Podcasts about foreign assets control

Ralph speaks to independent investigative journalist Lylla Younes to discuss her reporting on Israel's assault on southern Lebanon. Then, Ralph and media studies professor Robin Andersen discuss her new book "The Complicit Lens: US Media Coverage of the Genocide in Gaza."Lylla Younes is a Beirut-based journalist. She is an editor at The Public Source, and a frequent contributor to Drop Site News.What we've seen in the past several days is really an escalation of what's been happening since March 2nd (when the US-Israeli assault on Iran took off) and then obviously the ceasefire… What we see is a campaign of ethnic cleansing from the Israeli military in Lebanon. And that has looked like the Gaza playbook sped up, you could say, in southern Lebanon. It's looked like invading and bulldozing homes; tearing up roads; destroying, booby-trapping, and detonating entire villages and cultural sites. It's looked like targeting medical personnel—killing, at this point, over 100 since March 2nd (this is in addition to the 130 or so who were killed in the last round of fighting in 2024). In addition to that, the targeting and killing of journalists who are reporting near the border. I think it's important to note there's practically no one left in the border region. Having a press vest on and a microphone and a camera is basically like having a target on your back at this point.Lylla YounesThe pager attack was, I think it's fair to say, one of the darker days of Lebanese history. I think regardless of people's feelings about Hezbollah, the fact that you are setting men alight literally in the streets in cities all across the country, killing children, maiming children—the mark of the pager attack was that these pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying exploded in their faces and blinded them. So you have thousands of blinded people, people missing fingers. And again, some of these are relatives of Hezbollah members. It was a massive event that overwhelmed hospitals across the country. And it also marked the beginning of that 66 day [period] of escalated fighting. And it showed how deeply infiltrated Hezbollah was in an intelligence capacity. This was quite a feat by the Israeli Mossad.Lylla YounesRobin Andersen is professor emerita of media studies at Fordham University and an award-winning author of a dozen single- and co-authored books. She serves as a Project Censored Judge, and contributes to the annual State of the Free Press. She is on the Board of Directors of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), where she also writes regularly, and is an Izzy Award Judge for the Park Center for Independent Media. Her latest book is The Complicit Lens: US Media Coverage of Israel's Genocide in Gaza.In my book, I look at the directives of the New York Times and CNN, and then I compare it to media coverage. And I found that, in fact, these were the ways [the directives that were passed down] in which the media was presenting the genocide in Gaza…But in terms of the Israeli directives, CNN was putting their copy through their Jerusalem bureau and the IDF was looking at it. The New York Times was simply going along with Israeli talking points. So we did find that. And the real telling part was when they finally did say that Israel dropped the bomb, it was only when Israel had admitted—or put their propaganda to the next level, which was to claim that they had killed a Hamas commander or a fighter or somebody involved in Hamas. And we found that also in the BBC. So those were direct things that came from Israel. And abandoning their journalistic mission, the US media was basically following the dictates of a foreign government.Robin AndersenTheir form of censorship was basically murder. They knew that as the genocide wore on (and Israel controlled the narrative for a very long time, and then it started to collapse) as over time we saw on the internet, we saw on our handheld devices the documentation of what was happening [they'd lose control of the narrative]. And so in a total propaganda environment, what we have to have is no noise, no opposition, no alternative information. And Israel really was trying to achieve a total propaganda environment. It wasn't enough that they had establishment in legacy media and those media were allowing outside influences to direct their editorial decisions. That wasn't quite enough.Robin AndersenNews 5/29/26* This week, Democratic Socialist Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani unveiled his plan to construct 200,000 new rent-stabilized homes in the city over the next decade, PIX 11 reports, making good on a campaign promise that many supposedly savvy political observers doubted. In addition to the new construction, Mamdani vowed to “preserve and stabilize” an additional 200,000 via New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) repairs, increased housing code enforcement, and a special focus on development in the Bronx. In his announcement, Mamdani said “We are the largest city in the nation. We have the resources, the talent, and the will to achieve this.”* In the federal government, one of the most controversial members of the Trump administration – former Democratic Congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard – has resigned her position as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The BBC reports Gabbard is citing her husband's recent bone cancer diagnosis as the reason for her departure, but also notes that Gabbard “has largely been out of public view even as the US took military action against Iran, put pressure on Cuba, and…removed Venezuela's president.” In theory, these would all require a substantial degree of participation from and coordination with the DNI, but Gabbard seemed pointedly out of the loop. The actions of the administration have also been diametrically opposed to Gabbard's past foreign policy positions, defined by her 2020 slogan “no more regime change wars.” Others have noted that Gabbard now joins former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem as high-profile women ousted from the Trump administration while glaringly incompetent men like Pete Hegseth remain in their posts.* Turning to Texas, this week saw a political bloodbath in the runoffs for the primaries held back in March. The topline of course is that scandal-plagued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, backed by Trump, triumphed over powerful longtime incumbent Senator John Cornyn. With the backing of the president, Paxton wiped the floor with Cornyn, winning around two-thirds of the vote. Yet Paxton goes into the general election against James Talarico very weak. 35% of those polled “Disapprove Strongly” of Paxton with only 15% saying they “Strongly Approve” according to the Texas Politics Project and even the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) condemned Paxton's “lies” “incompetence” personal scandals and corruption in now-deleted press releases. Further down the ballot, incumbent Democratic Members of Congress Al Green and Julie Johnson have been defeated in their primary run-offs, after being forced into Member-on-Member races by the Texas redistricting scheme.* Meanwhile in Michigan, NOTUS reports the Working Families Party (WFP) has endorsed progressive Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed. This primary campaign, with El-Sayed running against moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens and liberal state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, has become a bruising tripartite affair pitting the three major factions within the Democratic Party against one another. Recently, El-Sayed has taken the lead in this race, which WFP hopes to help consolidate, saying it is prepared to go “all in” on this race. WFP is feeling confident following their role in helping to ensure victory for Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania and Analilia Mejia in New Jersey.* In the Garden State, Senator Andy Kim was caught in a cloud of pepper spray this week as he joined protestors outside of a privately-run ICE detention facility, NJ.com reports. The protests began as a result of an ongoing hunger strike inside of the facility, which has led many high-profile New Jersey Democrats – including Governor Mikie Sherill and Congressman Robert Menendez Jr. in addition to Senator Kim – to call for the facility's closure. Following the confrontation, Kim stated that “What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country…It's sad…sad day.” At another point, Kim said “The cruelty that you see behind me, this is the point…Right now, I'm trying to have them not point guns at us.”* In another case of outrageous overreach by the Trump administration, Fox reports the Treasury Department has served subpoenas to CodePink activist Medea Benjamin and political streamer and influencer Hasan Piker seeking “financial, logistical and communications information” regarding their recent humanitarian voyage to Cuba. According to this story, the Treasury probe – handled through their Office of Foreign Assets Control – is primarily concerned with whether the convoy “violated U.S. sanctions laws through the financing, coordination or delivery of goods to Cuba, including potential contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities on the island.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned the probe, writing that “Weaponizing the Treasury Department to target Americans for exercising their constitutional right to support human rights is unacceptable.” CAIR went on to call the investigation “performative and politically-motivated,” contending that “Every American who believes in the rule of law and human rights should stand in solidarity with Medea and demand that the Treasury Department drop its McCarthyite witch hunt.”* The Democrats meanwhile are once again conspiring against one another. The Bulwark reports the campaign to unseat Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is back on – and now includes viable alternatives. Previously, discontent was mounting but there did not appear to be any other options. Presently though, the list circulating in Democratic circles consists of New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, former EMILY's List president Stephanie Schriock, former president of the Service Employees International Union Mary Kay Henry, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes, and former Wisconsin party chair Ben Wikler. Wikler, who revitalized the Beaver State party and placed second against Martin in the DNC Chair election, has “rebuffed discussions about leading the DNC, saying he wants nothing to do with effort to remove Martin and isn't interested in replacing him.” Yet even with no obvious alternative, calls are mounting for Martin to step aside. This piece cites statements by progressive Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan, as well as a new initiative by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee on one side, alongside statements by more moderate Reps. Marc Veasey and Seth Moulton to the same effect. Still, many state parties and an equally ideologically diverse coalition is standing by Martin, so he will likely remain in place, at least for the time being.* Looking southward, this week Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her country will host the Iranian team ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Per Al Jazeera, the United States, which is hosting many of the matches, including all three the Iranian team was scheduled to play in, expressed that they did not think it “appropriate” for Iranian team members to be in the country, “for their own life and safety.” FIFA approached Mexico as an alternative. In her daily press conference, Sheinbaum stated that “We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico.” The Iranian team has also announced they will be moving their training base from Tucson to Tijuana, but still plan to enter the United States to play their games – with Trump saying they will be “welcome,” despite the fact American authorities have yet to issue the necessary visas.* Our final two stories involve the Pope. First, AP reports that this week Pope Leo XIV made an historic apology not only for the Catholic Church's role in legitimizing slavery, but its failure to condemn the practice for centuries afterwards. Pope Leo called this a “wound in Christian memory.” Leo, the first American Pope, can point to both enslaved people and slave owners in his familial lineage, a remarkable vantage point from which to issue this statement in his first ever encyclical ”Magnifica Humanitas.”* Yet, for how historic this section of the encyclical is, it is not the portion of it that drew the most attention. That would be the section on Artificial Intelligence. Pope Leo writes “Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.” Leo goes on to make the critical point that “technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate, and use it.” He further goes on to state that “the pressure of new ideologies or certain highly powerful interests” can reduce the human person to “a resource to be used and exploited” or evaluated “on what they achieve or produce,” whereas God creates each individual person in His image and imbues them with inherent dignity. It is impossible to say whether the Pontiff's words will move the titans of the tech industry to change their ways, but his moving rhetoric is sure to significantly influence the world's view of AI, both today and for students of history.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Hard News on Friday with Tara Green and Rama Arjuna and guests Mayan Calendar Energies, Solar Waves, Cuba, the New Earth, and the Light of the Soul Rainbird Opens the Mayan Calendar Segment In this episode of Hard News on Friday, Rainbird opens the program by welcoming listeners and leading a short centering practice with breath, heart focus, guides, ancestors, totems, and a virtual council fire. She calls in the seven galactic directions in the Mayan tradition and then turns to the Mayan record of days. Rainbird identifies the day as Blue Lunar Monkey, or 2 Chuen, connected with stabilization, challenge, polarization, play, illusion, and magic. She describes the energy as supporting innocence, spontaneity, humor, gratitude, compassion, and the wise use of magical artistry. Rainbird Looks Ahead Through the Week Rainbird then walks listeners through the energies of the coming week. She discusses Yellow Electric Human, Red Self-Existing Skywalker, White Overtone Wizard, Blue Rhythmic Eagle, Yellow Resonant Warrior, Red Galactic Earth, and White Solar Mirror. Across these days, she emphasizes themes of enlightenment, cosmic consciousness, dimensional awareness, shamanic integrity, service, planetary harmony, intuition, honesty, grounding, and self-understanding. She also notes portal or activation days, the full moon, and the idea that certain days support weeding the garden, whether literally, mentally, or spiritually. Donations, Support, and the Talking Stick After the calendar reading, Rainbird shifts into support information for the listener-supported program. She explains how listeners can donate through BBS Radio for Hard News on Friday and the Saturday program, The True History, and she also gives information for assisting Tara and Rama through the Rainbow Roundtable. Rainbird provides donation details, a mailing address, and the Rainbow Roundtable website, then passes a symbolic talking stick to Rama, describing it as carrying world-service energy, rays, flames, universal laws, ascension waves, fairies, feathers, little people, unicorns, dolphins, and whales. Rama on the Full Moon, Solar Activity, and New Earth Host Rama, thanks Rainbird and begins by discussing the coming full moon in Sagittarius, Lord Maitreya, the cosmic Christ, and the idea of calling in higher assistance. He mentions Dr. Steven Greer's recent work on disclosure and CE5 contact, saying humanity's galactic family is present and that people can connect through the heart. Rama frames current events through ascension language, saying humanity is regaining galactic memory and activating the “temple of living radiance.” He also discusses solar cycle 25, solar flares, tectonic activity, Kilauea, ley lines, grid lines, and the emergence of a “new heaven, new Earth” timeline. Clips and Commentary on Cuba, Code Pink, and Medea Benjamin Much of the middle of the show is composed of an inserted clip from BreakThrough News featuring Medea Benjamin of Code Pink. The clip discusses reports that the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control had sent questions or subpoenas connected to a humanitarian delegation that brought aid to Cuba. Medea explains that the communication was sent to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans by email, describes it as an intimidation tactic, and says the delegation's aid work was legal and morally necessary. She argues that U.S. policy toward Cuba harms ordinary people, including babies, elders, and families facing shortages, blackouts, and lack of basic resources. Rama Connects the Clip to Old Timelines and New Energies After the clip, Rama says Cuba is important and frames the situation as part of an old timeline falling away. He connects Medea Benjamin's comments with his broader view that current events are showing the need for more love, spiritual awareness, and resistance to fear-based systems. He references Schumann resonance updates, solar flares, the human body's energetic changes, Dr. Greer, and teachings about the “temple of living radiance.” He also mentions beings and sources such as Kryon, Lord Kryon of Magnetic Service, Leonara from Atlantis, WingMakers, and other figures in what he describes as a cosmic story. A Channeled Reflection on Love, Light, and the Golden Thread The program then includes a long spiritual clip or reading focused on gratitude, light work, Father/Mother God, the company of heaven, and humanity's role in Earth's ascension. The speaker says that loving thoughts and gratitude add to the light of the world, and that each person has a “golden thread of life” woven from many lifetimes of love, wisdom, courage, skill, willingness, and tenacity. The message encourages listeners not to give up when outer events seem chaotic or discouraging, but to serve as an open door for divine light, using the affirmation of the I AM Presence and consecrating breath and life force to the light of God. Kryon Clip from Egypt and the Circle of 12 Near the end, Rama plays or introduces a clip from Kryon of Magnetic Service, recorded in Egypt at Abu Simbel. The clip describes Ramses II, Nefertari, and the temples as a great human love story, while also pointing to the Egyptian relationship with the divine. Kryon says the Egyptians understood themselves as standing next to the gods and having a direct relationship with the Creator. The clip then guides listeners into a visualization connected with the soul chakra and the Circle of 12, inviting them to cross a bridge from the known to the unknown and experience the soul as home, light, and eternal connection beyond ordinary human age or identity. Closing with the Saturday Program Invitation Rainbird responds that the Kryon clip was powerful and says they can continue it on the next program. She reminds listeners that the Saturday show will continue at 3:30 Central / 4:30 Eastern on BBS Radio station two. Rama closes by thanking everyone, saying the wisdom being shared has always been known and is now being activated. He encourages listeners to work with the violet flame and ends with a spiritual blessing.

