Washington
Washington is warming up to crypto faster than even industry insiders expected
- Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are flirting with crypto after years of skepticism.
- Momentum has picked up even quicker than the industry thought.
- But doubts linger than Democrats will fully embrace crypto.
It’s not just Donald Trump: Politicians in both parties are increasingly coming around on crypto.
After being staunchly anti-bitcoin, Trump rebranded himself as the crypto candidate last year, and plans to launch a strategic reserve for digital assets. Republicans fell in line.
The surprising part is that Trump’s arch-enemies are also reconsidering their anti-crypto positions. While many Democrats are still skeptical about digital assets, crypto lobbyists in Washington say they’re less antagonistic of the industry than they were previously. The anti-crypto arguments, like the one espoused Elizabeth Warren in January, are going out of style.
“Embrace is too strong a word,” Seth Hertlein, the global head of policy at crypto firm Ledger, said of Democrats’ stance on crypto. “I think there has definitely been a thaw, though.”
After one development this week, “thaw” may actually be an understatement.
On Tuesday, the US Senate resoundingly passed a measure blocking a Biden-era regulation that would require tax reporting by certain decentralized finance firms, which crypto advocates argue would be overbearing. A staggering 18 Democratic senators (19, including an Independent who caucuses with Democrats) voted with Republicans, pushing the final tally to 70 to 28. Hertlein had told BI that he thought only two or three Dems would be on board.
Bitcoin surged 8% in the hours after the initial vote, and other tokens also gained ground. The moves reflected a sentiment shift, and a sign that the crypto world is anticipating more positive developments ahead.
Voters gave a clear verdict on crypto, proponents say
Historians will likely debate for decades why Trump won and Democrats lost in 2024, though the crypto community is convinced that the president’s support for their cause made a difference.
“It was a huge issue in the last election,” Hertlein said of crypto at the Bitcoin Investor Week conference in late February. “And I don’t think that’s lost on anyone in Washington.”
Pro-crypto candidates appeared to outperform during last fall’s elections, including an upset win by Republican Bernie Moreno over Democrat Sherrod Brown, who’s a crypto skeptic.
Many associate crypto with the political right, and not just because Trump is infatuated with it. Stand With Crypto, an advocacy group backed by crypto broker Coinbase, has determined that 256 Republicans in office are supportive of crypto, compared to 89 Democrats.
But that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, some crypto believers say the Democratic platform, known for its skepticism of Wall Street and big business, is a natural fit for decentralized finance.
“This is not a politicized asset class,” Federico Brokate, the head of the US business at crypto investment product issuer 21Shares, told BI.
He added: “There’s different aspects of the crypto value chain that are happening in traditionally red states or traditionally blue states, as well.”
Perhaps the most pro-crypto politician in DC is Cynthia Lummis, a first-term Republican senator from Wyoming. She was reportedly the first Senator to own bitcoin, and was fiercely critical of the Biden administration regulations that she saw as a threat to the industry.
“Everywhere you looked in the regulatory framework, it was hostile,” Lummis said on stage at the Bitcoin Investor Week conference. “And the hostility was pointed at not just bitcoin, but other digital assets: ethereum, cardano, solana — all this stuff. But bitcoin was caught up in it.”
A Democratic Party representative didn’t respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Lummis thinks attitudes toward crypto are now shifting, and she’s looking to have conversations with Democrats and Republicans about how the US should approach this growing industry.
Will Dems get their arms around crypto?
While some believe Democrats are warming up to crypto, others aren’t holding their breath.
Anthony Scaramucci, a major crypto investor and an avowed Trump critic, said at the bitcoin conference that he agreed with Lummis’s assessment about Democrats. Under Biden, he said the party was “really out to lunch” last year when it came to crypto and blockchain technology.
“Mark Cuban, Michael Novogratz, and I last summer descended into the White House, descended into meetings in Washington with senators, policymakers, assistant secretaries to the Treasury,” Scaramucci said at the conference. He said the tech leaders told Biden’s team: “‘What are you guys doing? You’ve got to get off the anti-crypto brigade.’”
This outdated stance is “the best thing that Trump has going for him,” Scaramucci remarked.
“The fact that the Democrats didn’t see that and didn’t see the power of this industry is a sign that they are derelict in their duties right now and aren’t really understanding what’s going on in the marketplace,” he said.
The SkyBridge Capital founder is trying to turn the tide, so that he doesn’t have to begrudgingly give Trump props. He told BI last fall that the 45th president’s win greatly helped his portfolio, even if didn’t want it, and joked at the conference that he should buy Trump a Christmas card.
In Scaramucci’s mind, Democrats were wrong about crypto, rudderless, and pulled off a last-second candidate switcheroo — yet still kept the presidential election close. He thinks they’ll perform better in future elections if they follow Republicans on crypto, but he’s not sure they will.
“The Democrats are not ready to do that,” Scaramucci said of embracing crypto. “I think they’re going to have a lot of problems if they don’t do that. But if I were them, I would be at least neutral on bitcoin.”
In democracies, voters speak, and politicians either adapt accordingly or risk losing their seats. Emboldened crypto supporters are confident their agenda will advance — one way or another.
“Crypto is here to stay,” Hertlein said. He added: “There is a recognition that it can’t just be ignored or killed. It is something that leaders of both parties are going to have to deal with.”
