Natalie Brunell's Coin Stories

CFTC Chairman Mike Selig joins me in his first long-form interview since his agency proposed major new rules for crypto exchanges this week. With the Clarity Act dead in Congress, they're building the framework anyway, and he explains what it covers, what it doesn't, and why he thinks it outlasts this administration.
Topics:
What the new rules actually change for anyone who owns or trades digital assets
Whether these rules could have prevented FTX, and what he says would have been different
How the CFTC polices manipulation without turning into surveillance
Where meme coins landed in the new classification, and why that decides whether they can be listed
Whether owning Bitcoin is a bet for or against America
His answer to the critic who compared crypto to cocaine
What still has to happen before you can borrow against Bitcoin at scale
Follow CFTC Chairman Mike Selig on X https://x.com/ChairmanSelig
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Order Natalie's new book "Bitcoin is For Everyone," a simple introduction to Bitcoin and what’s broken in our current financial system: https://amzn.to/3WzFzfU
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Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious holders, with rates that get lower as your loan size increases. With Ledn's custodied loan product, your Bitcoin is held in custody and not lent out. Ledn has operated through multiple market cycles without a loss of client assets and publishes Proof of Reserves so you can verify what they hold.
Get 0.25% off your first loan at ledn.io/natalie. Terms apply — see the site for details.
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Bitdeer Technologies Group (NASDAQ: BTDR) powers AI and Bitcoin mining infrastructure with 3 GW of secured global energy — and owns the entire stack, from equipment manufacturing to data centers to proprietary orchestration software. Learn more at https://www.bitdeer.com.
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Explore Bitcoin mining as part of your tax and alternative investment strategy. Own the equipment. Keep 100% of the Bitcoin it produces. Fully managed in the U.S. Learn more and get 1 month of free hosting: AbundantMines.com/Natalie
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Bitgo is the digital asset infrastructure company trusted by institutions worldwide for regulated, insured custody, trading, settlement, and liquidity. BitGo now offers that same institutional-grade, insured qualified custodian to individuals—completely free! Learn more at https://www.bitgo.com/natalie
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Learn about multisig self-custody without a seed phrase. Download Bitkey Today and use my promo code STORIES to get 10% off the new Bitkey. This episode has been sponsored by Bitkey: https://bitkey.world/STORIES
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Master Bitcoin self-custody and gain peace of mind with 1-on-1 training: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/natalie?utm_source=partner-natalie&utm_medium=podcast
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With BitcoinIRA, you can invest in bitcoin 24/7 inside a tax-advantaged IRA. Choose a Traditional IRA to defer taxes, or a Roth IRA for tax-free withdrawals later. Take control of your future with BitcoinIRA: https://www.bitcoinira.com/natalie
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Natalie's Upcoming Events:
The Sovereign Summit is coming to Miami in February 2027. Get discounted passes using code HODL: https://thesovereignsummit.com
The best time to plan for Bitcoin 2027 is right now. Early bird tickets are live — grab the lowest pricing available and use code HODL for 10% off: https://tickets.b.tc/event/bitcoin-2027?promoCodeTask=apply&promoCodeInput=HODL
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Extra Services to Consider:
One of the best decisions I made for both my heath and my bank account was joining CrowdHealth years ago. I never spend more than $200 on health coverage through my CrowdHealth plan and all my health events have been crowd-funded. Get started with a discounted plan at my link. : www.joincrowdhealth.com/natalie


ABOUT COIN STORIES & THE NEWS BLOCK
Natalie Brunell's content features conversations with leading voices in Bitcoin, economics, finance, and technology, exploring the future of money and how it impacts our lives.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE
Read Bitcoin is for Everyone: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com/freechapters
Subscribe to the free newsletter: https://thenewsblock.substack.com
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nataliebrunell
Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/NatBrunell
Follow Natalie on X: https://www.x.com/natbrunell
Website: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com

PARTNERSHIPS & INQUIRIES
Interested in sponsoring Coin Stories? Contact info@talkingbitcoin.com

DISCLAIMER
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Guest views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Natalie Brunell or the show. Paid partnerships, sponsorships, and affiliate relationships are disclosed where applicable. Natalie Brunell may earn commissions from purchases or sign-ups through certain links, at no additional cost to you. Always conduct your own research before making financial decisions.

Cem Karsan is back with some big calls. He thinks the U.S. has boxed itself in so badly that the only way out is for the government to start printing money and buying stocks directly, and he doesn't think we're waiting years for it. He also walks through why a market crash has to come first, when he expects it, and where Bitcoin lands in all of this.
How a handful of stocks hold up the entire S&P, and what happens to the other 94% if they crack
Why he says this year's earnings growth is just the market counting its own gains twice
How a two-month rally created five times more money than everything printed during Covid
Why he thinks the government needs a 25-35% crash first, and the Hank Paulson interview he reads as the warning shot
What the government will tell people when it starts buying stocks
Why he owns Bitcoin and still doesn't think it'll be allowed to win
Cem is a former market maker who now runs Kai Volatility Advisors. Follow him on X at https://x.com/jam_croissant
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Order Natalie's new book "Bitcoin is For Everyone," a simple introduction to Bitcoin and what's broken in our current financial system: https://amzn.to/3WzFzfU
----
SHOW PARTNERS
Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious holders, with rates that get lower as your loan size increases. With Ledn's custodied loan product, your Bitcoin is held in custody and not lent out. Ledn has operated through multiple market cycles without a loss of client assets and publishes Proof of Reserves so you can verify what they hold.
Get 0.25% off your first loan at ledn.io/natalie. Terms apply — see the site for details.
----
Bitdeer Technologies Group (NASDAQ: BTDR) powers AI and Bitcoin mining infrastructure with 3 GW of secured global energy — and owns the entire stack, from equipment manufacturing to data centers to proprietary orchestration software. Learn more at https://www.bitdeer.com
----
Explore Bitcoin mining as part of your tax and alternative investment strategy. Own the equipment. Keep 100% of the Bitcoin it produces. Fully managed in the U.S. Learn more and get 1 month of free hosting: https://www.AbundantMines.com/natalie
----
Bitgo is the digital asset infrastructure company trusted by institutions worldwide for regulated, insured custody, trading, settlement, and liquidity. BitGo now offers that same institutional-grade, insured qualified custodian to individuals—completely free! Learn more at https://www.bitgo.com/natalie
----
Learn about multisig self-custody without a seed phrase. Download Bitkey Today and use my promo code STORIES to get 10% off the new Bitkey. This episode has been sponsored by Bitkey: https://bitkey.world/STORIES
----
Master Bitcoin self-custody and gain peace of mind with 1-on-1 training: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/natalie?utm_source=partner-natalie&utm_medium=podcast
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With BitcoinIRA, you can invest in bitcoin 24/7 inside a tax-advantaged IRA. Choose a Traditional IRA to defer taxes, or a Roth IRA for tax-free withdrawals later. Take control of your future with BitcoinIRA: https://www.bitcoinira.com/natalie
----
Natalie's Upcoming Events:
The Sovereign Summit is coming to Miami in February 2027. Get discounted passes using code HODL: https://thesovereignsummit.com
The best time to plan for Bitcoin 2027 is right now. Early bird tickets are live — grab the lowest pricing available and use code HODL for 10% off: https://tickets.b.tc/event/bitcoin-2027?promoCodeTask=apply&promoCodeInput=HODL
Extra Services to Consider:
One of the best decisions I made for both my heath and my bank account was joining CrowdHealth years ago. I never spend more than $200 on health coverage through my CrowdHealth plan and all my health events have been crowd-funded. Get started with a discounted plan at my link. : www.joincrowdhealth.com/natalie

ABOUT COIN STORIES & THE NEWS BLOCK
Natalie Brunell's content features conversations with leading voices in Bitcoin, economics, finance, and technology, exploring the future of money and how it impacts our lives.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE
Read Bitcoin is for Everyone: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com/freechapters
Subscribe to the free newsletter: https://thenewsblock.substack.com
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nataliebrunell
Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/NatBrunell
Follow Natalie on X: https://www.x.com/natbrunell
Website: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com

PARTNERSHIPS & INQUIRIES
Interested in sponsoring Coin Stories? Contact info@talkingbitcoin.com

DISCLAIMER
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Guest views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Natalie Brunell or the show. Paid partnerships, sponsorships, and affiliate relationships are disclosed where applicable. Natalie Brunell may earn commissions from purchases or sign-ups through certain links, at no additional cost to you. Always conduct your own research before making financial decisions.

