Tom Lee Invests in MrBeast

Washington takes center stage this week as crypto collides with power, policy, and markets. Ryan and David break down the CLARITY Act fight in the Senate, why banks want to kill stablecoin yield, and why Coinbase says the bill may be worse than no bill at all. They also unpack Trump’s DOJ targeting Jerome Powell and what it means for Fed independence, silver’s explosive move as markets search for safety, X’s push toward becoming a crypto super app, and the NYC mayor’s meme coin disaster. Plus: Tom Lee’s surprising MrBeast investment and what it signals about capital, culture, and crypto’s next phase.

---

📣ZAMA | $ZAMA PUBLIC AUCTION 

https://bankless.cc/zama-auction

---

BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET

https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT

https://bankless.cc/bitget

👑BANKLESS PREMIUM | AD-FREE & BONUS EPISODES

https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS

https://bankless.cc/TDR-pro

💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES

https://bankless.cc/ico-watch

---

TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

2:25 DOJ opened an investigation into Jerome Powell

https://x.com/federalreserve/status/2010510130970849338 

https://x.com/federalreserve/status/2010510130970849338

https://x.com/LynAldenContact/status/2010526966953202125

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/powell-probe-highlights-trump-doj-role-white-house-enforcer-2026-01-14/

https://polymarket.com/event/jerome-powell-out-as-fed-chair-by

10:44 Markets

https://x.com/JesseCohenInv/status/2011311082896572766

https://www.coinnews.net/2025/01/09/american-silver-eagle-series-welcomes-2025-w-proof-edition/

https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/GLD:NYSEARCA

https://x.com/echodatruth/status/2010568502474571870

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/13/cpi-inflation-report-december-2026.html

https://polymarket.com/dashboards/fed-rates

20:52 Most important Legislation for crypto…ever?

https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2010709769187676430

https://x.com/DavidMMcintosh/status/2010389058271289845

https://www.aba.com/-/media/documents/letters-to-congress-and-regulators/ltrsenatestablecoin20260105.pdf

https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/01/11/jpmorgan-downplays-stablecoin-threat-as-local-bankers-warn-of-usd6-6t-risk

https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/2009795675635306737

https://x.com/USTransparent

https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2009809558605299914

https://x.com/SenLummis/status/2010939496830030038

https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/2011464338528166081

https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/2011464341556428936

https://x.com/davidsacks47/status/2011650262361129193

https://polymarket.com/event/clarity-act-signed-into-law-in-2026

https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/2010841027800895514

42:09 NYC Mayor Eric Adams issued a memecoin

https://x.com/runecrypto_/status/2010847811781230781

https://x.com/ericadamsfornyc/status/2010849167258566727

https://x.com/bubblemaps/status/2010890093431832789

https://x.com/ericadamsfornyc/status/2011541285354815932

https://x.com/buynyctoken/status/2011501230288257452

https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2010945632505127317

46:41 TOM LEE - BITMINE….invests $200m in MR BEAST MEDIA

https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/2011774463818518813 

https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/2011810278980120830 

49:53 World Liberty Financial launched a lending platform

https://worldlibertyfinancial.com/markets

https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/01/13/senate-s-warren-wlfi-tied-bank-application-should-be-halted-until-trump-divests

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/dolomite

51:45 Polygon….ALL IN on STABLECOIN STACK with two major acquisitions

https://x.com/0xPolygon/status/2011076681302446556

https://x.com/HadickM/status/2011099510957580437

https://x.com/sandeepnailwal/status/2009763000895344766

https://x.com/obchakevich_/status/2008876239285637419

54:21 X is rolling out Smart Cashtags & Killing InfoFi

https://x.com/nikitabier/status/2010277345651990564

https://x.com/jessepollak/status/2010404608263520356

https://www.theblock.co/post/385805/kaito-token-plummets-x-revises-api-policies-ban-infofi-crypto-projects

https://x.com/nikitabier/status/2011825522817270230

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/kaito

58:33 BitGo IPO - $2 billion! ($100 billion in custody)

https://x.com/AccessIPOs/status/2010727529238417549

59:16 The Golden Globes integrated Polymarket into their broadcast

https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/2010862175607488709

1:00:38 David’s Market of the Week

https://polymarket.com/event/khamenei-out-as-supreme-leader-of-iran-by-january-31

https://x.com/polymarket/status/2009382529384497184

1:05:00 Closing & Disclaimers

---

Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures