Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

Per CDC source: At internal leadership meeting this afternoon, it was shared that 1,257 people were RIF'd at CDC. Number may not be final. Apparently, chief of staff was unaware that RIFs were going to occur so not clear who is making decisions. (Short 🧵)

88 1.5K 3.4K

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 23h

*stolen* not *stollen*

bsky.app/profile/wend...

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

On Friday jurors handed up an award of $52 million against former Trump associate Felix Sater, who was found liable of laundering tens of millions of dollars allegedly stollen from the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan and BTA Bank

www.law.com/2025/10/10/e...

Ex-Trump Business Associate Found Liable for Money Laundering in Retrial | Law.com

Jurors handed up an award of $52 million against Felix Sater. That award is without interest factored in—a potentially significant addition since the acts took place more than a decade ago. The case w...

www.law.com

2 4 16

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

Here's my 2019 chart on the alleged Kazakhstan Bayrock money laundering scheme involving Felix Sater - this recent trial was against Sater (not Bayrock)

newstracs.com/alleged-kaza...

3 12 33

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

On Friday jurors handed up an award of $52 million against former Trump associate Felix Sater, who was found liable of laundering tens of millions of dollars allegedly stollen from the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan and BTA Bank

www.law.com/2025/10/10/e...

Ex-Trump Business Associate Found Liable for Money Laundering in Retrial | Law.com

Jurors handed up an award of $52 million against Felix Sater. That award is without interest factored in—a potentially significant addition since the acts took place more than a decade ago. The case w...

www.law.com

7 140 350

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you!

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

This SEC filing for TON Strategy Company lists Brisk Thrive International as an investor and the footnote says that Yat Sui is the sole director and sole shareholder of Brisk Thrive

www.sec.gov/Archives/edg...

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 5, 2025

www.sec.gov

1 3 9

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

Brittany Kaiser's AlphaTON Capital is partnering with BitGo, Animoca Brands, Kraken, SkyBridge Capital, DWF Labs, DNA, Crypto .com, P2P, TwinStakes, and Alpha Sigma Capital

They recently announced AlphaTON would acquire 51% of Animoca's gaming arm Gamee

technode.global/2025/10/02/a...

AlphaTON to acquire 51 percent stake in Animoca's gaming arm GAMEE - TNGlobal

AlphaTON Capital Corp., a global digital asset treasury company, intend to acquire 51 percent stake in GAMEE, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based gaming firm Animoca Brands.

technode.global

1 3 12

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

Brittany Kaiser is CEO of AlphaTON, formerly named Portage Biotech co-founded by Brexit supporter Jim Mellon, who is a large investor

Selling shareholders lists Yat Sui's Brisk Thrive Int'l with 17.59% and Hogarth Ventures (at same address) with 11.59%

www.sec.gov/Archives/edg...

AlphaTON Capital list of Selling Shareholders from recent SEC filing (see link in post)

1 4 10

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 1d

I recently reported that Ex Cambridge Analytica exec Brittany Kaiser is now CEO of AlphaTON capital, a firm with multiple links to Russia

newstracs.com/former-cambr...

AlphaTON's recent SEC filing shows a major investor is Yat Siu the founder of Hong Kong based gaming company Animoca

AlphaTON Capital list of Selling Shareholders from recent SEC filing (see link in the next post)

5 37 71

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Dan Friedman @dfriedman.bsky.social · 2d

How a New Firm With DHS Ties Won a $915 Million Contract to Help Immigrants "Self-Deport."
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

6 97 200

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 2d

MIT's response to the Trump admin's proposed "compact" is excellent and should be a model for other universities. orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

9 210 530

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 4d

Ex Cambridge Analytica exec Brittany Kaiser is CEO of AlphaTon Capital, previously named Portage Biotech, a cancer treatment company

Shares surged on news they are exploring merging blockchain technology with oncology innovation

What could possibly go wrong

investorshub.advfn.com/market-news/...

AlphaTON shares surge 200% after unveiling digital asset-powered oncology initiative

Shares of AlphaTON Capital Corp (NASDAQ:ATON) soared 200% on Wednesday after the company announced plans to explore the tokenization of its mesothelioma treatment program, marking a first-of-its-kind ...

investorshub.advfn.com

9 28 60

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 4d

My latest piece on Brittany Kaiser, her new gig as CEO of AlphaTON - and several connections the company has to Russia

wendysiegelman.substack.com/p/former-cam...

Former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser’s latest gig is CEO of crypto firm AlphaTon Capital Corp. – which has multiple links to Russia

While the Trump family grabs the headlines with their crypto deals, Brittany Kaiser — the self-professed Cambridge Analytica “whistle blower and data rights advocate” — became CEO of a crypto company ...

wendysiegelman.substack.com

1 8 16

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 4d

Ex Cambridge Analytica exec Brittany Kaiser is CEO of AlphaTon Capital, previously named Portage Biotech, a cancer treatment company

Shares surged on news they are exploring merging blockchain technology with oncology innovation

What could possibly go wrong

investorshub.advfn.com/market-news/...

