Author: James Wilson

A $290 million exploit on KelpDAO’s cross-chain bridge on April 18, attributed by LayerZero to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, sent shockwaves through DeFi and erased more than $13 billion in total value locked across protocols within 48 hours. Summary Attackers drained 116,500 rsETH worth approximately $290 million from KelpDAO’s LayerZero-powered bridge on April 18 in 2026’s largest DeFi exploit to date. LayerZero has attributed the attack with preliminary confidence to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, specifically its TraderTraitor subunit. The fallout triggered over $13 billion in outflows from DeFi platforms including Aave, which froze rsETH markets on both its V3 and…

Shares of American Bitcoin, the Trump family-linked mining company, surged approximately 12% on April 22 after the firm announced it had completed the deployment of 11,298 new ASIC miners at its Drumheller, Alberta site, expanding its active fleet to roughly 89,242 machines. Summary American Bitcoin deployed 11,298 new ASIC miners at its Drumheller facility, adding 3.05 exahash per second of capacity and pushing total hashrate to 28.1 EH/s. The stock jumped approximately 12% to $1.38 on the news, extending a broader recovery as Bitcoin prices climbed. The expansion reinforces American Bitcoin’s decision to double down on Bitcoin mining while many…

US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned from the Trump administration amid an active inspector general investigation into misconduct allegations, making her the third cabinet member to depart during the president’s second term. Summary Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned on April 21 amid an inspector general investigation into alleged travel fraud, an inappropriate relationship with a security staffer, and other misconduct. Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling has been named acting secretary while Trump’s team determines a permanent replacement. Her departure is the third cabinet exit of Trump’s second term, following former Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam…

Crypto protocols have lost more than $606 million to hacks and exploits in just the first 18 days of April 2026, making it the single worst month for theft in the industry since the $1.4 billion Bybit breach in February 2025, according to data from DefiLlama. Summary Over $606 million was stolen from crypto protocols across 12 incidents in the first 18 days of April 2026, according to DefiLlama data. Two attacks, the $285 million Drift Protocol exploit and the $292 million KelpDAO breach, account for approximately 95% of April’s losses. April’s total is already 3.7 times larger than the…

Bitcoin climbed above $78,000 on April 22, reaching its highest price in 11 weeks, as a wave of short liquidations and improved macro sentiment following Trump’s ceasefire extension combined to push the asset to a key technical level that had resisted multiple breakout attempts. Summary Bitcoin broke above $78,000 on April 22 for the first time in 11 weeks, with CoinGlass data showing approximately $180 million in short liquidations clustered above the level. The move coincided with improved risk sentiment after Trump extended the Iran ceasefire, alongside a broader altcoin rally led by higher-beta assets. Analysts warn the move is…

Kraken says it filed 56m 2025 crypto tax forms, most under $50, and is urging Congress to create a de minimis exemption and let users defer tax on staking rewards until sale. Summary Kraken says it filed 56 million digital asset tax forms with the IRS for 2025, with roughly one‑third under $1 and nearly three‑quarters under $50. The exchange is urging Congress to create a de minimis exemption for small crypto payments and to let taxpayers choose when to recognize staking rewards as income. Kraken argues current rules create “massive friction for ordinary users” and misalign tax timing with…

Virginia voters have narrowly approved a new congressional map that could shift as many as four House seats from Republican to Democrat, delivering a major boost to the party’s bid to retake the House in the 2026 midterms. Summary Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that replaces the state’s bipartisan commission map with one drawn by the Democratic-controlled legislature. The new map gives Democrats an advantage in 10 of Virginia’s 11 House districts, up from the six they currently hold. Republicans have filed legal challenges that could still block the new map from taking effect before the midterms. Virginia voters…

GSR’s new BESO ETF on Nasdaq actively manages a Bitcoin‑Ethereum‑Solana basket with weekly rebalancing, a 1% fee, and built‑in staking rewards where allowed. Summary Crypto market maker GSR has launched the GSR Crypto Core3 ETF (ticker: BESO) on Nasdaq, targeting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. BESO is actively managed, rebalanced weekly, charges a 1% management fee, and incorporates staking rewards where possible. The Block reports it is the first actively managed multi‑asset crypto ETF in the US to offer staking functionality, marking a new front in ETF competition. GSR is moving from pure market‑making into the center of the ETF arms…

Sameer Group CEO Syed Sameer is offering to broker a private deal to unfreeze Justin Sun’s blacklisted WLFI tokens, drawing backlash from retail holders shut out of negotiations. Summary Sameer Group CEO Syed Sameer has publicly offered to broker a deal to unfreeze Justin Sun’s blacklisted WLFI tokens. The outreach comes after Sun filed a federal lawsuit against World Liberty Financial in California over allegedly locked tokens. Retail investors are already pushing back, calling the proposal unfair if it benefits Sun but not the broader WLFI community. Syed Sameer, CEO of Sameer Group LLC, has put himself forward as an…

CHIP token surged over 85% on Wednesday becoming one of the best performing crypto assets of the day. Summary CHIP crypto surged over 85% after securing a Binance listing with a Seed Tag and a 40 million token reward campaign. Additional listings on KuCoin, BitMart, and SunCrypto drove liquidity, pushing 24-hour trading volume above $1.4 billion. The rally was supported by rising interest in AI infrastructure tokens, though high volume-to-market-cap ratios indicate strong speculative activity. The token shot up following its listing on Binance which introduces the token with a Seed Tag, flagging it as an early-stage, high-risk asset. The…