Freedom Index
The News Roundup
View More NewsIn brief Bitcoin posted its worst quarterly performance since 2018, falling about 22%. The cryptocurrency outperformed equities and gold after the Iran war outbreak. Analysts point to Fed policy and a resolution to the Middle East conflict as key Q2 catalysts. Bitcoin closed the first quarter of 2026 with its worst performance since early 2018, shedding nearly a quarter of its value as war, tariffs, and a hawkish Federal Reserve battered risk assets.The cryptocurrency fell from around $95,000 in February to roughly $66,700 by quarter’s end, a decline of about 22% year-to-date, according to a report from institutional trading firm…
In brief Spain’s LaLiga has become the first European soccer league to partner with prediction market platform Polymarket. The deal includes broadcast visibility, digital programming, and exclusive fan experiences in North American markets. The move marks an expansion in Polymarket’s sports partnership strategy following recent deals with major U.S. leagues. Spain’s LaLiga has become the first European soccer league to partner with Polymarket in the U.S. and Canada, in a multi-year deal that gives the platform exclusive prediction market rights across the United States and Canada.The agreement grants Polymarket broadcast visibility during LaLiga matches, digital programming opportunities, and exclusive fan…
AI & Crypto
Read MorePolitics
Don't Miss!
Opinions & Debates
I travel a lot, and this is one of my dad’s favourite things to brag about over coffee with his mates. Previous destinations—Mexico, Colorado, Bali—all elicited curiosity or envy. But now I was going to Israel for the first time, and his friends’ reaction was telling. “Why the hell would she want to go there?” they asked. Maybe they genuinely believe Israel is a warzone where people run to and from bomb shelters all day every day. But more likely, I suspect, they’re making a moral judgement, suggesting that visiting a country shows complicity in its perceived evils. I am very…
Latest News
Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms sold 3,778 Bitcoin in the first quarter, adding to a recent wave of sales by crypto firms amid tough market…
In brief Vitalik Buterin runs AI entirely on local hardware using the open-source Qwen3.5:35B model, avoiding cloud-based tools he considers a privacy risk. He…
from the move-fast-and-nuke-things dept This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Last summer, a group of officials from the Department of Energy…
Coinbase’s AI-focused payment protocol x402 is moving toward becoming an open, standardized infrastructure under the Linux Foundation, the non-profit hub for open-source software development.…
Two years ago, Congress passed the “Reforming Intelligence and Securing America” Act (RISAA) that included nominal reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence…
A short excerpt from the long decision in Canel v. Art Institute of Chicago, decided yesterday by Judge Georgia Alexakis (N.D. Ill.): The First…
Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is heartened by a United States District Court decision on Friday in the case of…
CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading…
Rumors are circulating that a tentative deal has been struck between the White House and US lawmakers on stablecoin yield, potentially moving the CLARITY…
In brief A North Carolina man pleaded guilty to conspiracy tied to an AI-generated music streaming scheme. Prosecutors say fake accounts generated billions of…
The Trump administration’s battle against Ivy League institutions continued on Friday, when it filed a lawsuit against Harvard University for violating federal civil rights…
Bogotá, March 20, 2026—Ecuadorian authorities must swiftly and comprehensively investigate the shooting of journalist José Vinces Oviedo in the southern city of Huaquillas and hold those…