Odds and Ends — 12 January 2026

@preparedwombat 78

3 months ago

oddsandends

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

Russians ask government hotlines whether pensions are paid in crypto

Bitcoin Shrugs Off Powell Probe as DOJ Targets Fed Chair

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Heart Failure Deaths Have Accelerated in US Since Covid Pandemic

Politics:

https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/2010453474287456268

https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/2010399597559210035

MAGA’s Theory of Trump’s Dismal Approval Ratings

The political result of Trump’s full populism in his second term appears to be largely the same as the political results of his first term: a president with an underwater approval rating and a drubbing in the off-year elections that portends a blue wave in the midterm elections.
So how exactly do congressional Republicans answer Trump’s question about why he and Republicans aren’t more popular in the mind of the public? Some Republicans contend the problem is simply one of messaging, while others claim the party needs to be even more populist. While polling shows Trump and the GOP faring poorly on the economy and affordability, few elected Republicans are willing to argue that Trump’s tariffs—at their highest level since the 1930s—are a source of the GOP’s political woes.
The core tenet of today’s Republican Party is that Trump cannot fail; he can only be failed. And according to Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, congressional Republicans have failed Trump by not fully implementing a populist agenda.

https://twitter.com/karlykingsley/status/2010365258498482547

https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/2010410203850985865

———— Murder in Minneapolis ————

I’m filled with rage. Just got a text from my son who lives in Minneapolis:

Morning Dad. Getting pretty scary around here; ICE was in (his employer’s) parking lot yesterday and then later stopped a friend who was out running with his dog and tried to intimidate him. Have photocopied my papers to have with me at all times, feels like I’m going to get stopped at some point.

He shouldn’t have to live in fear. We no longer live in a functioning democracy. Trump will probably die before ever facing justice but Vance, Noem, Miller, et al must have Nuremberg 2.0 trials.

https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/2010293109997867177

https://twitter.com/NortonMpls/status/2010458480118026741

https://twitter.com/BestPixMN/status/2010534199111925838

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2010491590528192868

https://twitter.com/lawindsor/status/2010478267292168405

This will not go over well in Minnesota: Noem Tells Tim Walz and Jacob Frey to ‘Grow Up’

Nor will this:

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2010364214423257220

https://x.com/MAGACult2/status/2010497894584082700

https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/2010280143772926229

https://twitter.com/JSweetLI/status/2010486120509739106

https://twitter.com/jimstewartson/status/2010409506984096179

https://twitter.com/KremlinTrolls/status/2010308529639363029

https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/2010585718633238656

Legislators nationwide are advancing bills to curb immigration enforcement and limit cooperation with federal agents.

https://twitter.com/MotherJones/status/2010411521084366859

https://twitter.com/CameronCorduroy/status/2010471978365305304

https://twitter.com/DomainDead/status/2010536664272412871

https://twitter.com/primediscussion/status/2010333032918458718

The Authoritarianism Will Be Televised

https://twitter.com/JMPSimor/status/2010414918097662130

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

Schools in Occupied Ukraine Aim to Turn Children Into Russian Nationalists

Required lessons are heavy on militarism and pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Some people make an arduous escape, partly to avoid the indoctrination.

Britain to develop new ballistic missile for Ukraine's defense

———— Mors Imperii ————

https://twitter.com/Xenoimpulse/status/2010265332615918067

https://twitter.com/BlisterPearl/status/2010459532489871569

https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/2010494841243709704

Serendipity:

https://twitter.com/ATRightMovies/status/2010336139127787727

https://twitter.com/SamBuntz/status/2009364184371245056

https://twitter.com/OgadenSoldier/status/2010459753118667050

^{Badge thanks to @arcange}

Whisky Neat source

^{Want a free Hive account? Join Hive using my referral link.}

What is Hive?

oddsandends covidandpublichealth leofinance politics autocracy

0.000

6 comments

@jayna 75

3 months ago

I'm pretty sure this is one of the best posts you've ever written, @preparedwombat. But to be fair, I'm biased (being from Minnesota) and I really like you (being related to you and all) and I'm also a slacker and haven't read every post you've written.

This one hits close to home in more ways than one. Like other Minnesotans and U.S. citizens, I've been devastated by the killing of Renee Good and the immediate revision of history from the administration and its supporters. Hello! We have video. We have eyes. So yeah... love the whiskey neat t-shirt. And all the videos and X references. (Senator Kelly...OMG. Jerome Powell...OMG!!) This country can indeed be great again, but not under this leadership.

Do you think Canada would really take us??

0.000

@preparedwombat 78

2 months ago

Do you think Canada would really take us??

A boy can dream.

0.000

@oblivioncubed 71

2 months ago

As a Canadian, it wouldn't be the craziest thing to see happen if Trump decided to kick that hornet's nest.

0.000

@zekepickleman 78

2 months ago

Hell ya we would! Imagine being nice and standing up to the secret service and probably not enjoying the threat of medical bankruptcy and fighting for the people? I have been to MSP many times and loved it.

Cmon up! We have !BEER

0.000