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Washington lobbyists sever ties with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried after crypto exchange implodes

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Washington lobbyists sever ties with FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried after crypto exchange implodes


Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and his allies are shedding advocates in Washington, as the corporate hits all-time low.

Lobbyists who labored for FTX and Guarding In opposition to Pandemics, a nonprofit partially funded by Bankman-Fried and run by his brother, Gabe Bankman-Fried, advised CNBC that they’ve severed ties with the cryptocurrency change after its collapse.

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FTX introduced Friday that it was submitting for Chapter 11 chapter and that Bankman-Fried was stepping down as CEO after revelations of a liquidity disaster on the firm.

FTX’s beautiful downfall has prompted Washington lawmakers, together with the Biden White Home, to extra intently scrutinize the corporate and the trade at giant. The strikes by some in Washington to distance themselves from FTX adopted a broader push by the corporate and key executives to ingratiate themselves with policymakers.

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Bankman-Fried turned often known as a crypto “darling” in Washington as he gave greater than $39 million to candidates and committees within the 2022 midterm elections, in response to knowledge from OpenSecrets. Ryan Salame, the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, gave greater than $23 million throughout the identical election cycle, in response to the information.

However lots of FTX’s efforts to realize a toehold in Washington look like crashing to a halt. After Bankman-Fried donated $2,900 to the marketing campaign of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-In poor health., this 12 months, an aide for the No. 2 Senate Democrat advised CNBC on Monday that the contribution “will likely be donated to an acceptable charity.”

​Eliora Katz, a former aide to Republican Sen. Pat Toomey who was listed on disclosure reviews as FTX’s sole in-house lobbyist, not works on the firm, in response to an individual aware of the matter. It’s unclear when precisely she left, or if she resigned or was fired from the job. Lobbying disclosure reviews present that FTX spent $540,000 on in-house lobbying within the second and third quarters of this 12 months mixed. FTX lists Katz as working for the corporate on its third-quarter lobbying disclosure, which incorporates July by way of September.

Among the folks on this story declined to be named to talk about non-public issues. An e-mail to Katz’s FTX tackle bounced again.

Conaway Graves Group, a lobbying store run by ex-GOP Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas and his former chief of workers Scott Graves, additionally stopped working for FTX final week as the corporate neared its chapter announcement.

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“Our relationship with FTX was terminated early final week and we won’t be representing FTX in any capability transferring ahead,” Graves stated in an e-mail.

At the least three commerce teams are not representing FTX. The Chamber of Progress, which lists crypto companions reminiscent of Blockchain.com and Ripple on its web site, is not working with FTX, in response to an individual briefed on the matter.

The Affiliation for Digital Asset Markets, a crypto lobbying group run by trade advocate Michelle Bond, has eliminated all notable traces of FTX from its web site. Bond, who’s reportedly shut with Salame, ran a failed Republican major marketing campaign for a New York Home seat.

It was introduced in February that FTX and FTX US had been becoming a member of the group’s board of administrators. An archived model of the group’s web site exhibits Ryne Miller, FTX US’ common counsel, and Mark Wetjen, the corporate’s head of coverage and regulatory technique, had been as soon as listed among the many commerce group’s board members.

Wetjen was a Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee commissioner beneath former President Barack Obama. A spokesman for the crypto commerce group advised CNBC that “on Thursday, ADAM eliminated FTX.com and FTX.US from its membership.” The group added that “the removing stemmed from the lately found fraudulent habits by FTX.”

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Coindesk reported that FTX resigned from the Crypto Council for Innovation, a separate crypto trade commerce group.

The well being nonprofit partially bankrolled by Bankman-Fried and run by his brother has additionally misplaced some ties to Washington.

Guarding In opposition to Pandemics, a 501(c)(4) that advocates for public investments to forestall the subsequent Covid-19 pandemic, misplaced the Ridge Coverage Group as one in every of its lobbyists, the agency advised CNBC. The lobbying group is led by former Secretary of Homeland Safety Tom Ridge.

“Ridge Coverage Group not represents Guarding In opposition to Pandemics,” Pamela Curtis Sherman, the agency’s chief administrative officer, advised CNBC in an e-mail. Sherman didn’t say when that call was made or why the 2 severed ties.

However the announcement comes after the nonprofit appeared to distance itself from Bankman-Fried and his brother.

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As of Monday afternoon, Guarding In opposition to Pandemics had wiped its web site’s “about” part. The web archive Wayback Machine exhibits that the “about” part as soon as famous Bankman-Fried as a donor and listed Gabe Bankman-Fried as a founder and director. The nonprofit didn’t reply to repeated requests for remark.

Even earlier than FTX crashed, the nonprofit misplaced one other lobbying agency, Ogilvy Authorities Relations. Gordon Taylor, a principal at that agency, advised CNBC in a short interview that its contract with Guarding In opposition to Pandemics led to late October and was not renewed.

It’s unclear why the agency didn’t renew the contract.

— CNBC’s Mary Catherine Wellons contributed to this report.



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Washington hits 100 degrees for the first time in almost eight years

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Washington hits 100 degrees for the first time in almost eight years


For the first time since Aug. 15, 2016, Washington reached the century mark today. This ends the fifth longest streak on record without a day so hot.

The high so far of 100 incredibly is not the record for the date, which is 101 in 1988 (the second hottest daily record this early in the summer). It is the earliest in the year the city has reached 100 since 2011 when it reached 102 on the 9th of June. The earliest it has hit 100 in the city is June 5.

