Hello Wednesday!  It’s February 21, and we’re tracking today's top stories: U.S. to hit Russia with major sanctions over Navalny murder, American ballerina detained for treason in Russia, lawmakers urge Biden to abandon TikTok account, U.S. targets China's top chipmaking plant over Huawei tech, and much more...

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Featured Story

🌎 U.S. to hit Russia with 'major sanctions' for Navalny murder. Biden plans to unveil the sanctions package Friday. USA Today

Top Stories

🌎 American ballerina Ksenia Karelina detained for 'high treason' in Russia. The accusations against Karelina could be punishable by up to 20 years in prison. LAT

🌎 Republican lawmakers urge Biden to deactivate campaign TikTok account. “How can the federal government warn Americans about the risks of this app if the Commander in Chief uses it, too?" Reuters

🌎 US targets China's top chipmaking plant after Huawei Mate 60 Pro. Biden is turning up the heat by cutting off its most advanced factory. Reuters

🌎 In “False Transit’ Loophole, Russia’s War Machine Is Supplied Through Kazakh Companies and Belarusian Warehouses. A Kazakh company ordered high-tech semiconductor production equipment from Europe and had them delivered to a Belarusian storage facility. OCCRP

🌎 Pro-war Russian businessman to take over Danone's Russian assets. It’s the latest Western asset transfer into Kremlin-friendly hands at a heavily discounted price. Reuters

🌎 Indicted ex-FBI informant told investigators he got Hunter Biden dirt from Russian intelligence officials. Prosecutors said Smirnov has been “actively peddling new lies that could impact US elections...” CNN

🌎 Texas sues NGO aiding migrants, accuses it of encouraging illegal immigration. AG Paxton seeks to have the group's registration revoked. Fox

🌎 Iran dismisses plan by U.N. nuclear watchdog head to visit next month. IAEA head says Iran continues to enrich uranium well beyond the needs for commercial use. Reuters

🌎 India Regulator Finds $241M Accounting Issue at Zee. It’s ten times the amount initially estimated by Sebi investigators. Bloomberg

🌎 Dominion wins access to Newsmax journalists' texts in its defamation case. The ruling is a blow to the conservative news organization, which avoided the mandate in a similar case. NBC

🌎 Crypto Industry Steps Up Attacks on Warren’s Anti-Crime Bill. “This bill, if passed, will erase hundreds of billions of dollars in value for US startups and decimate the savings of countless Americans invested in this asset class legally”. Bloomberg

IN THE NEWS

Sanctions

💥 EU agrees 13th round of Russia sanctions Politico

💥 EU Targets Chinese Firms, DPRK in New Russia Sanctions AFP

💥 UK sanctions six Russians running Arctic prison where Navalny died Politico

💥 Russia adds Lindsey Graham to list of ‘terrorists’ Politico

💥 Iran Keeps Port Traffic Confidential Amid Sanctions Iran International

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Russia

🇷🇺 Aluminum Surges as White House Plans Fresh Sanctions on Russia Bloomberg

🇷🇺 Russia says it shipped 200K tons of free grain to six African countries Reuters

🇷🇺 Wife of Ukrainian-Russian businessman Khan loses UK sanctions challenge Reuters

🇷🇺 Russia Ships Urals Oil to Venezuela, Expanding Pool of Buyers Bloomberg

Much more news at Illicit Edge!

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China

🇨🇳 Biden to sign EO on U.S. port cybersecurity targeting Chinese cranes CNBC

🇨🇳 Turkey detains six people accused of spying on Uyghurs for China Semafor

🇨🇳 China Responds to Possible Sanctions for Helping Russia Newsweek

🇨🇳 Chinese local authorities warn public of crypto-related scams amid broader crackdown Block

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Biden to forgive $1.2B in student debt for over 150K borrowers CNBC

💸 Tax records reveal the lucrative world of Covid misinformation WaPo

💸 Investigation into corruption inside Paris 2024 set to loom over Olympic Games Independent

💸 Border Patrol's second-highest official opts to retire amid sexual misconduct allegations NBC

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 SBF due in court for hearing on lawyer's possible conflict Reuters

🔐 Alex Mashinsky waives right to ‘conflict-free representation’ Cointelegraph

🔐 Brussels spyware bombshell Politico

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Trafficking

🚚 Trump and allies plotting militarized mass deportations WaPo

🚚 Australia holds Chinese man over suspected North Korea tobacco smuggling BBC

🚚 US Sees China Taking 'Concrete Steps' to Counter Drug Trade VOA

Much more news at Illicit Edge!

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