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The US Military Is Running A Bitcoin Node, Admiral Paparo Reveals

Authored by Micah Zimmerman via Bitcoin Magazine,

The United States military has an active node on the Bitcoin network, according to Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). The disclosure, made at a House Services committee hearing, marks the first known confirmation that a U.S. military combatant command is directly participating in the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network.

“We have a node on the Bitcoin network,” Paparo wrote. “We’re doing a number of operational tests to secure and protect networks using the Bitcoin protocol.”

The statement landed one day after Paparo made waves in Congress with testimony that framed Bitcoin as a tool of American power.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Four-star military officer Admiral Samuel Paparo confirms the USA is running a Bitcoin node.

"We have a node on the Bitcoin network right now. We're doing a number of operational tests to secure and protect networks using the Bitcoin protocol." pic.twitter.com/4JIOIMtlTW

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) April 22, 2026 What Paparo said yesterday

On April 21, Paparo testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a FY2027 defense authorization hearing. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) asked Paparo whether U.S. leadership in Bitcoin could give the country an edge against China in the Indo-Pacific theater.

Paparo did not deflect. He told the committee that INDOPACOM’s research centers on Bitcoin as a computer science tool — not as a financial asset.

“Our research into Bitcoin is as a computer science tool,” Paparo said.

“It’s the combination of cryptography, a blockchain, and a proof of work. And Bitcoin shows incredible potential as a computer science tool that through the proof-of-work protocols, actually imposes more cost than just the algorithmic securing of networks and our ability to operate.”

He described Bitcoin as “a peer-to-peer, zero-trust transfer of value” and said that “anything that supports all instruments of national power for the United States of America is to the good.”

The testimony was notable for what Paparo did not say. He did not describe Bitcoin as a reserve asset, a payment system, or a speculative instrument. He framed it as a computer science system with direct military relevance — a distinction that set his remarks apart from most official government commentary on crypto.

What running a Bitcoin node means

A Bitcoin node is a computer that runs the Bitcoin software, maintains a full copy of the blockchain, and independently validates every transaction and block against the network’s consensus rules. Nodes do not mine Bitcoin. They enforce the rules of the protocol and relay data across the peer-to-peer network.

Running a node gives an operator direct, trustless access to the Bitcoin network without relying on any third party. The operator’s computer connects to other nodes worldwide, verifies incoming transactions and blocks, and rejects anything that violates Bitcoin’s protocol rules.

For INDOPACOM, operating a node positions the command as a first-hand participant in the Bitcoin network, not an observer.

The disclosure that the military is conducting “operational tests to secure and protect networks using the Bitcoin protocol” suggests the command is moving beyond theoretical research and into active experimentation with Bitcoin’s cryptographic architecture as a defensive tool.

As of early 2026, there are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 publicly reachable full nodes on the Bitcoin network, though the actual number is likely higher since many nodes operate behind firewalls and are not publicly visible.

credittrader Thu, 04/23/2026 - 13:20

The bloodletting hit multiple departments — including the entire social media team and the brand’s Spanish-language operation, according to a report.

In 2023, Madix found herself at the center of the infamous "Scandoval" after her longtime boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, cheated on her with close friend and co-star Raquel Leviss.

In 2023, Madix found herself at the center of the infamous "Scandoval" after her longtime boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, cheated on her with close friend and co-star Raquel Leviss.

People online said that while airport pickups are not always convenient, many still consider them a thoughtful gesture rather than an obligation, particularly within families.

Republicans Open New Front In Growing Battle Against "Climate Lawfare"

Republicans in Congress are taking action to shield U.S. energy producers from “Climate lawfare,” the relentless barrage of frivolous lawsuits orchestrated by radical environmental activists.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced S.4340, a bill that would bar frivolous lawsuits from green activist groups seeking damages, injunctions, or other relief for harms allegedly caused by the end use of energy products. Senators Ted Budd (R- NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Mike Lee (R-UT) are cosponsoring the legislation. The House companion bill, H.R. 8330, was introduced yesterday by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY). The bill would also void any energy penalty law and preempts any states’ attempts to regulate interstate and global emissions.

RELEASE: Sens. Cruz, Cotton, Budd, Lee Introduce Bill to Combat Climate Lawfare and Defend American Energy https://t.co/XN4KgDIhE4 pic.twitter.com/Q3jWNb7J7m

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 20, 2026

“Radical environmental groups have waged a coordinated campaign to weaponize our judicial system against American energy producers, including many in Texas,” Cruz said in a statement. “They’re using meritless lawsuits to bankrupt our energy industry, kill good paying jobs, and drive up the cost of electricity and gasoline for hardworking families. I am proud to lead this bill to stop that abuse to protect American jobs, lower energy costs, and defend American energy dominance.”

“Energy security is national security, and we will not self-sabotage our critical industries with a cascade of costly lawsuits and extreme penalties that jeopardize American drilling. America’s energy producers should be protected from the dangerous legal precedent that would be set by the retroactive punishment of lawful activity,” Hageman said.

The bill has already won applause by energy groups aligned with President Donald Trump’s pro-growth agenda.

“Green left activists have always gone to extraordinary lengths to impose their anti-energy agenda on Americans. Filing sweeping lawsuits against oil and gas companies in an attempt to force policy outcomes they have failed to achieve in the legislative and administrative arenas is some of their most egregious work yet,” American Energy Alliance president Tom Pyle said. "This kind of politically motivated litigation threatens not only energy stability, security, and affordability but also the integrity of our legal system.”