U.S. sources have confirmed to NTD that the United States and Iran have agreed to a 60-day extension of the ceasefire and are now awaiting President Donald Trump's approval.This comes after the United States launched self-defensive strikes against the Iranian regime earlier this week.The Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on Iran's oil trade on Thursday, with the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioning eight vessels carrying Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, plus more than 15 entities that help move and sell the oil.Blue Origin's New Gen rocket erupted in flames in Florida on Thursday night, during a routine engine test on the launch pad.The incident occurred around 9 p.m. at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36 as the rocket was being prepared for a static-fire of its seven engines. Blue Origin says no one was injured and all personnel are accounted for.It is not yet clear what caused the explosion or how much damage the pad sustained, with founder Jeff Bezos saying the company will investigate and rebuild as needed.The Louisiana State House on Thursday approved a new congressional map that will eliminate one of two majority-black districts. The State Senate could vote on it as early as Friday.This new map comes after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found Louisiana relied too heavily on race when drawing its previous map. The new map carves up the 6th district, making it more favorable to Republicans. If the new map is approved, Democrat Cleo Fields will likely lose his U.S. House seat.

On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, the media is truly stupid in its reporting on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which portrayed PM Benjamin Netanyahu as the unprovoked aggressor hammering Lebanon with no context whatsoever. In reality, while Iran negotiates with the United States, its proxy Hezbollah has launched more missiles and drones at northern Israel than ever before, killing people, and forcing evacuations as part of a deliberate plan to drive Israelis out of the north and then the center, concentrating the population in a tiny area. The entire ruling class—including Democrats, some Republicans, and the media—is pathetically weak and stupid, while many podcasters gain attention simply by being as obnoxious, vile, and poisonous as possible. Also, it's a tough challenge to keep an Islamist, Nazi, 7th-century, barbaric, primitive ideological regime contained when one of its core principles is to lie, cheat, deceive, and conceal during any deals. The Iranian regime exists solely to promote a revolution by imposing its Islamist Nazi ideology on the West and every other corner of the world; it will not negotiate that objective away. They are the warmongers, while the United States is simply trying to defend itself. Later, Rep Chip Roy calls in to explain what's at stake in today's primary runoff election for Texas Attorney General. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an administrative subpoena to Hasan Piker and Code Pink co-founder Susan Medea Benjamin for possibly violating Cuba sanctions during a March trip to the island for an “ideologically charged transnational convergence of Communists.”  Piker identified billionaire Neville Roy Singham as the key “funding vehicle” behind a network of tax-exempt nonprofits that organize and finance anti-American street protests and political movements. These tax-exempt groups function as overt political operations in violation of nonprofit laws. Finally, Roy Altman calls in to discuss his new book - Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martedì 19 maggio, mentre a Parigi il segretario al Tesoro Scott Bessent parla davanti alla conferenza ministeriale «No Money for Terror», il suo dipartimento firma le sanzioni dell'Office of Foreign Assets Control contro quattro organizzatori della Global Sumud Flotilla: Saif Abu Keshek, palestinese con cittadinanza spagnola e svedese, Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz, Mohammed Khatib di Samidoun Bruxelles e Jaldia Abubakra Aueda di Samidoun Madrid. Bessent in un comunicato del Tesoro definisce la spedizione «pro-terror». Nelle stesse ore, la marina militare israeliana abborda le dieci imbarcazioni che il giorno prima erano sfuggite all'intercettazione. A circa cento miglia dalla Striscia, denuncia la Flotilla, vengono esplosi proiettili contro sei barche, una italiana. Israele smentisce il fuoco vivo e ammette «mezzi non letali». Alle 20:20 la portavoce Maria Elena Delia conferma che tutte le 54 imbarcazioni partite il 14 maggio da Marmaris sono state fermate: 426 attivisti di 39 nazionalità portati ad Ashdod. Fra loro 29 italiani e tre residenti, compresi il deputato M5s Dario Carotenuto e l'ex consigliera fiorentina Antonella Bundu. Il team legale Adalah deposita un esposto alla Procura di Roma per sequestro di persona, riferito agli abbordaggi fra il 29 aprile e il 19 maggio. Il ministro Antonio Tajani chiede all'ambasciatore a Tel Aviv «di verificare urgentemente l'uso della forza» e «un trattamento dignitoso». Lo stesso 19 maggio, in via al-Shuhada a Gaza City, un drone israeliano colpisce un'auto. WAFA conta un morto. Dal cessate il fuoco di ottobre, secondo il ministero della Salute di Gaza, gli uccisi nella Striscia hanno superato 880. Dal podio di Parigi, Bessent ha pronunciato anche un'altra frase: «Al loro nucleo, le sanzioni non sono atti di aggressione, sono strumenti di pace». #LaSveglia per La NotiziaDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/la-sveglia-di-giulio-cavalli--3269492/support.

Drei Hebel, vier Konter - die unsichtbare Eskalation zwischen Washington und PekingEin Standpunkt von Michael Hollister.Was Washington gegen einen chinesischen Fortune-Global-500-Konzern verhängte, war keine Sanktion im üblichen Sinne. Es war Verhandlungsmasse.Am 24. April 2026 setzte das Office of Foreign Assets Control des US-Finanzministeriums die Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd. auf die Specially Designated Nationals List. Die Notiz war kurz, der Vorgang nicht. Hengli ist nicht irgendeine chinesische Schattenfirma in einem Hongkonger Postfach. Hengli ist Teil eines Konzerns mit rund 35 Milliarden Dollar Umsatz im Jahr 2024, börsennotiert in Shanghai, Mitglied der Fortune Global 500, betrieben von einem 400.000-Barrel-pro-Tag-Komplex auf der Halbinsel Changxing in Dalian. Die Vorsitzende des börsennotierten Konzernteils, Fan Hongwei, gilt 2026 nach Bloomberg-Aufstellung als achtreichste Selfmade-Frau der Welt. Damit ist die Designierung der größte direkte Treffer, den Washington seit Wiederaufnahme der Iran-Maximaldruckkampagne 2019 gegen einen chinesischen Ölverarbeiter gelandet hat.Die offizielle Begründung lautete: Hengli kaufe seit mindestens 2023 iranisches Rohöl in Milliardenhöhe und habe dadurch Hunderte Millionen Dollar Einnahmen für die iranischen Streitkräfte generiert. Verkäufer auf iranischer Seite sei die Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company gewesen - der Ölverkaufsarm des iranischen Generalstabs. Über einen Treuhand-Mechanismus, dokumentiert in der OFAC-Pressemitteilung „Economic Fury Targets Global Network Fueling Iran's Oil Trade", flossen die Mittel direkt in die militärische Versorgungskette der Streitkräfte.Das war der lautere Teil. Der leisere ist: Die Sanktion fiel auf einen Zeitpunkt, an dem in Peking und Washington ein direktes Treffen zwischen Donald Trump und Xi Jinping vorbereitet wurde - laut Berichten der South China Morning Post „nur wenige Wochen" nach der Designierung. Hengli ist in diesem Zusammenhang weder Zufall noch Routine. Hengli ist Verhandlungsmasse.Die zentrale Frage hinter dem Iran-KriegIm Vordergrund der internationalen Aufmerksamkeit stehen seit dem 28. Februar 2026 die militärischen Schlagzeilen: US- und israelische Luftangriffe auf iranische Anlagen, iranische Gegenschläge, beschlagnahmte Tanker, Raketenangriffe auf staatenlose Frachtschiffe in der Straße von Hormus. Die Berichterstattung folgt der Bühne. Doch unter der Bühne läuft eine zweite Eskalation, die nicht Iran adressiert, sondern China.Vor Kriegsbeginn lag Chinas Anteil an Irans Rohölexporten nach Treasury-Angaben zwischen 80 und 90 Prozent. Die iranische Ölwirtschaft war faktisch eine chinesische Versorgungsroute mit iranischer Förderlizenz. Was Washington seit 24. April vollzieht, ist nicht die Schwächung des iranischen Regimes - die ist aus Sicht der US-Strategen ohnehin bereits weit fortgeschritten. Es ist die Beseitigung einer chinesischen Energie-Hintertür über drei sich verstärkende Hebel: physisch über die Marineblockade, finanziell über OFAC, operativ über den Hormus-Schiffsverkehr.Peking antwortet darauf nicht mit den Mitteln, die der westliche Beobachter erwartet. Keine eskalierenden Pressekonferenzen. Keine martialischen Drohungen. Stattdessen vier Konter auf vier verschiedenen Ebenen: diplomatisch, operativ, juristisch, kollateral. Asiatische Eskalationskunst funktioniert nicht über Lautstärke, sondern über strukturelle Inanspruchnahme eigener Hebel. Wer die Eskalation nur an den Pressekonferenzen liest, verpasst sie.Der Artikel beschreibt, wie diese sechs Bewegungen auf zwei Spielebenen ineinandergreifen - und warum die eigentliche Entscheidungsebene weder in Tehran noch in Hormus liegt, sondern auf dem nicht stattgefundenen Gipfeltisch zwischen Trump und Xi....https://apolut.net/usa-und-china-der-geheime-krieg-um-irans-ol-von-michael-hollister/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I never thought I'd be glued to my screen this early on a crisp April morning in 2026, but here I am, coffee in hand, scrolling through the latest legal fireworks swirling around President Donald Trump. Just days ago, on April 1st, the Supreme Court chambers in Washington, D.C., echoed with oral arguments in Trump v. United States, a blockbuster case challenging Executive Order 14160. Rutgers Law School professors are calling it one of the most pivotal issues of the year, as it questions whether Trump's order redefining birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act holds water. Picture this: the justices grilling lawyers over who qualifies as a U.S. citizen by birth, with Trump's team arguing it bolsters national security while opponents cry foul on constitutional grounds. Rutgers Law highlights how this could reshape immigration law overnight, sending shockwaves through families across America.But that's not all keeping me up at night. Fast-forward to April 7th, and G37 Chambers' International Legal News roundup drops a bombshell from the White House. They're defending Trump amid Middle East tensions, stating outright that "the US President, Donald Trump was making the entire region safer." It's tied to broader foreign policy moves, like Syria's new Investment Arbitration Centre in Damascus, launched post-Assad to lure investors—moves Trump champions as stabilizing the chaos. Guernica 37's weekly updates from the International Criminal Court and European Court of Human Rights paint a picture of global legal chess, with Trump's administration pushing back hard.Shifting gears to the courts back home, the Southern District of New York is heating up with a wild twist on sanctions. The National Law Review reports that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued then revoked a license for legal fees to defend former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro. They're on the SDN List, facing narcotics and firearms charges after a dramatic U.S. Army rendition via Operation Southern Spear. Maduro's lawyers are firing back, claiming it guts their Sixth Amendment right to counsel and Fifth Amendment due process—echoes that make you wonder if similar sanction snags could ever loop in U.S. political heavyweights like Trump.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's fall 2025 arguments in Fernandez v. United States and Rutherford v. United States linger like a storm cloud, potentially curbing judges' power on compassionate releases for prisoners. Rutgers Law notes this could trap countless inmates in "extraordinary and compelling" limbo, a reform battle Trump-era policies have fueled.As the sun rises here on April 15th, these threads weave a tapestry of power, borders, and justice that's anything but sleepy. From the Supreme Court's marble halls to Damascus streets, Trump's legal orbit keeps the world spinning.Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Come back next week for more, and this has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

I never thought I'd be glued to my screen at 6 AM on this crisp April 13th, 2026, watching the legal world swirl around President Donald Trump like a storm over Mar-a-Lago. But here we are, listeners, with the U.S. Supreme Court diving headfirst into his bold Executive Order 14160, challenging the very heart of birthright citizenship. According to Rutgers Law School's analysis of key issues to watch in 2026, this order seeks to redefine who qualifies for U.S. citizenship by birth, potentially clashing with the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act. Oral arguments heated up just days ago on April 1st, as reported in coverage from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court proceedings, where lawyers like Peter J. Brann for the Senate President and David M. Kallin for the League of Women Voters of Maine squared off against Timothy C. Woodcock for the Republican National Committee. The stakes? A doctrinal earthquake that could reshape immigration law for generations.Just last week, on April 7th, G37 Chambers' International Legal News roundup from March 30 to April 3 highlighted the White House defending Trump, stating he was making the entire Middle East region safer amid foreign policy firestorms. But back home, the courts are buzzing. Picture this: the Supreme Court also just rejected Colorado's ban on conversion therapy in a March 31st update noted by Rutgers Law professors, a win for broader civil rights debates that echo Trump's administration priorities on limiting judicial overreach.Meanwhile, in a twist tying sanctions to legal battles, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, issued then revoked a license for paying defense attorneys in the Southern District of New York case against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores de Maduro, per G37 Chambers. They're on the SDN List, facing narcotics and firearm charges after a dramatic U.S. Army Operation Southern Spear rendition. Their lawyers argue it violates Sixth Amendment rights to counsel and Fifth Amendment due process—echoes of constitutional fights Trump knows all too well from his own past tussles.And don't sleep on Trump v. CASA, Inc., where the Supreme Court in June ruled that universal injunctive relief likely exceeds federal courts' equitable authority, as detailed in Goodwin's emerging issues report for 2026. This curbs sweeping injunctions, handing a victory to executive actions like Trump's. With the D.C. Circuit eyeing CFPB overhauls under acting director Russell Vought, who wants to slash 88% of staff, these rulings signal a federal retrenchment aligning with Trump's deregulatory push.As the sun rises over Washington, D.C., these battles paint Trump as the epicenter of 2026's legal drama—citizenship clashes, sanction skirmishes, and court curbs on power. It's a high-wire act, listeners, blending policy wins with constitutional showdowns.Thanks for tuning in, and come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Ralph welcomes Haley Hinkle, policy counsel at Fairplay to tell us about how a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for harming children's mental health and safety, violating state law. Then when present highlights from last week's symposium on impeachment, featuring Dennis Kucinich, CIA whistleblower, Jeffrey Sterling, Public Citizen co-president, Rob Weissman, GW law dean Alan Morrison and many more.Haley Hinkle is policy counsel at Fairplay, where she advocates for laws and regulations that protect children and teens' autonomy and safety online. Ms. Hinkle has also worked on issues at the intersection of government surveillance technology and civil liberties.We saw a lot of that in the discovery for these cases and other lawsuits that are currently being brought against the companies—that they have a lot of internal research where they're very specific with their features. And also their safety features. They test them to make sure safety features aren't too effective. They don't reduce too much screen time. And this is completely overwhelming for young brains. And it's completely overwhelming for families that are trying to make the choice between protecting their children and isolating them from the virtual spaces where all of their friends and classmates are gathering. And so it's not straightforward. And in many cases, the parental controls or settings that may give a family some semblance of control are not usually very effective.Haley HinkleI think if juries continue to make such resounding decisions on behalf of families, that's maybe going to motivate these companies to try to find ways to avoid further jury trials and to settle. But all of this raises the fact that as these processes continue (and they're so important), we can't wait for lawmakers to do their part to also step in and act and try to get some strong rules of the road in place to fill the void that has created this situation.Haley HinkleWe're in a moment right now where we have to decide who we are as a people—not who the President is. We already have an estimation of that. The question is who we are. Because, with few exceptions, almost each and every statement the President has made in the last month has been an impeachable offense. He is a walking, talking impeachment machine.Dennis KucinichLet me remind everybody watching this and this panel that this entire Congress is complicit in every crime of this administration for letting Donald Trump pass that threshold into his illegal presidency by not upholding Section 3 of the 14th Amendment on January 6, 2025. I am preaching to the choir if I tell this audience that we have passed so many thresholds when accountability should have happened, when somebody's foot should have been put down, and this should have stopped. This obscene, lawless war launched by a draft dodging pedophile domestic terrorist in concert with an international war criminal…Generations are going to be looking back to this moment to see what those people, those men and women (Democrats and Republicans in that body, but at the end of the day, human beings with moral compasses somewhere deep within themselves) were doing when American democracy was being burned to the ground.Jessica Denson, founder of the Removal CoalitionNews 4/10/26* This week, many felt that the U.S. came as close to a nuclear conflagration as it has since the Cuban Missile Crisis, as President Trump whipsawed between vowing that Iran's “'whole civilization will die” and striking peace deals with the Islamic Republic. Ultimately, the U.S., Iran and Israel all signed a two-week cease-fire agreement, mediated by Pakistan, including a provision that Iran will “allow oil, gas and other vessels to proceed unmolested” through the Strait of Hormuz, per the New York Times. However, this is just a cease-fire – not a peace treaty – and is being immediately pushed to the brink as Israel continues their ongoing, devastating assault on Lebanon. The Guardian reports that both Iran and Pakistan view Lebanon as included within the deal, while Israel maintains that it is a separate matter. In retaliation, Iran is now demanding tolls as high as $2 million per ship to pass through the Strait. With Israel showing little interest in acceding to a ceasefire in Lebanon, it seems unlikely this crisis will be resolved swiftly.* In the lead up to Trump's address Tuesday night, a large number of Democrats came out publicly in favor of Trump's removal via the 25th amendment, or failing that, a new congressional impeachment effort. According to Axios, this group includes both progressives like AOC, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, as well as more moderate members, including even Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Some Democratic Senators, including Senators Ed Markey and Ron Wyden also signaled their support. Perhaps most strikingly, former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called for Trump to be removed through an invocation of the 25th amendment, though she stopped short of calling for impeachment. This all coincided with Congressman John Larson introducing a new set of 13 articles of impeachment – that he may soon force a vote on under House Rule IX – and the legal symposium on impeachment organized by our own Ralph Nader and friend of the show Bruce Fein, available on C-SPAN.* Leading the moral opposition to the Iran war meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV – the first American Pope – has come out in opposition, telling journalists that “all people of goodwill” should “always search for peace and not violence… [and] reject war,” emphasizing that many have called this war “unjust” and that it is ”continuing to escalate and…not resolving anything.” Pope Leo stressed that “the innocent: children, the elderly, the sick…will become victims of this continued warfare.” The pontiff even went so far as to conclude with a call for political action, urging the people of the world “to contact the authorities—political leaders, congressmen—to ask them, to tell them, to work for peace and to reject war and violence.” This from Vatican News.* However, this is just the latest flashpoint between Pope Leo and the Trump administration. Administration officials were already irate with the Vatican earlier this week, following Pope Leo's statements on Easter Sunday, when he called for world leaders to give up their “desire to dominate others” and “the imperialist occupation of the world.” In response, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby – grandson of former CIA Director William Colby – reportedly told Vatican officials that “America has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world,””and “The Catholic Church had better take its side.” They also reportedly invoked the Avignon Papacy, implying that the United States could sponsor an heretical anti-pope as an alternative for rightwing Catholics. This exchange was apparently so shocking that Vatican officials canceled a planned American visit by the first American Pope. This from Newsweek.* Another deeply immoral story comes to us from Michigan, where the Detroit News reports Danhao Wang – a Chinese electrical and computer engineering research assistant at the University of Michigan – has died after falling from an upper level of the George G. Brown Building. According to this report, the university's police department is investigating this incident as a “possible act of self harm,” but Chinese authorities are demanding an investigation into his death, noting that it came on the heels of Wang enduring “hostile questioning” by federal law enforcement. This tragedy has occurred within the context of a Trump administration-led “crackdown” on foreign influence at U.S. universities. The Chinese Consulate in Chicago meanwhile put out a public statement decrying that “For some time now, the U.S. has overstretched the concept of national security for political manipulation and groundlessly interrogated and harassed Chinese students and scholars,” like Wang, implying some role in his death, while simultaneously “infring[ing] on Chinese citizens' legitimate and lawful rights and interests, poison[ing] the atmosphere of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the U.S., and creat[ing] a serious chilling effect.” The Consulate is also demanding that law enforcement “carry out a full investigation, give the family of the victim and the Chinese side a responsible explanation, stop any discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese students and scholars in the U.S., and stop imposing wrongful convictions.”* Elsewhere in the midwest, Republican lawmakers in Ohio are taking first steps to do something about the out of control sports gambling epidemic. These legislators have introduced two bills, one designed to ban in-game gambling, parlay and prop bets and wagers on all college athletics and a second bill which would prohibit the “use of credit cards to make bets…[limit] bets to $100 and only [allow] up to eight wagers per 24 hour [period].” It would also ban ads during events broadcast live. However, the number one biggest rule these laws would impose would be banning online sports gambling period. Republican State Rep. Gary Click is quoted saying “[We're] going to put some common sense consumer protections in place to protect Ohio citizens.” Yet, this report also notes a huge loophole in these bills: they would not apply to prediction markets like Polymarket or Kalshi, just pure sportsbooks. This from ABC News 5 Cleveland.* Turning back to foreign affairs, French authorities have arrested Rima Hassan, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Jean-luc Mélenchon left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party. The charge? According to Al Jazeera, suspicion of “apology for terrorism” for a post that referenced Kozo Okamoto, a participant in the deadly attack at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport in 1972. However, Hassan's allies in the LFI see this as a thinly veiled attempt to silence pro-Palestine voices. Sophia Chikirou, an LFI MP said “The French police and justice system are being used to intimidate those who support the Palestinian people,” while Mélenchon himself wrote “So there is no longer parliamentary immunity in France. Intolerable.” Mathilde Panot, an MP and head of the LFI delegation in the National Assembly, said “the criminalisation of political opponents has reached a new level,” under President Emmanuel Macron and demanded that “This relentless attack, trampling on the most fundamental rights, must end immediately.”* Our final stories this week cover Latin America. First, a delegation of American members of Congress, including Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Jonathan Jackson, visited Cuba in an attempt to see “firsthand the devastation and suffering caused by the U.S. blockade of fuel,” according to Jayapal. In their joint statement, Jayapal and Jackson wrote that they met with “families, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, the Cuban government, Latin American and African ambassadors, humanitarian aid organizations, and Cubans across the political spectrum, including dissidents,” all of whom demanded an end to the blockade. Further, they wrote that they witnessed “premature babies in incubators, weighing just two pounds, who are at tremendous risk because their ventilators and incubators cannot function without electricity. Children cannot attend school because there is no fuel for them or their teachers to travel. Cancer patients cannot receive lifesaving treatments because of lack of medications. There is a water shortage because there is little electricity to pump water. Businesses have closed. Families cannot keep food refrigerated, and food production on the island has dropped to just 10 percent of the people's needs.” They concluded by calling for “real negotiations” between both countries. Sadly, it is unlikely that those will come after such a long, acrimonious relationship since the 1959 revolution.* Next, in Venezuela, NPR reports that the Office of Foreign Assets Control – a division of the Treasury Department – has lifted sanctions on acting President Delcy Rodríguez. NPR notes that this sanctions relief “allows Rodríguez to more freely work with U.S. companies and investors.” In a statement on the platform Telegram, Rodríguez wrote “We value President Donald Trump's decision as a step toward normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries...We trust that this progress will allow for the lifting of current sanctions against our country, enabling us to build and guarantee an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our people.” Yet, her presidency rests on shaky legal grounds. While the Trump administration recognizes her as the “sole Head of State” the Venezuelan political system still recognizes Nicolás Maduro as the rightful president and Rodríguez as acting president for just 90 days – a window that is ending as we record this segment – though the National Assembly, presided over by her brother, can extend her acting term by six months. After that point however, the future of Venezuela looks far murkier, particularly if Maduro remains in U.S. custody.* Finally, in Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her government will consolidate the various branches of the Mexican public health apparatus – including the Mexican Social Security Institute, the Social Security Institute and Social Services of Workers of the State, and the IMSS Bienestar program – into a single Universal Health Service. According to TeleSUR English, President Sheinbaum stated that the “objective is that any citizen can attend any health institution and be guaranteed full and free coverage throughout the national system.” President Sheinbaum emphasized that “universal breast cancer care will also be incorporated, including mammograms, biopsies, and treatments at the nearest facility, expanding preventive and therapeutic coverage for women nationwide,” and that the plan would “ensure continuity of complex treatments for conditions such as cancer, HIV, kidney disease, and hemophilia, even if the patient loses or changes their health insurance coverage, preventing interruptions in critical therapies.” She hopes to have this system in place by next year. While Mexico has a much more robust public health infrastructure than the U.S. to begin with, it is remarkable how, with the right combination of administrative competence, popular government and political will, Sheinbaum is poised to achieve yet another social safety net expansion considered a complete political impossibility in this country in such a short window of time. Never let yourself be beaten down. A better world is possible.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Das ZDF verpflichtet Talkshow-Gäste künftig, nicht mit Personen oder Organisationen auf Sanktions- oder Terrorlisten zusammenzuarbeiten – darunter auch Listen der US-Behörde Office of Foreign Assets Control. Mit Christian Mihr von "Reporter Ohne Grenzen" geht es um die Frage: Ist das ein eine notwendige rechtliche Absicherung oder potenzieller Eingriff in die Pressefreiheit? Anlässlich der Wahl in Ungarn sprechen wir mit ARD-Korrespondent Oliver Soos über die eingeschränkte Medienlandschaft im Land. Klassische Medien stehen unter Druck, unabhängige Stimmen weichen ins Digitale aus. Gleichzeitig gewinnen Social Media an Bedeutung – auch als Raum für Desinformation und Deepfakes. Mit ARD-Faktenchecker Pascal Siggelkow geht es um Desinformation: Welche Fake News kursieren rund um die Wahl? Welche Rolle spielen Plattformen – Verstärker oder Korrektiv? Medienreporter Michael Meyer informiert uns über Kolumnen in Deutschland: Warum sie polarisieren, warum Männer dominieren – und welche Rolle Anfeindungen gegen Journalistinnen spielen. Eine Sendung über Medienmacht, Verantwortung – und die Frage, wer überhaupt noch zu Wort kommt.

