Daily Archives: June 15, 2022

Hack Me If You Can, Part 1: The Making of a Russian Hacker – The Journal. – WSJ Podcasts – The Wall Street Journal

Posted: June 15, 2022 at 6:26 pm

This transcript was prepared by a transcription service. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated.

Ryan Knutzen: Hey, it's Ryan. One of the hosts of The Journal. In our feed today, we're bringing you a new series. It's about hacking. Our colleague, Bob McMillan, is going to tell this story. He knows a lot about hacking. He's been reporting on it for almost two decades. Pretty much anytime there's a major hack, whether it's of Twitter, a hospital, or the US government, we call Bob and asked him to explain it to us. A few months ago, Bob reached out to us and said he had a story he wanted to tell for the podcast. A story that Bob says is key to understanding how Russia produced a generation of cyber criminals. It's the story of one Russian hacker. Here's Bob.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy Smilianets has had a long career.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I had to hustle. I sold unlicensed software. Then, I was building and managing a website for large factory. They were building equipment for producing milk, yogurts and stuff. So I was building a website for them.

Bob McMillan: Okay. You left one thing off your resume though.

Dmitriy Smilianets: Right. That was being manager of the largest hacking group ever prosecuted in the United States.

Bob McMillan: I've written about Russian hackers for years, but Dmitriy is the first one that I met in person. In the early 2000s, he led a team that broke into companies across America. They spend a year quietly pulling off what is still one of the biggest hacks in US history, which caught the attention of the government. Here's a federal prosecutor talking about Dmitriy's crew.

Speaker 4: They would probe, and test, and penetrate, until they would actually get in. And once they got in, they would use custom designed malware, malicious computer programs, that were their unique burglary tools to gain access to different parts of a company's networks.

Bob McMillan: I'll told the feds say that Dmitriy's gang cost its victims more than $300 million dollars in damages.

Speaker 5: And the good news is, it wasn't passed on to the consumer. The bad news is, in the end, it always is, because the companies have to make up that loss somewhere.

Bob McMillan: I knew of Dmitriy's work before I knew his name. But where I found Dmitriy, well, it wasn't where I expected. He wasn't in some bunker in Moscow or a maximum security prison. He was living in a gated community in New Jersey.

Speaker 6: Good morning. Where are you guys heading?

Speaker 7: We're here to see Dmitriy Smilianets.

Bob McMillan: With an immaculate lawn. Yeah. With a big American flag on it. That's it. And a dog. Dmitriy comes out to meet me. Dmitriy. He's wearing sweatpants, and has a bodybuilder's physique. Although he looks tough, he's warm and welcoming. We walk around his home, which, by my count, has six American flags.Okay. So you got your classic backyard setup here.

Dmitriy Smilianets: Yeah. A classic American dream backyard, with barbecue, with fire pit, with a table where we can sit together as a family after I grilled some meat.

Bob McMillan: And I even got to meet his parrot.

Dmitriy Smilianets: His name is Jerome. One night, he landed on my desk, and destroyed my keyboard. He picked all the keys. So I'm (inaudible) post no fly zone, and he's restricted to his cage right now.

Bob McMillan: How Dmitriy ended up here, is the story of how Russia became a criminal hacking superpower. How teenagers schooled in a collapsing empire, went from piloting video games, to stealing hundreds of millions of dollars. And how a cat and mouse game that stretched across continents, would end up with Dmitriy, here in New Jersey, living a double life. From The Journal, this is Hack Me If You Can, the story of a Russian cyber criminal who went to the other side. I'm Bob McMillan. Coming up, part one. The making of a Russian hacker. In the early 90s, when Dmitriy was eight years old, two very important things happened. Computers became widely available, and the Soviet Union collapsed.

Speaker 8: In Moscow, the hammer and sickle is lured for the last time. And an era comes to an end.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy was an only child living in Moscow, and he remembers the violence and the upheaval rot by the breakup of the USSR.

Speaker 9: Mingling with the rush hour traffic, Red Army armored personnel carriers on the streets of Moscow this morning, heading to the Kremlin.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I remember tanks shooting at the parliament building. I remember people with guns, running on the streets shooting. I remember chaos. I remember there was no law. I was raised in a vacuum of the law. Russia, there was a wind of change. They knew Russia is not the Russia we see today. That Russia was freedom. It was unlimited freedom.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy's going to tell most of this story, but I've spoken to a lot of people about it. I've examined documents and video evidence to confirm it. To piece together the details, I've also talked to his friends, associates, even the people who would later investigate him. And I swapped emails with his dad, a former criminal investigator with the Moscow police. When Dmitriy was growing up, his mom was a school teacher. She wanted him to join the FSB, which was Russia's security agency. Dmitriy had other ideas.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I saw my father was in government, and I saw him coming with a lot of cases, with a lot of documents. Investigations, right? But I didn't see him bringing a lot of bags, fruits, juice, candies. So he worked a lot, but there was not enough results for us to see the value in his work.

Bob McMillan: So you felt he was underpaid?

Speaker 12: Absolutely.

Bob McMillan: Yeah.

Dmitriy Smilianets: And I was like, "I don't want to be that guy."

Bob McMillan: What did you want to be when you grew up, at that age?

Dmitriy Smilianets: I knew that computers industry will grow. And I knew it, I will be very close tied to the computers.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy new computers would be the future. So he started learning everything he could about them. He got his first one in fifth grade. And by the age of 13, he says he was selling counterfeit software at a Moscow flea market. He was part of an emerging generation of young hackers in the late 90s in Russia. Their Bible, a magazine called Hacker. You can still buy copies of it today. I went and dug out the first edition. And on the outside, it looks like a kid's comic with cartoon characters on the cover. But the articles inside reveal it to be a very practical guide to becoming a criminal hacker. You can get tips on how to hack computers, how to hack answering machines, even how to steal credit card numbers. It was this magazine that taught Dmitriy about counterfeit software, and how to carry out his first hack, which helped him access something he couldn't afford. The internet.

