Researcher breaks 15-bit elliptic curve key in “largest quantum attack,” wins 1 Bitcoin bounty from Project Eleven

Source: The Block

“Independent researcher Giancarlo Lelli derived a 15-bit elliptic curve key using a publicly accessible quantum computer, in what Project Eleven called the ‘largest quantum attack’ on elliptic curve cryptography to date, albeit at a scale far below that used in real-world cryptographic systems. Project Eleven, a post-quantum security startup, awarded a 1 BTC bounty, currently worth over $78,000, to Lelli as part of its ‘Q-Day Prize.’ The bounty program was launched last year by the project to break elliptic-curve keys ranging from 1 to 25 bits before April 5 this year. … Bitcoin uses 256-bit elliptic curve cryptography to secure wallets, which is far larger than the 15-bit key broken in this demonstration.” (04/24/26)

https://www.theblock.co/post/398792/researcher-breaks-15-bit-elliptic-curve-key-wins-1-bitcoin-bounty-project-eleven

Thomas L. Knapp

Judge rejects DOJ bid to delay Anthropic appeal in Pentagon dispute

Source: Politico

“A federal judge in California has denied the government’s request to pause its appeal of a March ruling that temporarily blocked the Pentagon from labeling Anthropic as a supply chain risk. Justice Department lawyers argued earlier this week that the appeal should be put on hold until judges at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals hand down a ruling in another case regarding Anthropic’s clash with the Pentagon. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin denied that request on Thursday, noting that the D.C. case was brought pursuant to a different statute. … Due to a quirk in federal law, Anthropic was forced in March to file lawsuits in both Northern California and the D.C. Circuit when it challenged the government’s action designating it a supply chain risk. On April 8, a three-judge panel at the D.C. Circuit rejected Anthropic’s request to pause the designation, creating a court split.” (04/24/26)

https://archive.is/ptUyL

Thomas L. Knapp

Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 04/24/26

Source: Freedom’s Phoenix

“Larken Rose (Author; Activist) comes on the program to provide an update on what he has been doing, geopolitics, The Activation Tour — Prescott, AZ with Derrick Broze — Friday, May 1, 6-10 PM (where he is a speaker), etc.” (04/24/26)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Media/394594-2026-04-22-2026-04-23-ernest-hancock-and-larken-rose-author-activist.htm

Thomas L. Knapp

We Can’t Agree on Inequality — Here’s Why

Source: EconLog
by Maurizio Bovi

“Centuries of argument have left a stubborn question unresolved: how much economic inequality is acceptable? Unlike inequalities rooted in race, gender, or disability — which typically attract broad moral condemnation — economic inequality in income, consumption, and wealth remains fiercely contested. That contestation does not result from a flaw in the debate; it is the debate’s defining feature.” (04/24/26)

https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/boviinequality

Thomas L. Knapp

Turns Out, “Unite the Right” Charlottesville Rally was Underwritten by the Left [sic]

Source: Batya Ungar-Sargon
by Batya Ungar-Sargon

“An explosive new indictment was handed down against the Southern Poverty Law Center this week, accusing the storied civil rights organization of 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and money laundering. The Department of Justice is alleging that between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC secretly funneled over $3 million from donors to leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, Unite the Right, and the Nazi Party, among other extremist organizations. … Paying millions of dollars to Nazis and Klansmen would be bad enough. But the indictment alleges that the SPLC went beyond that, actually underwriting the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, providing material support and supervision to what the Left turned into the symbol of Right-wing hate.” [editor’s note: Ungar-Sargon does have a little credibility on Charlottesville — on the “right” she was one of the few who didn’t try to perpetrate the “Charlottesville Hoax” Hoax – TLK] (04/26/26)

https://www.batya-us.com/p/for-years-the-left-used-the-unite

Steve Trinward

Mali: Explosions and gunfire as armed groups launch co-ordinated attacks

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“Explosions and sustained gunfire have been reported in Mali’s capital, Bamako, as armed groups launched co-ordinated attacks across the country. Mali’s military said on Saturday evening that efforts to repel the attacks were under way, and some militants had already fled. Fighting has also been reported around Kati, home to a major military base outside the capital, as well as in Gao and Kidal in the north, and the central cities of Sevare and Mopti. One analyst described it as the largest jihadist attack in years. Mali has for years been plagued by insurgencies by groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist movement in the country’s north.” (04/26/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx7nnrkqdo

Steve Trinward

Government Cannot Make Us Healthy

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Mollie Engelhart

“[T]he truth is, the government was never going to save us. It was never designed to move faster than the people. It responds to pressure, to markets, and to what we tolerate and what we demand. Right now, we are still funding the very system we say we want to change. The only real power we have is how we spend our money, our time, and our energy, and that power has to be exercised consistently. It is easy to vote one day in November. It is hard to change how we spend our money every single day. It is hard to change how we eat every single day. It is hard to choose, over and over again, to support something different when the system is designed to make the alternative less convenient.” (04/24/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/government-cannot-make-us-healthy/

Thomas L. Knapp