Das ZDF verpflichtet Talkshow-Gäste künftig, nicht mit Personen oder Organisationen auf Sanktions- oder Terrorlisten zusammenzuarbeiten – darunter auch Listen der US-Behörde Office of Foreign Assets Control. Mit Christian Mihr von "Reporter Ohne Grenzen" geht es um die Frage: Ist das ein eine notwendige rechtliche Absicherung oder potenzieller Eingriff in die Pressefreiheit? Anlässlich der Wahl in Ungarn sprechen wir mit ARD-Korrespondent Oliver Soos über die eingeschränkte Medienlandschaft im Land. Klassische Medien stehen unter Druck, unabhängige Stimmen weichen ins Digitale aus. Gleichzeitig gewinnen Social Media an Bedeutung – auch als Raum für Desinformation und Deepfakes. Mit ARD-Faktenchecker Pascal Siggelkow geht es um Desinformation: Welche Fake News kursieren rund um die Wahl? Welche Rolle spielen Plattformen – Verstärker oder Korrektiv? Medienreporter Michael Meyer informiert uns über Kolumnen in Deutschland: Warum sie polarisieren, warum Männer dominieren – und welche Rolle Anfeindungen gegen Journalistinnen spielen. Eine Sendung über Medienmacht, Verantwortung – und die Frage, wer überhaupt noch zu Wort kommt.

On today's podcast:1) Zohran Mamdani unapologetically promised to lead New York City as a democratic socialist during a frigid inauguration ceremony on the steps of City Hall, a warning to those who believed he might moderate his positions after taking office. The nearly two-hour long event Thursday featured speeches by two of the US’s most liberal members of Congress, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a frequent target of President Trump, also had a speaking role. The ceremony served as a not-so-subtle statement of resistance to White House policies from the nation’s largest city.2) The Trump administration stepped up a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with related oil tankers it accused of evading restrictions. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Wednesday added four companies with links to Venezuela’s oil industry to its specially designated nationals and blocked persons list, while also sanctioning four vessels connected with those firms. The US already has a list of vessels and companies under sanction for their connections to Venezuela’s oil trade. But targeting Chinese firms doing business there is rare, and could be a signal to Beijing to steer clear of the stand-off between the Trump administration and the regime of Nicolás Maduro. China is Venezuela’s biggest customer for oil exports, which represent about 95% of Venezuela’s revenue.3) President Trump pledged in a late night social media post that the US will come to the rescue of Iranian protesters if they are attacked by Islamic Republic authorities. The post, around 3 a.m. Washington and late morning in Iran on Friday, comes after protests erupted this week in Tehran after the currency slumped to a record low, worsening an economic crisis in a country already wracked by sanctions. Demonstrations have since spread to other parts of the country, setting off clashes between civilians and security forces. Trump didn’t provide any specifics on what actions he would consider taking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the US Dollar become the dominant currency internationally? What keeps other currencies, fiat or crypto, from displacing the dollar's role? Does the aggressive use of sanctions by the US Government put the dollar's role at risk?Paul Blustein is with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as an author and journalist. He has written several books including his latest work King Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant Currency and previous works, Off Balance: The Travails of Institutions That Govern the Global Financial System, And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out) Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina, and Laid Low: Inside the Crisis That Overwhelmed Europe and the IMF.Greg and Paul discuss the reasons behind the US dollar's dominance in global finance, its historical roots stemming from the Bretton Woods Agreement, and the challenges posed by international crises and economic policies. Paul also discusses the role and limitations of the IMF, the geopolitical implications of using the dollar as a financial weapon, and the potential impact of emerging currencies and digital threats. The episode concludes with insights into the phenomena of dollarization and how various economic strategies, including those of China and Russia, intersect with the enduring power of the US dollar.*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:How the U.S. discovered the power of financial sanctions21:00: No longer was it just going to be the drug lords and, you know, in Colombia and places like that, it was now the government was gonna crack down on terrorists. And so the Treasury, OFAC, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, began doing some of that. And they realized that by cutting off banks abroad from access to the dollar system, that correspondent banking system we were just talking about, that, you know, things could really go boom. They could pose a death sentence on banks. And as they began to realize the power of that, they then applied it in the case of North Korea in 2005. And they were absolutely astonished to discover that this really worked. You could really have a big effect on North Korea's financial system by cutting off banks. It was—they went after a bank in Macau that had been—and then they were off to the races. They could use this similar kind of weaponry on Iran and other adversariesResponsible vs irresponsible use of dollar power25:29: You have this power with a dollar; if we use it responsibly, it can be a very good power. And if we use it irresponsibly, it's a bad power. And that's the way I like to look at it.How U.S.–China sanction scenarios are actually gamed out51:59: Some of the hawks in, you know, you don't hear so much from these guys anymore, but the hawks in Congress have tried to game some of these out. You know, I go into this in one of the chapters of the book about how they, you know, they had a red team and a blue team, and they thought, well, we can, you know, we just have done this—imposed drastic sanctions on Russia. So if there's an invasion of Taiwan, here's what we do. And they, I think, have discovered that if you have a really knowledgeable red team playing the Chinese Communist Party, they can come up with a lot, a lot of things that, it preserves Taiwanese democracy but doesn't have us at each other's throats.Show Links:Recommended Resources:United States DollarEuroRenminbiReserve CurrencyNetwork EffectBretton Woods SystemJohn Maynard KeynesHarry Dexter WhiteHerbert SteinFederal ReserveInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)SWIFTEuroclearFiat MoneyXi JinpingShadow FleetGuest Profile:PaulBlustein.comProfessional Profile for CSISLinkedIn ProfileSocial Profile on XGuest Work:Amazon Author PageKing Dollar: The Past and Future of the World's Dominant CurrencyOff Balance: The Travails of Institutions That Govern the Global Financial SystemAnd the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out) Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of ArgentinaThe Chastening: Inside The Crisis That Rocked The Global Financial System And Humbled The IMFMisadventures of the Most Favored Nations: Clashing Egos, Inflated Ambitions, and the Great Shambles of the World Trade SystemLaid Low: Inside the Crisis That Overwhelmed Europe and the IMFSchism: China, America, and the Fracturing of the Global Trading System Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1. Purpose of the Sanctions The sanctions aim to cripple Russia’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine by targeting its oil revenue, which is a major source of economic and military support. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control stated the move is intended to degrade Russia’s war machine and economy. 2. Political Context The sanctions follow a canceled meeting between Trump and Putin, signaling rising tensions and frustration. Trump’s administration is positioning this as a shift toward “peace through strength”, emphasizing economic pressure over diplomacy. 3. Economic Implications Russia may be forced to lower oil prices or reduce production, both of which would hurt its economy. The sanctions could lead to global oil price spikes and affect energy markets. The effectiveness depends on international coordination, especially with major buyers like India and China. 4. Domestic Political Support There is bipartisan support in Congress for the sanctions. Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Mullin both expressed strong backing, framing the move as overdue and necessary. Trump described the sanctions as “very big and tremendous,” indicating a serious escalation. 5. Strategic Considerations The podcast suggests this is just the first step in a broader strategy, potentially including: Secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil. Tariffs on Russian oil imports. Military aid to Ukraine via European purchases. 6. Diplomatic Messaging The sanctions are also framed as a lever for diplomacy, with calls for a ceasefire. Trump’s rhetoric and canceled meeting with Putin reflect a hardening stance after failed diplomatic efforts. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Problems with paying foreign parties.

There is a powerful office in the Treasury Department called the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. You could argue that the officials in OFAC are the most powerful government functionaries in the world. They are the functionaries who sanction companies, organizations, and individuals, by adding these entities to a list called the Specially Designated Nationals List, or SDN List for short. Today, there are over 17,000 designated entities. The list includes Iranian government institutions, Afghan jihadists, Russian state enterprises, Venezuelan officials, and Mexican drug lords—a growing list of entities that the US deems a threat to national security. Getting on the list is easy. Getting off the list is hard.Erich Ferrari is Founder and Principal Attorney of Ferrari & Associates, a Washington DC based law firm. Erich represents U.S. and foreign corporations, financial institutions, exporters, insurers, as well as private individuals in trade compliance, regulatory licensing matters, and federal investigations and prosecutions.The Sanctions Age is hosted by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj. The show is produced by Spiritland Productions.To receive an email when new episodes are released, access episode transcripts, and read Esfandyar's notes on each episode, sign-up for the The Sanctions Age newsletter on Substack: https://www.thesanctionsage.com/

Host Dave Sobel discusses significant cybersecurity developments involving the U.S. Treasury Department and its recent breach linked to Chinese hackers. The breach, which was discovered on December 8, 2024, involved unauthorized access to unclassified documents within the Office of Foreign Assets Control, raising alarms about the potential exposure of sensitive information related to economic sanctions. The episode highlights the ongoing investigations and the U.S. government's response, including sanctions imposed on a Chinese cybersecurity firm involved in the Flax Typhoon cyber attacks that compromised numerous internet-connected devices globally.Sobel also addresses the national security concerns surrounding TP-Link internet routers, which hold a dominant market share in the U.S. The Commerce, Defense, and Justice Departments are investigating the company due to its alleged ties to Chinese cyber threats and its failure to rectify security vulnerabilities. The episode emphasizes the importance of securing cloud systems, as CISA has mandated federal agencies to conduct security assessments in light of recent breaches attributed to foreign hackers. This directive aims to enhance the security posture of federal cloud environments and protect sensitive information.The discussion shifts to the leadership transition at PIA, where CEO Jerwai Todd has stepped down after a year, passing the reins to an executive group. Sobel reflects on the challenges of dual CEO roles and the importance of operational stability during this transition. He notes Todd's contributions to the company, including the launch of an AI-driven help desk ticketing system, and emphasizes the need for a capable leader to navigate the competitive landscape of help desk automation.Finally, the episode covers OpenAI's recent announcements regarding its new reasoning models, O1 and O3, which aim to enhance AI capabilities and approach artificial general intelligence. Sobel discusses the implications of OpenAI's shift towards a for-profit model and the potential impact on the development of AI technologies. He highlights the need for practical applications of these advancements and the importance of addressing concerns about the ethical implications of AI development. The episode concludes with a reminder of the significance of these developments in the broader context of technology and national security. Three things to know today 00:00 From Treasury Hacks to Router Risks: The U.S. Grapples with China's Cyber Onslaught06:31 Dual CEO Role Dilemmas: Gerwai Todd Passes the Torch at Pia08:51 AI Gets a Power Boost: OpenAI's Big Plans, Bigger Models, and a Push for Profits All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech

Forecast: Cyber conditions are turbulent with two major Chinese state-sponsored storms impacting U.S. infrastructure, with aftershocks expected into mid-January. ‍ In today's episode of Storm Watch, we cover two major cybersecurity incidents that have significantly impacted U.S. infrastructure. The BeyondTrust breach, initially discovered in early December 2024, involved a compromised Remote Support SaaS API key that allowed attackers to reset passwords and access workstations remotely. The Treasury Department was notably affected, with attackers accessing unclassified documents in the Office of Financial Research and Office of Foreign Assets Control. The incident exposed critical vulnerabilities, including a severe command injection flaw with a CVSS score of 9.8, and over 13,500 BeyondTrust instances remain exposed online. The conversation then shifts to the extensive telecommunications breaches known as the Salt Typhoon campaign, where Chinese state actors successfully infiltrated nine major U.S. telecom companies. This sophisticated espionage operation gained the capability to geolocate millions of individuals and potentially record phone calls, though actual communication interception was limited to fewer than 100 high-profile targets. The breach revealed shocking security lapses, such as a single administrator account having access to over 100,000 routers and the use of primitive passwords like "1111" for management systems. Major carriers including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies were among the affected companies, with varying degrees of impact and response effectiveness. T-Mobile stands out for their quick detection and mitigation of the attack. In response to these incidents, the FCC is preparing to vote on new cybersecurity regulations by mid-January 2025, while the White House has outlined key areas for improvement including configuration management, vulnerability management, network segmentation, and enhanced information sharing across the sector. The episode wraps up with insights from recent Censys Rapid Response posts and the latest GreyNoise blog entry about profiling benign internet scanners in 2024, along with VulnCheck's analysis of the most dangerous software weaknesses and a discussion of the Four-Faith Industrial Router vulnerability being exploited in the wild. Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>  

