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Crypto Voter Backlash: How Biden’s Veto May Have Cost Him the 2024 Election

Crypto Voter Backlash: How Biden’s Veto May Have Cost Him the 2024 ElectionAfter a period of intense scrutiny of the cryptocurrency industry, many speculated that the Biden administration had reversed its stance by allowing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve several spot ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, President Joe Biden has vetoed the latest resolution intended to quash the SEC’s crypto asset rules in […]

Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

Man behind AI-generated fake Biden robocalls is indicted

Steven Kramer allegedly used deep fake tech to generate and send thousands of robocalls to New Hampshire residents imitating President Biden’s voice in January.

A Democratic political consultant has been indicted over his role in launching artificial intelligence-generated robocalls imitating United States President Joe Biden.

According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, on May 23, New Orleans political consultant Steven Kramer, who was working for rival candidate Dean Phillips, was indicted for impersonating a candidate during New Hampshire’s Democratic primary election.

He allegedly used AI to generate and send thousands of robocalls to New Hampshire residents imitating President Biden’s voice, asking people not to vote.

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Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

Nancy Pelosi mulls supporting Republican’s FIT21 crypto bill: Report

The former House Speaker is reportedly considering support for the Republican crypto legislation, breaking from ranking Democrats.

Former United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly mulling support for the Republican-led crypto bill, the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21).

Pelosi — now Speaker Emerita and no longer in the Democratic Party leadership — may support the bill that could hit the House floor for a vote on May 22, U.S. political magazine The American Prospect reported on May 21, citing sources familiar with Pelosi’s thinking.

FIT21 would clarify how the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission would divvy up authority over crypto assets.

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Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

Novogratz Predicts Bitcoin Trading Between $55K-$75K This Quarter

Novogratz Predicts Bitcoin Trading Between K-K This QuarterBitcoin is expected to trade within a narrow range this quarter, according to Michael Novogratz, founder of Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd. “Bitcoin, ethereum and everything else, solana will consolidate,” he said last week, adding that it means BTC will probably trade “somewhere between $55,000 and $75,000 until the next set of circumstances, the next set […]

Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

Uniswap CEO warns US President to reverse course on crypto policies

Hayden Adams suggested that crypto policies from the SEC and Senator Elizabeth Warren could hurt President Joe Biden’s chances for a second term.

Hayden Adams, the founder and CEO of decentralized exchange Uniswap, called on United States President Joe Biden to consider how voters think about crypto when they enter ballot boxes in November.

In a May 12 X post, Adams claimed there was “not much time” for President Biden to change the perception many crypto-focused voters had of his administration’s policies on digital assets. According to the Uniswap CEO, the U.S. President was making a “miscalculation” of assuming crypto would be irrelevant in the 2024 elections and allowing Senator Elizabeth Warren and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to “wage total war” on the technology.

“Republicans smell blood in the water and are turning hard towards crypto,” said Adams. “Not much time for Biden to save it. Anyone close to him or [Democratic] leadership should be expressing how serious this is and pushing for immediate reversal on his approach to crypto (public support/plan and reigning in sec + warren).”

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Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

MoonPay donates to Coinbase’s Stand With Crypto campaign

Crypto payment firm MoonPay is among the first crypto advocates to support Coinbase-initiated pro-crypto PAC related to the upcoming U.S. election.

Cryptocurrency payment firm MoonPay has contributed an undisclosed amount to Coinbase’s nonprofit crypto advocacy project, Stand With Crypto.

“This morning, we made a donation on behalf of everyone here at MoonPay to Stand With Crypto,” MoonPay CEO Ivan Soto-Wright announced on May 13.

The executive emphasized that the upcoming U.S. election will define the future of the cryptocurrency industry in the country, and it’s people’s responsibility to step up to advance crypto. He stated:

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Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

El Salvador pro-Bitcoin president Nayib Bukele launches re-election bid

Despite Bukele’s popularity, some critics argue he isn’t eligible to be re-elected under El Salvador’s constitution.

El Salvador president Nayib Bukele has filed paperwork to be re-elected in the country’s upcoming 2024 presidential election in February.

