Odds and Ends — 11 August 2026

about 1 hour ago

I just finished Jordan Harper’s A Violent Masterpiece. A damn fine piece of writing. I suppose it could be read as a standalone novel, but it’s essentially a sequel to his Everybody Knows. If you like gritty crime novels, neonoir, or just good writing, you should take a deep dive into his work. Probably start with She Rides Shotgun.

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

Anthropic strikes $9B compute deal with Bitcoin miner Riot

https://x.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2086697861765570635

Coinbase Opens UK Derivatives Trading With Up to 50x Leverage

Coronavirus and Public Health:

https://x.com/HQNewsNow/status/2086892867465691460
https://x.com/Angry_Staffer/status/2086903160308699371

https://x.com/DucuGavril/status/2086576395849720078

Iran:

https://x.com/OurShallowState/status/2086824603465417183
https://x.com/Amy_Siskind/status/2086888659001676286

https://x.com/SethAbramson/status/2086919378189398461

Wait out Trump’s term, I doubt. But I also doubt that they’ll be in any rush to make Trump’s life any easier before the midterms.

Gulf States Accept a New Normal in Hormuz

Persian Gulf energy producers are concluding that Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz will become permanent, disrupting their oil and gas exports and global energy supplies indefinitely.
The problem is they worry the alternative—going back to war—would be worse.
The conundrum highlights how the war has unleashed a more antagonistic Iran and left a region that is vital to the world’s energy security with no good option for countering it.

https://x.com/TheoMoudakis/status/2086906690721456306

https://x.com/MaxBoot/status/2086775252697149604

Trump Claims ‘100% Control’ of Hormuz

…Donald Trump said Monday the U.S. Navy had swept the Strait of Hormuz clear of mines and now holds ‘100%’ control of the waterway.

https://x.com/MarcoFoster_/status/2086557856862765315

https://x.com/acnewsitics/status/2086851448902746388

Politics:

https://x.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/2086750214648484329

CBS News Not Airing ‘60 Minutes’ Jeffrey Epstein Story Under Scrutiny

https://x.com/KellyScaletta/status/2086801820500783526

———— Catering to Cowardice ————

https://x.com/Amy_Siskind/status/2086984628267626979

https://x.com/adgirlMM/status/2087000947214180838

https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2087006698472956322

https://x.com/TVietor08/status/2086980599684960740

———— Bernie Moreno and Max Miller ————

RNC Chair Downplays Max Miller’s Abuse Allegations

The chairman of the Republican National Committee skirted around the alarming abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) while appearing to confirm the GOP’s congressional committee does intend to fund his reelection campaign.
Said Joe Gruter: “I always tell people that there’s not many things worse than divorce and watch these processes play out. Nobody’s a winner.”