Hello, and welcome to episode 120 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, there is the typical range of designations and updates across the principal sanctions-imposing bodies. On bribery and corruption, more on the ‘tuna bonds' case only this time from the US with a conviction in a criminal action. The money laundering news comes in the shape of output from the Counter ISIS Finance Group. On fraud, from the US action against bank fraudsters, and from the EU, action against investment scammers. The National Crime Agency in the UK has announced the outcome of its action against the wife of former Azerbaijan banker, Jahangir Hajiyev, and news of a possible massive cyber breach in the US. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: Attorney-General's Department, 2024 Australian Dialogue on Bribery and Corruption.BitcoinBlog.de, FATF: Cryptocurrencies continue to be used for terrorism financing.Council of the European Union, Belarus: EU lists further 28 individuals for participation in internal repression.Department for Education, Policy paper: DfE counter-fraud strategy overview: 2024 to 2027.Department of Justice, Six people charged in bank fraud scheme involving an insider sharing account information that caused more than $345,000 in theft.Department of Justice, Six Members of Transnational Fraud Network Indicted for Scheme to Steal Millions from American Consumers' Bank Accounts.Department of Justice, Former Finance Minister of Mozambique Convicted of $2B Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme.Department of State, Reinforcing Sanctions on Former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes.Department of the Treasury, Counter ISIS Finance Group Leaders Issue Joint Statement.Eurojust, Financial scammers detained following actions coordinated by Eurojust.Europol, Corrupt Spanish lawyer arrested for €4.5 million fishery project bribe in Equatorial Guinea.Financial Action Task Force, Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers.Information Commissioner's Office, Provisional decision to impose £6m fine on software provider following 2022 ransomware attack that disrupted NHS and social care services.Insolvency Service, Bedfordshire construction contractor banned as company director after Covid loan abuse.National Crime Agency, Luxury properties forfeited after six year NCA investigation.Norton Rose Fulbright, Financial Crime Spotlight: Money Laundering Controls in the Art Market.Norton Rose Fulbright, Financial Crime Spotlight: Money Laundering Controls in the Gambling Sector.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: Payments to Local Authorities INT/2023/3781228.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence – East-West United Bank – Insolvency related payments and activities INT/2024/5028385.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: Permitted Payments to UK Insurance Companies INT/2022/2009156.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Belarus.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Designates Tobacco Company for Supporting Paraguay's Sanctioned Former President.Pinsent Masons, ‘Failure to prevent bribery' offence will soon take effect in Australia.Royal United Services Institute, What's the Point of the Financial Action Task Force Standards?Spotlight on Corruption, NCA forfeits over £17 million in luxury properties from first-ever McMafia order.Student Loan Company, SLC Economic Crime Unit Statement of Intent.Transparency International, Transparency International UK welcomes forfeiture of millions of pounds of assets from Azerbaijan banker, Jahangir Hajiyev.UK Financial Intelligence Unit, SARs Reporter Booklet August 2024. 

Hello, and welcome to episode 119 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. There has been an unusual uptick, certainly for the summer months, in financial crime news this week. On sanctions this week, the NCA secures its first sanctions-related forfeiture, and the EU and US have added to their designations. On bribery and corruption, the SFO in the UK has announced charges against five former executives of Glencore, and the High Court has some tough words regarding the behaviour of professionals and institutions in the ‘tuna bond' action brought by Mozambique. On fraud news, there's more Covid-19 recovery fund abuse from the US, and the imprisonment of a tech scammer. There is also a decent amount of market abuse news from the SEC in the US, and the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, and in other news, the NCA in the UK has announced a new data sharing scheme and the SFO has published its annual report and accounts. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: Cayman Islands, Beneficial Ownership Transparency Act 2023.Commodities and Futures Trading Commission's Office of Customer Education and Outreach, CFTC Warns Customers to Watch for Follow-on Frauds.Council of the European Union, Sanctions against terrorism: Council renews the EU Terrorist List and designates a new entity.Department of Justice, Caledonia man sentenced for COVID loan fraud.Department of Justice, KC Woman Pleads Guilty to $900,000 Covid Fraud Scheme.Department of Justice, United States v. Andrew Left.Department of Justice, Leader Of Tech Support Fraud Scheme Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison.Department of Justice, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks on New Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program.FinCEN, FinCEN Issues Notice to Financial Institution Customers on Beneficial Ownership Information Requirements.FinCEN, Notice to Customers: Beneficial Ownership Information Reference Guide.Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, The UK Sanctions List: Search Function.Information Commissioner's Office, Reprimand: The Electoral Commission.National Crime Agency, NCA recovers £780,000 in the first UK forfeiture of sanctioned funds.National Crime Agency, Ground breaking public private partnership launched to identify criminality using banking data.National Crime Agency, Cross-System Professional Enablers Strategy 2024-2026.National Crime Agency, NCA shuts down major fraud platform responsible for 1.8 million scam calls.Ocorian, Cayman Islands modernises beneficial ownership regime to align with global standards.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence – Continuation of Business of Evraz Plc's North American Subsidiaries: INT/2022/1710676.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Yemen.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Guidance: OFSI General licence INT/2024/4919848.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets Iranian Missile and UAV Procurement Facilitators.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets Houthi Weapons Procurement Networks.Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Andrew Left and Citron Capital for $20 Million Fraud Scheme.Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Founder of Social Media Company “IRL” with $170 Million Fraud.Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, Former banker ordered to disgorge $3 million illegal gains from insider dealing.Serious Fraud Office, Annual Report & Accounts 2023-24 (press release).Serious Fraud Office, Annual Report and Accounts 2023-2024.Serious Fraud Office, SFO charges five former Glencore employees.Spotlight on Corruption, New report finds UK's enforcement of sanctions is “all bark and no bite” (press release).Spotlight on Corruption, All Bark and No Bite: Taking Stock of the UK's Enforcement of Sanctions.UK government, National Crime Agency main estimate memorandum 2024 to 2025.UK judgments, The Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International and Others [2024] EWHC 1957 (Comm).

Summary In this episode of Chattinn Cyber, Mark Schein chats with John Morrissey, Cryptocurrency Operating Compliance Director for Arete, focusing on various aspects of the cryptocurrency industry and the challenges associated with ransomware attacks. John explains how he ended up in his current role, combining his cybersecurity background with his passion for trading and investing. He discusses the volatility of the cryptocurrency market and the impact it has on ransom demands. He also highlights the increasing scrutiny and compliance requirements imposed by organizations like OFAC when it comes to making ransom payments. John emphasizes the importance of taking cybersecurity seriously and investing in the right tools and processes to protect organizations from cyber threats. John shares his journey of how he becomes the Cryptocurrency Operating Compliance Director for Arete. He mentions that he met Joe Mann, the founder of Arete, while working in the Virginia DC area. John became Arete's first client when he ran a DFIR (Digital Forensics and Incident Response) services organization. With his background in cybersecurity and his passion for trading and investing, John found a perfect fit in his current role, where he manages crypto relationships and helps clients navigate the complexities of the market. The conversation then shifts to the concept of crypto puzzles and the volatility of the cryptocurrency market. John explains that crypto is the most volatile asset in the world, and its value can fluctuate significantly in response to market conditions. He gives an example of how Bitcoin's value dropped from $69,000 to $16,000 during a market crash. John highlights the challenges of working with a new industry that lacks regulation and dealing with assets that are highly volatile. He emphasizes the need to understand how all these factors fit together. The discussion then turns to ransomware attacks and the changing demands of adversaries. John mentions that during previous market crashes, ransom demands were often made in Bitcoin. However, after the crash, there has been a shift towards demanding cash instead of Bitcoin. He notes that the ransoms are increasing year over year, with some groups demanding even higher amounts. John also mentions the increasing scrutiny and compliance requirements imposed by organizations like OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) when it comes to making ransom payments. He explains the steps Arete takes to ensure compliance, including analyzing threat actor wallets, conducting blockchain analysis, and verifying the absence of sanctions. Mark asks John how Arete can help in situations involving ransomware attacks. John explains that Arete is a full-service organization specializing in digital forensics and incident response (DFIR). They offer assistance from the moment a hack is discovered, providing a 24/7 phone number and email for immediate response. Arete's team helps clients through the entire process, from triage to recovery, and even offers guidance on planning and prevention. If necessary, Arete can also assist with the process of making ransom payments. In conclusion, the conversation between Mark Schein and John covers various aspects of the cryptocurrency industry and the challenges associated with ransomware attacks. John shares his background and how he ended up in his current role. He discusses the volatility of the cryptocurrency market and the impact it has on ransom demands. He also highlights the increasing scrutiny and compliance requirements imposed by organizations like OFAC. John emphasizes the importance of taking cybersecurity seriously and investing in the right tools and processes to protect organizations from cyber threats. Arete's role in assisting clients with ransomware attacks is also discussed, highlighting their full-service approach and expertise in digital forensics and incident response. Key Takeaways

Hello, and welcome to episode 118 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, designations from the US, and extension of existing sanctions from the EU. On bribery and corruption, the anti-corruption body in Zambia is cleared out, and another pressure group gives its two penn'orth on the new Labour government's approach to corruption. The money laundering news comes from the IMF, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and MONEYVAL has published a report on Jersey. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: Council of the European Union, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: Council renews economic sanctions for a further 6 months.Europol, Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024.Europol, Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024 (Report).International Monetary Fund, Panama: Financial Sector Assessment Program - Technical Note on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).MONEYVAL, MONEYVAL acknowledges Jersey's progress in improving measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism.MONEYVAL, Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures Jersey: Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation Report.National Crime Agency, NCA infiltrates world's most prolific DDoS-for-hire service.National Cyber Security Centre, "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." (Blog post).National Cyber Security Centre, New legislation will help counter the cyber threat to our essential services (Blog post).New Zealand Serious Fraud Office, Phone scam.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, GENERAL LICENCE - Russian Banks – UK subsidiaries – Guernsey subsidiary – EU subsidiaries - Basic needs, routine holding and maintenance, the payment of legal fees and insolvency related payments: INT/2022/1280876.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General licence - INT/2022/1280876.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets PRC-based Procurement Network Supporting DPRK Ballistic Missile and Space Programs.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Implements REPO for Ukrainians Act Reporting Requirement.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Sanctions Rebel Alliance Driving Instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Solicitors Regulation Authority, Annual report by the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) for the year ended 5 April 2024 (Annex).Spotlight on Corruption, Thin gruel for anti-corruption campaigners – the new government's King's Speech.UKFIU, SARs in Action: Issue 26.US Department of Justice, Leader of $200 Million Ponzi Scheme Pleads Guilty to Mail and Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Faces 20 Years' Imprisonment. 

Hello, and welcome to episode 117 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, designations from the US, and extension of existing sanctions from the EU. On bribery and corruption, the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition has published its post-election agenda, urging the new Labour government to take action across a range of areas. On money laundering, the Financial Conduct Authority has PEPs and their treatment by financial institutions in its sights. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: Council of the European Union, Extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as violent activists, blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza: five individuals and three entities sanctioned under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.Council of the European Union, Iran: Council prolongs EU restrictive measures in view of Iran's military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and for armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region.Financial Conduct Authority, FCA calls on firms to improve treatment of politically exposed persons (PEPs).Financial Conduct Authority, Review: The treatment of politically exposed persons.Financial Conduct Authority, GC24/4: Proposed amendments to Guidance on the treatment of politically exposed persons.Financial Conduct Authority, Court sets dates for ‘finfluencer' trials.Financial Conduct Authority, Three charged over CFD trading pension fraud.National Cyber Security Centre, Cyber Essentials 'Pathways': From experiment to proof of concept.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Guidance: UK Financial Sanctions FAQs.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Maintains Pressure on Houthi Illicit Shipping and Finance Schemes.Royal United Services Institute, Sanctions and the Next Financial Crisis.UK Anti-Corruption Coalition, Time to ramp up the fight against corruption.UK House of Commons Library, Sanctions against countries supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.US Department of Justice, Two Foreign Nationals Plead Guilty to Participating in LockBit Ransomware Group.US Department of State, United States Imposes Sanctions Targeting Iran's Chemical Weapons Research and Development.US Department of the Treasury, Treasury and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council Publish New Resources on Effective Practices for Secure Cloud Adoption. 

