Extortion, Police Raids and Secrecy: The Venezuelan Bitcoin Mining World

"Who would have ever thought that Bitcoin mining would be a cat and mouse game of trying to outwit and deceive government and police task forces? Then again who would’ve thought that Bitcoin mining would be so lucrative to where families are living off the Bitcoin ecosystem."

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National park police gun down stopped, unarmed motorist in his car

"In an interview, Austin said he suspects Ghaisar, who has no criminal record, drove off after stopping because he was spooked by the very first stop initiated by Park Police, in which police cut him off in the middle of the highway and approached with guns drawn, yanking at his front door."

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South Korea Plans to Hit Bitcoin Exchanges With Massive Tax Bills

South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges will this year need to pay 22% corporate and 2.2% local income taxes on last year’s earnings by the end of March and April respectively, if they had an annual income of over 20 billion won ($18.8 million) during 2016. The report suggested that the Bithumb exchange, for example, would need to pay around 60 billion won for its earnings during last year. On Sunday, Yonhap quoted another official as saying cryptocurrency exchanges would soon be required to share users’ transaction data with banks—another move that would help the authorities collect tax. South Korea’s ongoing cryptocurrency crackdown has been one of the prime causes of bitcoin’s recent volatility. Last month, the government instituted real-name policies for virtual-currency traders and banned investors from opening new accounts.

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Sessions Says to Courts: Go Ahead, Jail People Because They’re Poor

"Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions retracted an Obama-era guidance to state courts that was meant to end debtors’ prisons, where people who are too poor to pay fines are sent. These burdens fell disproportionately on African-Americans. The push to abolish debtors’ prisons will continue, as community advocates and local officials press on. It would be preferable, of course, for the federal government to fulfill its role as a leading protector of basic constitutional rights. Unfortunately, Mr. Sessions has made clear that under his leadership it will not."

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Raising Millionaires’ Taxes Will Drive Them Away

"If New Jersey and Massachusetts approve new millionaires’ taxes, it is difficult to predict how much will be raised and where these funds will ultimately wind up. But if New York and California are any guide, income surtaxes will be destructive. When it comes to higher taxation, interstate migration is just the tip of the iceberg. Higher-tax states, for instance, see less innovative activity and scientific research according to an analysis by economists at the Federal Reserve and UC Berkeley. Any benefits of millionaires’ taxes do not make up for the economic and social toll caused by fewer innovative activities and correspondingly lower job creation."

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Losing Faith in the State, Some Mexican Towns Quietly Break Away

"Tancítaro represents a quiet but telling trend in Mexico, where a handful of towns and cities are effectively seceding, partly or in whole. These are acts of desperation, revealing the degree to which Mexico’s police and politicians are seen as part of the threat."

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Owner of ‘Obama Gas Station’ faces tax evasion charges

"The South Carolina Department of Revenue said Alhanik filed $971,935 in sales tax returns in the period between 2013 and 2016, but after an investigation the agency found the store’s sales was $2.6 million, according to a press release. Alhanik dodged paying more than $136,000 in sales taxes during that four-year period, the department said."

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An Ex-Cop Talks About Police Shootings

"The graphic video from the killing of Daniel Shiver was released after the jury decided to acquit ex-Mesa police officer Philip Brailsford of second-degree murder and reckless manslaughter. The Mesa police department and Mesa police union both supported Brailsford, but it’s important to receive feedback from police sources who don’t have a vested interest in the case."

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Will ABC really tell us what happened at Waco in 1993?

"If there was a way to characterize the government's actions against the Davidians as something other than mass murder that has been covered-up with rigged political inquiries, government biased experts, lackey judges, official lies and the intimidation of question askers, we, the producers of WTRE could not find it."

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