Dmitriy Smilianets: Internet was extremely expensive in Russian. It was $10 for one hour. I had to collect money, save money, to buy one hour, then use it. And I was like, "How can I stay longer?"

Bob McMillan: An article Dmitriy read in Hacker Magazine, explained how to steal people's internet passwords. At first, he says he and a friend stole them from other internet users. But soon, his victims noticed that their bills were going up a lot.So you had used some passwords that were but were a consumer, but then they would stop working after a while.

Dmitriy Smilianets: Yeah, because they also had to pay for this super expensive-

Bob McMillan: You would get a bill-

Dmitriy Smilianets: ... I drained their accounts very fast. Right. So-

Bob McMillan: ... So what, how many hours are you on the internet with this, at $10 an hour with these consumer passwords?

Dmitriy Smilianets: I don't remember, but enough.

Bob McMillan: And then, one day, Dmitriy was with his friend, when his friend got a call.

Dmitriy Smilianets: So he said, "Hello." And it's like, "Excuse me. You've been using my account for a while, and you drained my account. Please don't do it ever again or I will go to the police. And we're like, "Oh, shit. How did they discover my phone number? So we've had to stop.

Bob McMillan: How old were you when you did this?

Dmitriy Smilianets: I was like 12, 13.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy may have dabbled in hacks like this, but he wanted a legitimate job in computer science. At 18, he signed up for a degree at a prestigious university in Moscow.What did you think about your prospects, looking at your dad who clearly wasn't being paid what he was worth. What did you think your prospects were for your future then?

Dmitriy Smilianets: They changed. So I was very excited when I started going to college, I picked the most promising specialty. Information security. Information assurance. But getting closer to graduation, I saw no future for myself. I wasn't given opportunity. I wasn't given interviews with my future employers. That never happened.

Bob McMillan: Then, in his third year of college, Dmitriy's future was decided very suddenly.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I had a very good friend. We went to celebrate something. We both got drunk. I already had driver license. He was younger. He did not have a driver license, but he had a very expensive car. So he said, "Dmitriy, we have better chances with you driving, because we both are drunk. It was very slippery. It was raining. And it was very sharp turn. I overestimated my skills. So we got thrown out of the road, and I hit the concrete pole.

Bob McMillan: They both survived. But the car, a Mercedes E-Class worth about $50,000, was totaled. And Dmitriy says he was on the hook for it.What was your plan to pay back the money?

Dmitriy Smilianets: There was no plan.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy didn't have tens of thousands of dollars lying around, and neither did his parents. So he got in touch with some friends he'd made online.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I was just given an advice that there is a place in internet that you could go and discover, and find ways to make a lot of money, very fast. It was website called Carderplanet.

Bob McMillan: Imagine an online marketplace like eBay, except this isn't where you come to buy an antique. This is Carderplanet, a marketplace for stolen credit cards, with thousands of users.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I went there. I studied it. I read every single post. Sometimes I have to reread to comprehend. But in a week, I became very knowledgeable in cybercrime. I knew what was carding, credit card fraud. I knew where to find data. I knew who's selling it. I knew what people do with this data.

Bob McMillan: What Dmitriy had stumbled across was carding, as in stealing credit cards. And it works like this. That black strip on the back of your credit card contains a digital version of your credit card number, along with the expiration date and a security code. That's what the hackers want to steal. Once they have it, they can make a counterfeit of your card and ship it to associates, who then use that counterfeit to empty ATMs and buy products that they sell online. Dmitriy knew he wanted in, but he wasn't sure what his role would be in this criminal operation.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I only had to find a place for myself in this ecosystem, because I wasn't a great hacker. So I found a place as a middleman, between the guy who gets data, and the guys who are using this data. And I became very successful at that.

Bob McMillan: Hackers can't do everything on their own. So when they get good, they work in teams. Dmitriy joined one as a deal maker. His role was to sell the card data they stole. And like a lot of people in sales, he still remembers his first deal.

Dmitriy Smilianets: My first deal, I remember I received $190. And 140 of them, I had to pay for the data to my vendor. So I have $50 and this $50, I also have to receive them somehow. So I hired the person to do this and I split my 50 bucks with him first. That was my first deal.

Bob McMillan: By the time Dmitriy had paid the guy who sold him the data, and the guy who picked up his cash, Dmitriy says he made about 25 bucks from that first deal. That doesn't sound great. But what the sale actually gave him, was something far more valuable. A good reputation.

Dmitriy Smilianets: He left a positive review, and I started getting two, three, deals a day. There were small. But together, they meant something. And I felt a difference.

Bob McMillan: Within months, Dmitriy says he went from $25 deals, to sales worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Dmitriy Smilianets: In a month, I paid my debt. I paid my debt for the Mercedes. And then, in the second month, I bought myself an Audi.

Bob McMillan: That's pretty good.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I go to the restaurant, buy clothes I wanted, and I have money. I have cash to afford all my dreams. So it was great in the moment. And then, I was upset because it's too easy. I had that feeling that everything is affordable right now, and I need to set maybe bigger goals. I got hooked. I couldn't stop.

Bob McMillan: If the car accident hadn't have happened, would you have gone into cybercrime?

