Greetings! It’s March 19, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: DOJ and FBI announce new task force to target Hamas, Trump will make — or break — Europe’s Russia sanctions, director charged for fraud in $11M Netflix scheme, a genocidal militia in Sudan controls a key ingredient in Coke and Pepsi, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

DOJ and FBI announce a new task force to target Hamas over Oct. 7 attack. The task force, made up of prosecutors and FBI officials, also will investigate civil rights violations and potential acts of terrorism by anyone providing support or financing to Hamas. AP

🔥 TOP STORIES

Trump will make — or break — Europe’s Russia sanctions Politico

Director Charged For Fraud In $11M Scheme Over Unfinished Netflix Sci-Fi TV Series Hollywood Reporter

A genocidal militia in Sudan controls a key ingredient in Coke and Pepsi Bloomberg

🔥 IE Originals: Mapping Illicit Business Networks with Varun Vira DESIGNATED

​The $7B Defense Contractor Who Became One of America’s Biggest Tax Cheats WSJ

5 charged, new raids in Huawei corruption probe at EU parliament in Belgium AFP

Smugglers Found Guilty Three Years After 53 Migrants Died in Texas NYT

Ex-Credit Suisse Client Pleads Guilty to Hiding Money From IRS Bloomberg

Iran official exposes Tehran's global assassination program as US trial of regime hitmen continues Fox

Mexico arrests MS-13 leader on FBI’s most wanted list CNN 

UBS's auditor warns over bank's financial reporting controls Reuters 

How Bribes Helped a Crime Ring Steal Thousands of iPhones From Porches WSJ

💥 RUSSIA & CHINA

The Hidden Cost of Trump’s Trade War on China NYT 

The $300B question: What to do with Russia’s frozen central bank money? AP

Former Putin-appointed governor on trial for breaching UK sanctions BBC

Trump-Putin call poses choice of sanctions or 'escalation' ABC

Thai delegation heads to China to check on deported Uyghurs RFA

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

New Social Security anti-fraud rule will force more people to visit agency offices CNN 

Miami leads U.S. in fraud. Romance scams cost Floridians $89 million Axios 

Top DC prosecutor, who promoted false 2020 voter fraud claims, forms ‘election accountability’ unit AP

Trump picks Fed Governor Michelle Bowman to replace Michael Barr as Fed’s supervision head CNBC

Dozens of Wikipedia editors colluded on years-long anti-Israel campaign NYP

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

The SEC's retrenchment Axios 

Crypto exchange OKX shuts down tool used by North Korean hackers to launder stolen funds Record 

85M Newly Stolen Passwords Being Used In Ongoing Attacks Forbes 

Who is sending those scammy text messages about unpaid tolls? Cyberscoop 

Microsoft identifies new RAT targeting cryptocurrency wallets and more Record

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Egg smuggling from Mexico surges as prices in parts of US hit $10 per dozen NYP

Caribbean leaders seek clarity as US mulls sweeping travel bans Reuters 

Venezuela to face more sanctions if it won’t take its citizens back Politico 

National Guard members killed in cartel ambush Border Report 

Sixteen Defendants Charged in Escondido Takedown of Drug Trafficking Network DOJ

“In modern war... you will die like a dog for no good reason.”
—Hemingway

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