A social media thread alleges Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick profited billions from Tether while holding regulatory authority over the cryptocurrency, including holding its cash reserves, vouching for its reserves under oath, and helping write favorable stablecoin legislation. The post claims Tether financed Lutnick's divestiture to his children and his son's $3.6 billion bitcoin venture, raising conflict-of-interest questions that Senators Warren and Wyden have asked about without public response.
A bipartisan group of three U.S. lawmakers is urging the Commerce Department to sanction three India-based hacking-for-hire groups that have allegedly stolen data from American citizens and companies for over 15 years. The firms—Sunkissed Organic Farms, BellTroX, and CyberRoot—have also reportedly operated on behalf of Qatar's government and engaged in legal campaigns to suppress investigative reporting about their activities.
US lawmakers Ron Wyden and Warren Davidson are urging Britain's investigatory powers tribunal to increase transparency in Apple's legal challenge against a UK government demand to break encrypted iCloud backups. The dispute stems from January 2025 when the Home Office issued a technical capability notice requiring Apple to assist law enforcement, prompting Apple to withdraw its Advanced Data Protection feature from UK users. The American politicians argue the UK is improperly using secrecy directives to circumvent US Congressional oversight and constitutional powers.
U.S. lawmakers Ron Wyden, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Pat Harrigan asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to blacklist Appin, an Indian hack-for-hire firm, and related companies on the Bureau of Industry and Security's Entity List for conducting cyberespionage and using legal threats to suppress journalists' reporting on their activities. The designation would restrict Appin's access to American technology and business partners, similar to the 2021 action against NSO Group.