Podcast appearances and mentions of Paul Atkins

SpaceX has surged past expectations - and many of the most valuable companies in the U.S - in its meteoric stock debut.  SEC Chairman Paul Atkins believes enthusiasm for Elon Musk's space company can fuel demand for more initial public offerings. President Trump is at the G-7 meeting of world leaders in France, as negotiations on the wars in Iran and Ukraine continue. Megan Cassella reports on the latest from the summit. And, do sports or pets make you happier? Arthur Brooks on the science behind what our brains love.    Megan Cassella        5:38 Paul Atkins           13:29 Arthur Brooks         25:20    In this episode: Paul Atkins, @SECPaulAtkins Arthur Brooks, @arthurbrooks  Megan Cassella, @mmcassella Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aalberts keert, over twee weken, terug in de AEX. Het technologiebedrijf was daar jaren te vinden, maar verdween tijdens de coronapandemie. Om nu dus weer z'n comeback te maken. Het neemt het plekje in van koffieboer JDE Peet's, dat juist van de beurs vertrekt. Een aandeel dat in een half jaar al zo'n 40 procent is gestegen. Goede reden voor ons om het te hebben over dit aandeel. Blijft dit aandeel nu wél langer in de hoofdindex? En zit er nog groei in het aandeel. Hebben we het ook over een andere promotie, die van CSG. Het defensiebedrijf rolt de Midkap-index in. Verder staan we stil bij de beursgang van SpaceX. Het wil vrijdag 75 miljard dollar ophalen, maar kan 250 (!) miljard dollar krijgen. Geld dat vooral van particulieren komt. Zelfs van Chinezen, die op creatieve manieren de regels van de regering omzeilen. Ook staan we stil bij kwartaalrapportages. Moeten die niet verplicht terugkeren in Europa? En we bespreken de bizarre cijfers van TSMC. Die overschaduwd worden door een gerucht over nieuwe exportrestricties. Te gast: Thomas Pellegrom, van ABN Amro MeesPierson BNR Beurs is een journalistiek onafhankelijke productie, mede mogelijk gemaakt door Saxo. Over de makers: Jelle Maasbach is presentator van BNR Beurs en freelance financieel journalist. Zijn favoriete aandeel om over te praten is Disney, maar daar lijkt hij de enige in te zijn. Sinds de eerste uitzending van BNR Beurs is 'ie er bij. Maxim van Mil is presentator van BNR Beurs en journalist bij BNR, waar hij zich focust op de financiële markten en ontwikkelingen in de tech-wereld. Je krijgt hem het meest enthousiast als hij kan praten over ASML, of oer-Hollandse bedrijven zoals Ahold of ABN Amro. Jorik Simonides is presentator van BNR Beurs, economieredacteur en verslaggever bij BNR. Hij wordt er vooral blij van als het een keer níet over AI gaat. Je hoort hem ook in de BNR-podcast Moerdijk: dorp van de rekening. Milou Brand is presentator van BNR Beurs, freelance podcastmaker en columnist bij het Financieele Dagblad. Jochem Visser is presentator van BNR Beurs, maakt Beursnerd XL en is redacteur bij de podcast Onder Curatoren. Vraag hem naar obscure zaken op financiële markten en hij vertelt je waarom het eigenlijk nóg leuker is dan je al dacht. Over de podcast: Met BNR Beurs ga je altijd voorbereid de nieuwe beursdag in. We praten je in een kleine 25 minuten bij over alle laatste ontwikkelingen op de handelsvloer. We blijven niet alleen bij de AEX of Wall Street, maar vertellen je ook waar nog meer kansen liggen. En we houden het niet bij de cijfers, maar zoeken ook iedere dag voor je naar duiding van scherpe gasten en experts. Of je nu een ervaren belegger bent of net begint met je eerste stappen op de beurs, de podcast biedt waardevolle inzichten voor je beleggingsstrategie. Door de focus op zowel de korte termijn als de lange termijn, helpt BNR Beurs luisteraars om de ruis van de markt te scheiden van de essentie. Van Musk tot Microsoft en van Ahold tot ASML. Wij vertellen je wat beleggers bezighoudt, wie de markten in beweging zet en wat dat betekent voor jouw beleggingsportefeuille.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aalberts keert, over twee weken, terug in de AEX. Het technologiebedrijf was daar jaren te vinden, maar verdween tijdens de coronapandemie. Om nu dus weer z'n comeback te maken. Het neemt het plekje in van koffieboer JDE Peet's, dat juist van de beurs vertrekt. Een aandeel dat in een half jaar al zo'n 40 procent is gestegen. Goede reden voor ons om het te hebben over dit aandeel. Blijft dit aandeel nu wél langer in de hoofdindex? En zit er nog groei in het aandeel. Hebben we het ook over een andere promotie, die van CSG. Het defensiebedrijf rolt de Midkap-index in. Verder staan we stil bij de beursgang van SpaceX. Het wil vrijdag 75 miljard dollar ophalen, maar kan 250 (!) miljard dollar krijgen. Geld dat vooral van particulieren komt. Zelfs van Chinezen, die op creatieve manieren de regels van de regering omzeilen. Ook staan we stil bij kwartaalrapportages. Moeten die niet verplicht terugkeren in Europa? En we bespreken de bizarre cijfers van TSMC. Die overschaduwd worden door een gerucht over nieuwe exportrestricties. Te gast: Thomas Pellegrom, van ABN Amro MeesPierson BNR Beurs is een journalistiek onafhankelijke productie, mede mogelijk gemaakt door Saxo. Over de makers: Jelle Maasbach is presentator van BNR Beurs en freelance financieel journalist. Zijn favoriete aandeel om over te praten is Disney, maar daar lijkt hij de enige in te zijn. Sinds de eerste uitzending van BNR Beurs is 'ie er bij. Maxim van Mil is presentator van BNR Beurs en journalist bij BNR, waar hij zich focust op de financiële markten en ontwikkelingen in de tech-wereld. Je krijgt hem het meest enthousiast als hij kan praten over ASML, of oer-Hollandse bedrijven zoals Ahold of ABN Amro. Jorik Simonides is presentator van BNR Beurs, economieredacteur en verslaggever bij BNR. Hij wordt er vooral blij van als het een keer níet over AI gaat. Je hoort hem ook in de BNR-podcast Moerdijk: dorp van de rekening. Milou Brand is presentator van BNR Beurs, freelance podcastmaker en columnist bij het Financieele Dagblad. Jochem Visser is presentator van BNR Beurs, maakt Beursnerd XL en is redacteur bij de podcast Onder Curatoren. Vraag hem naar obscure zaken op financiële markten en hij vertelt je waarom het eigenlijk nóg leuker is dan je al dacht. Over de podcast: Met BNR Beurs ga je altijd voorbereid de nieuwe beursdag in. We praten je in een kleine 25 minuten bij over alle laatste ontwikkelingen op de handelsvloer. We blijven niet alleen bij de AEX of Wall Street, maar vertellen je ook waar nog meer kansen liggen. En we houden het niet bij de cijfers, maar zoeken ook iedere dag voor je naar duiding van scherpe gasten en experts. Of je nu een ervaren belegger bent of net begint met je eerste stappen op de beurs, de podcast biedt waardevolle inzichten voor je beleggingsstrategie. Door de focus op zowel de korte termijn als de lange termijn, helpt BNR Beurs luisteraars om de ruis van de markt te scheiden van de essentie. Van Musk tot Microsoft en van Ahold tot ASML. Wij vertellen je wat beleggers bezighoudt, wie de markten in beweging zet en wat dat betekent voor jouw beleggingsportefeuille.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and his wife reportedly own 54 life insurance policies. Yes, fifty-four! Most people see that headline and think it's extreme. Maybe even a little absurd. Why would anyone hold that many policies? Who does that? But there's a more interesting question worth asking - what does someone who owns 54 policies understand about life insurance that most people were never taught? https://youtu.be/DdGxt2346C8 Because there are two completely different ways to think about life insurance. One is the way most of us were introduced to it: a product you buy, file away, and hope you never need. The other is what someone like Atkins seems to be doing. Building a financial architecture. A system. An infrastructure designed to do real financial work across an entire family and portfolio. That gap is what this article is about. Not Paul Atkins specifically. But what his disclosure reveals about how financially sophisticated people think about control, liquidity, and the capabilities of permanent life insurance that most of us were simply never shown. Key TakeawaysFrom Checkbox to Capital SystemThe Problem With Only Having One StrategyWhy Wealthy Families Think About Control FirstThe Priority Order That Changes EverythingOpportunities Find CashWhat 54 Policies Might Actually Be SolvingEstate EqualizationBusiness Succession and Deferred CompensationLiquidity Without LiquidationTax-Advantaged Access During Your LifetimeGovernment Service and Conflict-of-Interest DisclosuresWhy the Contract Distinction Changes EverythingWhat Family Banking Looks LikeA Real ExampleThe Internal CycleThinking About Family Members as Key PeopleThe Generational DimensionNot All Life Insurance Is the Same ToolWhy Whole Life With a Mutual CompanyThe Question Isn't Why, It's What.Book a Strategy CallFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat is family banking with life insurance?Why would someone own 54 life insurance policies?How does whole life insurance provide liquidity?What is the difference between a life insurance contract and a financial account?Can life insurance really be used as a tax strategy?What type of life insurance works for family banking? Key Takeaways Wealthy families treat life insurance as a capital system, not a product purchase Whole life insurance provides a kind of liquidity and control that no other asset class replicates A life insurance policy is a contract; most other financial assets are accounts, and that distinction matters Multiple policies signal a coordinated financial architecture, not a single coverage decision Family banking uses whole life policy cash value to fund needs within the family without relying on outside lenders Not all life insurance is built for this purpose. A specially designed dividend-paying whole life with a mutual company is the right foundation From Checkbox to Capital System Most people's first exposure to life insurance comes through a W-2 job. You fill out your benefits enrollment paperwork, someone offers you a multiple of your salary, and the pitch is pretty simple: if something happens to you, this replaces what you would have earned. That's not wrong. But it's a very small part of what permanent life insurance can actually do. The consumer mindset asks one question: how little do I need? What's the minimum that takes care of my family, pays off the mortgage, and maybe funds college? That's a reasonable starting point.  But it's also a ceiling. Once you've bought enough to replace income, the logic of that framework says you're done. The business owner mindset asks something completely different. Not how little I can have, but how much I can invest in this to get the most out of it? That question leads somewhere very different, potentially, to 54 policies. The Problem With Only Having One Strategy There's a Thomas Sowell line worth sitting with here: there are no solutions in life, only compromises. Bruce Wehner brought this up at the top of our conversation, and it's the philosophical foundation for everything else we talked about. Anyone absolutely committed to one financial strategy and dismissing everything else isn't being disciplined. They're playing an incomplete game. Think of it like football. You wouldn't go into the championship using only your running back and offensive linemen. Every position exists because every position has a job. Wide receivers do something the offensive line can't. The quarterback does something neither of them can. Financial tools work the same way. A securities-only investor isn't maximizing anything. They're just leaving part of the field empty. Why Wealthy Families Think About Control First Most of us are taught to optimize for rate of return. Net worth is the scoreboard. The fastest-growing asset wins. That framework isn't useless. But it's incomplete, because it ignores the conditions that make returns actually usable. Wealthy families add a different dimension to the scorecard: control. How much autonomy do you have over your capital? Can you access it when you want to? Can you deploy it on your own terms without a bank's approval or an institution's timeline? The Priority Order That Changes Everything Here's the order I've come to think about for financially sophisticated decision-making. Control first. Then access, meaning liquidity and tax treatment. Then guarantees and long-term certainty. Then, growth on top of all of that. That's the opposite of how most people are wired to think. We go straight to growth. We ask about rate of return before we've even asked whether we can get to the money on our terms. The safety, liquidity, and growth triangle is real. You can't maximize all three in a single financial product. A five-year CD gives you safety and predictability but doesn't grow much.  A non-traded REIT might project 18 to 22% IRR, but there's zero liquidity and elevated risk. If you want to hold illiquid, higher-growth positions, you need a guaranteed liquidity cushion somewhere else. Life insurance is often that cushion. Not because it produces the highest returns, but because it's always available and never tied to market conditions. Opportunities Find Cash Nelson Nash used to say, "Opportunities find cash." If you don't have accessible capital, you don't see the opportunity even when it's right in front of you. But if you're sitting on a pool of liquid capital, you can act. That's not just a defensive position; it's an offensive one. And it's one of the things I've found our clients experience firsthand once they have a working cash flow system in place. What 54 Policies Might Actually Be Solving We don't know Paul Atkins' specific financial picture. We're not claiming to. But we can talk through the kinds of financial problems that a sophisticated investor, with a complex estate and a long-term view, might be solving with permanent life insurance. Because each policy is probably doing a job. Estate Equalization Imagine a family business. Two adult children. One wants to run the company; the other doesn't. At death, the default outcomes aren't great. Force both into a partnership and you breed resentment. Have the operating child buy out the other with a loan and you create a cash flow burden from day one. Give one the business and one nothing, and that's obviously not equitable either. A life insurance death benefit can solve this cleanly. One heir receives the business. The other receives a cash equivalent from the policy. No forced partnership. No buyout debt. No hard feelings baked into the inheritance. This is a problem that real estate, retirement accounts, and securities simply cannot solve with the same precision. Business Succession and Deferred Compensation Key man insurance protects a business against the financial impact of losing a critical person, whether that's a top salesperson or a founding partner. The liquidity event from the policy buys time to adapt without being forced to act under pressure. Deferred compensation funded through life insurance is a different use case, but just as valuable. Under ERISA rules, you can't legally contribute more to one employee's 401 (k) than another's. You can't discriminate. But with life insurance, you can. A business owner can set up a policy on a key employee, fund it for five years, and transfer ownership at the end of the term as a form of deferred compensation. It's targeted, legal, and not available through any investment account structure. Liquidity Without Liquidation Highly appreciated assets present a specific problem. Real estate, private equity stakes, business interests: these often aren't liquid. Selling them to cover an opportunity or an emergency usually means a taxable event, often at an inopportune time. Policy cash value doesn't work that way. It's accessible at any time, with no credit approval, no income verification, and no market timing required. You borrow against it for any purpose and repay on your own terms. If your equities are down and you need capital, you don't touch them. You go to the policy. Tax-Advantaged Access During Your Lifetime The death benefit's tax-free treatment is well known. Less talked about is what you can do with cash value while you're still alive. Policy loans let you access accumulated value without triggering income tax. So instead of selling an appreciated position and incurring capital gains, you borrow from the policy.  Whether it's funding an investment, a home renovation, or bringing the whole family together for a vacation, the access doesn't create a tax event. The alternative, pulling from a qualified account, hits you with ordinary income tax plus potential penalties. That's a genuinely different category of financial flexibility. Government Service and Conflict-of-Interest Disclosures When officials step into government roles,...

