2235: Venezuela's Bitcoin Reserve Under U.S. Probe — White House Confirms

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Bitcoin News Alerts | Daily BTC News
Episode: 2235: Venezuela's Bitcoin Reserve Under U.S. Probe — White House Confirms
Date: January 28, 2026
Host: JV (Bitcoin News Alerts), co-host “Nipinator”
Main Theme:
The episode delivers breaking BTC news, focusing on U.S. government scrutiny of Venezuela’s suspected Bitcoin reserves, ongoing financial markets volatility, and developments in institutional and corporate Bitcoin adoption.

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Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Market Overview & FOMC Meeting Expectations

(00:30–07:33)

• Bitcoin Price Action: Bitcoin was trading at $89,600 during the live recording, having briefly recaptured the $90,000 mark. Ether passed $3,000. Crypto market cap returned above $3 trillion, with BTC’s individual market cap rising.
• Sentiment: Crypto Fear and Greed Index at “29,” indicating persistent fear, despite the recovery (00:55).
• Technical Analysis:
  • Various timeframes (hourly, 4h, daily, weekly, monthly) show green candles and a bullish turn after a significant correction, potentially setting up a strong month end.
  • “The last three months we closed in the red. The fourth quarter was pretty horrid for the bitcoin price action when we were anticipating the fireworks.” (04:40)
• FOMC Meeting:
  • Market was pricing a “100% chance” the Fed would keep rates steady (05:07).
  • “What’s the point of betting against it then?” (05:15)
  • All eyes on J Powell for hints about March 2026 moves.
  • Quotation: “If we hear any hints of cuts in March, bitcoin sends to the moon, I say send it.” (05:53)—Citing Satoshi Stacker.

2. Bitcoin Seasonal Trends & Price Models

(06:33–08:46)

• Monthly Seasonality: Historically, February produces strong returns for BTC—median weekly return of 7% for Feb 7–21 (07:33).
• Long-Term Bullishness:
  • Bear scenario for 2026 “222-22-22” (07:52).
  • Price models project BTC $210K–$300K in 2026.
  • “Bitcoin is the end game.” —Michael Saylor quoted via tweet (08:48).

3. Bitcoin Mining Update: U.S. Winter Storms & Hashrate

(08:51–12:01)

• Winter storms caused significant drops in network hashrate, leading to increased mining company stock prices.
  • “The rally occurred days after the bitcoin network hash rate sank to a seven month low…due to the severe winter storm battering the US.” (09:58)
• Major U.S. mining companies (TeraWulf, Iris, Cipher Mining) saw double-digit stock gains.
• Mining profitability spiked: hash price index rose to .040 per terahash/day (10:40).
• Smaller mining ops forced offline, while well-capitalized miners benefited from reduced competition.

Notable Quote

“The US winter storm forced multiple bitcoin mining companies to reduce operations supporting the power grid…daily bitcoin production decrease from 22 bitcoin to 12 bitcoin for CleanSpark.” (11:02)

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4. Gold’s Record High, Tether Hoards Bullion, Coinbase Pivots to Futures

(12:01–15:39)

• Gold’s price: Hit a new all-time high ($5,311/oz).
• Tether:
  • $12B exposure to gold (13:16), now holds 130 metric tons (~22B at current prices).
  • “Tether is comparable to central banks such as Mexico, South Africa, and Sweden.” (14:32)
  • “We are soon becoming basically one of the biggest, let’s say gold central banks in the world.” —Tether CEO Paolo, cited at (14:34)
• Coinbase: Highlighting commodity futures (gold, silver) on their platform, but only as derivatives.
  • Futures do not involve physical delivery. Commentary suggests this might signal a market top for gold traders (15:13).

