Odds and Ends — 20 August 2025
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, AI, and Debt:
China weighs yuan-backed stablecoins in major policy shift
Economic Data Has Taken a Dark Turn
At the moment, the American economy feels a little bit like a hot August afternoon. The air is heavy and still, as lightning flashes on the horizon. The storm could sweep through and leave destruction in its wake. It could set in for a brief drizzle.
Or it could pass by in the distance, and take its fury elsewhere.
In this very humid metaphor, the electricity in the sky is the steep tariffs that President Trump has now imposed on most goods coming into the United States. It’s also his strict immigration curbs, mass firings of government employees and the pullback in government spending.
https://twitter.com/esjesjesj/status/1957874630732947886
Bitcoin ETFs Shed $645M This Week as Wall Street Retreats Ahead of Powell Speech
Coronavirus and Public Health:
Covid-19 seems to age blood vessels – but only among women
“Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time rather than his current ability to kill by the thousands.” – Former CDC Director William Foege
Politics:
Vance will visit Peachtree City, Georgia, on Thursday to sell Republicans’ recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which the White House is now referring to as ‘working family tax cuts.’
https://twitter.com/axidentaliberal/status/1957657561139695852
———— The Epstein Coverup ————
https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1957751619824837012
———— The District ————
How Does Trump’s Federal Takeover End?
The president has opened the door to a permanent military occupation of the nation’s capital—and maybe other cities too…
What exactly is their mission and training, though? National Guard troops prepare for civil unrest, which is why they’re frequently called up when major protests break out. But D.C. isn’t seeing big demonstrations—certainly not before Trump’s takeover, and not really since, either, despite some smaller protests by residents.
As for the mission, that’s even more obscure. Last Monday, Trump said that the plan was to “liberate” D.C. from crime. Depending on who you believe, the takeover was triggered by the president’s desire to change the subject away from Jeffrey Epstein, a reflexive reaction to a Fox News segment about D.C., or anger about an attempted carjacking involving a former DOGE staffer. But Trump cited no acute emergency, and he hasn’t explained what the goal is. With no stated objective, there can be no end point. (It can’t be that crime ceases to exist, an impossible goal.) That raises the scary prospect that it could just go on forever—or slide into martial law around the country.
‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown
———— Autocracy R Us ————
The Mind-Boggling Intrusiveness of Donald J. Trump
The Trump administration ranks among the most intrusive in American history, driving the tentacles of the federal government deep into the nation’s economy, culture and legal system.
Economically, the administration is dictating corporate behavior through tariffs, subsidies and the punishment of disfavored industries and companies, while rewarding allies with tax breaks and deregulation. And that’s all before the government takes its cut.
Culturally, Trump is seeking to redefine the boundaries of public discourse: pressuring universities, elevating grievance politics and reshaping federal agencies to reflect ideological loyalty rather than expertise or experience.
Within the legal system, the administration is aggressively reshaping the federal judiciary, asserting executive power over independent institutions and using the Justice Department for political ends.
Taken together, these interventions reveal a presidency determined to expand executive reach into virtually every sphere of national life.
https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1957886194257154354
Trump Blurts Out Unnerving New Plot to Rig Midterms
President Donald Trump raged at Democrats Monday for supposedly cheating in elections in a long and unhinged Truth Social rant—and buried in his tirade is a clear indication of how he hopes to corrupt the 2026 midterm elections at a time when his agenda is nose-diving in polls.
———— Stark. Raving. Mad. ————
https://twitter.com/OurShallowState/status/1957877071902044173
———— Gaza ————
Israel to Call Up 60,000 Reservists for Gaza Takeover
The Israeli military will begin calling up around 60,000 reservists for duty as it proceeds with plans to take over Gaza City, a Hamas stronghold where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are believed to be sheltering.
———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————
https://twitter.com/johnastoehr/status/1957530212725583965
Russia is quietly churning out fake content posing as US news
A pro-Russian propaganda group is taking advantage of high-profile news events to spread disinformation — and they’re spoofing reputable news outlets to do it.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1957859302036701253
Russia rules out ‘any scenarios’ deploying NATO troops to Ukraine
A) That’s between NATO and Ukraine. Russia has no say in the matter, and B) NATO members have already deployed troops to Ukraine. France and the UK both have small contingents of special forces troops there doing training.
https://twitter.com/ChakhoyanAndrew/status/1957807596020097325
The Russian Invasion You Don’t See
What Putin couldn’t win with tanks...he won with Trump’s ego...and Washington’s silence.
———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————
Companies Can’t Hold the Line on Prices Much Longer
The corporate pricing dam is cracking — companies are raising prices, or signaling that increases are coming, to absorb some of the costs of the Trump administration’s tariffs.
———— Melon Husk ————
Elon Musk Pulls the Plug on Third Party
Elon Musk is quietly pumping the brakes on his plans to start a political party.
Musk has told allies that he wants to focus his attention on his companies and is reluctant to alienate powerful Republicans by starting a third party that could siphon off GOP voters.
Musk’s posture marks a shift from early last month, when he said he would form what he called the America Party to represent U.S. voters who are unhappy with the two major political parties.
———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————
Hegseth’s Security Needs Tax Army Protective Unit
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unusually large personal security requirements are straining the Army agency tasked with protecting him as it pulls agents from criminal investigations to safeguard family residences in Minnesota, Tennessee and D.C.
———— Mors Imperii ————
Student Arrivals to U.S. Continue to Plummet
Visitors to the US arriving on student visas plunged in July, falling year-on-year for a fourth straight month.
The declines were most pronounced from Asia, the largest international education market, as the Trump administration’s immigration policies created bottlenecks and a chilling effect on prospective students.
Trump Revokes Security Clearances for 37 Officials
The Trump administration moved Tuesday to revoke the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials in the latest act of retribution targeting public servants in the federal government’s intelligence community.
I’ve Seen What Happens When a Country Messes With Data. America, Beware.
“You can’t run a country, or any organization, without reliable data, and firing the head of a statistics agency because you don’t like the numbers it produces starts a path the United States does not want to go down. At the other end lies a ruined economy and a damaged democracy.”
https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1957964159238435160
Serendipity:
https://twitter.com/decentricity/status/1957560843501203882
https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1957994269005820218
Want a free Hive account? Join Hive using my referral link.