Trump Shifts to Remote Rallies; Binance Suffers Massive Crypto Hack

 

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.   

On today's podcast:   

1) Just days ahead of the Midterm elections, President Trump canceled appearances in Kansas and Iowa and will instead hold "a large number of tele-rallies." The Republican National Committee said the tele-rallies "can reach more voters in the limited time left before polls close." The president has been campaigning nonstop — chiefly in states where Republicans are usually assured of victory — but this year faces robust challenges from Democratic candidates who have taken advantage of voter discontent over rising costs as well as the war in Iran.   

2) Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has suffered the industry’s biggest-ever hack, with $6.3 billion worth of funds affected and $3 billion in crypto frozen. The company will cover all losses and “user funds are safe,” it said, and withdrawals are expected to resume by Sunday as it works with law enforcement and completes a security revamp. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs said North Korea was behind the heist, which it called “the largest crypto theft on record,” and attributed the attack to North Korea’s elite hacking unit, TraderTraitor.   

3) Amazon shares dropped after the company reported greater capital spending than anticipated and the slowest growth in the core e-commerce business in three years. Intel shares also fell after its revenue forecast missed analysts' estimates, hurt by demand for PC processors and supply-chain problems with data center components. Overall, disappointing tech earnings accelerated a rotation out of the tech sector.