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5. The Federal Reserve, Japan, and Bitcoin Macro Dynamics

(15:39–17:55)

• Arthur Hayes Thesis:
  • A possible Fed move to backstop Japanese government bonds (JGBs) and stabilize the yen could drive further BTC rally (16:09).
  • “Arthur Hayes very bullish…he believes they’re going to continue with the money printer go burr sending the biddy parabolic where it belong.” (16:09)
  • Correlation noted between central bank intervention and BTC price surges.
  • Hayes is monitoring Fed’s H41 weekly balance sheet for signs of dollar liquidity injections.
• Host's Perspective:
  • “For Bitcoin to exit its sideways funk, it needs a healthy dose of the money printing. So turn on those money printers already, J-Pow!” (16:41)

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6. Steak and Shake: Corporate Bitcoin Adoption

(17:55–21:27)

• Fast food chain Steak and Shake added $5M in BTC to its reserves (now $15M, ~167.7 BTC).
  • “All the bitty sales go into our strategic Bitcoin reserve. Our self-sustaining system: improving food quality, grow same store sales, and then grow the strategic bitcoin reserve.” —Stake and Shake official post (19:07)
• Company offers Bitcoin bonuses to employees: “21 cents per worked hour as a bonus starting March 1st” (21:27).
• Host’s endorsement:
  • “If you’re going to support a fast food restaurant, this would be the one I suggest you support. Do not support the ones purposely poisoning you...And I’m a vegetarian and I’m telling you to support Steak and Shake.” (19:23)

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7. Feature Story: U.S. Probe Into Venezuela’s Bitcoin Reserve

(21:27–26:16)

Summary:

• U.S. White House Confirmation:
  • Patrick Witt (Exec. Director—President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets) confirms active examination into whether the Maduro regime controls significant BTC and digital assets, as part of broader national security review (21:57).
  • No direct confirmation of seizures; Witt cites “sensitivity of the situation.” (22:41)
• Speculation Around Holdings:
  • Viral claims suggest Venezuela may control 600,000+ BTC; U.S. government currently sits on 300,000.
  • “If they just confiscated 600,000 hypothetically, that means the U.S. government already has 900,000 bitcoin close to a million.…that’d be pretty fucking amazing. Subsequent on-chain analysis…forensic firms have struggled to find any bitcoin held by the regime.” (23:32)
  • Arkham and Nansen researchers have not been able to confirm such large holdings.
• Host’s Analysis / Skepticism:
  • “The white house caution comes against the viral claim Venezuela may control more than 600,000. Why is that a big deal? ...But here’s the deal. Nobody knows, so your guess is as good as ours. But at the end of the day, let’s entertain it. What if they did? Holy…” (23:32, 24:00)
• Musings on Control & Seizure:
  • Questions over who holds private keys; rumors a lawyer is involved (25:25).
  • “Three things cannot be long hidden. The sun, the moon and the truth.” (25:34)
  • Speculation about U.S. techniques for seizing assets if private keys are obtained (drugs, torture, etc.), as well as broader skepticism toward official narratives and world leaders (26:12–27:21).

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Notable Quotes

On the FOMC’s Impact on BTC:

“All eyes will be on JPAL’s press conference…if we hear any hints of cuts in March, bitcoin sends to the moon.” (05:53)

On Seasonality:

“February delivered a median 7% weekly Bitcoin return, historically outperforming October...The two-week period for February from the 7th to the 21st features a median weekly return of 7% per week.” (07:33)

On Corporate Adoption:

“Our self-sustaining system: improving food quality, grow same store sales, and then grow the strategic bitcoin reserve and transforming the chain via financial technology.” —Steak and Shake on X (19:07)

On Venezuela’s Alleged Bitcoin Stash:

“U.S. officials are actively examining how Venezuela’s Maduro regime was financed, including whether any value sits in bitcoin and digital assets.” (21:57)

“If they just confiscated 600,000 [BTC], hypothetically, that means the U.S. government already has 900,000 bitcoin close to a million.” (23:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Market Overview / FOMC Preview: 00:30–07:33
• Seasonality and Macro Models: 07:33–08:46
• Mining Stocks & Winter Storm: 08:51–12:01
• Gold, Tether & Coinbase: 12:01–15:39
• Fed-Japan Macro & Arthur Hayes: 15:39–17:55
• Steak and Shake BTC News: 17:55–21:27
• Venezuela’s Bitcoin Reserve Investigation: 21:27–26:16
• Q&A & Speculation on Venezuela: 25:15–27:21

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Tone & Takeaways

• Energetic, bull-leaning, and raw (true to the show’s brand commitment: “No altcoins. Just BTC. No BS.”)
• Mix of market analysis, on-chain skepticism, and conspiratorial musings about the intersection of politics, finance, and digital assets
• Cameraderie with the audience, urging them to stay sovereign, “stack sats,” and support BTC-friendly businesses
• Rich with running crypto culture references and in-jokes (e.g., “Nipinator indicator,” “Get a grip. Like Aerosmith.”)

