Argentina: Milei Faces Criminal Charges Over Alleged Crypto Rug Pull
Lawyers in Argentina filed criminal fraud charges against Argentine Pres. Javier Milei on Sunday after the libertarian leader promoted an alleged crypto rug pull — an exit scam where creators lure investors only to cash out later, making the tokens worthless.
Milei said in a post on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday that the cryptocurrency token $LIBRA was a private project focused on funding small companies and local ventures. $LIBRA soon surged to $4.97 apiece, hitting a market cap of $4.5B.
In a matter of hours following the statement, the Libra plunged by more than 95% as wallets linked to its team began to cash out on the token, making a profit of over $107M worth of liquidity, including USD Coin and Solana.
Narrative A
Milei has routinely shared posts on his personal accounts to support entrepreneurs who want to help boost the Argentine economy. It's absurd — though not shocking — that the country's leftist political establishment are now seeking to take advantage of the collapse of the token to attack him.
Narrative B
The sitting president of Argentina was directly involved in a multibillion-dollar crypto rug pull, crossing legal and moral boundaries. Now, he must face criminal fraud charges and be impeached. After all, red flags were many — including the fact that two accounts controlled more than two-thirds of $LIBRA supply.
Nerd narrative
There's a 60% chance that Javier Milei will be reelected as President of Argentina before Jan. 1, 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community
US Amends Wording on Taiwan Independence
The US State Department has removed the phrase "we do not support Taiwan independence" from its Taiwan fact sheet, while maintaining its opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.
The updated fact sheet, published on Feb. 13, 2024, adds new language about resolving cross-Strait differences "free from coercion" and includes references to Taiwan's cooperation with Pentagon technology projects.
The State Department describes these modifications as routine updates, and reaffirmed its commitment to the One China Policy, which acknowledges Beijing's position that there is only one Chinese government.
Anti-China narrative
The updated fact sheet reflects the strengthening of the US-Taiwan partnership and Washington's commitment to peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. Such changes demonstrate American support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations and acknowledge the island's crucial role in global technology supply chains.
Pro-China narrative
This modification is yet another example of the US' misguided policy of using Taiwan to suppress China. Such changes violate previous diplomatic commitments and threaten stability in the Taiwan Strait, as Taiwan remains an internal matter for China that warrants no external interference.
Nerd narrative
There's a 72% chance that the US will respond with military force, if China invades Taiwan before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UK: MOD Confirms Special Forces Blocked the Resettlement of Over 2K Afghan Commandos
UK Special Forces (UKSF) rejected resettlement applications from upwards of 2K Afghan Commandos, despite credible evidence that they met the criteria for approval, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed for the first time this month.
Following the withdrawal of international forces and the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the UK government set up the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme to protect Afghan troops who fought alongside UK forces in order to protect them from Taliban reprisals.
However, reporting from BBC Panorama last year, citing leaked UKSF documents, revealed that military units had veto power over the process, and used this power to block hundreds of applications. They were suspected of doing so to prevent Afghan soldiers from testifying in an ongoing UK war crimes inquiry.
Pro-establishment narrative
The government’s commitment to rectifying errors in the ARAP scheme, particularly regarding Afghan specialist units like the Triples, reflects its dedication to righting past wrongs. Despite previous delays, it has made significant progress and its ongoing efforts demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility toward those who supported UK forces.
Establishment-critical narrative
These resettlement application denials left behind hundreds of Afghani soldiers, who fought alongside British troops, to fend against the Taliban. As a result, many have already been tortured or killed. This scandal can't be remedied by apology and reform — justice must be served to those who abandoned British allies in order to cover up the extent of their crimes.
Trump Appeals to Supreme Court Over Watchdog Chief Firing
US Pres. Donald Trump's Solicitor General, Sarah Harris, filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Sunday to overturn a district court ruling that temporarily blocked Trump's firing of Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
The OSC, which is separate from Justice Department special counsels, is responsible for protecting federal whistleblowers and guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, including retaliation for whistleblowing.
Dellinger, a Biden appointee confirmed to a five-year term in 2024, was fired by the Trump administration through a two-sentence email on Feb. 7. He sued the president later, stating his office is "needed now more than ever."
Republican narrative
The firing of the OSC's head aligns with a constitutional return to executive accountability. Article II vests all executive power in the president, who oversees all executive officers, including those in independent agencies. Recent court rulings emphasize this, questioning the constitutionality of removal protections. If the OSC's independence hampers presidential control, it undermines democratic accountability.
Democratic narrative
This case is about the separation of powers, which Trump is attempting to violate by sidestepping the will of Congress, which encoded federal employee protections for moments like these. Federal agencies, but especially OSC, must be free to work without fear of political retribution from the president. Protecting whistleblowers is a sacred duty that shouldn't be toyed with at will, so hopefully, SCOTUS will uphold this precedent.
Deadly Storms Kill 10 as Floods Ravage Southeast US
At least 10 people have died across multiple southeastern US states due to severe storms and flooding, with nine fatalities reported in Kentucky and one death in Georgia when a tree fell on a home in Atlanta.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Sunday declared an emergency after approximately 1K people required rescue from flood waters. Some areas received up to 6 inches of rainfall, leading to widespread flooding and road closures.
The storms have left around 39K homes without power and authorities have warned harsh winds could increase outages in Kentucky. US Pres. Donald Trump approved an emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky, authorizing FEMA to coordinate relief efforts despite recent proposals to abolish the agency.
Narrative A
This unprecedented amount of flooding has overwhelmed local infrastructure and emergency services, demonstrating the urgent need for federal assistance and improved disaster preparedness.