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – The Washington County Sheriff’s Office released video of deputies using a drone to track down a man wanted for damaging a car.
On Saturday, May 30, a 911 caller reported a man damaging a car outside their home on Southwest 179th Avenue in Aloha. The sheriff’s office said it was reported the suspect, 21-year-old Santos Paulino Castro-Ramirez, was punching the car.
Deputies used a drone to follow the suspect as he ran toward Southwest Barcelona Lane. The sheriff’s office said Castro-Ramirez then entered a white SUV that did not belong to him on SW Barcelona.
Deputies arrested Castro-Ramirez. He was booked into the Washington County Jail for first-degree burglary and attempt to commit a crime – second-degree theft.
Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
Beirut, Lebanon – On Tuesday, representatives from Lebanon and Israel met at the US Department of State in Washington, DC – the first session of a two-day round of negotiations that Lebanese negotiators hope will end an invasion of their country.
The negotiations, which started at 9am local time (13:00 GMT), come as Israel’s invasion of Lebanon pushes deeper than at any point since the year 2000 and as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade attacks. Israel has killed 3,468 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
With the war raging on, what do Lebanon and Israel have to discuss and will the talks lead to an end of the Israeli assault?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What will Israel and Lebanon discuss?
Similar to past meetings, the two sides are ostensibly looking to come to some kind of deal following fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with strong doubts it will be achieved.
Lebanon’s government is still pushing for a total ceasefire. However, as talks started, Israel was striking various parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon is also trying to get Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south, so that more than 1.2 million displaced people can return home, and so the state can resume finding a way to disarm Hezbollah and rebuild areas devastated by Israeli attacks.
Israel is meanwhile looking to get assurances that Lebanon will disarm Hezbollah, a prospect analysts say Israel knows is complicated by the continuation of its military operations and occupation of swaths of southern Lebanon. Instead, Israel appears to be trying to fuel sectarian tensions inside Lebanon, leading to chaos and internal strife.
What has happened so far?
An initial meeting took place in April between Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the United States. A second round took place in May with a larger delegation on both sides.
On Friday, a meeting took place with Lebanese and Israeli military representatives, while Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group, is not involved in the meetings.
Israel claimed the two sides found common ground in that they both wanted to see Hezbollah disarmed. Some Israeli officials suggested there may soon be trade agreements and an exchange of tourists between the two countries. Lebanon, however, said it preferred to find a deal closer to the 1949 armistice agreement between the two countries.
In the last meeting, Beirut reportedly outlined the damage done by Israeli attacks since the 2024 ceasefire agreement and presented detailed maps showing homes destroyed or razed by Israel.
Is there a chance for a ceasefire?
That remains to be seen, but for now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s military would continue attacking Lebanon.
On Monday, Netanyahu announced that attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs would resume, despite a ceasefire. Apart from two targeted attacks, Israel has not struck the suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, since April.
Iran, which has attempted to include Lebanon in a wider ceasefire between themselves, on one side, and Israel and the US on the other, then intervened by threatening to attack northern Israel.
US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to stop Israel’s attacks. He announced another ceasefire, after his previous announcement of one between Israel and Lebanon on April 16, after claiming he had gotten the approval of Netanyahu and spoken to Hezbollah.
“There will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back,” Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social.
But attacks from Israel and Hezbollah are continuing.
How do Lebanese people feel about the talks?
Not everyone is on the same page.
Some Lebanese support the talks and say they are the only option the state, which has little leverage, has. Among those who believe direct talks are the best way forward are Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“There is no option other than negotiation,” Aoun said in a statement on Tuesday.
Others, however, oppose direct talks. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his allies, Hezbollah, have said indirect talks are preferred and that negotiations cannot be conducted while attacks are ongoing.
How are Iran and the US connected?
Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28, killing the country’s longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran is Hezbollah’s primary benefactor, and two days after Khamenei’s assassination, Hezbollah fired six rockets towards Israel on 2 March.
Hezbollah’s response brought a huge response from Israel, who have crossed the Litani River – the supposed buzzer zone in southern Lebanon it had created – towards the Zahrani River.
Despite a 2024 ceasefire, Israel had never stopped attacking Lebanon, while Hezbollah had only responded once in December 2024.
Iran has attempted to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal it has with the United States and Israel, who say this theatre is not part of the agreement.
Although Trump has now announced a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel twice, the invasion of southern Lebanon continues.
Are there other actors involved?
Gulf states have also intervened. Saudi Arabia has been working behind the scenes to get Lebanon’s leadership – Aoun, Salam and Berri – on the same page. Meanwhile, analysts say Saudi Arabia and Qatar engaged the Trump administration to stop an escalation in Lebanon.
The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
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Winning Powerball numbers from June 1 drawing
02-42-47-57-58, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3
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Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 1 drawing
11
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 1 drawing
8-6-0
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07-08-09-18
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03-10-28-32-33
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04-05-08-14-16-17-23-24-27-28-31-32-38-43-45-47-51-58-65-66
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Winning Lotto numbers from June 1 drawing
05-09-10-15-21-26
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Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 1 drawing
02-07-35-44-57, Powerball: 25
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.
To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:
Washington Lottery Headquarters
PO Box 43050
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).
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When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
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- Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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