Happy Monday! It’s April 21, and we’re tracking top stories to start the week: El Salvador’s Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Venezuela for U.S. deportees, US, Iran voice optimism after second round of nuclear talks, U.S. House Committee urges two U.S. banks to withdraw from CATL’s listing, leaders of $190M Brazilian crypto Ponzi scheme sentenced to 170 tears in prison, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

El Salvador’s Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Venezuela for U.S. deportees. The proposal comes as El Salvador comes under sharp international scrutiny for accepting Venezuelans and Salvadorans deported by the Trump administration. LAT

🔥 TOP STORIES

US, Iran voice optimism after second round of nuclear talks Semafor 

Mike Pompeo: We Don’t Need a Fake Deal With Iran Free Press 

Moscow may gain key role in Iran nuclear deal as US talks progress Guardian 

U.S. House Committee Urges Two U.S. Banks to Withdraw From CATL’s Listing WSJ 

Leaders of $190M Brazilian Crypto Ponzi Scheme Sentenced to Over 170 Years in Prison CoinDesk 

The vegan ‘death cult’ turning geniuses into accused killers Telegraph

What If China Wins the Trade War? Atlantic 

China-Built Airport in Nepal Was Littered With Corruption NYT 

Congress members pay an unofficial visit to Syria as U.S. mulls sanctions relief NBC 

How Texas Officials Invited the Rigging of the State Lottery NYT 

Sensitive documents, including White House floor plans, improperly shared with thousands WaPo

Ex-Harvard morgue manager to plead guilty in stolen human remains case NBC

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

How a billionaire Russian ‘sugar daddy’ took over an iconic Olympic sport Politico

U.S. proposes lighter sanctions on Russia as part of peace plan with Ukraine CNBC 

Ukraine bans China's firms for helping Russia make missiles Reuters 

China’s trade war playbook is coming into focus Semafor 

Chinese executive linked to Bangkok tower collapse arrested SCMP

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Feds Mistakenly Order Estonian HashFlare Fraudsters to Self-Deport Ahead of Sentencing CoinDesk 

New payment-card scam involves a phone call, some malware and a personal tap Record 

Crypto exchange eXch to shut down amid money laundering allegations Cointelegraph

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Hedge funds are the new ‘shadow banks’ – and some are worried they pose a systemic threat to financial stability Fortune

SFO charges Lloyd’s insurance broker over Ecuador bribery allegations CityAM

Cambodian company linked to money laundering operates a B.C. branch Vancouver Sun 

Company With State Contract Building Kyrgyzstan Football Stadium Tied to Presidency OCCRP

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Border Crossings Grind to Halt as Trump’s Tough Policies Take Hold WSJ

Texas man sentenced after trafficking baby spider monkeys from Mexico NBC

Turkey detains 234 people in Europe-coordinated drug bust Reuters

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