https://blossom.primal.net/f75bdfbfcb55819d8bc20fea70526457074f626a0a8d472dada6e1aee85d401b.jpg ⁨📷⁩ ⁨BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 937,223 DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 18Feb2026 Precedence: Routine (RR) Controls: Public Release QQQQ __________________________ BLUF: Cuba Courts Russia / Nine Arrested in France Conservative Death / Avalanche Near Tahoe, 9 Still Missing / 1M Fentanyl Pills Seized in a Day / Mamadani Looks to Raise Property Taxes / Coinbase CEO Sees Solution to CLARITY / California Regulation to Stifle Crypto Providers, Users / Illinois Crypto PAC Gets Aggressive / US SBR Sits at $23B / Executive Shakeup at Gemini / Nakamoto Buys Bitcoin Media / Markets Wait on Fed Minutes Today / Russian Encrypted Messaging Crackdown Shows Playbook / Pentagon Reconsiders Anthropic Deal Over Ethical Debate / Bitdeer Overtakes MARA Mining Hash Rate Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $67,516, 13.69 oz Gold, 4.162 BTC/Median US House 24hr Hi: $68,434/ Lo: $66,615 Volume: 34B (Up 5%) Mkt Cap: $1.34T (Down 1%) HashRate: 1.0 ZH/s Avg Fee Rate: 1.0 sats/vBtye (Even) ---Reports--- -International Events- 1. Russia hosts Cuban foreign minister and urges US not to blockade Cuba: Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and was set to meet later in the day with President Vladimir Putin. Lavrov urged the U.S. to refrain from blockading Cuba, which has struggled to import oil for its power plants and refineries. (AP) 2. Nine arrested in France over death of far-right student: Nine people have been arrested in France following an investigation into the murder of a far-right nationalist student by suspected militants from the far-left. Those detained include a parliamentary assistant for a deputy from the radical left France Unbowed (LFI) party. Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old maths student, died in hospital on Saturday - two days after being beaten and kicked about the head by a gang of masked young men in Lyon. (BBC) -US Events- 1. 9 backcountry skiers missing after California avalanche; 6 survivors have been rescued: A group of skiers on the final stretch of a three‑day backcountry trip in northern California, in the Castle Peak area of Truckee, a town nestled in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe, were returning to the trailhead Tuesday morning when the snow above them suddenly broke loose, sending a wave of ice, rocks and debris crashing into them. Crews “have to be very careful accessing the area due to the fact that the avalanche danger is still very high.” (KRDO) 2. Over a Million Pills Of Fentanyl Seized In a Single Day In Arizona: Border Report cited information from CBP showing that the seizures took place on January 17, when three different vehicles were stopped when attempting to smuggle the substance into the U.S. The first vehicle also had 29 pounds of heroin, 29 of cocaine and 5 of meth. (IBTimes) 3. Mamdani Plans First NYC Property Tax Hike In Decades To Plug $5 Billion | 73,948 BTC Hole: Mamdani has laid out two paths; raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy and most profitable corporations, or 'balance the budget on the backs of working people using only the tools at the City's disposal.' (ZeroHedge) -Regulatory and Legal- 1. Coinbase CEO Confident of 'Win-Win-Win' Deal Between White House, Banks, Crypto: Coinbase's CEO expressed optimism regarding a collaborative agreement involving the White House, traditional banks, and the crypto industry. The proposed deal aims to integrate regulatory frameworks with financial innovation. (BitcoinCom) 2. California Begins Enforcing State-Level Crypto Licensing With DFAL: The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation issued a formal implementation update for the Digital Financial Assets Law, confirming that any individual or company conducting covered crypto activity for or on behalf of California residents must, by July 1, 2026, hold a DFAL license, have submitted a license application, or qualify for an exemption. California is home to roughly a quarter of the country's blockchain firms, raising familiar fears of another regulatory-driven exodus. (Decrypt) 3. Crypto super PAC Fairshake moves to unseat Democrats over state crypto votes: A crypto-funded super PAC has begun intervening in Democratic