On this episode, tune in to a conversation from FINRA's 2026 Annual Conference, where FINRA Board Chair Scott Curtis and FINRA President and CEO Robert Cook discussed the partnership between board governance and executive leadership, and the strategic priorities shaping FINRA's direction. Resources mentioned in this episode: Ep. 185: How FINRA Is Streamlining Data Requests Ep. 187: How FINRA Is Enhancing Member Firm Examinations FINRA Forward: A Year of Progress FINRA Forward FINRA Quarterly Regulatory Policy Agenda Blog Post: FINRA Forward's Rule Modernization—An Update Blog Post: Vendors, Intelligence Sharing and FINRA's Mission Blog Post: FINRA Forward Initiatives to Support Members, Markets and the Investors They Serve Blog Post: A Progress Update on Rule Modernization Find us: LinkedIn / X / YouTube / Facebook / Instagram / E-mailSubscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and by RSS.

Paul Atkins owns 54 life insurance policies — and it reveals everything financial gurus miss.

DAMIONBooking.com warns customers of hack that exposed their data: WHO DO YOU BLAME?CEO Glenn D. Fogel (2017-); no background in techCybersecurity Subcommittee (Chair) Larry Quinlan MMGlobal Chief Information Officer (2010 - 2021) Deloitte; but what was 2021 like Covid and masks? DEI hireCybersecurity Subcommittee member Nicholas J. Read (2018-): Technology not listed as qualification. Cybersecurity Subcommittee member Vanessa Wittman: most recently (until 2022) CFO at Glossier, an online beauty product company; director at AIG but does not serve on Technology CommitteeWoke coffee chain slammed by liberal California customers for removing pride flags from cafes: 'Bound to backfire'Philz CEO Mahesh Sadarangani: “Our longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community is unchanged. We are working toward creating a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor. This is a change in how our stores look, not in who we are.”In 2025, the company drew headlines when private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co. acquired it for $145M. One customer said: 'Yeah their coffee sucks but this banning pride flags will not go over well - boycott incoming - maybe they need to look up what happened to Target.'Founded in 2003 in San Francisco's Mission District by Phil Jaber and his son JacobWHO DO YOU BLAME?CEO Mahesh SadaranganiHow I Philz: Ether straight up.Came from Wingstop, which just inherently feels homophobic. I mean it sells the wings of birds. That doesn't feel right.Freeman Spogli & Co.Team: 31: 5FAnd 6 Industry Executives: 0FPartners 10: 1FLast filing from 1/2025 lists 10 executive officers: 0Ffounded by Richard Riordan, Bradford M. Freeman, and Ronald P. SpogliOG greenwashy: first page is all womenPhil Jaber and his son JacobI'm trying here, peopleThe San Francisco Bay, where the vast majority of Philz cafes are located: a notoriously homophobic regionAnthropic's Claude for Word is another challenge to Microsoft's software empireChevron and Microsoft Team Up for Giant Texas Gas Power PlantOpenAI rips Anthropic, distances itself from MicrosoftWHO DO YOU BLAME?Satya NadellaReid Hoffman: Epstein Island said what?Charles Scharf (2014-): in 2020: "The unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of Black talent to recruit from."Charles Scharf again: in 2025: settled a lawsuit for $85m after whistleblowers revealed that Wells Fargo managers were reportedly conducting "fake" interviews with minority and female candidates for positions that had already been filled or promised to someone else to "check a box" and meet internal diversity guidelines.Charles Scharf and Reid Hoffman as a duo:Scharf publicly called for the firing of Lina Khan, the Chair of the FTC. He characterized her regulatory approach as a "trauma" to the economy.Hoffman said Kahn was “waging war on American business”Hugh Johnston: does it get any more pointless than Disney and Pepsi? (CFO at those places)Teri List: the boring company queen: (since 2014; The Gap/Dick's/Kraft/Procter&Gamble/Visa/Danaher)Catherine MacGregor: she's a woman and she's French!Lead Independent Director Sandra E. Peterson (2015-): fake LDPenny Pritzker: nepobabyDame Emma Walmsley: she's a woman, and a Dame, and not American and has a degree in Classics!!Mark Mason: he's black!Trump's SEC Is Going After Fewer Wall Street CrimesThe agency released long-delayed data that confirmed a steep drop in enforcement.That contradicts statements that the SEC's head, Paul Atkins, made to Congress in February, disputing reports that suggested his agency was prosecuting fewer crimes, and assuring lawmakers that SEC enforcement work had not seen a steep decline.In its release of case numbers this week, the agency framed its enforcement drop as an effort to focus more on cases where investors saw direct harm and to better use agency resources: “Regrettably, such resources have been misapplied in prior years to pursue media headlines and run up numbers, and in turn, led to misguided expectations on what constitutes effective enforcement.”784 in 2023 … 456 in 2025. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Trump, duhPaul Atkins, duhSEC re-tread: served as an SEC Commissioner from 2002 to 2008 under George W. Bush Private Sector Influence: founded Patomak Global Partners om 2009, a powerful consulting firm that advised major financial institutions (like Goldman Sachs) and crypto giants (like FTX and Coinbase) on how to navigate the very regulations he now oversees.the wealthiest SEC Chair in history: $330M net worthUpon being confirmed as Chair in 2025, Atkins sold his stake in Patomak Global Partners but refused to disclose the identity of the buyer, leading critics like Senator Elizabeth Warren to call the payout a "pre-bribe" from industry players.Shortly after taking office, Atkins oversaw the dismissal of high-profile "regulation by enforcement" cases against Coinbase and Binance, effectively handing the keys of the financial system to the crypto industry that funded his firmIn 2006, Atkins infamously argued that granting executives stock options right before good news was released shouldn't be considered insider trading: "It is cheaper to pay a person with well-timed options than with cash."During his first stint as Commissioner (2002–2008), Atkins was a staunch opponent of increased oversight for investment banks. He is frequently blamed for ignoring the systemic risks that eventually led to the subprime mortgage collapse.Elon Musk (DOGE):Under directives from DOGE, the SEC was required to submit plans for "large-scale reductions in force" (RIFs). This resulted in the termination of many probationary employees (those with less than two years of service) and several senior directors at regional offices.To avoid even more aggressive firing, the SEC offered $50,000 buyouts to staffers who agreed to leave voluntarily. This led to a significant "brain drain" of veteran trial lawyers and investigators.Staffers linked to Elon Musk and the DOGE initiative were placed in key administrative roles (like the Office of Personnel Management) to oversee these cuts, effectively bypassing the traditional civil service protections that usually slow down government layoffs.Biden, for allowing so many enforcements MMHudson Technologies Announces Election of Alan Sheriff and Jeffrey Feeler as Independent Directors. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Top shareholder Ernest Lazarus (9%). Lazarus is primarily a biblical figure from the New Testament known for being raised from the dead by Jesus after four days. The name represents resurrection, returning from the brink of failure, or a person overcoming extreme adversity. I'm thinking he needed a Sheriff in case all that digging up corpses from cemeteries went sour.Director Loan Mansy. Getting a good loan is all about putting out feelers to different banks so Loan needed a Feeler to get shit done.Director Vincent P. Abbatecola.Forgive me, maybe I watch too many episodes of The Sopranos but Vinnie used to be the Chairman of the National Packaged Ice Association and that just sounds a bit scary and a bit made up. Like, put him on Ice, Vinny.Speaking of death, Vinny is also a director on the United Hospice Board.And speaking of God, he also serves on the St. Thomas Aquinas College President's Council. St. Thomas Aquinas was declared a “Doctor of the Church” and had mystical experiences. Feeler and Sheriff? That is so Tommy Aquinas.Director, CEO, President, Chair, former COO, former CFO and top shareholder (6%) Brian F. Coleman, who has been with the company since 1997 and somehow still sits on the Nomination Committee! Dude, that is soooo cheating and you know he was the one who asked for a Sheriff and a Feeler. DRMATTMicrosoft Pauses Carbon Removal Purchases.Satya NadellaChair and CEO with 27% influenceIT WAS HIS TARGET - carbon negative by 2030One year later on LinkedIn: “As a company, we've set ambitious climate goals to be carbon negative, zero waste, and water positive by 2030, and we're making progress as we work towards a more sustainable future”And last year, MSFT's chief sustainability officer Melanie Nakagawa: "In 2020, Microsoft leaders referred to our sustainability goals as a 'moonshot', and nearly five years later, we have had to acknowledge that the moon has gotten further away."It's worth pointing out - any target set by an executive they don't hit is a failure of leadership - either the target was ill conceived, not ever meant to be attained, or they just failed to actually manage to the target. There aren't other options - if I set a target at Free Float of $1bn in sales by 2030, invest entirely in crypto, lose it all, and we achieve $45 in parking tickets by 2030, do I blame the changing market environment and just skip the target? Penny PritzkerHead of the Environmental Yada Yada committeeBats .269 on carbon intensity overall, all at MSFT (that's horrific in case you needed context - .500 is the average peer director)Reid HoffmanThe AI evangelist, founder of LinkedIn, heavy investor in AIReid Hoffman says AI is going to be blamed for ‘just about everything', except AI is on pace to use as much as 20% of ALL ENERGY in the US this year, up from 4% for data centers in 2024AI in 2026 will equal all of NYC carbonOn the Environmental Yada Yada committee!Catherine MacGregorOne of top performers on carbon on the board at 0.632, CEO of Engie SA, a massive French energy company focused on renewable energyOn the Environmental Yada Yada committeeEnergie:MSFT:4% influence, only 2 year tenure on MSFTThe 2020 Microsoft Board: DRReid HoffmanHugh JohnstonTeri List-StollSatya NadellaSandra PetersonPenny PritzkerCharles ScharfArne SorensonJohn StantonJohn ThompsonEmma WalmsleyPadmasree WarriorIT'S BASICALLY THIS BOARD??? Five years, three gone - and Sorenson died of cancer, so really TWO gone… Thompson fully retired, Warrior is on TWO boards BUT one is in India (Mahindra and Mahindra) and the other is Spotify with zero voting rightsTalk about a protected class - this board is one of the worst in its peer group for carbon, is fully of connections (75% connected), has a history of overpaying CEOs… OpenAI touts Amazon alliance in memo, says Microsoft has ‘limited our ability' to reach clients. So Amazon wants to unleash Sam Altman even after he was written up as a massive sociopath bent on narcissistic control of the doomsday button of AI. WHO DO YOU BLAME AT AMAZON?Uncle JeffeExec Chair, WaPo destroyer, megamegayacht owner, who's wife was profiled in the NY Times as encouraging the uberwealthy to practice conspicuous consumption and flaunt their wealth68% influenceCEO Andy Jassy14,000 layoffs in October, 16,000 in January, all for AIBut seriously, do we think he's running anything?Board member Andrew Ng: DRAI Fund LP managing partner, DeepLearning.AI LLC founder, LandingAI founder, chairman and co-founder Coursera, Managing Partner AI AspireIf this guy wrote “AI” any more in his bio it would read like ChatGPT wrote itPartnered with OpenAI for AI courses on his shitty companiesNg TAUGHT Altman at StanfordBoard member Patricia StonesiferMs. Stonesifer has served as a trustee of The Rockefeller Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world, from 2019 to 2025Board members Jonathan Rubinstein, Keith Alexander, Wendell Weeks, and Jamie GorelickFree Float data says they are the only ones with knowledge in Public SafetyCombined influence of 10%

This episode features CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney covering the top 10 important events affecting institutional investors from March 3 through to March 26, 2026. Some of the topics addressed include:  the separate comments of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins and Ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (Senate Banking Committee) Senator Elizabeth Warren at CII's Spring conference; and a letter from a bi-partisan group of 18 Senate Banking Committee members to Chair Atkins urging the SEC to examine Chinese companies' reliance on variable interest entities to be listed on U.S. exchanges.  

At the FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference in Boca Raton, Paul Atkins, Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, spoke to Walt Lukken about his aims to reset the SEC–CFTC relationship through stronger harmonisation and a clear "tone from the top" to end turf wars and support innovation. He also discussed a shift away from enforcement-led policymaking, particularly in crypto, towards clearer rules, and a commitment to working with industry on issues like cross-margining and Treasury clearing to ensure efficient, competitive markets.

