Today&#8217;s edition of the weekly recap covers the arrest of Blum co-founder Vladimir Smerkis, progress on U.S. stablecoin legislation, and World Liberty Financial&#8217;s blockchain integration. Russian authorities arrest former Binance exec Alabama man sentenced for SEC social media hack Stablecoin…

Blum co-founder arrested, GENIUS Act proceeds, Trump’s WLFI integrates Chainlink | Weekly Recap

Panama City might be on the verge of taking an important step in becoming a 
bitcoin pioneer. The mayor of Panama City, Mayer Mizrachi, has awoken 
speculation from part of the crypto community, with a cryptic post after 
meeting known bitcoin proponents Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert. In social 
media, Mizrachi assessed that this meeting […]

Panama City Eyes Bold Move With Potential Bitcoin Reserve

Argentine federal judge María Servini has ordered banks to disclose President 
Javier Milei’s and his sister Karina’s financial records as part of a probe 
into an alleged LIBRA cryptocurrency fraud tied to millions in losses. 
Argentine President Milei Skips Mediation as Judge Seeks Financial Records in 
Crypto Scam Local media reports that a federal Judge […]

Argentine Judge Orders Financial Disclosure of President Milei in LIBRA Fraud Case

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he rejected pressure from a European Union 
(EU) country to censor political content on the social media platform ahead of 
the May 18 presidential elections in Romania.
According to Durov, a Western European government, which he hinted at with a 
baguette emoji, approached the platform and requested it censor conservative 
voices, which he flatly denied. Durov wrote in a May 18 Telegram post:
&gt; &#8220;You can&#8217;t &#8216;defend democracy&#8217; by destroying democracy. You can&#8217;t &#8216;fight 
&gt; election interference&#8217; by interfering with elections. You either have 
&gt; freedom of speech and fair elections &#8212; or you don&#8217;t. And the Romanian 
&gt; people deserve both.&#8221;
The Telegram founder is an ardent defender of free speech, who is highly 
regarded in the crypto community for his stances on freedom of expression, 
autonomy, privacy, and individual liberty.
_Source:__Pavel Durov_
 _**Related:**__**Pavel Durov says Telegram would exit markets before 
betraying users**_
## Durov thrust into the spotlight following arrest in France
Pavel Durov was arrested in France in August 2024, sparking widespread 
condemnation from the crypto community and free speech advocates worldwide, 
who accused the French government of orchestrating a politically-motivated 
arrest.
French President Emmanuel Macron denied the arrest was political while 
claiming the French government was &#8220;committed to freedom of expression and 
communication&#8221; in an August 26 X post.
&#8220;You can&#8217;t keep founders personally liable, and charge them up to 20 years, 
for not moderating speech, and at the same time claim you are deeply committed 
to freedom of expression,&#8221; Helius Labs CEO Mert Mumtaz wrote in response to 
Macron.
Shortly after Durov&#8217;s arrest, Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of Rumble &#8212; a free 
speech online video platform &#8212; announced that he safely departed the European 
Union after France threatened Rumble.
The CEO also criticized the French government for the arrest of the Telegram 
co-founder, characterizing it as an attempt to pressure him into censoring 
speech on the platform.
Durov maintains that Telegram complies with lawful information requests made 
by law enforcement officials and said that the company has a legal 
representative in France who handles such requests.
The Telegram co-founder also criticized the French government for bypassing 
the legal representative and choosing to issue an arrest warrant instead.
_**Magazine:**__**Did Telegram &#8216;s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers 
weigh in**_

Pavel Durov rejects EU pressure to censor Romanian election content

Solana (SOL) has struggled to maintain momentum after a rally that saw it peak 
around the $183 level on May 14. Since then, Solana&#8217;s price action on the 
4-hour chart hasn&#8217;t given a clear direction, with the cryptocurrency pulling 
back to retest a key support zone near $166. Related Reading: Analysis: Crypto 
Heats Up As $35 Billion Enters Market In Under A Month At the time of writing, 
Solana is trading around $169.43, up slightly by 0.70% on the day, as it 
attempts to defend this crucial support level and build a foundation for 
another upward move. Interestingly, a technical outlook on the TradingView 
platform has pointed to the paths Solana might take in the coming days. $166 
Support Holds Repeated Tests, Break Above $177 Or $183 Will Be Bullish 
According to a recent analysis posted by TradeCityPro on TradingView, the 
$166.82 level is serving as a key short-term pivot for Solana. After a bullish 
leg that began at $142.25 and extended to $177.51, the asset experienced a 
fake breakout attempt beyond that resistance and was swiftly rejected at 
$183.86. This rejection brought the price back below $177.51 and into a retest 
of the $166.82 region. Notably, this support level has been tested twice so 
far and has held firm. The 4-hour chart is showing strong bullish candles 
forming around $166, which is an indication of a strong buying interest at 
this price level. Keeping this in mind, a breakout above either the $177.51 or 
$183.86 resistance would be the go ahead for a long position, especially if 
accompanied by the formation of a higher low and higher high beforehand. Until 
such a breakout occurs, the current setup is one of indecision. A successful 
breach and daily close above $177 backed by rising volume would likely set the 
stage for another move toward the $190 to $200 region for Solana. Chart Image 
From TradingView Short Trade Also Valid Below $166 Support Zone Market volume, 
however, has declined from last week’s levels. At the time of writing, 
Solana’s 24-hour trading volume is $2.3 billion, a 36.15% decrease from the 
previous 24-hour timeframe. As such, a new wave of momentum will be required 
to drive Solana through the resistance levels at $177 and $183. For now, the 
Solana price is consolidating tightly above $166, and failure to hold this 
level could open the door for a retest of the deeper $142.25 support. Related 
Reading: ‘Judgment Day Is Coming’—XRP Set To Explode, Analyst Warns If bears 
gain control and push the price lower, the next significant demand zone lies 
back at $142.25, which is the origin point of the previous bullish move. Given 
how the price reacted from this level earlier on April 30 and on May 6, it is 
expected to act as a strong support again if tested. At the time of writing, 
Solana is trading at $171. up by 1.6% in the past 24 hours. Featured image 
from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Solana Price Holds $166 Support After Rejection From $183 – What Comes Next?

Over the weekend, countless social media accounts buzzed with discussion about 
a prominent Hyperliquid whale, who’s currently holding an exceptionally high- 
leverage bitcoin position—valued at approximately $392 million and executed 
with an aggressive 40x long. Crypto Crowd Stunned as Trader Piles Into 40x 
Bitcoin Long on Hyperliquid This weekend, social platforms have been buzzing 
with chatter […]