AlphaTON shares surge 200% after unveiling digital asset-powered oncology initiative

Shares of AlphaTON Capital Corp (NASDAQ:ATON) soared 200% on Wednesday after the company announced plans to explore the tokenization of its mesothelioma treatment program, marking a first-of-its-kind ...

investorshub.advfn.com

9 28 60

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Jacqueline Sweet @jsweetli.bsky.social · 4d

NEW: A MAGA X account often shared by Senator Mike Lee and House Republicans like Nancy Mace--that often alleges Democrats encourage voting fraud-- is run by a man who not only has never stepped foot in the US, he also illegally donated to an American campaign.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

The Viral MAGA Accounts Run by a Man Who Has Never Been to America

Two influential MAGA social media accounts are run by Rumen Naumovski, a Macedonian who may have illegally donated to a U.S. election.

www.rollingstone.com

23 700 1.6K

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Jennifer Smith Richards @jsmithrichards.bsky.social · 4d

Education Secretary Linda McMahon says she's leading the department's "final mission" to shut down. But @megomatz.bsky.social and I found it's more than that: Political appointees from ultraconservative groups are in power at ED now, and they hope to dismantle public schools.

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...

www.propublica.org

8 120 200

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

ProPublica @propublica.org · 4d

NEW: Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools.

It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of public schools as we know them.

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of public schools as we know them.

www.propublica.org

23 240 460

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 4d

Trump Opens the White House Doors to Foreign Regimes and Their Dirty Money

Lobbyists for foreign countries have long helped other governments influence US policy but nothing compares to the brazen corruption of the 2nd Trump administration @cjcmichel.bsky.social
www.thenation.com/article/poli...

Trump Opens the White House Doors to Foreign Regimes and Their Dirty Money

Lobbyists for foreign countries have long helped other governments influence US policy, but nothing compares to the brazen corruption of the second administration of Trump.

www.thenation.com

1 24 45

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 5d

NYSE owner Intercontinental Exchange to invest up to $2 billion in Polymarket, which is banned in some countries as an unlicensed offshore gambling platform and was banned in US until recently, Peter Thiel was an investor, Donald Trump Jr is on advisory board

www.wsj.com/business/dea...

NYSE Owner to Invest Up to $2 Billion in Polymarket

The investment from Intercontinental Exchange could help the popular prediction market re-enter the U.S.

www.wsj.com

18 19

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Katie Shoshiashvili @kshoshiashvili.bsky.social · 7d

Read here about Georgia’s madman oligarch Ivanishvili, his crypto obsession, and how he instrumentalizes state institutions for his personal wealth games.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/o...

Opinion | Someone Tipped Me Off About a Crypto Story. What I Found Was Crazy.

www.nytimes.com

4 17 40

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 6d

Gentry Beach smiled: “Don has laughingly said many times that we’ve known each other so long, any information we have is mutually destructive,” he said.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

He Drops Trump Jr.’s Name in Pursuit of Billion-Dollar Deals. It’s Getting Awkward.

Gentry Beach, a college friend of the president’s firstborn, has left a trail of confusion abroad as he courts foreign officials and business leaders to lock up investments in mining, oil pipelines an...

www.wsj.com

1 4 7

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 6d

Beach connected the WSJ with the founder of asset manager Gemcorp who said he is working with Beach to bring OCSiAl’s product to the US

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Here's a 2024 Financial Times story on Gemcorp's thorny history in Russia

www.ft.com/content/a74f...

He Drops Trump Jr.’s Name in Pursuit of Billion-Dollar Deals. It’s Getting Awkward.

Gentry Beach, a college friend of the president’s firstborn, has left a trail of confusion abroad as he courts foreign officials and business leaders to lock up investments in mining, oil pipelines an...

www.wsj.com

1 4 9

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 6d

When the opportunism is too much even for the Trump family...

Since Nov Gentry Beach has been to 20 countries pursuing billion dollar deals - but in August Don Jr.'s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to Beach, his friend since college, to stop representing himself as his business partner

He Drops Trump Jr.’s Name in Pursuit of Billion-Dollar Deals. It’s Getting Awkward.

Gentry Beach, a college friend of the president’s firstborn, has left a trail of confusion abroad as he courts foreign officials and business leaders to lock up investments in mining, oil pipelines an...

www.wsj.com

8 11 32

Reposted by Wendy Siegelman

Peter Jukes @peterjukes.bsky.social · 8d

🔴NEW🔴

Thread 🧵

@bylinetimes.bsky.social can now reveal that, during the crucial period when convicted Reform leader Nathan Gill was most active, working directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most senior ally in Ukraine, he was also one of Nigel Farage’s closest confidantes 1/12

‘Thick as Thieves’: Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage’s Putin Problem

Far from being distant from the Reform UK Leader, insiders told Byline Times that the former MEP convicted of bribery was one of Farage’s closest aides, while we reveal how Gill worked on the Kremlin’...

bylinetimes.com

51 1.1K 1.7K

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 8d

My latest story is on Brittany Kaiser's latest gig as CEO of crypto firm AlphaTon Capital - multiple people linked to AlphaTon have connections to Russia and a co-founder of AlphaTon, previously called Portage Biotech was a Brexit supporter

newstracs.com/former-cambr...

Wendy Siegelman @wendysiegelman.bsky.social · 27d

Former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser's latest gig is CEO of crypto firm AlphaTon Capital - new research shows multiple people linked to this business have connections to Russia, and a company co-founder was a Brexit supporter, my latest:

Former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser’s latest gig is CEO of crypto firm AlphaTon Capital – which has several links to people from Russia

Former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser is now CEO of AlphaTon, a crypto company with several links to Russia.

newstracs.com

5 10