In the second episode of our series on darknet marketplaces, we look at the personalities that helped build popular darknet forums and learn about the communication technologies and cryptocurrencies their members rely on. We also dig into how the geopolitics of the Russia-Ukraine war changed the nature of cooperation amongst cyber criminals on the dark net.

Welcome to POLITICO Tech. We’re kicking off with a limited series exploring darknet marketplaces, some of the least regulated parts of the world wide web. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable, marketplaces pop up. We’ll trace the latest evolution of a global network of cybercriminal actors and the people tasked with catching them. In this series premiere, we’ll talk with ransomware experts and discuss the tradecraft of cybercrime collectives and the challenges inherent in monitoring them online.

The account of a 10-year-old Ohio girl seeking an abortion in Indiana has garnered international attention amid the fall of Roe v. Wade. Indiana's Attorney General is threatening criminal charges against the doctor who performed the abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

As the January 6 hearings progress, a cadre of young, female, former Trump aides have created an informal network to support each other. Meridith McGraw reports.

The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing a first-of-its-kind application from HRA Pharma for Opill. If green-lit by the agency, Opill would become the first daily, hormonal birth control pill sold without a prescription. The submission of the application follows more than six years of studies the company has run. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

The Biden administration argues that the president's upcoming visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia are of great strategic importance. But possible images of him glad-handing with the Saudi crown prince threatens to be the defining moment. Alex Ward reports.

Earlier this month, a Minnesota law took effect that allows adults to purchase edibles or beverages with up to 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per serving. But some key state lawmakers were confused when they realized they had made those THC products legal. Paul Demko reports.

Boris Johnson resigned Thursday after fighting all week to hang on to his post as the U.K.'s Prime Minister, surviving lashings in the press, investigations and a narrow confidence vote last month. Even as the walls closed in around him, he remained defiant. Ryan Heath on how it could have been even messier.

Stung by messaging missteps over the coronavirus crisis, baby formula shortage and abortion access, the Food and Drug Administration is planning to hire Vin Gupta and other senior-level advisers to shore up the agency’s communications. Adam Cancryn reports.

Climate change and worsening drought have driven water stores to dangerous lows. Now states have to figure out who has to live with less. Lara Korte reports.

Our digital footprints can easily reveal who’s providing abortion care, who’s seeking an abortion and who’s protesting. Sam Sabin reports on digital privacy after Roe.

The Supreme Court delivered a major setback to President Biden’s ambitious climate change goals in Thursday's West Virginia v. EPA ruling. The 6-3 ruling is an obstacle for Biden’s hopes of dealing with global warming through executive order, barely six months after a Senate stalemate shut down his hopes for Congress's biggest-ever climate bill. Alex Guillén reports.

More than half of the states in the U.S. have held primary elections ahead of the midterms. As Trump looms over the GOP and Democrats attempt to limit losses, politics editor Scott Bland shares five takeaways and a report card on the state of the race.

For decades, state lawmakers had limited avenues to control abortion. Now, the power to decide when — and whether — abortion should be legal is squarely in their hands. Megan Messerly looks at the states and people re-shaping abortion policies in 2022 and 2023.

The coziest club on the global summit circuit is back together, but its inability to solve inflation, Russia's war in Ukraine, and climate change is raising questions about whether G-7 leaders need to spend more time out of their democratic comfort zone. Ryan Heath reports.

Everything was going right for Republicans in the midterm campaign. Then the Supreme Court decision came down. David Siders reports.

D.C.’s single power players are enlisting an expensive, awkward, and sometimes even romantic method to find love: matchmakers. Jessica Goldstein reports.

Federal regulations that have allowed practitioners the flexibility to virtually prescribe buprenorphine, an opioid withdrawal treatment drug, are due to expire along with the Covid-19 public health emergency — even as opioid deaths reach record levels. Krista Mahr reports.

Election workers from across the country are flying into the nation’s capital to beg Washington for two things that have vexed officials since the last election: security and funding. Zach Montellaro reports.

Today, the Jan. 6 committee looks at Trump’s role in the plan to replace electors at the state level to overturn election results. But tensions are growing between members of the committee and the DOJ, who want access to full interview transcripts to aid in their own investigations. Kyle Cheney reports.

The nation’s marijuana industry boomed during the pandemic. Weed sales hit $27 billion in 2021, nearly doubling figures from just two years earlier — and revenues are projected to double again over the next six years. But the still-green industry is mired in a financial funk: Stock prices have plummeted. Capital raises have crashed. And marijuana prices have slumped. Paul Demko reports.

Activists said they spoke to officials not only about their fears of the international impact if Roe v. Wade were to fall, but also proposed changes to U.S. policy that has long restricted funding for abortions abroad. Daniel Payne reports.

President Joe Biden will travel to the Middle East next month, making stops in Israel, the West Bank and then Saudi Arabia, where he’ll seek to rebuild relations after vowing to make the kingdom a “pariah.” Nahal Toosi reports.

We are in a paradoxical economic moment. The economy is hot by certain metrics — unemployment, job openings, consumer demand — but inflation is way up, and soaring gas and grocery prices are driving the narrative. Victoria Guida reports.

From artillery strikes to Zoom calls, the tech billionaire’s satellite internet service has become a lifeline in the war with Russia. Christopher Miller reports.