Dmitriy Smilianets: Never. I would never join cybercrime. I had to do it. I had to find this money. I had to find $50,000. I know it sounds like I'm making an excuse for my actions, but for a 20 year old boy getting into this situation, and I could have started selling drugs. I could have started doing something even worse. I think I got lucky that I got involved just in cybercrime.

Bob McMillan: But this was just the beginning, because Dmitriy would go on to become a carding king, and lead a team that would pull off one of the biggest acts in US history. That's next.2003 was a big year for Dmitriy. He was halfway through college, and he had met the woman he would go on to marry. And he had even tried working a legitimate job, running a website for a company called Momash, that made, of all things, cow milking machines. But Dmitriy never stopped hacking. Over the next few years, he made big money on Carderplanet. Much more than a legit job would ever pay. After he graduated from college in 2006, Dmitriy told his family and his girlfriend that he was making money from web development in real estate work. But really, he was hacking full time. It was illegal, but Dmitriy and the other users of Carderplanet, weren't worried about the law or their victims. Dmitriy read an article in Hacker Magazine, which explained that stealing American credit card details didn't actually hurt anyone. Nearly 20 years later, he still remembers what it said.

Dmitriy Smilianets: Carding is not a crime. It's a victimless action. There is no guilt, because even if the money were stolen from a card holder, the bank will replenish the money. The insurance will cover losses for the bank. The treasury will print more cash and cover insurance. So at the end, as I was explained and told, there is no victim.

Bob McMillan: So you believed that.

Dmitriy Smilianets: I wanted to believe that, because I already saw how profitable this is. So I just needed justification. And that came right in place.

Bob McMillan: What would your dad have said about that?

Dmitriy Smilianets: Oh, if I ever shared with him what I was doing, he'd probably smack me first, and then explained me that I'm going to jail for these actions. He never knew.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy wasn't worried about being arrested in Russia. He was hacking companies outside the country, and Russia didn't extradite, which meant that Russia's hacking into US networks were almost never arrested. So hackers like Dmitriy were able to hone their skills on Carderplanet, all in relative security.

Dmitriy Smilianets: We were pioneers, and we shared real stories right there on the forums. Sometimes with photos. Sometimes people didn't even hide their true identity. We thought we are very close family. Three, 4,000 people knew each other. We did not expect that someone is watching us, especially not in Russian, Ukraine. The cybercrime did not exist. So it was very trusted in close community.

Bob McMillan: This meant that Dmitriy and the hackers on Carderplanet had the time to get good. Really good. And in Dmitriy's case, time to build a great hacking team. First, he needed an exceptionally talented hacker. And after a few months on Carderplanet, he discovered one of the best. Who is Vladimir Drinkman?

Dmitriy Smilianets: Mr. Drinkman is the most gifted hacker in the world. Super gifted. His way of thinking about networks, his way of seeing things is different than what I have. We immediately became friends in real life, spending time together. At some point, we even lived together. We just liked to hang out together, spend as much time as we could together.

Bob McMillan: And what would you talk about?

Dmitriy Smilianets: Everything? Girls, life, business, appliances in the house, cars, new technology things.

Bob McMillan: Dmitriy saw in Drinkman, the deep technical skills that he lacked. And Drinkman, well, he saw something in Dmitriy too.

Dmitriy Smilianets: He saw potential, and he needed a person to handle all this, because it's impossible to focus on hacking and monetizing at the same time. You need to split your day, split your way of thinking. And it was easier to find another person to move data. And that was me.

Bob McMillan: So you were complimentary in your skills, basically.

Dmitriy Smilianets: That's correct.

Bob McMillan: They decided to work together. Drinkman would find new and innovative ways to steal data, and Dmitriy would make the money.

Dmitriy Smilianets: So at first, it was me and him. Then, it grew up to a bigger, larger group, because he needed more people for very specific tasks.

Bob McMillan: Tasks, such as?

Dmitriy Smilianets: Someone is hacking into, someone is literally moving through the network. Someone is harvesting the data. Someone is supplying bulletproof servers. Someone is monetizing the data. So everyone has a very specific role. It's like Ocean's Eleven. You can imagine.

Bob McMillan: The roles went like this. Dmitriy was the CEO. He would do the deals, and sell the credit card dumps. Drinkman was effectively chief technology officer. He was responsible for breaking into networks, and moving within them, searching for the places to hide and pull the data out. He was assisted by a man called Alexander Kalinin. Let's call him head of business development. Then, there was Roman Kotov, who was really the chief data officer, a master at mining networks to steal data. And the final member of the team, was Mikel Ritikov. He was responsible for building a bulletproof server. That server, it was hidden in a rundown shack in Ukraine, that was filled with debris. There was a secret button on the floor of one of the shack's junk filled rooms. If you pushed it, the floor would drop, revealing an underground bunker.This is where Dmitriy's team hid everything they stole. There's a video of that bunker, and it's totally bonkers. It shows a secret stairway you walk down to get into the room itself. You open a door, and bam, there's a room stacked with blinking server towers, cooling fans. The hum is overwhelming. And tucked away in the corner, there's Ritikov's desk. The man responsible for keeping the bulletproof servers running. I was pretty impressed with the team's security. It's not every day you see a server hidden in a bunker. But when I asked Dmitriy about that video, he had a different take.

Dmitriy Smilianets: But did you look at his desk?

Bob McMillan: No.

Dmitriy Smilianets: You should revisit that video.

Bob McMillan: Yeah.

Dmitriy Smilianets: His desk is a mess. And when I saw that desk, I messaged the guys like, "Bro, you disappoint me with this. Why is that?" And he never replied.

Bob McMillan: You keep a tidy desk.

Dmitriy Smilianets: Yes. I feel like if your desk is organized, your mind is organized.

