Hello! It’s February 4, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: Family of American killed on Malaysian Airlines flight can sue Russian bank, smuggled grand pianos show Trump’s challenge in pressuring Putin, Trump’s next fight with Mexico: designating drug cartels as terrorists, Trump has a rare and short window to solve the Iran problem, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

Family of American killed on Malaysian Airlines flight can sue Russian bank.  In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said state-controlled Sberbank was not entitled to sovereign immunity, after being accused of using the U.S. banking system to funnel donor money to the Russia-backed separatist group Donetsk People's Republic. Reuters

🚀 TOP STORIES

Smuggled Grand Pianos Show Trump’s Challenge in Pressuring Putin Bloomberg

Trump’s Next Fight With Mexico: Designating Drug Cartels as Terrorists WSJ

🚚 How Mexican Cartels Move Funds Without Detection Illicit Edge

Trump Has a Rare and Short Window to Solve the Iran Problem — Here’s How WOTR

💥 How Trump Plans To Handle Iran Illicit Edge

Trump reimposes 'maximum pressure' on Iran, aims to drive oil exports to zero Reuters 

Moscow Property Rivals London as Rich Russians Bring Cash Home Bloomberg

Woman nabbed by Thai police on alleged link to $182M romance scam Record

🔐 Dark Truth Behind Scam Centers Illicit Edge 

Five ways China is hitting back against U.S. tariffs BBC

🇨🇳 Trump’s Plan For Business With China Illicit Edge

U.S. Prosecutors Charge Canadian Man With $65M Hacks of Indexed Finance, KyberSwap CoinDesk

Meet the Hired Guns Who Make Sure School Cyberattacks Stay Hidden Wired

Inside America’s Most Unconventional Counterterror Squad Vanity Fair

How Hezbollah Ends Foreign Affairs

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Shipowners have made £4.8bn selling tankers to Russian ‘shadow fleet’ Guardian

Illumina, PVH shares drop as China threatens companies with sanctions Reuters

Russia circumvents sanctions by smuggling goods through Kyrgyzstan, China Semafor

Two Chinese Chemical Company Executives Convicted In Fentanyl And Money Laundering Schemes DOJ 

US Sanctions Bite With Russia’s Crude Exports Facing Delays Offloading Bloomberg

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Tulip Siddiq’s £700k London flat part of £3.9bn money-laundering investigation Telegraph 

FBI raid of NYC’s Diamond District leads to arrest of 2 suspected thieves as nationwide pro athlete burglaries probed NYP

Biden Quietly Funneled $3M to Palestinian 'Security Forces' for Weapons Training – After Attacks on Israelis Free Beacon 

U.S. Treasury chief takes over consumer watchdog, freezes all activity Reuters

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce Lays Out 10 Priorities for New Crypto Task Force CoinDesk 

Trump’s Crypto Czar Is Studying Feasibility of US Bitcoin Reserve Bloomberg 

WazirX Tells Creditors Accept New Scheme or Wait Until 2030 for Refunds From $230M Hack CoinDesk

Regulation By Enforcement Is Out at CFTC CoinDesk 

El Salvador Backs Away From Its Bitcoin Experiment Gizmodo

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Nearly 20,000 live animals seized, 365 suspects arrested in largest-ever wildlife and forestry operation Interpol 

How Fentanyl Became Central to Trump’s Tariffs WSJ 

French-Spanish drug trafficking ring dismantled Europol

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