In the hours following Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets demanding $6 million in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. ET on Monday.
Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today Show” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home nine days ago. Since her disappearance, news outlets have received messages detailing cryptocurrency payment instructions.
Criminals are increasingly turning to Bitcoin and other digital assets in ransom and extortion cases for several reasons.
Personal information is not required to access a private cryptocurrency wallet; this is one reason criminals often prefer self-custody wallets for their Bitcoin, requiring only a digital wallet and a pseudonym. Once funds are transferred to the digital wallet, the transaction cannot be reversed, unlike credit card payments or wire transfers, which can sometimes be disputed or clawed back. There is also no central authority that can freeze a Bitcoin wallet or halt a transaction.
Chainalysis&#8217;s 2024 Crypto report <a href="https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2026-crypto-crime-report-introduction/">stated</a>, &#8220;Human trafficking operations have increasingly leveraged cryptocurrency, while there has also been a particularly disturbing rise in physical coercion attacks, in which criminals use violence to force victims to transfer assets, often timing these assaults to coincide with cryptocurrency price peaks.&#8221; Chainalysis estimated that tens of billions of dollars in cryptocurrency were linked to illicit activity in 2024.
However, Bitcoin does not provide total anonymity; it operates on a public, immutable ledger, meaning every transaction is permanently recorded and visible.
The Daily Wire spoke to Lionsgate Networks CEO Bezalel Eithan Raviv, who leads a firm that specializes in crypto security and asset recovery.
“A lot of people believe there’s no way to trace or recover crypto. This is a myth,” Raviv said.
He told The Daily Wire that using only the Bitcoin address provided in the ransom messages, the funds could indeed be tracked. “We would send a single dollar and we will trace the location of where it hits and lands. We would give that intel to law enforcement without sending $6 million in crypto. You can probe that wallet with a very small transaction.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/dwn-260204"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1039207" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal.jpg" alt="" width="2290" height="544" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal.jpg 2290w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-300x71.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-1024x243.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-768x182.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-1536x365.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Guthriebannerfinal-2048x487.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2290px) 100vw, 2290px" /></a>
Tracing typically identifies wallet relationships and exchange touchpoints, not precise locations.
Raviv warned that such cases are likely to increase, as he believes criminals are often more sophisticated than law enforcement.
“Unfortunately, what we have experienced with this very unfortunate story will only scale,” he said. “Cybercriminals have the leverage because they do understand the tactics and the maneuvers that law enforcement will probably take years to catch up with.”
Still, Raviv emphasized that blockchain transparency remains a powerful investigative tool. “Blockchain is a language,” Raviv said. “And if you can speak it, you can do a lot with it.”
The second deadline for Nancy Guthrie has passed. The ransom reportedly increased from $4 million to $6 million on Monday.
On Monday, Savannah Guthrie posted a video on Instagram calling on the public to pray for her mother&#8217;s safe return and contact law enforcement &#8220;if there is anything at all that seems strange.&#8221;
&#8220;We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help,&#8221; she added.
Tuesday marks day ten of the search for Nancy Guthrie.

Bitcoin

The Nancy Guthrie Case Shows How Cryptocurrency Changed Ransom

Crime

Cryptocurrency

kidnapping

Nancy Guthrie

Savannah Guthrie

U.S.

