In the hours following Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, ransom notes were sent to multiple news outlets demanding $6 million in Bitcoin by 5 p.m. ET on Monday. Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today Show” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her home nine days ago. Since her disappearance, news outlets have received messages detailing cryptocurrency payment instructions. Criminals are increasingly turning to Bitcoin and other digital assets in ransom and extortion cases for several reasons. Personal information is not required to access a private cryptocurrency wallet; this is one reason criminals often prefer self-custody wallets for their Bitcoin, requiring only a digital wallet and a pseudonym. Once funds are transferred to the digital wallet, the transaction cannot be reversed, unlike credit card payments or wire transfers, which can sometimes be disputed or clawed back. There is also no central authority that can freeze a Bitcoin wallet or halt a transaction. Chainalysis’s 2024 Crypto report stated, “Human trafficking operations have increasingly leveraged cryptocurrency, while there has also been a particularly disturbing rise in physical coercion attacks, in which criminals use violence to force victims to transfer assets, often timing these assaults to coincide with cryptocurrency price peaks.” Chainalysis estimated that tens of billions of dollars in cryptocurrency were linked to illicit activity in 2024. However, Bitcoin does not provide total anonymity; it operates on a public, immutable ledger, meaning every transaction is permanently recorded and visible. The Daily Wire spoke to Lionsgate Networks CEO Bezalel Eithan Raviv, who leads a firm that specializes in crypto security and asset recovery. “A lot of people believe there’s no way to trace or recover crypto. This is a myth,” Raviv said. He told The Daily Wire that using only the Bitcoin address provided in the ransom messages, the funds could indeed be tracked. “We would send a single dollar and we will trace the location of where it hits and lands. We would give that intel to law enforcement without sending $6 million in crypto. You can probe that wallet with a very small transaction.” Tracing typically identifies wallet relationships and exchange touchpoints, not precise locations. Raviv warned that such cases are likely to increase, as he believes criminals are often more sophisticated than law enforcement. “Unfortunately, what we have experienced with this very unfortunate story will only scale,” he said. “Cybercriminals have the leverage because they do understand the tactics and the maneuvers that law enforcement will probably take years to catch up with.” Still, Raviv emphasized that blockchain transparency remains a powerful investigative tool. “Blockchain is a language,” Raviv said. “And if you can speak it, you can do a lot with it.” The second deadline for Nancy Guthrie has passed. The ransom reportedly increased from $4 million to $6 million on Monday. On Monday, Savannah Guthrie posted a video on Instagram calling on the public to pray for her mother’s safe return and contact law enforcement “if there is anything at all that seems strange.” “We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help,” she added. Tuesday marks day ten of the search for Nancy Guthrie.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that he was investigating whether a development project linked to a Dubai-based company was going to be a “sharia city.”   Paxton, a Republican, said he was taking action to examine a development underway in Kaufman, Texas, about 34 miles southeast of Dallas. The development drew attention after an American subsidiary of the Dubai-based SEE Holdings purchased thousands of acres of land near Kaufman, and claims circulated that up to 20,000 foreign nationals would be moving there.  “There will be no ‘sharia city’ in Texas under my watch,” Paxton said. “While you’re on American soil, you will obey America’s laws. I have launched this investigation to determine the nature of this development in Kaufman County and will be thoroughly investigating this matter for any unlawful actions.”  The land was purchased in connection with the Delaware-based Kaufman Solar, Paxton said. Paxton has requested information from SEE Holdings and Kaufman Solar, including communications with the city and government officials, the relationship between the two companies, and details on the planned development.  Paxton’s investigation comes after The Daily Caller published a report noting concerns from residents that there could be up to 20,000 foreign nationals coming to the “sustainable” development. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) told The Daily Caller that SEE Holdings contacted him about the development.  “The group reached out to me, and I said under no circumstances would we accept any planned community that included mosques or religious buildings or schools. Twenty thousand foreigners is news to me, but that would also be a nonstarter, obviously,” he told the outlet.  “If they were from New York and not Dubai, then we likely wouldn’t be concerned, but considering what our neighboring counties have been through, they’re going to have to actively involve the community to get buy-in, and that has yet to happen,” he added.  Kaufman Solar is a limited liability company registered in Delaware that was founded in August 2022. Its registered agent is the Delaware-based Nextera Registered Agency, and minutes from Kaufman County commissioner meetings show that NextEra Energy Resources represented Kaufman Solar during talks with city officials.  The Daily Wire reached out to SEE Holdings and NextEra Energy Resources. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  Last year, Paxton launched a similar investigation into EPIC City, a planned Muslim community in northern Texas. Paxton sued in December to stop construction of the city, alleging that developers violated state securities laws. The developers have denied any wrongdoing.  “The leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets,” Paxton said. “I will relentlessly bring the full force of the law against anyone who thinks they can ignore the rules and hurt Texans.” In recent months, Republican lawmakers have stepped up calls for the need to ban Sharia law in the United States. Last week, House Republicans launched the Sharia Free America Caucus, saying that Islamic law was incompatible with the Constitution.