In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance:
The Fed hiked on bad jobs data: 60,000 jobs just vanished from the record
The $6 billion experiment: the Treasury is buying its own debt to push rates down, and rates went up anyway
"Crypto Mom" signs off: nine years, a hundred dissents, one goodbye letter, and a two-person SEC left to write the rules
Gold for Bitcoin? Citi's $113K call, a nine-day ETF streak, and the most conservative investor on earth making a trade nobody saw coming
Powered exclusively by Ledn. Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans with rates that decrease as loan size increases. Your Bitcoin is held in custody and never lent out, and Ledn publishes Proof of Reserves. Get 0.25% off your first loan at ledn.io/natalie. Terms apply.
Free newsletter: Every story with charts and visuals — thenewsblock.substack.com
My book: "Bitcoin Is for Everyone," a beginner-friendly introduction to Bitcoin — Order on Amazon. Signed copies at shop.talkingbitcoin.com, powered by Speed Wallet.
Upcoming events: The Sovereign Summit Miami, code HODL for 10% off — thesovereignsummit.com. Bitcoin Nashville 2027 early-bird tickets, code HODL for 10% off — tickets.b.tc.

ABOUT COIN STORIES & THE NEWS BLOCK
Natalie Brunell's content features conversations with leading voices in Bitcoin, economics, finance, and technology, exploring the future of money and how it impacts our lives.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE
Read Bitcoin is for Everyone: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com/freechapters
Subscribe to the free newsletter: https://thenewsblock.substack.com
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nataliebrunell
Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/NatBrunell
Follow Natalie on X: https://www.x.com/natbrunell
Website: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com

PARTNERSHIPS & INQUIRIES
Interested in sponsoring Coin Stories? Contact info@talkingbitcoin.com

DISCLAIMER
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Guest views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Natalie Brunell or the show. Paid partnerships, sponsorships, and affiliate relationships are disclosed where applicable. Natalie Brunell may earn commissions from purchases or sign-ups through certain links, at no additional cost to you. Always conduct your own research before making financial decisions.

My guest this week is Paula Pendley, a partner at Nelson Mullins who defends data centers and Bitcoin miners in court, and she joins us as the fight over where these facilities get built is spreading across the country. Towns are passing moratoriums, politicians are campaigning on power bills, and the coverage so far has mostly come from one direction.

She brings a case she couldn't fully discuss last time, when 37 neighbors in a small Texas county sued MARA over the facility next door and claimed the noise was damaging their health. We get into what happened when that case reached discovery, and then into the bigger question of how any of us are supposed to coexist with the infrastructure behind the technology we all use every day:

• What the plaintiffs were asked to produce, and which claims vanished first

• The difference between a legal nuisance and something you simply don't want nearby

• What changes when a Bitcoin mine becomes an AI data center

• Why the places saying no may be the ones that fall behind

Follow Paula Pendley on X https://x.com/paulapendleyLAW 
----
Order Natalie's new book "Bitcoin is For Everyone," a simple introduction to Bitcoin and what’s broken in our current financial system: https://amzn.to/3WzFzfU 
----
Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious holders, with rates that get lower as your loan size increases. With Ledn's custodied loan product, your Bitcoin is held in custody and not lent out. Ledn has operated through multiple market cycles without a loss of client assets and publishes Proof of Reserves so you can verify what they hold.
Get 0.25% off your first loan at ledn.io/natalie. Terms apply — see the site for details.
----
Bitdeer Technologies Group (NASDAQ: BTDR) powers AI and Bitcoin mining infrastructure with 3 GW of secured global energy — and owns the entire stack, from equipment manufacturing to data centers to proprietary orchestration software. Learn more at https://www.bitdeer.com.
----
Explore Bitcoin mining as part of your tax and alternative investment strategy. Own the equipment. Keep 100% of the Bitcoin it produces. Fully managed in the U.S. Learn more and get 1 month of free hosting: AbundantMines.com/Natalie
----
Bitgo is the digital asset infrastructure company trusted by institutions worldwide for regulated, insured custody, trading, settlement, and liquidity. BitGo now offers that same institutional-grade, insured qualified custodian to individuals—completely free! Learn more at https://www.bitgo.com/natalie 
----
Learn about multisig self-custody without a seed phrase. Download Bitkey Today and use my promo code STORIES to get 10% off the new Bitkey. This episode has been sponsored by Bitkey: https://bitkey.world/STORIES 
----
Master Bitcoin self-custody and gain peace of mind with 1-on-1 training: https://www.thebitcoinway.com/natalie?utm_source=partner-natalie&utm_medium=podcast
----
With BitcoinIRA, you can invest in bitcoin 24/7 inside a tax-advantaged IRA. Choose a Traditional IRA to defer taxes, or a Roth IRA for tax-free withdrawals later. Take control of your future with BitcoinIRA: https://www.bitcoinira.com/natalie 
----
Natalie's Upcoming Events:
The Sovereign Summit is coming to Miami in February 2027. Get discounted passes using code HODL: https://thesovereignsummit.com 
The best time to plan for Bitcoin 2027 is right now. Early bird tickets are live — grab the lowest pricing available and use code HODL for 10% off: https://tickets.b.tc/event/bitcoin-2027?promoCodeTask=apply&promoCodeInput=HODL 
----
Extra Services to Consider:
One of the best decisions I made for both my heath and my bank account was joining CrowdHealth years ago. I never spend more than $200 on health coverage through my CrowdHealth plan and all my health events have been crowd-funded. Get started with a discounted plan at my link. : www.joincrowdhealth.com/natalie 