Bitcoin plunged on Thursday, its decline accelerating amid weakening risk sentiment driven in part by volatility in precious metals and a broad selloff in tech shares.
The world&#8217;s largest cryptocurrency fell to a low of $66,675.12, its weakest since October 2024, a month before President Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, having signaled his intention to support crypto on the campaign trail. It was last down 6.5% at $67,817.
All told, the global crypto market has lost $2 trillion in value since hitting a peak of $4.379 trillion in early October, CoinGecko data showed, with some $800 billion wiped out in the last month alone.
Bitcoin has already fallen 11% for the week, taking its losses for the year so far to 23%. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization, was down more than 7% at $1,973 on Thursday. Ether has fallen nearly 14% this week, with losses of roughly 34% so far this year.
Sentiment on crypto was affected by the latest selling in metals and stocks. Gold and silver, for instance, have become more volatile as a result of leveraged buying and speculative flows. Silver, for one, fell as much as 16.6% to a low of $73.41.
In equities, the S&amp;P 500 slid to near two-week lows, and the Nasdaq sank to its lowest level in more than two months on Thursday, as the AI theme came under renewed pressure.
&#8220;It&#8217;s clear the crypto market is now in full capitulation mode,&#8221; said Nic Puckrin, investment analyst and co-founder of Coin Bureau. &#8220;If previous cycles are anything to go by, this is no longer a short-term correction, but rather a transition from distribution to reset &#8211; and these typically take months, not weeks.&#8221;
The latest crypto tumble has knocked down shares of companies holding bitcoin and other digital assets, stoking worries that the market turmoil is spreading beyond token prices.
Trump&#8217;s selection of Kevin Warsh as his pick to become the next Federal Reserve chair has also affected the price of cryptocurrencies, due to expectations that he could shrink the Fed&#8217;s balance sheet.
Cryptocurrencies have widely been regarded as beneficiaries of a large balance sheet, having tended to rally while the Fed greased money markets with liquidity — a support for speculative assets.
&#8220;The market fears a hawk with him,&#8221; said Manuel Villegas Franceschi from the next generation research team at Julius Baer. &#8220;A smaller balance sheet is not going to provide any tailwinds for crypto.&#8221;
To be sure, cryptocurrencies have struggled for months since a record crash last October sent bitcoin tumbling from a peak as leveraged positions got washed out. That has left investors less keen on digital assets, and sentiment toward the industry fragile.
&#8220;We believe this broader decline is mainly driven by massive withdrawals from institutional ETFs (exchange-traded funds). These funds have seen billions of dollars flow out each month since the October 2025 downturn,&#8221; Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note to clients.
They added that U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs witnessed outflows of more than $3 billion in January, following outflows of about $2 billion and $7 billion in December and November, respectively.
&#8220;This steady selling in our view signals that traditional investors are losing interest, and overall pessimism about crypto is growing,&#8221; the analysts said.
Bitcoin&#8217;s fortunes have been tied to the broader tech sector for some time. The price tended to rise, particularly on the back of investor enthusiasm over artificial intelligence.
This week&#8217;s rout in global software stocks has accelerated the slide in the value of bitcoin, ether, and other tokens.
Market watchers are starting to question if this decline marks the start of a steeper correction.
&#8220;Concerns are being raised around the crypto miners and whether we could be looking at forced liquidations if prices continue to fall, which could lead to a vicious cycle,&#8221; Jefferies strategist Mohit Kumar said in a note.
&#8220;Our view on crypto has always been that it should be never more than a very small portion of the overall portfolio. However, it is also an asset class that is heavily owned, particularly by retail investors, and hence adds to the overall market risk,&#8221; Kumar said.
(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York, Rae Wee in Singapore, and Amanda Cooper in London; Additional reporting by Lucy Raitano in London; Editing by Edwina Gibbs, Joe Bavier, Will Dunham, and Jan Harvey)

Illustration shows representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin

Bitcoin Plummets, Driving $2 Trillion Slide In Crypto Market Value

Donald Trump

Federal Reserve

Bitcoin surged past $93,000 over the weekend after President Trump announced plans to create a U.S. strategic crypto reserve that will include Bitcoin, Ether, and several other digital currencies.
“A U.S. Crypto Reserve will elevate this critical industry after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden Administration,” President Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114093526901586124">wrote</a> in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “I will make sure the U.S. is the Crypto Capital of the World. We are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The strategic reserve will <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/03/crypto-market-today.html">involve</a> several digital currencies beyond Bitcoin, including Ether, XRP, Solana, and Cardano, according to CNBC.
The announcement triggered a significant rally in the cryptocurrency market, with Bitcoin climbing as high as $95,000, and the smaller coins seeing double-digit percentage increases.
This positive momentum comes after a period of consolidation in which Bitcoin had fallen below the key $90,000 level for the first time in three months, dropping as much as 25% from its January all-time high.
&#8220;The weekend news is exactly the type of catalyst investors have been looking for to feel reassured about follow through from the U.S. administration with respect to its crypto friendly policies,&#8221; Joel Kruger, market strategist at LMAX Group, told CNBC. &#8220;Now that we&#8217;ve already seen a healthy correction in February, this sets the stage for the start to the next leg higher for crypto assets.&#8221;
Investors will be watching for additional details at the first White House Crypto Summit, scheduled for this Friday. White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks indicated there would be &#8220;more to come&#8221; at the summit, suggesting further policy announcements that could impact the cryptocurrency market.
The move represents a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward digital assets, positioning America as a leader in cryptocurrency adoption while many other nations have imposed restrictive regulations.
China, for instance, has banned cryptocurrency mining and trading, while the European Union has established strict regulatory frameworks that many in the industry view as stifling innovation.
Trump&#8217;s strategic reserve announcement signals a clear intent to establish U.S. dominance in the digital asset space, potentially giving America a competitive edge in future global financial systems. In other sectors, such as with gold, a strategic reserve serves as a hedge against inflation and currency devaluation while reducing reliance on traditional financial infrastructure.
While details remain limited, expectations are high that the White House Crypto Summit will provide clarity on the reserve&#8217;s implementation timeline, acquisition strategy, and governance structure. Industry players will be watching closely for potential regulatory reforms that might accompany the reserve announcement, particularly regarding cryptocurrency taxation and securities classification issues that have created uncertainty in the market.

