Happy Monday! It’s February 17, and we’re tracking top stories to kick off the week: Five Iraqi banks to be banned from U.S. dollar transactions, brazen Canadian ‘coyotes’ smuggling migrants across the northern border, 148 pounds of crystal meth found in stone landscaping pavers in North Carolina, Trump’s crypto cops face test with flashy startup., and much more…

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🔥 Stay tuned for the latest episode of COERCIVE CAPITAL with Elaine Dezenski — dropping tomorrow…

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Revolutionizing the Management of Risk

💥 FEATURED STORY

Five Iraqi banks to be banned from U.S. dollar transactions. A rare ally of both the United States and Iran with more than $100B in reserves held in the U.S., Iraq relies heavily on Washington's goodwill to ensure that its access to oil revenues and finances are not blocked. Reuters

🎯 TOP STORIES

Brazen Canadian ‘coyotes’ smuggling migrants across the northern border – even advertising on TikTok NYP

148 pounds of crystal meth found in stone landscaping pavers in North Carolina USAT 

Will Trump’s Crypto Cops Still Police Fraud? This Flashy Startup Poses a Test. WSJ

Argentine lawyers charge President Milei with fraud over cryptocurrency promotion AP 

UK tracks Russian ships carrying ammunition from Syria Reuters

New Sanctions for Putin’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ Are on the Horizon WSJ 

Maduro Submits Constitution Reform to Reshape Venezuela Politics Bloomberg

Metals Crucial to Clean Energy Are Getting Caught Up in the US-China Trade War Wired 

Lloyds Bank urged to publish Rachel Reeves's expenses files over claims made before she left HBOS bank Daily Mail

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Russia’s Side Quest to Dominate Africa: Hijack a Videogame WSJ

G7 ministers link future Russia sanctions to good faith talks Reuters

New downloads of DeepSeek suspended in South Korea Reuters

Google facilitated Russia and China’s censorship requests Guardian

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Turkey is making fake honey on an alarming scale DW 

Mauritius ex-PM freed on bail in money laundering probe AFP

The big fat Greek plot to defraud the EU Politico 

The Media Claim to Find No Fraud in Government WSJ

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Prominent Cryptocurrency Investor Faces Senate Tax Inquiry NYT

SEC suit against crypto miner Geosyn on ice as feds file fraud charges Cointelegraph

What is an encryption backdoor? TC

What is device code phishing, and why are Russian spies so successful at it? Ars

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Trump’s Opening Move Against Migrant Sex Trafficking Free Press 

Russian court orders U.S. citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in custody AP 

A Law Could Give Noncitizens in NYC the Vote. Not All Immigrants Support It. Free Press

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Revolutionizing the Management of Risk

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