin, SAB 121. (TheBLock) -Institutional Concerns- 1. University of Austin And Unchained To Raise $5 Million For Bitcoin Endowment: The initiative aims to raise $5 million in Bitcoin for the University's endowment, with the University committed to holding the BTC for at least five years. The endowment funds are to be held securely and managed by Unchained, a prominent Bitcoin financial services provider specializing in multisig Bitcoin vaults. (BitcoinMag) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Bank Of Canada To Modernize Payment Systems: The Bank of Canada plans to enhance oversight on payment service providers to modernize the country's financial system, with new regulations starting by September 2025. The BoC is also exploring the rollout of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to further modernize Canada’s financial architecture. Implementing a CBDC would depend on federal government approval, but it signals a move towards embracing digital currencies to ensure the country’s financial systems remain robust and competitive on a global stage. (Finimize) (AC-Incredible article that shows the positive narratives surrounding the mandate on the implementaion of a CBDC. Cananda leads the way in totalitarian efforts to control it's populace.) -Economic Indicators- 1. US Mortgage Rates Rebound Past 7%: The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose by 9bps to 7.03% as of May 30th. The increase was in line with the jump in long-dated Treasury yields in the period. (TradingEconomics) 2. Treasury Yields Little Changed, PCE Eyed: The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note edged up to 4.56% on Friday, after falling by around 6bps on Thursday, with traders bracing for the key PCE inflation figures due today. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Hundreds of thousands of US internet routers destroyed in newly discovered 2023 hack: The October incident, which was not disclosed at the time, took more than 600,000 internet routers offline. The researchers said the hackers installed malicious software that disrupted internet access from Oct. 25 to 27 across numerous Midwest states. The internet routers were disabled when a malicious firmware update sent to the company's customers deleted elements of the routers’ operational code, making them effectively inoperable. (Reuters) -Technology- 1. OpenAI has stopped five attempts to misuse its AI for 'deceptive activity': The artificial intelligence firm said the threat actors used its AI models to generate short comments, longer articles in a range of languages, made up names and bios for social media accounts over the last three months. These campaigns, which included threat actors from Russia, China, Iran and Israel, also focused on issues including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, the Indian elections, politics in Europe and the United States, among others. (Reuters) (AC- The use of AI in 5GW is concerning and indicative of the challenging times ahead. The 5th Gen Warfare framework is not just a theory, but a narrative and deceptive battle that is happening in real time against every human brain. Learn how to notice, assess and defend against influence operations like these above.) -Bitcoin Community- 1. Bitcoin Hashrate Hits Record High, Surpasses Pre-Halving Levels: Bitcoin’s hashrate has rebounded to the historic highs seen just before the fourth reward halving event. According to the seven-day simple moving average, the network’s hashrate reached a record 657 exahash per second (EH/s) this week. (BitcoinCom) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 73/100 (Even) Analyst Comments (AC): We knew this summer would be full of conflict, and now we know some of the elements. A guilty verdict for Trump has fired up his base and his opponents at the same time. There will be political conflict ahead and most likely law enforcement crackdowns on dissent. mRNA are hinted at combatting bird flu which would be the next biological scare and controlling mechanism. THe US food infrastructure continues to be attacked. Meanwhile, the Ukraine-Russia war is dragging the US and NATO into the mix giving worldwide populations existential angst. Now we can understand some of the critical attack vectors and still expect some type of communication outage to increase the FUD. Prepare accordingly, build alternative comms and strenthen communities. Protect your mind and families with truths and generousity. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 845,781 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 30May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Hong Kong Activists Found Guilty / Mayor Candidate Shot, Killed in Mexico / ANC Losing Supermajority in SA / Trump Jury Deliberates / Assault at Jewish School in NY / $900M For US Green School Buses / UST Weakness Leads to Stocks Selloff / Bitcoin Off-Ramps Challenging Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $67,892, 29.04 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $67,101 / Lo: $68,348 Vol: $27B (Down 4%) Mkt Cap: $1.34T (Even) HashRate: 597 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 30 sats/vBtye (Up 20%) Nodes: 19,456 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. 14 pro-democracy activists found guilty of subversion in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case: The defendants are among 47 politicians, academics and other pro-democracy figures who were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion over their involvement in an unofficial primary election. Those who were convicted, along with 31 others who pleaded guilty, will be sentenced at a later date, with potential prison terms ranging from three years to life. (NBC) 2. Mayoral candidate shot dead at election campaign rally in Mexico’s Guerrero State: Alfredo Cabrera was murdered on Wednesday in the town of Coyuca de Benitez. A video published by local media showed a person approaching him at the campaign event, shooting him several times at point-blank range. (AlJazeera) 3. First results in South Africa’s election suggest it is heading for biggest political shift since apartheid: Early results from South Africa’s election suggest the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party could lose its majority for the first time in 30 years. With results in from 13% of polling stations at 10 a.m. local time, support for the ANC stood at 42.5%. (CNN) -US Events- 1. Jury in Trump Trial Dismissed for the Day After Deliberating for Hours: The jury in former President Donald Trump’s business records trial was dismissed for the day on Wednesday after deliberating for hours and requesting to be given testimony from David Pecker — the former publisher of the National Enquirer — and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. (Breitbart) 2. Man Charged After Attempted Attack Outside Jewish School in New York: A man who police say drove onto a sidewalk and tried to strike pedestrians outside an Orthodox Jewish school in New York City was arrested on Wednesday on charges including attempted murder, reckless driving and hate crimes. (NYT) 3. Biden admin prioritizes $900 million for green school buses as illiteracy plagues US schools: On Wednesday, the White House unveiled nearly $900 million in awards to 530 school districts to replace thousands of aging, gas-fueled school buses with "cleaner" electric models. (Fox) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. South Korean Universities Face Banking Hurdles in Converting Crypto Donations to Cash: South Korea’s regulations prohibiting corporations from opening virtual asset exchange accounts are making it impossible for local universities to liquidate their large cryptocurrency donations. Financial authorities cite money laundering concerns as the reason for maintaining the ban. (BitcoinCom) -Institutional Concerns- 1. NYSE Partners With Coindesk for Bitcoin-Tracking Financial Products: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has teamed up with Coindesk Indices to develop cash-settled options contracts that track bitcoin prices. These contracts, based on the Coindesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX), are currently in the planning stage and awaiting regulatory approval. (BitcoinCom) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- NSTR -Economic Indicators- 1. 10-Year Treasury Yield Surges: The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note rose to over 4.63% on Wednesday, the highest level since the start of May, and triggering sharp selling pressure for government bonds worldwide as a strong macroeconomic backdrop and concerns of stubborn inflation prolonged expectations of higher interest. (TradingEconomics) 2. US Stocks Fall Sharply: US stocks fell sharply on Wednesday, with both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq losing 0.8% and the Dow Jones sinking about 400 points, as bond yields continued to rise following disappointing bond auctions yesterday. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. A 35-year-old Chinese man was arrested as the alleged mastermind behind a gargantuan botnet used to steal billions from zombie computers: An international law enforcement team has arrested a Chinese national and disrupted a major botnet that officials said he ran for nearly a decade, amassing at least $99 million in profits by reselling access to criminals who used it for identity theft, child exploitation and financial fraud including pandemic relief scams.The U.S. DoJ quoted FBI Director Christopher Wray as saying Wednesday that the “911 S5” botnet — a network of malware-infected computers in nearly 200 countries — was likely the world’s largest. (Fortune) 2. Hidden cameras found surveilling more Southern California homes spark concern: Another hidden camera aimed at a home, this time in Garden Grove, has residents on edge, with many homeowners wondering if it has anything to do with burglary tourism rings that have been making headlines in Southern California. The camera was found in the bushes and was camouflaged to prevent it from being seen, but who put it there and how long it’s been there is another unknown. The camera was found just a day after a report on Glendale Police arresting four men with a similar camera and battery pack camouflaged with leaves. In the Glendale case, the four men arrested were Colombian nationals who authorities believe are burglary tourists. (KYLA) -Technology- 1. Telegram Wallet enforces new KYC rules, switches provider: Wallet users will have to disclose their name, phone number and date of birth to use all of the wallet's default features, except for withdrawals. The “extended” version, asks for a user’s national identification to unlock transactions up to 100,000 euros ($108,000) daily and 1 million euros ($1.08 million) monthly. (CoinTelegraph) -Bitcoin Community- 1. Jack Dorsey Backed Bitcoin Miner OCEAN Opens El Salvador Hub: The mining pool, run by Bitcoin core dev Luke Dashjr, has based its new hub in the capital city of San Salvador. The company said the new hub will help with its commitment to decentralize BTC mining globally. (Decrypt) 2. Texas Man Charged with Failing to Report Large Cryptocurrency Gains: Court documents reveal that Frank Richard Ahlgren III, from Austin, Texas, was recently charged for allegedly filing false tax returns and for structuring cash deposits to circumvent currency transaction reporting requirements. This indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury, calling into question activities between 2017 and 2019 where Ahlgren underreported or failed to report the sale of bitcoin valued at $4 million, despite realizing substantial taxable capital gains from the transactions. (PRNewsWire) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 73/100 (Up 1 pt) Analyst Comments (AC): One of the possible targets discused for the fight against bitcoin adoption has been about the "on-ramps" into bitcoin, or the conversion of fiat money to bitcoin. A couple of articles today focus instead on the "off-ramps" of bitcoin into fiat and the difficulty involved. South Korean universities for example, are having trouble opening trading accounts to turn bitcoin donations into cash. Another man in Texas did not disclose capital gains on bitcoin conversions to US dollars, inciting criminal charges. More efforts, research and tehcnology might be focused on the free exchange of digital assets and currencies since we are quite far from being on a bitcoin standard globally. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 845,639 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 29May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: US Gaza Pier Falls Apart / Key South African Election Today / Putin Warns France and EU / Biden Campaign at Trump Courthouse / Semler Scientific Latest to Announce BTC Treasury Strategy / Blackrock ETF Overtakes Grayscale / Weak UST Auction Raises Rates / Ticketmaster Hack Affects 560M Customers Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $67,743, 28.91 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $68,582 / Lo: $67,227 Vol: $28B (Down 11%) Mkt Cap: $1.33T (Down 1%) HashRate: 565 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 25 sats/vBtye (Up 80%) Nodes: 18,599 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. US pier constructed off Gaza has broken apart: The temporary pier constructed by the US military to transport aid into Gaza broke apart and sustained damage in heavy seas on Tuesday in a major blow to the American-led effort to create a maritime corridor for humanitarian supplies into the war-torn enclave, the Pentagon said. The pier, which cost $320 million, had only begun operating on May 17 when heavy seas forced the maritime shipments to stop one week later on May 24, two days before part of the pier disconnected. It is unclear when shipments will resume. (CNN) 2. Party of Nelson Mandela Projected to Lose Absolute Majority in South Africa: Rampant corruption, high unemployment and a stagnant economy expected to drag ANC below 50% of the vote for the first time. Driving the ANC’s decline has been the party’s failure to bring prosperity and opportunity for Black South Africans, who make up around 80% of the population and the majority of ANC voters. (WSJ) (AC-The election will be held today and could signal coming instability in the country.) 3. Putin promises 'serious consequences' to 'small, densely populated' European countries calling for Ukrainian strikes on Russia: Russian leader Vladimir Putin says European countries should rethink their calls to let Ukraine use Western arms to strike his country. "This unending escalation can lead to serious consequences," Putin said. "If Europe were to face those serious consequences, what will the United States do, considering our strategic arms parity?" (Yahoo) (AC- It's interesting that French President Macron was not even mentioned in this article, who just recently said "Kyiv should be allowed to 'neutralize' Russian military bases." Initial concerns over escalation over the Russia-Ukraine war seem to just now starting to manifest.) -US Events- 1. Biden and Trump Campaigns Square Off Outside New York Courthouse: Donald Trump’s trial hadn’t yet reached a jury Tuesday morning but a preview of the post-verdict messaging war was already roaring into view with dueling campaign events. President Biden’s re-election team appeared outside the courthouse to blast the former president as a danger to the country, and Trump’s side hammered what it calls a politically biased prosecution. Actor Robert De Niro and two former police officers on duty at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump’s supporters were featured in the Biden event, which was held across the street from the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse where Trump’s hush-money trial is nearing a conclusion. (WSJ) (AC-The simple fact of Biden's campaign holding press conferences outside of the courthouse is indicative of a serious departure from normal presidential campaigning. It shows the hand of Biden's tactics of lawfare and his objective of jailing his competition.) 2. Joe Biden Visits Hunter’s Ex Before She Likely Testifies in Gun Trial: President Joe Biden visited Hallie Biden, the former wife of Beau Biden and Hunter Biden’s former lover, before she will likely testify in Hunter’s gun trial, the White House press pool reported Sunday. The White House said Joe Biden’s visit with his daughter-in-law had nothing to do with Hunter’s pending gun trial. It claimed instead the visit was to commemorate the upcoming ninth anniversary of Beau’s passing from cancer. Hallie is expected to testify as a witness in Hunter’s gun trial. A 2018 police report showed she tossed a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster behind a grocer, a source told Fox News. (Breitbart) -Regulatory and Legal- NSTR -Institutional Concerns- 1. Semler Scientific® Announces Bitcoin Treasury Strategy: Semler Scientific, a pioneer in developing and marketing technology products and services to healthcare providers to combat chronic diseases, announced today that its board of directors has adopted bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset. In addition, Semler Scientific announced that it has purchased 581 bitcoins for an aggregate amount of $40 million, inclusive of fees and expenses. (PR Release) (AC- Shares were up 30% on the news, but this year seems to be the year of bitcoin SoV adoption for companies following Microstrategies' playbook) 2. BlackRock Takes the Crown for the Largest Spot Bitcoin ETF From Grayscale: BlackRock’s spot bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) is now the largest product of its kind, flipping Grayscale's GBTC after a $102 million inflow on Tuesday. (CoinDesk) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Israel launches digital shekel CBDC challenge: The central bank is inviting participants from Israel and abroad to participate in developing innovative use cases. Inspired by the BIS and Bank of England’s Project Rosalind, the Challenge will focus on connecting to the CBDC system using APIs. (LedgerInsights) 2. BIS payments committee to focus on tokenization, CBDCs in 2025 work program: Tokenization and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will be among the priorities for the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) payments department over the next year. (CoinGeek) (AC= CBDCs will probably gain the most traction through the BIS and IMF.) -Economic Indicators- 1. US 10-Year Treasury Yield Climb Sharply: The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note advanced by almost 10 basis points to 4.54% after poor results of the 5-year and the 2-year auctions triggered a selloff. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Alleged Ticketmaster Data Breach Sees 560 Million Users' Info for Sale in Hacking Forum: Ticketmaster has reportedly been breached by the hacking group ShinyHunters, as claimed by the group. The breach compromises the sensitive data of 560 million users, as it is currently on sale for $500,000 in a hacking forum. Allegedly, ShinyHunters gained access to many private user data, including complete names, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, order information, and partial credit card information. (TechTimes) -Technology- NSTR -Bitcoin Community- 1. Bitfarms founders may not be acting in ‘best interests’ of shareholders: Bitcoin mining giant Riot Platforms is on track to acquire its rival Bitfarms for $950 million, accusing Bitfarms founders of not acting in the best interests of all shareholders. Riot Platforms has made an acquisition offer of all BITF shares for $2.3 per share to Bitfarms, totaling the acquisition at $950 million. (CryptoNews) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 72/100 (Even) Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 845,503 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 28May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: IDF's Deadly Strike in Tent Camp Draws Condemnation / Russia Hits Ukraine Megastore / US Visits Taiwan After Drills / Storms in Central US Kill 22 / Crypto Becomes US Election Issue / Russian Crypto Use Increases / Mt Gox Moves $10B BTC in Preparation to Sell Off / BTC ETFs Flat / Fed Signals Inflation Must be Tamed / India, China Ditching US Dollar in Imports / Chinese Gun-Toting Robot Dog Goes Viral Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $68,265, 29.10 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $70,597 / Lo: $67,450 Vol: $32B (Up 66%) Mkt Cap: $1.34T (Flat) HashRate: 556 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 15 sats/vBtye (Up 50%) Nodes: 18,306 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts international outcry: An Israeli airstrike triggered a fire that killed 45 people in a tent camp in the Gazan city of Rafah, officials said on Monday, prompting an outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel's assault. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike had not been intended to cause civilian casualties. (Reuters) 2. Russian strike kills 18 people in Kharkiv megastore, the deadliest attack Ukraine has seen in weeks: Five people remain missing, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region military administration, said Monday. He said that 48 people were injured in the strike that hit the Epicenter hypermarket shopping center building while nearly 200 people were inside. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, which sits near its border with Russia, has seen a spate of Russian attacks in recent weeks. (CNN) 3. U.S. lawmakers ignore China’s warning, meet with Taiwan’s new leader: A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers met Monday with Taiwan’s new leader, Lai Ching-te, the first such visit since Lai’s inauguration last week, and one that the lawmakers and Taiwanese officials said demonstrates the steadfastness of U.S. support for Taiwan at a time of escalating tensions with China. (WaPo) -US Events- 1. At least 22 dead in Memorial Day weekend storms that devastated several US states: The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and were just north of an oppressive, early season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida. (AP) 2. Libertarian Party names presidential nominee – as RFK Jr crashes out of race and Trump fails to qualify: The 38-year-old, who has run numerous times for Congress in Georgia, was elected after seven rounds of voting at the party’s convention in Washington DC, on Sunday. (IndependentUK) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. One-Third of U.S. Voters Say They'll Weigh Candidates' Crypto Views Before Voting: A Harris Poll revealed that while those 33% are taking a keen interest, the online survey of more than 1,700 people – funded by bitcoin ETF issuer Grayscale – found 77% said a U.S. presidential candidate should at least have an "informed perspective" on crypto. And they're evenly split on which political party is the leader in digital assets issues. (CoinDesk) 2. Russian Traffic to Global Crypto Exchanges Surges; Central Bank Warns of Western Sanctions Risk: The surge in Russian traffic to global cryptocurrency exchange platforms in the last two quarters has prompted officials to issue a warning about the risk of Western sanctions. According to a central bank study, Russian traffic to some of the largest crypto exchanges increased by 16.4%, reaching 104.6 million visits. (BitcoinCom) -Institutional Concerns- 1. Sell-off alert: Mt. Gox moves nearly $10 billion in Bitcoin: Mt. Gox has moved almost $10 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) to a new wallet on May 28. This is a step to repay the company’s creditors after a bankruptcy filing 10 years ago, in April 2014. The cryptocurrency market expects a sell-off event and large capital flow in the following days. (BitTimes) 2. Spot BTC ETFs recorded $0 inflows, Bitcoin price drops: According to data provided by Farside Investors, spot BTC ETFs stood still on May 27 as the broader crypto market faced correction. Notably, this is also the first time in the past two weeks that Bitcoin ETFs recorded no inflows. (CryptoNews) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Trump Vows: US Will Lead Bitcoin and XRP, Promises to Block CBDC During Presidency: Trump reiterated his opposition to the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a concept that various governments, including the current U.S. administration have explored. He vowed to prevent the establishment of a CBDC, positioning himself as a defender of individual financial freedom and privacy. (CryptoNews) -Economic Indicators- 1. Fed Wants "Many Months" of Positive Inflation Before Cut: The Federal Reserve should hold off on cutting interest rates until there is substantial progress on inflation, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Kashkari stated on CNBC on Tuesday. Many months of positive inflation data are necessary to justify the first rate cut, and another rate hike should not be ruled out if inflation remains at stubbornly high levels. (TradingEconomics) 2. India and China Eliminate US Dollar in Imports: India and China have decided to ditch the US dollar for import payments, opting for their local currencies instead. The Maldives were informed by India and China that they will expect to pay in rupees and yuan instead of USD. This move, confirmed by the Maldives government, is yet another significant change in international trade practices. (Cryptopolitan) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. North Korea’s Lazarus Group Accused of Involvement in Axie Infinity Hack: This week, government agencies and Chainalysis confirmed that North Korea’s Lazarus Group was involved in the Ronin hack. As far as crypto hacks go, the Ronin hack is the largest ever, with cybercriminals getting away with $552m. The Ronin hack occurred in March, with stolen funds reportedly including 173.6k ETH and 25.5m USDC. (Yahoo) -Technology- 1. China Shows Off Gun-Toting Robot Dog in Military Drills, Sparks Global Concerns: Over 2,000 troops and 12 ships participated in the 15-day Golden Dragon joint drills, which included the gun-toting quadruped, per Axios. Agence France-Presse said that Unitree, a Chinese firm that sells robots online for thousands of euros, did not fire its weapon during the demonstration. (TechTimes) -Bitcoin Community- NSTR -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 72/100 (Down 2 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 845,369 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 27May24 Precedence: Priority (PP) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $68,379, 29.18 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $69,336 / Lo: $68,183 Vol: $19B (Up 27%) Mkt Cap: $1.35T (Down 1%) HashRate: 605 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 9 sats/vBtye (Down 10%) Nodes: 18,326 --- Special Memorial Day 2024 Report--- "Was one dark and stormy night, when your boy is called to fight. Better pray hard as you can, he'll come marching home again..." -Cadence sung at SEAL training, Coronado Even today, we are reminded of the specter of the great sacrifice that may be required as soldiers go through training for battle. We train our minds and bodies to fight and survive because of a Deep Calling. We sweat and bleed. Our friends die on the battlefield and during training. This Deep Calling is innate. It starts with man's desire to live free. To worship, speak, defend oneself, assemble, and to be secure in one's own labors and possessions. Then the Calling adds youth, strength, and an organization of individuals dedicated to these ideals of freedom. For over 200 years, the USA has been THE organization that best espouses these ideals, notwithstanding its flaws. When men and women heed this calling to train and fight for something bigger than themselves, it tempers us. It reminds each of us that there are battles worth losing friends and family over. Those of us who do survive are burdened with making sense of it. At the bottom of all the questioning we arrive at the original Deep Calling: freedom. For freedom does not protect itself, it takes blood and flesh, and our friends have paid all they could so that we can continue to fight for it. But we cannot fight without hope. Hope that things will be better or that our work will make a difference. In years past, all that hope was wrapped up in a flag of stars and stripes. Yet tyranny continues its fight against liberty. Worldwide, those who seek more and more power over those who would maintain it themselves, work to take it from us. Our friends call to us from the grave, "Don't let the bastards take your freedom!". This is the Deep Calling that we veterans first heard, and now hear on the winds of our national cemeteries. Listen and fortify veterans and loved ones! Find your hope. In God. In community. In each other. In freedom technologies. Then train and continue the fight. Those of us involved in Bitcoin Veterans see much of that hope in a technology that gives us a security of our hard-earned efforts. A way to gather and keep power from those who would take it from us. We study power, bitcoin, economics, warfare, philosophy, and organize. The outcome is not assured. No battle ever is. But we hear and heed the call from our brothers crossed over. We hope for the future and act to secure our freedoms enumerated in our Constitution and held in our hearts. On this Memorial Day 2024, remember the fallen, but listen for their voices on the wind. What are they saying? Are you listening? Honor each of them and in total. Resolve to find hope and act on it, and in between the work, raise a glass to them and Live Free. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report #veterans #memorialday #bitcoin 

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 844,917 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 24May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Landslide in Papura New Guinea / China 'Punishes' Taiwan / Russian Miliary Execs Purged / Campus Protests Continue, More Arrests / Obama, Clintons, Join Bidens in Kenya State Dinner / Anti-CBDC Bill Passes House / ETH ETF Approved / Hot PMI Sinks Dow / MSFT Outage Affects Search Engines, ChatGPT / Is IPv6 The Freedom Protocol? Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $67,451, 28.83 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $70,041 / Lo: $66,356 Vol: $43B (Up 35%) Mkt Cap: $1.33T (Down 4%) HashRate: 746 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 10 sats/vBtye (Down 68%) Nodes: 18,803 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Many feared dead in massive Papua New Guinea landslide: A massive landslide is feared to have killed many after it struck six remote villages in Papua New Guinea, local officials and aid agencies said. The landslide buried more than 100 homes after it struck at around 03:00 local time Friday (17:00 GMT Thursday) in the highlands of Enga, north of the island nation in the south-west Pacific. It was not immediately clear how many people were trapped in the rubble. (BBC) 2. China says war games around Taiwan to test ability to ‘seize power’: As the first day of exercises, codenamed Joint Sword-2024A, got under way on Thursday, China described them as “punishment” following the inauguration speech by Taiwan’s new president William Lai Ching-te in which he said Taiwan was a “sovereign and independent nation with sovereignty resting in the people”. The two-day exercises are testing the “capability of joint seizure of power, joint strikes and control of key territories,” said Colonel Li Xi, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command. (AlJazeera) 3. Top Russian military officials are being arrested: It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied. Corruption scandals are not new and officials and top officials have been accused of profiting from their positions for decades. (AP) (AC-These arrests, combined with the Defense Minister Shoigu's reassignment, indicates a probable purge of key defense personnel following Putin's recent re-election win. There are numerous possibilities for such a purge but all these efforts are certainly aimed at consolodating and confirming power for Putin.) -US Events- 1. Police descend on UCLA after protesters erect new pro-Palestinian encampment: More than two dozen officers in riot gear descended on UCLA Thursday afternoon, facing off with pro-Palestinian protesters who had erected a new encampment on campus hours earlier. The move came amid escalating tensions