Pushkin.

It's hard to read the news these days without asking yourself, how did we get here?

Fiasco is a history podcast for the co-creators of Slow Burn.

In our first season, Bush v. Gore, we examine an unmistakable turning point in American politics, the 2000 election, which resulted in a high-stakes stalemate, ended with one of the most controversial rulings in Supreme Court history.

So if you're trying to make sense at the present moment, check out Fiasco, Bush v. Gore. Listen on theHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

From Pushkin Industries, this is deep background, the show where we explore the stories behind the stories in the news.

I'm Noah Feldman. This week marked an important watershed in the history of crypto and cryptocurrencies.

Coinbase, one of the leading exchanges for buying and selling crypto, went public. And although

appropriately enough, its share price was a little volatile, it has achieved a very substantial

valuation, above the $85 billion mark where it first

launched. Simultaneously, Bitcoin, the most popularly traded of the different crypto assets,

remains, notwithstanding its own volatility, at a price higher by almost four times than what it was just a few months ago.

Bitcoin, the most popularly traded of the cryptocurrencies,

retains a price much, much higher than it was just a few short months ago.

I am thoroughly fascinated by the phenomenon that is crypto.

For one thing, among my friends, opinions seems to be very deeply divided.

On the one hand, are economists, investors, capitalists of all kinds, who tend themselves to be highly skeptical of the idea that

there's something of enduring value or meaning in this new asset class.

On the other hand, our enthusiasts, open-minded creative tech people, many of whom have

themselves invested heavily in crypto, who are wildly optimistic about

the possibility of this asset class not only to endure, but to grow and to develop and to spread.

Alongside this fascinating debate is a further question about the nature of power. Who has power over finances?

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