https://blossom.primal.net/8900d94ec9a32a1045739f3622452c6f99fa2ed1640baf04c2c08727642c78be.jpg ⁨📷⁩ ⁨BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 937,084 DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 17Feb2026 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: US-Iran Continue Negotiation While Positioning Forces / Chinese Year of the Horse Begins / DHS Shutdown Continues / Highest Retirement Seen in Congress This Year / Rhode Island Shooter Was Transitioner and Shot Ex-Wife / EU To Ban Russian Crypto Transactions / Bitcoin Mining Uses Only .23% of Global Power / Metaplanet Takes Bitcoin Hit to Earnings / Major Lowery Voices Bitcoin POW as Key Defense / Russian Starlink Shut Down in Ukraine / Ireland Targets X Too Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $68,898, 13.81 oz Gold, 4.162 BTC/Median US House 24hr Hi: $70,067/ Lo: $67,301 Volume: 33B (Down 8%) Mkt Cap: $1.36T (Down 2%) HashRate: 1.1 ZH/s Avg Fee Rate: 1.0 sats/vBtye (Down 2 sats) ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. US and Iran Begin Second Round of Nuclear Talks in Geneva Amid Heightened Tensions: US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Iranian officials in Geneva for the second round of nuclear negotiations, focusing on potential compromises including energy and mining deals. President Trump stated he would be indirectly involved and warned of severe consequences if no agreement is reached, while Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei remained defiant. Iranian forces conducted live-fire military drills in the Strait of Hormuz just ahead of the talks, escalating regional concerns. (CNN) 2. Global Celebrations Mark Lunar New Year, Year of the Horse: Billions worldwide celebrated Lunar New Year with temple visits, dragon dances, and family gatherings, ushering in the Year of the Horse. (CNN) -US Events- 1. Partial DHS Shutdown Enters Third Day Over Immigration Disputes: The Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, impacting non-essential operations amid debates over face mask bans and immigration tactics. (WaPo) 2. Congress Sees Highest Retirement Rate in Modern Era Ahead of Midterms: A record number of members of Congress are choosing not to run for re-election ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with departures reaching the highest combined total this century. 30 House Republicans and 21 House Democrats are not seeking re-election. In the Senate, the split is closer, with five Republicans and four Democrats retiring. (IBTimes) (AC-Change is in the air.) 3. Rhode Island Police: Man Who Shot His Family at Ice Rink Went by ‘Roberta’: The shooting “stemmed from a domestic violence incident and turned into a murder-suicide.” It occurred during a high school hockey game. WPRI identified the alleged gunman as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, noting that he changed his gender identification years ago. (Breitbart) (AC-Again, other media outlets focus on gun control to distract from the real issue.) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. EU Moves to Ban All Crypto Transactions with Russian Entities: The proposed ban would prohibit any EU-based individual or entity from transferring cryptocurrencies to and from a Russia-based counterparty. (Decrypt) 2. Paradigm: ‘Bitcoin mining should be seen as a tool, not a threat’: While public anger targets Bitcoin [BTC], most grid pressure now comes from fast-growing AI data centers. Bitcoin uses only about 0.23% of global electricity and produces around 0.08% of global emissions, far less than many industries. AI centers need constant power and cannot afford outages. Bitcoin miners, however, use cheap electricity and shut down when prices rise. (ambcrypto) -CBDCs/World Currencies/Strategic Reserves- NSTR -Institutional Concerns- 1. Metaplanet Reports $619 Million Loss as Bitcoin Holdings Take Hit: Tokyo-based bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet reported a fiscal 2025 net loss of 95 billion yen ($619 million), largely due to a 102.2 billion yen ($666 million) drop in the value of its bitcoin holdings. (BitcoinMag) -Economic Indicators- 1. US 10-Year Yield Hits 2-½-Month Low: The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note fell toward 4% on Tuesday, reaching its lowest level since early December as soft inflation data from last week reinforced expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. (TradingEconomics) -Security Concerns- 1. Space Force Major Proposes Bitcoin Proof-of-Work as AI Defense for Internet: In a widely shared post, U.S. Space Force engineer and 'Softwar' author Jason P. Lowery argues that Bitcoin's Proof-of-Work system can act as 'digital castle walls' by requiring energy proof for every online action, from logins to API calls. He warns that without such physical barriers, autonomous AI will dominate cyberspace, drawing on his MIT thesis that frames Bitcoin as a national security tool against cyber threats. Supporters praise it as a path to cyber sovereignty, while critics like Bitcoin developer Jameson Lopp call the ideas flawed and question scalability, noting Bitcoin handles just 7 transactions per second. (Various, X) 2. Starlink restrictions hit Russian forces as Moscow seeks workarounds: Under the new rules, only registered and verified devices can operate in Ukrainian-controlled territory, with all others automatically disconnected. Kyiv says the move was necessary after confirming that Russian forces had begun installing Starlink technology on attack drones, allowing them to operate in real time via satellite connections — making the unmanned aerial vehicles harder to jam, track or shoot down. (RecordedFuture) -Technology and Science- 1. Ireland's Data Watchdog Joins Global Regulators Probing X Over AI Image Risks: Ireland’s privacy regulator has opened a formal investigation into X over whether Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot helped generate and spread non-consensual sexualized images. The investigation comes as Ireland, which serves as the EU's lead supervisory authority for most major American tech platforms, giving its rulings binding weight across the bloc, joins a widening international response to Grok's role in generating non-consensual deepfakes at scale. (Decrypt) (AC-The knives are out. EU, UN, UK, California, and now Ireland mount attacks against Musk and X.) -Bitcoin Community- NSTR -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 10/100 (Down 2 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): The battle for control over distributed sovereign power continues, but it seems today's reports highlight the fight. World powers attack free speech from X, Ukraine shuts down Starlink, AI agents are digitally coming for you, and EU Bans (Russian) crypto transactions; and this is just one day's reporting. Tyranny verus liberty is indeed one of the oldest wars still being fought and some days it seems tyranny has the upper hand. Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r Listen to us daily on X discuss the DIB and more: X Spaces, Bitcoin Veterans, 10amEST/7amPST ____________________ Analyst: BV2A END REPORT NNNN *NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report⁩