Keep up with the happenings in the tech world without all the boosterism. Cryptocurrency critic, technology researcher, and software engineer Molly White publishes Citation Needed, a newsletter that features weekly explainers of developments in the cryptocurrency industry, with summaries of the latest disasters featured on her well-known project Web3 is Going Just Great. She also does deep dives into important events in the broader technology industry, with added critical context that is too often missing.
Listen in the Podli app 🎧
Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
Nov 13, 2026 · 22:21
Crypto and AI super PACs went undefeated in races they were always going to win. In competitive ones, most of their money backed losers. Originally published on November 13, 2026.
Nov 3, 2026 · 27:11
Where crypto and AI super PACs are spending, what their ads won’t talk about, and which races could embarrass them. Originally published on November 3, 2026.
Oct 16, 2026 · 22:41
A Trump crypto adviser’s firm took millions from Tether while he shaped stablecoin rules in their favor, a Senate probe targets Commerce Secretary Lutnick’s not-so-former firm,…
Oct 6, 2026 · 26:52
Regulators race to reassure the crypto industry as the industry’s flagship legislation collapses, SBF tries his luck with the Supreme Court, and crypto PACs unleash $30 million…
Sep 15, 2026 · 11:48
The supposedly “unprecedented” ethics restrictions exempt Trump’s crypto businesses and leave enforcement to his loyalists. Originally published on September 14, 2026.
Aug 31, 2026 · 25:19
The SEC’s “Reg Crypto” aims to carve out exemptions, the CFTC wields emergency powers to shield prediction markets from state regulators, and a Trump family crypto firm gets a…
Aug 12, 2026 · 26:31
Firms close up shop amid a continued crypto winter, a Trump venture ditches its crypto plans, and the Clarity Act fails to reach a vote before August recess. Originally published…
Jul 23, 2026 · 26:38
The crypto industry has spent $200 million to get a bill too corrupt for Democrats to pass and a president too corrupt to sign anything that might meaningfully limit his grift.…
Jul 1, 2026 · 10:48
The White House insists there’s no conflict of interest as Trump reports $1.4 billion in income from an industry he’s deregulated. Originally published on July 1, 2026.
Jun 18, 2026 · 34:51
The crypto industry spent the spring buying primaries, an octagon at the White House, and — they hope — a market-structure bill by the Fourth of July. Originally published on…
Jun 10, 2026 · 48:10
Tiffany Muller talks to me about what Citizens United enabled, how crypto and AI fit into the bigger picture of money in politics, and what it would actually take to fix this…
Jun 8, 2026 · 20:19
Most voters don’t know that crypto and AI companies have spent more than $400 million this cycle to buy Congress. Let’s make that spending visible. Originally published on June…
May 8, 2026 · 32:41
A crypto billionaire who escaped fraud allegations after investing hundreds of millions of dollars into the Trump family’s crypto projects is now accusing them of fraud.…
Apr 29, 2026 · 8:39
The former CEO of FTX has essentially no realistic avenues left to avoid his 25-year prison sentence. Originally published on April 28, 2026.
Apr 20, 2026 · 30:51
As the Trump family’s crypto dealings raise more alarms, crypto enforcement is falling to new lows. Originally published on April 20, 2026.
Mar 31, 2026 · 29:21
Coinbase is accused of holding the cryptocurrency industry hostage over stablecoin rewards, prediction markets face an onslaught of opposition, and a Stand With Crypto poll can’t…
Mar 27, 2026 · 20:15
SBF praises Trump from prison, his parents beg for a pardon on CNN, and his legal ethics professor mother files court documents claiming to be from him — prompting a judge to…
Mar 16, 2026 · 39:55
Justin Sun buys his way out of an SEC fraud case, Iranian transactions on Binance draw DOJ scrutiny as the exchange sues the newspaper that reported on them, and crypto super…
Feb 27, 2026 · 37:54
Bitcoin is down 50%, several prominent industry figures have been uncovered in the Epstein files, Trump’s facing a probe into his family’s $500M deal with the UAE, and crypto…
Feb 21, 2026 · 25:18
With Trump faltering and their policy agenda incomplete, the crypto industry has moved at least $288 million toward the midterms in a desperate bid to keep Republicans in control…
Jan 30, 2026 · 28:33
As masked agents execute people and terrorize communities, crypto executives who spent years posting about freedom fall conspicuously silent — except when writing checks for the…
Jan 19, 2026 · 31:23
Coinbase calls the shots in the Senate, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces rug pull allegations, and a crypto executive is breaking up with Trump. Originally published…
Jan 7, 2026 · 17:41
In 2025, Trump brought tech executives into power to dismantle regulators and write their own rules. But the instabilities they’re creating may be their downfall. Originally…
Dec 17, 2025 · 35:28
Terra’s Do Kwon gets 15 years, crypto banks get the green light, and the Trump family’s crypto grift expands even as one of their treasury companies goes off the rails.…
Nov 25, 2025 · 10:05
Convincing traders to pay $2 for $1 of bitcoin worked — for a while. As premiums evaporate, an unwind could be painful. Originally published on November 25, 2025.
Nov 20, 2025 · 19:52
While slumping prices have some fearing it’s crypto winter again, Trump looks to Saudia Arabia and American retail crypto investors to fund the development of his next hotel.…
Nov 8, 2025 · 19:11
Sam Bankman-Fried makes his case for a retrial and aspiring crypto banks hit roadblocks. Originally published on November 7, 2025.
Nov 3, 2025 · 12:07
President Trump reacts to condemnations of his recent pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao by claiming he doesn’t know who he is. Originally published on November 3, 2025.
Oct 29, 2025 · 36:48
Binance’s Changpeng Zhao earns a gold-plated pardon as other industry figures fund Trump’s $300 million ballroom. Originally published October 28, 2025.
Oct 17, 2025 · 17:46
October 2025 brought the most dramatic crypto flash crash of all time, but it was only a dress rehearsal for the systemic crisis the industry is building toward. Originally…
Oct 9, 2025 · 38:11
Trump is still corrupt, a core developer warns bitcoin won’t survive an upcoming code change, and crypto lenders are ratcheting up leverage like it’s 2022. Originally published…
Sep 25, 2025 · 21:36
Democratic lawmakers sound corruption alarms while crypto PACs gear up for the midterms. Originally published on September 25, 2025.
Sep 16, 2025 · 26:30
Prediction markets once lived on the academic fringe. Now they’re trading billions on politics, sports, and celebrity gossip — under rules never designed for retail gamblers.…
Sep 12, 2025 · 28:47
The Trumps “debank” major customers from their “anti-debanking” cryptocurrency venture, and a CFTC nominee says the Winklevosses are blackballing him. Originally published on…
Sep 2, 2025 · 8:30
President Trump’s deregulatory agenda emboldened prediction markets to push boundaries around permitted event contracts. Now sites advised by his son are allowing bets on his…
Aug 27, 2025 · 28:48
The regulator set to take on primary crypto oversight is down to a single Commissioner, and new pro-crypto PACs focus on installing more Republicans in the midterms. Originally…
Aug 19, 2025 · 26:06
A crypto billionaire who once feared arrest in the US is now a Trump business adviser and White House guest. His lawsuit against Bloomberg reveals what he doesn't want Americans…
Aug 14, 2025 · 37:03
The Trump administration cracks down on software to limit surveillance of crypto transactions, while celebrating a “deregulatory blitz” tailored for its billionaire benefactors.…
Jul 31, 2025 · 14:45
Escape newsletter inbox chaos and algorithmic surveillance by building your own enshittification-proof newspaper from the writers you already read. Originally published on July…
Jul 29, 2025 · 13:00
The Trump administration’s regulatory whiplash has left prosecutors scrambling with misattributed chat messages and questionable victim testimony. Originally published on July…
Jul 23, 2025 · 20:29
Trump stands to profit from a $2 billion bitcoin bet as the crypto industry pushes through bills aimed at bolstering the sector. Originally published on July 23, 2025.
Jul 11, 2025 · 31:43
Crypto firms hope putting a blockchain veneer on traditional equities will allow them to sidestep lessons learned in the 1929 Wall Street crash, crypto firms look to become…
Jul 1, 2025 · 23:53
Trump’s crypto empire attracts more foreign millions, the FHFA pushes crypto on mortgage lenders, and Mamdani’s mayoral primary win makes billionaires sweat. Originally published…
Jun 19, 2025 · 18:46
The GENIUS Act passes the Senate after explicit threats to Democrats from the crypto lobby, and shady crypto billionaire Justin Sun cozies up even closer to the Trump family.…
Jun 11, 2025 · 4:56
Originally published on June 11, 2025.
Jun 5, 2025 · 33:41
As Trump’s web of crypto projects gets tangled up in itself, a regulator warns of “regulatory Jenga” in the crypto sector that echoes the 2008 financial crisis. Originally…
Jun 3, 2025 · 9:27
New crypto trading and wallet application, created in partnership with Magic Eden, invites fans of President Trump to buy his memecoin. Originally published on June 3, 2025.
May 31, 2025 · 11:00
OpenAI's featured chatbot recommends $200,000 in surgeries while promoting incel ideology. Originally published on May 31, 2025.