Bitcoin Photo Illustrations

Trump’s Announcement Of First-Ever Crypto Strategic Reserve Sparks Rally

Economy

Trump Administration

White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks joined key Republican lawmakers in pledging to pass major <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency bills</a> within President Donald Trump&#8217;s first 100 days while hinting at the possibility of a federal Bitcoin reserve.
At a press conference Tuesday, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) said he <a href="https://decrypt.co/304397/crypto-markets-structure-stablecoin-bills-trump-100-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expects</a> both major stablecoin and markets structure bills to pass by the end of President Donald Trump&#8217;s first 100 days, putting the deadline less than three months away, according to a report by Decrypt.
Republican chairs of the House Financial Services Committee, Senate Banking Committee, House Agriculture Committee, and Senate Agriculture Committee unveiled plans for a bicameral working group to coordinate with Sacks.
One of the many crypto bills on the docket, according to the lawmakers, is the GENIUS Act, introduced by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), which would require monthly audits of stablecoin issuers&#8217; fiat reserves and impose criminal penalties for false reporting.
Stablecoins now represent a substantial share of the daily volume in digital asset exchanges. Because these tokens are commonly pegged to the U.S. dollar or other stable assets, reliable regulatory structures are seen by many as crucial to ensuring market stability.
Crypto has long been shunned by traditional financial institutions due to its unregulated nature, forcing many crypto companies to incorporate internationally in countries with a much clearer framework for operation.
Industry advocates have shown optimism that a clear legal framework might accelerate institutional partnerships between stablecoin providers and traditional financial institutions.
Sacks addressed this, saying, &#8220;Financial assets are destined to become digital … and we want that value creation to happen in the United States.&#8221;
Sacks also addressed rumors of a Bitcoin strategic reserve, given President Trump&#8217;s Monday executive order establishing a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, which often features Bitcoin in other countries.
Sacks deferred this question to the newly-announced bicameral crypto committee, saying that the sovereign wealth fund was &#8220;a little separate&#8221; from any consideration of a Bitcoin reserve, but left open the possibility of further White House action on the matter.

Lawmakers Join White House Crypto Czar For News Conference On Digital Assets

White House, GOP Leaders Pledge Major Crypto Bills In First 100 Days

Artificial Intelligence

Politics

As of Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump’s new family crypto tokens had a combined market value of $8 billion, nearly doubling his net worth and raising ethical concerns from critics.
“My NEW Official Trump Meme is HERE! It&#8217;s time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!” Trump <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1880446012168249386">announced</a> in a post on X on Friday, “Join my very special Trump Community. GET YOUR $TRUMP NOW.”
$TRUMP <a href="https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/official-trump">peaked</a> at a market cap of $14.5 billion on Sunday, while first lady Melania Trump’s meme coin, $MELANIA, <a href="https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/melania-meme">peaked</a> at $1.2 billion Monday morning, according to Coin Gecko.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My NEW Official Trump Meme is HERE! It’s time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING! Join my very special Trump Community. GET YOUR <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24TRUMP&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$TRUMP</a> NOW. Go to <a href="https://t.co/GX3ZxT5xyq">https://t.co/GX3ZxT5xyq</a> — Have Fun! <a href="https://t.co/flIKYyfBrC">pic.twitter.com/flIKYyfBrC</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1880446012168249386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As the 19th biggest Crypto token in the world, Trump’s team <a href="https://x.com/jconorgrogan/status/1880727916184736235">raked</a> in an estimated $58 million in fees just 24 hours after $TRUMP&#8217;s release, according to Coinbase director Conor Grogan, with Grogan estimating a daily fee intake of $15 million. 
As seen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hawk-tuah-girl-haliey-welch-addresses-memecoin-disaster">recently</a> with the “Hawk-Tuah” coin, meme coins are infamous for their high volatility and dubious intrinsic value. Influencers often use them to make money off their audience via social media promotion. 
Both coins have tumbled in the past 24 hours, nearly halving the market cap of each respective coin since their peak and causing many to raise ethical concerns about Trump’s association if the coins continue to fall.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl=1*1873fao*_gcl_au*MTkzOTk4NzA0Mi4xNzM2MTgxNjQyLjIxMTUyMTE0NjEuMTczNzA0NjQwMC4xNzM3MDQ2ODMz*_ga*Nzc2OTM1MzIwLjE3MzYxODE2Mzk.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNzQ3NzQ1NC42MS4xLjE3Mzc0Nzg1MzAuNTcuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?_gl%3D1*1lail3r*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMDEyNDkuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9JSkM0VnNsMFVreURxYXUxVWVEVWdOdjZkNzR2Y1pEeEZQeHVBcGl2R3BLaTdBMjVzT1p5TWFBdG1nRUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*NDUxNDQ0NzYwLjE3MzY3ODI2NDY.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczNjk1NzYwMy4zNDAuMS4xNzM2OTU3NzE2LjYwLjAuMA..&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1737044212122000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3mp2MZNwEXBk00lKmCtOss">CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT</a>
According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-20/bitcoin-rises-to-fresh-record-ahead-of-trump-inauguration-in-us-m64q8dma">Bloomberg</a>, “An 80% share of the Trump token is owned by a Trump Organization affiliate called CIC Digital LLC, and a related entity called Fight Fight Fight LLC.” 
Trump owning 80% of the token gives him significant sway over the market, to say the least. Easing the minds of some is that the coins are “locked,” meaning that Trump cannot sell them for years into the future. 
The coin launch is more evidence of Trump&#8217;s sharp turn from his previous crypto skepticism, with Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/business/trump-memecoins-crypto.html">promising</a> during his 2024 campaign to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet.”
<a href="https://store.dailywire.com/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-862379" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-1024x391.png" alt="" width="1024" height="391" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-1024x391.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-300x115.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-768x293.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-1536x587.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/INAUG_MERCHBANNER-6-2048x782.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Despite this promise, many in the crypto community are disappointed with Trump’s handling of crypto thus far. Crypto hedge fund partner Rob Hadik <a href="https://www.dailybulletin.com/2025/01/20/crypto-executives-warn-trumps-memecoins-harm-the-industry/">called</a> the launches “a blight that we will have to work to put behind us as builders.”
Bitcoin, despite rising nearly 50% since Trump’s election, fell by 5% on Tuesday morning from its inauguration peak of $109,241, per Bloomberg. The market was likely expecting Trump to sign one or even several crypto-focused executive orders on Monday. 
 