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Key Takeaway

The show breaks down how geopolitics and central bank actions are increasingly entangled with Bitcoin’s evolution, while the White House’s confirmation of a probe into Venezuela’s alleged BTC hoard places state-level bitcoin holdings squarely in the mainstream spotlight. Amid fresh all-time highs for gold, corporate BTC accumulation, and market rebound, the host remains resolutely bullish on BTC’s future, skeptical about mainstream narratives, and enthusiastically supportive of real-world Bitcoin adoption.

Transcript

[A]

Kara here from the Kara Golden Show. If you're not using Ironclad for contracts, you could be leaving millions on the table. Ironclad's AI instantly surfaces. What matters renewal dates, pricing terms and obligations so you can act quickly before opportunities slip away. That's why they're trusted by great brands like OpenAI, L', Oreal, Salesforce, and so many others. Find the savings hiding in your [e-mail] podcast that's ironclad app.com podcast welcome bitcoin.

[B]

Fam to number one bitcoin pod. We got the FOMC meeting looming. Bitcoin start breaking out. You can see we're in the green. We did recapture 90 GS a little bit ago so it's going to be a big day for the price action. I'll be covering everything you need to know. Also Sailor says bitcoin is the end game.

[C]

Let me know if you agree.

[B]

Also top mining Bitcoin stocks rise amid the US Winter storm hash rate decline. We also discussed gold topping a new all time high yet again surpassing $5,300 an ounce. As tether hoards bullion and Coinbase promotes futures. We'll also be discussing a Fed move to backstop Japan Bonds could boost the bitcoin price significantly.

[C]

According to Arthur Hayes.

[B]

Just Blaze. Also Steak and Shake added another 5 million in Bitcoin to their reserve as in store sales grow 18%. Also big news in the day probe into Venezuela's Bitcoin reserve confirmed by the.

[C]

White House Adv or what does this mean?

[B]

Could mean big things as far as adoption here in the United States. Potentially having access to $60 billion worth of BTC. We'll also be taking a look at the overall crypt market. All this plus so much more right here in today's show. Today is pot episode number 2 235. I'm your host JV alongside the Fed chair Nipinator around somewhere here it them nip and ating lots to share in the market. We started pumping again which is nice to see and there's an FOMC meeting looming within the next couple of hours. So we're watching the market cuz right now it's bullish. So bullish. Expectations ahead of us. You can see bitcoin still up 1 1/2% on the day trading at 89,600 at the time of the live and again earlier we recaptured 90,000 ether back above 3,000 and the bulk of the market pumping and in the green. Checking out coinmarketcap.com current crypto market cap finally back above 3 trillion. It was stagnated right under it all week. So that's nice. It's up 2% on the day. And also the bitcoin market cap also back on the rise, which is nice. It's up 2% on the day there. $1.79 trillion Total market cap still mindboggling. To me, the fact Bitcoin's under 2 trillion as a, it's incredible. You know, gold is right now like over 35 trillion. Just for perspective, Pippen, I don't know if that's related to Scotty Pippen, but there's a Pippen coin up 26% on the day. You know, the coins hyper liquid, up 16% and double zero, up 14%. And checking out crypto greed and fear index. Today we're rated a 29 fear, same as yesterday. Last week at 24 in the extreme and last month at 24 in the extreme fear blockchain calendar. Earlier when I checked it, it was literally 1111 SATS per dollar. Right now you can get a little.

[C]

More because we dropped a bit.

[B]

It's 1114 stats per dollar. And we're in block height number 934,104. All right, fam now for some live chart action.

[C]

Jackson satisfaction, Bo Jackson, Tony Braxton.

[B]

Who else can we add there? Make sure you can see a good screen here. Perfect. Okay, this is the one hour. You'll notice some green momentum.

[C]

About freaking time.

[B]

We recaptured 90, 000, which was a beautiful sight to see this morning.

[C]

Checking out the 4 hour.