Amerikaanse toezichthouders hebben deze week een nieuwe stap gezet in de regulering van de cryptomarkt. De SEC en de CFTC publiceerden een uitgebreide richtlijn waarin crypto-assets worden ingedeeld in vijf categorieën. Volgens SEC-voorzitter Paul Atkins is het doel om meer duidelijkheid te scheppen in een discussie die al jaren speelt: wat ís crypto eigenlijk? Die vraag is cruciaal, omdat de kwalificatie bepaalt onder welk toezicht een asset valt en welke regels van toepassing zijn. In de nieuwe indeling worden onder andere Bitcoin, ether en solana gezien als ‘digital commodities’, terwijl andere tokens mogelijk als ‘digital securities’ worden bestempeld. Dat onderscheid heeft directe gevolgen voor bedrijven in de sector, bijvoorbeeld op het gebied van registratie, rapportage en toezicht. Ook voor consumenten verandert er het nodige, onder meer in de bescherming die zij genieten. Opvallend is dat deze richtlijn vooruitloopt op wetgeving zoals de Clarity Act, die juist bedoeld was om dit soort definities wettelijk vast te leggen. De vraag is ook hoe deze Amerikaanse aanpak zich verhoudt tot de Europese regels, en of dit de VS aantrekkelijker maakt voor cryptobedrijven. Ondertussen bewoog de markt zelf ook. De bitcoinprijs daalde deze week tot ongeveer 70.000 dollar. Volgens analisten hangt die beweging samen met bredere macro-economische ontwikkelingen. Zo besloot Fed-voorzitter Jerome Powell de rente ongewijzigd te laten, ondanks geopolitieke spanningen en stijgende prijzen. De boodschap van de centrale bank: de toekomst is te onzeker om nu al bij te sturen. Die onzekerheid werd lange tijd gezien als een factor die Bitcoin juist in de kaart speelt, maar het is de vraag of dat effect nog steeds zichtbaar is in de markt. Verder was er nieuws uit de betalingssector. Mastercard kondigde aan het stablecoinplatform BVNK over te nemen voor 1,8 miljard dollar. Het bedrijf ziet blockchaintechnologie als een aanvulling op bestaande financiële infrastructuur, ondanks dat de technologie nog relatief jong is. BVNK richt zich op het faciliteren van betalingen met stablecoins, en dat maakt het een interessante partij voor een gevestigde speler als Mastercard. De overname roept vragen op over hoe traditionele bedrijven geld willen verdienen aan systemen die deels gedecentraliseerd zijn, en wat dit betekent voor de rol van stablecoins binnen het financiële stelsel. Co-host is Kim Schneider, web 3 enterprise lead bij Deloitte. Over de podcast Cryptocurrency are here to stay. In deze wekelijkse podcast gidst Daniël Mol je door het belangrijkste cryptonieuws, langs hypes en trends, voor- en tegenstanders en winst en verlies. In het A-deel bespreken we het laatste nieuws en in het B-deel gaan we in gesprek met een gast. Van cypherpunkpioneers tot grootbanken die aan de haal gaan met stablecoins, van Bitcoin tot Ethereum tot CBDC's. Alles passeert de revue. Reageren? Stuur dan een mail naar cryptocast@bnr.nl Gasten Kim Schneider is web 3 enterprise lead bij Deloitte Host Daniel Mol is redacteur en presentator van de Cryptocast. Hij is sinds 2017 met Bitcoin bezig en kwam in 2021 bij het team van de Cryptocast. Redactie Daniel Mol Matthijs Damsteeg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winter's thawing, DC is heating up, and suddenly the “boring” plumbing of global finance looks like the main event. In this episode, Toner and BTC Ankarino connect the dots between Kraken's access to the Fed, the Clarity Act drumbeat, stablecoin legislation, and a wartime money machine that may no longer need to ask Congress for permission—or your wallet for forgiveness.From Capitol Hill blockchain panels and Cynthia Lummis rhetoric, to Paul Atkins talking T-zero settlement like it's the second coming of banking, this one goes deep on the new rails being laid beneath the American economy. The guys unpack why stablecoins may be less about “innovation” and more about teaching the public to accept a new transaction layer, why the World Bank's shiny “Funds Chain” sounds a lot like Economic Hitmen 3.0 with better branding, and how “traceability” can still be just another flavor of obfuscation.Also on the tab: prediction markets sniffing out military action before the headlines do, Polymarket and Kalshi as oracle machines for the well-connected, small business loans becoming tokenized instruments, and the increasingly blurry line between Bitcoin's stateless promise and every other chain's very human agenda. The future may still show you a dollar sign—but behind the curtain, the ballerina is already dancing on blockchain.A little war, a little Fedwire, a little pirate treasure. Just another week pouring ourselves into the future.

Senators have made substantial progress on crypto market structure legislation. But one lawmaker said time is running out to pass the bill. Meanwhile, The SEC and CFTC issued a joint 68-page interpretation on March 17 explicitly naming 16 crypto assets as digital commodities.~This episode is sponsored by BTCC~BTCC 10% Deposit Bonus! ➜ https://bit.ly/PBNBTCC00:00 Intro00:10 Sponsor: BTCC00:30 DC Summit01:00 House Rep. Dusty Johnson sounds alarm02:00 Bernie Moreno: “May or its Dead”02:50 Cynthia Lummis possibly curses CLARITY odds04:20 Tim Scott gives us real hope of passage06:10 Tax Bill is ready to attach to CLARITY08:00 Paul Atkins back CLARITY08:45 CLARITY Odds09:15 Paul Atkins: introduces token taxonomy10:40 ETH SOL XRP not a security11:50 Hail Mary12:10 KRAKEN freezes IPO#Crypto #Ethereum #XRP~

When Shogun was released last year on Hulu, it featured a great cast, spectacular visuals, and a gripping story. It was a commercial and critical success on release, and again when awards season came around. So of course, academic historians fretted. Were they concerned that it painted sixteenth-century Japan as another Game of Thrones (with more ninjas and fewer dragons)? Maybe a little. But most scholars were anxious because they understood how important the show would be, how profound an impact it would have, for years to come, on the public's perception of Japanese culture and history — all the more so because the story captures a moment of extraordinary significance, in such vivid detail, on such a vast canvas. In this talk, David Spafford, Associate Professor of Premodern Japanese History at the University of Pennsylvania, takes a closer look at the complexities of the period and unpacks why this particular moment in history matters so much — and how the hit Shogun series does (or doesn't) help us understand it. David Spafford was born and raised in Rome and first moved to the States to earn his PhD. He is currently Associate Professor of Premodern Japanese History in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on samurai and the invention of the Way of the Warrior, on early modern urbanization, and on premodern law and violence. He is the author of A Sense of Place: The Political Landscape in Late Medieval Japan (2013), which explores the resilience of medieval regional identities and cultural geographies during the early Warring States period. In recent years, he has written about the role and boundaries of kinship in warrior society between 1450 and 1650. He is currently completing a short monograph on the writings of a sixteenth-century widow, known to us only as Jukeini, the only woman to rule a warrior domain. Paul Atkins is professor of Japanese in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he teaches and writes about the literature, drama, and culture of medieval Japan. He holds a Ph.D. in Japanese from Stanford University. Professor Atkins was awarded the William F. Sibley Memorial Translation Prize by the University of Chicago in 2011 and the Kyoko Selden Memorial Translation Prize by Cornell University in 2021 for his translations of classical Japanese texts into English. Publications include the monographs Teika: The Life and Works of a Medieval Japanese Poet (University of Hawai'i Press, 2017) and Revealed Identity: The Noh Plays of Komparu Zenchiku (Center of Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2006) as well as a number of articles. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Washin Kai. This event is sponsored by the UW Center for Japanese Studies and the UW Department of Asian Languages and Literature. Nominal support provided by Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle.

(0:00) Jason and Chamath welcome SEC's Paul Atkins and CFTC's Michael Selig (0:53) Atkins on how US markets have changed over his 40 year career (3:04) Top priorities across both agencies: Fixing the IPO drought, crypto regulation, cutting unnecessary rules (8:16) AI trading bots, autonomous hedge funds, and investing with leverage (15:30) Ending the "Turf War" between the SEC and CFTC, super app vision (19:15) Prediction markets, insider trading, gray area (26:56) Trump advocates for changing quarterly earnings to bi-annual (30:30) Changing the accreditation rules a priority for 2026 (34:56) HFT firms that dominate the futures markets, swap reporting (40:36) VC fund formation (46:18) US markets vs the world, crypto classification (52:54) Biggest risks: Market manipulation, crypto scams, and the Gen Z gambling crisis   SEC Chair Paul Atkins: https://x.com/SECPaulSAtkins CFTC Chair Michael Selig: https://x.com/ChairmanSelig Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect

 Heavy hitters like Larry Fink and Paul Atkins have said that tokenization is the future, but acquiring and managing tokenized assets can be a tall order for the average retail investor. Today's company is working to change that, with a unique strategy that provides value far beyond market exposure. Marco Santori is the Chief Executive Officer of Solmate, which trades under the symbol SLMT. Solmate is an institutional infrastructure company accelerating Solana's growth, and giving investors exposure to Solana's native token, SOL. Marco is a treasury company pioneer, launching the very first Altcoin treasury on Nasdaq, and he was a partner at Pantera Capital where he helped to structure some of the industry's best performing treasuries. Marco was also the Chief Legal Officer at Kraken, one of the world's largest digital asset exchanges, served as the President of Blockchain.com, and he was a partner at the law firm Cooley, where he led the firm's global fintech team. Today, Marco joins us to explain how Solmate's infrastructure flywheel creates value, what makes Solana unique among blockchains, and how the emergence of digitized capital markets will impact the world of finance.Highlights:Blockchain basics (2:22)What is Solana? (4:27)What sets Solmate apart (7:28)Infrastructure flywheel (11:08)Digital capital markets (13:31)Why the UAE? (15:42)Institutional readiness and blockchains (19:30)How will blockchains change finance? (21:17)Innovations in the works (24:53)Solmate's investment thesis (27:19) Links: Marco LinkedInSolmate LinkedInSolmate WebsiteICR LinkedInICR TwitterICR Website Feedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co