Crypto’s absence from Trump’s sweeping array of executive orders did alarm some investors, evidenced by the small sell-off, but many are unconcerned. They even point to $TRUMP as a sign that the president is more committed than ever to crypto’s future.
“It’s premature to draw strong conclusions from the absence of an immediate executive order” given that the Trump administration has a range of priorities, said Richard Galvin, co-founder of hedge fund DACM. “Markets have shown resilience, suggesting investors are taking a similar, longer term view.”

Key Speakers At The Bitcoin 2024 Conference

Trump Begins Presidency As A Crypto Billionaire With “Meme” Coins

Business

Executive

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bitcoin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bitcoin</a> surged to a new all-time high and hit $100,000 last night, marking a new milestone for the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/">Bitcoin</a> first hit and then surpassed a price of $100,000 before rocketing to a new high of roughly $103,500, with the move making it the asset with the seventh highest market capitalization in the world.
The cryptocurrency now sits at a $2 trillion <a href="https://companiesmarketcap.com/assets-by-market-cap/">market capitalization</a>, higher than the market capitalization of silver at just under $1.8 trillion, but still well below gold’s market capitalization of about $17.7 trillion, the highest of any asset in the world.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts celebrated the new milestone for Bitcoin online, with some investors taking to X to speculate about the future of the asset. Cathie Wood, the CEO of Ark Investment Management, celebrated the move, but said that Bitcoin is “still in its early innings.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, Fed Chair Powell described bitcoin as a virtual, digital version of gold. At $2,700, gold is a ~$15 trillion market, compared to bitcoin at only ~$2 trillion. Even after breaking through $100,000, bitcoin still is in early innings.
— Cathie Wood (@CathieDWood) <a href="https://twitter.com/CathieDWood/status/1864526800698667236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
Wood has laid out various different price targets for the asset by 2030, ranging from a base case of about $650,000 to a bull case of $1.5 million, citing expected regulatory relief coming from the Trump administration as a bullish catalyst.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
JUST IN: ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood predicts <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bitcoin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bitcoin</a> to hit $1.5 million by 2030, in a bull case scenario 👀 <a href="https://t.co/CDI1V9J0nA">pic.twitter.com/CDI1V9J0nA</a>
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) <a href="https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1857483221857865879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the crypto currency’s meteoric rise in a post of his own. “CONGRATULATIONS BITCOINERS!!! $100,000!!! YOU’RE WELCOME!!! Together we will Make America Great Again!” his post reads.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS, &#8220;CONGRATULATIONS BITCOINERS!!! $100,000!!! YOU&#8217;RE WELCOME.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/UoZWLe795g">pic.twitter.com/UoZWLe795g</a>
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) <a href="https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1864655677467042013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
Bitcoin has surged nearly 130 percent since January 1st, 2024, when it sat at just over $44,000. It now accounts for about <a href="https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/BTC.D/">56 percent</a> of the market cap of the entire cryptocurrency market, with other cryptocurrencies also rapidly appreciating in recent weeks.
The asset has enjoyed rapid growth since Trump’s victory on November 5th, when it sat below $70,000.
Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency, appreciated by nearly 60 percent in the last month and shot up to more than $3,900. <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/solana/">Solana</a>, one of the largest cryptocurrencies, rallied roughly 285 percent in the last 12 months before reaching a new all-time high of $256 on the heels of the Trump victory.
The market cap of all cryptocurrencies combined excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum also <a href="https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/TOTAL3/">surged</a> to a new all-time high of just over $1 trillion.