[B]

As you can see here, big green candle forming. Let's see how high I can get. Hopefully we can continue the momentum into the FOMC meeting looming around the corner. So expect some price action. Something to happen. Checking out the daily, you also notice 1, 2, 3 consecutive green candles, which is pretty nice, especially after a big correction like we recently had. And checking out the weekly. We're now midweek. Today's Wednesday, AKA hump day, right? So as you can see for the week, we are in the green. We did have a pretty significant correction candle you can see last week. So hopefully we continue the green momentum and checking out the monthly. So yeah, we got three days left until the end of January. Yesterday we flipped into red with the.

[C]

Correction, but with the pump today we're back in a green.

[B]

We got a bolt, a bipolar bitty price action, but hopefully it can maintain. This would be very significant if we close in the green and we are clearly above the main moving averages. But the Significance is the last three months we closed in the red. The fourth quarter was pretty horrid for the bitcoin price action when we were anticipating the fireworks, you know. And next up, let's do a little the TA with this FOMC thing.

[C]

Lumen. 100% chance interest rates won't change.

[B]

That's the odds right now, literally. I don't think we've ever seen 100% chance before. I mean, I mean, what's the point of betting against it then?

[C]

100% with certainty.

[B]

But anyways, future market traders have locked in. Okay, 97.2% chance that sounds more realistic that the Fed will leave interest rates unchanged with odds of a 25bps reduction at only 2.8%. And again, that's coming right around the corner. Traders have other sources of volatility to contend with, including the Japanese economy, risk of another US government shutdown.

[C]

Lumen.

[B]

And the Feds move to buy the yen, you know, the yen carry trade and all that which has been seriously unwinding. It's pretty significant. Along with the Fed chair J. Pal speech right around the corner, the market will closely watch J Pal's language at the FOMC conference to see if there's.

[C]

Any shift in tone.

[B]

Quoting analysts here, the satoshi stacker. Tomorrow is fomc, which is now today. Markets are certain the Fed will leave the rates unchanged. All eyes will be on JPAL's press conference and what he suggests the Fed plans are for the coming months. And if we hear any hints of cuts in March bitcoin sends to the moon, I say send it. Traders say bullish bulls for the bitty.

[C]

We got to hold 80 to 84.

[B]

Well, we're significantly above it right now.

[C]

By 10,000, which is nice support band.

[B]

To avoid the deeper Correction. Support at 84 remains the key. I think we'll hold. I don't see us retracing that much significantly unless there's more shenanigans such as.

[C]

Government shut down, chaos and panic, fear, fud. Oh, everyone's worried again. Sell everything you know which happened in the fourth quarter. So you can't put it past them. But while this is technically still a decent level to watch, I'd want to see some action pretty soon to keep the structure alive. Another analyst who is bearish points out that the next major support would sit all the way down at 65.5. And in other headlines for analysis, you can see it says the real October moment may start in February. Now, considering February's around the corner, that's pretty awesome, especially considering it's my birth year. It's the greatest month to ever exist. Check out the takeaways. February delivered a Medium A median 7% weekly Bitcoin return, historically outperforming October's seasonal strength and early February performance as reliably flag bearish periods. That was back 2018, 2022 and 2025 all setting the tone within the first three weeks. And here you can see the bitcoin Weekly return since 2016.

[B]

Very positive across the board. Not too shabby you know. Now let's break this down here. The two week period for February from the 7th to the 21st features a medium weekly return of 7% per week. And that's what history shows us Bitcoin ceiling in 2026 remains above 200, 000 100.

[C]

Agreed with that.

[B]

My bear scenario I've been preaching is 222-22-22 today's episode of Bitcoin News Alerts is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are the things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations. You know Bitcoin researcher Smith and WI remains bullish on the bitty long term cycle potential using the Bitcoin decay channel as outlined here. Place in the Bitcoin 2026 price between 210 and 300 GS. No more Mickey Ds noting that while the model does not predict timing, its.

[C]

Price bands have historically been reliable. And that's that.

[B]

And as a little bonus, here's a.

[C]

Little tweet from Mikey Sailor. Bitcoin is the end game.

[B]

Now.

[C]

I personally love this photo cuz I'm.

[B]

A big chess player. In fact, I challenge Michael Sailor to.

[C]

A game of chess.

[B]

I'm willing to live stream it. I'm willing to fly out to Sailor's.