The legislation arrives as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont have taken landmark legal action aimed at holding fossil fuel companies accountable for misrepresenting to the public about their products’ role in climate change.

On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous procedural victory for sanity, ruling that certain environmental damage lawsuits, including one against Chevron for alleged destruction of coastal wetlands in Louisiana, can be removed from hostile state courts to more neutral federal forums.

“Chevron’s case fits comfortably within the ordinary meaning of a suit ‘relating to’ the performance of federal duties,” said Justice Clarence Thomas. “Chevron has plausibly alleged a close relationship between its challenged conduct and the performance of its federal duties —not a tenuous, remote, or peripheral one.”

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/23/2026 - 13:00

Not a regular mom, a radiant mom...

Oscar-winning Navalny director Daniel Roher frames AI development within his fear of bringing his newborn child into an uncertain world.

Captivity was un-bear-able!  The black bear that vent viral for stubbornly clinging to a tree after cops in Albany tranquilized it was safely released back into the wild, wildlife officials said Thursday. The curious cub took animal rescues to new heights Tuesday when it made a spectacular plunge from a tree top into a padded net below...

"By far the most people will like stop me and be like, 'What scent is that?'" she said on her "Giggly Squad" podcast this week.

"By far the most people will like stop me and be like, 'What scent is that?'" she said on her "Giggly Squad" podcast this week.

Mystery Polymarket traders raked in huge profits after correctly predicting an unusual temperature spike at a weather station in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, prompting French officials to launch an investigation into suspected tampering.

Anne Hathaway stars as a struggling pop star in this dreamy new David Lowery film.

"I think he needs to apologize to his wife. He needs to buy her a ring bigger than a Super Bowl ring that he did not win at the last Super Bowl," she explained.

How to find the perfect bouquet, no green thumb necessary!

New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has mysteriously been missing from Capitol Hill since early last month due to unknown health issues.

RFK Jr. Tells Senate Glyphosate Causes Cancer

Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times,

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told senators on April 21 that glyphosate, a key ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, causes cancer and that human consumption of the chemical should be minimized.

His comments came amid growing political and legal controversy over the chemical, which is widely used in agriculture. During a Senate Budget Committee hearing, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) asked Kennedy whether the chemical caused cancer.

Without hesitation, Kennedy replied, “Yes.” Schatz also asked if the chemical was safe for human use.

“I mean, safe, or does it kill weeds? It kills weeds,” Kennedy said. “I would say it’s important to minimize consumption of glyphosate as much as possible.”

Schatz told Kennedy he was being “uncharacteristically diplomatic about glyphosate,” which Kennedy, a standard-bearer for the Make America Healthy Again movement, denied.

Kennedy helped secure a $289 million award from Monsanto in 2018 while representing a client who alleged Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Now, Kennedy is the leading health official for an administration that is defending Monsanto in a Supreme Court case set for oral argument just days after the health secretary’s testimony.

That case, known as Monsanto v. Durnell, similarly involves a man alleging that Monsanto’s Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The Justice Department didn’t argue as much on glyphosate’s alleged health hazards as it did that the lower-court verdict against Monsanto was legally flawed.

President Donald Trump addressed the issue in February, signing an executive order that said glyphosate-based herbicides were critical to the nation’s economy and national security.

“Any major restrictions in access to glyphosate-based herbicides would result in economic losses for growers and make it untenable for them to meet growing food and feed demands,” his order reads.

“Ensuring an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides is thus crucial to the national security and defense, including food-supply security, which is essential to protecting the health and safety of Americans.”

Schatz told Kennedy he had many friends in Hawaii who supported the health secretary, but they were shocked when Kennedy put out a February statement in support of Trump’s executive order on glyphosate, which would also give immunity to manufacturers if Congress were to pass it into law.

“Pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design,” Kennedy wrote in a post on X. “Unfortunately, our agricultural system depends heavily on these chemicals.”

The executive order, and Kennedy’s reaction, led to pushback among Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, supporters, who denounced Trump’s characterization of glyphosate as critical to national security.

“I was very clear with the president about my own displeasure with the executive order,” Kennedy told Schatz. “The president felt it was necessary for national security reasons.”

The health secretary said the idea for the executive order came from the Pentagon, and the administration regards the issue as one that Trump inherited—not created.

The overwhelming majority of American agriculture relies on glyphosate-based herbicides, and “100 percent of that is coming from China,” Kennedy said.

“You have an adversary that could literally shut down the American food supply overnight,” he testified. “[Trump’s] executive order does not increase the use of glyphosate. All it says is, as long as we’re dependent on it, we’re going to make it here.”

In Kennedy’s X post, he stated that cross-agency steps are being taken to shift away from harmful agricultural practices. The health secretary reaffirmed this goal to lawmakers at the April 21 hearing.

Monsanto has denied Roundup causes cancer and has argued no cancer warning is necessary because the Environmental Protection Agency has historically considered Roundup and glyphosate safe to use.

Tyler Durden Thu, 04/23/2026 - 12:40

A kitchen upgrade for less.

After dealing with the loss of Juan Soto for 15 games — and a dozen losses — due to a calf strain, the Mets could be looking at a similar stretch without Francisco Lindor with a calf injury. The Post’s Mike Puma reported that Lindor, scheduled to receive an MRI on his left calf Thursday...

The Republican president paused refugee admissions from around the world when he took office in January 2025.