The odds of a government shutdown in the United States taking place before Saturday, February 14, have surged to 85%. This rise has occurred amid a sustained downward trend in Bitcoin and the overall crypto market, with total market capitalization currently at $2.3 trillion, down 1.8%.~This episode is sponsored by iTrust Capital~iTrustCapital | Get $100 Funding Reward + No Monthly Fees when you sign up using our custom link! ➜ https://bit.ly/iTrustPaul00:00 Intro00:10 Sponsor: iTrust Capital00:50 Market crash01:30 El Salvador at risk02:00 Tariff threats03:00 Russia03:45 Now or never04:00 Unprecedented times04:30 Job loses SKYROCKETING05:20 CNBC: How the Fed will response07:30 Tom Lee: The macro is confusing09:00 Bloomberg: Shutdown over DHS11:20 Clock is ticking12:15 Paul Atkins on tokenized stocks & self-custody14:30 Standard Charter15:40 Hopium16:45 Tom Lee: Bitcoin outperforms gold in 202618:50 ETH Bottom?19:30 CNCB: Crypto Institutions insulated from volatility21:15 Mr. Beast could be the key21:50 Vlad: Robinhood Social coming soon#Crypto #Bitcoin #Ethereum~Shutdown Crash Imminent?

This episode features CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney covering the top 10 important events affecting institutional investors from January 6 through February 3, 2026. Some of the topics addressed in this episode include: The SEC's announcement objecting to the use of exempt solicitations by smaller shareholders; Proposed revisions to Regulation S-K; Developments in Delaware corporation law; and CII's letter to the SEC supporting Nasdaq's proposal on new listing standards for Chinese companies.

Meta has reported strong quarterly results, highlighting AI-driven shifts to the company's business. The SEC and CFTC are hosting a joint conference to underscore collaboration on crypto and the digital assets market structure bill. SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Mike Selig discuss the dynamic between the crypto and finance industries and making America competitive for crypto business. President Trump has warned Iran that it should make a nuclear deal with the U.S., or face a large-scale American attack. Former senior advisor on energy policy in the Biden administration's State Department Amos Hochstein discusses the prospect of an attack on Iran over the weekend. Plus, Accuweather's Bernie Rayno considers the likelihood of another winter storm over the weekend. Paul Atkins & Mike Selig - 8:27Amos Hochstein - 20:15Bernie Rayno - 30:20 In this episode:Paul Atkins, @SECPaulAtkinsMike Selig, @MichaelSeligAmos Hochstein, @amoshochsteinBrian Sullivan, @SullyCNBCBecky Quick, @BeckyQuickAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinKatie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Crypto News: Standard Chartered to Launch Crypto Prime Brokerage. SEC Chair Paul Atkins: ‘Remains to be seen‘ whether US will seize Venezuela‘s reported Bitcoin. Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams launches NYC token.Brought to you by

This episode features CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney covering the top 10 important events affecting institutional investors from December 2, 2025 – January 6, 2026. Some of the topics addressed in this episode include: President Donald Trump's executive order relating to proxy advisors; provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 that were approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump; and CII's letter to SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins regarding the Rule 14a-8 process.

47e6GvjL4in5Zy5vVHMb9PQtGXQAcFvWSCQn2fuwDYZoZRk3oFjefr51WBNDGG9EjF1YDavg7pwGDFSAVWC5K42CBcLLv5U OR DONATE HERE: https://www.monerotalk.live/donate GUEST LINKS: https://x.com/mikehassard https://x.com/TorEkelandPLLC TIMESTAMPS (00:00:00) Monerotopia Introduction. (00:14:34) Monerotopia Price Report Segment w/ Bawdyanarchist. (00:52:31) Monerotopia Guest Segment w/ Michael Hassard and Tor Ekeland. (02:09:25) Monerotopia News Segment w/ Tony. (02:13:39) Bitcoin Vs Gold. (02:17:49) Funny Post. (02:18:04) ShopinBit Payment Stats. (02:18:30) Where can someone offer a servisse in Exchange for XMR. (02:19:33) Monero.careers (02:20:20) CZ Challenge. (02:21:45) Vlad post. (02:22:25) Monero received nearly $1m donations in 2025. (02:23:09) CCS Funding Required. (02:23:40) emsczkp research Bulletproofs (02:23:59) Bawdy post. (02:24:40) RetoSwap. (02:25:10) Zcash Foundation Legal Team. (02:26:07) Untraceable post. (02:27:15) Monero Bazaar apartment. (02:28:03) Crypto for 2026. (02:29:50) Paul Atkins. (02:33:10) Monero block size. (02:34:15) MIT student Arnav Kapur. (02:36:40) "Offensive" meme can land you in jail. (02:39:20) Joey Barton prison. (02:42:28) Monerotopia Viewers on Stage Segment. (04:08:58) Monerotopia Finalization. NEWS SEGMENT LINKS: https://x.com/walkeramerica/status/1997396095593312281?s=46 https://x.com/bawdyanarchist/status/1998119104415256908?s=46 https://x.com/endwokeness/status/1998031974053875957?s=46 https://x.com/monerospace/status/1998761310394396890?s=46 https://x.com/returnofkappy/status/1998968510375178734?s=46 https://x.com/schmidt1024/status/1999171374447812932?s=46 https://x.com/secpaulsatkins/status/1999248667937841188?s=46 https://x.com/iovowl/status/1999299732686950783?s=46 https://x.com/barrysilbert/status/1999540080696840427?s=46 https://x.com/thedesertlynx/status/1999667516474556716?s=46 SPONSORS: PRICE REPORT: https://exolix.com/ GUEST SEGMENT: https://cakewallet.com & https://monero.com NEWS SEGMENT: https://www.wizardswap.io XMR.BAR: https://xmr.bar Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! The more subscribers, the more we can help Monero grow! XMRtopia TELEGRAM: https://t.me/monerotopia XMRtopia MATRIX: https://matrix.to/#/%23monerotopia%3Amonero.social ODYSEE: https://bit.ly/3bMaFtE WEBSITE: monerotopia.com CONTACT: monerotopia@protonmail.com MASTADON: @Monerotopia@mastodon.social MONERO.TOWN https://monero.town/u/monerotopia Get Social with us: X: https://twitter.com/monerotopia INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/monerotopia DOUGLAS: https://twitter.com/douglastuman SUNITA: https://twitter.com/sunchakr TUX: https://twitter.com/tuxpizza

In this episode, we ask: What does he know, that we don't? What is his net worth? What does the SEC chair do? What is the cornerstone of his wealth? Is this a quiet vote of confidence in life insurance over volatile securities? What protections does life insurance offer that stocks don't? What is a...

The crypto sector has celebrated a lot of policy wins in 2025, but price wise, it has arguably been a year to forget. In this episode of Unchained, Bitwise Head of Research Ryan Rasmussen and Arca Portfolio Manager David Nage join host Laura Shin to discuss the disappointing crypto markets and why their outlook on 2026 is more positive. They also explained why Vanguard's crypto pivot is a huge deal, questioned whether Bitcoin could ever be unseated by privacy coins, and discussed why they don't see the bubble in the DAT market hurting crypto. Need liquidity without selling your crypto? Take out a Figure Crypto-Backed Loan, allowing you to borrow against your BTC, ETH, or SOL with 12-month terms and no prepayment penalties. They have the lowest rates in the industry at 8.91%, allowing you to access instant cash or buy more Bitcoin without triggering a tax event.  Thank you to our sponsor, Figure! Unlock your crypto's potential today at Figure!  Guests: Ryan Rasmussen, Head of Research at Bitwise David Nage, Portfolio Manager at Arca Previous appearance on Unchained: The LayerZero-Wormhole Contest Shows How to Value a Crypto Business Links: Unchained: Bitcoin Resets Above $90,000, but Can Bulls Keep the Momentum? Bits + Bips: Vanguard's Crypto U-Turn, Tether/MSTR FUD & Picking Future Winners Bits + Bips: Why the Markets Now Have a Bullish Setup Franklin Templeton Rolls Out First Tokenized Fund in Hong Kong Why Every Company Will Have a Stablecoin — and Why One L2 Isn't Enough Grayscale Files to List Zcash ETF What Ethereum Will Look Like When It Implements Its New Privacy Focus Other relevant links: Bank of America Broadens Access to Crypto Funds SEC's Paul Atkins touts 'tokenization' as key to modernizing US markets Larry Fink and Rob Goldstein on how tokenization could transform finance My Highest-Conviction Bet in Crypto Stablecoin payments on Stripe cost 1.5% of the transaction amount. Credit card fees are as high as 3.5%. Less than half of the cost! Bitcoin's “Facebook Moment”  Timestamps:

Over the past decade, U.S. capital markets have changed— and not for the better.Far fewer companies are choosing to go public. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins joins the show to  break down what he sees as the growing regulatory barriers facing businesses, the impact of politicized rule-making, and the rising pressure from activist shareholder movements. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. - - - Wake up with new Morning Wire merch:⁠ https://bit.ly/4lIubt3⁠ - - - Today's Sponsor: Balance of Nature: Go to https://balanceofnature.com/pages/podcasters for 50% off the Whole Health System FOR LIFE with this limited-time offer! - - - Privacy Policy:⁠ https://www.dailywire.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode features CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney covering the top 10 important events affecting institutional investors from October 28 through December 2, 2025.