between pro-Palestinian students and their faculty allies and administrators on the Westwood campus. The academic workers union announced Thursday that its ongoing strike over working conditions would expand to UCLA and UC Davis on Tuesday. (LATimes) 2. Obama makes an appearance at White House’s Kenya state dinner: President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden roll out the red carpet for Kenyan President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former President Obama were in attendance. The former president was not on the initial state dinner guest list released by the White House. He attended a reception in the Blue Room prior to the dinner and stopped into the dinner area briefly, according to his office. Obama, whose father was born in Kenya, visited the country as president in 2015 and returned in 2018 after leaving office. (CNN) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. US Congress Building Pro-Crypto Army, Lawmaker Says: Crypto is gaining momentum among U.S. lawmakers. Senator Cynthia Lummis stated: “We are building a pro-crypto army in Congress.” This declaration came shortly after the House of Representatives passed the landmark Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21) crypto bill, despite opposition from the White House and SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. (BitcoinCom) -Institutional Concerns- 1. Ethereum ETFs Approved: The SEC combined proposals from the Nasdaq, NYSE, and CBOE exchanges, which requested changes to existing rules to allow the trading of Ethereum Exchange-Rraded Products (ETPs) and ETFs. (Forbes) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. U.S. House Passes Bill Banning Federal Reserve From Issuing a CBDC: The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, introduced by Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), seeks to block the U.S. central bank from continuing efforts toward the development of a digital dollar. Republicans expressed concerns that a U.S. CBDC could be used to control Americans. However, both the market structure and the anti-CBDC bills seem headed toward similar fates in the Senate – going nowhere – given that half of congress does not have a counterpart for either piece of legislation. (CoinDesk) -Economic Indicators- 1. Dow Sinks More than 600 Points: Wall Street closed lower on Thursday, after a hotter-than-expected PMI survey fueled concerns about prolonged higher interest rates. The Dow Jones plunged by 605 points, marking its worst day of the year. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Microsoft outage affects Bing, Copilot, DuckDuckGo and ChatGPT internet search: The outage, which started around 3:00 a.m. EDT, largely affected users in Asia and Europe. Bing remained accessible when an alternate URL was used, but ChatGPT internet search and DuckDuckGo suffered issues because they use the Bing API. (CISOSeries) -Technology- 1. Peer-to-peer blockchain: Scaling with IPv6-based new internet: At the London Blockchain Conference 2024, IPv6 Forum President Latif Ladid moderated a panel on how IPv6 and blockchain technology will change the internet. Ladid opens the panel by explaining the key points of IPv6: it enables true end-to-end connections between people. It empowers people and disempowers monopolies by enabling people to have their unique IP addresses for every device. (CoinGeek) (AC-Do Your Own Research on IPv6) -Bitcoin Community- NSTR -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 74/100 (Down 2 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

Good morning ☕️

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 844,743 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 23May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: China Encircles Taiwan / Russia Launches Space Weapon / Surprise Election in UK / Trump Campaign Now Takes Bitcoin / FIT-21 Passes House, WH Won't Veto / Anti-CBDC Bill Also in Congress / FOMC Minutes Highlight Inflation / Tech Companies Unite Against Scams / Biden Seeks Meme Lord Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $70,003, 29.51 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $70,623 / Lo: $68,977 Vol: $32B (Down 13%) Mkt Cap: $1.38T (Even) HashRate: 707 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 17 sats/vBtye (Down 7%) Nodes: 17,193 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Mainland China launches PLA blockade around Taiwan, 3 days after William Lai speech: The People’s Liberation Army has launched a two-day exercise around Taiwan, “testing joint combat capabilities” by blockading the island. The drills include mainland China’s army, navy, air force and rocket forces. (SCMP) 2. Pentagon: Russia Launched Space Weapon in Path of U.S. Satellite: "Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we assess is likely a counter-space weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit,” Pentagon spokesman Air Force Major General Pat Ryder told a press briefing late Tuesday. (Breitbart) 3. British Leader Sunak Calls Snap Election as His Party Trails in Polls: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a surprise summer election for July 4, a gamble by the British leader to galvanize his restive Conservative Party as it trails the opposition Labour Party by double digits in the polls. In going to the polls, Sunak is attempting one of the biggest turnarounds in recent British political history. Many pollsters, and even members of the Conservative Party, have written off the Tories’ chances of securing a fifth successive term, as its popularity has tanked on the back of a postpandemic cost-of-living crisis and successive political scandals. The Conservatives have been in power since 2010. (WSJ) -US Events- 1. America’s First Bitcoin President: Trump Now Accepts Bitcoin Donations: President Trump, in a press release published on his website this afternoon, announced that his campaign to take back the White House will begin accepting donations using Bitcoin. "The effort to reduce the control of government on an American’s financial decision-making is part of a seismic shift toward freedom. Today’s announcement reflects President Trump’s commitment to an agenda that values freedom over socialistic government control.", the announcement said. (BitcoinMag) 2. Arizona Senate advances measure allowing local, state police to arrest migrants illegally crossing border: The measure now heads to the GOP-controlled House and will end up on the Nov. 5 ballot if passed by the legislature (Fox) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. White House Will Not Veto FIT21 Cryptocurrency Bill: The White House just communicated its position on the Financial Innovation and Technology for 21st Century Act (FIT21). President Biden says he will not threaten to veto it. The policy statement also expresses the government’s opposition to FIT21. The bill just passed the House yesterday and is headed toward the Senate for deliberation. (Cryptopolitan) (AC-The White House also indicated it's lack of support on the bill and desire to work with Congress to configure it) -Institutional Concerns- NSTR -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. CBDC bill: Why Republicans say they fear a central bank digital currency: This week, the House of Representatives will vote on legislation sponsored by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) called the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act. The bill is relatively straightforward, but in sum would stop the Fed from issuing any form of CBDC without congressional approval. The legislation is expected to pass in the House, where Republicans hold the majority, and could even earn some bipartisan support. But the bill faces a tougher battle in the Democratic-controlled Senate and would have to get a stamp of approval from President Joe Biden should it become law before the next session of Congress. (WashExaminer) -Economic Indicators- 1. US Stocks Extend Losses After FOMC Minutes: US stocks extended their lower momentum to close in the red on Wednesday, with key indices easing further from their recent peaks as markets digested hawkish signals from the Fed’s last meeting. Minutes showed that the FOMC grew more concerned about the lack of progress on curbing inflation in the US economy, and various policymakers noted they are willing to tighten monetary policy further if needed. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Coinbase, Ripple, Meta Join Forces to Fight Crypto Scams, Including Pig Butchering: Leading crypto and tech companies, including Coinbase, Ripple, Meta, Kraken, and Gemini, have formed a coalition to combat online fraud, including crypto scams like the pig butchering scheme. “We are dedicated to disrupting emerging online scams through collaboration, information sharing, and enhanced consumer education,” said Coinbase’s chief security officer. (BItcoinCom) -Technology- 1. Meme Lord Wanted! Team Biden Seeking Meme Manager for 2024 Re-election Campaign: President Joe Biden's reelection effort took a surprising turn when a job advertisement for a "Partner Manager, Content and Meme Pages" tasked with supervising the online meme environment was released. The position involves leading daily operations to interact with prominent content and meme platforms on the internet. It offers a competitive salary of up to $85,000. (TechTimes) -Bitcoin Community- 1. Bitcoin Runes hype fades, transactions plummet 84%: As of May 22, Runes represented 12.7% of Bitcoin transactions, much higher than Bitcoin Ordinals (0.7%) and BRC-20 (1.5%). The rest was taken up by BTC. As a result, Runes transactions are down by over 84% since their all-time high. (CoinTelegraph) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 76/100 (Even) Analyst Comments (AC): With the "crypto" bills going through congress and Trump now making a point of accepting bitcoin, look for the increased politicization of bitcoin and crypto. The US government is skilled at taking issues and manipulating them for political ends while consolidating power. As much as the normal citizen dislikes the political arena, it is important to fight for freedom and privacy as much as possible and with the help of freedom technologies, which are the individual's key tools in this fight. Narrative, legal and lobbying tactics are complementary tools to maintain these freedoms. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 844,581 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 22May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Three Countries Recognize Palestine State / Russia Has Tac Nuke Drill on Ukraine Border / Biden Admin Confirms Almost 200 Judges / More Student Loans Canceled / Gensler Speaks Out Against FIT-21 / ETH ETFs Ready for Approval / BTC ETFs Available in UK / Windows Spies on You / Happy BTC Pizza Day Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $69,852, 28.93 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $71,402 / Lo: $69,191 Vol: $36B (Down 34%) Mkt Cap: $1.38T (Down 2%) HashRate: 651 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 18 sats/vBtye (Up 34%) Nodes: 17,483 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Spain, Norway and Ireland to recognize a Palestinian state: In response, Israel has recalled its ambassadors to all three countries. “Ireland and Norway intend to send a message to the Palestinians and the whole world today: Terrorism pays.", Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said. (CNN) 2. Russia starts ‘tactical nuclear drills’ near Ukraine border: ‘First stage’ of exercises involves Iskander and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and is seen as a warning to Ukraine’s Western allies. (AlJazeera) -US Events- 1. Tornado kills multiple people in Iowa as powerful storms again tear through Midwest: After devastating Greenfield, a town of 2,000, on Tuesday the storms moved eastward to pummel parts of Illinois and Wisconsin, knocking out power to tens of thousands of customers in the two states. (AP) 2. Joe Biden nears 200 confirmed judges, highlighting stakes for the courts in the 2024 election: Biden's and Trump's records show sharp differences in what types of judges they would choose. And the winner of the fall election could appoint more Supreme Court justices. Biden’s judges include many former civil rights lawyers, labor lawyers and public defenders, breaking from the mold of prosecutors and corporate lawyers that previous presidents tended to lean on. More than 60% of Biden’s judges are women, and more than 60% are nonwhite. Trump had a different standard in selecting judges, putting a premium on youth and conservative credentials. (NBC) 3. Biden administration canceling student loans for another 160,000 borrowers: The Education Department announced the latest round of cancellation on Wednesday, saying it will erase $7.7 billion in federal student loans. With the latest action, the administration said it has canceled $167 billion in student debt for nearly 5 million Americans through several programs. According to the Education Department, 1 in 10 federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for some form of loan relief. (AP) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. SEC's Gensler Says House Bill Would 'Undermine' Regulator's Crypto, Capital Markets Oversight: "The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act ('FIT 21') would create new regulatory gaps and undermine decades of precedent regarding the oversight of investment contracts, putting investors and capital markets at immeasurable risk," he said. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill later on Wednesday, though it does not currently have a clear road through the Senate and is unlikely to become a law this year. (CoinDesk) -Institutional Concerns- 1. SEC Leans Towards Approving Spot Ethereum ETFs, Notifies Exchanges: A big change is underway at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), signaling a green light for Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Barely a week ago, all bets were off. Giants like BlackRock and VanEck seemed destined for a thumbs down on their proposals for ETFs that would hold Ether directly. The trigger for this sudden lean towards approval came when SEC personnel disclosed their inclination to greenlight the ETFs. Detailed comments on the pending applications were issued, suggesting that resolutions could lead to approvals as soon as this Thursday. Thursday also marks the deadline for the SEC to make a decision on the 19b-4 filing from VanEck and ARK/21Shares, which, if approved, would clear the way for launching their spot Ethereum ETFs. (Cryptopolitan) 2. BlackRock's Spot Bitcoin ETF Records Biggest Inflows Since April: Bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S. have seen net inflows of over $1.4 billion in the past week after a timid first half of the month. BlackRock’s IBIT product experienced a significant inflow of over $290 million on Tuesday, marking its highest one-day inflow this month and since April. (CoinDesk) 3. WisdomTree Will List Bitcoin and Ethereum Funds on London Stock Exchange Next Week: WisdomTree has received approval from the FCA to list crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) on the LSE, making it one of the first applicants to receive such approval. (Decrypt) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Don’t let the US become the only country to ban CBDCs: This week, as part of a trifecta of digital assets legislation, the US House of Representatives is set to take up HR 5403, also known as the “CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act.” In fact, if this bill ever became law, the United States would be the only country in the world to have banned CBDCs. It would be a self-defeating move in the race for the future of money. It would undercut the national security role of the dollar as the decision would only accelerate other countries’ development of alternative payment systems that look to bypass the dollar in cross-border transactions. This would make US sanctions less effective. (AtlanticCouncil) AC- The protest from the globalist think tank Atlantic Council reveals much about the view from power accumulators on CBDCs, namely a tool for continued and increasing economic control.) -Economic Indicators- 1. US Mortgage Applications Rise for 3rd Week: Mortgage applications in the US jumped by 1.9% from the previous week in the period ending May 17th, adding to the 0.5% increase in the earlier week for the third consecutive growth in mortgage demand. The average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell by 7bps to 7.01% in the week ending May 17th, 2024/ (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Oxford University says research not affected after expert flags COVID lab hack: Oxford University said on Thursday it was investigating a digital intrusion after a researcher said he had seen evidence that a laboratory researching COVID-19 had been hacked. Holden told Reuters that he discovered the intrusion when he found screenshots from inside the lab's network left by the hackers on a poorly secured server. (Reuters) -Technology- 1. Windows 11's New AI Feature Will Make Screenshots of Everything You Do: Presented at Microsoft Build 2024, Recall is described as a "photographic memory" for your PC, making local Windows searches much faster by constantly taking screenshots of everything you do. Then it uses, no surprises here, generative AI along with the NPU to process all this data into a searchable timeline, enabling one to access and view everything you've done on your computer. (80LU) (AC- In another headline, "Windows announces the Year of Linux") -Bitcoin Community- 1. Bitcoin Celebrates Pizza Day: In 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz, a software program developer from Florida, made history by shopping for two pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoins. This was the very first industrial transaction carried out with the assistance of the unique cryptocurrency. (CryptoNewsBTC) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 76/100 (Even) Analyst Comments (AC): The privacy fight heats up with CBDCs, Crypto in Congress and Microsoft takes screenshots of everything you do. Will sovereign individuals take responsibility for their own privacy? Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 844,432 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 21May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Biden Slams ICC for Netanyahu Warrant / Iran Mourns President / Macron Heads to New Caledonia / Key Bridge Opening Up / Houston Storms Kill 8 / Venezuela, Paraguay Arresting Crypto Miners / India Want G-20 to Regulate Crypto / ETH ETF Makes Progress / Russia, China Fully Ditch the Dollar / US Stocks at ATH / Venture Capital Chases Crypto Gains Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $71,214, 29.34 oz Gold, .17 Median US House 24hr Hi: $71,946 / Lo: $66,767 Vol: $56B (Up 147%) Mkt Cap: $1.41T (Up 7%) HashRate: 586 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 13 sats/vBtye (Up 30%) Nodes: 17,670 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Biden, After Revoking Trump’s Order Against ICC, Claims Outrage at ICC Warrants Against Israel: Biden reacted to the announcement Monday that the ICC was seeking warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — as well as against three Hamas terrorist leaders. In a statement, Biden said: The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security. (Breitbart) 2. Iran begins days of funeral ceremonies for President Raisi as investigators probe helicopter crash: Iran’s government has arranged multiple days of mourning culminating in a funeral later this week for the 63-year-old ultraconservative cleric who had once been seen as a potential successor to current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. (CNN) 3. Macron heading to New Caledonia as France deploys more troops amid unrest: French President Emmanuel Macron is heading to New Caledonia, the government has announced, as hundreds more security personnel will join the 1,500 reinforcements already on the ground after the worst unrest in the French Pacific territory in more than 30 years. (AlJazerra) 4. Singapore Airlines passenger dead after Boeing jet hits 'severe turbulence': A Singapore Airlines flight has made an emergency landing in Bangkok Tuesday following "severe turbulence" that left one person dead and others injured, the airline says. The Boeing 777-300ER plane was traveling from London to Singapore with 211 passengers and 18 crew onboard. (Fox) -US Events- 1. Key Bridge Collapse: Tourism businesses that rely on water hopeful amid re-floating of Dali cargo ship: On Monday, crews re-floated and moved the Dali, starting the process to allow more ships through the channel. Carnival Cruise Line announced it will resume operations out of Baltimore starting Sunday. Royal Caribbean is also returning to Baltimore with the "Vision of the Seas" departing from the port on Saturday. (WBALTV) 2. Death toll grows to 8 in severe Houston-area storms: An eighth person has died in the Houston area following severe weather that lashed the city and surrounding Harris County with 100 mph winds, officials said Monday, and more than 192,000 customers remained without power. The eighth person died in Houston as the result of carbon monoxide poisoning, Houston Fire Department spokesperson Martee Black. (NBC) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. Venezuelan Authorities Seize a Large Bitcoin Mining Facility: Venezuelan authorities released a new video showing the ongoing crackdown on Bitcoin mining firms. The crackdown occurred in one of the mining galleries in the industrial