Odds and Ends — 10 October 2025

@preparedwombat 78

5 days ago

oddsandends

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, AI, and Debt:

ShapeShift revives privacy focus with Zcash shielded support

22 State Economies Are In or Near Recession

History shows war against immigrants will backfire on all Americans

Bitcoin Volatility Rises Amid Government Shutdown as Analysts Warn of Deficit Risks

Tariffs Are Way Up. Interest on Debt Tops $1 Trillion. And DOGE Didn’t Do Much.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Texas physicians group is undermining federal COVID vaccine recommendations, Paxton says

https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1976343820800492008

Politics:

https://twitter.com/hissgoescobra/status/1976372986216411483

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel recently warned that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and critics of technology or artificial intelligence are “legionnaires of the Antichrist” in private lectures on Christianity that connected government oversight of Silicon Valley to an apocalyptic future, according to recordings reviewed by The Washington Post…
Silicon Valley leaders have escalated their fight against regulating AI since President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Thiel has close ties to administration officials including Vice President JD Vance, White House science adviser Michael Kratsios and David Sacks, White House AI and crypto czar. As one of the industry’s most influential leaders, his effort to cast resisting oversight of technology development as a religious battle could intensify the industry’s crusade.

https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1976300205147373604

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

———— The Trump Shutdown ————

Johnson Faces Growing Internal Revolt Over Shutdown

The longer the government stays shut down, the shorter House Republicans’ patience seems to be getting with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Johnson’s decision to keep his chamber on an indefinite break in the middle of a government shutdown isn’t sitting well with some in his conference — and that could put pressure on the speaker to change course.

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

In cell where Jeffrey Epstein died, a scene of disarray that never underwent thorough inspection

https://twitter.com/SgtTibbles/status/1975996828614021289

———— Autocracy R Us ————

The Authoritarian Menace Has Arrived

There’s no emergency requiring the dispatch of National Guard personnel into cities where they’re not wanted, and there’s no ongoing ‘invasion’ of the country by asylum seekers. What we have is an administration that refuses to tout good news, because it loves the idea of a country immersed in crisis as a pretext to seize even more power.
When the president’s top policy aide is tweeting that court rulings upholding basic federalism and America’s long tradition of keeping the military out of domestic law enforcement are ‘terrorism,’ the authoritarian menace has truly arrived.

https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/1976040319713169806

‘Bow to the Emperor’: We Asked 50 Legal Experts About the Trump Presidency

Before the election, we surveyed the legal establishment about what a second Trump term could mean for the rule of law. A year later, they’re very, very worried.

Letitia James Indicted

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as President Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents.
James’ relationship with Trump has been adversarial for years as James campaigned on promises to investigate Trump and ultimately won a civil fraud case against Trump, his adult sons and his real estate business.

Next Up: Letitia James

It’s hard to imagine a worse case than the one against James Comey—until you see the one against the attorney general of New York.

Judge blocks Trump's deployment of National Guard to Chicago

https://twitter.com/Mollyploofkins/status/1975656715199582695

https://twitter.com/IsaacDovere/status/1976344272522903681

Sinister, Malevolent, Venomous: Stephen Miller Is Like No Other White House Aide in Modern US History

Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff, has never hidden his disfigured and dangerous psyche. But now Donald Trump has empowered him to execute his fascist impulses.

https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1976103687098638485