Bukele, a Bitcoin advocate, received strong support from the public on Oct. 26 after he was officially nominated by his party to run for re-election.

“Five more [years], five more and not one step back,” Bukele said in a speech in front of thousands of El Salvadorans. “We need five years to continue improving our country,” he added.

Bukele rose to power in 2019 when his political party, Neuva (New) Ideas, broke three decades of two-party dominance between the Nationalist Republican Alliance and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMNLB).

However, despite his popularity among the local population, critics such as El Salvadoran lawyer Alfonso Fajardo maintain that the country’s constitution prohibits Bukele isn’t eligible to seek a second consecutive term.

“Today is a good day to remember that immediate presidential re-election is prohibited up to 7 times by the Constitution,” he said on Oct. 26.

However, in September 2021, El Salvador’s Supreme Court ruled that presidents can run for consecutive elections.

New Ideas is backed by 70% of the country’s voting population, according to Reuters, which cited a study by an El Salvadoran university. Its closest competitor only received 4% of the total votes.

One of New Ideas’ competitors, FMNLB, filed a lawsuit in June 2021 claiming Bukele’s Bitcoin adoption program is unconstitutional. However, that complaint made little ground as Bukele and El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender three months later September 2021.

The Bukele government has also implemented other tech-friendly policies aimed at strengthening the country’s economy, such as eliminating all taxes on technological innovations.

Gabor Gurbacs, a VanEck strategy advisor, recently said that El Salvador has the potential to become the “Singapore of the Americas.”

Related: El Salvador launches first Bitcoin mining pool as Volcano Energy partners with Luxor

Much of Bukele’s popularity comes from his heavy-handed crackdown against MS-13, a multi-national gang which contributed towards El Salvador recording the highest homicide rates in the world six years ago.

As a result of the crackdown, El Salvador's homicide rate has fallen a staggering 92.6% from its peak of 106 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 to 7.8 in 2022. It now boasts one of the lowest crime rates in Latin America.

However, the United Nations and other critics argue El Salvador breached human rights laws by imprisoning 65,000 without affording them legal rights to defend themselves.

El Salvador’s presidential election will take place on Feb. 4, 2024.

Magazine: What it’s actually like to use Bitcoin in El Salvador

Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC’s Short-Term Correction—What the Charts Reveal

Pro-Bitcoin Javier Milei trails as Argentina’s presidential election goes to run-off

Anti-establishment Javier Milei was the touted favorite in Argentina’s presidential election but is trailing in second place with 90% of the vote counted.

Pro-Bitcoin (BTC) presidential candidate Javier Milei failed to secure victory in the first round of the Argentine presidential election and is now set to face off against economy minister Sergio Massa in a Nov. 19 run-off vote.

On Oct. 23, election results provided by Bloomberg show with over 90% of the vote counted — Massa was in the lead with over 36% support, while Milei trailed with just over 30% of the vote.

The presidential hopefuls needed 45% of votes or 40% with a lead of 10 percentage points to have outright won the presidency.

Argentina-wide results as of Oct. 23, 1:00 AM UTC with over 90% of the vote counted. Source: Bloomberg

The result could be seen as unexpected as Milei won the most votes in the country’s primary presidential election in August capturing around 30% of the vote, which initially put him as the presidential frontrunner.

Milei calls himself an anarcho-capitalist, has rallied to slash the size of the government and abolish Argentina’s central bank claiming it’s a scam. He also plans to ditch the Argentinian peso for the U.S. dollar, mirroring the Bitcoin-friendly El Salvador.

Milei’s Liberty Advances (La Libertad Avanza) coalition has been described as anywhere between libertarian and far-right populist.

Related: Bitcoin soars in Argentina as Javier Milei wins presidential primary

Milei has also called Bitcoin a reaction against “central bank scammers” and claimed fiat currency allows politicians to scam Argentines with inflation.

Massa, on the other hand, has pledged to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) if elected to “solve” Argentina’s long-lasting inflation crisis and has squashed the idea of adopting the dollar.

The vote comes amid 40% of Argentines facing poverty and tiring of the country’s mounting debt crisis. Annual inflation is also closing in on 140%.