Bob McMillan: Ritikov's lawyer says his client denies any wrongdoing. Dmitriy's all star team of hackers had big targets. They were going to focus on hacking the computer networks of retailers and financial companies, because they held millions of payment card details. Many of the companies were American, and they were unprepared for the matchup against Dmitriy's crack team. This was in the early 2000s, when the huge threat posed by hackers was only just starting to be understood. And investing in cybersecurity, well, that was expensive. Dmitriy's team went on to hack a lot of companies. Companies like 7-Eleven, JetBlue, and Dow Jones, the company I work for, which publishes the Wall Street Journal.

Dmitriy Smilianets: We only were paying attention to financial crimes, because we knew how to monetize those crimes. With this knowledge, expertise, and skill, we could do anything. If there was an order to look at the dark side of the moon, we would get that.

Bob McMillan: Were you consider yourself to be the best hacking team in the world, then?

Dmitriy Smilianets: Yes.

Bob McMillan: These hacks made Dmitriy a lot of money. And what does a 20 something do with that kind of money? He spends it.

Dmitriy Smilianets: We are young. We don't care about money. We spend them. Fancy cars, renting boats, spending on luxury alcohol. The money flew away very quickly.

Bob McMillan: He hung out a lot with Drinkman, his best friend and partner in crime. When they weren't hacking, they liked to party.

Dmitriy Smilianets: We went to Sochi a lot, many times. Nightclubs, of course. All the top clubs in Moscow.

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Hack Me If You Can, Part 1: The Making of a Russian Hacker - The Journal. - WSJ Podcasts - The Wall Street Journal

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Las Vegas RAID team makes 21 arrests for trick driving

Posted: at 6:23 pm

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department posted on Facebook that they made 21 arrests for trick driving and spectating-related crimes on Sunday evening.

On top of the 21 arrests, police also impounded 13 vehicles and five firearms, according to a press release.

Police said the LVMPD Racing Apprehension and Intervention Detail began investigating reports of trick driving events occurring near U.S. 93 and Grand Valley Parkway.

Police said spectators gathered and watched drivers take over the street driving recklessly, obstructing traffic and impeding local truck drivers while on their routes.

RELATED: Refinery truckers discuss boycott delivering Las Vegas gas because of road drifters

I want to thank our enforcement partners from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the North Las Vegas Police Department, and especially LVMPD's Traffic Bureau's Racing Apprehension and Intervention Detail for their efforts on Sunday night, said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Last night's enforcement is just the start of our efforts to keep our roadways safe. Over the previous two years, our community has experienced increased reckless driving, trick driving, and street racing which has resulted in fatal consequences. This reckless type of driving will never be tolerated on our streets.

MORE: Refinery drivers plan boycott over impeding muscle cars

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Las Vegas RAID team makes 21 arrests for trick driving

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Mary J. Blige to perform on the Las Vegas Strip – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Posted: at 6:23 pm

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Mary J. Blige to perform on the Las Vegas Strip - Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Should Biden run for reelection in 2024? Las Vegas voters weigh in – Fox News

Posted: at 6:23 pm

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

LAS VEGAS Voters in Nevada gave Fox News mixed opinions on whether President Biden should seek reelection in 2024.

"I think he's a little too old," one voter, Matthew, told Fox News.

A Las Vegas local, Wayne, said: "Anything but [former President] Trump and the Republican Party right now."

The White House recently affirmed that Biden will run for reelection. Rumors have repeatedly circulated since 2020 that the president would choose to serve only one term.

Some Democrats haven't been enthusiastic about putting Biden forward for reelection. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example, recently refused to endorse the president's 2024 bid.

AOC DODGES ON WHETHER SHE'LL SUPPORT BIDEN IN 2024, FOCUSES ON MIDTERMS: 'THAT'S NOT A YES'

'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign seen on a bright day. (Fox News Digital/Teny Sahakian)

One Democratic voter, Margaret, told Fox News Biden should run again if he wants to.

"I think he's a good leader," she said. "He's not full of hate."

Joe, visiting Las Vegas from California, shared a similar sentiment.

"Sure, beats Trump," he said.

Another man said: "He's getting a lot of bad press for things that he has no control over I'd like to see him have it long enough for some of the stuff to sort itself out."

DEMOCRATS ARE WAKING UP TO BIDEN'S AGE ISSUE, STRATEGISTS SAY

President Biden and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Getty Images)

Shelley, a lifelong Nevadan, had other motivations for wanting Biden on the 2024 ticket.

"We need another clown show," she told Fox News.

A recent Nevada transplant, Tatiana, hopes Biden does not seek reelection. She said he's failed to follow through on campaign promises.

SOME DEMOCRATS OPENLY OPPOSING A BIDEN RE-ELECTION BID, COURTESY OF THE NY TIMES

"He didn't do everything he said he was going to do," she said. "I just feel like things are getting worse [rather] than better."

Several people told Fox News they were concerns about the presidents age and ability to perform.

President Biden speaks about inflation and supply chain issues. ((AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes))

"I just think is a little too old to be running again," Alex from Memphis told Fox. "He's had his moments where he's shown that he might be a little too incompetent, so maybe another four years isn't the best for him."

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Biden, the oldest person to assume the presidency, would be nearly 82 by the time of the November 2024 election. Critics have highlighted the president's repeated verbal fumbles, including remarks that appeared to indicate new policy positions that White House officials scrambled to address.

"I think he's a little too old, no?" Matthew told Fox News. "He already seems like his speech is a little off."

Similarly, another Las Vegas local, Monty, said: "He can't even put two sentences together whenever he is asked a question. I don't think he's all there."