May 20, 2025 · 22:27
Coinbase’s substantial data breach coincides with a convenient terms of service update, while the GENIUS Act stablecoin bill regains momentum in the Senate. Originally published…
May 12, 2025 · 25:37
Trump’s crypto conflicts continue to multiply as Democratic legislators demand ethics inquiries and block industry-backed bills. Originally published on May 12, 2025.
May 8, 2025 · 12:45
Trump's crypto-for-access dinner triggers broad ethics alarms, and 73% non-US attendance raises fresh concerns over foreign influence. Originally published on May 7, 2025.
Apr 24, 2025 · 28:08
As Celsius victims detail their devastation even under the weak crypto regulations of the past, the Trump administration continues to dismantle those same rules while he pumps…
Apr 17, 2025 · 23:13
Inside the Trump family’s sprawling crypto empire — from memecoins to mining — and how Trump is using presidential power to dismantle the regulators who could stop it. Originally…
Apr 8, 2025 · 22:07
Trump continues to dismantle crypto enforcement while expanding his personal crypto empire. Originally published on April 8, 2025.
Mar 28, 2025 · 26:52
As the US government lays a very favorable groundwork for the crypto industry, Trump positions himself for maximum personal profit. Originally published on March 28, 2025.
Mar 20, 2025 · 26:48
The crypto industry frees itself from the last remnants of SEC oversight, and Solana tries to appeal to its target demographic by bashing trans people. Originally published on…
Mar 14, 2025 · 13:30
The real threat isn’t AI using open knowledge — it’s AI companies killing the projects that make knowledge free. Originally published on March 14, 2025.
Mar 11, 2025 · 10:58
The formerly anti-government bitcoin movement abandons its principles in favor of number-go-up, applauds federal plan to stockpile seized crypto with no clear benefit to national…
Mar 3, 2025 · 32:59
Trump tries to breathe life back into the “Trump pump” while federal regulatory agencies wash their hands of any crypto industry oversight. Originally published on March 2, 2025.
Feb 19, 2025 · 25:48
A major crypto scandal tarnishes the reputation of Solana bigwigs, crypto influencers, and Argentine President Javier Milei. “This is FTX type of shit,” said a crypto founder…
Feb 14, 2025 · 34:32
Cryptocurrency companies have co-opted legitimate concerns about banking discrimination to fight regulation — and Congress is buying it. Originally published on February 14, 2025.
Feb 6, 2025 · 30:09
Crypto exchanges face legal troubles, and Trump’s crypto empire grows as regulations are slashed and enforcement is sidelined. Originally published on February 5, 2025.
Jan 28, 2025 · 8:04
Exposed PDF metadata from the Office of Personnel Management reveals that Heritage Foundation-linked Trump devotees are writing policies at federal agencies. Originally published…
Jan 25, 2025 · 34:36
Trump horrifies even some of his crypto-steeped fans by launching a memecoin before his inauguration, and a flurry of activity from the new administration signals what’s in store…
Jan 20, 2025 · 20:00
Journalists’ flawed math and ignorance of crypto markets turn tokens into fake fortunes. Originally published on January 20, 2025.
Jan 18, 2025 · 30:57
Regulators and lawmakers eagerly prepare to abdicate any last traces of interest in the wellbeing of everyday Americans as they suck up to the powerful billionaires who will soon…
Jan 10, 2025 · 23:56
Terra founder Do Kwon is finally extradited, the CFPB proposes crypto consumer protections, and Polymarket reaches new lows. Originally published on January 10, 2025.
Jan 2, 2025 · 32:31
The world's richest man has joined a growing chorus of right-wing voices attacking Wikipedia as part of an intensifying campaign against free and open access information.…
Dec 31, 2024 · 40:29
Adversary cases from the FTX collapse further expose how crypto companies do business: with secret acquisitions of “grey area” businesses, buying influence, and creative…
Dec 24, 2024 · 40:13
The SEC is still busy even though it may soon be undermined, crypto industry capture of government continues to worsen, and several media outlets botch their crypto reporting at…
Dec 5, 2024 · 35:28
Celsius’ Alex Mashinsky pleads guilty to fraud, some Tornado Cash sanctions are overturned, and billionaires complain about “debanking”. Originally published on December 5, 2024.
Nov 22, 2024 · 38:14
The cryptocurrency industry spent almost $200 million to influence the outcomes of the 2024 United States elections. This unprecedented degree of corporate spending from a…
Nov 15, 2024 · 38:12
Crypto’s efforts to buy the 2024 elections paid off, and we’re in for a bumpy ride. Originally posted on November 15, 2024.
Nov 8, 2024 · 16:03
A message to those asking “what do I do now?” Originally published on November 8, 2024.
