THE U.S. JUST BANNED ANONYMOUS SHELL COMPANIES

Pardon the all-caps, but the Senate's veto override today means that the U.S. A) just eliminated the primary building block in America's transformation into an offshore haven, and B) passed the most sweeping counter-kleptocracy reforms in decades—potentially ever.
Incredible news, and an incredible way to start 2021. What a moment. https://t.co/AN9jjowOnu
Huge boost to American credibility in the fight against modern kleptocracy. Huge blow to those who'd turned to the U.S. time and again for their laundering needs, and those U.S. states that had transformed into money laundering havens of their own.

Just phenomenal news.
Again, this is a massive testament to all those who exposed the rot these anonymous shell companies led to, especially the journalists who exposed the laundering networks and civil society activists pressuring legislators to make this change (when it seemed next to impossible).
The fight against anonymity, and these American kleptocratic building blocks, is hardly over. Trusts, real estate, private equity, hedge funds, art houses, auction houses... much work remains.

But today is absolutely a day to celebrate. https://t.co/AN9jjowOnu
One other thing: This was not only a clear rebuke to Trump (and the first veto override!), but it was absolutely a bipartisan endeavor. The legislation banning shell companies couldn't have been passed without a broad, broad base of support and stakeholders, across the aisle.
Shameless self-plug, but if you're interested in how the anonymous American shell company industry first developed, and how it helped transform the U.S. into money laundering nirvana—why today is such a huge deal—you can pre-order my book here: https://t.co/QwTpzzhMt4
Statement from Transparency International U.S. (@transparencyUSA) on today's landmark passage:

'This is the first significant update to our anti-money laundering laws in twenty years, and one of the most important anti-corruption measures ever passed by the U.S. Congress.'
This is exactly right from Josh. Today's legislation is the biggest US anti-money laundering move *at least* since the Patriot Act. Given the magnitude of crimes anonymous US shell companies are involved in, it could end up being the most important ever. https://t.co/QrHeOJGxdF
Banning anonymous U.S. shell companies is obviously huge, huge news—but it's not the only anti-corruption/counter-kleptocracy win today. For example: https://t.co/ljgnoOGdxt

More from Government

Caveat: This article is sourced from @Daily_Express !!!

"End of Sturgeon?"

Frankly, an appropriate response from @NicolaSturgeon might be to quote the infamous Mark Twain response to an erroneous 'obituary' known to all...

"The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated."

https://t.co/Ce1xVVISR2

More accurately, the media have quoted:

"Ms Sturgeon said she had a “real job to do” and was focused on guiding Scotland through the Covid-19 pandemic."

It's very reassuring to hear that @scotgov and @ScotGovFM have prioritised safeguarding lives and Scotland, above all else.

"I’ll leave others to play games or politics. I have got a real job to do and people can decide themselves whether I am doing it well or not, but I am absolutely 100 per cent focused on leading this country through a pandemic."

💯% 😀👍

Making her priorities crystal clear!

“That’s what I’ve done since this time last year and it’s what I’m going to continue to do for absolutely as long as necessary.”

And again, making it absolutely crystal clear!

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So the cryptocurrency industry has basically two products, one which is relatively benign and doesn't have product market fit, and one which is malignant and does. The industry has a weird superposition of understanding this fact and (strategically?) not understanding it.


The benign product is sovereign programmable money, which is historically a niche interest of folks with a relatively clustered set of beliefs about the state, the literary merit of Snow Crash, and the utility of gold to the modern economy.

This product has narrow appeal and, accordingly, is worth about as much as everything else on a 486 sitting in someone's basement is worth.

The other product is investment scams, which have approximately the best product market fit of anything produced by humans. In no age, in no country, in no city, at no level of sophistication do people consistently say "Actually I would prefer not to get money for nothing."

This product needs the exchanges like they need oxygen, because the value of it is directly tied to having payment rails to move real currency into the ecosystem and some jurisdictional and regulatory legerdemain to stay one step ahead of the banhammer.
Trending news of The Rock's daughter Simone Johnson's announcing her new Stage Name is breaking our Versus tool because "Wrestling Name" isn't in our database!

Here's the most useful #Factualist comparison pages #Thread 🧵


What is the difference between “pseudonym” and “stage name?”

Pseudonym means “a fictitious name (more literally, a false name), as those used by writers and movie stars,” while stage name is “the pseudonym of an entertainer.”

https://t.co/hT5XPkTepy #english #wiki #wikidiff

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Alias #versus Stage Name: What’s the difference?

Alias means “another name; an assumed name,” while stage name means “the pseudonym of an entertainer.”

https://t.co/Kf7uVKekMd #Etymology #words

Another common #question:

What is the difference between “alias” and “pseudonym?”

As nouns alias means “another name; an assumed name,” while pseudonym means “a fictitious name (more literally, a false name), as those used by writers and movie

Here is a very basic #comparison: "Name versus Stage Name"

As #nouns, the difference is that name means “any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing,” but stage name means “the pseudonym of an