DIB 8 MAR 2024

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 833,741
DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 08Mar24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Sweden Officially Joins NATO / State of the Union Address Divides Further / US Army SGT Arrested for Spying for China / US Ports Infiltrated With Chinese Spy Devices / Arizona Considers BTC ETFs / One of BV’s Own at SOTU

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $67,679, 31.19 oz Gold, .16 Median US House
24hr Hi: $68,029/ Lo: $66,628
Vol: $41B (Down 22%)
Mkt Cap: $1.32T (Up 1%)
HashRate: 641 EH/s
Avg Fees: 21,385 sats/tx (Up 97%)
Nodes: 18,741

—Reports—
-International Events-
1. Sweden officially joins NATO, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality: President Joe Biden congratulated Sweden on its admission and said it was a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention in Ukraine had united, rather than divided, the alliance. (AP)

2. Haiti gangs torch police stations as PM’s future hangs in balance: Gangs pushing for the ouster of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry have been setting fire to police stations in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The three-day state of emergency has now been extended by a month and the unrest has paralyzed air traffic (CNN)

3. Poland sees its most violent farmers’ protest yet as anger grows across Europe: Farmers are angry at EU climate policies and food imports from Ukraine. Many similar protests have occurred across the 27-member EU in recent weeks, but this one was decidedly angrier than earlier demonstrations in the central European nation. (EuroNews)

-US Events-
1. Biden delivers State of the Union with fiery political tone: Biden engaged in repeated exchanges with Republican lawmakers in the House chamber, at times turning the address into a form of political theater as he seemingly taunted his opponents in an attempt to spotlight policy disagreements on the economy, immigration and abortion. Biden started assailing Trump less than four minutes into his speech, blasting him for suggesting that he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies that did not spend enough on defense. (WaPo)

2. US Army intelligence analyst charged with selling military secrets to contact in China for $42,000: An active duty Army soldier and intelligence analyst spent over a year selling sensitive military documents related to the U.S. defense of Taiwan, weapons systems, and missile defense systems to China, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Thursday. Sergeant Korbein Schultz is accused of using his top secret security clearance to download classified U.S. government records at the behest of an unnamed individual who claimed to live in Hong Kong, allegedly amassing $42,000 in the process. (CBS)

3. Espionage Probe Finds Communications Device on Chinese Cranes at U.S. Ports: A congressional probe of Chinese-built cargo cranes deployed at ports throughout the U.S. has found communications equipment that doesn’t appear to support normal operations, fueling concerns that the foreign machines may pose a covert national-security risk. The installed components in some cases include cellular modems, according to congressional aides and documents, that could be remotely accessed. (WSJ)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. US Fights to Convict This Crypto Kingpin Before Extradition to South Korea: Former Terra Luna crypto kingpin Do Kwon will be extradited to South Korea to face fraud charges related to the collapse of Terra Luna. A Montenegrin court ruled in favor of South Korea in a court proceeding yesterday. A judge ruled yesterday that Kwon will go to South Korea following a competing request from authorities in the US, meaning that the US Securities and Exchange Commission will have to lobby for extradition to face fraud charges in the US. (BeInCryto)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. Arizona State Senate Considering Adding Bitcoin ETFs to Retirement Portfolios: The Arizona State Senate is considering a proposal to encourage the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) to explore the inclusion of Bitcoin ETFs in their investment portfolios. (BitcoinMag)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-
1. U.S. Fed Chair Powell Says ‘Nowhere Near’ Pursuing CBDC, Won’t Spy on Americans: The Federal Reserve chairman told the Senate Thursday his agency isn’t anywhere close to making any recommendations on a CBDC and wouldn’t want any direct connection to retail users’ data. (CoinDesk)

-Economic Indicators-
1. US Payroll and Unemployment Data will be released later today.

2. World Food Prices at 3-Year Low: The FAO Food Price Index declined for a seventh straight month to 117.3 index points in February 2024, the lowest level in three years, compared to an upwardly revised 118.2 in January. (TradingEconomics)

-Technological Updates-
NSTR

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
NSTR

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Gaetz Spotlights Negative Impacts of Biden’s Rescinded Military Vax Mandate with SOTU Guest: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is highlighting the negative outcomes for former servicemembers –who refused to comply with President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s coronavirus military vaccine mandate – at the State of the Union by inviting a former Green Beret and Army captain named John Frankman, whose career was upended by the now-reversed order, as his guest. (Breitbart) (AC-One of Bitcoin Veterans’ own, Frankman shows the mission-oriented view of helping others push back against an overreaching State, raising voices that matter, and even a new mission in Bitcoin autonomy)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 81/100 (Down 1 pt)

Analyst Comments (AC): The State of the Union Address last night kicked off the 8-month presidential election season in the US. The political theater of the spectacle last night is fodder for pundits and the MSM today. What is certain is that politics will be foremost in American media and minds throughout the year. Last cycle was very contentious and at times violent. For individuals and families, it is a time to maintain community relations, promote peace, prepare for contingencies, and seek and speak truth.

Follow us on NOSTR: @Bitcoin Veterans
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report