Oops: Cops Post Seized Crypto Wallet Password — and $5M Swiftly Vanishes

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Oops: Cops Post Seized Crypto Wallet Password — and $5M Swiftly Vanishes (Maria)

The author writes, “Soon after South Korean police posted a press release boasting about seizing $5.6 million worth of cryptocurrency from 124 wealthy tax evaders, cops realized that they had mistakenly posted images that made it possible for a thief to quickly steal most of the seized assets. … The Block reported that data indicated that the party who moved the funds … transferred 4M tokens out in three transactions.”

With Iran War, Kalshi and Polymarket Bet That the Depravity Economy Has No Bottom (Sean)

From 404 Media: “The main bet on the front page of Polymarket right now is ‘Will the Iranian regime fall by June 30?’ The site has this at a 41 percent chance of happening as I write this. On Polymarket, more than $5 million has been spent gambling on this question. On Kalshi, a competing prediction market where users can bet on almost anything, $54 million was spent on ‘Ali Khamenei out as Supreme Leader?,’ a bet whose results somehow ended up ambiguous even after Khamenei’s assassination. In a series of tweets over the weekend, Kalshi’s CEO and founder Tarek Mansour repeatedly twisted himself into pretzels attempting to explain how the absurd, grotesque exercise of allowing people to bet on politics, geopolitics, and world events is not supposed to allow people to profit from death.”

The Trump Administration Is Detaining and Questioning Refugees Already Admitted to the US (Reader Steve)

The authors write, “Overturning years of precedent, immigration authorities have arrested or questioned dozens of refugees in Minnesota, attorneys and advocates say, with more detentions likely to come nationwide. In January, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to the arrest and detention of refugees in Minnesota while a lawsuit challenging the ‘revetting’ continues. The judge ordered the immediate release of all refugees detained in Minnesota, and those taken to Texas. On Friday, the judge extended the order protecting refugees in Minnesota from detention, saying the Trump administration policy turns the ‘American Dream into a dystopian nightmare.’ A group of refugees in other states on Friday also filed a lawsuit seeking to block new DHS policies that could lead to the detention of tens of thousands of refugees who are lawfully in the U.S. but have not yet received permanent residency.”

Blood Tech: UK’s Use of Israeli Spyware That Helps Underpin a Genocide (Mili)

From Al Jazeera: “The United Kingdom’s government is investing in spyware developed and tested on Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank despite its public criticism of Israeli action there. In addition to the Corsight facial recognition technology used to track, trace and detain thousands of Palestinian civilians passing through checkpoints in Gaza and the West Bank, the UK government has disregarded its own public concerns over Israel’s war on Gaza and de facto annexation of the West Bank and has purchased spyware from at least two other Israeli-linked manufacturers: Cellebrite and BriefCam.”

The Quest To Warn Everyone on Earth About Deadly Weather (Laura)

From NPR: “As climate change causes more extreme and dangerous weather, from deadly heat waves to record-breaking hurricanes and flash floods, a growing consortium of U.N. agencies, governments and philanthropic groups is racing to make weather warnings available to everyone on the planet. And they are relying on local knowledge to make the warnings effective. Cambodia’s progress in protecting its residents offers lessons for other parts of the world about the profound lifesaving power of simple, low-tech weather warnings, particularly in places where there is already strong local commitment to protecting residents. It also highlights the many challenges of saving lives and livelihoods as the Earth heats up.”

How Escalating Iran Conflict Is Driving up Oil and Gas Prices — A Visual Guide (Dana)

The author writes, “Iran has responded to US and Israeli attacks by launching a series of counterstrikes against states across the Middle East, with serious consequences for the oil and gas industry and the global economy. Iran has responded to US and Israeli attacks by launching a series of counterstrikes against states across the Middle East, with serious consequences for the oil and gas industry and the global economy. Tehran has attacked oil facilities in neighbouring countries, while shipping traffic through the strait of Hormuz — the crucial bottleneck at the mouth of the Gulf — has all but ground to a halt. The seaway between Iran and Oman — barely more than 20 miles (32km) wide at its narrowest point — is an unavoidable choke point through which about 20% of the world’s oil supplies travel out into the Indian Ocean and on to the rest of the world.”

How to Tax Billionaires (DonkeyHotey)

From The American Prospect: “The campaign for a tax on billionaire wealth is heating up. An early test will be the California ballot initiative for a one-time tax of 5 percent on California residents with assets in excess of a billion dollars. If proponents can collect the requisite 875,000 signatures, the measure will be on the November ballot. … Apart from the pure class interest on the part of the very rich in defeating this proposal, there are some legitimate and tricky policy questions. For one thing, why do this as a one-time emergency tax? Why not make wealth taxation, either directly or through higher taxes on inheritances and capital gains, a permanent part of the system?