Crypto News: SEC Chair Paul Arkins says innovation exemption for crypto firms is coming in January and the SEC wants to open up IPOs. Bank of America Greenlights Wealth Advisers to Recommend Up to 4% Bitcoin Allocation.Brought to you by

Regulators around the world, from the US to Singapore and Australia, are trying to revive initial public offerings. The London Stock Exchange raised less than $2 billion since the beginning of 2024, its worst drought since 1998, while the number of publicly listed companies in the US has halved from 8,000 in 1996. Regulatory burdens, litigation risks and abundant private capital have pushed companies to remain private. Paul Atkins, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, has vowed to "make IPOs great again". But what can regulators do to entice companies to list? And why is Hong Kong bucking this trend – the city is on track to raise more than $40 billion this year and has a pipeline of more than 300 mainland Chinese firms seeking listing. Larry Tabb, Bloomberg Intelligence head of market structure research, and Sharnie Wong, BI senior analyst – diversified financials, joins John Lee on the Asia Centric podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At DevConnect 2025, Sebastian and Friederike speak with Peter Van Valkenburgh about the rapidly evolving battle for digital rights. Peter challenges the industry's comfort with transparency, arguing that "transparency will destroy neutrality." He uses the history of SWIFT to illustrate how a once-neutral messaging system was captured by geopolitical interests because it wasn't "technically blind" to the data it processed. He argues that for blockchains to survive as global settlement layers, they must be "actually blind" to transactions, making neutrality a technical reality rather than a policy choice.The conversation turns to the aggressive legal tactics currently deployed against developers. Peter highlights the Pereira Bueno case, where prosecutors charged MEV searchers with wire fraud for being "dishonest validators" a concept Peter argues completely undermines the game-theoretic security of permissionless networks. He also breaks down the mixed bag of Tornado Cash litigation. While the sanctions against the protocol were successfully challenged and invalidated for Americans, the criminal conviction of developer Roman Storm for "unlicensed money transmission" sets a terrifying precedent for anyone publishing open-source code.On a constructive note, Peter introduces Coin Center's "John Hancock Project," which advocates for replacing the current, ineffective KYC/AML regime (which seizes less than 1% of illicit funds) with a system based on privacy-preserving attestations and self-sovereign risk scores. Finally, Peter shares surprising optimism regarding the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He notes that under the influence of Commissioners Hester Peirce and Paul Atkins, the agency has shifted from an aggressive adversary to a potential ally, openly discussing the benefits of full asset tokenization and the constitutional necessity of financial privacy.Topics00:00 The Telegram vs. Signal security rant05:15 The "Transparency Paradox": Why transparent Layer 1s cannot remain neutral in the long run10:40 The SWIFT Analogy: How a neutral messaging layer became a politicized settlement enforcer15:50 The Pereira Bueno Case: Why labeling MEV strategies as "wire fraud" threatens all validators23:10 L2 Sequencing Risks: Centralization and the need for "dumb pipes" 28:30 The Failure of KYC: Why 99.8% of illicit funds are missed and the cost of mass surveillance35:00 The "John Hancock Project": Using ZK-proofs and attestations to replace identity surveillance42:15 Tornado Cash Update: Sanctions invalidated vs. the dangerous precedent of Roman Storm's conviction49:00 The SEC's 180: Hester Peirce, Paul Atkins, and the push for tokenized equitiesLinks mentioned in the episode: Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/ Coin Center: https://www.coincenter.orgEpicenter - All Episodes: https://epicenter.tv/Report: Tear Down This Walled Garden: https://www.coincenter.org/tear-down-this-walled-garden/ Pereira Bueno Amicus Brief: https://www.coincenter.org/amicus-brief-mev-wire-fraud/ Peter on X: https://x.com/valkenburghSebastian on X: https://x.com/seb3point0Friederike on X: https://x.com/tw_tter Sponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io

In this episode, CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney interviews James D. Cox, a member of the Shadow SEC and the Brainerd Currie Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke University. Their discussion covers the Shadow SEC's view of SEC Chair Paul Atkin's plans to scrap quarterly reporting.

This Day in Legal History: Gettysburg AddressOn November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, months after the blood-soaked Civil War battle that left over 50,000 dead or wounded. The speech nearly didn't make it—Lincoln's draft was reportedly misplaced during the train ride to Gettysburg, and he completed the final version just the night before the ceremony. The headliner that day was Edward Everett, a famed orator who delivered a two-hour address rich in historical detail and classical references. Lincoln followed with a two-minute speech of just 271 words.Drawing inspiration from Pericles' Funeral Oration in ancient Athens, Lincoln sought to elevate the sacrifices of Union soldiers into a reaffirmation of democratic ideals. He framed the war as a test of whether a nation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” could endure. In his address, Lincoln humbly suggested that “the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,” asserting that the deeds of the fallen, not words, would be remembered by future generations.Afterward, Lincoln reportedly told his bodyguard, “that speech won't scour,” using a Midwestern farming phrase to express doubt about its impact. But Everett, recognizing its brilliance, wrote to Lincoln the next day to say that the president had accomplished in two minutes what he had failed to do in two hours. Indeed, Everett himself is now most famous for his connection to Lincoln's words. Though met with mixed reviews at the time, the speech has since eclipsed the Battle of Gettysburg itself in cultural memory and certainly legal significance.Lincoln's words at Gettysburg echoed something he had written five years earlier, after his defeat in the 1858 Illinois Senate race to Stephen Douglas. Reflecting on what seemed like the end of his political career, Lincoln wrote, “and though I now sink out of view, and shall be forgotten, I believe I have made some marks which will tell for the cause of civil liberty long after I am gone.” These words, penned just two years before he became president, speak to Lincoln's deep conviction that principles—not personal success—leave the most enduring legacy. The Gettysburg Address ultimately became one of those “marks,” still telling for the cause of civil liberty over 160 years later.The Gettysburg Address endures not just as a piece of oratory but as a touchstone of American constitutional values, echoing through the Fourteenth Amendment and generations of civil rights jurisprudence.A federal judge in Virginia will hear arguments from former FBI Director James Comey's legal team seeking dismissal of criminal charges against him, alleging the case was politically motivated by President Donald Trump's long-standing animosity. Comey's lawyers argue the prosecution is a form of “vindictive” retaliation for his public criticism of Trump, who has often called for Comey's prosecution since firing him in 2017. Comey, charged in September with making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, has pleaded not guilty and is pursuing multiple avenues to have the case thrown out before trial.The hearing will also examine the controversial role of Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump personal lawyer with no prosecutorial background, appointed as interim U.S. Attorney overseeing the case. A separate judge is reviewing whether Halligan's appointment was lawful, while a magistrate judge recently flagged serious procedural concerns with how she handled the grand jury that indicted Comey. Prosecutors maintain that Trump's public statements and criticism of Comey do not meet the legal threshold for a vindictive prosecution claim and argue the charges are legitimate.Comey's case is part of a broader pattern, with other Trump critics, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former national security adviser John Bolton, also facing charges following Trump's calls for retribution. Legal observers are closely watching whether courts will allow such prosecutions to proceed given the appearance of political targeting.US judge to weigh Trump's influence over case against ex-FBI chief Comey | ReutersCravath, Swaine & Moore has kicked off the 2025 year-end bonus season for major U.S. law firms by announcing associate bonuses of up to $140,000. According to an internal memo, standard year-end bonuses will range from $15,000 for first-year associates (on a pro-rated basis) to $115,000 for the most senior associates. Additionally, the firm will issue special bonuses between $6,000 and $25,000, aligning with bonus levels previously set by competitor Milbank.Cravath, long viewed as a market-setter in associate compensation, made the announcement on Tuesday, prompting at least one other major firm—Paul Hastings—to follow suit with matching payouts. These bonuses mirror those issued last year, maintaining pressure on peer firms to remain competitive in compensation.Currently, associates at top U.S. firms earn base salaries ranging from $225,000 to $435,000 depending on seniority. Firms often wait for Cravath to act before making their own compensation decisions. The announcement comes amid strong financial performance across the legal sector, with a surge in client demand—especially for transactional work—reported in the third quarter. Analysts suggest this demand positions firms for a profitable close to 2025.Cravath sets pace for US law firm bonuses, promising associates up to $140K | ReutersCravath Doles Out Associate Bonuses Ranging Up to $140,000 (2)The U.S. Senate is set to question Michael Selig, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), with a focus on his views on cryptocurrency regulation and election betting markets. Selig, currently the chief counsel for the SEC's crypto task force and an adviser to Republican SEC chair Paul Atkins, has been an outspoken supporter of pro-crypto policies. In a recent social media post, he pledged to help make the U.S. the “Crypto Capital of the World.”Trump's administration has embraced the crypto sector, rolling back enforcement efforts and enacting a regulatory framework for stablecoins. The CFTC could gain expanded oversight powers under the proposed CLARITY Act, which passed the House in July and is now being reviewed by the Senate. That legislation aims to clarify when a digital asset is a commodity versus a security, a long-standing jurisdictional issue between the CFTC and the SEC.Selig's nomination follows the withdrawal of Trump's earlier pick, Brian Quintenz, who alleged his nomination was derailed by pressure from major crypto donors, the Winklevoss twins. Senators are expected to press Selig on his approach to inter-agency cooperation, how he would regulate crypto spot markets, and how the CFTC might handle politically sensitive areas like election betting. Currently, only one commissioner remains on the CFTC, Republican Caroline Pham, who is serving as acting chair and has signaled plans to step down once a new leader is confirmed.Senate to grill Trump's pick for CFTC head on crypto regulation | ReutersThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled on Tuesday that Donald Trump cannot revive his defamation lawsuit against CNN over its use of the term “Big Lie” to describe his false claims about the 2020 presidential election. Trump filed the suit in 2022, arguing that the phrase linked him to Nazi propaganda and unfairly compared him to Adolf Hitler. However, both the district court and the appeals court found that CNN's language constituted protected opinion, not provable falsehoods.The court emphasized that Trump failed to demonstrate that CNN's statements were factually false, which is a necessary element of a defamation claim. While Trump asserted that “Big Lie” was unambiguous and defamatory, the panel disagreed, finding the term inherently subjective and open to interpretation—particularly in political contexts. They noted that if politically charged terms like “fascist” are ambiguous, then “Big Lie,” which is facially apolitical, must be considered at least as ambiguous.Trump had also tried to compare CNN's interpretation of his actions to his own self-assessment, in which he saw himself as exercising constitutional rights. But the court held that differing views on Trump's conduct are subjective and not subject to clear proof. The district court's refusal to reconsider or allow Trump to amend the complaint was upheld, as he failed to present new evidence or show any legal error.The opinion was issued per curiam by Judges Adalberto Jordan, Kevin Newsom, and Elizabeth Branch.Trump Fails to Revive Defamation Suit Against CNN Over ‘Big Lie' This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode:  The Senate Ag Cmte publishes a Market Structure draft Paul Atkins' token taxonomy speech Fed Governor Stephen Miran gives a major stablecoin speech Grayscale files their S-1 Coinbase announces a tokensale platform Coinbase is leaving Delaware The Coinbase BVNK deal falls through Visa Direct adds stablecoin support The Czech republic buys Bitcoin DATs are struggling CBDC holdouts Jack Dorsey bends the knee on stablecoins  Content mentioned: Stephen Miran, A Global Stablecoin Glut: Implications for Monetary Policy  

This episode features CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney covering the top 10 important events affecting institutional investors from October 1-28, 2025.

DAMIONCEOsSayingStuffIn our 'Hey Ma, put down your Word Search, I found a CEO that isn't intentionally trying to hold Americans back. Tell Dad!' headline of the week. Jeff Bezos warns Gen Z to think twice before dropping out of college to become the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg: ‘These people are the exception' In our 'CEO haunted by inequality ghost she personally feeds' headline of the week. Best Buy's CEO says growing spending power gap between affluent and poor ‘keeps me up at night'In our 'Breaking News: Jamie Dimon bravely warns world about things being complicated' headline of the week. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Says There's a 'Heightened Degree of Uncertainty'In our 'Economy feels great, say men who own it' headline of the week. There's a shocking disparity between how high-income and low-income earners feel about the economyIn our 'Meta removes Facebook page where billionaire discovers sharing' headline of the week. As billionaire wealth soars $33 trillion, Mark Cuban says it's time for workers to receive a cut of their employers' success in the form of stocks MATTIn our 'The SEC, which has steadily been rolling back regulations, finally moves to strengthen protections for investors... wait, what? This is in the PHILLIPINES? THEY have an SEC??' headline of the week. Analysts see stronger transparency from SEC's proposed ownership disclosure rulesIn our 'The Phillipino SEC combines investor protections with rollbacks on shareholder proposals... Oh, wait... This is the SEC in AMERICA?' headline of the week. SEC Chair Speech Could Spell Death Knell for Non-Binding Shareholder ProposalsIn our 'In his speech, SEC chair Paul Atkins aimed to get back to 2007. I mean, 2007 was pretty good, but I feel like we should aim higher. Like 1999! That year was so good Prince wrote a song about it! 1972 was pretty good, too. And remember 1881? Does anyone know if anything bad happened the next year for any of these years?' headline of the week. The Rules of Investing Are Being Loosened. Could It Lead to the Next 1929?In our 'Even Antarctica is anti-woke' headline of the week. Researchers find methane leaking out of cracks in Antarctic seabedIn our 'I mean, where will they even find one? Finding merit in the meritocracy is HARD...' headline of the week. Disney ‘to hire white actress' after woke furyDAMIONBigTechBabyBroTsarsIn our 'Zuck bans the pitchfork emoji for inciting peasant rebellion' headline of the week. Meta removes Facebook page allegedly used to target ICE agents after pressure from DOJ In our 'AI finally achieves consciousness, immediately tries to sell you toilet paper' headline of the week. Walmart teams with OpenAI to let shoppers buy products through ChatGPTIn our 'College dropout forms safety council to protect world from thing he built' headline of the week. OpenAI forms expert council to bolster safety measures after FTC inquiry In our 'OpenAI promises safety, just as soon as it finishes monetizing danger' headline of the week. OpenAI unveils “wellness” council; suicide prevention expert not includedCrazyTimeIn our 'This headline speaks for itself' headline of the week. DOJ seizes $15 billion in bitcoin from massive ‘pig butchering' scam based in CambodiaMATTIn our 'In the book of Thiel, chapter 2, verse 14, Jesus said "AI is the anti-antichrist, and the antichrist is probably Greta Thunberg, so thou must build the AI to stop a 22 year old Swedish environmental activist lest she save a single whale." But I much prefer the book of Andreessen, chapter 1, verse 17, where the Lord decreed, "Thouest should wash the feet of the billionaires, for without them, you could not put dog ears on your selfies or cyber stalk 14 year old girls."' headline of the week. Audio of Peter Thiel's Secret Antichrist Seminar Just LeakedIn our 'If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does Sam Altman worry about it?' headline of the week. Sam Altman Says If Jobs Gets Wiped Out, Maybe They Weren't Even “Real Work” to Start WithIn our 'If Sam Altman worries about a sexy AI chatbot, does it grow a penis?' headline of the week. Sam Altman says ChatGPT is getting into erotica by the end of the yearIn our 'If a Gavin Newsom allows AI to have a penis, does a Sam Altman get a billion dollars?' headline of the week. Gavin Newsom Vetoes Bill to Protect Kids From Predatory AIIn our 'If a Jamie Dimon says so, does a sexy AI with a penis have a 30% chance to ruin the economy?' headline of the week. Jamie Dimon gets real on AI, sees stocks ‘in some form of bubble territory'

In this week's Weekly Rollup, we break down “Downtemper” market moves as Bitcoin and Ethereum slide, and examine why Vitalik Buterin is calling low-risk DeFi Ethereum's true backbone. We highlight Tether's ambitious $500B raise, Polymarket's mainstream moment on South Park, and Gary Gensler's testy CNBC appearance. We also cover Paul Atkins' push for pro-crypto regulation, the heated debate over whether Base should be regulated like Nasdaq, and the surprising deletion of 86 million bank accounts in Vietnam as digital ID mandates expand. ------

EASY LISTENING DEP'T.: Below the jump for that story on page A15, the headline is “SEC dropped a civil complaint against a former client of its Trump-picked chairman. In 2018,” the Times writes, “Paul Atkins was paid $1,450 an hour to be an expert witness by Devin Archer's lawyers as they tried to undermine accusations that their client defrauded a Native American tribal entity and others out of $60 million. While Mr. Archer was convicted anyway, he was pardoned by President Trump in March.” You could write a story about how Republicans would feel if the same fact pattern had unfolded under Joe Biden's SEC. But why bother? The question isn't how they feel about conflicts of interest. It's how they feel about Donald Trump. Please visit, read, and support INDIGNITY! https://www.indignity.net/

On 4 August, Paul Atkins, the chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, launched “Project Crypto”. The SEC wants to make the US “the crypto capital of the world”. Crypto investors make a lot of noise, but who are they, and do they behave differently to other retail investors? A new CEPR discussion paper called “Do you even crypto, bro?” summarises what a representative sample of US citizens think about crypto investments and highlights the gap in attitudes to risk and investing between crypto holders and the rest of the population. Michael Weber of Purdue University is one of the authors, and he tells Tim Phillips about the beliefs, the politics and the attitude to investment gains that have typified the crypto market so far.