Nov 2, 2024 · 42:38
Coinbase threatens me that continuing to report on their activities would be “.... unwise”. Also, election spending hits a fever pitch, with several new crypto PACs coming out of…
Oct 26, 2024 · 12:47
Independent publishing is one important facet of the media ecosystem, and while I love it, I know it is not the path for everyone. Originally published on October 26, 2024.
Oct 21, 2024 · 28:21
Unpacking my conversation with FTX executive Ryan Salame, where we discussed his claims that he’s innocent of the charges for which he’s now serving seven and a half years in…
Oct 17, 2024 · 46:47
Harris shouts out crypto in her “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men”, one crypto exec leaves prison as another enters, and Stand With Crypto bets on the favorites. Originally…
Oct 7, 2024 · 23:21
Earlier this year, I gave a talk at the XOXO festival in Portland, Oregon about the very important fight for our web, and how we can all play a part in it. Here's a recording of…
Oct 2, 2024 · 11:08
Why did the former Alameda Research CEO receive only two years imprisonment for her role in the FTX collapse? Originally published on October 2, 2024.
Sep 27, 2024 · 9:27
A simple technique offers the best of both worlds: total control over your own work, while still maintaining a presence on third-party platforms. Originally published on…
Sep 24, 2024 · 27:10
Crypto resurfaces on the campaign trail and the FTX fallout continues to unfold. Also, merch! Originally published on September 23, 2024.
Sep 17, 2024 · 26:00
FTX fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried says he wants a do-over, and some more ill-received blockchain games suggest “GameFi” has an uncertain future. Originally published on September…
Sep 12, 2024 · 25:44
The recent Second Circuit decision in Hachette v. Internet Archive is only the latest battle in the war on libraries and the freedom to read. Originally published on September…
Sep 6, 2024 · 36:32
Even the most pro-Trump crypto faithful think Trump’s new crypto scheme is a terrible idea. Also, an FTX crypto executive earns some benefit of the doubt, a lawsuit accuses…
Aug 30, 2024 · 44:15
Paradigm has polled some Democratic voters about crypto and released a summary of their results. How does it stack up to other industry polls, which are often heavily manipulated…
Aug 17, 2024 · 25:02
As parts of the crypto industry scramble to court the Harris administration with events like “Crypto4Harris”, others insist it is Harris who must “bend the knee”. Originally…
Aug 7, 2024 · 48:47
I'm joined by investment strategist and bitcoiner Lyn Alden to continue an earlier conversation about sexism in the bitcoin world. Links we discuss in this interview: DL News…
Aug 7, 2024 · 36:40
Coinbase responds to campaign finance violation allegations, Trump panders to bitcoiners, and I talk about my chat with Lyn Alden about sexism in bitcoin. Originally published on…
Jul 30, 2024 · 16:39
Actively involved in contract negotiations with a federal government agency, Coinbase was likely prohibited from making its $25 million contribution to the Fairshake crypto super…
Jul 29, 2024 · 11:59
I don’t believe that it has. In addition to all the spending, the cryptocurrency industry has been working overtime to sell a story: that there is a large contingent of voters…
Jul 24, 2024 · 38:44
Coinbase’s Stand With Crypto Alliance fudges the numbers, a (former) crypto industry CEO has a meltdown, and another exchange suffers a nine-figure hack. Originally published on…
Jul 12, 2024 · 5:31
FollowTheCrypto.org : A new project to track cryptocurrency industry spending to influence 2024 elections in the United States. Originally published on July 12, 2024.
Jul 5, 2024 · 25:21
How will recent Supreme Court decisions affect the crypto world? Also, more absurdity from the crypto lobby, and some new regulatory actions. Originally published on July 5, 2024.
Jun 24, 2024 · 26:36
The crypto industry jumps on the Trump train. Originally published on June 24, 2024.
Jun 7, 2024 · 26:45
Are US legislators warming to crypto? The SEC approves Ethereum ETPs, and a crypto bill gets through the House. Originally published on June 7, 2024.
May 30, 2024 · 12:20
As election season kicks into high gear, we need to watch how cryptocurrency companies are influencing US politics. Originally published on May 30, 2024.
May 23, 2024 · 22:42
I am more worried about privacy than crypto crime. Originally published on May 23, 2024.
May 19, 2024 · 24:02
The Justice Department worries about the stability of Ethereum, DCG tries to bilk their subsidiary's creditors, and Biden threatens a crypto veto. Originally published on May 18,…
May 8, 2024 · 30:25
Changpeng Zhao's sentencing, FOIA requests reveal past FBI investigations into Coinbase, and the SEC is on a Wells notice bender. Originally published May 7, 2024.
Listen in the Podli app 🎧
Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
Your podcast? Get the Podli badge for your site
