Good Morning. 

The Pentagon won't restrict Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons if North Korea joins the conflict with Russia, satellite images show widespread destruction of Lebanese border towns from Israeli military campaign, Change Healthcare's February data breach impacts 100M Americans, Russian hackers target Ukrainian military via fake Telegram channel distributing malware disguised as recruitment-tracking software, and a violent turf war between Sinaloa Cartel factions "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza" in Mexico leaves 34 people dead in three days.

Let’s dive in.

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

Syria's Captagon Crisis: How a Banned Drug is Funding Regional Conflict and Creating Public Health Concerns

• The captagon trade, worth $5.7B globally, has become a major funding source for Syria's Assad regime and Hezbollah, generating about $2.4B annually for Syria between 2020-2022, helping offset Western sanctions despite Syria's official denials of involvement.

• Jordan has deployed a third of its army to combat sophisticated smuggling operations from Syria, where traffickers use everything from drones and catapults to homing pigeons and human mules, with seizures quadrupling since the Israel-Gaza war began alongside increased weapons trafficking.

• Originally developed in Germany as a medication for narcolepsy and ADHD in the 1960s, captagon has evolved into the Middle East's equivalent of cocaine, used across all social classes from taxi drivers to executives, while causing a growing health crisis due to contamination with dangerous substances like toxic metals and unknown chemicals.

Counterterrorism

• The Pentagon won't restrict Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons if North Korea joins the conflict, as NATO confirms 10K North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's eastern regions. ➚

• Iran executes Iranian-German dual citizen who was allegedly kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 and convicted of terrorism charges his family denies. ➚

• U.S. and Germany launch $40M program to counter terrorism and promote stability in West African coastal states. ➚

• UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Israel's strikes against Iran, requested by Iran with Chinese and Russian support. ➚

Military & Defense

• Satellite images reveal widespread destruction of Lebanese border towns from Israeli military campaign. ➚

• AIIB President Jin Liqun criticizes Western nations for erecting trade barriers, claiming free trade no longer exists globally. ➚

• Palestinian officials report 100K civilians trapped as Israeli tanks advance deeper into northern Gaza. ➚

• Russia falsely claims Ukraine damaged Mariupol theater, which Russian forces actually bombed in 2022, killing 600 civilians. ➚

Cybersecurity

• Change Healthcare's February data breach affected 100M Americans, becoming the largest healthcare breach in U.S. history. ➚

• Ireland's data protection regulator fined LinkedIn €310M for violating GDPR by using behavioral data for targeted advertising without proper user consent. ➚

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• Russian hackers target Ukrainian military via fake Telegram channel distributing malware disguised as recruitment-tracking software. ➚

• U.S. authorities investigate Chinese hackers who accessed telecom networks to target Trump and other politicians' phones. ➚

Transnational Organized Crime

• A violent turf war between Sinaloa Cartel factions "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza" in Mexico left 34 people dead in three days, prompting military intervention. ➚

• Brazil fined 23 meatpacking companies, including JBS, $64 million total for buying cattle raised on illegally deforested Amazon land. ➚

The America Builds podcast sits at the nexus of national security, technology, and venture capital. Hosts Will Allen and Hayley Menser interview the brilliant operators and investors pushing the boundaries of frontier technology.