Odds and Ends — 21 August 2025

2 days ago

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

Bitcoin analysts point to ‘manipulation’ as BTC price falls to 17-day low

With long-term interest rates up sharply, public debt nearing its post–World War II peak, foreign investors becoming more skittish, and politicians showing little appetite for reining in fresh borrowing, the possibility of a once-in-a-century U.S. debt crisis no longer seems far-fetched. Debt and financial crisis tend to occur precisely when a country’s fiscal situation is already precarious, its interest rates are high, its political situation is paralyzed, and a shock catches policymakers on the back foot.
The United States already checks the first three boxes; all that is missing is the shock.

AI is a Mass-Delusion Event

Three years in, one of AI’s enduring impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it.

https://twitter.com/cwebbonline/status/1958123258722898263

Kyrgyzstan Appeals to US, UK Leaders Over Sanctions on Crypto Networks

Coronavirus and Public Health:

For some, fall Covid shots may come with copays — or no coverage at all

Politics:

https://twitter.com/JeremySWallace/status/1958244787854942616

‘This is Socialism!’ Conservative Radio Host Slams Trump Admin For Wanting Stake In Private Company

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1957917888842449209

Israeli Official Charged in Child Sex Ring Flees the U.S.

MAGA is pushing the Trump administration to explain why an Israeli official who was arrested in an undercover child sex sting in Nevada was allowed to leave the U.S. after posting bail.
The outrage marks the latest fissure between Israel and MAGA, which already faces a generational divide over how much the U.S. should support Israel amid the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

https://twitter.com/LincolnsBible/status/1958126021070196986

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook Says She Won’t be Bullied by Trump

“I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet.”

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

White House’s New TikTok Push Epically Backfires

Less than 24 hours after the White House launched a TikTok page, its videos have been inundated with comments about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

———— The District ————

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1958211480060559450

https://twitter.com/Ronxyz00/status/1958210684518314086

Vance Suggests Troops Could Be Sent to Other Cities

Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials suggested Wednesday that the federal takeover of policing in D.C. could serve as a test case for other cities across the country as they tried to amplify the issue.

Trump’s D.C. Takeover May Be a Prelude to Something Far Worse

It’s possible Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to ‘federalize’ law enforcement in Washington, D.C., was just a one-off power grab, reflecting the federal government’s unique control of the capital city and Trump’s own obsession with Washington as a symbol of the American greatness he claims to be restoring. In other words, maybe he took over D.C. because he could.
But the exotic and rather fascistic appearance of National Guard units on the streets of Washington absent a riot or some other historically relevant pretext makes you wonder if the 47th president has something far worse in store.

Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid

When Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would deploy hundreds of National Guard members and federalize the local police to ‘take back’ the capital, he framed the mission as a crackdown on violent crime..
In practice, the most visible impact of Trump’s federal takeover has been the immigration-enforcement effort… Authorities have pulled delivery drivers off mopeds, arrested construction workers and demanded proof of legal status from vendors selling mangos and watermelons. Vehicle checkpoints have sprung up nightly, and ICE vans have parked outside daycare centers and churches that tend to employ immigrants.

———— Autocracy R Us ————

Trump Bypasses Senate to Install U.S. Attorneys

In U.S. attorney’s offices in Los Angeles, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and upstate New York, the administration has effectively sidestepped or overridden both the Senate confirmation and judicial appointment processes for selecting U.S. attorneys.
Critics worry that the lack of oversight on some of Trump’s picks could create a perception — if not a reality — that those prosecutors are simply doing the White House’s bidding.

https://twitter.com/MoeJLong/status/1958206447210139815

Justice Department Demands Trans Care Info

The Justice Department is demanding that hospitals turn over a wide range of sensitive information related to medical care for young transgender patients, including billing documents, communication with drug manufacturers and data such as patient dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses.
The subpoena, as well as public statements by Bondi’s chief of staff, indicate the federal government is attempting to build cases against medical providers that allege they may have violated civil and criminal statutes while providing care that was legal in their states.

It’s almost as if Bondi’s never heard of HIPAA. Won’t hospitals tell her to pound sand?

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1958503588847616029

———— Gaza ————

IDF considers recruiting from Diaspora due to severe manpower shortages

Currently, there are some 14,600 deserters from the haredi community. The military has made several arrests against haredi draft dodgers over the past week.

———— Dumber than a box of rocks. ————

Trump calls occupied Crimea 'size of Texas,' says it's 'in the middle of the ocean'

Um, Texas is 27 times as large as Crimea which is about the size of Massachusetts. I’d be willing to bet that if Trump was given a map of the world with no labels, he wouldn’t be able to put his finger on Crimea.

———— Blatant In-Your-Face Corruption ————

Trump Staffers Already Cashing In

Donald Trump was emphatic on the campaign trail in 2016: If he made it into office, he would ‘drain the swamp’ with an expansive ethics package cracking down on lobbying. Most of those proposals quickly went by the wayside. On the campaign trail again almost a year ago, Trump decried Washington’s revolving door as a ‘big problem.’
Now, barely a half-year into his second administration, a handful of senior White House aides are already heading for the exits — and right through the revolving door between the federal government and K Street, where they’re lining up cushy lobbying gigs.

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1958140106906235267

Trump’s Ambiguity Is the Worst of All Worlds

If Trump were clear and consistent that he is abandoning Ukraine, as well as Europe and Nato, the continent would have no choice but to become militarily self-sufficient as soon as possible. It might fail, of course, but there could be little doubt what should be done. If Trump were clear and consistent that he stands with democratic Europe, to the death, there would be no problem. One of these situations is ideal. The other, while grim, is an impetus for Europe to change: a fixed point that its leaders and voters can plan around.
The worst of all worlds is one in which Trump blows hot and cold, and we are living in it.

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1958207767031775263

Can Putin Really Negotiate with Zelensky?

If Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, as urged by President Trump, he will come face-to-face with a man he has spent 3½ years excoriating as an illegitimate leader and puppet.
Negotiating directly with Zelensky would run sharply counter to the narrative Putin has carefully constructed and sold to Russians in an effort to justify his 2022 invasion of Ukraine: that the war is part of a broader conflict with the West in which Zelensky and his country are mere pawns.

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1958208785182343318

“Tomahawks are outdated”: Ukraine’s Flamingo missile bets on mass, not stealth

With a 3,000 km range and one-ton warhead, Ukraine’s Flamingo trades invisibility for sheer volume.

Ukrainian man arrested over Nord Stream pipeline attacks

———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————

Get Ready for Higher Car Prices

Car buyers are likely to pay more this fall as tariffs begin to drive up sticker prices — and not just on imported vehicles.
Automakers can’t eat the cost of tariffs forever, and September is a convenient time to adjust prices, as the 2026 models begin arriving in showrooms.
It might not be obvious: Lower-priced trim levels could be eliminated, for example, or desirable features might be rolled into expensive option packages. Be on the lookout, too, for higher destination fees — add-on dealer delivery charges that aren’t part of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.