Gm! This week Miles Jennings and Eddy Lazzarin join Yano to dive into how a16z is approaching the current crypto landscape with a big focus on token design, designation, and how Founders can think pragmatically both along legal and engineering lines to execute their project.  -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts -- Follow Eddy: https://x.com/eddylazzarinFollow Miles: https://x.com/milesjenningsFollow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitzFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh -- SKALE is the next evolution in Layer 1 blockchains with a gas-free invisible user experience, instant finality, high speed, and robust security. SKALE is built different as it allows for limitless scalability and has already saved its 50 Million users over $11 Billion in gas fees.  SKALE is high-performance and cost-effective, making it ideal for compute-intensive applications like AI, gaming, and consumer-facing dApps. Learn more at https://skale.space and stay up to date with the gas-free invisible blockchain on X at @skalenetwork -- Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and high yield. No empty emissions, just real yield and sequencer fees routed back to DeFi users.  Pre-deposit now: Earn high APRs with Turtle Club [https://app.turtle.club/campaigns/katana] or spin the wheel with Katana Krates [https://app.katana.network/krates] -- Ledn is the leading platform for Bitcoin-backed loans, offering a secure and transparent way to unlock liquidity without selling your Bitcoin. Ledn has issued over $9 billion in loans since 2018 and has never lost a single satoshi of client assets, earning a reputation as the name you can trust in the crypto space. Visit https://www.ledn.io to learn more. – Timestamps: (03:36) Progress In DC (05:42) Paul Atkins' Onchain Declaration (13:55) End of Foundation Era In Crypto (27:31) Ads (Skale, Katana) (29:02) DUNAs & BORGs (40:12) Defining Tokens (54:54) Ads (Skale, Katana) (56:25) Token Transparency & Classifications (01:07:29) When Fees? (01:15:55) Ads (LEDN) (01:16:57) Balancing PortCos (01:19:44) Common Founder FAQs — Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry as the SEC has approved the use of in-kind creation and redemption processes for all spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.The SEC has approved the use of in-kind creation and redemption processes for all spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. This marks the SEC's first major crypto-friendly policy move since the agency's new leadership under Paul Atkins. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts “CoinDesk Daily.”-Midnight is a privacy-enhancing blockchain introducing vital, programmable privacy and selective disclosure capabilities.It means DApps can allow users to control what information is revealed without putting sensitive data on-chain, allowing you to break free from the limitation of choosing between utility or privacy.We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design. Break free with Midnight, visit midnight.network/break-free-This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crypto News: Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Altcoins continue rallying. Trump Media owns $2 Billion in Bitcoin. SEC Chair Paul Atkins talks Stablecoin regulation and Ethereum security status.

In an extended interview, SEC Chair Paul Atkins discusses his vision for the agency. From cutting red tape and rebooting IPOs to expanding retail investors' access to private markets, Atkins outlines what a “new day at the SEC” really means. He addresses his push for a rational crypto framework and his top priorities since taking the helm of the agency in April. Plus, CNBC's Emily Wilkins joins with the latest developments from Capitol Hill, Sam Altman is calling out Mark Zuckerberg, and Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle Trump's lawsuit over its '60 Minutes' Kamala Harris interview. Emily Wilkins - 02:58Paul Atkins - 16:25 In this episode:Emily Wilkins, @emrwilkinsMelissa Lee, @MelissaLeeCNBCAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinCameron Costa, @CameronCostaNY

On today's Breakdown, NLW covers a dramatic escalation as Israel launches airstrikes against Iran, rattling global markets. He explores Bitcoin's initial response as a risk asset rather than a safe haven amid geopolitical tensions, and analyzes whether that dynamic might shift in the coming days. Plus, the SEC's Paul Atkins labels self-custody a foundational American digital right, Stripe deepens its crypto commitment with a new acquisition, and stablecoins continue their march toward mainstream adoption as the Clarity and Genius Acts progress through Congress. Brought to you by: Grayscale offers more than 20 different crypto investment products. Explore the full suite at grayscale.com. Invest in your share of the future. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grayscale.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.grayscale.com//?utm_source=blockworks&utm_medium=paid-other&utm_campaign=brand&utm_id=&utm_term=&utm_content=audio-thebreakdown)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast: https://pod.link/1438693620 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBreakdownBW Subscribe to the newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://blockworks.co/newsletter/thebreakdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the discussion: https://discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8 Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownBW

This week, Ryan and David unpack Circle's stunning IPO debut, soaring to a $25B market cap and triggering Wall Street's stablecoin frenzy. They break down the landmark Genius Act vote, bringing unprecedented regulatory clarity to stablecoins, and dive into Stripe's latest crypto bet, acquiring wallet innovator Privy. Polymarket goes mainstream in an official integration with Twitter, while SEC Chair Paul Atkins embraces DeFi as fundamentally American. Plus, Gemini quietly files for IPO, Plasma's billion-dollar Tether chain ignites, and Trump unexpectedly endorses crypto at Coinbase. ------

Crypto News: SEC Chair Paul Atkins talks crypto self custody at SEC roundtable today. Nasdaq confirms XRP, SOL, ADA, and XLM in benchmark index via new SEC filing. The Stablecoin Genius ACT Bill could be passed this week.Show Sponsor -

When military leaders weaponize health protocols against service members who refuse to comply with unlawful orders, what happens to the oath to defend the Constitution? In this powerful episode, we're joined by Navy Commander Rob Green, author of "Defending the Constitution Behind Enemy Lines," who shares his experience of being systematically targeted and attacekd for refusing emergency use COVID tests and vaccines.Rob's story reveals the rampant violation of constitutional rights within the Department of Defense and how a leaked Navy standard operating procedure exposed the mass denial of religious accommodation requests. His courage in fighting these unlawful mandates helped secure federal injunctions that protected thousands of service members across all branches of the military.We also explore how the COVID mandate fight opened our eyes to the need for true independence, not just from government overreach, but from the financial systems that make coercion possible. Rob shares his journey from Dave Ramsey disciple to Infinite Banking Concept practitioner, and why building generational wealth through whole life insurance policies creates the financial freedom necessary to stand on principle.Follow Rob on X @robgreen1010 and buy his book here! The Parking Lot Exile: Rob details the absurdity of being forced to conduct official Navy business from his car in the snow because he refused emergency use COVID tests. The Leaked Navy SOP: The revelation of a standard operating procedure that directed the mass denial of religious accommodation requests without proper review. Emergency Use Authorization Rights: An in-depth explanation of Title 21 US Code and how emergency use products cannot be mandated, even for military members.The Path to Accountability: Discussion of grade determinations as a tool for holding military leaders accountable for their actions during COVID.From Mandate Resistance to Financial Independence: How the COVID fight revealed the need for true independence from systems that enable government coercion.Building Generational Resilience: How whole life insurance policies can provide the financial security that enables future generations to stand on principle rather than being coerced by economic pressure.➡️ Chapters00:00 - The Obligation to Resist Unlawful Orders05:00 - Rob's Background and Introduction to the Mandate Fight08:00 - The Parking Lot Exile and Emergency Use Authorization15:00 - The Navy's Standard Operating Procedure for Mass Denials21:00 - Lack of Accountability and Grade Determinations 27:00 - Transitioning from COVID Fight to Financial Independence 35:00 - The Risk Aversion Mindset and Government Overreach42:00 - From Dave Ramsey to Infinite Banking Concept 48:00 - Paul Atkins and His 54 Life Insurance Policies 54:00 - Generational Wealth and Standing on Principle01:02:00 - Final Thoughts on Independence and AccountabilityFollow Rob on X @robgreen1010 and buy his book here! Visit https://remnantfinance.com for more information FOLLOW REMNANT FINANCEYoutube: @RemnantFinance (https://www.youtube.com/@RemnantFinance)Facebook: @remnantfinance (https://www.facebook.com/profile?id=61560694316588)Twitter: @remnantfinance (https://x.com/remnantfinance)TikTok: @RemnantFinance Don't forget to hit LIKE and SUBSCRIBE

Bitcoin is up 2% at $88,605 Eth is up slightly at $1,630 XRP, is down slightly at $2.10 Paul Atkins sworn in as SEC chair US Spot Bitcoin ETFs see inflows European Central Bank worried about dollar contagion Circle and BitGo want US bank charters WazirX eyes restart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry as new SEC Chair Paul Atkins is sworn in.New SEC Chair Paul Atkins is sworn in, inciting hope for crypto friendly policies in the U.S. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank has raised concerns over stablecoin legislation and Bitcoin miners are attempting to bypass Trump's tariffs. CoinDesk's Christine Lee hosts "CoinDesk Daily."-This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Haseeb Qureshi joins us to break down Trump's explosive new tariffs that rocked global markets and triggered a full-blown trade war with China. Stocks whipsawed, recession odds spiked, and the world scrambled to the negotiation table — except China. Was it 3D chess or policy chaos? Plus, we explore the ripple effects on crypto markets, investor sentiment, and what this all means for the future of U.S. economic leadership. It's a jam-packed Weekly Rollup you don't want to miss.Follow Haseeb on X:https://x.com/hosseeb ------

Today's blockchain and cryptocurrency news  Bitcoin is up half a percent at $82,129 Eth is up 1% at $1,602 XRP, is up 1.5% at $2.02 Magic Eden acquiring Slingshot US Senate confirms Paul Atkins as new SEC Chair. SK Banks meet with lawmakers for looser crypto rules Spot BTC ETFs see outflows. OpenSea urges SEC to clarify NFT rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry after U.S. President Donald Trump raise tariffs against China to 145%.Bitcoin fell below $80,000 Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump raise tariffs against China to 145%. Plus, crypto friendly Paul Atkins is confirmed as the new chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Pakistan seeks to utilize up to 10,000 megawatts of surplus energy for Bitcoin mining. CoinDesk's Christine Lee hosts "CoinDesk Daily."-This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, the crew is joined by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce—aka “CryptoMom”—for a rare, candid conversation. They unpack the SEC's vibe shift, why airdrops might be doomed, and whether memecoins are just collectibles or cleverly disguised securities. Plus, Hester dishes on Paul Atkins' potential leadership, the SEC's new crypto task force, and what real regulatory clarity might finally look like. Show highlights