Happy Monday!  It’s May 13, and we’re tracking top stories to start the week: The sinister murder of an art kingmaker, how it's possible that Russia's economy is booming despite sanctions, Mexico's cartels control upcoming elections through violence, critical evidence in Menendez corruption trial, and much more...

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Featured Story

🎯 A Broken Marriage, a Big Inheritance and the Murder of an Art Kingmaker. When art dealer Brent Sikkema was found dead in his Rio vacation home, police first suspected robbery. Then the case took a more sinister turn. WSJ 

Top Stories

🌎 Why is Russia’s economy booming despite sanctions? Russia’s economy is set to grow faster than any G7 democracy this year. How is this possible? Spectator

🇷🇺 Sanctions Be Damned, Putin’s War Machine Is Still Powered by U.S. Parts Daily Beast

🌎 The elections next door: Mexico’s cartels pick candidates, kill rivals. More than two dozen candidates have been killed leading up to the June 2 vote. WaPo

🚚 Chilling warning from Border Patrol agent: ‘cartels control the border’ Daily Mail

🌎 Gold bars and Google searches: The damning evidence in Bob Menendez’s corruption trial. Not only did federal investigators find 13 gold bars, but Menendez’s own curiosity about their value shows up in repeated Google searches. Politico

🌎 China, Russia, Iran Have Made Ukraine a World War Against the U.S., Europe. Global proxy conflicts were a constant in Cold War I, and Russia’s invasion marked the first of Cold War II. Bloomberg

🌎 As Silicon Valley Pivots to Patriotic Capital, China Ties Linger. Investors with connections to China are backing startups developing tech that the U.S. wants to counter Beijing. WSJ

🌎 How Paul Manafort Tried to Make Money With a Project Tied to the Chinese Regime. The former Trump campaign chairman resumed consulting work after being pardoned in 2020. Mother Jones

🌎 IRS Audit of Trump Could Cost Former President More Than $100M. The tax agency concluded in its long-running investigation that Trump effectively claimed the same massive write-off twice on his failed Chicago tower. ProPublica

📌 This may be the week Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump falls apart NYP

🌎 A U.S. veteran says he tried to help North Koreans defect. Now he's facing criminal charges. An embassy incursion was organized by a secretive group known as Cheollima Civil Defense, which had a history of helping North Koreans defect. CBS

IN THE NEWS

Russia

🇷🇺 The U.S. Felon Succeeding Putin’s Notorious ‘Chef’ Daily Beast

🇷🇺 Austrian Mystery Villas Owned by Former Romantic Partner of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch OCCRP

🇷🇺 How dirty Russian money taught Latvia to get serious on sanctions Politico

🇷🇺 Russia’s Pro-Putin Elites Foreign Affairs

🇷🇺 50K protest Georgia’s foreign agent bill as US sounds alarm CNN

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China

🇨🇳 Chinese Foreign Agent was Behind New York Parade with Eric Adams Newsweek

🇨🇳 China Probes Local Hedge Fund for Suspected Illegal Activities Bloomberg

🇨🇳 Former US Marine pilot arrested in Australia worked with Chinese hacker Reuters

🇨🇳 China’s quantum tech ‘core strength’ targeted by latest US trade blacklist SCMP

🇨🇳 Biden to Hike Tariffs on China EVs, Offer Solar Exclusions Bloomberg

🇨🇳 China National Detained for Illegal Mining in Indonesia’s Borneo Bloomberg

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Founder of Trump Defense Firm Indicted in Somali Fraud Case Daily Beast

💸 Family of Ilham Aliyev’s Security Chief Owns Vast Property Holdings in the United Kingdom OCCRP

💸 Brother and lawyer of Peru president held as corruption inquiry widens Guardian

💸 ‘$$landed’: How a Commonwealth Bank manager took millions in bribes SMH

💸 Texas law firm to pay $12.5M over ex-client's alleged fraud Reuters

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 Shouldn't All These Crypto Lawyers Start Learning About Crypto? CoinDesk

🔐 Nigeria’s foreign investment at risk due to Binance bribery allegations Cointelegraph

🔐 After Ascension ransomware attack, feds issue alert on Black Basta group Record

🔐 Mango Markets insiders hit back at accusations they’re raiding the DAO’s $37m treasury DL News

🔐 FBI working towards nabbing Scattered Spider hackers Reuters

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Trafficking

🚚 Colombia Paramilitary Leader Salvatore Mancuso Released by Bogota Court Reuters

🚚 California Beaches Are a New Gateway for Illegal Immigration WSJ

🚚 U.S. Law Enforcement Takes Action Against More Than 3,000 Money Mules in Initiative to Disrupt Transnational Fraud Schemes DOJ

🚚 Denver migrants’ outrageous demands reek of influence from leftist activists NYP

🚚 Border Patrol mobile app for migrants seeking entry into US controversial on both sides of immigration debate Fox

“Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him.” ―Fyodor Dostoevsky

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