[C]

Mansion whatever it takes. I want to speak to Samson but let them know I'm challenging them and let's make it happen. I'd love to play Sailor next. Story of the day Fam Lamb we shall continue. It reads Top Bitcoin mining stocks are on the rise amid the US Winter Storm Hash rate decline. That's right. Bitcoin mining stock saw significant bumpy bump on Wednesday after the U.S. winter storm for some companies to wind down operations leading to the lower block competition and more profitable mining operation. Shares of several major mining companies posted double digit gains over the past 24 hours. Tara Wolf rose 11%, always a divine omen. Iron Limited gained 14 and Cipher Mining climbed 13. The rally occurred days after the bitcoin network hash rate Sank to a seven month low as we covered previous episode of 663x a hashes per second. That was on Sunday, a.40 drop in two days due to the severe winter storm battering the US to say the least. The hash rate recovered to eight hundred and fourteen exahashes on Wednesday but I yet to recover to the 1.1 Z a hash per second level before the weekend decline. And here you can see the Bitcoin.

[B]

Hash rate chart also being pretty bipolar right now. The lower hash rate signals that the fewer miners are online, reducing the competition for mining a block of the bitty network, making bitcoin mining more profitable for the miners who stay online. The Bitcoin Hash Price Index, the benchmark for measuring minor profitability through the revenue generated per terahash, also points to the more lucrative mining conditions. The Bitcoin hash price index rose to.040 per terahash per day on Wednesday for you nerds, up.038 terahashes per second per.

[C]

Day according to the hash rate index. Yes please Bitcoin Miners wind down the operations amid the US Winter Storm Let.

[B]

Me know if you've been impacted by.

[C]

The winter storm on the horizon right now.

[B]

I know a lot of you are experiencing the snow. The improvements highlights how large, well capitalized.

[C]

Mining firms can benefit adoing to temporary.

[B]

Network disruptions while the smaller, less efficient.

[C]

Operations may be forced offline.

[B]

The US winter storm forced multiple bitcoin mining companies to reduce operations supporting the power grid. According to Julio Moreno, the head of the research over at Crypto Quant. This included a daily bitcoin production decrease from 22 bitcoin to 12 bitcoin for.

[C]

Clean Spark, a 16 bitcoin to 3.

[B]

Bitcoin reduction for Riot Platforms, a decline from 45 to 7 bitcoin for Marathon.

[C]

And a drop from 18 to 6 mine daily by iron so you can see the a drastic decrease here.

[B]

Meanwhile, the extreme winter weather in the.

[C]

US punish weak mining operations, which is.

[B]

Another reason for the sharp decline in.

[C]

The global hash rate according to the bitcoin mining ecosystem. Brains.

[B]

Shout out brains. By the way, they were one of.

[C]

The sponsors at last year's Max and Stacy Invitational.

[B]

Good folks out there. Winner pushes or punishes poor preparation and rush decisions, he wrote, warning miners that most equipment damage happens when the mining.

[C]

Machines are restarted in freezing temperatures or.

[B]

The facilities Lack proper airflow and temperature control. Next story. This is in the headlines here. Gold tops 5,300 an ounce. Tether hordes, bullion and Coinbase promotes futures. That's right, gold continues surging. Just hit 5300 today. Also Tether and Coinbase, two companies behind the world's largest US dollar stable coins, are taking different approaches to gaining exposure to the precious metal. Spot goal climbed above 5,300 today, posting a record high of 5,311 may even be higher by now. And amid the rally, tether issuer usdt, the world's largest stablecoin, double down on its gold accumulation. They have a massive treasure trove of gold as well. While Coinbase, a key partner in the usdc, Stablecoin promoted access to gold futures on its platform. So yeah, a lot of obviously speculation of gold going on right now. The contrasting strategy showed a different ways crypto communities are positioning themselves as gold booms. And bitcoin continues lagging, currently just hit 90,000. We're in that ballpark right now. So yeah, Tether right now is hoarding.

[C]

130 tons of gold, aiming to become a gold central bank. That's insane to me.

[B]

Tether, which also issues the goldback Stablecoin.

[C]

Xaut has been accumulating gold as part.

[B]

Of the reserves for some time, reporting.

