Odds and Ends — 19 March 2026

4 days ago

I made mushroom risotto last night, loosely following this recipe. I like mushroom risotto but my wife loves it — when I asked her if I should make it again some time, she answered Every day.

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

SEC says most crypto assets may not be securities under federal law

https://twitter.com/JohnReedwrites/status/2034192660576055452

Nvidia CEO says the gamers rejecting the company's controversial AI are 'completely wrong'

Flash Fiction:

”But you still have so much to learn.”

”No more knowledge! What’s the point? The A.I. does all the work. I don’t need to even think any more, let alone learn something new.”

”Is that any way to live? What about hopes and dreams?”

”I have contentment. Hopes and dreams are overrated.”

Written for this prompt.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

More than 150,000 uncounted COVID-19 deaths occurred early in the pandemic, a study finds

Iran:

https://twitter.com/mmjukic/status/2034247212457189473
https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/2034455306022064143

https://twitter.com/NavyStrang/status/2034370107145879824

U.S. Aircraft Carrier Moves Away From Iran War

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is moving away from operations tied to the Iran war and sailing to the US Navy’s base in Crete for repairs after a fire broke out in the ship’s laundry area last week.
The movement of the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier comes as military operations against Iran are still in full swing, particularly as the US is seeking ways to reduce Iran’s threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

https://twitter.com/AmirAminiMD/status/2034301949210751002
https://twitter.com/snarwani/status/2034272621689200770

Senate Democrats to Stall Chamber to Force War Probe

Senate Democrats are preparing to force a series of time-consuming repeat votes on the war in Iran in the coming days that could grind the Senate to a halt, a tactic aimed as much at disrupting the chamber’s work as at compelling the Trump Administration to publicly defend a conflict that has so far unfolded with little formal scrutiny from Congress.
The strategy, which is still being finalized, would mark the Democrats’ most aggressive effort yet to force accountability for the war, as they have grown increasingly frustrated that senior officials have yet to testify under oath in open session about the rationale, costs, and objectives of a war now entering its third week.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/2034257380783919198

https://twitter.com/shanaka86/status/2034123870521926015

Top Intelligence Officials Contradict Trump on Iran War

Two top intelligence officials directly contradicted one of the Trump administration’s justifications for going to war with Iran, repeating on Wednesday the intelligence community’s conclusion that Iran was years away from developing missiles capable of hitting the United States.

Oh, yeah. Good luck with that: Pentagon Seeks $200 Billion More for Iran War

The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran, in an enormous new ask that is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict.
That number would far surpass the costs of the administration’s massive airstrike campaign to date and instead seek to urgently increase production of critical weaponry expended as U.S. and Israeli forces have struck thousands of targets over the past three weeks.

https://twitter.com/Daractenus/status/2034318349820191096

Politics:

Trump and his allies use familiar tactic to help Iran war messaging: attacking the press

President Donald Trump and his allies are attacking news organizations for their coverage of the Iran war, a conflict the administration says is going well for the United States but is unpopular with the public and has plunged the Middle East into chaos.

Has Trump United Europe?

The rebuttal was swift, emphatic — and cathartic. One by one, Donald Trump’s European allies rejected the U.S. president’s demand to join his war in the Middle East. Leaders from Warsaw to Madrid, from Washington’s closest friends on the continent to the most Trump-sceptic, closed ranks to deliver the message: ‘This is not our war.’
This week’s collective refusal by Trump’s European partners of his demand to help him open the Strait of Hormuz by force — or risk a ‘bad’ future for the NATO alliance — was remarkable for its force and unanimity.