'It is a political process'

'That's liberation'

'Are we having an OPSEC problem, dispatch?'

Wolfgang Van Halen launched Mammoth in Los Angeles, California, in 2015, first as a solo studio project built around writing, playing, and producing on his own terms, and later as a full-time band after Van Halen ended in 2020, following Eddie Van Halen’s death. The name connects directly to Van Halen history, since Mammoth was one of the early names used by Eddie’s band before it became Van Halen, and Wolfgang later adopted that legacy with his father’s blessing. For much of its existence, the project was billed as Mammoth WVH, then in 2025, the name was shortened to Mammoth The post Complete List Of Mammoth Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

If you pull out a world map to see where you could find some space to stick a few endangered species without the risk of bothering human settlements, the Arabian Peninsula comes to mind as an obvious location. With virtually the entire population living either on the coast or around oases, huge tracts of land […] The post Milestone for Rewilding as Ostriches Return to Saudi Desert After 100-year Absence appeared first on Good News Network.

Books Necessary Whimsy Suggested Reads for Heart-Eyed Romance Fans and Chocolate-Hungry Gollums However you feel about Valentine’s Day, we can all use some extra whimsy this month! By Lish McBride | Published on February 10, 2026 Murder by Memory cover art by Feifei Ruan Comment 0 Share New Share Murder by Memory cover art by Feifei Ruan Valentine’s Day looms before us, causing humanity to shapeshift into people with emoji hearts for eyes or Gollums rubbing their hands together as they wait for their precious chocolate to go on sale. Wherever you fall on the spectrum—surely there are Gollums who have hearts for eyes? Gollums deserve love too!—you’re about to be inundated with pink -and-red tinted lists of love-themed movies, books, and activities. Basically, the god of social norms is about to pry your mouth open and shove romance down your gullet, ready or not. Which I struggle with, even as someone who absolutely loves romance media. I have a preferred Mr. Darcy, I’m a member of Team Rozanov, and have a soft spot in my heart for farm boys who say, “As you wish…” However, I’m also a human cat. I don’t like being told what to do, what to read, or what to watch. (Book clubs are hard for me for that reason.) I will, however, always take suggestions. So that’s what I’m giving you, friends—suggestions! Because I love emoji heart eyes and Gollums equally, some of these suggestions have romance in them, and some will be more about the friends we make along the way. I’ve labeled them both nonsensically and yet somehow appropriately so you can choose wisely. The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy by Megan Bannen (Heart Eyes) I can’t remember what initially made me read this book, but my takeaway from the quick skim of the summary was that it was about a grumpy sheriff and an undertaker with a sort of a Western-meets-fantasy vibe. I have a soft spot for Westerns, and it sounded quirky, so I picked it up. My friends, I was not prepared for how delightfully weird this book is. Sure, Hart is a sheriff…but he’s also a demigod who rides into the wilds on something horse-shaped dealing with what are essentially zombies. Mercy is an undertaker who builds boats for the dead who’s trying to keep her family business afloat. This book is ninety percent whimsy (the mail is brought by anthropomorphic former messengers of the gods) and ten percent me bawling my eyes out. Despite my general avoidance of books that make me cry, I recommend the whole series in both print and audio. (Frank from book two is my ride or die) Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers (Heart Eyes) I love nothing more than a well-written himbo, and Sir Cameron is a himbo with heavy Rincewind energy. When a prophecy tells everyone that the only way to get rid of the mad sorcerer Merulo is to kill Sir Cameron, he decides to bravely run away to the one person who would want him alive—Merulo. Cowardly? Perhaps. But ultimately, he just doesn’t want to die, thank you very much, and what is more relatable than that? Merulo isn’t on board—Sir Cameron might be handsome, but he’s also an annoying distraction. Merulo throws spells at him, he calls him names, he does his worst and…Sir Cameron is kind of into it? Like, really into it. This book is a giddy, genre-bending queer romp that made me actually laugh out loud. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (Heart Eyes) Any T. Kingfisher book set in the World of the White Rat is going to be full of whimsy, whether it involves a teen baker with a sentient sourdough starter or a man magically bound to a sword. I recommend all of them, but I picked Paladin’s Grace because to me it clearly illustrates how well whimsy can temper darker elements. On one hand, Stephen is a broken Paladin trying to face life after the death of his god. On the other hand, he knits everyone socks and he can’t understand why the servants of the White Rat keep traipsing about in neighborhoods where people are finding severed heads. Until I read this book I didn’t realize how much I wanted a sweet love story full of severed heads. I enjoyed this series in print and audio—I found Joel Richard’s voice to be very soothing—and am very jealous of UK readers because I’m in love with the UK covers. The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner (Gollums) Another character archetype that I love? The little old lady who solves crimes. Give me your Miss Marples, your Jessica Fletchers, your Thursday Murder Clubs, and I will gobble them up and ask for more. Enter Sherry Pinkwhistle, your small-town crime-solving librarian. Sure, sometimes she wonders why her small town has such a high body count, and why no one else thinks it odd, but she never wonders for very long. It’s almost like something is keeping her from thinking too hard about it. Then someone close to her ends up dead, her cat Lord Thomas Cromwell becomes possessed by some kind of demon, and Sherry decides she has to figure out what’s going on once and for all. Pitched as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Murder, She Wrote, this book is a delightfully meta journey through our favorite cozy mystery tropes. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (Gollums) I will preface this one by saying that I’ve been friends with Olivia since before I’d read a single word she’d written, so I’m horribly biased toward her work. However, trust me, dear reader, that I would never recommend a book based purely on the powers of friendship. While Olivia is a romance writer, Murder by Memory is not a romance. It’s Agatha Christie in space with a hint of PG Wodehouse. Dorothy Gentleman is the ship’s detective on an interstellar generation ship called the Fairweather. The ship features a library where passengers minds are preserved, ready to be decanted into a new body when someone dies. Dorothy’s last life was rough, however, so she’s asked for a break…only to be woken up early by a distraught and drunken Fairweather, because someone is dead! And worse, their book has been deleted from the library. If you’re looking for a charmingly subversive bite-size read, I highly recommend this one. The sequel, Nobody’s Baby, where a wild baby is discovered on the ship, drops in March and I cannot wait. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Gollums) Okay, so I’m pretty sure a lot of you have already read this one but I don’t care, I’m going to talk about it anyway. (See? Human cat.) You would think that a book narrated by a character that calls itself “Murderbot” wouldn’t have whimsy. You would be wrong. Murderbot’s humor alone brings a layer of it, but its undying love of Sanctuary Moon, the soapy serial it adores, is one of my favorite things. (The show did an excellent job of telegraphing this, in my opinion.) Much like Paladin’s Grace, this book really drives home how much we need whimsy and small joys to cope with life’s harder problems. Murderbot is barely holding on by its fingertips, due to a large dollop of PTSD and the grim realities of life in the Corporation Rim, and media is one of the few things that keeps it afloat. Murderbot’s media also helps it connect to the humans around it, and helps it heal. I’ve mostly listened to these books on audio, very much enjoying Kevin R. Free’s narration, and this is a rare book where I think the recent adaptation was just as good as the original work. The Sanctuary Moon segments were amazing and my whole family got into it, even though they hadn’t read the books.[end-mark] The post Suggested Reads for Heart-Eyed Romance Fans and Chocolate-Hungry Gollums appeared first on Reactor.