Bitcoin sign

Bitcoin Surges To $100k, Makes New All-Time High

Trump

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bitcoin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bitcoin</a> has soared to a series of new all-time highs in the weeks following the victory of President-elect Donald Trump, with the cryptocurrency asset surging to a new high of $94,000 today.
The largest cryptocurrency asset has climbed to a series of new highs ever since election night, first jumping from roughly $68,000 to about $74,000 as Trump secured victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, then surging again to $90,000 in the eight days that followed.
Bitcoin sat at just over $44,000 on January 1st, 2024, marking an increase of over 100 percent in less than a year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: $94,000 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bitcoin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bitcoin</a> 💥🚀 NEW ALL TIME HIGH! <a href="https://t.co/bqMlM4Hprf">pic.twitter.com/bqMlM4Hprf</a>
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) <a href="https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1858953098754224429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
Today’s jump in price to $94,000 followed Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-taps-howard-lutnick-to-lead-department-of-commerce">decision</a> to name Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as his Secretary for the Department of Commerce.
Lutnick has been a vocal proponent of cryptocurrency and Bitcoin in particular, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/howard-lutnick-trump-crypto-economy-elon-musk-a03d95e323f7d2d4b722184d83e7b388">telling</a> the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this year that “Bitcoin is like gold and should be free trade everywhere in the world.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
The billionaire CEO also has a personal stake in Bitcoin, <a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/327307/the-daily-trump-poised-to-tap-pro-bitcoin-lutnick-for-commerce-department-metaplanet-shares-jump-15-after-latest-btc-acquisition-and-more">explaining</a> in an interview that he has &#8220;hundreds of millions of dollars of exposure to bitcoin and it will be billions.&#8221; The announcement that Lutnick will be nominated as Commerce Secretary comes just after Trump reportedly <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp500-nasdaq-live-11-18-2024/card/exclusive-trump-to-meet-privately-with-coinbase-ceo-brian-armstrong-DDkgF0xW1BW242rVeuqx">met with</a> Brian Armstrong, the CEO of the major cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, to discuss personnel appointments.
The move comes after cryptocurrency companies <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cryptocurrency-companies-prep-160-million-to-back-pro-crypto-candidates">entered the political arena</a> during the election, assembling $160 million as they backed candidates who support the industry.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts and Bitcoin bulls are now <a href="https://bitcoinmagazine.com/takes/why-100000-bitcoin-is-right-around-the-corner-">hoping</a> for the rally to continue and propel the asset to $100k, with some pointing to increased corporate <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-consider-bitcoin-investment-december-211107913.html#:~:text=Microsoft%2C%20valued%20at%20more%20than,during%20its%20December%20annual%20meeting.">interest</a> and <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/video/microstrategy-buys-4-6b-bitcoin-160819173.html">adoption</a> of the cryptocurrency as a potential catalyst for increased upside.
Some smaller cryptocurrencies have benefited from Bitcoin’s upward move, with <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/solana/">Solana</a> inching towards its previous all time high of $258, which was set in November 2021. The asset similarly saw positive price action on the heels of Trump’s victory, jumping from $160 on election day to a recent high of $247 in a 64 percent move to the upside in less than two weeks.