Argentina will again head to the polls on Nov. 19. The candidate with the most votes will win the presidency for a four-year term.

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Argentinian presidential candidate wants CBDCs to ‘solve’ hyperinflation

Sergio Massa’s stance on central bank digital currencies appears to be in complete opposition to Javier Milei, a pro-Bitcoin candidate who wants to abolish Argentina’s central bank.

Argentinian presidential candidate Sergio Massa has pledged to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) if elected to “solve” Argentina’s long-lasting inflation crisis.

I am clear that inflation is a huge problem in Argentina,” the country’s second-leading candidate said in an Oct. 2 presidential debate, before outlining how he plans to “solve” the country’s ravaging inflation:

“We are going to launch the digital currency in Argentina. [...] We are going to do it globally for all of Argentina accompanied by a laundering law that allows those who have money abroad to bring it and use it freely without new taxes in parallel.”

Massa, who currently serves as Minister of Economy, shut down the idea that Argentina should move to the United States dollar:

“Dollarization is what generates the temptation of the dollar. Be patriots [and] defend our currency, do not promote the use of it [the U.S. dollar],” he said.

Argentina’s general election will take place on Oct. 22.

Two of three major voting polls suggest Massa is ever so slightly trailing Javier Milei, a pro-Bitcoin and anti-central bank candidate who won Argentina’s primary election in August.

Argentinian voter preferences across three separate polls. Source: AS/COA.

Data from American think tank AS/COA suggests that Massa will likely receive the most support in the Buenos Aires province — home to 16.6 million of the country’s 46 million residents — while Milei has majority backing in the more rural parts of the country.

Milei has previously signaled wanting to adopt the United States dollar as Argentina’s currency. As an economist and libertarian, Milei has long been a skeptic of central banking. Part of his campaign promise is to abolish Argentina’s central bank.

Milei previously referred to Bitcoin as a reaction against “central bank scammers” and that the Argentine peso allows politicians to scam Argentines with inflation.

Related: Argentines turn to Bitcoin amid inflation worries: Report

Argentina’s third-leading presidential candidate, Patricia Bullrich would reportedly pursue a currency regime where the Argentine peso and U.S. dollar co-exist as legal tender if she wins the election.

Value of the Argentine peso denominated in U.S. dollars since 2003. Source: Google Finance.

The Argentine peso has fallen over 99% against the U.S. dollar since December 2023.

Most data suggests that Argentinian’s inflation is the third highest in the world, only trailing Venezuela and Lebanon.

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Pro-Bitcoin Javier Milei wins most votes in Argentina primary election

Argentine presidential hopeful Javier Milei — a pro-Bitcoin, anti-central bank libertarian — has won a majority of the votes in a primary election.

An Argentinian politician with a knack for supporting Bitcoin and calling for the abolishment of his country’s central bank has taken the lead in the country’s presidential primary elections.

With over 90% of the votes counted, libertarian pro-Bitcoin (BTC) candidate Javier Milei is currently leading with nearly 32% and is trailed by the conservative Together for Change (Juntos por el Cambio) party which is just under 30% according to Bloomberg data.

Meanwhile, the left-wing Union for the Homeland (Unión por la Patria) coalition — the current ruling government’s group — is third with just over 28.5% of the vote.

Milei created and leads the Liberty Advances (La Libertad Avanza) coalition whose views have been described as anywhere between libertarian and far-right.

Milei calls himself an anarcho-capitalist and has rallied for Argentina’s central bank to be abolished — calling it a scam, has said human organ sales should be legal and denies the existence of global warming.

Related: Argentine agency opens investigation into Worldcoin over biometric data

He has said Bitcoin is a reaction against “central bank scammers” and claimed legal tender allows politicians to scam Argentines with inflation.

Such rhetoric has clearly proven popular with Argentina’s voters who are facing an annual inflation rate of 116% — the worst in over three decades that’s adding to the country’s cost of living crisis.

Argentina’s general presidential election will be held on Oct. 22, a candidate must win at least 45% of the vote to win the presidency or a final runoff vote will be triggered to take place in November.

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