area of Valencia. The authorities want to ensure all Bitcoin mining firms are disconnected from the national grid. According to the national government, the mining facilities have high power consumption. The high-consuming firms cripple the country’s ability to supply power to citizens. (Cryptopolitan) 2. Indian Finance Minister: Crypto Regulation Needs Global Consensus: Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman advocates for global consensus on cryptocurrency regulation, highlighting the need for international cooperation, particularly within the G20. She noted that while Indian regulators have differing opinions regarding how to treat crypto, there is currently no significant confusion. (BitcoinCom) 3. Paraguay Wants to Jail Illegal Bitcoin Miners for Up to 10 Years as Local Mining Booms: Paraguay is now pursuing a jail time period for unlawful miners for as much as 10 years, as a substitute of the sooner thought-about blanket ban on all mining. (CryptoNewsBTC) -Institutional Concerns- 1. Ether ETFs Filing Process Sees Abrupt Progress, Though Approval Not Guaranteed: Exchanges are being asked to update 19b-4 filings on an accelerated basis by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC had previously been expected to reject the ether ETF filings, and while there's no guarantee of approval, the move suggests progress is being made. (CoinDesk) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Russia, China Confirm They Have Stopped Using US Dollar Permanently: Russia and China have declared a dramatic breakup with the US dollar. Now, 90% of their trade is conducted using their own currencies, the Russian ruble and Chinese yuan. This decision was reinforced during a high-level discussion between Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, which focused on strengthening the BRICS alliance and advancing their mutual interests without the American currency. “Ditching the USD has simplified our trade transactions and also strengthened our economic sovereignty.”- Vladimir Putin (Cryptopolitan) -Economic Indicators- 1. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 Set to Close at Record Highs: In the afternoon session, the S&P 500 edged higher by 0.1% on track to close at a fresh record high, the 24th this year. Also, the Nasdaq 100 touched all-time high of 18,719, rising 0.6% -Security Incidents and Concerns- NSTR -Technology- 1. TSMC and ASML can remotely disable chip-making equipment if mainland China invades Taiwan: The remote shut-off applies to Netherlands-based ASML’s line of extreme ultraviolet machines, known within the industry as EUVs, for which TSMC is its single biggest client. (SCMP) -Bitcoin Community- 1. Venture Capital Pours $2.4 Billion into Cryptocurrency Startups in Q1 2024: This influx of capital reflects a broader trend of growing interest in cryptocurrency startups. The emergence of meme coins, DeFi platforms, NFTs, and blockchain-based applications has not only expanded the market’s appeal but also diversified investment opportunities. (DalesReport) (AC-Fiat doing fiat things) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 76/100 (Up 2 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): "Then they fight you" stage is in full effect. Venezuela, Paraguay are arresting bitcoin and crypto miners simply for mining. India is looking to the IMF and G20 to regulate crypto worldwide. Nigeria has all but declared war on crypto and exchanges. It seems countries are starting to understand the existential threat that bitcoin can offer those who would save their life work without being stolen via fiat debasement. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 844,291 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 20May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Iran's President Dead in Helicopter Crash / Attempted Coup in DR Congo / Gaza Fighting Fierce / Twisters in Midwest / Crypto Regulation Bill Going Through Congress / BTC ETFs Are Busy / Ripple's Anti-Bitcoin Agenda / BRICS Call for Currency Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $66,939, 27.68 oz Gold, .16 Median US House 24hr Hi: $67,402 / Lo: $65,937 Vol: $22B (Up 35%) Mkt Cap: $1.32T (Even) HashRate: 669 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 10 sats/vBtye (Even) Nodes: 17,275 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Iran’s president, foreign minister and others found dead at helicopter crash site: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday. The helicopter also carried the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, a senior cleric from Tabriz, three crew members and a Revolutionary Guard official, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. IRNA said the crash killed eight people in all, including three crew members, aboard the Bell helicopter, which Iran purchased in the early 2000s. The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi, who was 63, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month. Khamenei announced Monday that Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, would serve as the country’s acting president until elections are held. (AP) 2. 3 Americans among 50 detained after failed coup in DR Congo: The coup attempt led by self-exiled opposition leader Christian Malanga began around 4 a.m. as gunfire rang out in the capital Kinshasa, Reuters reported. But it was “nipped in the bud,” and Malanga was killed at the presidential palace. Malanga’s son was one of the three US citizens arrested following the attack. “I am shocked by the events of this morning and very concerned by reports of American citizens allegedly involved,” US Ambassador to the Congo Lucy Tamlyn said in a social media post. (NYPost) 3. Fierce fighting in northern Gaza as aid rolls off US-built pier: Israeli forces battled Hamas fighters in the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Friday in some of the fiercest engagements since they returned to the area a week ago, while in the south militants attacked tanks massing around Rafah. (ArabNews) -US Events- 1. Severe Storms, Including Possible Tornadoes, Take Aim At Plains, Midwest: T​his rash of severe weather began in the Plains late Sunday, where it produced more than a dozen reports of tornadoes in parts of Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. The storms also produced wind gusts up 100 mph in Salina, Kansas, and 86 mph in Hutchinson, Kansas. (WeatherChannel) 2. US departure from Niger ‘already underway’ ahead of September deadline: America has relied on the west African country as a counter-terrorism hub for more than a decade. Until recently, more than 1,000 U.S. personnel have operated there, most working from an airbase near Agadez, which cost more than $100 million and sits in the country’s center. Those ties began to fray last summer after a coup swapped the ruling government with a military junta known as the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, or CNSP. (DefenseNews) 3. US judge blocks Biden-backed rule expanding gun background checks: A federal judge on Sunday blocked the Biden administration from fully implementing a new rule that would require gun dealers to obtain licenses and conduct background checks when selling firearms at gun shows and online. (Reuters) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. Crypto Industry Rallies Behind House Bill as It Heads Toward Final Vote: The FIT21 legislation to establish a U.S. regulatory regime for digital assets is set for a floor vote next week, and the sector is telling House leaders the effort is "crucial". The bill would set the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a leading regulator of digital assets, and would establish consumer protections – including rules around custody of customers' assets and their treatment in bankruptcy – and set up further guardrails against risky behavior. (CoinDesk) -Institutional Concerns- 1. Bitcoin ETF volumes hit 7-week high as BTC price nears $67K: Bitcoin is seeing a “surge” in volumes among its new institutional investment products — nearly 1,000 United States firms have bought Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Data from research firm Santiment showed daily spot Bitcoin volumes passing $5 billion.(CoinTelegraph) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Ripple's Anti-Bitcoin Campaign To Promote CBDCs: The drive towards central bank digital currencies is accelerating, with Ripple emerging as the player in this global effort. This raises a paradox: while supporters of cryptocurrency champion decentralization, Ripple's central role in CBDCs suggests a move towards more centralized control of digital currencies. Ripple is at the forefront of the CBDC revolution, engaging with governments globally to leverage its technology for digital currency development. In May 2023, Ripple launched a dedicated platform to assist central banks, governments, and financial institutions in issuing CBDCs and stablecoins. (Forbes) 2. Russia and Iran Collaborating on Single BRICS Currency, Iranian Ambassador Says: Russia and Iran are collaborating on creating a single BRICS currency, the Iranian ambassador to Russia has claimed. He noted that over 60% of the two nations’ bilateral trade is conducted in Russian rubles and rials, reflecting a shift away from the U.S. dollar. (BitcoinCom) (AC-This report is from 2 days ago, before the news of the Iranian President's death yesterday) -Economic Indicators- NSTR -Security Incidents and Concerns- NSTR -Technology- NSTR -Bitcoin Community- 1. Craig Wright Lied to UK Court 'Extensively and Repeatedly,' Judge Writes: Judge James Mellor concluded Wright was not Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin, and that he had not authored the cryptocurrency's foundational document known as the white paper. "I am entirely satisfied that Dr Wright lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly," Mellor said. "Most of his lies related to the documents he had forged which purported to support his claim." (CoinDesk) 2. Veteran Trader Peter Brandt Says Peter Schiff Criticizes Bitcoin to Attract Attention, Increase Following: Veteran trader Peter Brandt has accused economist and gold advocate Peter Schiff of leveraging his criticisms of bitcoin to garner attention and increase his social media following. However, Schiff countered, asserting that he is simply offering his candid perspective on the investment risks associated with bitcoin. (BitcoinCom) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 74/100 (Up 4 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): There are certainly some serious geopolitical machinations occurring this last month. Last week the Slovakian PM was targeted in an assassination attempt and now the Iranian President is declared dead after his helo goes down in the mountains in the north of Iran. We may not fully understand the purposes of these events at this point, but narratives will begin to emerge that push agendas associated with these events. Continue to stick with the facts and question the motives of the emerging theories while still working to comprehend the effects of these events. Unrelated events can suggest coordinated efforts but sometimes they are simply coincidence in timing. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

