Tag Archives: Bitcoin

CBS News reports: Trump Media and Technology Group, the social media company owned by President Trump, said it has bought about $2 billion in bitcoin and related securities as it remodels itself as an investment firm. Trump Media, which owns the Truth Social app, announced in May that it planned to raise $2.5 billion to buy bitcoin, with the goal …

The Washington Post reports: Nearly 70 Trump administration officials and nominees held cryptocurrency or investments in blockchain or digital-asset companies at the time of their selection, with stakes ranging from small to more than $120 million, a Washington Post examination found. President Donald Trump has reported a personal stake of at least $51 million in the digital asset revolution he …

Investopedia reports: Holders of cryptocurrencies may now have an easier time acquiring a mortgage after a key federal regulator made a move that could let lenders consider a homebuyer’s digital holdings during the mortgage application process. In a social media post Wednesday, Federal Housing Finance Administration Director William Pulte said he has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to find …

CNBC reports: The Trump administration on Wednesday relaxed barriers in 401(k) plans to buying cryptocurrency and related digital assets like NFTs and meme coins. The Labor Department rescinded guidance put in place by the Biden-era Labor Department in 2022 that aimed to safeguard 401(k) investors from such digital assets. At the time, the Biden labor officials cautioned employers to exercise “extreme …

The Washington Post reports: Vice President JD Vance will headline a political fundraiser in Las Vegas on Tuesday requiring a $1 million donation per attendee, according to an invitation for the event obtained by The Washington Post. The fundraiser for MAGA Inc., the primary super PAC supporting President Donald Trump, will be held as a “private roundtable & photo opportunity” featuring …

Politico reports: Trump Media & Technology Group — the parent company of Truth Social, whose controlling shareholder is Trump himself — has entered into deals with about 50 large investors that will raise $2.5 billion for the company through both stock and debt, according to a statement Tuesday. The company plans to use the funds to create a “bitcoin Treasury,” …

The Daily Beast reports: The Trump family has dived even deeper into the crypto world, as the president’s two oldest sons get into the mining game. After President Donald Trump launched a memecoin in January and a stablecoin earlier this month via World Liberty Financial, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. are turning prospectors as they bolster the Trump digital currency …

Business Insider reports: Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, the parents of disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), are reportedly pursuing a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg. SBF was sentenced to 25 years in prison in March 2024 after being convicted of multiple fraud charges. Despite their son’s massive fall from grace, his parents have met with individuals …

Ars Technica reports: A British judge ruled against a man who wants to excavate a landfill where he says a hard drive with access to thousands of bitcoins was mistakenly dumped over 11 years ago. Since 2013, James Howells has been hoping to recover a laptop hard drive that he says contains the private key for cryptocurrency which he says …

Ars Technica reports: Craig Wright, the man who claims he invented bitcoin and has been filing lawsuits asserting intellectual property rights, was sentenced to a year in prison yesterday for committing contempt of court. The sentence is suspended and can be enforced if Wright continues violating court rulings—but he may be able to avoid imprisonment by staying away from countries …

Mediaite reports: Chris Hayes broke down a plan by Republican legislators to transfer billions of dollars of taxpayer money to owners of Bitcoin in exchange for their holdings. At issue is a bill introduced by Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) that, if enacted, would require the U.S. Treasury to buy one million Bitcoins over five years and be held for at …

The Hill reports: Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the billionaire twin brothers who co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, said they each donated $1 million in bitcoin to former President Trump. “Over the past few years, the Biden Administration has openly declared war against crypto,” Tyler Winklevoss posted on the social platform X. “It has weaponized multiple government agencies to bully, harass, …

From the Justice Department: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RYAN SALAME was sentenced today to 90 months in prison. SALAME previously pled guilty to conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and defraud the Federal Election Commission and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business before U.S. District Judge Lewis …

The New York Times reports: Sam Bankman-Fried, the former cryptocurrency mogul who was convicted of fraud, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday, capping an extraordinary saga that upended the multi-trillion-dollar crypto industry and became a cautionary tale of greed and hubris. Mr. Bankman-Fried’s sentence was shorter than the 40 to 50 years that federal prosecutors had recommended, …

Law & Crime reports: Prosecutors said they want fallen ‘crypto king’ Sam Bankman-Fried sent to prison for up to half a century, less than the probation department’s recommended 110 years and a lot more than what his defense attorney wants — 6 1/2 years max. In the government’s 116-page sentencing memo, prosecutors said a sentence of between 40 and 50 …

From the Energy Department: Electricity demand associated with U.S. cryptocurrency mining operations in the United States has grown very rapidly over the last several years. Our preliminary estimates suggest that annual electricity use from cryptocurrency mining probably represents from 0.6% to 2.3% of U.S. electricity consumption. This additional electricity use has drawn the attention of policymakers and grid planners concerned …

The Washington Post reports: A British resident accused of using the dark web to sell illicit drugs around the world has agreed to surrender bitcoin valued at hundreds of millions in what officials said is believed to be the largest seizure of cryptocurrency in the history of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Banmeet Singh, 40, who was extradited from the United …

The Denver Post reports: Speaking to online followers Aug. 22, 2022, Rev. Eli Regalado had a divine message. “It was last October that the Lord brought this cryptocurrency to me. He said, ‘Take this to my people for a wealth transfer.’ It has been confirmed a hundred times since,” the pastor said, according to a lawsuit filed in Denver this …

Ars Technica reports: An actor who was hired to pretend to be the highly qualified CEO of a shady, collapsed cryptocurrency hedge fund called HyperVerse has apologized after a YouTuber unmasked his real identity last week. An Englishman currently living in Thailand, Stephen Harrison confirmed that HyperVerse hired him to pose as CEO Steven Reece Lewis. Harrison told The Guardian …

The Hill reports: The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) account on the platform formerly known as Twitter was breached Tuesday, the agency said, after it appeared to announce the approval of several bitcoin investment funds. The SEC’s account on X posted a message earlier Tuesday — featuring a picture of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler — announcing the approval of exchange-traded …