[C]

12 billion in exposure. That was as of September last year. The company holds 520000 troy ounces of gold which is 16 plus metric tons separately from a broader reserve of 130 metric tons worth 22 billion at the current prices. Tether maintains approximately 130 metric tons of physical gold, not derivatives. So where do they keep it? H and the gold backing? Every one of their gold tokens is held separately making it eligible for physical delivery redemption. Very interesting. And it shows you country wise the largest gold reserves by tons. Libya, which is 146. Was that where Gaddafi was? Right? Probably a part of the reason they invaded and took him out. They probably stole the gold reserves if I'm to speculate but Libya currently has the largest and 146. What? This is insane. Gold Reserve tons Brazil 145 Philippines 131 Egypt 128 probably some in the pyramids. Sweden 125. South Africa 125. Mexico 120. Qatar 115 Greece 114. Hungary 110. Romania 103. Now by holding this much gold, Tether is comparable to the central bank such as countries as Mexico, South Africa, And.

[B]

Sweden, according to the reserves from the.

[C]

World Gold Council, we are soon becoming basically one of the biggest, let's say gold central banks in the world. And that's a quote from the Tether CEO Paolo. Now, Coinbase has also been highlighting its commodity futures offering as goal rallies. Just note, this would be derivatives not holding the physical asset.

[B]

Now reminding user the platform allows trading and using multiple metals including gold and silver. You can trade precious metals on Coinbase. For those that don't know, silver, gold, copper, platinum and futures currently available as they put in the PSA on X. Commentators noted that futures trading does not involve physical delivery precisely. Some describe the post as a top signal for traders, hinting that the market's peaking. Bance, the world's largest crypto exchange, also reported trading volumes launching perpetual futures tied to gold and silver. So naturally they're all getting a piece of the pie. They want to give the customers what they want, tap into that market. And as you know, gold and silver are both on a tear right now after being stagnated for a very long time. So finally some big moves occurring. Will the bitty follow?

[C]

I have no doubt.

[B]

I think bitcoin will absolutely 100% overtake the gold market cap. Can someone look up the gold market cap right now? It was 35 trillion the other day. Now that we jumped again another 300, I assume it's probably close to 40 trillion. You know, next story, a Fed moved to the backstop.

[C]

Japan, Japan, Japan Bonds could boost the bidding according to Arthur Hayes. Just mother effing blaze. Bitcoin could break out of a sideways funk. Let's have that breakout today. Continue to pump to the upside FOMC meeting aluminum.

[B]

But yeah, Arthur Hayes very bullish.

[C]

Naturally he believes they're going to continue with the money printer go burr sending the biddy parabolic where it belong. Hayes proposed a theory about how the Fed could be printing money to manipulate the yen. Exactly. I agree with that and the jgp which are the Japanese government bond markets. Japan faces a dual crisis. The ends of weakening while the Japanese gum and bond yields are rising at the same time signaling a potential loss of the market confidence also impact the US because Japanese investors might sell U.

[B]

S Treasuries to buy the higher yielding.

[C]

JP or JGBs their Japanese bonds. Will a meltdown of the yen and JGB markets cause some sort of money printing by the bank of Japan or the Fed? The answer, yes. The discussion of Japanese financial markets is important because for Bitcoin to exit its sideways funk, it needs a healthy dose of the money printing. So turn on those money printers already. J Pal Now Hayes believes the Fed will intervene by creating the dollar reserves with banks like JP Morgan selling dollars for yen, which strengthened the yen. Using the yen to purchase the JGBs, lowering the Japanese bond yields. This expands the Fed's balance sheet under the foreign currency denominated assets. The Fed intervention is just what the filthy fiat system needs to limp along a little longer. Kick that can down the road. Pump the bitty. Let's get it. Hayes appears to be putting his money behind this theory, waiting for some movement from the central bank money printers keeping an eye on the Fed's balance sheet. Viewed through its weekly H41 report quoting them here. Bitcoin fell as the yen strengthened against the dollar. I will not increase risk before I confirm the Fed is printing money to intervene in the yen and the bond market. Dollar is doing great at a four year low.

[B]

That sounds.

[C]

What's the term for that?

[B]

Oxymoron. The dollar is doing great at a four year low. What the. The green back has slid 10 over the past year. Trump still maintain it was doing great. Trump's full of. Sorry, just is. I mean the value of the dollar. Look at the business we're doing. No, the dollar is doing great. That's his job, by the way. To get you to believe the dollar is doing great. That's one of his primary goals. The people that put him in power.

[C]

Want you to believe so.

[B]

Yeah, that Epstein didn't have a client list and that the dollar is doing excellent. Thank you Trump.