Good morning ☕️

Good morning ☕️

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 843,854 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 17May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: US Pier Working in Gaza / Russia Black Sea Fleet HQ Attacked / New Caledonia Erupts in Violence / More Storms in Houston / Biden Say No Audience for Debate / Congress Passes Bill to Force Biden to Release Weapons to Israel / New Bill to Abolish US Fed Introduced / 600 Firms Invested in BTC ETFs / Dow at 40K / OpenAI to Scoop Reddit Data Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $66,316, 27.75 oz Gold, .15 Median US House 24hr Hi: $66,712 / Lo: $64,613 Vol: $31B (Down 24%) Mkt Cap: $1.3T (Even) HashRate: 687 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 10 sats/vBtye (Down 75%) Nodes: 17,316 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. First aid flows into Gaza over massive U.S. pier: Trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid have begun moving ashore into Gaza using a temporary pier built by the United States, the U.S. military said Friday, as Israeli forces pressed on with sweeping operations in the north and south of the enclave. No US Troops have gone ashore. (NBC) 2. Novorossiysk port, oil depot hit in overnight attack: Drones and missiles struck an oil refinery and seaport in the Russian city of Novorossiysk in the early hours of May 17, causing explosions and power outages, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported. The U.K. Defense Ministry reported on March 31 that Russia was strengthening the Novorossiysk port's defenses in order to protect the Black Sea Fleet from possible Ukrainian attacks. Other media report Russia downed 15 Ukrainian drones in the attack, repeling the attack. Novorossiysk is currently without power. (Various) 3. Violence rages in New Caledonia as France rushes emergency reinforcements to its Pacific territory: French authorities in New Caledonia and the interior ministry in Paris said five people, including two police officers, were killed after protests earlier this week over voting reforms pushed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government turned deadly. (AP) -US Events- 1. Deadly storms slam Houston yet again; hundreds of thousands without power across Texas: Deadly thunderstorms blew out windows in high-rise buildings, downed trees and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Houston area Thursday as Southeast Texas got pummeled for the second time this month. At least four people were killed due to the storms. (CBS) 2. Biden’s team had a few demands for a Trump debate. A major one: No crowd: “Trump feeds off the crowd, they give him life,” said one Biden adviser who was granted anonymity in order to discuss internal strategy. “We wanted to take that away.” (Politico) 3. 16 Dems vote with GOP to rebuke Biden's pausing Israel weapons shipment: The Israel Security Assistance Support Act would condemn the president’s posture on Israel’s Gaza invasion while compelling the Biden administration to expeditiously send any weapons shipments already approved by Congress. It passed in a 224 to 187 vote, with 16 Democrats joining 208 Republicans in advancing the bill. (Fox) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. US Senate Revokes SEC Rule on Banning Banks’ Crypto Holdings: The U.S. Senate has decisively overturned a rule by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that restricted financial institutions from engaging in cryptocurrency-related activities. This rule had mandated that banks reflect customers’ digital assets on their balance sheets, backed by corresponding capital — a policy criticized for stifling innovation. Senator Cynthia Lummis emphasized that this was the first session of Congress to pass standalone crypto legislation, marking a historic moment for the Senate. Meanwhile, Representative Mike Flood, who sponsored the resolution, urged President Biden to reconsider his stance given the strong opposition to the SEC’s rule among lawmakers. (Cryptopolitan) 2. Federal Reserve Abolition Act: On Thursday afternoon, Representative Thomas Massie, representing the 4th District of Kentucky, introduced H.R. 8421, the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act. H.R. 8421, the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act, proposed by Rep. Massie, aims to abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve banks, along with repealing the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Former Representative Ron Paul introduced a similar bill in 1999, but it hasn’t been reintroduced since 2013. (CoinPedia) -Institutional Concerns- 1. Over 600 firms reveal billions in combined investment in Bitcoin ETFs: Among them are Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, UBS, BNP Paribas, Royal Bank of Canada and hedge funds like Millennium Management and Schonfeld Strategic Advisors. Millennium is the largest BTC ETF investor, with $1.9 billion invested. (CoinTelegraph) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. Innovative CBDC card services launched in Kazakhstan: Bank customers in Kazakhstan can apply for virtual and plastic CBDC cards and use them for both in-store and e-commerce purchases across Mastercard and Visa global networks. Additionally, they can withdraw cash at ATMs. They can also link their cards to Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay and monitor their CBDC card balance and transaction history through mobile banking. (EPaymentsIntl) -Economic Indicators- 1. Dow Jones Reaches 40,000 For 1st Time: US stocks gained some traction after the Thursday open to trade above the flatline, slightly extending the record levels from earlier in the week amid further support from rate cut expectations and strong corporate results. The Dow added 100 points to break the 40,000 threshold for the first time in history, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hovered in the green. (TradingEconomics) 2. US Manufacturing Output Unexpectedly Falls: Manufacturing production in the US decreased 0.3% from a month earlier in April, missing market expectations of a 0.1% growth. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. 7 Tips For Traveling With Bitcoin Keys: 1. Carry only the wallets you need 2. Consider your destination 3. Avoid traveling with seed phrase backups 4. Watch what you say and show 5. Create a decoy wallet 6. Consider multisig to eliminate single points of failure 7. Have an inheritance plan (BitcoinMag) -Technology- 1. OpenAI strikes Reddit deal to train its AI on your posts: OpenAI has signed a deal for access to real-time content from Reddit’s data API, which means it can surface discussions from the site within ChatGPT and other new products. (TheVerge) (AC-I wonder if OpenAI will be able to understand the extreme sarcasm on Reddit) -Bitcoin Community- NSTR -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 74/100 (Up 4 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

Good morning ☕️

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 843,692 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 16May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Slovakia PM Critical After Assassination Attempt / Israel Mulls Post-War Gaza / France Losing Control in Territory New Caledonia / Biden and Trump Agree to June Debate / Bridge Hit By Barge In Galveston / China Busts Large USDT Ring / CPI Data Ignites Liquidity Hope Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $66,157, 27.73 oz Gold, .15 Median US House 24hr Hi: $66,677 / Lo: $62,272 Vol: $41B (Up 57%) Mkt Cap: $1.3T (Up 6%) HashRate: 587 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 18 sats/vBtye (Up 4%) Nodes: 17,204 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Slovakia leader ‘stabilized’ after five hours in surgery following assassination attempt: Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, is in a stable but serious condition after being shot five times from a close range and undergoing surgery, his deputy said Thursday, an assassination attempt that rocked the central European country and sparked global condemnation. The prime minister had approached a small crowd of people waiting to meet him, when the suspected gunman in the crowd lunged forward and shot him five times from across a security barrier. Footage from the scene showed the injured prime minister being bundled into a vehicle by his staff, before it speeds away with him inside. (CNN) 2. Georgia's parliament passes controversial "foreign agent" law amid protests, widespread criticism: Georgia's parliament has passed a law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country's aspirations to join the European Union – and a step toward the kind of draconian laws that have quashed political dissent in neighboring Russia. The law would require media, nongovernmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20% of funding from abroad. (CBS) 3. Rift in Israel war cabinet as defence chief opposes ‘military rule’ in Gaza: Divisions within Israel’s war cabinet over the lack of post-war plans for the Gaza Strip have erupted in a rare public row, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying the country should not be involved in ruling the besieged and bombarded territory once the fighting ends. (AlJazerra) 4. Violence rages in New Caledonia as France rushes emergency reinforcements to its Pacific territory: Violence raged across New Caledonia for the third consecutive day Thursday hours after France imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory, boosting security forces’ powers to quell deadly unrest in the archipelago where some residents have long sought to break free from France. (AP) -US Events- 1. Biden, Trump agree to June presidential debate hosted by CNN: The CNN debate sets up a televised confrontation before either candidate's nominations are formally complete and marks their first televised match-up since 2020. (Axios) 2. Barge hits bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island, causing partial collapse and oil spill: The impact sent pieces of the bridge, which connects Galveston to Pelican Island, tumbling on top of the barge and shut down a stretch of waterway so crews could clean up the spill. The accident knocked one man off the vessel and into the water, but he was quickly recovered and was not injured. Ports along the Texas coast are hubs of international trade, but experts said the collision was unlikely to