Hello, and welcome to episode 116 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. Money laundering takes centre stage again this week with stories from Europe and the UK. On fraud news, a range of actions from the European Public Prosecutor's Office across Romania, Malta, and Italy. The sanctions news has new designations from the US and Switzerland, and the UK has updated sanctions guidance for a number of countries. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: AUSTRAC, Spotlight on our work with international partners.AUSTRAC, Discover purpose behind the Fintel alliance.Bank of England, A multi-tool for cross-border payments: the power of Legal Entity Identifiers − speech by Victoria Cleland.Commonwealth, New Commonwealth model law to help countries regulate virtual assets.Council of Europe, Georgia: anti-corruption body calls for stronger oversight and accountability in top executive functions and the police.Council of Europe, Fifth Round Evaluation: Georgia.Delegation of the European Union to Namibia, EU supports Namibia to tackle money laundering, terrorist financing and related crimes.Eurojust, Eurojust supports searches into bribery and money laundering.European Public Prosecutor's Office, Romania: Three individuals and five companies indicted for €1 million fraud involving IT project.European Public Prosecutor's Office, Malta: Eleven charged in investigation into customs fraud and corruption of public officials.European Public Prosecutor's Office, Italy: EPPO seizes assets in €1.3 million fraud and money laundering investigation.Europol, French and Spanish authorities crack down on Chinese money laundering gang.Financial Action Task Force, Public Consultation on Recommendation 16 on Payment Transparency.Financial Action Task Force, Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers.Financial Conduct Authority, Quarterly Consultation CP24/11 No 44.National Crime Agency, National Crime Agency leads international operation to degrade illegal versions of Cobalt Strike.National Cyber Security Centre, The NCSC and partners issue alert about evolving techniques used by China state-sponsored cyber attackers.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Cyber-related Designation Removal; Russia-related Designation Removal; Issuance of Venezuela General License 40C.Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE Facilitates Training Course on Investigation of Corruption in Chisinau.The Federal Council, Ukraine: Switzerland adopts further sanctions against Russia.UK government, Zimbabwe sanctions guidance.UK government, Venezuela sanctions guidance. UK government, Guinea-Bissau sanctions guidance.UK government, Bosnia and Herzegovina sanctions guidance.UK government, Nicaragua sanctions guidance.UK government, Global Anti-corruption sanctions guidance.UK government, Global Human Rights sanctions guidance.United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Bribery becoming less accepted in Nigeria, says new report on corruption patterns and trends in the country.United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends.US Department of State, Sanctions on Individuals and Entities Contributing to Violence and Instability in the West Bank.  

pWotD Episode 2575: Ebrahim Raisi Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a popular Wikipedia page every day.With 1,188,373 views on Monday, 20 May 2024 our article of the day is Ebrahim Raisi.Ebrahim Raisolsadati (Persian: ابراهیم رئیس‌الساداتی; 14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024), commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi (Persian: ابراهیم رئیسی [ebɾɒːˈhiːm-e ræʔiːˈsiː] ), was an Iranian politician who served as the eighth president of Iran from 2021 until his death in 2024. A Principlist and a Muslim jurist, he became president after the 2021 election.Raisi began his clerical studies at age 15, but his exact qualification is disputed. Raisi served in several positions in Iran's judicial system, including as Prosecutor of Karaj, Prosecutor of Hamadan and Deputy Prosecutor and Prosecutor of Tehran. Raisi was criticized for his role in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners; United Nations special rapporteurs and other organizations accused him of crimes against humanity. The U. S. Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned him after Iran shot down an American drone in 2019.He was later Deputy Chief Justice (2004–2014), Attorney General (2014–2016), and Chief Justice (2019–2021). He was Custodian and Chairman of Astan Quds Razavi, a bonyad, from 2016 until 2019. He was a member of Assembly of Experts from South Khorasan Province, being elected for the first time in the 2006 election. He was the son-in-law of Mashhad Friday prayer leader and Grand Imam of Imam Reza shrine, Ahmad Alamolhoda.Raisi ran for president in 2017 as the candidate of the conservative Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, losing to moderate incumbent president Hassan Rouhani, 57% to 38%. Raisi successfully ran for president a second time in 2021 with 63% of the votes, succeeding Rouhani. According to many observers, the 2021 Iranian presidential election was rigged in favour of Raisi, who was considered an ally of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Considered a hardliner in Iranian politics, Raisi's presidency saw deadlock in negotiations with the U. S. over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and large-scale protests throughout the country in late 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September. During Raisi's term, Iran intensified uranium enrichment, hindered international inspections, and supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Iran also launched a missile and drone attack on Israel during the Gaza conflict and continued arming proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthi movement. Often seen as a frontrunner to succeed Khamenei as Supreme Leader, Raisi died in 2024 following a helicopter crash near Varzaqan.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:44 UTC on Tuesday, 21 May 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Ebrahim Raisi on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Salli Standard.

Over the past several decades, financial sanctions have become one of the most widely used tools in the U.S. foreign policy arsenal. And since Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, the Biden administration has wielded them in a number of innovative ways. At the same time, some of these uses have also triggered concerns about U.S. overreach, something that could have consequences for both U.S. national security and the health of the U.S. economy. To better understand how the U.S. government is approaching its financial sanctions policies today, Lawfare Senior Editor Scott R. Anderson and Lawfare Contributing Editor Brandon Van Grack sat down with the man who manages them: Brad Smith, the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (or “OFAC”) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A veteran of U.S. sanctions policy, Smith walked through some of the history of sanctions, lessons the Biden administration has learned from past efforts, and how these lessons are being applied to new challenges, including from Russia. This is the latest entry in our special “The Regulators” series, co-sponsored with Morrison Foerster, in which Brandon and Scott sit down with some of the senior officials working at the front lines of U.S. national security policy. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's use of sanctions has grown by almost 1,000% since 9/11. So why isn't Congress giving the office in charge of them more resources?Today on the Big Take DC podcast, host Saleha Mohsin talks to John Smith, a former director of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, and Bloomberg National Security editor Nick Wadhams about OFAC's scrappy operation and why lawmakers aren't giving it more to work with.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control had a big year in 2023. Criminal and civil enforcement continue to increase. The DOJ has warned corporations that aggressive sanctions enforcement actions are coming -- to that end, the DOJ assigned 25 new prosecutors to the National Security Division to execute on its promise. Meanwhile, OFAC had a record year in collecting $1.539 billion in penalties, largely the result of two blockbuster settlements -- British American Tobacco and Binance, the cryptocurrency exchange.It's important for companies to ensure they have U.S. expertise to effectively address potential violations of U.S. sanctions laws, as unfamiliarity with these laws can hinder prompt identification and response. Having a strong compliance program based in the United States is a valuable lesson learned from OFAC.Global companies are facing unprecedented risks and challenges in today's economy, leading them to prioritize robust ethics and compliance programs. These programs play a crucial role in promoting positive corporate citizenship and mitigating legal and economic risks.In 2023, there was a significant increase in sanctions enforcement by the DOJ and OFAC, with plans for even more aggressive actions in the future. With 17 enforcement cases and $1.5 billion in penalties, it is evident that compliance areas such as third parties and internal controls are of utmost importance.Various countries, including Russia, Cuba, and Iran, continue to be the focus of global sanction schemes. While Venezuela's sanctions were temporarily relaxed, companies must stay vigilant and monitor the upcoming election. The British American Tobacco case, with its $629 million settlement, serves as a model for future enforcement actions.The Binance case, involving a $4.3 billion settlement, shed light on criminal violations in the cryptocurrency industry. This highlights the critical importance of compliance in this rapidly evolving sector.ResourcesMichael Volkov on LinkedIn | TwitterThe Volkov Law Group

05th Oct: Crypto & Coffee at 8

Tune in for a quick update regarding: (1) the Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC) warning to U.S. businesses regarding tankers carrying Russian oil sold above the Biden Administration's $60 price cap spoofing their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) and fraudulently changing export documentation to obtain prohibited services from U.S. companies and (2) EAR99 items and related export license requirements for Russia.  Thank you for listening.  

Global Trade Talks is a podcast that shares brief perspectives on key global issues on international trade, current events, business, law, and public policy as they impact our lives. In this podcast, hosts Nicole Simonian and Ambassador Robert Holleyman talk to Jason Prince, a Crowell & Moring Partner and immediate-past Chief Counsel to OFAC , about what it was like to be at the eye of the sanctions hurricane following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, what to expect in the Russia-related sanctions arena in 2023, and steps that companies should be taking now to mitigate the risks of potential future China-related sanctions.

02nd Feb: Crypto & Coffee at 8

21st Dec

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at some small but potentially significant shifts to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions against Tornado Cash, the Securities and Exchange Commission's victory over LBRY and more.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices from all the available liquidity sources and can earn interest or borrow funds as you wait for your next trade. Get started today on pro.nexo.io. - Circle, the sole issuer of the trusted and reliable stablecoin USDC, is our sponsor for today's show. USDC is a fast, cost-effective solution for global payments at internet speeds. Learn how businesses are taking advantage of these opportunities at Circle's USDC Hub for Businesses. - “The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with today's editing by Eleanor Pahl and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. Music behind our sponsors today is “War” by Enoch Yang. Image credit: Staff/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

But not enough to stop lawsuits, says Coin Center. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at some small but potentially significant shifts to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions against Tornado Cash, the Securities and Exchange Commission's victory over LBRY and more. -Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices from all the available liquidity sources and can earn interest or borrow funds as you wait for your next trade. Get started today on pro.nexo.io.-Circle, the sole issuer of the trusted and reliable stablecoin USDC, is our sponsor for today's show. USDC is a fast, cost-effective solution for global payments at internet speeds. Learn how businesses are taking advantage of these opportunities at Circle's USDC Hub for Businesses.-“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with today's editing by Eleanor Pahl and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. Music behind our sponsors today is “War” by Enoch Yang. Image credit: Staff/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tornado Cash is an open source, decentralized cryptocurrency tumbler that was introduced in 2019. The service allows users to mix identifiable Ethereum cryptocurrency funds with others, thus obscuring the trail back to the funds original source. On August 8, 2022, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Tornado Cash, making it illegal for United States citizens, residents, and companies to receive or send money through the service. OFAC claims that Tornado cash is responsible for laundering more than $7 billion in virtual currencies, including money believed to be stolen by North Korea and criminal groups.As opposed to sanctioning people, organizations, or particular addresses associated with rogue regimes, OFAC has sanctioned the code of Tornado Cash itself, causing critics to claim that OFAC has exceeded its statutory authority .In this podcast, experts discuss OFAC's blacklisting of Tornado Cash, potential litigation from opponents, and the broader implications for financial privacy, national security, and free speech.Featuring:Paul Brigner, Head of U.S. Policy and Strategic Advocacy, Electric Coin Company.Michael Mosier, General Counsel, Espresso SystemsKevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaModerator: J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

Tornado Cash is an open source, decentralized cryptocurrency tumbler that was introduced in 2019. The service allows users to mix identifiable Ethereum cryptocurrency funds with others, thus obscuring the trail back to the funds original source. On August 8, 2022, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Tornado Cash, making it illegal for United States citizens, residents, and companies to receive or send money through the service. OFAC claims that Tornado cash is responsible for laundering more than $7 billion in virtual currencies, including money believed to be stolen by North Korea and criminal groups.As opposed to sanctioning people, organizations, or particular addresses associated with rogue regimes, OFAC has sanctioned the code of Tornado Cash itself, causing critics to claim that OFAC has exceeded its statutory authority .Join our experts as they discuss OFAC's blacklisting of Tornado Cash, potential litigation from opponents, and the broader implications for financial privacy, national security, and free speech.Featuring:Paul Brigner, Head of U.S. Policy and Strategic Advocacy, Electric Coin Company.Michael Mosier, General Counsel, Espresso SystemsKevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaModerator: J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

UPDATE ON US SANCTIONS Moderator: Mr. Joseph E.M. Hughes , Chairman – The American Club Panelists: Mr. Tanner Johnson, Policy Desk Team Leader – Office of Russia, Ukraine & Eurasia, Global Markets-U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration - U.S. Department of Commerce Mr. Michael Lieberman, Assistant Director for Enforcement, Office of Foreign Assets Control – U.S. Department of the Treasury Capital Link's 14th Annual New York Maritime Forum Wednesday, September 21, 2022 Metropolitan Club in New York City For more information on the program please visit here: https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2022NYmaritime/

THE ECONOMICS & IMPLEMENTATIONS OF THE RUSSIAN OIL PRICE CAP Moderator: Mr. Bruce G. Paulsen, Partner - Seward & Kissel LLP Panelists: Mr. Michael Lieberman, Assistant Director for Enforcement, Office of Foreign Assets Control – U.S. Department of the Treasury Mr. Eric VanNostrand, Senior Advisor for Russia/Ukraine, Office of Economic Policy – U.S. Department of the Treasury Capital Link's 14th Annual New York Maritime Forum Wednesday, September 21, 2022 Metropolitan Club in New York City For more information on the program please visit here: https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2022NYmaritime/