Matt Leach is a Fox Digital Originals reporter based in Tampa, FL.

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Should Biden run for reelection in 2024? Las Vegas voters weigh in - Fox News

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What to do in Las Vegas this week (June 16-22 edition) – Las Vegas Weekly

Posted: at 6:23 pm

Thursday, June 16

MUSIC: THE WAILERS7 p.m., House of Blues,livenation.com.

COMEDY: TONY ROCKHis older brother, Chris, still hasnt said much about that whole thing that happened, but Tony Rock wasted no time before ripping into Will Smith, criticizing the move stars shocking Oscars act during an April Fools Day stand-up show in North Carolina. Chris is scheduled to return to Las Vegas on July 3, but Tonys here now, headlining four nights at the venerable Laugh Factory at the Trop, and his stage presence and performance is quite different, if you didnt know. In fact, Tony told us in 2018 that he never really had conversations about comedy with Chris, but he kicks ideas around all the time with younger brother Jordan, who youve seen on Judd Apatows Netflix series Love. As Tony warned in that rant about potential stage-rushers, Oh, its a lot of Rock brothers. Yall aint know. Thru 6/19, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m., $49-$66. Laugh Factory, ticketmaster.com. Brock Radke

PARTY: LAS VEGAS WEEKLYS BEST OF VEGAS PARTY7 p.m., Area15,lasvegasweekly.com/bestofvegas.

PARTY: ZEDD10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

ARTS: GALLERY NIGHT RECEPTIONWith Scott Bauer, Nevada Clay Guild, Natalie Christensen, 5 p.m., Sahara West Library, lvccld.org.

MUSIC: NONPOINTWith Vrsty, Alura, Pure, 7 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, eventbrite.com.

MUSIC: NIKI SCALERA: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER8 p.m., Italian American Club, iacvegas.com.

PARTY: NGHTMRE10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

MISC: CASINO COLLECTIBLES ASSOCIATION SHOWThru 6/18, times vary, South Point, ccgtcc.com.

PARTY: JULIA GOVOR10 p.m., Commonwealth, elationlv.com.

MUSIC: SLIPKNOTWith Cypress Hill, Ho99o9, 6:30 p.m., MGM Grand Garden Arena, axs.com.

PARTY: STEVE AOKI10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub,events.taogroup.com.

MUSIC: STING8 p.m., & 6/18, the Colosseum, ticketmaster.com.

MUSIC: SHANIA TWAIN8 p.m., & 6/18, 6/22, Zappos Theater,ticketmaster.com.

MUSIC: LUKE BRYAN8 p.m., & 6/18, 6/22, Resorts World Theatre, axs.com.

COMEDY: PAULY SHORE: STICK WITH THE DANCING7:30 p.m., & 6/18, Wiseguys, vegas. wiseguyscomedy.com.

PARTY: JONAS BLUE11 a.m., Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

MUSIC: AARON LEWIS & THE STATELINERS8 p.m., Sandbar at Red Rock Resort,ticketmaster.com.

MUSIC: POSTMODERN JUKEBOX7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.

PARTY: BIG SEAN10 p.m., Drais Nightclub, draisgroup.com.

PARTY: FISHER10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

MUSIC: SKIP MARTIN7 p.m., Myrons,thesmithcenter.com.

PARTY: BRODY JENNER & DEVIN LUCIEN10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

MUSIC: MORIS BLAKWith Street Cleaner, Watch Out for Snakes, 8 p.m., Dive Bar, eventbrite.com.

PARTY: SOLEIL ET LUNEThe brilliant partnership between Wynn Nightlife and Framework that brought the Art of the Wild party series to the Las Vegas Strip strikes again with Soleil et Lune, another dense weekend of musical escapism. It begins June 17 with a DJ Set by Rfs Du Sol at XS, followed the next night by Claptone, Hannah Wants and Tom & Collins at EBC at Night. The sunny part of this sun and moon dance adventure arrives on June 19 when elrows Singer Mornings bash stars Green Velvet, Martin Ikin, Toni Varga and Bastian Bux, then Gordowho recently retired his Carnage monikercloses things out with the La Selva party that night at XS. Thru 6/19, times & prices vary, XS Nightclub & Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com. Brock Radke

MUSIC: MILES, MINGUS AND MONKCelebrate Juneteenth by honoring a musical form created and shaped by Black Americans. Singer-songwriter Clint Holmes joins members of the Jazz Outreach Initiativea nonprofit devoted to jazz education and advocacy founded by another celebrated local, trumpeter Kenny Ramptonto pay homage to the music of Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk. Holmes will perform works by these influential talents with the JOI Septet, a murderers row of great local players: Wayne de Silva on Tenor Sax, Johnny Friday on drums; Dave Loeb on piano, Jorge Machain on trumpet, Molly Redfield on bass, Nathan Tanouye on trombone and Phil Wigfall on alto sax. But this event is about more than solid players digging into deathless material; its about recognizing trailblazers whose midcentury work is as relevant to the quest for social justice and freedom then as now. And it probably goes without saying the music of these jazz giants will knock you right back into the parking lot if you dont hold onto something. 7 p.m., free, West Las Vegas Library, eventbrite.com. Geoff Carter

MUSIC: LYLE LOVETT & CHRIS ISAAK7 p.m., the Theater at Virgin, axs.com.