result in serious economic disruptions since it occurred in a lesser-used waterway. The accident happened shortly before 10 a.m. after a tugboat operator pushing two barges lost control of them. (AP) 3. UC Berkeley encampment comes down after school agrees to review investments: Protesters had been calling for the university to completely divest from weapons manufacturers and other Israeli businesses that have ties to military operations in Gaza, including weapons manufacturers and surveillance companies. High-level investment decisions cannot be made by individual institutions under the University of California system, but instead fall to the UC Board of Regents. (NBC) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. Crypto enters the American Presidential Election cycle: President Trump is positioning himself as the first major party nominee to actively court Bitcoin and crypto holders. The issue has become a fresh line of attack for Trump against Biden. SEC Chair Gary Gensler, appointed by Biden, has pursued aggressive enforcement actions against crypto firms for alleged violations of federal securities laws. Trump criticized the administration’s stance, asserting, “The Democrats are very much against it.” (BraveNewCoin) 2. Chinese police bust $1.9B USDT underground banking racket: The underground banking operations operated in the Chinese city of Chengdu, where the Tether stablecoin was used to exchange foreign currencies. The city police issued a media report highlighting the details of the underground operations and said they had arrested 193 suspects across 26 provinces. A report published by Kyros Ventures indicates that Chinese traders are among the largest stablecoin holders worldwide. The report shows that 33.3% of Chinese investors hold several stablecoins, ranking them second only to Vietnam’s 58.6%. (CoinTelegraph) -Institutional Concerns- 1. CME Looks to Take On Binance and Coinbase, Could Launch Spot Bitcoin Trading: The Chicago Mercantile Exchange is already the top bitcoin futures exchange by open interest, while the offshore, non-regulated Binance dominates the spot market. (CoinDesk) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- NSTR -Economic Indicators- 1. US Stocks Rise to Record Highs: US stocks extended early gains on Wednesday after April’s inflation print favored bets that the Fed is due to start cutting interest rates by the third quarter, triggering a rally for equities in Wall Street and the rest of the world. (TradingEconomics) 2. US Inflation Rate Slows as Expected: Annual inflation rate in the US eased to 3.4% in April 2024 from 3.5% in March which was the highest reading since September, in line with market forecasts. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. Cybersecurity pros in high demand as hacking attacks soar: Nationally, 3,205 data breaches were reported in 2023, topping the previous record by 72% and revealing the personal data of more than 353 million people. The average cost of a single incident is nearly $4.5 million, computer company IBM found. Globally, cybercrime costs around $9.5 trillion a year. Recognizing the growing risks, many insurers and regulators now insist that companies prove they’re protecting their own systems. (CapTimes) -Technology- NSTR -Bitcoin Community- NSTR -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 70/100 (Up 4 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): Any trip to a grocery store will reveal the effects of actual inflation on the consumer. With the CPI data coming in lower than expected, however, markets globally reacted positively to the news in hopes of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut soon. The CPI data is a primary driver of Fed actions which is why the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced last week that coffee prices will not be included in this or subsequent CPI data. You see, coffee prices are up 78% since September last year. The timing of the data and 'reaction' is suspect in relation to the election year, giving the impression of a well-scripted play. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report

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BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 843,557 DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 15May24 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Putin Visits Xi / Prisoner Breakout in France, 2 LEO Dead / China Targets Influencers / Ocala, FL Bus Crash Kills 8 / Boeing Under DOJ Scrutiny / UK Can Seize Crypto at Will / Wisconsin Buys BTC ETFs / Vanguard Brings in BTC-Friendly CEO / Can CBDCs Save Central Banks? / Household Debt Up, Producer Prices Up / Volcano Pays Off in El Salvador Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $62,452, 26.40 oz Gold, .14 Median US House 24hr Hi: $62,973 / Lo: $61,123 Vol: $26B (Up 4%) Mkt Cap: $1.23T (Up 1%) HashRate: 563 EH/s Avg Fee Rate: 17 sats/vBtye (Up 3%) Nodes: 16,847 ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Putin to meet Xi in Beijing as world convulses from global conflicts: Their meeting comes months ahead of the American presidential elections and as Washington faces mounting international backlash over its support for Israel’s war on Gaza. It’s set to provide a platform for the leaders to discuss how all this can advance their shared ambition to degrade and offer an alternative to American power. (CNN) 2. Gunmen ambush French prison van to free drug dealer, killing two guards: Gunmen wearing balaclavas ambushed a prison van in northern France on Tuesday to free a drug dealer known as "The Fly," killing two prison guards, severely wounding three and triggering a major police manhunt. (Reuters) 3. Mainland China targets Taiwanese influencers for punishment over ‘fake and negative’ comments: On Wednesday, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, listed five people, saying that a small number of Taiwanese commentators had “disregarded the facts of the mainland’s development and progress, deliberately fabricating false and negative information about the mainland”, and disseminated these views widely through media platforms. Based on previous cases, it could mean they and their family members will be barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. (SCMP) -US Events- 1. 8 dead, dozens hospitalized in Ocala bus crash: According to FHP, the 2010 International bus was transporting 53 farm workers to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon when the crash happened at 6:37 a.m. on SR-40. (WESH-Orlando) 2. Boeing may be prosecuted after breaking safety agreement that prevented criminal charges for 737 crashes, US DOJ says: After a series of safety missteps earlier this year, including a door plug that blew off an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after takeoff in January, the Department of Justice said Boeing is now subject to criminal prosecution. (CNN) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. Welcome to the United Kingdom — Please hand over your crypto: An April change to United Kingdom law will allow authorities to treat crypto like other assets by seizing it without accusing suspects of wrongdoing. In simple terms, the change means that the authorities can seize crypto from those suspected of criminal activity. The authorities will also have the power to seize physical items related to crypto investigations, such as flash drives and written passwords, and to “destroy” a crypto asset if returning it to circulation is not considered to be conducive to the public good. (CoinTelegraph) -Institutional Concerns- 1. State of Wisconsin Buys Nearly $100M Worth of BlackRock Spot Bitcoin ETF: The U.S. state of Wisconsin purchased 94,562 shares of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in the first quarter of the year, a filing shows. The shares are worth nearly $100 million. (CoinDesk) 2. Vanguard names Bitcoin-friendly former BlackRock exec as new CEO: With Salim Ramji overseeing the approval and launch of BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund earlier this year, his May 14 appointment to Vanguard has industry pundits wondering whether he will try to change the firm’s long-held opposition to Bitcoin (BTC), or even spark a late filing for a spot Bitcoin ETF. (CoinTelegraph) -Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)- 1. DLT and CBDCs can save central banks’ business model says ECB: Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and distributed ledger technology (DLT) could save the central banks’ business model as cash usage continues to dwindle, members of the governing council at the European Central Bank (ECB) said. Speaking at an event hosted by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), they expressed concern that central banks’ role is under threat if they fail to adapt to changes in the financial landscape. (CoinGeek) -Economic Indicators- 1. US Household Debt Reaches New High: Total consumer debt in the US surged by $184 billion, or 1.1%, from the prior quarter to a fresh high of $17.69 trillion in Q1 2024. Overall borrowing levels are $3.5 trillion above they were at the end of 2019. (TradingEconomics) 2. US Producer Prices Rise More than Expected: Core producer prices in the United States, which exclude food and energy costs, rose by 0.5% from the previous month in April 2024, rebounding sharply from the revised 0.1% drop in the previous month, and well above market expectations of a 0.2% increase. (TradingEconomics) -Security Incidents and Concerns- 1. North Korea Allegedly Laundered $147.5 Million in Stolen Crypto Say UN: According to confidential findings by United Nations sanctions monitors and reported by Reuters, North Korea funneled $147.5 million through the Tornado Cash virtual currency platform in March this year, allegedly after stealing it from a cryptocurrency exchange in 2023. (TechTimes) -Technology- NSTR -Bitcoin Community- 1. El Salvador mines 474 Bitcoin using geothermal volcanic energy: The Bitcoin was mined with power from the country’s Tecapa volcano, using 300 mining processors. The country has allocated 1.5 megawatts (MW) to cryptocurrency mining out of the 102 MW produced by the state-owned power plant, according to Reuters. 2. Bitcoin Fee Crash Could Lead to Faster Miner Selling, Analysts Say: Daily average network fees spiked after the halving, offsetting some pain for bitcoin miners. However, fees have since come down as the initial rush of users to the Runes protocol cooled off. (CoinDesk) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 64/100 (Down 2 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): There are numerous articles concerning Tornado Cash, including the UN report mentioned above. The mixing service and anonymizing of crypto transactions continue to be targeted, as self-custody will eventually be too. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report