Happy Friday!  It's August 23, and we're tracking top stories to take you into the weekend: Chinese entities turn to Amazon cloud to access high-end U.S. chips, R.I.P. Unhosted Wallet Rule, in Britain, two-tier policing and a two-tier judiciary, OmegaPro co-founder arrested in Turkey for $4B Ponzi scheme, new recommended podcasts, and much more...    

Featured Story

🎯 Chinese entities turn to Amazon cloud to access high-end U.S. chips, AI. Legislation was introduced in Congress in April to empower the Commerce Department to regulate remote access of U.S. technology, but it’s not yet passed. Reuters

🚩 List of Chinese entities who’ve turned to cloud for access to restricted U.S. tech Reuters

Top Stories

🌎 R.I.P. Unhosted Wallet Rule. A 2020 proposal by the U.S. Treasury that raised quite a bit of consternation appears to be finally dead (after years of being mostly dead). CoinDesk

🌎 In Britain, Two-Tier Policing and a Two-Tier Judiciary. Some rioters must correct their behavior behind bars, while other criminals are prescribed sunshine for a different lifestyle. National Review

🌎 OmegaPro Co-Founder Arrested in Turkey on Suspicion of $4B Ponzi Scheme. Turkish authorities seized cold wallets and computers and tracked $160M of crypto movements. CoinDesk

🌎 Partner of FTX executive charged with campaign finance violations. The indictment says Bond was paid $400,000 for consulting services by an unidentified exchange, based abroad, arranged by her "romantic partner." Axios

🌎 Cocaine, Jeffrey Epstein and a dead elephant: Royals behaving badly vex Europe’s leaders. Monarchies endure while repeated scandals trigger embarrassment for top politicians. Politico

🌎 Sanctions Should Reward Those Who Comply In Difficult Conditions. Take the example of Bakai bank, one of the first Kyrgyz financial organizations to condemn Russia’s aggression. Forbes

🌎 Meth worth nearly $6M found in fake watermelons at US-Mexico border. Imitation fruits and vegetables are the latest ‘sophisticated’ tactic for Mexican cartels to smuggle drugs into U.S. Guardian

🌎 Another suspect pleads guilty in global AML case with South Shore ties. Last month, Licheng Huang pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the case. Patriot Ledger

IN THE NEWS

Russia & China

📌 India surpasses China to become Russia's top oil buyer in July Reuters

📌 Feds charge negotiator for Russian ransomware group Verge

📌 Why China Is Starting a New Trade War WSJ

📌 China scam run from Isle of Man BBC

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 How Tanya Smith stole $40M, evaded the FBI and broke out of prison Guardian

💸 RBB Bancorp says U.S. regulators terminated Oct 2023 consent order Reuters

💸 Venezuela Supreme Court validates Maduro's re-election AFP

💸 Lawmakers condemn arrival of Cuban Communist Party leader who’s come to live in Miami MH

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 Binance Hiring 1,000 as Compliance Spending Tops $200M Bloomberg

🔐 Latvian Hacker Extradited to U.S. for Role in Karakurt Cybercrime Group Hacker News

🔐 Trump campaign's Iranian hackers have dangerous history and deep expertise Reuters

🔐 FBI will use NFTs to contact victims of crypto fraud scheme Clucoin Cointelegraph

🔐 Android malware used to steal ATM info from customers at three European banks Record

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Podcasts

🎙️ Conversation with an Exiled Venezuelan Opposition Leader Lawfare

🎙️ Hezbollah's Secret Missile Cities, Russia Advances In Ukraine, & Hamas Chief Fears For Life President’s Daily Brief

🎙️ Fox News, defamation, and our new information reality Click Here

🎙️ Deep Cover: George Santos Pushkin

🎙️ Conversation with Former FATF President RUSI

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

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