Block: 849,561
DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 26Jun24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
__________________________
BLUF: Kenyan Police Deploy to Haiti / Ultra-Orthodox Now Drafted in Israel / 12-Year Old Girl Killed by Venezuelan Immigrants in Houston / Congress Says CIA Interfered in 2020 Election / Bitcoin Proposed as Tax Payment in US Bill / White House Hires Crypto Advisor / Thailand Applies for BRICS Membership / 'Wrench Attacker' Convicted in NC / Metallica's X Account Hacked for Crypto / Bitcoiner Donates 8 BTC For Assange Debts
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $61,455, 26.54 oz Gold, .14 Median US House
24hr Hi: $62,434 / Lo: $60,968
Vol: $26B (Down 31%)
Mkt Cap: $1.21T (Up 1%)
HashRate: 529 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 26 sats/vBtye (Up 32%)
Nodes: 19,291
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. Haitians wary as Kenyan police arrive on latest US-backed mission: Hundreds of Kenyan police officers have arrived in Haiti as part of a US-backed security intervention aiming to rescue the Caribbean country from a criminal insurrection that toppled the prime minister and brought death and chaos to the streets. Kenyan news reports suggest they will be responsible for defending key infrastructure including the airport, the port, the presidential palace, and the gang-controlled highways connecting the besieged capital with the rest of Haiti. (TheGuardian)
2. Israel's Supreme Court rules ultra-Orthodox men must serve in military in unanimous decision: Ultra-Orthodox men have long been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. Critics, however, say the bill was proposed before the war and does not do enough to address the shortage of forces as the army attempts to maintain its troops in the Gaza Strip while also preparing for potential war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. (Fox)
-US Events-
1. Killing of Texas Girl Becomes a New Immigration Flashpoint: The killing of a 12-year-old Houston girl, found last week in the shallow water of a city drainage ditch after having been raped and strangled, was already a horrific crime. Investigators arrested two recent Venezuelan migrants and charged them with killing the girl, Jocelyn Nungaray. The second of the two appeared in court on Tuesday; both were being held on a $10 million bond. (NYT)
2. Congressional Report: CIA Interfered in 2020 Election, Colluded with Biden Campaign to Discredit Hunter Biden Laptop Story: In 2020, 51 ex-spies signed an infamous letter that called reporting on Hunter’s laptop “Russian disinformation” ahead of the election. Current Secretary of State Antony Blinken allegedly coordinated the story for political purposes. The House Judiciary report on Monday alleged three key facts about the CIA’s involvement in the 2020 election: 1. High ranking CIA officials, up to and including then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, were made aware of the Hunter Biden statement prior to its approval and publication. 2. Some of the statement’s signatories, including Michael Morell, were on active contract with the CIA at the time of the Hunter Biden statement’s publication. 3. After publication of the Hunter Biden statement, CIA employees internally expressed concern about the statement’s politicized content, acknowledging it was not “helpful to the Agency in the long run.” (Breitbart)
-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Bitcoin As Federal Tax Payment Method? Congressman Presents New Legislation: Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is set to introduce a new bill allowing federal income tax payments to be made using Bitcoin (BTC). Gaetz believes that by allowing taxpayers to utilize Bitcoin for their federal tax obligations, the country can foster innovation, enhance efficiency, and provide greater flexibility to American citizens. This move by Gaetz follows his recent visit to El Salvador to attend President Nayib Bukele’s second inauguration, where the country became the first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. (Bitcoinist) (AC- Contentious issue that requires sound debate.)
2. White House Rehires Adviser Who Helped Develop Biden's Executive Order on Crypto: The White House has rehired Carole House, who helped develop President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets, as Special Advisor for Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Policy at the National Security Council. Previously, House worked at the U.S. Treasury’s FinCEN, leading efforts on cybersecurity and virtual currency policy. (BitcoinCom) (AC-The Biden team is building a cryptocurrency plan for the election.)
-Institutional Concerns-
1. Market eyes max pain prices as $6.6 billion BTC and $3.4 billion ETH options expiry nears: On June 28, BTC options worth $6.6 billion will expire. Deribit data reveals a put/call ratio of 0.53, indicating a bullish sentiment, with total open interest roughly around 107,000 BTC—70,000 in calls and 37,000 in puts. (CrytoSlate)
-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-
1. BRICS attracts more cross border CBDC proponents with Thailand’s application: Thailand has applied for BRICS membership. The country initiated the mBridge cross border central bank digital currency project along with Hong Kong. Apart from Hong Kong, all other central bank mBridge members are also part of BRICS — China, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. (LegderInsights)
-Economic Indicators-
1. Dollar at 2-Month High: The dollar index edged up to 105.8 on Wednesday, a high level not seen in about two months, as traders assess the monetary outlook while digesting comments from Fed officials and awaiting the key PCE inflation on Friday. (TradingEconomics)
2. US Home Prices Rise More Than Expected: The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index in the US rose 7.2% yoy in April 2024, easing from an upwardly revised 7.5% increase in March, but above forecasts of 6.9%. (TradingEconomics)
-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. Florida man convicted in cryptocurrency theft home invasions: A federal jury in Greensboro, North Carolina, has convicted Remy St. Felix, 24, of West Palm Beach, Florida, of leading multiple violent home invasions aimed at stealing victims’ cryptocurrencies. St. Felix and his conspirators carried out home invasions across multiple states, including North Carolina, Florida, Texas and New York. Between December 2022 to July 2023, the crime gang used physical violence, kidnapping and threats to intimidate their victims, forcing them to access and transfer their crypto holdings to the perpetrators. One notable incident occurred on April 12, 2023, when St. Felix and his accomplice forcibly entered a home, zip-tied their victims and demanded access to their crypto accounts. (CoinTelegraph) (AC-These so-called 'wrench attacks' are not just theoretical, but an actual threat to bitcoiners. Learn the skills of misdirection, multisig, and low-profile presence in order to deter and defeat a tactic that is sure to increase over time. Also be sure to increase your kinetic force skills and practices to defend your home and family.
2. Metallica’s X account hacked to promote crypto token: The official X account for heavy metal band Metallica was hacked, with the exploiters using the breach to promote a Solana token with the ticker METAL. Metallica’s team appears to have regained control of the account and has deleted all posts mentioning the token. (CoinTelegraph) (AC-Scammers have learned well that this scam pays off. Hack a celebrity social media account and pump an unknown token for a quick ride and cash out, or to misdirect the money to a scammer account.)
-Technology-
1. Cybersecurity Experts are Recommending Passwords Should at Least be 16 Characters Long: According to sources citing Keeper Security experts, a password should contain at least 16 characters. Studies previously revealed that over 45% of passwords can be cracked in less than 60 seconds. (TechTimes)
-Bitcoin Community-
1. Bitcoiner contributes to Julian Assange’s freedom, pays $500K debt in BTC: Assange is required to pay $520,000 to the Australian government for the “forced” chartering of flight VJ199 to travel to Saipan and Australia. The donation link was posted by Stella Assange on June 25, and within 10 hours, an anonymous Bitcoiner paid over 8 Bitcoin to the fund, almost clearing the goal of $520,000. He has also received over 300,000 British pounds ($380,000) in fiat donations so far. (CoinTelegraph)
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 46/100 (Up 15 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): Read up on the most recent attacks against digital asset holders above. Learn to defend yourself as these attacks will certainly increase in number and sophistication.
Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r
____________________
Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
NNNN
*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report
