Russia just charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with "aiding terrorism" and put him on an international wanted list. The FSB says Telegram failed to remove channels used by Ukrainian intelligence for sabotage and recruitment. This is the same playbook every government runs. France arrested Durov in 2024 over similar claims. Now Russia is doing it from the other side of the same war. The pattern is always identical. A terrible act happens. Governments point at encrypted messaging. They demand backdoors, content removal, compliance. Anyone who refuses becomes an enemy of the state. But encryption cannot be secure for some people and insecure for others. That's not how math works. A backdoor for the FSB is a backdoor for every intelligence agency, every hacker, every authoritarian regime on earth. Russia is simultaneously pushing its own state messaging app called MAX that openly shares user data with authorities and doesn't use end-to-end encryption. That's the endgame. Replace tools you can't surveil with tools you control. Every government wants the same thing, a communication layer they can monitor. They just use different justifications. Russia says terrorism. France said child safety. The US says national security. The demand is always the same. Give us access. The 60 Minutes clip from 2016 is worth revisiting. Durov said it plainly, "Encryption cannot be secure just for some people."

Rural electric utilities across America are quietly becoming bitcoin mining's best friends, and their customers are benefiting whether they know it or not. In Hopkinsville, Kentucky, a bitcoin mine has been running inside a local utility substation for three years without a single noise or water complaint. Now the city is debating zoning regulations that could shut the whole thing down. Tom Masiero, head of strategy at Sphere 3D (which owns the operation), told a public hearing that the mine participates in a flexible-load program. When extreme weather or high demand hits, the facility can quickly power down, freeing up electricity for residents. The local utility's general manager said the revenue helps avoid rate increases for 13,000 customers. The company wants to expand with a second 50-megawatt facility and would pay $8-10M to build a new substation, adding 15 megawatts of extra capacity for the community. But the proposed zoning draft would ban any facility over 75 megawatts and require setbacks up to 1,000 feet from residential property. NCLC's attorney warned it would effectively ban data centers in the city entirely. This is the pattern playing out in small towns everywhere. Bitcoin miners offering flexible load and real revenue to struggling utilities while local governments rush to regulate something they don't fully understand yet.

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Bitcoin Policy Institute hosts Capitol Hill fireside chat with (SamLyman33) and (robbysoave) on research into foreign influence targeting U.S. AI, held in the House Select Committee on the CCP hearing room.

Hackers just hit 30+ water systems in Minnesota in a coordinated cyberattack over two days. One plant went completely offline. The attack targeted operational technology, the actual control systems that manage water treatment and distribution. Minnesota activated a statewide cybersecurity incident response involving local, state, and federal agencies. Authorities haven't said who's responsible. This is what infrastructure vulnerability looks like in practice. These are small community water systems that often lack the resources to properly secure their control networks. When your water supply depends on internet-connected systems run by underfunded local operators, this is the inevitable result. As (ODELLXYZ) points out, clean water access should be a serious factor when considering where you live. The systems we take for granted are far more fragile than most people realize.

Kevin Warsh: "The economy is showing impressively resilience. Even with recent shocks, the trends are positive and reveal solid growth. Inflation remains elevated."

Fed holds rates at 3.50%-3.75% for the 5th straight meeting. Three members dissented wanting a hike. Longest pause since the 2008 cycle. Dow dropped 800 points ahead of the decision.

Bitchat, the offline Bluetooth mesh messaging app, is now available as a full client on Wear OS smartwatches. Acts as a decentralized walkie-talkie.

BitMart is shutting down and even on the way out they're extracting value from users. One user tried to withdraw $2. Minimum withdrawal was $5, so they deposited $10 to qualify. Fees took $11. Net result? Turned $2 into $1 and gave BitMart $10 for the privilege. The backstory is worse. BitMart got hacked for $196M in 2021. Funds went straight to Tornado Cash. They promised reimbursements that never came. Then in May 2026 a proof-of-reserves leak showed ~$169M on paper, but almost all of it was BMX, their own token. Actual USDT on hand for withdrawals? Reportedly $650K. BMX dumped 60%. Withdrawals stalled. Margin trading force liquidated. AMM bots suspended. Full wind-down announced. All within 24 hours. This is why self-custody matters. Not your keys, not your coins isn't a meme. Every cycle produces another exchange collapse that proves the point.

DCG urges Senate to pass Clarity Act before August recess: "We respectfully urge you to schedule a floor vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act before the August recess."

Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment at Senate COVID hearing. Sen. Josh Hawley: “What day of the week is it today?” Fauci: “I decline to answer based upon my rights under the 5th Amendment.”

CTA, the U.S. largest tech association, says the CLARITY Act prevents capital flight and job losses: “The longer we delay, the more investment moves elsewhere. Capital flows to jurisdictions with clearer rules. America loses jobs and leadership.”

Palmer Luckey unveils the ModRetro M64: "It's an heirloom-grade tribute to the Nintendo 64, compatible with all your Nintendo 64 games, but with a lot of really cool new features as well."

Bank of Russia drafts first regulations to launch cryptocurrency market: “The Bank of Russia has created conditions for organised trading in digital currencies and digital rights.”

Rep. Mike Haridopolos on the CLARITY Act: "This is about the future currency and the world, and making sure American markets are the premiere markets in the world."

Bitchat can now share its own APK offline to other Android phones via Wi-Fi hotspot or Nearby Share, no internet required.

New York City just launched a government-backed grocery network with $70 million in public capital and a required 30% discount on a city-approved basket of staples. The city supplies turnkey sites, covers rent and property taxes, and makes annual "Affordability Payments" to cover the gap. No one has disclosed the size or formula for those payments. The $70M is startup capital, not the recurring subsidy. Average food-retail margins are 2.1%. A 30% mandated discount doesn't repeal spoilage, labor, logistics, or theft. It moves the shortfall to taxpayers. At the same time, the Department of Finance published a surcharge target roll of 959,710 property records for a new non-primary-residence tax. Owners must prove exemption with tax returns, IDs, leases, and affidavits. The city isn't just collecting a tax, it's building an administrative test for who deserves to keep what they own. One group gets a discount at the register. The other gets a surcharge notice and a demand for paperwork. Different agencies, same political logic: define the favored use, set the preferred price, force private property to absorb the difference. Free at checkout is not free. A public target roll is not neutral. New York is building the store and the list at the same time.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says the Clarity Act "is at the 1-yard line" amid talks with lawmakers to advance the bill.

Franklin Templeton supports the CLARITY Act: “The bill would make clear how crypto is regulated. Investors would know what protections apply. Firms would know which regulators they answer to.”

.Erik Voorhees showing Kimi K3 running on (AskVenice) answering a prompt about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, uncensored.