PARTY: SECRET GARDENWhats better than a night at the club? A night at the theater inside of a club. Secret Garden at Area15 is a choose-your-own-nightlife-adventure curated by the party maestros at House of Leaves. The immersive experience, replete with surrealistic art, live theatrical performers and fantastical world-building, puts you at the center of an unfolding story soundtracked by big basslines and cavernous house from such DJs as Noizu, Cloverdale and local darling Crykit. The experience expands beyond the glittering Oddwood bar to the Portal and outside to the A-Lot, so come prepared to dance in your best forest frock. 9 p.m., $35, area15.com. Amber Sampson

MISC: JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION3 p.m., West Charleston Library, lvccld.org.

PARTY: SNOOP DOGG11 a.m., Elia Beach Club,eliabeachlv.com.

MUSIC: GOVT MULE6 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl, ticketweb.com.

PARTY: KASKADE11 a.m., Wet Republic,events.taogroup.com.

MISC: JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL10 a.m., Discovery Museum, discoverykidslv.org.

SPORTS: 3ICE HOCKEY3 p.m., Orleans Arena,ticketmaster.com.

COMEDY: WAYNE BRADY10 p.m., Mirage Theatre, mirage.mgmresorts.com.

MUSIC: CHRIS YOUNG8 p.m., Sunset Amphitheater,ticketmaster.com.

MISC: JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL5 p.m., World Market Center,lasvegasnevada.gov.

MUSIC: JOHN TESH3 p.m., Myrons,thesmithcenter.com.

PARTY: WIZ KHALIFA10 p.m., Drais Nightclub, draisgroup.com.

PARTY: MARSHMELLO10 p.m., XS Nightclub,wynnsocial.com.

PARTY: ILLENIUM10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

COMEDY: RUSSELL PETERS8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.

PARTY: THE CHAINSMOKERS11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.

PARTY: ZEDDWith Kiko Franco, 11 a.m., Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

MUSIC: KUH LEDESMAWith Odette Quesada, Fe De Los Reyes, 8 p.m., Veil Pavilion,silvertoncasino.showare.com.

PARTY: MAJID JORDAN10:30 p.m., Light Nightclub,thelightvegas.com.

PARTY: ARDALAN, MANICS10 p.m., Discopussy, discopussydtlv.com.

MUSIC: PALE WAVESSmaller venues like 24 Oxford give rising acts a space to shine. Manchester pop-punk four-piece Pale Waves is a perfect example, especially with a frontwoman like Heather Baron-Gracie, whose unapologetic delivery has led this misfit bunch through two chart-topping albums. She leads the revolt against patriarchy in You Dont Own Me, detests the untrustworthy on the guitar-laden Lies and finds happiness at rock bottom on latest single Reasons to Live. Baron-Gracie channels the aughts angst of Avril Lavigne on Change, while the poppy guitar licks on Television Romance pay homage to earlier work from The 1975 (lead singer Matthew Healy actually had a hand in producing the song). Theres plenty of energy flowing through this promising young band, and with Pales Waves third album, Unwanted, set for an August 12 release, were ready to wade in deeper. With Gatlin, 8 p.m., $20-$38, 24 Oxford, etix.com. Amber Sampson

MISC: JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL2 p.m., Water Street Plaza, cityofhenderson.com.

PARTY: ELROW SINGER MORNINGS11 a.m., Encore Beach Club,wynnsocial.com.

PARTY: DISCLOSUREWith Zen Freeman, 10:30 p.m., Moonbeam at Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

SPORTS: LAS VEGAS ACES VS. MINNESOTA LYNX3 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com.

PARTY: NERVONoon, Ayu Dayclub,zoukgrouplv.com.

PARTY: FABOLOUSWith DJ Franzen, 10 p.m., Drais Nightclub,draisgroup.com.

MUSIC: MICHELLE JOHNSON: LET IT BE7 p.m., Myrons,thesmithcenter.com.

MISC: MONDAYS DARK8 p.m., the Space, mondaysdark.com.

MUSIC: THE DELTAZ10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge,thesanddollarlv.com.

PARTY: DJ SHIFT10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

COMEDY: DAPHNIQUE SPRINGSThru 6/22, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m., Laugh Factory,ticketmaster.com.

COMEDY: KEY LEWISThru 6/26, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club,bestvegascomedy.com.

COMEDY: KATHLEEN DUNBARWith Trixx, Shazia Mirza, Michael Yo, thru 6/22, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Comedy Cellar,ticketmaster.com.

PARTY: DEMETRIA & FRIENDS9 p.m., Emporium, emporiumlv.com.

MUSIC: CARPENTERS LEGACY4 & 7 p.m., thru 6/23, the Mint, carpenterslegacy.com.

SPORTS: LAS VEGAS ACES VS. CHICAGO SKY7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena,axs.com.

PARTY: PARTY FAVOR10:30 p.m., Omnia,events.taogroup.com.

SPORTS: LAS VEGAS AVIATORS VS. ALBUQUERQUE ISOTOPES7 p.m., thru 6/26, Las Vegas Ballpark,ticketmaster.com.

PARTY: LUIS MIRANDAWith Badbeat, Barbosa, Human by Nature, 10 p.m., Lucky Day,luckydaydtlv.com.

COMEDY: BRAD GARRETTWith Quinn Dahle, Warren B. Hall, 8 p.m., Brad Garrett Comedy Club,bradgarrettcomedy.com.

MISC: ODESSAS REIGN: THE QUEEN OF WASHINGTON, D.C.S UNDERWORLDEmmy-award winning journalist, filmmaker and writer Robin Hamilton will speak about her latest documentary, which explores the life of Odessa Madre, a powerful Black female gangster in Washington, D.C. during the 1930s. Madre managed multiple brothels and a successful gambling operation, while maintaining a tight relationship with police officers. The so-called Al Capone of Washington, bought expensive cars and furs, gave generously to the community and never hid her bisexuality. Odessas Reign, Hamiltons fourth film, showcases her devotion to storytelling while challenging the notion of the 20th-century gangster. 7 p.m., $17-$30, Mob Museum, themobmuseum.org. Evelyn Mateos

MUSIC: TRAVIS CLOER7 p.m., Myrons,thesmithcenter.com.