Heat wave in D.C. area is most intense on record this late in year

High temperatures at other local sites are also scorching. So far, it reached 100 degrees at Dulles International Airport, breaking its previous record of 99 in 1988. Baltimore’s BWI Marshall reached at least 101 degrees, breaking its 1988 record of 100.

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This ends a 2,867-day streak without reaching or surpassing 100 degrees. It was the fifth longest streak in the modern record for the city, and the longest since an 8-year long run from 1969 to 1977. Other locations in the region had hit 100 more recently than Washington, for instance Dulles did so on Sept. 6 last year.

It becomes the city’s 122nd observed 100-degree day since modern records began in 1872. Roughly 16 percent of D.C.’s 100s have happened in June, 54 percent in July, 27 percent in August and 3 percent in September.

It’s also the sixth day with highs at or above 90, and the eighth of the last 10 reaching that mark, bringing the seasonal total to nine.

That’s about two days above average to date and a quick turnaround from a “90s season” that was running several days below average through the first third of this month. The city averages 40 such days over an entire warm season, seven of which might occur in June.

Although it has been a long while, 100s often come in clumps. In recent years, 2016 had four triple digit days, 2012 eight, 2011 five and 2010 four. In 1930, there were 11 — the most in a single year. Another attempt could be made Sunday and perhaps again Wednesday. This all comes before the city hits prime time for 100s, and as the Weather Service is forecasting a very good chance of a hotter than normal July.

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The lengthy gap in 100s followed a historic flurry of them from 2010 to 2012, when 17 were tallied over the three-summer period. While they went missing from 2016 until now, the expectation is that there will be more days at or above 100 annually as the globe warms due to human caused climate change.

D.C.’s highest temperature for any date is 106, reached in July 1930 and August 1918.



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One Step To Take: How TE Darnell Washington Can Improve

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One Step To Take: How TE Darnell Washington Can Improve


I’m bringing back a series I had a lot of fun exploring during the past several offseasons. Every player wants to improve and elevate his game in all areas from one season to the next. Understanding that, we’re going to isolate just one area, one faction of a player’s game where the biggest improvement can be made.

Darnell Washington – Improve Snap Timing

Darnell Washington has a chance to make a big impact in 2024. He’s a second-year player, an unrefined tight end more raw than thought of coming out of Georgia’s pro-style system. Tight end is a notoriously tough position for rookies to make an immediate impact, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith craves a blocking tight end like him. Washington should see red zone targets this year and almost certainly score his first touchdown, or four.

In 2023, Washington flashed as a blocker. When he had the angle and leverage on a defender to seal or wash him down, he looked dominant. But on straight-up base blocks, he struggled. No matter what the blocking scheme calls for, Washington must fire off the ball quicker. Too often, he was late out of his stance. In the NFL, it doesn’t matter how big or long you are if you can’t time the snap.

Just one example of it last year against the Cleveland Browns. Washington is late off the ball and the LDE is able to slant into the C gap and blow this play up, tackling RB Najee Harris for a loss.

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There’s no question playing on the road like the above clip makes life tougher. Teams use silent counts, Washington is further away from center, the defenders have direct eyes and can better key the ball. But he’s gotta get off the line. It’s not like he’s a naturally explosive player, so any delay hurts him even more.

His size and length can help to an extent, but if the defender is halfway through the gap by the time Washington makes contact, he’s lost the rep. That’s stuff you can get away with in college, not the NFL.

While I’m excited by what Washington could offer as a receiver this year, his primary role remains as a blocker. He has the potential to become a dominant one, but snap timing will define how close he’ll come to that. This is a must for him to have a successful career.





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Man who attacked Paul Pelosi convicted in California on further charges

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Man who attacked Paul Pelosi convicted in California on further charges


David DePape, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison on federal charges after he broke into Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and bludgeoned her husband, was convicted Friday of five additional charges in a California court.

DePape, 44, was convicted last year on federal charges of attempting to kidnap the then-House speaker in 2022 and assaulting her husband, Paul Pelosi, because of her work in Congress. On Friday, a jury found DePape guilty of separate charges brought by California, including aggravated kidnapping, which mandates life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

DePape was also convicted of first-degree residential burglary; false imprisonment of an elder by violence or menace; threatening the life of a family member of a public official; and dissuading a witness by force or threat.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement that the verdict “delivers justice and ensures that Mr. DePape will face consequences for his heinous crimes against the Pelosi family and our democracy.”

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In a statement on behalf of the family, Aaron Bennett, spokesman for Nancy Pelosi, said the family was “in awe of their Pop’s bravery, which shone through again on the witness stand in this trial just as it did when he saved his own life on the night of the attack.”

“For nearly 20 grueling months, Mr. Pelosi has demonstrated extraordinary courage and fortitude every day of his recovery,” the statement added.

DePape broke into the home of Nancy Pelosi, among the highest-profile Democratic officials in the country, and attacked her husband with a hammer on Oct. 28, 2022. Paul Pelosi, now 84, was hospitalized with a fractured skull and other injuries after the assault, which left him unconscious. He called 911 after the break-in and was attacked by DePape shortly after police arrived.

DePape, a carpenter who had been living in a converted garage in Richmond, Calif., had immersed himself in right-wing conspiracy theories online. He told the federal jury that he spent his time outside work playing video games and watching YouTube videos about politics.

When he was convicted in the federal case last November, the jury found that he carried out the attack because of Nancy Pelosi’s job in Congress representing a district that includes most of San Francisco. She was his intended target when breaking into the home and a focal point of his beliefs, which included the extremist ideology of the radical QAnon movement, The Washington Post reported.

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DePape will be sentenced for the state crimes at a later date. His attorney, Adam Lipson, said he plans to appeal, the Associated Press reported.



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