[C]

They devalue. Devalue. Devalue. I said it's not fair. They devalue because it's hard to compete when they devalue.

[B]

Headline reads steak and shake adds 5 million in Bitcoin to the reserve.

[C]

As in store sales grow 18%. You hear that? Whack. Arnold's, aka McDonald's US fast food restaurant.

[B]

Chain Steak and Shake has added 5 million worth of Bitcoin to the strategic Bitcoin reserve as part of the pledge.

[C]

To funnel all sales made in Bitcoin.

[B]

Straight to into the fund. The move takes the company's total bitcoin.

[C]

Holdings to 15 million, equivalent to roughly 167.7 BTC following a 10 million increase announced January 18th. Now, however, it's not clear exactly how.

[B]

Much bitcoin it holds or whether the.

[C]

Amount reflects price appreciation, customer payments or additional treasury purchases. Here's the official stake and Shake post on X Steak and Shake Burger to Bitcoin transformation continues Today we increase Our bitcoin exposure by 5 million and notional value. All the bitty sales go into our strategic Bitcoin reserve. Our self sustaining system improving food quality that grows same store sales and then grow the strategic bitcoin reserve and transforming the chain via financial technology. Now I have tremendous respect for them trying to produce healthy fast food and accepting bitcoin, that's total pro humanity. These are the good guys in the space. If you're going to support a fast food restaurant, this would be the one I suggest you support. Do not support the ones purposely poisoning you. You know the fast food restaurants that put a hundred poison chemicals in your french fries. Those ones I'm not going to mention names and don't support. Those that don't support bitcoin support our own Steak and Shake. And I'm a vegetarian and I'm telling you to support Steak and Shake. You know, doing big things. They were the first to begin accepting bitcoin payments across the restaurants back in May last year. The company said same store sales growth across the company owned and franchised locations rose 18% this year. So obviously it's working. Now we are trouncing our competitors thanks to growing support from loyal customers. And that's the dilio you got Bitcoin champions now promoting Steak and shake. Why? Because they're supporting bitcoin. So now they're going to get the network adoption from the community. And if you haven't figured it out, the bitcoin community is amazing. Ask the beginning fam. And here we are. Bitcoiner financial accountants said more companies should follow. Agreed. If they did this they will find it much easier to succeed because their bitcoin is like a backstop. I think most businesses fail because they aren't in the market long enough. Bitcoin extends your financial endurance. Amen. Bitcoin adoption has been ramping up amongst public companies over the past 12 months. Approximately 1 million Bitcoin are held in public treasury companies. A stash that is worth over 101 billion at today's prices. Alongside Steak and Shake, a commitment to continue accumulating the biddy. The company recently announced plans to offer bitcoin bonuses. So they're hiring to hourly employees at company operated locations.

[B]

The company said hourly employees will be able to collect as much as 21 cents per worked hour and as a bonus starting March 1st. And that's a bitcoin bonus by the way. How cool. Sentiment amongst bitcoiners have been decided or divided in recent times as the price traded sideways. But you already know, however the bulls are still suggesting 250000 incoming. Just send it. All right, fam. Now for our future story of the day. Probe into Venezuela's bitcoin reserve has been.

[C]

Confirmed by the white house advisor.

[B]

That's right. Executive director of the president's council of advisors for digital assets Mr. Patrick Witt said U. S. Officials are actively examining how Venezuela's madaro regime was financed, including whether any value sits in bitcoin and digital assets. And I would assume a large treasure.

[C]

Chest of gold as well as all.

[B]

Countries have gold reserves. Right.

[C]

As speculation mounted earlier this month that recent Venezuela link actions may have surfaced.

[B]

A large bitcoin cache, the comments stop.

[C]

Short of confirming any seizure, but they.

[B]

Place bitcoin explicitly inside an ongoing national security review.

[C]

Respect my authority.

[B]

That's right. Tuesday, wit asked whether digital assets were.

[C]

Seized and what the u. S. Might do with them. Wit declined to provide specifics. Now why the would they do that, Citing the sensitivity of the situation. But describe the interagency effort scrutinizing potential funding sources tied to the regime. That means if they find any, how much can they steal and confiscate?

[B]

Who knows? Obviously developing situation down there, still working through it. A lot of national security equities there. He says folks are talking, they're look.