Bitcoin Surges To New All-Time High, Eyes $100k On Heels Of Trump Win, Lutnick Appointment

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/louisiana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louisiana</a> state government has started accepting cryptocurrency payments in exchange for state services, the state’s treasurer announced this week.
Residents will now be able to pay for state services <a href="https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/louisiana-state-government-now-accepts-bitcoin-lightning-as-payment">with cryptocurrencies</a> like Bitcoin and USDC, a “stablecoin” that’s value is pegged to the dollar.
“Louisiana residents will now have the option to pay for state services from their private, secure crypto wallets,” a <a href="https://www.treasury.la.gov/_files/ugd/92c97e_ee5334e5115b4bada9445f8c345665ed.pdf">press release</a> from Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming explains. “In today&#8217;s digital age, government systems must evolve and embrace new technologies. By introducing cryptocurrency as a payment option, we&#8217;re not just innovating; we&#8217;re providing our citizens with flexibility and freedom in interacting with state services,” Fleming went on to note.
The first use of cryptocurrency for state services occurred on Tuesday, when cryptocurrency was sent to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The state is using a service that immediately converts cryptocurrency sent to the government into dollars, a move that Fleming says “protects our state from any volatility associated with cryptocurrency.”
The conversion service will be offered by Bead Pay, a company that is, according to CEO Jay Sykes, “focused on removing the traditional barriers associated with cryptocurrency, such as volatility and fraud risks, making it a reliable option for government transactions.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
The decision from Louisiana comes as Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, has been greeted with widespread institutional adoption this year, with asset managers like Van Eck and Blackrock even having Bitcoin exchange-traded funds approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The flagship digital asset is <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/">up roughly 130 percent</a> over the last 12 months at the time of writing, with Bitcoin hitting a new all-time high of just over $73,000 in mid-march.
Former President Donald Trump has also come out in support of the cryptocurrency industry as he campaigns for president and spoke at the annual Bitcoin Conference, where he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/america-will-be-the-crypto-capital-of-the-planet-trump-fires-up-massive-crowd-at-bitcoin-conference">outlined</a> his plans to “ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet.”
“Bitcoin stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government,” Trump went on to say at the event, which also featured speeches from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Louisiana Starts Accepting Cryptocurrency Payments For State Services

Louisiana

Unless you&#8217;re a denizen of the internet with at least a little bit of interest in cryptocurrency, you likely haven&#8217;t heard of Web3 yet.
If you&#8217;re not a cryptocurrency person, I can feel your eye rolls from here. &#8220;Crypto again, here we go!&#8221; Yes, I know. Bitcoin has been around forever.
That&#8217;s not what I&#8217;m talking about though.
Web3 is an idea for the future of the internet where the entire web is built on blockchains, decentralizing it and putting control back into the hands of the people rather than Big Tech companies. The term Web3 — or Web 3.0 — began floating around in 2013 and refers to the next phase of the World Wide Web after Web 2.0, the age of interactive websites that started around 2004, and the original Web, which consisted of lots of read-only websites.
So what would a blockchain internet look like? What is a blockchain anyway?
A blockchain is a chain or “ledger” of digital data that is decentralized, meaning it is spread across many different computers, often even across different countries.
The big attraction of the blockchain is that it does not need a centralized administrator like a server in a specific location. Google&#8217;s servers are located in Oregon, Arizona, Texas, and several other places. When Google decides to do something, users can&#8217;t stop the company because it controls the servers.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724361346607000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZhyOQfEkxcMH_D1Ago3CQ">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
Big Tech&#8217;s outsized control over internet traffic has long been a bipartisan concern. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have <a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-graham-unveil-bipartisan-bill-to-rein-in-big-tech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teamed</a> up on bills to reign in giants like Google, Apple, and Facebook.
Online censorship, misinformation, and election interference concerns marred the last few presidential elections. Data breaches have exposed people&#8217;s personal and financial information. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies gobble up revenue and buy out their competitors, making it nearly impossible to challenge them in the free market.
Blockchain technology could potentially solve some of the problems Big Tech poses, but so far, it hasn&#8217;t quite figured out how to achieve that higher purpose.
Unlike the Big Tech corporations, blockchains are run by the community. Each time someone adds something to the blockchain, the ledger data is updated on each “node,” each computer using the blockchain. A majority of users agree to verify the changes, and the blockchain keeps going. Each “block” on the blockchain contains the new data, a timestamp, and information about the previous block, so every addition to the blockchain is permanent and cannot be reversed without changing every single block after it.
There&#8217;s no third party needed (think traditional banks), and there&#8217;s no CEO in a corner office somewhere calling the shots. This is new and exciting because it means the builders and users of blockchains can record things on the blockchain (like financial transactions) without the fear that their additions could be easily erased or changed.
All of this also means that hacking a blockchain is extremely difficult because you would have to control at least 51% of the computers using the blockchain.
Today, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, and Solana are the most popular uses of blockchain technology. NFTs — non-fungible tokens, essentially digital collector&#8217;s art — are also traded furiously on blockchains. There are also more gimmicky trends like video games built on blockchains that reward people with cryptocurrency.
However, Web3 enthusiasts have a grander idea for the future of blockchains where they are about more than just making money or goofing off — they could someday be used for just about everything we already do on the internet and more.
Social media platforms can be built on top of blockchains. People have already <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/5-blockchain-based-social-media-platforms-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">done</a> this. Banking on blockchains can be more efficient, secure, and transparent without the expensive fees. Stablecoins (cryptocurrencies like USD Coin, which is always redeemable for the same amount in dollars) are working on doing this now.
There are likely things blockchains can do that we haven&#8217;t even thought of yet because our current internet isn&#8217;t able to do them.
Web3 is still a pretty hazy idea. Yes, blockchains exist and cryptocurrency is everywhere now, but for now, we&#8217;ll just have to wait and see if the grander vision for this technology pans out.
&#8220;Blockchains are at the computing frontier, as PCs were in the 1980s, the internet was in the 1990s, and mobile phones were in the 2010s,&#8221; writes venture capital tech investor Chris Dixon in his book on Web3 published this year, &#8220;Read Write Own: Building The Next Era Of The Internet.&#8221;
&#8220;People look back today on classic moments in computing and wonder what it was like to be there,&#8221; Dixon writes. &#8220;You are here now. These are the good old days.&#8221;
If you&#8217;re not hearing about Web3 now, you will be soon. Now you&#8217;re in the know.