House primaries in Illinois, targeting candidates who previously supported state-level digital asset regulations. Fairshake has booked ads tied to Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, naming state Rep. La Shawn Ford, who is running in a crowded Democratic primary. The Illinois ad buys form part of a wider effort by Fairshake to shape the 2026 congressional map. (Ambcrypto) -CBDCs/World Currencies/Strategic Reserves- 1. US Government Holds 328,372 BTC as Onchain Data Confirms $23B Federal Digital Stockpile: Onchain data verifies that the US government possesses 328,372 BTC, valued at approximately $23 billion. This holding stems from seizures related to criminal activities and regulatory enforcement actions. The stockpile remains untouched, contributing to the government's position as one of the largest Bitcoin holders globally. (BitcoinCom) -Institutional Concerns- 1. Gemini Loses Three Senior Leaders In Sudden Executive Departures: The firm — founded and led by billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — disclosed in a regulatory filing that Chief Operating Officer Marshall Beard, Chief Financial Officer Dan Chen, and Chief Legal Officer Tyler Meade are departing effective immediately. (Bitcoinist) 2. David Bailey’s Nakamoto strikes $107M deal to buy BTC Inc and UTXO: Bitcoin-focused public company Nakamoto Inc., led by chairman and CEO David Bailey, has signed definitive agreements to acquire BTC Inc. and UTXO Management GP, LLC in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $107.3 million. The transaction consolidates Bitcoin media, events, and asset management businesses under one publicly listed entity. (CryptoNews) -Economic Indicators- 1. US Stocks Little Changed Ahead of Fed Minutes: US stocks ended little changed as early pressure in high-multiple tech was offset by strength in financials, leaving the S&P 500 up 0.2%, the Dow modestly higher, and the Nasdaq 100 marginally lower. (TradingEconomics) 2. US 10-Year Yield Steady Ahead of Fed Minutes: The 10-year US Treasury yield steadied around 4.06% on Wednesday after touching a more than two-month low earlier in the week, as investors awaited the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting for clearer guidance on the path of interest rates. (TradingEconomics) -Security Concerns- 1. This censorship crackdown and WhatsApp ban exposed the decentralization gap the crypto industry keeps missing: Russia’s recent messaging crackdown is the cleanest real-world stress test of decentralization in years, and it produced an awkward result. Roskomnadzor began throttling Telegram on Feb. 10, citing “non-compliance.” Two days later, authorities fully blocked WhatsApp, removing its domains from Russia's national registry and forcing users toward VPNs or MAX, a state-backed messenger that critics describe as surveillance infrastructure disguised as a chat app. The Kremlin had already mandated the preinstallation of MAX on all devices sold in Russia.. Freedom House documented the 15th consecutive year of declining global internet freedom in 2025. (CryptoSlate) (AC-Good article that highlights the trilemma of privacy messaging choices, listing various options globally. NOSTR is NOT accounted for here, but still a good read: https://tinyurl.com/3yty47jh ) -Technology and Science- 1. Pentagon Considers Dropping Anthropic AI Over Ethical Limits on Military Use: Anthropic has imposed limits on autonomous weapons development and mass domestic surveillance, placing it at odds with some defense priorities. A Pentagon insider described Anthropic as the most "ideological" among AI vendors. While the company welcomed its $200 million Pentagon contract as a contribution to national security, its leadership remains cautious about deploying AI in high-stakes operations. (TechTimes) -Bitcoin Community- 1. Bitcoin Miner Bitdeer Overtakes MARA, Establishing Hash Rate Lead: At 63.2 exahashes per second (EH/s), Bitdeer is now allocating more computational resources to Bitcoin’s network for itself than MARA, analysts led by Reginald Smith wrote. MARA last reported a self-mining hash rate of 60.4 EH/s. (Decrypt) -Bitcoin Sentiment- 1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 8/100 (Down 2 pts) Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR 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