Odds and Ends — 22 August 2025

9 days ago (Edited)

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

EU exploring Ethereum, Solana for digital euro launch

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday gave a tepid indication of possible interest rate cuts ahead as he noted a high level of uncertainty that is making the job difficult for monetary policymakers.

Ethereum, Bitcoin Spike After Powell Signals Interest Rate Cut

Coronavirus and Public Health:

COVID Revisionism Has Gone Too Far

If the center and left succumb to the view that “nothing worked,” no one will remain to defend sensible public-health measures the next time a pandemic comes around.

https://twitter.com/micah_erfan/status/1958291948357419016

Politics:

Trump no longer expected to sign executive order to punish those who burn American flags

A White House official had told CNN earlier Thursday that Trump was expected to sign the order, which was not expected to outright criminalize the act of burning the American flag. Instead, it was expected to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to review cases where the flag had been set on fire and determine whether charges could be brought under existing laws.
That official and another later said Trump was no longer expected to sign it Thursday; it was unclear if the order would be signed at a later date.

Well, good luck trying. Texas v. Johnson would like to have a word.

Trump, GOP portray cities as chaotic dystopias in need of occupation

The president describes cities as “blood-soaked” and “cesspools." His military incursions into D.C. and L.A. culminate growing anti-urban sentiment on the right…
As Trump ramps up the military presence in Washington — and hints that he may move to take over other cities — his crackdown punctuates a frequent Republican message that American cities embody chaos, lawlessness and immorality, despite widespread recent drops in violent crime.”
With cities increasingly liberal and rural stretches ever more conservative, Republicans have a growing incentive to attack urban areas as the epitome of all that is wrong with America.

https://twitter.com/cturnbull1968/status/1958609235878580710

FBI raids home of John Bolton, Trump’s ex-national security adviser

https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1958879476328116406

https://twitter.com/Angry_Staffer/status/1958895644707262754

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1958903626954375648

https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1958914204720619563

———— The District ————

Trump Says He’ll Send Troops to Other Cities

President Donald Trump said Thursday he would expand the law enforcement and National Guard crackdown he ordered in Washington, DC, this month to other jurisdictions as he appeared at a US Park Police facility to promote the initiative.
Said Trump: “We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while.”

The White House published a list of Smithsonian exhibits, programming and artwork it considered objectionable on Thursday, one week after announcing that eight of the institution’s museums must submit their current wall text and future exhibition plans for a comprehensive review.
The list borrows heavily from a recent article in The Federalistthat objected to portrayals at several museums. It argued that the Museum of American History promoted homosexuality by hanging a pride flag; overemphasized Benjamin Franklin’s relationship to slavery in its programming; and promoted open borders by depicting migrants watching fireworks ‘through an opening in the U.S.-Mexico border wall.’

https://twitter.com/TheRealThelmaJ1/status/1958571148285026611

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/Prune602/status/1958570617936003480

———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————

Trump Could Put Tariffs on Wind Turbines

Since taking office, President Trump has railed against wind power and the turbines that are needed to generate that energy. He has called the turbines ugly and inefficient, and criticized them for ruining landscapes as well as endangering whales and birds.
So it was curious when, on Thursday, the administration announced a trade investigation that could result in tariffs on imported wind turbines. The Trump administration has typically imposed tariffs to protect American companies against foreign competition and spur domestic production of critical products.
This time, laying out a path to impose tariffs could be an attempt to stymie an industry.

———— Melon Husk ————

Musk Must Face Fraud Lawsuit Over 2024 Election Sweepstakes

Elon Musk must face allegations that he defrauded voters when he promised them a chance to win $1 million for signing a petition in the days before the 2024 presidential election.
A federal judge said Wednesday a woman from Arizona can proceed with her claims that she never would have signed Musk’s America PAC petition and handed over personal identifying information if she knew she had no chance of winning. She said she believed, based on statements by Musk, that the winners would be picked at random. In fact, they were carefully selected to be spokespeople for Musk’s pro-Donald Trump political action committee.

———— Mors Imperii ————

https://twitter.com/AnnaBower/status/1958610842557071569

Poll suggests Trump’s ICE raids are backfiring in California

https://twitter.com/designmom/status/1958508101239279836

James Dobson Laid the Path for Trump’s Iron Grip on the GOP

Dobson’s passing comes as the current Republican Party has shifted away from its faith-grounded conservative impulses to one that is fighting culture wars based on grievance more than Gospel. Gone are the days when someone like Dwight D. Eisenhower, who did not join a church until after his election as President, could capture the GOP nomination.
Now, Republican candidates trip over themselves in displays of public faith to kowtow to the hardcore base that sees the show as a substitute for substance. Dobson’s feverish crusades against pornography, gambling, divorce, and even SpongeBob SquarePants now seem almost quaint in a party that has fully embraced Trumpism.

https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1958691596368490878