(Getty Images)

What Is Web3 And Why Should You Care?

Big Tech

Internet

Readers Pass

Technology

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) explained in an interview with The Daily Wire why he supports cryptocurrency, and how the Democratic Party could threaten its success if Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats win in November.
“If we don&#8217;t see the next generation of innovation occurring here in America, if we push it offshore, someone else will hold a competitive advantage,” Hagerty said. “The United States of America has been the hub of innovation. That&#8217;s been a huge source of our success. We should not shove it offshore.”
Hagerty, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, told The Daily Wire he is concerned that the crypto industry could be pushed overseas by the Democratic Party’s policies.
“The Democrats, I think, are most resistant to this because of its decentralized nature,” the senator said. “What they&#8217;re pushing is a centralized digital currency, a CBDC, a <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/house-votes-block-federal-reserve-from-creating-own-digital-currency">central bank digital currency</a>, which they could issue, and by having it centralized by custody, by not allowing us to have our own custody they could, in essence, track, monitor and control our transactions.”
“That is the last thing we want to see happen here in America,” Hagerty said.
Democrats oppose cryptocurrency because it offers consumers a freedom not granted by central currency, Hagerty said.
“I think whether you&#8217;re Democrat, Independent, or Republican, you inherently want freedom. You inherently seek freedom in liberty and opportunity,” he said. “Central Bank digital currency cuts in the exact opposite direction. We have a class and a bureaucratic class in Washington that has a very different view.”
Hagerty told The Daily Wire that he hopes to “make America an attractive place for this industry to thrive,” adding that “there&#8217;s a huge difference between the two parties, and frankly, I think in November, the success or failure of this industry is on the ballot.”
The senator&#8217;s statements come after former President Donald Trump embraced the industry and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/america-will-be-the-crypto-capital-of-the-planet-trump-fires-up-massive-crowd-at-bitcoin-conference">spoke</a> at Nashville, Tennessee’s Bitcoin conference in July.
“If we don&#8217;t embrace crypto and Bitcoin technology, China will, other countries will, they&#8217;ll dominate, and we cannot let China dominate,” Trump <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/07/27/in-donald-trumps-own-words-a-partial-transcript-of-his-bitcoin-2024-speech/">told</a> the crowd. “If Bitcoin is going to the moon, as we say, it&#8217;s going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way.”
Cryptocurrency holders have become increasingly politically mobilized this year, with companies from the industry <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cryptocurrency-companies-prep-160-million-to-back-pro-crypto-candidates">preparing $160 million</a> to back candidates who support the industry.
Hagerty also spoke at the Bitcoin conference, as did Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Cynthia Lumis (R-WY), and Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA).

