It is bad news for a warming world https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/06/16/the-coming-el-nino-could-be-the-strongest-ever-recorded?taid=6a3196700a5bfc0001786cc5&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
DOJ Seeks Dismissal of xAI Pollution Lawsuit on National Security Grounds
The US Department of Justice asked a federal court to dismiss a Clean Air Act lawsuit against xAI, arguing that shutting the company’s gas turbines would threaten national security. The NAACP complaint says xAI ran 27 gas turbines without proper permits for the Colossus 2 data center near Memphis, Tennessee. The case is relevant to SpaceX because SpaceX absorbed xAI in February in an all-stock deal worth about $1.25 trillion.
USDT rose about 16% against the bolivar over the past 30 days on Binance P2P markets. Venezuela’s monetary liquidity surpassed 2.11 trillion bolivars by late May. Analyst Hever Castro said some Caracas merchants use the USDT rate to restock inventory.
Squid Adds Ripple RLUSD Stablecoin for Cross-Chain Swaps
Squid integrated Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin for cross-chain swaps through a routing layer that connects RLUSD to more than 100 blockchains. The platform supports swaps between RLUSD and over 20,000 tokens without manual bridging, wrapping, or multiple transactions. Ripple stablecoin product lead Lauren Berta said the integration opens payments, DeFi, and treasury use cases as demand for RLUSD grows.
Cabo Verde held Spain to a goalless draw, leaving one Polymarket bettor with a $1.6 million loss. Monday’s match in Atlanta generated $64 million in Polymarket positions traded.
An old economy sector may break out thanks to hyperscaler investment. Todd Gordon outlines how to play it https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/16/an-old-economy-sector-benefits-from-ai-investment-todd-gordon-outlines-how-to-play-it-.html?taid=6a31953a117eb200016355e3&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Iran's Foreign Minister said U.S.-Iran negotiations will begin on the same day both countries sign an MOU. No signing date or negotiation details were provided.
Sui Project Remi Launches Infrastructure for Bank-Issued Stablecoins
Sui-based Remi Technology is launching infrastructure for regulated, bank-issued stablecoins. The platform will support electronic transfers of EUB and USB through a partnership with Lisbon-based Bison Bank. Sui said the infrastructure is designed to comply with MiCA and FATF requirements.
Richard Green said Bitcoin DeFi projects are focusing on institutions and other specific user groups as DeFi liquidity contracts. The Block data shows DeFi TVL has fallen from approximately $180 billion last October to around $70 billion today.
Grayscale said AAVE is undervalued relative to Aave's revenue and cash flow and could rise to about $175 within a year. The report estimated AAVE's fair value at $80–$100 and projected about $60 million in Aave revenue this year.
Tribal Coalition Files Briefs Against Kalshi and CFTC in Gaming Fight
A coalition of 30 federally recognized American Indian tribes and 11 Indian regulatory agencies filed amicus briefs this month challenging Kalshi and the CFTC over prediction market access on Indian land. The coalition said the actions could undermine tribal-state gaming compacts and divert gaming revenue from tribal and state governments. Bloomberg reports Kalshi processed $5.1 billion in notional World Cup trading volume, while crypto analysts said Polymarket attracted $1.6 billion in a single week.
24-hour spot volume for tokenized equities on Solana reached a record $187.9 million. SPCX generated more than $105 million in trading volume and accounted for over half of the total.
Bank of Japan Lifts Rate to 1% as Crypto Holds Steady
The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark rate to around 1%, the highest level in over three decades. The new guideline takes effect June 17 after a 7-1 vote. CoinGecko data showed Bitcoin around $66,000, down 1.1%, while total crypto market cap held near $2.34 trillion. Ryan Yoon said the yen carry trade caused no meaningful disruption this time.
Bhutan's DK Bank Builds Stablecoin Accounts for Debanked Crypto Firms
DK Bank, the only licensed bank inside Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City, is building a crypto banking model that spans nine currencies and includes bitcoin-backed lending. Zheng YD said the bank wants one account for USDT, USDC, U.S. dollars, pounds and euros. Jigdrel Singay said GMC has executive, legislative and judicial autonomy from the rest of Bhutan. Singay said firms licensed in Singapore, Abu Dhabi Global Markets or Hong Kong can use a fast-track pathway without reduced oversight.
When Argentina and Algeria kick off on Tuesday, Kansas City will realise a long-held dream of hosting the World Cup born of an unlikely source: its Super Bowl-winning American football team. https://ft.trib.al/MUrbnBj
From @TheAthleticFC: There are 98 players born in France at the World Cup, and there are more French-born players (76) representing other nations than any other country at the tournament. Senegal’s squad has 10 of them. https://nyti.ms/4a46hVm
Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to ban social media for kids is already facing flak. Even before the policy’s announcement it was assailed by the opposition for not doing enough https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/06/11/a-kids-social-media-ban-would-be-a-bad-parting-gift-from-keir-starmer?taid=6a318a77fbb36b0001befa57&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Cardone Capital Targets 22–32% Returns With Bitcoin-Real Estate Hybrid
Cardone Capital is targeting 22–32% returns by pairing cash-flowing multifamily properties with Bitcoin holdings. Grant Cardone said the firm combined a $235 million Boca Raton property with about $100 million in Bitcoin inside a dedicated LLC. Cardone said about 80% of investors in the Boca fund reportedly had zero prior Bitcoin exposure.