Accountability matters. Transparency matters. Thank you NYT readers for supporting this work. Public attention to these issues is important. Even with the crazy daily tidal wave of news and diversions.

Here is the story that inspired this second investigation

Anatomy of Two Giant Deals: The U.A.E. Got Chips. The Trump Team Got Crypto Riches

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...

Here is that letter as well from September based on NYT reporting examining potential conflicts of interest relating to the Trump administration deal with the United Arab Emirates over AI computer chips

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

This is the second of two recent requests for investigation that our stories have generated as we examine apparent conflicts of interest among senior aides to President Trump.

This separate request for investigation is pending:

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/u...

Here is the NYT investigation from last month:

Family Affair: Commerce Secretary’s Sons Cash In on A.I. Frenzy

Howard Lutnick is helping push data center projects. His family companies are profiting from them.

(Free link)

Here is the letter, written in response to an investigation by The New York Times and other news media of Lutnick actions re data centers and benefits to his family's real estate firm.

Over at the USS Cole case, Judge Fitzgerald has been hearing testimony on two main themes:
--Would-be hearsay testimony at the trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, set for June.
--Guantanamo's deficient health care capacity. (A medevac could take 10-30 hours.)
www.nytimes.com/article/uss-...

Please read our story and share it. We visit with a number of the crypto entrepreneurs backing these launches, the investors dropping $$$ finance the ventures & the retail consumers betting their savings, learning how fast this can turn into losses or profits.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/t...

Remember this moment. Either it is the birth of crypto going mainstream in the U.S., or it may be the origin story of the next systemetic economic collapse,as crypto and Wall Street/banking now are becoming so intertwined a crypto crash could be a contagion event. Time will tell.

The federal government has largely watched from the sidelines, and the Trump family itself has rushed in as well, setting up half a dozen new companies to take part in the frenzied chase for crypto profits.

In other cases, investors buying into stock-traded firms with crypto holdings, called Digital Asset Treasuries, have seen big losses. Overall, one former regulator called it the new “Wild West.”

In fact, there have been billions of dollars in forced liquidations since trading prices crashed in October — investors ended up overextended and their holdings were sold off amid the market chaos.

We interviewed several former federal regulators, who all expressed concern about all of the risk-taking and crypto’s increasing links to traditional banks and Wall Street firms.

We heard from crypto founders that they are rushing to beat competitors to market, as they offer growing menu of new crypto products, many of which rely on borrowing to increase potential payouts, while also increasing risks.

Billions of dollars have poured into the crypto industry since Donald Trump returned to Washington promising to “unleash” the industry and welcome newcomers to join in.