When does economic policy become industrial policy, and has the Biden administration crossed that line? In this episode of Faster, Please! — The Podcast, I'm talking with industrial policy skeptic Scott Lincicome about the CHIPS and Science Act, how competition with China complicates the argument for free markets, and more.Scott is the director of general economics and the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. He is the author of numerous reports on industrial policy and international free trade, including "The (Updated) Case for Free Trade" with Alfredo Carrillo Obregon and “Questioning Industrial Policy” with Huan Zhu. He's also the author of Capitolism, a Dispatch newsletter.In This Episode:* Is Bidenomics really about boosting productivity? (1:19)* We're all industrial policy enthusiasts now (3:37)* The climate change exception (9:34)* Thinking about China (17:29)* Can the US play the semiconductor game and win? (21:35)Below is an edited transcript of our conversation.Is Bidenomics really about boosting productivity?James Pethokoukis: The Biden administration has been doing quite a bit: this infrastructure bill, we've had a chips and R&D bill, now we have the Inflation Reduction Act. The president has said that one thing he's trying to do is boost the productive capacity of the economy. Do you view that as the main thrust of these bills?Scott Lincicome: No. I think it's actually much more about picking and choosing specific sectors. You can maybe argue for infrastructure: to the extent that roads and bridges are going to actually lead to the expansion of the national productive capacity, okay. But particularly with semiconductors and the IRA, this is just classic industrial policy. “The market has failed. We don't like the sectoral composition of the United States economy. In particular, we are not making enough semiconductors. We are not making enough solar panels and wind turbines and electric vehicles, and government needs to get involved. We need to not only encourage the consumption of these goods, but we need to actually forcibly, or through a lot of subsidies and sweeteners, incentivize onshoring of these critical industries.” I know that there are some attenuated ideas that this will then boost the overall productive capacity after several years. This is the whole idea that the Inflation Reduction Act will actually reduce inflation by spending all this money. But let's be clear: the immediate effects, the ones that don't require stretching the economic imagination beyond all recognizable length, are about a sectoral composition. It's about changing the shape of the US economy.We're all industrial policy enthusiasts nowA more market-oriented approach would focus on things like creating a favorable tax code that's neutral to sectoral composition and funding basic research. But with industrial policy, you care about sectoral composition. You care about what the economy looks like, rather than just GDP growth. Is America now doing full-throated industrial policy?No, but we definitely have pushed the envelope. That actually gets to one of the big myths that is pushed by industrial policy advocates here in the United States: this idea that we lived through this grand or terrible — depending on your viewpoint — era of free market fundamentalism in which Milton Friedman got a hold of the economy and ran it like a textbook. That's absolute nonsense. We have experimented with industrial policy for ages, going back to the ‘60s, the ‘70s, then into the ‘80s. We really liked it in the ‘80s and ‘90s. We backed off a little bit in the ‘90s and 2000s but still had tons of industrial policy initiatives to encourage certain types of manufacturing, certain types of jobs, to protect certain sectors. And some of this was new; some of it was longstanding stuff like the Jones Act. So the idea that we weren't engaging in industrial policy is pretty silly. But we certainly have pushed the accelerator down a little bit in the last few months, starting with the infrastructure bill which has local content provisions: “Buy American” this, “Use these American workers,” “Produce these types of charging stations,” that kind of stuff. Specific things, not just infrastructure as we normally consider it. But then really ramping up with the CHIPS Act, which certainly has some basic research stuff in it. But throws $80 billion — potentially more, depending on how these tax credits shake out — to domestic semiconductor manufacturers to actually put more fabs in the United StatesIt's a subsidy to build these plants in the United States.Correct, and with several strings attached even further. But the idea, generally, is (so the argument goes) the United States has experienced a dramatic collapse in semiconductor productive capacity over the last 30 years — thanks, again, to the Milton Friedmanites, us at Cato, we libertarians always run Washington so it's all our fault. And we need to tilt the scales. We need to do industrial policy like the Koreans and the Taiwanese and the Chinese are doing, and we need to get more fabs, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, here in the United States. That's the idea. And then the IRA basically turned the knob to 11. The IRA went and did very much the same thing with tens of billions of extra dollars — hundreds of billions, really — looking into renewable energy: all sorts of programs, advanced manufacturing, tax credits, grants, you name it. Again, this is not new. Most of the stuff that the IRA did was expand Obama-era programs that went on during the 2009 stimulus bill, essentially revitalizing some of these programs, for example at the Department of Energy, that had been in place for more than a decade.Industrial policy can refer to a lot of things: protecting industries from foreign trade, cutting checks to businesses or sectors deemed "important," or offering strategic tax breaks and the like. Is what we're doing now closer to classic industrial policy?This is classic industrial policy. And in a sense, I'm relieved. Because for the last two years, before the CHIPS bill and the IRA and a little bit on infrastructure, we had this very painful debate that we wonks have to have about definitions. If you listen to some industrial policy advocates out there, like Mariana Mazzucato, the Italian economist who's all the rage in Europe with industrial policy, to them — and there are some folks here in the United States who do this too — industrial policy is anything and everything. WTO reform was industrial policy, basic research gets thrown in, military spending … You get these ridiculous statements like, “Everything that goes into an iPhone was the result of government industrial policy.” That's a lot of nonsense. There's plenty of free-market, market-oriented, libertarian, whatever you want to call it, stuff that just does not meet the traditional definition of industrial policy, meaning targeted and directed government action — tariffs, subsidies, whatever — to achieve a specific microeconomic advantage over what the market could produce within national borders. And always pursuant to some strategic plan. This is not the NIH just giving out some grants. No, you have a big plan, a strategic plan, and you're going to go out and determine winners and losers. That is very much what we're doing in the CHIPS Act and the IRA. It's nice in the sense that we're getting back to a discussion of traditional industrial policy.The climate change exceptionCertainly some would argue, even if they're generally skeptical of industrial policy, they would say, “Well, sometimes we have to do it. Maybe for defense-related reasons we need to do it. Maybe there's some other emergency. People think climate change is that kind of thing: We can't wait for the market to figure it out. It's a pressing emergency, as much as a geopolitical conflict would be. It's that kind of thing. Therefore, we must act.Even zany libertarians like me acknowledge a national defense exception to all of this stuff. There's actually a lot of literature I've written about, about how national defense is quite different from socially related industrial policy. And for those reasons, and for very legitimate national security reasons, you tend to push defense-related stuff over the side. Even I am not going to say we should be outsourcing our nuclear weapons technologies to China. That kind of stuff is obvious. Just as importantly, or almost as importantly, there are pretty huge differences between defense procurement and commercial industrial policy. One is, there's no other buyer for defense-related stuff. The market is the government's market. That makes the government uniquely positioned and attuned as the consumer to care about how it's spending its money, to actually have sophisticated, detailed information about the sector. The government knows a lot more about tanks than basically anybody else, because the government is in the tank consumption business. Finally, the public tends to give the government a lot more of benefit of the doubt about failures, about dollar figures and the rest. It's kind of the government's unique, constitutional responsibility. National defense works. Climate change, though, I think is a problem. Because climate change is very much a consumption issue as much as it is a production issue. And it's very little of a domestic production issue. Of course we care about coal-fired electricity plants and the rest. But at the end of the day, all we really care is that we want to increase domestic consumption of renewable energy. With respect to all of these products, there's no need that solar panels be made in America. Quite frankly, there's a very strong argument that by raising the prices of our renewable energy goods — by slapping tariffs on them, by localization mandates like Buy American policies — we're actually raising the prices of these goods and then discouraging consumption of renewable energy. So there's a really tough tension between classic economic nationalist industrial policy and environmental goals. You don't have to take it from me. A big initiative of the Obama administration was to liberalize trade in environmental goods. The Obama administration quite rightly observed that production of these things is not nearly as important as consumption of these things. And what helps maximize consumption? Free trade. That deal never got finished. It's been shelved because, of course, everybody hates trade these days. But I think that it's a lot tougher argument on the climate change side that we need industrial policy, because it just doesn't have the same dynamic as something like national defense.Let me frame it somewhat differently. What if the policy was, “Here's how we're going to deal with climate change: We need to pull carbon from the air”? Carbon removal technology is something that doesn't really exist right now, other than in some very experimental forms. “We're going to fund it, just like Apollo, just like the Manhattan project.” Would you favor something like that, assuming you thought there was the actual need to pull carbon from the sky?This is a great example of where you have the industrial policy approach and the more market-oriented approach. The industrial policy approach is that we need that carbon capture technology to be made by Americans in America. And not just deployed by Americans; we need it made in America. Whereas the more free-market approach would be a prize: We don't care how it's made. We don't care who makes it, with a few security-related exceptions. If tomorrow the Korean government or Samsung or whatever comes up with the most amazing carbon capture technology in the world — it's like Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future, you just slap it on a power plant and suddenly we're zero emitters — you win the prize. We don't care that it was made by a Korean company. We don't care that they are going to be Korean jobs and not American jobs. No, the industrial policy side says, “We care a lot about who makes this stuff and that it's made in America, using American materials.” The pandemic, for all of its terribleness, provided us a pretty good example of the industrial policy approach to pandemic stuff and the market approach. And that's in the vaccines. The more free-market approach, essentially a prize but a procurement contract, was we went to Pfizer and BioNTech, and if you look at the contract for those vaccines, it said we have nothing to do with your supply chain. “We don't care how you do it. We don't care what you do. Just get an FDA-approved vaccine and we are all in, we're going to pay.” That's it. There are clauses in that contract that literally say we will have no control over how you make this whatever. A ton of global collaboration, of course. BioNTech is a German company, blah, blah, blah. Totally different approach: There's another company in Maryland called Emergent BioSolutions. Emergent BioSolutions is a heavily government-connected contract manufacturer that has been essentially put here for pandemic preparedness. Lots of government involvement over the years. Emergent was the kind of all-American government contractor model. It is very much similar to a lot of the stuff we hear today about what we need, not just for pandemics, but for other stuff as well: We need to put this factory in America; we need to put it right outside of Washington. Well, Emergent hasn't made a handful of finished doses, and in fact has had a ton of problems with sanitation issues. They've had to destroy a bunch of doses. It's a nice contrast between a more market-oriented approach and a very domestic-oriented approach, one being much more industrial policy than the other. We can argue on the margins about how we funded mRNA research back in the day… But look, comparatively, there are two very different approaches to economic policymaking.Thinking about ChinaIt was kind of easy to defend free markets during the Cold War, but have things become more complicated with China given the interdependence of our economies? How easy is it for you to maintain your pro-market views on industrial policy questions with China?China certainly makes it a little bit harder, and the nature of technology makes it a little bit harder. But we have existing laws and processes for a lot of that. You used a word there that sets off my libertarian Spidey senses. You said “important.” The issue there is, who decides what's important? The idea is not that we allow mass proliferation of dual-use technologies, we rely on China for weapons systems or critical inputs to weapon systems. But it's also that we have to have a lot of skepticism about what is and isn't important. I have very little problem allowing the Office of Foreign Assets Control and all the guys that commerce and whatever to apply the export control regime. We have US laws that require the Department of Defense to look at defense procurement and look at weak links in the chain. In fact, the Defense Production Act, before it was used to make baby formula, used to be used correctly. DOD used to look at its defense supply chain and say, “We don't have a stable producer of widgets that are important for our weapon systems. We need to subsidize that. We're going to give them $20 million.” You know what? No problem. The problem is that now the word “important” has become so distorted from its original meaning that steel rebar is being restricted on national security grounds. Not to mention all of the other areas. Certainly there is a need to consider China, to consider the natures of technologies and all that. But we've gone way, way beyond what is in any way a rational policy. And you have to be very concerned about politics. One of the little-known secrets about the global chip shortage is how American export control policy contributed to the global chip shortage. The Trump administration started restricting pretty basic semiconductor technologies to China and Huawei and the rest. That reduced the global supply of bulk semiconductors. I'm not talking about the fancy three nanometer or whatever stuff. I'm talking about the junky stuff that we put 100 of them in a car for not a great reason, but we do. Not only did that reduce global capacity, but it also caused all these Chinese companies to start hoarding chips because they were scared to death of being cut off from these chip supplies.Believe it or not, China remains very dependent on the United States for a lot of semiconductor stuff. That, of course, made things worse. The Biden administration quietly rolled some of that back in response to shortages. But that's the type of stuff we need to be really worried about. We also need to be concerned about, if we restrict these exports, is that just going to harm American tech champions like Qualcomm or whatever while bolstering French competitors, European competitors, Korean competitors, that are still going to sell to China anyway? There needs to be a very rational, skeptical approach to all this stuff. You can't just scream “China!” and then suddenly protect, subsidize, and do the rest. Of course, there are going to be exceptions. The goal is to get back to a saner approach to those exceptions.Can the US play the semiconductor game and win?How do you see this experiment with semiconductor subsidies playing out? When we look back at it in 10 years, will we say, “We learned that we can do that; we learned the United States can play that game and win,” or are we going to say, “It didn't really quite work out the way we'd hoped”?It's always hard, because any time there's a new industrial policy announcement, you're going to get companies that are beneficiaries making all these investment announcements. The goal and the hard part is then tracking and determining whether those announcements were made because of the subsidy or whether they were already going to do it and they're just trying to get government cash or curry favor with the administration and the rest. The other problem is determining what would've happened in the absence of the program. One of the things I was yelling about before the CHIPS Act was implemented was that semiconductor companies and big consumers, like Apple and Ford and GM, had realized years ago that they needed to rebalance a little bit. That, because of the pandemic, geopolitical stuff, and just other reasons, they were a little top heavy in Taiwan or in Asia. They started planning to invest back in the United States. Apple was saying, “We're willing to pay more to have Samsung right next to our big facility in Austin,” for example. All these investments were already planned before the CHIPS Act ever became a thing. Of course, the government is going to take credit for all of this. “We did all of this. Feast upon our works.” That's a challenge. I'm pretty confident, quite frankly, that they're going to run into a lot of problems. One problem is, like I said, they've attached strings to this stuff. There are prevailing wage requirements and other rules and regulations about favoring disadvantaged communities and all the usual stuff. These things always tend to gum up the works a little bit. The other big issue is that we run into preexisting policies that didn't fix: immigration bottlenecks, other labor supply problems. There was a big story in the AP last week that Intel in Ohio can't find construction workers. That's because we didn't liberalize immigration along with all this industrial policy money we just threw at the economy. We have, of course, plenty of tariffs on stuff that you need to build factories. We have tax policy with respect to expensing that discourages long-term investments in capital-intensive manufacturing. I can go down the list. We didn't fix any of that. At the end of the day, will we move the needle a little bit? Maybe. Government is very powerful; we're throwing a lot of money at this. But will there be a great global rebalancing? Color me quite skeptical. The other thing we have to consider are the risks. If we are successful and there is suddenly a glut in global semiconductors — reading the news right now, the semiconductor industry is actually kind of in some trouble globally right now. Gluts are popping up, people stockpiled, like I mentioned. And now they realize that actually Americans' consumption or the world's consumption of chips isn't insatiable. There are concerns there. If we have a chips-related glut, because the United States and Europe and Korea and others all threw subsidies at this, what are we going to do with all those extra chips? If you look back at the ‘80s and ‘90s, we had trade wars. We slapped tariffs on Japanese semiconductors and then Korean semiconductors, which caused all sorts of ripple effects throughout the US economy. It pushed the computer industry offshore, for example. Being a libertarian ideologue, but also a student of history and industrial policy, I remain pretty confident that we're going to look back on this and go: “Eh, that was not the greatest idea.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fasterplease.substack.com/subscribe

