Happy Friday! It’s August 22, and we’re tracking top stories to take you into the weekend: U.S. targets Iran’s oil shadow fleet, U.S. military preparing attacks on Mexican cartels under secret orders, Ketamine Queen to plead guilty, six severed human heads discovered in central Mexico, and much more...

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

U.S. targets Iran’s oil shadow fleet. Treasury sanctioned 13 entities and eight vessels tied to moving Iranian crude via Hong Kong, China, the UAE and Marshall Islands. U.S. Treasury

🔥 TOP STORIES

U.S. Military Preparing Attacks on Mexican Cartels Under Secret Orders. Ken Klippenstein 

Mexico Denies DEA Deal on New Cartel Operation. NYT

'Ketamine Queen' who sold drugs to 'Friends' star Matthew Perry, to plead guilty. ABC

Six severed human heads discovered in central Mexico. CNN

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Nvidia orders suppliers to halt work on China-focussed H20 AI chip. Reuters 

How Trump Will Decide Which Chips Act Companies Must Give Up Equity WSJ 

493 Cases of Sextortion Against Children Linked to Notorious Scam Compounds Wired

U.S. vs. ICC: When Judges Land on the Sanctions List CNN

Russia, China push back on EU move to reimpose U.N. Iran sanctions. Newsweek

Brazil Challenges U.S. Trade Probe as Dispute Widens. Semafor 

New York appeals court tosses Trump’s $500M civil fraud penalty. CNBC

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

China considers yuan-backed stablecoins to boost global use of its currency. Reuters

U.S. Charges Florida Dealer with Routing Export-controlled Weapons Parts via Kazakhstan to Russia. DOJ 

India and Russia Vow Deeper Trade Ties. Reuters

U.S. Navy Sailor Convicted of Spying for China. DOJ 

China in Talks With Taliban for Mining and Infrastructure Projects. Al-Monitor

Russia Routes Sanctioned Oil to China via Iran’s 2019 Shadow Network. FT, C4ADS

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Hackers who exposed North Korean government hacker explain why they did it. TechCrunch

OCC drops consent order against Anchorage Digital amid regulatory shift. Block 

Member of the Scattered Spider Hacker Group gets 10 years and $13M restitution. Record

Kyrgyzstan asks Trump and Starmer to rethink UK crypto sanctions. Reuters 

Microsoft Limits Chinese Firms’ Early Access to Vulnerability Alerts. Reuters

Inotiv Discloses Ransomware Attack in SEC Filing. Record

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Aspiration cofounder to plead guilty in $248M fake-revenue fraud. DOJ 

Ex-Adams chief adviser and six others indicted in City Hall corruption probe. AP 

DOJ signals probe of Fed Governor Lisa Cook, as housing official says a third property is now under scrutiny. CNN 

Whistleblower Says Politics Skewed DOJ Antitrust. American Prospect 

Mali’s Ex-Prime Minister Jailed on Corruption Allegations. AP 

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Navy destroyers join fight against cartels off Venezuela shore News Nation

Department of Defense recruiting civilian volunteers for Trump’s immigration crackdown. Fox 

11 Sentenced in Major Indiana Fentanyl Trafficking Ring. NBC 

FinCEN Extends Key Dates for New Fentanyl Finance Orders. FinCEN

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