One man. Three piping hot takes. In this special interview episode of The Breakdown, financial advisor and crypto advocate Tyrone Ross shares his thoughts on:
Why Financial Advisors are the key to bringing in the next wave of crypto investors
Why DeFi is an even bigger deal than you think - and not just to the hackers and entrepreneurs building on it
Why Square’s CashApp - not Binance, not Coinbase, not any one else - is the most important company in Crypto
Badly run housing markets are linked to broader ills, from financial crises to the rise of populism. The first problem? The conviction that home ownership is an unambiguously good thing. While China clamps down on most religions, it encourages others; we meet the followers of a tenth-century sea goddess. And the decline of drinking a century after Prohibition began. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer
"There's a lot of hostility to religious beliefs," says Joe Grogan, director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House.
"These views are protected by the First Amendment and people who are offended by public expressions of faith need to get over it," he adds.
In this exclusive interview at the White House, Grogan outlines what the Trump administration is doing to ensure Americans remain free to live in accordance with their beliefs.
As Libra continues to spur discussions among regulators around the world, and China’s digital yuan comes ever closer to fruition, the U.S. Federal Reserve seems disinclined to look seriously at a digital dollar. Ex-CFTC Chair Chris Giancarlo - aka “Crypto Dad” - isn’t waiting around. He has teamed with Accenture to launch the nonprofit Digital Dollar Foundation.
As crypto continues to evolve, it does so in sometimes divergent directions. Gemini announced a new insurance company designed to make big institutions more comfortable with the space. Zcash, meanwhile, released an updated SDK to make it easier to shield transactions via mobile. Can the privacy-preserving side of crypto co-exist, ultimately, with the sanguine institutional side?
Finally, we revisit our discussion of personal tokens and ISAs, as well as look at the latest research from Coinmetrics on whether bitcoin is behaving like a safe haven asset.
After Russia’s president proposed vast constitutional change, the whole government resigned. It seems to be another convoluted power-grab by Vladimir Putin—and it seems likely to work. Our correspondent finds that the tired stereotypes European Union countries have about their neighbours are pervasive even at the heart of the European integration. And the surprising and nefarious world of sand-smuggling. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer
The news to know for Thursday, January 16th, 2020!
We're talking about everything from the impeachment trial to why Russia's government officials all just resigned to a landmark (but controversial) vote in Virginia.
Plus: tiny, living robots are now a thing and which artists made it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...
Those stories and many more in less than 10 minutes!
Then, hang out after the news for Thing to Know Thursday's bonus interview about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping back from their royal roles. Our guest is royal expert and CNN royal commentator Victoria Arbiter.
Will the new deal boost the American economy? Is it normal for a trade deal to demand one party spend a certain amount? Will it curb China's theft of intellectual property from U.S. companies? Riley Walters, a policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation who focuses on Asia's economy and technology, has answers. Plus: Thaleigha Rampersad and Jarrett Stepman discuss the new hit movie, "1917".
We also cover the following stories:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the seven impeachment managers.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, one of the impeachment managers, dismisses calling Hunter Biden as a witness.
As Vladimir Putin makes moves to secure his control after 2024, the prime minister and entire cabinet resign
Crypto tokens weren’t the only thing that saw a major pump yesterday. The total value locked in DeFi ascended to new heights. While part of this can be explained simply by the rise in ETH price, it also reflected traders turning to DeFi platforms as a way to get more exposure to the market action without selling their core assets.
For all the exciting price action, not everything is pointing in a positive direction. These market moves don’t seem to reflect new market participants, for example, and anecdotally, times remain tough for projects trying to fundraise.
In our final segment, we look at a blockchain conference in North Korea that the UN suggests simply attending may violate international sanctions, an Iran-focused hedge fund that uses cryptocurrency to work around international restrictions, and ask whether this sort of activity presents a narrative risk to the industry as a whole?
Negotiators will sign a “phase one” pact today—but the trickiest issues remain unresolved, and plenty of tariffs will stay in place. Will the deal repair trading relations? As more young people head online, “cyberbullying” is on the rise, too. But why are some kids bullying themselves on social media? And why quirky Las Vegas weddings are on the wane. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer
