Hello, Tuesday N2K’ers! | Twitter hacks are on the rise, yet I bet your password, like mine, has been the same for years. Fortunately “password1” is extremely secure, and nobody is ever going to guess it. Then again the consequences of somebody hacking my Twitter account are probably less severe than if they hacked the account of a popular children’s puppet. There is also plenty of other news you’ll be equally intrigued by this morning. I guarantee it. | —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor | News You Need2Know | | | What’s the stock market up to, eh? | $SPX ( ▲ 0.14% ) $DJI ( ▲ 0.2% ) $NDX ( ▲ 0.27% ) | | Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter | $BTC.X ( ▼ 3.82% ) $TSLA ( ▲ 1.08% ) | | Elmo said a bad thing or two, or three, or ten | | Ruh-roh. Not even Sesame Street’s forever 3 ½-year-old resident, Elmo, is safe from the darker corners of the internet. Over the weekend, Elmo’s X (formerly Twitter) account took a dramatic turn from wholesome hugs to hateful hacker havoc. | “Elmo’s X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” a Sesame Workshop spokesperson explained. | Was this some kind of surreal "Sesame Street after dark" reboot? | Mentioning Jeffrey Epstein? What vile exploits might be next for those fuzzy red hands? | X did not comment. They’ve been having enough trouble with their own rogue chatbot lately. | | | Song of the day: Daisies, Justin Bieber |  | DAISIES |
|
| The most popular track from his seventh album, “Daisies,” this bare-bones track chronicles the pop star’s relationship with his wife. It’s a juxtaposition of “vulnerability and strength,” says the New York Times, and I think rather catchy, too. | | Free yourself from advertising forever! | Now you can sign up for an optional ad-free version of Need2Know! Subscribe for just $5 a month, or $50 a year, and you can continue to enjoy this reasonably high-quality newsletter uninterrupted. Bonus: The immense satisfaction that comes from supporting journalism*! | | *This counts as journalism, right? |
|
| | Bitcoin hits record $123K on growing demand | | Bitcoin $BTC.X ( ▼ 3.82% ) enthusiasts are celebrating as the world’s largest cryptocurrency smashed through its previous all-time high, hitting $123,000 yesterday. The rally has largely been fueled by record-breaking inflows into Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. | According to Markus Thielen, CEO of 10x Research, institutional investors have gobbled up $15 billion in Bitcoin ETFs over the past two months, boosting confidence in the digital asset. Retail investors appear to have been on the sidelines during the latest rally, Thielen noted on CNBC. | This surge comes just as the U.S. Congress kicks off its much-anticipated “Crypto Week,” where new legislation could provide clearer regulatory frameworks for the crypto industry. With industry support growing and U.S. lawmakers stepping to the plate, Bitcoin’s trajectory toward $140,000 may no longer be a moonshot. | | | Today on the ‘gram: It’s a bug’s life |  | cheddar776K followers | |
|  | | cheddar | | Add a comment... |  |
|
|
|
| | | Post of the day: The Elmo thing has long legs |  | David/Dovid Bashevkin @DBashIdeas |  |
| |
“Actually, Elmo, we're all tickled to hear you say that.” | |  | | 3:00 AM • Jul 14, 2025 | | | | 27.8K Likes 1.38K Retweets | 73 Replies |
|
| | | Quote of the Day | | | Musk rejects Tesla-xAI merger | |
|