The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden approved a weapons sale to Israel worth approximately $8 billion, which includes air defense ammunition, the State Department announced on Saturday.

The sale—which must be approved by Congress—was agreed upon just days before Republican Donald Trump assumes the presidency, also a strong ally of Israel in the Gaza conflict. Before leaving office, Joe Biden once again ignored pressure from human rights organizations and Democratic lawmakers who oppose the arms sale to Israel.

“The president made it clear that Israel has the right to defend its citizens in accordance with international law and humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its allied organizations,” it was stated.

Financial analyst Jim Bianco commented on Monday about Scottie Pippen’s dream encounters with Satoshi Nakamoto, noting that the NBA legend’s predictions about Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) have been surprisingly accurate.

What Happened Bianco, president and founder of Bianco Research, stated in a post on X that Pippen’s predictions have gained followers due to their accuracy, despite the strange methods he claims to use, such as receiving messages from Bitcoin’s anonymous creator in his dreams.

Bianco also analyzed Pippen’s latest forecast, in which the basketball star said, “I just took a nap, and Satoshi whispered to me: ‘Bitcoin will get closer to the Black Mamba numbers before it returns to Chamberlain.'”

According to Bianco, the post referenced NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 81 and 100 points in a single game, respectively. Simply put, Pippen expected Bitcoin to drop to $81,000 before recovering to $100,000.

Why It Matters The world’s leading cryptocurrency has fallen below the key support level of $93,000 and is at risk of falling further. Since the Christmas rally, Bitcoin has dropped by up to 6.5%.

Earlier, Pippen grabbed attention by predicting Bitcoin would hit $84,000 on U.S. presidential election day. While the digital asset didn’t meet these predictions, it reached $84,000 a week later.

Ecuador, engaged in a war against drug trafficking gangs, has declared a new state of emergency in Quito and seven of its 24 provinces, which are considered the most violent, according to a presidential decree released on Friday.

The 60-day measure suspends the rights to the inviolability of the home and correspondence in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and El Oro, as well as the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbíos. This state of emergency has been in effect since Thursday and was implemented due to the severe internal turmoil and internal armed conflict declared last year because of drug-related violence.

The decree includes Quito (in the province of Pichincha) and the towns of La Troncal (Cañar) and the mining town of Camilo Ponce Enríquez (Azuay), as well as the prison system, now under military control.

The government of Daniel Noboa, which began in November 2023, has consistently used this measure in response to an escalating wave of drug gangs fighting for control of the streets and prisons.

“This declaration is based on… the increase in violence rates, the commission of crimes, and the prolonged intensity of the presence of organized armed groups,” states the decree released on the presidential website.