Narrative B
This crisis highlights inefficiencies in federal disaster response systems and emphasizes the need for local authorities to have more control over disaster relief efforts.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the total damage incurred by climate change in the 21st century as measured by its impact on GDP will be 10.9,% according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UN Seeks $6B for Sudan as World's Worst Hunger Crisis Looms
The UN on Monday launched a $6B humanitarian appeal for Sudan in 2025 — a 40% increase from the previous year — aimed at assisting nearly 26M people within the country and across the region who face dire circumstances due to ongoing conflict.
The humanitarian response plan allocates $4.2B for assistance within Sudan — targeting 21M people — while $1.8B is designated for supporting 4.8M refugees and host communities in seven neighboring countries.
In 2024, humanitarian organizations reached more than 15.6M across Sudan with $1.8B in support — providing food, water, sanitation, health, and shelter assistance to over 13M.
Narrative A
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is a collective failure that shames the global community, as it has become the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever recorded. Millions are facing starvation while the international community remains largely disengaged.
Narrative B
The military logic of achieving victory continues to overshadow humanitarian concerns. Complex bureaucratic processes and access restrictions severely hamper aid delivery efforts, while limited funding and operational constraints prevent effective assistance to those in desperate need.
Nerd narrative
There's a 47% chance that Rapid Support Forces will come out as the victor in the Sudanese civil war, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Musk's xAI Launches Grok 3
Elon Musk's xAI on Monday released the latest model of its artificial intelligence (AI), Grok 3, claiming it surpasses competitors in math, science, and coding. It also introduced new features like DeepSearch and voice mode for premium users.
Grok 3 offers advanced reasoning capabilities for complex queries through its "Think" and "Big Brain" modes. It can be accessed through X's Premium+ at $40/month or SuperGrok at $30/month or $300/year. The new monthly price is up almost 82% from its previous price of $22.
The development of Grok 3, which Musk spoke about at the recent World Governments Summit in Dubai, was accelerated by xAI's Colossus supercomputer, utilizing 100K Nvidia H100 GPUs and 200M GPU hours for training, which is 10 times more than its predecessor Grok 2.
Narrative A
If Musk's description of Grok 3 is accurate, this new chatbot will become the world's smartest AI model. It's not just three times faster than the remarkable Grok 2, but it will offer assistance in multiple languages and use customer feedback to enhance accuracy. The key to a successful AI chatbot is its ability to train itself and Grok 3 is proving very capable.
Narrative B
Grok 3 will likely be on par with, if not slightly inferior to, its ChatGPT counterparts, as stated by one of xAI's engineers himself. The only thing Grok has that other AI companies lack is its ability to scrape real-time data from X posts, but that's made more difficult by misinformation. Grok has a way to go before it can be crowned king of AI.
Establishment-critical narrative
No matter how tech executives promote their products, every new AI development is part of an arms race to human-technology singularity. These rapidly advancing models, especially in the hands of governments, will undoubtedly be used by humans for military purposes, and eventually by the AI bots themselves as a once-fictional Terminator becomes reality.
Nerd narrative
There's a 55% chance that there will be a frontier open-source AI model on Jan. 1, 2026, and a 50% chance of one on Jan. 1, 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Austria Links Fatal Stabbing to IS
Authorities in Austria told a press conference on Sunday that the suspect in a fatal stabbing had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) after becoming radicalized online, and that a flag of the group had been found in his apartment.
This comes as eyewitnesses reported that the suspect — a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Syria identified as Ahmad G. — shouted "Allahu Akbar" and made hand gestures associated with IS in the attack on Saturday.
He has been charged with murder and attempted murder after killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding five others aged between 15 and 36 — three of whom were in intensive care on Sunday — in an apparent random attack on passers-by in the main square of Villach, a village bordering Italy and Slovenia.
Right narrative
This jihadist attack in Austria comes as a great shock, but not as a surprise. After all, incidents in neighboring Germany as well as the foiled attack at the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna should have raised alarms. It's about time for Austria to adopt stricter asylum laws and protect its citizens.
Left narrative
It's senseless to blame the entire Syrian diaspora community for the isolated actions of an extremist individual, especially as another Syrian national was the one who heroically brought him down. Like many other migrants, Syrians fled their homeland seeking safety and peace and are grateful to have found that in Austria.
European Leaders Hold Emergency Summit Ahead of US-Russia Talks
European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict amid upcoming peace negotiations between Russia and the US in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Talks included France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the European Commission, and NATO.
European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen stated on X that the meeting "reaffirmed that Ukraine deserves peace through strength," and that Europe "need[ed] a surge in defense." Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's statement claimed that a peace agreement had to include a "US backstop."
The emergency meeting was called after US Pres. Donald Trump announced last week that Ukrainian peace negotiations between the US and Russia were to begin "immediately." Currently, European and Ukrainian representatives have not been invited to negotiations.
Narrative A
Europe must reject any US-Russia peace deal that excludes European and Ukrainian input. Such negotiations would abandon Ukraine's sovereignty and ignore Europe’s vital role in regional security. As the conflict directly affects European borders, European nations must be involved in shaping the terms of peace.
Narrative B
Direct US-Russia peace negotiations are the pragmatic solution. The US has poured billions into Ukraine’s defense and it has the right to prioritize its own interests, focusing on China and the Pacific. Europe’s reluctance to take charge of its own security is not America's burden to bear. A swift peace is necessary for global stability.
Pro-Russia narrative
Europe and Ukraine should be excluded from peace talks, as they've proven incapable of genuine negotiation over ideological warmongering. The West’s obsession with defeating Russia has only fueled the conflict, while Europe’s fragmented military and reliance on US defense leave it unable to manage its own security.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5.1% chance of a direct conflict between Russia and any NATO member state before Jan. 1, 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.