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DOGE Is Right To Defang the CFPB
With a big tech-powered magnifying glass on federal websites, spending contracts, and government payment systems, Elon Musk’s band of DOGE system admins have been turning Washington inside out in their hunt for waste, fraud, and abuse. One of the most prized agencies on the chopping block is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, heralded by progressives as an…
Has the Era of Bull-Inspired Bitcoin Banking Already Begun?
Not more than three days after Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler resigned from his post, one of his signature policies was nuked from existence. Issued on January 23, 2025, Staff Accounting Bulletin 122 rescinds SAB 121, originally issued by Gensler in March 2022. The previous bulletin provided guidance for financial entities and custodians holding any…
Yaël on Uber outlook, robotaxis and AI, and why tort reform can lower prices for riders | SchwabTV
Consumer Choice Center Deputy Director Yaël Ossowski is interviewed on Schwab Network TV with anchor Nicole Petallides on Uber’s latest earnings report, why they’re pivoting to robotaxis and AI, and how tort reform in the insurance markets could lower prices for riders who use rideshare apps. February 5, 2025
With RFK, It May Be ‘Golden Age’ for Cash-Hungry Lawyers
Should Coke be forced to use cane sugar again? Which food coloring will be banned next? What’s the fate of seed oils in the American diet and school lunches? These aren’t the musings of some fringe online health influencer; these are the rumored policy priorities of attorney and former Democratic-turned-independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose Senate confirmation hearing…
RFK Jr. Can’t Escape His Progressive Record
Cabinet confirmation hearings began in Washington last week for several of President Trump’s picks for top jobs in government. While Marco Rubio passed the gauntlet, we’re still waiting on word of a scheduled hearing for Trump’s most controversial picks: Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health…
Saving Privacy and Debanking with Yaël Ossowski
Yaël Ossowski is a consumer and technology advocate, policy analyst, and writer. He is deputy director at the Consumer Choice Center and a Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute. In this webinar we discuss privacy, financial surveillance, debanking, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and other recent policy developments.
The Bitcoin Layer Podcast: Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Is Ready for Trump’s Desk
In this episode, Nik welcomes back Yaël Ossowski of the Consumer Choice Center and the Bitcoin Policy Institute to discuss the major themes shaping Bitcoin’s future. They begin with the push for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and its potential to redefine Bitcoin’s role in the U.S. financial system. Next, they address key regulatory developments, including…
J&J plaintiffs should finally get their relief in bankruptcy court
One of the most complicated tort trials in history continues to unfold in a Texas bankruptcy court. The cases against Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and its alleged link to illnesses caused by asbestos-contaminated talc have ground on for the better part of a decade. Finally, after years of legal wrangling, the case is poised…
The two-pronged Eleventh Hour IRS squeeze on Bitcoin and crypto developers
The IRS is cracking down on noncustodial services with two new rules finalized between the years. Call it the 2024 Christmas Crypto Regulatory Shock. In a manner of days, the Internal Revenue Service has provided clarity on two separate regulations that will have an intimidating impact on anyone who uses what the government deems digital assets. Both of…
The De Minimis Exemption Path to Bitcoin as a True Medium of Exchange
Bitcoin’s potential to thrive as a medium of exchange has been unnecessarily hindered by its current tax treatment in the U.S. Introducing a de minimis exemption could help address this issue. With a new administration coming into office next month, and a slew of Bitcoin-related policy proposals on the table for Day One, it is…