Bitcoin Tonight - 040

— Roger Ver apologizes after years of promoting Bitcoin Cash as a savior narrative, with Bitcoin surviving despite his predicted failures; his downfall stemmed from marrying one false narrative and making Bitcoin about himself.

— Halston (23-year-old Bitcoin influencer) attacked Sydney Sweeney's gambling ad as exploitative while using her own attractiveness to sell custodial services, exemplifying moral hypocrisy in Bitcoin marketing.

— Blockstream liquid sidechain hacker stole 4,000 Bitcoin, returned 3,400, and now demands 400 Bitcoin bounty; hosts debate whether this is extortion, gray-hat, or black-hat behavior.

— Astrologer Aaron Redwing criticized Bitcoin culture as "conservative and anti-tech," while promoting ordinals and crypto marketing herself—another case of influencers judging Bitcoin while profiting from it.

— Trump promised $5,000 dividend to every adult citizen if he wins the House and Senate, which may violate 18 U.S. Code 597 on illegal electoral inducements.

— Bitcoin treasury companies (Satsuma, Cooler Technology, Matador) are liquidating positions and shutting down, showing most failed in their pump-and-dump cycles rather than creating lasting value.

— Do not blindly follow or defend Bitcoin influencers and product creators; most will eventually disappoint or reveal themselves as self-serving salesmen using marketing narratives to enrich themselves.

— If the government distributes $5,000 per person (or any stimulus), consider allocating it to Bitcoin rather than fiat-denominated assets, as demonstrated by the long-term returns from COVID-era stimulus payments held in cold storage.

— Avoid investing in newly launched Bitcoin treasury or ETF-adjacent companies; historical pattern shows most collapse or trade at pennies on the dollar, with few surviving through absorption at distressed valuations.