Gary Gensler, the current Chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has come under scrutiny for his alleged inconsistency in his approach to spot Bitcoin products. In a video from 2019 that has recently resurfaced, Gensler can be seen criticizing the SEC for not approving Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) while allowing futures contracts. The crypto community on Twitter has been quick to point out the difference between Gensler’s previous views and his current stance on spot Bitcoin ETFs. Currently, the SEC has only approved Bitcoin and Ethereum futures ETFs. This has sparked discussions among financial analysts, with some expressing confidence that the SEC will eventually approve a spot Bitcoin ETF. They believe that such an approval would be a significant milestone for Bitcoin’s adoption and legitimacy. Meanwhile, Astrid Finance, an Ethereum-based liquid staking protocol, has managed to negotiate the return of a majority of the funds stolen in a recent attack. Following an on-chain message to the hacker, Astrid convinced them to return 80% of the stolen funds, with only 20% being kept as a bounty. The team has processed all refunds and plans to use any remaining funds for further auditing and development of its smart contracts. In politics, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has filed paperwork to run for re-election in the country’s presidential election in 2024. Bukele, known for his support of Bitcoin, has received strong public backing for his re-election bid. Finally, Celsius, a crypto lending firm, has warned its users about a new wave of phishing attacks. The company has urged its users to be cautious and only provide personal information through official channels. Celsius has filed multiple notices about these phishing attempts and advised victims to report them to relevant authorities.