[C]

I want to talk to Samson. They're looking at the situation overall, how Maduro regime was financed and where some of those assets, whether it's in the oil side, physical commodities or digital assets. Maybe now, if he was smart, yeah, he'd have a massive bitcoin stash, Right. It's the only asset the u. S. Government can't seize unless you hand over the private keys. So I can't comment on anything there as of now, but there are a.

[B]

Number of folks and the national security.

[C]

Apparatus engaged and looking into that. That makes me feel, you know, confident. Not the key takeaways for markets is procedural rather than tactical. Wit did not validate any of the claims the bitcoin or other tokens were seized but didn't deny it either, so keep that in mind. The white house caution comes against the viral claim Venezuela may control more than 600 000. Why is that a big deal? They say the US government currently has 300 000. If they just confiscated 600000 hypothetically, that means the US government already has 900,000 Bitcoin close to a million. That would be massive because they'd be able to keep it if they truly had it because it's a net neutral way they acquired it, then cost taxpayers a dot a dime. So that would be added to the bitcoin strategic reserve for the United States of America. That'd be pretty fucking amazing. Subsequent on chain analysts emphasize the gap between the headline number the blockchain analyst can actually prove. DL News reported forensic firms have struggled to find any bitcoin at any held by the regime, citing Arkham and other labs saying they have not identified holdings at that scale being claimed. Skepticism is also centered on the lack of traceable starting points. Fortune quoted Nansen, principal research analyst aurally saying the project Brazen report does not mention any address. It's a starting point. But here's the deal. Nobody knows, so your guess is as good as ours. But at the end of the day, let's entertain it. What if they did? Holy. And we just started pumping? We just surpassed 90,300 Bitcoin up now 3,000 on the day, 100,000 income and send it Nipinator indicator always on time. You know, he may wander in when he wants, but the indicator is always on time. Thank you Fed chair Nip. So we're pumping. Get a grip. Like Aerosmith.

[B]

But anyways, this is a Q A segment of the live stream. Let me know your thoughts.

[C]

Do you think Maduro likely has a bitcoin stash? And do you think the US government's.

[B]

Working on trying to get a hold of it?

[C]

Maybe someone holds the private keys. There's rumors a lawyer was holding the.

[B]

Private case for him. Who the really knows the truth?

[C]

But we shall find out.

[B]

Three things cannot be long hidden. The sun, the moon and the truth.

[C]

100K incoming. If we can get towards 100k, like.

[B]

Let'S say 96, we'll do a pump watch.

[C]

So hopefully we keep the pump, keep the momentum going.

[B]

Like I said I mentioned earlier, the October pump we should have had may have been stalled until February.

[C]

And February is this weekend. So let's freaking go Nip Anator. Bitcoin doesn't care about your feelings like.

[B]

Yo couch, I bet he has a stash.

[C]

I know, right? He does not know how to get the access. That's my guess.

[B]

They haven't announced anything because they're still trying to figure out how to get a hold of it.

[C]

Dude with the key is gonna be unalived.

[B]

Well, you gotta keep that secret. Well, if they got Maduro, theoretically they can torture him until he or they give him drugs. MK Ultra. So it's like truth serum. You don't know what's going on. But if someone asks you a question, you'll answer it.

[C]

They have all sorts of these techniques they've had for decades.

[B]

So if they truly want it, they probably figure out how to get it. It's also ironic his wife had a.

[C]

Black eye, which leads me to believe.

[B]

They'Re in the same Freemasonic brotherhood, these world leaders.

[C]

And it's the.

[B]

The picture they paint is not the reality, it's just the narrative because they're all actors playing their roles, you know.

[C]

Great entertainment for sure.

[B]

Why did they just go in and kill allegedly bin Laden, which they didn't really kill him, that was like a fake, you know. But why they allegedly go in and kill Saddam and Gaddafi. No mercy, just go in and kill and then Maduro. They don't kill. But the wife has a black eye.

[C]

It's just too much. Don't add up. You know we're being played is what I'm trying to say.

[B]

And don't forget to check out bitcoinnewsalerts.net for the full premium experience with video and to participate in the live stream along with the Q and A. And I look forward to seeing you on tomorrow's episode. Hoddle.

[D]

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements, or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads, go to Libsyn ads.com that's L I B S Y N ads.com today.