PARTY: MEDUZA11 p.m., EBC at Night, wynnsocial.com.

PARTY: FERRECK DAWN10:30 p.m., the Library at Marquee Nightclub, events.taogroup.com.

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What to do in Las Vegas this week (June 16-22 edition) - Las Vegas Weekly

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Second Billionaire Celebrity Wants to Bring NBA Team to Las Vegas – TheStreet

Posted: at 6:23 pm

Las Vegas is the home of major league sports franchises, with the National Hockey League's Golden Knights skating at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip and the National Football League's Las Vegas Raiders playing at Allegiant Stadium just off The Strip.

The Golden Knights and Raiders draw hundreds of thousands of people to Las Vegas each year to watch games, which helps fill The Strip's casinos, including those owned by MGM Resorts (MGM) - Get MGM Resorts International Report, Caesars Entertainment (CZR) - Get Caesars Entertainment Inc. Reportand Wynn (WYNN) - Get Wynn Resorts Limited Report. Las Vegas casinos will also see a huge benefit when the city hosts the 2024 Super Bowl and a 2023 Formula 1 car race.

Image source: USA TODAY Sports

Sin City has also been courting Major League Baseball's Oakland A's, as the team has been considering a relocation to a site either on or adjacent to The Strip. The A's decision of whether to move to Las Vegas rests on a June 30 vote by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission that could remove the port use designation for the Howard Terminal site for a proposed A's ballpark near Oakland's Jack London Square.

If BCDC votes against removing the port use designation, the Las Vegas A's might be suiting up at a Vegas stadium in the near future. The A's still have a long road ahead to get approval for an Oakland stadium even if BCDC votes in favor of removing the port use designation.

The National Basketball Association is the next major sports league that billionaire celebrities want to bring to Las Vegas. Multiple NBA-ready arena projects have already launched on and adjacent to The Strip, but no lease for any facility has been negotiated yet.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James recently stated in a preview of his HBO series "The Shop" that he was interested in owning a potential Las Vegas NBA team, The Street reported.

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"I wanna own a team....Yeah, I wanna buy a team for sure. I would much rather own a team before I talk. I wanna own a team in Vegas. I want the team in Vegas," James said in the video.

James isn't the only billionaire athlete looking to own an NBA team in Las Vegas as boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who lives in Las Vegas, said he's been "talking to certain individuals" about owning an NBA team, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on June 13.

Ive been talking to certain individuals for the last six months, Mayweather said on June 13 at the M Resort Spa Casino after announcing an exhibition bout against Japanese mixed martial artist Mikuru Asakura. Thats something Ive been working on behind the scenes, but Ive never came out and publicly talked about that with the media.

Me and my team have been working behind the scenes with the NBA. I cant say exactly where, but Im working on getting a team, Mayweather said, according to the Review-Journal.

The chance of either Mayweather or James owning an NBA expansion team in the near future is unlikely as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver rejected that possibility for the time being.

However, Silver has also said that Las Vegas is on a short list of possible locations whenever the league considers expansion, according to The Spun.

Its on a list at the point that we do turn to expansion, which isnt right now but at some point, no doubt Vegas will be on the list," Silver said.

Mayweather, whose boxing record is 50-0 with 27 knockouts, was recently enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y. The champion boxer plans to continue fighting in exhibitions going forward.

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Second Billionaire Celebrity Wants to Bring NBA Team to Las Vegas - TheStreet

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Joe Burrow’s going on a trip to Las Vegas with Jessie Bates – Bengals Wire

Posted: at 6:23 pm

Is Joe Burrow the general manager about to make a big move for the Cincinnati Bengals?

Speaking with the media Tuesday, Burrow revealed that he and star safety Jessie Bates will go on a trip to Las Vegas during the six-week break before camp starts.

Normally that wouldnt be worth pointing out, but Bates remains locked in the standoff with the Bengals over his contract extension while currently slated to play on the franchise tag.

For his part, Burrow says hed like to see the Bengals get something done with Bates.

You can put a price tag on what he does on the field, Burrow said. But I dont think you can on what he does in the locker room. Hes been a guy that has kind of built what were doing here.

No word on the exact timing of the trip or who else might join them. But the Bengals and Bates have until the July 15 deadline to come up with an extension or hell play the season on the tag (season holdouts are extremely rare).

Former Ice nightclub demolition underway to become part of F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit – KLAS – 8 News Now

Posted: at 6:23 pm

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The former Ice nightclub at the NE corner of Harmon and Koval is coming down. It appears demolition has begun on the building that sits where Formula One racing will be building its paddocks, also known as the area where the pitstops happen.

Local blog Vital Vegas first published several daylight photos of the demolition underway earlier Monday.

This area of the proposed F1 circuit will also serve as the start/finish line.

The nightclub opened in 2003 as the Ice Meta Club and by 2004 was winning awards. But after being home to a short-lived reality show also in 2004 the ownership changed hands in late 2005. This was the beginning of the end for the club which eventually closed shortly after this happened.

There have been rumors of a hotel-casino being built on this site for years, but nothing ever materialized.

F1 owner Liberty Media closed on the property recently, buying the land the old club is on and the surrounding 39 acres for $240 million.

The 50-lap Las Vegas Grand Prix is currently scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 25, however, this date might move and there are unconfirmed reports it will be held one week earlier.