ABOUT COIN STORIES & THE NEWS BLOCK
Natalie Brunell's content features conversations with leading voices in Bitcoin, economics, finance, and technology, exploring the future of money and how it impacts our lives.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE
Read Bitcoin is for Everyone: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com/freechapters
Subscribe to the free newsletter: https://thenewsblock.substack.com
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nataliebrunell
Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/NatBrunell
Follow Natalie on X: https://www.x.com/natbrunell
Website: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com

PARTNERSHIPS & INQUIRIES
Interested in sponsoring Coin Stories? Contact info@talkingbitcoin.com

DISCLAIMER
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Guest views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Natalie Brunell or the show. Paid partnerships, sponsorships, and affiliate relationships are disclosed where applicable. Natalie Brunell may earn commissions from purchases or sign-ups through certain links, at no additional cost to you. Always conduct your own research before making financial decisions.

Why does everything cost more while the quality keeps getting worse?
That's the question behind this episode. We look at why your paycheck doesn't stretch as far, why buying a home is so much harder, and why so many things cost more while giving you less.
From shrinkflation and CEO incentives to bailouts and crony capitalism, the bigger story is about the rules and incentives underneath the economy. And that leads to the final question: what changed about the money itself, and where does Bitcoin fit in?
📖 Want to go deeper? Read the first two chapters of my book, Bitcoin Is for Everyone, free: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com/freechapters
📰 Subscribe to my free newsletter, The News Block, for my weekly breakdown of the biggest stories in Bitcoin, markets and the economy: https://thenewsblock.substack.com
SHOW PARTNERS
⚡ Ledn
Borrow against your Bitcoin without selling it. Ledn offers Bitcoin-backed loans built for serious holders, with rates that get lower as your loan size increases. With Ledn's custodied loan product, your Bitcoin is held in custody and not lent out. Ledn has operated through multiple market cycles without a loss of client assets and publishes Proof of Reserves so you can verify what they hold.
Get 0.25% off your first Bitcoin-backed loan: https://www.ledn.io/natalie
Offer subject to terms and eligibility. Digital asset lending involves risk, including loss of collateral.
⚡ Bitdeer Technologies Group (NASDAQ: BTDR)
Bitdeer powers AI and Bitcoin mining infrastructure with 3 GW of secured global energy and owns the stack from equipment manufacturing to data centers and proprietary orchestration software.
Learn more: https://www.bitdeer.com

ABOUT COIN STORIES & THE NEWS BLOCK
Natalie Brunell's content features conversations with leading voices in Bitcoin, economics, finance, and technology, exploring the future of money and how it impacts our lives.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE
Read Bitcoin is for Everyone: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com/freechapters
Subscribe to the free newsletter: https://thenewsblock.substack.com
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nataliebrunell
Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/NatBrunell
Follow Natalie on X: https://www.x.com/natbrunell
Website: https://www.talkingbitcoin.com

PARTNERSHIPS & INQUIRIES
Interested in sponsoring Coin Stories? Contact info@talkingbitcoin.com

DISCLAIMER
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Guest views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Natalie Brunell or the show. Paid partnerships, sponsorships, and affiliate relationships are disclosed where applicable. Natalie Brunell may earn commissions from purchases or sign-ups through certain links, at no additional cost to you. Always conduct your own research before making financial decisions.