After the Toyota Land Cruiser Daria Dugina was driving exploded on a road 20 miles west of Moscow and burst into flames, Russia has opened a murder investigation into her assassination.According to TASS, When Dugina "turned onto the Mozhaiskoye road near the village of Bolshiye Vyazemi, there was an explosion, the car caught fire immediately. Forensic experts, investigators and experts in explosive engineering are inspecting the scene and they have found or concluded that approximately 400 grams of TNT were used to cause the explosion. If you like our content please become a patron to get our premium episodes and our public episodes ad-free. 1 Daria's father is Alexander Dugin, a right wing extremist and ultranationalist, is the figure who “inspired” and advised Putin to invade Ukraine. He helped lay the ideological foundation for Putin's invasion of Ukraine and is referred to as “Putin's brain” or “the architect of the Ukraine invasion”. He allegedly is Putin's spiritual advisor, based on his roots in the orthodox church. 2 Darya Dugina's father invented the concept of Eurasianism – a new flavor of fascism. He is to Putin what Steve Bannon / Alex Jones is to Trump. In March 2022, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Daria Dugina for her contribution to an article on the United World International website suggesting that Ukraine would "perish" if it is admitted to NATO. Dugina was UWI's chief editor. She also claimed that the atrocities of Bucha were American propaganda, chosen because of the phonological similarity to "butcher," a word she linked to US President Biden calling Putin a "butcher" earlier in March. 3 We are considering three theories regarding who's behind the assassination of Darya Dugina, based on one simple question: who stands to gain from her death? Ukraine did it – we explain why that is not the case, in fact this is the last thing Ukraine would do An inside Russian opposition faction did it to destabilize Putin's regime and cause unrest – this theory doesn't hold water either in our opinion. Putin's FSB did it, on his orders as he did with the Moscow apartment bombings, the Moscow theater hostage crisis, Litvinenko, Boris Nemtsov and Anna Politkovskaya. What would Putin stand to gain? Re-energizing popular support for his continued invasion of Ukraine A pretext to escalate tragedies in Ukraine A pretext to justify those war crimes and attacks, as being payback or a response to this assassination – to his people and to the western leaders, United Nations etc Creating a martyr, a new symbol to galvanize the troops An opportunity for him to make some strong worded statements, to come out as a powerful, strong leader who has to double down on killing Ukrainians to keep his own people safe Lastly, a great opportunity to use the grieving father, Aleksandr Dugin, the architect of the war in Ukraine, as a megaphone for his propaganda serving his political goals. Episode #DubiMeter 9.5 1. Russia Opens Murder Investigation After Blast Kills Daughter of Putin Ally. New York Times. August 2022. ⇤2. Mohammed Tawfeeq, Josh Pennington, Jonny Hallam and Tara John. Car bomb kills daughter of 'spiritual guide' to Putin's Ukraine invasion. CNN. August 2022. ⇤3. Annabelle Timsit and Rachel Pannett. A Putin ally's daughter was killed near Russia's capital. Washington Post. August 2022. ⇤

In this episode of Tangents, Peter and Jerry discuss the Tornado Cash sanctions list designation by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. As they explain in a legal analysis of the case, they believe that OFAC has overstepped its legal authority by adding certain Tornado Cash smart contract addresses to the SDN List, that this action potentially violates constitutional rights to due process and free speech, and that OFAC has not adequately acted to mitigate the foreseeable impact its action would have on innocent Americans.

Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, talks about Tornado Cash, why it was sanctioned, and what this means for privacy in crypto.    Show highlights: what Blender.io is and how it relates to Tornado Cash how hackers have used Tornado Cash to launder money whether the Office of Foreign Assets Control made a mistake, according to Jerry how Americans were affected by the sanctions why Jerry believes OFAC should have done an analysis to estimate how many people would be impacted by its decision whether the sanctions should have been aimed at North Koren wallets and not the protocol whether the sanctions are unconstitutional and whether Coin Center will litigate this how Jerry believes Circle freezing USDC complicated everything what the famous people who received 0.1 ETH from random accounts via Tornado Cash should do  what would happen if someone forked the Tornado Cash code and deployed a copycat smart contract to a new address whether the sanctions signal the beginning of a privacy war on crypto how regulators are applying the same traditional rules with crypto as they use with centralized entities   Thank you to our sponsors!   1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021   Jerry Twitter: https://twitter.com/jerrybrito   Tornado Cash Tornado Cash Sanctioned: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/08/08/crypto-mixing-service-tornado-cash-blacklisted-by-us-treasury/ Coin Center's article authored by Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.coincenter.org/u-s-treasury-sanction-of-privacy-tools-places-sweeping-restrictions-on-all-americans/ Circle freezes USDC in sanctioned wallets: https://www.theblock.co/post/162172/circle-freezes-usdc-funds-in-tornado-cashs-us-treasury-sanctioned-wallets  Crypto exchange dYdX blocked accounts that received funds from Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/08/11/crypto-exchange-dydx-blocked-accounts-that-received-even-small-amounts-from-tornado-cash/ The possibility of forking Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/08/10/cloning-tornado-cash-would-be-easy-but-risky/ What the sanctions mean for privacy coins: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/09/what-the-tornado-cash-sanction-means-for-privacy-coins/ Tornado Cash laundered $1.5 billion, according to Elliptic: https://hub.elliptic.co/analysis/tornado-cash-mixer-sanctioned-after-laundering-over-1-5-billion/ Celebrities get Dusted: https://decrypt.co/es/107090/tornado-cash-dusts-public-wallets-jimmy-fallon-brian-armstrong-steve-aoki-logan-paul   Hacks linked to Tornado Cash Ronin: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/ronin-hack-north-korea-linked-to-615-million-crypto-heist-us-says.html Harmony: https://decrypt.co/104138/north-korean-attackers-behind-100m-harmony-hack-report Crypto.com: https://www.wired.com/story/crypto-hack-nso-group-security-news/ Nomad: https://decrypt.co/106459/crypto-bridge-nomad-exploited-190m-frenzied-free-for-all Previous Coverage of Unchained: Will the Nomad Mass Looting Change How Law Enforcement Treats DeFi Hacks?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-the-nomad-mass-looting-change-how-law-enforcement-treats-defi-hacks-ep-382/

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Chainalysis, FTX US and NEAR.   In breaking news, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on Monday that it was adding Tornado Cash and associated addresses to its sanctions list. It is seemingly the first time that an entire technology protocol, rather than just an individual or group of individuals, has been added to the list. NLW explores the discussion in the crypto community as well as the legal and technological implications.  - Nexo is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and borrow against your crypto. The company safeguards your crypto by relying on five key fundamentals including real-time auditing and insurance on custodial assets. Learn more at nexo.io. - Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, exchanges, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and market intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world's most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com. - FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today. - NEAR is a simple, revolutionary Web3 platform for decentralized apps, created by developers for developers. More than 700 projects are now building on NEAR's fast, secure and infinitely scalable protocol, from DeFi apps to play-and-earn games, NFT marketplaces and more. Start your developer journey now by visiting NEAR at near.org. - “The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore, aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsors is “The Now” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: Nuthawut Somsuk/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

The U.S. Treasury Department's OFAC has added Tornado Cash and all associated addresses to the sanctions list. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Chainalysis, FTX US and NEAR.In breaking news, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on Monday that it was adding Tornado Cash and associated addresses to its sanctions list. It is seemingly the first time that an entire technology protocol, rather than just an individual or group of individuals, has been added to the list. NLW explores the discussion in the crypto community as well as the legal and technological implications. -Nexo is a security-first platform where you can buy, exchange and borrow against your crypto. The company safeguards your crypto by relying on five key fundamentals including real-time auditing and insurance on custodial assets. Learn more at nexo.io.-Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services and research to government agencies, exchanges, financial institutions and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance and market intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world's most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.chainalysis.com.-FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.-NEAR is a simple, revolutionary Web3 platform for decentralized apps, created by developers for developers. More than 700 projects are now building on NEAR's fast, secure and infinitely scalable protocol, from DeFi apps to play-and-earn games, NFT marketplaces and more. Start your developer journey now by visiting NEAR at near.org.-“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore, aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsors is “The Now” by Aaron Sprinkle. Image credit: Nuthawut Somsuk/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Patreon-exclusive episode, now unlocked and free!  PPI's trade guru Ed Gresser joins the show to talk about the economic sanctions on Russia. What impact will they have on Russia and on us? Will Russia's economy collapse? Will this cause inflation in the United States? Can Europe survive without Russian oil and gas? Listen to find out! Further reading: Sign up for Ed's new Trade Fact of the Week newsletter at this link - https://tinyurl.com/tradefactoftheweek Office of Foreign Assets Control website - https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/office-of-foreign-assets-control-sanctions-programs-and-information Peterson Institute sanctions timeline - https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/russias-war-ukraine-sanctions-timeline   To make sure you hear every episode, join our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/neoliberalproject. Patrons get access to exclusive bonus episodes, our sticker-of-the-month club, and our insider Slack.  Become a supporter today! Got questions for the Neoliberal Podcast?  Send them to mailbag@neoliberalproject.org Follow us at: https://twitter.com/ne0liberal https://www.instagram.com/neoliberalproject/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1930401007051265/   Join a local chapter at https://neoliberalproject.org/join  

Michael Fasanello Long-time anti-money laundering and counter terror-finance expert Michael Fasanello helps us understand how Russia might use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions, what Ukrainians would need to turn crowdsourced crypto support into something useful and steps both the cryptocurrency industry and US government need to take to address illicit financing concerns. Michael Fasanello is an experienced counter-threat finance and compliance professional with over a decade of experience in the public and private sectors. He served in various posts within the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Treasury, including the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), before joining private sector financial institutions First National Bank (FNB), and PNC Bank (PNC). During his work with FinCEN, he advised the Office of Regulatory Policy in developing and interpreting federal regulations under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Before that, he handled Global Economic Sanctions and embargo cases for OFAC's Licensing Division. At PNC, Michael was an Assistant Vice President and Manager of Anti-Money Laundering and Global Sanctions. With First National's Money Laundering and Risk Management Department, he oversaw a complete overhaul of the bank's sanctions program, from policy redevelopment to enhanced screening and adjudication. He specializes in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF), global sanctions, and other illicit finance matters, with a current focus on the digital assets and blockchain intelligence space.

Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC) advisory on ‘Guidance to Address Illicit Shipping and Sanctions Evasion Practices' of 2020 outlined a number of recommendations for financial institutions to manage shipping risk. The guidance relating to ‘dark' activity and ship-to-ship transfers have been challenging to implement within existing trade finance compliance screening programmes. ACSS, IIBLP and IHS Markit interviewed a number of banks and others to look at the actions taken by financial institutions in response to the OFAC advisory notice and offer a series of practical recommendations to best manage the new world of shipping risk. Download the whitepaper: https://cdn.ihsmarkit.com/www/prot/pdf/0222/Sanctions-advisories-for-the-maritime-industry_Feb2022.pdf This paper will offer an overview of the shipping industry and how it relates directly to financial institutions in light of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) advisories. We will cover the key aspects of Automatic Identification System (AIS) and discuss the main elements and steps in a typical ship-to-ship (STS) operation. A Working Group has been convened of trade finance experts in the banking, shipping and regulatory industries in order to answer and clarify the following points for compliance officers in financial institutions: 1. An understanding of AIS 2. How can data transmitted by AIS be manipulated 3. What are the items of information broadcast This paper recommends the following as major factors for discussion and consideration: 1. AIS outages and STS operations should be examined in closer detail if they occur for lengthy time periods of 10 hours or more. This would be a calculated average time taken to potentially conduct a port call or an at-sea cargo transfer. AIS outages below the 10-hour cut-off would potentially be insignificant from a risk and compliance perspective with the caveat that some DPRK ship-to-ship operations for petroleum products have been conducted in slightly less time 2. AIS outages are only important if the vessel could engage with another vessel of the same type or perform a port call in the time it was ‘dark'. If this is not possible then a potential red flag becomes downgraded Speakers: Saskia Rietbroek - CSS, Executive Director at Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS) Michael Byrne - CEO at International Institute of Banking Law & Practice (IIBLP) Byron McKinney - Director, Product Management at IHS Markit

Are you a terrorist? You might want to listen to this episode before you answer that question. LD Azobra describes how he learned about OFAC and what happened to him. This episode delves into the Department of Treasury,  Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions Lists. OFAC publishes lists of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. Are these lists ever used as a vendetta against US citizens? Listen in on Apple Podcasts or tune in on Spotify or Stitcher!LISTEN to the podcast, see detailed show notes, pictures and videos.The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States.https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/office-of-foreign-assets-control-sanctions-programs-and-information