The race is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. and will take racers from Harmon/Koval pit area north on Koval, around the MSG Sphere, and west on Sands to the Las Vegas strip. Here drivers will turn left and speed south on the strip at around 212 mph before turning east on Flamingo to complete a lap at the pit area.

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Former Ice nightclub demolition underway to become part of F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit - KLAS - 8 News Now

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Raiders: 3 advantages Las Vegas has to win the AFC West – Just Blog Baby

Posted: at 6:23 pm

LONDON, ENGLAND OCTOBER 06: (EDITORS NOTE This image has been converted to black and white) Oakland Raiders helmet is seen on the field after the game between Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019, in London, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

The AFC West has grown tougher, but the Raiders have taken as many steps forward as any team leaguewide. Now, getting ready for the upcoming season, Las Vegas holds advantages over the rest of the division.

The off-season, is a time when each team in the National Football League has the chance to change their personnel, address weaknesses on the roster, and further strengthen various units, which is exactly what the Las Vegas Raiders did. From free agency to the annual NFL Draft, teams leaguewide have various ways they can add heaps of talent.

This off-season, in particular, no division benefitted more from this than the AFC West.

In Denver, Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson was added in a trade that sent Drew Lock and Noah Fant to Seattle. Out in L.A., the Chargers added All-Pros Khalil Mack and JC Jackson. Kansas City lost some great talent, but the back-to-back-to-back-to-back (x4) AFC Championship Game attendees took advantage of each opportunity they had in the 2022 NFL draft.

For the Raiders, things went their way during the off-season as well.

All-Pro Chandler Jones was acquired in free agency, and the league-leader for [lowest] completion percentage allowed in man coverage last season, Rock Ya-Sin, was added by way of trade. Of course, no move was bigger than the deal that brought Davante Adams to Las Vegas, reuniting him with his best friend, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

Even as each team in the AFC West took advantage of this period to improve, the Silver and Black have some advantages on their side, which may be vital to them competing in the division Or, better yet, winning the division.

So, what are those advantages? Lets jump right into it.

The Most Interesting Trends From JCK Las Vegas 2022 JCK – JCK

Posted: at 6:23 pm

One of my favorite things to do after returning from JCK Las Vegas is to sort through my photos and try to suss out common themes among themin other words, to determine current trends.

This years show brought some themes that we had encountered earlier and some unexpectedand really greatones too. Here are the top themes as I experienced them at the 2022 JCK Las Vegas show.

Never have I noticed such a strong movement toward distinct gemstones before. Sure, brands always have opal, and for years tourmaline has been a vibrant vision, but this year felt different. The monikers for each of these gemstones refer to their sourced locationsthe state of Montana, the Sleeping Beauty mine in Arizona (which closed in 2012, making the gems all the more valuable)but they each also have a distinct appearance. And it felt like everyone had them, much to my surprise.

Turns out, it was to everyone elses surprise too. Whenever I mentioned to an exhibitor showing me their selection of either gem that it seems to be a popular choice this year, theyd say, really? Seems like great minds really do think alike.

Hearts have been a big theme for the last several years, and because of that, I might have expected wed be moving away from them (were always looking for the next new thing, arent we?). But that assumption couldnt have been more wrong. Brands had more hearts than ever, citing their popularity among customers and offering a wider variety of styles to please those shoppers still looking for heart jewelry.

I touched on trending Y2K fashions before the show with this collection by Studiocult, which felt niche enough that it might have been news to retailers that this was an up-and-coming style to watch. Well, it has up and come. Everything from animal jewelry to big, bold styles such as oversize crosses, long, layerable chain necklaces, and icons of the new millennium were conspicuously present at the show. Its the kind of jewelry that makes you smile to see and feel good to wear.

Speaking of that: dopamine dressing. While Im not sure of the original source of the term, it was a buzzword thrown about between booths and the stage of JCK Talks, and it refers to wearing stuff that makes you feel good. Think candy-bright jewels and playful, whimsical piecesits a good- vibes-only kind of thing, and people are loving it.

Lab-grown, lab-grown, lab-grown. Its a massive topic of discussion in this industry, and one that, in the past, seemed to really have people divided.

This year however, it felt like the winds had changed. A larger neighborhood dedicated to lab-grown diamond brands was positively buzzing, while a noticeable share of exhibitors debuted new collections featuring lab-grown stonestheir first forays into the category. Even old-school jewelers who swore never to buy in have relented, opting to make them available should their customers have requests. And as a younger generation of consumers comes up with the buying power to become lifelong customers, why not give them what they want (or in some cases, financially speaking, what they need?).

Top: A heart pendant featuring Sleeping Beauty turquoise at Lauren K

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The Most Interesting Trends From JCK Las Vegas 2022 JCK - JCK

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Daily Archives: June 15, 2022

Hack Me If You Can, Part 1: The Making of a Russian Hacker – The Journal. – WSJ Podcasts – The Wall Street Journal

Las Vegas RAID team makes 21 arrests for trick driving

Mary J. Blige to perform on the Las Vegas Strip – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Should Biden run for reelection in 2024? Las Vegas voters weigh in – Fox News

What to do in Las Vegas this week (June 16-22 edition) – Las Vegas Weekly

Second Billionaire Celebrity Wants to Bring NBA Team to Las Vegas – TheStreet

Joe Burrow’s going on a trip to Las Vegas with Jessie Bates – Bengals Wire

Former Ice nightclub demolition underway to become part of F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit – KLAS – 8 News Now

Raiders: 3 advantages Las Vegas has to win the AFC West – Just Blog Baby

The Most Interesting Trends From JCK Las Vegas 2022 JCK – JCK

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