Untitled design-37

HAGERTY: ‘Success Or Failure’ Of Cryptocurrency Is At Stake In November

2024 Election

Bill Hagerty

Kamala Harris

NASHVILLE — Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> spoke at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville on Saturday and promised to make the U.S. the cryptocurrency superpower of the world.
Crowds of people lined the streets of Tennessee&#8217;s capital to greet the president&#8217;s motorcade while more people waited in line inside the Music City Center to listen to the former president&#8217;s speech.
&#8220;This afternoon, I&#8217;m laying out my plans to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet,&#8221; he said, adding that &#8220;Bitcoin stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government.&#8221;
Trump also blasted Democrats&#8217; unfair &#8220;targeting&#8221; of cryptocurrency and promised to fire Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler &#8220;on day one.&#8221; Gensler has been critical of Bitcoin, saying the cryptocurrency is &#8220;rife with fraud&#8221; and has pushed to police cryptocurrency more heavily.
Trump further promised to appoint a Bitcoin and crypto advisory council on the first day of his new term.
The Bitcoin 2024 Conference attracted an estimated 20,000 people over the weekend, which included many Trump supporters along with some backers of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy spoke at the conference on Friday.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee, was also reportedly in talks to speak at the conference, but she did not. The Harris campaign has reportedly reached out to billionaire Mark Cuban with questions about cryptocurrency as she gears up her presidential campaign.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712932862202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
“I’m getting multiple questions from her camp about crypto,” Cuban said. “So I take that as a good sign.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, among other political figures, also spoke at the conference.
Multiple Bitcoin enthusiasts at the conference told The Daily Wire that they were excited to hear Trump&#8217;s speech and hope he will push to create a strategic reserve of Bitcoin if he&#8217;s elected president.
Saturday&#8217;s speech featured Trump&#8217;s strongest statements in support of cryptocurrency. Earlier this year, his campaign started accepting donations in cryptocurrency.

America ‘Will Be The Crypto Capital Of The Planet’: Trump Fires Up Massive Crowd At Bitcoin Conference

Nashville

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is &#8220;in talks&#8221; to appear at this weekend&#8217;s Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where both former president Donald Trump and candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are already set to speak.
A <a href="https://x.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1815854792066875531">post on X</a> from Bitcoin Magazine says the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency is in talks with Bitcoin conference CEO David Bailey. “They’re making up their minds today,” the post reads.
If Harris attends the event, which expects <a href="https://b.tc/conference/2024">more than 20,000 attendees</a>, it will be the first time that both she and Trump are at the same place since the Vice President took over the nomination from President Joe Biden.
Trump has repeatedly signaled that he will be friendly to the crypto industry if he is reelected in November. The former president began accepting campaign donations in crypto currency earlier this year, and has pledged to be the country’s first “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/bitcoin-trump-stance-crypto-price-b2579835.html">crypto president</a>.” Some Bitcoin enthusiasts believe that Trump would create a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/07/22/its-inevitable-bitcoin-price-suddenly-soars-on-wild-rumors-donald-trump-will-create-a-us-bitcoin-strategic-reserve/">U.S. strategic reserve of Bitcoin</a> if he retakes office.
It was reported earlier on Tuesday that Harris had reached out to billionaire Mark Cuban with &#8220;multiple questions&#8221; on cryptocurrency as she readies to take on Trump. &#8221;
“I&#8217;m getting multiple questions from her camp about crypto,” Cuban said. “So I take that as a good sign.”
Cuban recently asserted that a number of different Silicon Valley CEO&#8217;s are <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/why-are-so-many-ceos-endorsing-trump-its-a-bitcoin-play-mark-cuban-says">endorsing Trump</a> in the presidential election because of his support of Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency industry.
Multiple cryptocurrency companies have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cryptocurrency-companies-prep-160-million-to-back-pro-crypto-candidates">prepared over $160 million</a> that they plan to use to support candidates for public office who will support the industry. Experts believe that the money will likely go to support Republican candidates.
“Trump’s acceptance and embrace of crypto is in stark contrast with the overwhelmingly regressive approach to crypto taken by the Biden administration and the wider Democratic Party, which has constantly attacked the industry, in most cases unfairly,” Edward Wilson of Nansen, a blockchain company, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/06/26/us-news/160m-bitcoin-war-chest-could-ruin-dems-in-november/">explained</a>. “It is likely that the issue of crypto will influence and may even swing the election. That’s because many US-based crypto supporters place crypto as a key issue for them and are fed up with the approach of going after good actors in the space.”
The news comes as the wider cryptocurrency market has enjoyed both increased political acceptance and drastic growth this year and has seen drastic surge in price not just for Bitcoin, which reached a new all-time high of <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-price-new-73-6-k-all-time-high-etfs-eat">just under $74,000</a> after the Security and Exchange Commission approved <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-etf-hopefuls-still-expect-sec-approval-despite-social-media-hack-2024-01-10/">exchange-traded funds</a> for Bitcoin, but for crypto tokens across the board, ranging from smart-contract tokens like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-is-cryptocurrency">Ethereum</a> to so-called “memecoins” like “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/03/19/a-close-look-at-the-meme-coin-wif/">Dogwifhat</a>.”
Just this week, exchange-traded funds for Ethereum <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-spot-ether-etfs-set-make-market-debut-another-win-crypto-industry-2024-07-23/">hit the market</a>, bringing more positive news for the industry.

Menu