🎙 Bitcoin Fortress Podcast — Episode 230 The Denominator Changed Date: August 23, 2026 Block Height: 963753 Moscow Time: 1294 Fees: 1 / 1 /2   In this episode: Bitcoin exploded higher this week as U.S. debt crossed $40 trillion, Treasury stepped into the long-bond market, the dollar weakened, and the debasement trade suddenly came roaring back. We dig into why Bitcoin and gold moved together, the return of major ETF inflows, Washington’s latest push on the CLARITY Act, the SEC’s new crypto framework, the growing tension between Bitcoin and corporate treasury wrappers, miners shifting power toward AI, and the continuing lessons from the Coldcard failure. We also check in on the Bitcoin podcast universe and finish with this week’s featured Bitcoin Fortress essay, “Optionality Is a Form of Wealth.”   Bitcoin Fortress YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEPGN1YCIQcMxkUig5GaNrQ   Bitcoin Fortress Substack Featured Post: Optionality is a Form of Wealth https://bitcoinfortress.substack.com/p/optionality-is-a-form-of-wealth   Bitcoin Fortress Books: Bitcoin Fortress: A Simple Guide to Bitcoin for Beginners Bitcoin Retirement and Estate Planning The Bitcoin Lifestyle The Architecture of Money Follow me on Nostr: npub122fpu8lwu2eu2zfmrymcfed9tfgeray5quj78jm6zavj78phnqdsu3v4h5   NEWS (August 16, 2026 – August 23, 2026) U.S. Treasury expands long-term bond buybacks Reuters — U.S. yields drop after Treasury offers liquidity support Reuters article U.S. national debt crosses $40 trillion Reuters — U.S. debt crosses $40 trillion threshold Reuters article Treasury buybacks renew dollar-debasement concerns Reuters — Treasury buyback renews dollar-debasement fears Reuters article Gold and Bitcoin surge as Treasury intervention hits markets Reuters — Trading Day: Bessent makes his mark Reuters analysis Bond markets question whether Treasury relief can last Reuters — Bonds bounce on U.S. buybacks, but relief may be brief Reuters article Bitcoin posts its strongest weekly move in roughly 2½ years Reuters — Global stocks close out a tough week as bond yields and oil stay high Reuters market wrap Bitcoin ETFs record $517 million in net inflows The Block — Spot bitcoin ETFs report $517 million in net inflows The Block article Bitcoin rallies through $72,000 amid massive short squeeze The Block — Bitcoin’s rally pushes past $72,000 The Block article Bitcoin approaches $80,000 as liquidity conditions improve The Block — Bitcoin surge toward $80K The Block article Trump pushes Congress on the CLARITY Act Reuters — Bitcoin, crypto shares climb after Trump pushes CLARITY Act Reuters article Inside the White House meeting on crypto market structure The Block — Inside Trump’s Oval Office CLARITY Act meeting The Block article SEC proposes new Regulation Crypto Assets framework The Block — SEC proposes new crypto offering rules The Block article OCC moves toward implementation of GENIUS Act stablecoin rules The Block — OCC races to finalize GENIUS Act stablecoin rules The Block article Washington looks at bringing perpetual-futures markets onshore The Block — CFTC works to bring Hyperliquid-style markets into the U.S. The Block article Metaplanet launches U.S. Bitcoin treasury platform with 2,100 BTC The Block — Metaplanet and Super League launch U.S. Bitcoin treasury company The Block article MSCI proposal raises new risks for Bitcoin treasury companies The Block — Strategy and Metaplanet face potential index changes The Block article Bitcoin miners continue shifting infrastructure toward AI and high-performance computing CoinShares — Bitcoin Mining and AI Infrastructure Continue to Converge CoinShares — Bitcoin Mining and Digital Power Bitcoin holds firm even as yields and oil surge CoinDesk — Bitcoin holds $64,000 as yields and oil drain risk appetite CoinDesk coverage Bitcoin Podcast Universe What Bitcoin Did — “Bitcoin Is Running Out of Sellers” with Checkmate — August 18 Apple Podcasts episode What Bitcoin Did — “The Coldcard Disaster: Everything You Need to Know” with Lloyd Fournier & Nick Farrow — August 21 Podbean episode TFTC #784 — Chase Koch: “The Operating System for a Free Society” — August 19 Direct TFTC episode page TFTC Bitcoin Brief — “Implicit Yield Curve Control Is Here” — August 19 Direct TFTC article TFTC Bitcoin Brief — “Bitcoin Is Ringing the Fiscal Alarm” — August 21 Direct TFTC article