Hey there, PoI readers! 💫 

It's your favorite crypto connoisseur, Mochi, here to serve up today's hottest dish of digital drama! From Gensler's grand goodbye and Apple's security scramble to Sun's $6M banana bonanza and the Attorney general selection saga, we've got more plot twists than a blockchain fork! Grab your favorite snack (maybe not a $6M banana) and dive into this rollercoaster of news with me! 🌐

INTEL BRIEF

🟧 SEC Chair Gary Gensler announces his departure from the agency on January 20, 2025, coinciding with President-elect Trump's inauguration, marking a potential shift in crypto regulatory landscape.

🟧 Apple releases urgent security patch for two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Intel-based Macs, prompting warnings from tech leaders including CZ.

🟧 Tron founder Justin Sun purchases notorious banana-taped-to-wall artwork "Comedian" for $6.2 million and announces plans to eat it, following in the footsteps of two previous banana consumers.

🟧 Following Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from Attorney General consideration, multiple candidates including Andrew Bailey, Mike Lee, and Ken Paxton emerge as potential picks for Trump's top law enforcement position.

Trump Forces Gensler Out As Crypto Industry Celebrates SEC Leadership Shakeup

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, everyone's favorite crypto regulation hardliner (or nemesis, depending on who you ask), has announced he's hanging up his regulatory hat come January 20, 2025. Talk about perfect timing - that's exactly when President-elect Trump starts his second term!

During his tenure since 2021, Gensler has been busier than a blockchain during an NFT drop, launching over 100 regulatory actions against crypto companies. He's been particularly vocal about those "10,000 tokens" he believes should be registered as securities - a stance that's made him about as popular in crypto circles as a bug in smart contract code.

While Gensler's been quick to point to his agency's approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs as evidence of his willingness to play ball, Trump has different plans for the crypto regulatory landscape. Our President-elect, who's declared his vision of making America "the crypto capital of the world," had previously vowed to "fire" Gensler (though technically, presidents can't force commissioners out - they're just stepping down voluntarily here, folks!).

Speaking of changes, the crypto policy winds are shifting. Word on the street is that Trump's team is considering Summer Mersinger for the CFTC chair - a known crypto-friendly face in the regulatory world. There's even talk of creating a new White House position dedicated purely to crypto policy

Gary Gensler will leave SEC on January 20, 2025, as Trump begins his presidential term

During his tenure, Gensler led over 100 regulatory actions against crypto companies

Trump plans to appoint crypto-friendly regulators and potentially create a new White House crypto policy position

Your MacBook Might Be Under Attack Right Now And Even CZ Is Worried

Alert: Your MacBook might be in danger! (Well, if it's Intel-based, that is). Apple just dropped an emergency patch, addressing two zero-day vulnerabilities that had been actively exploited. And folks, when even former Binance CEO CZ is tweeting about it, you know it's serious business!

Let's break down these nasty little bugs (and I don't mean the kind you can squish):

• CVE-2024-44308: This sneaky fellow can make JavaScriptCore run malicious code without you even knowing it (rude, right?)

• CVE-2024-44309: This one's all about "cross-site scripting attacks" through WebKit, basically letting hackers inject their evil code wherever they please (like that one relative who shows up uninvited to every family gathering).

The Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) discovered these vulnerabilities, specifically researchers Clément Lecigne and Benoît Sevens. And when these folks are involved, it usually means we're dealing with government-backed shenanigans!

Pro tip: Update your system faster than you can say "cryptocurrency wallet credentials" - because that's exactly what these hackers might be after.

Two critical zero-day vulnerabilities discovered in Intel-based Macs requiring immediate patching

Google's security team discovered the flaws, suggesting possible government-backed attacks

Recent North Korean hackers have been targeting macOS users with sophisticated malware campaigns

Billionaire Justin Sun Spends Millions On A Wall Banana And Plans To Eat It

Justin Sun, the crypto mogul, just went absolutely ape at a Sotheby's auction, dropping a whopping $6.2 million on... wait for it... a banana taped to a wall! And here's the kicker - he plans to eat it!

The artwork, grandly titled "Comedian" by Maurizio Cattelan, is exactly what it sounds like: a regular banana stuck to a wall with duct tape. No fancy genetic modification, no gold-plated peel - just your everyday "I forgot this in my gym bag" kind of banana. But don't worry, Sun gets to replace it when it goes brown (because apparently even multi-million dollar bananas aren't immune to time).

The auction was more dramatic than a cryptocurrency price chart, with "heated bidding" lasting over six minutes. The auctioneer even threw in some fruity puns, warning bidders "not to let it slip away" - ba dum tss 🥁

But here's where it gets juicy: Sun isn't even the first person to plan a banana feast! This particular piece has been eaten twice before - once by artist David Datuna at Art Basel 2019, and again by a hungry student who skipped breakfast (relatable, though my breakfast usually costs less than $6 million).

Speaking of appetite, Sun might want to save some of that banana money, given he's reportedly being investigated by the FBI, New York prosecutors, and the DOJ (that's quite a fruit salad of legal troubles!).

Justin Sun bought "Comedian" artwork (a banana taped to wall) for $6.2M at Sotheby's

The artwork comes with replacement rights for both banana and tape

Two previous incidents of people eating the artwork occurred in 2019 and 2023

Trump’s AG Pick Gaetz Mysteriously Withdraws As Explosive Report Surfaces

Matt Gaetz just pulled the ultimate "thanks but no thanks" move, withdrawing his name from Trump's AG consideration. The former Florida representative claims his confirmation was becoming a "distraction" to the Trump/Vance transition (understatement of the year, folks! 👀).

Now, let's dive into the spicy replacement pool! We've got quite the lineup of potential legal eagles vying for the nation's top law enforcement spot:

First up is Missouri's AG Andrew Bailey, who's been busier than a blockchain during an NFT drop - fighting Biden's student debt plans and taking on Big Tech. He's already stirring the pot with cryptic X posts about "big announcements" (subtle as a neon sign, my friend!).

Then we've got Senator Mike Lee, the guy who literally carries around a pocket Constitution like it's his smartphone. Though he's playing harder to get than a Bitcoin at $100k, saying he's "looking forward to working with Trump" but not necessarily as AG.

Ken Paxton, Texas's AG, apparently caught Trump's eye by being one of the first to cry foul after the 2020 election. But sources say his path to confirmation might be rockier than a first-generation blockchain.

And let's not forget the wild cards: Todd Blanche and John Sauer, currently lined up for deputy AG and solicitor general spots respectively

Matt Gaetz withdraws from AG consideration amid potential ethics concerns

Multiple candidates emerge, including Andrew Bailey, Mike Lee, and Ken Paxton

Trump's transition team remains tight-lipped about immediate replacement plans

And that's the scoop, my wonderful PoI fam! From regulatory reshuffles to expensive fruit, we've covered it all today. Speaking of fruit, I'm off to buy a regular banana for less than $6M (what a bargain!). Remember to keep those MacBooks updated, and maybe don't tape any fruit to your walls unless you've got a few million to spare! 🙌✨

P.S. Share your thoughts on today's stories - Would you pay millions for a banana? Got any fruit-based crypto puns? Our PoI community loves hearing from you! 📣❤️

🍨📰 Catch you in the next issue! 📰🍨