Polish President: Putin may use force against NATO's eastern flank at any time.
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US senators have proposed banning elected officials and the president from issuing or sponsoring personal tokens.
PANews reported on July 4th, citing Cointelegraph, that US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has proposed banning elected officials and the president from issuing or sponsoring their own tokens. In a statement, Gillibrand said Congress should support measures prohibiting elected officials and their spouses from “issuing or sponsoring their own digital assets.” The New York senator stated that the proposed restrictions would cover all US presidents and their spouses, but did not explicitly mention whether the provision would be extended to the vice president or their family members. Gillibrand was one of the senators behind the negotiations for the Senate's CLARITY Act, which has been repeatedly delayed due to concerns about ethics, tokenization, and stablecoin rewards.
Trump: The United States launched a strong strike against Iran last night because it fired rockets at ships.
According to Odaily Odaily, US President Trump stated that the US launched a strong strike against Iran last night because Iran fired rockets at ships. In addition, Trump stated that the United States has long been "unfairly treated" within NATO, bearing a disproportionate share of the costs; Greenland is a major issue for the United States; and he has instructed Treasury Secretary Bessenter to terminate all trade with Spain, calling Spain a "bad partner" in NATO. (Jinshi)
A summary of the latest situation in the Middle East: Trump approves plan to strike Iran; Iran believes the US will cause peace talks to fail.
BlockBeats reports the following is a summary of the latest situation in the Middle East on July 8th: Conflict Situation: Trump approved the strike plan against Iran. US officials stated that the strike against Iran was a "punitive action, not a reciprocal response," and that the operation "will not end anytime soon." A US official stated that the strike launched by the US against Iran on Tuesday was four to five times larger and more powerful than the strike launched 10 days earlier. The US revoked a general license authorizing the sale of Iranian oil, allowing related final transactions to continue until midnight Eastern Time on July 17th. This move is reportedly in response to Iran's recent firing on three merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that some merchant ships were sailing without coordination and had turned off or tampered with AIS signals, hindering safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. It urged regional countries and shipping companies to avoid any actions that violate the memorandum. The U.S. Central Command stated that its forces have initiated a series of powerful strikes against Iran in response to Iranian targeting and attacks on commercial shipping operated by civilian crews in international waterways. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. Treasury Department's revocation of the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales. U.S.-Iran Negotiations: Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi stated that if the threats persist, negotiations for a final agreement will not begin; please honor your commitments. Iran's Supreme Leader's advisor, Rezaei, stated that it is clear the U.S. will cause the negotiations to fail. Lebanese diplomatic sources indicated that Lebanon refused to hold the sixth round of Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome, insisting that negotiations should continue in Washington. Strait of Hormuz: A liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier was attacked in the Gulf of Oman. Multiple explosions occurred in the southern Iranian port city of Sirik. Explosions were heard on Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. British Maritime Authority: The threat level in the Strait of Hormuz has been raised to "serious".
AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic are offering startups large amounts of free computing power in an effort to seize market share.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on July 7th, as reported by Mars Finance, AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are offering substantial free computing power and discounts to startups to compete for enterprise customers. The report states that Silicon Valley startup founders are receiving computing credits, token usage limits, and auction-style discounts from AI model companies. Some early-stage companies have received over $3 million in cloud computing and token credits, approaching the median of seed funding in the US according to PitchBook. AI companies hope to acquire customers in the early stages of startups, making their tools an integral part of their business as these companies grow. Cursor offered a 75% discount until July 5th; Google Cloud offered up to $500,000 in cloud computing credits to some startups, along with early access to the Gemini model and, in some cases, support from DeepMind engineers. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services also offer special privileges to startups. OpenAI and Anthropic have recently been particularly focused on Y Combinator startups. In May, Sam Altman announced that OpenAI would offer $2 million in tokens to each startup participating in its accelerator program in exchange for equity. Around the same time, Anthropic increased its free token allocation to Y Combinator startups from $30,000 to $500,000, without requiring equity. OpenAI subsequently adjusted its offer, providing startups with $500,000 in free tokens, without requiring equity, and offering the option to exchange equity for an additional $1.5 million in tokens. These offers reflect the fierce competition among model providers for future large clients. Y Combinator runs four cohorts annually, with recent cohorts featuring approximately 200 companies each, meaning that OpenAI and Anthropic could potentially offer a combined $800 million in AI tokens over the next year. Christopher Acker, co-founder of SuperPenguin, stated, "The AI world is being driven by OpenAI and Anthropic because they are giving startups money to pay for usage costs."
The escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine has drawn attention from risk markets, with Trump speaking separately with Putin and Zelensky.
According to BlockBeats, on July 6th, CNBC reported several significant developments in the Russia-Ukraine situation over the past 72 hours. US President Trump spoke separately with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky. Following the Ukrainian drone attack on Russian oil depots and port facilities in St. Petersburg, Russia launched its second large-scale airstrike on Kyiv within a week, prompting renewed market focus on geopolitical, energy security, and European defense risks. Zelensky stated that he had discussed the situation on the front lines with Trump and agreed to continue consultations at the upcoming NATO summit, saying, "There is a real chance to end this war, and America's resolve is crucial." The Kremlin stated that Trump and Putin spoke for approximately 90 minutes, discussing ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the prospects for future US-Russia cooperation. Kremlin aide Ushakov stated that the call was "pragmatic and constructive," with Trump emphasizing the need to end the conflict as soon as possible to unlock the potential for cooperation between the two countries. Meanwhile, Ukraine has recently intensified its attacks on Russian energy facilities and military targets. According to Ukraine, it attacked a large oil terminal in St. Petersburg and the Kronstadt naval base, home to the Russian Baltic Fleet, causing fires at the facilities. In response, Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv early Monday morning, killing at least 11 people and severely damaging several residential buildings. The Institute for War Studies (ISW), a US think tank, believes that Russia is attempting to convey to the West a narrative that it still maintains the initiative on the battlefield, while the Trump administration has recently been more publicly mentioning Ukraine's progress in long-range strikes against Russian military and energy facilities, indicating that the public relations battle between the two sides over the battlefield situation continues.
Putin briefed Trump on the battlefield situation, and Trump said he would continue to mediate the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to BlockBeats, on July 5th, Russian Presidential Aide Ushakov stated that Putin briefed Trump on the true situation on the battlefield, noting that Russian armed forces are steadily advancing along the entire front, liberating settlements one after another. Ushakov stated that European countries are acting based on a flawed understanding of the overall situation and the actual conditions along the line of contact. He said that Ukraine and its European supporters are betting on prolonging and escalating the conflict, including through terrorist attacks against civilians. Ushakov stated that the liberation of Konstantinovka is a crucial stage in the liberation of the entire Donetsk People's Republic territory, and that regardless of the stubbornness of the Kyiv regime, Russian forces will conquer the remaining Ukrainian fortified areas. Trump reiterated his willingness to assist in ending the conflict as soon as possible and resolving the crisis peacefully. Trump stated that his special envoy Witkov and son-in-law Kushner are ready to travel to Moscow at the appropriate time to continue mediation efforts.