Odds and Ends — 24 May 2026

4 days ago

My wife and I recently finally got around to watching Chernobyl. Fine performances by Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, and especially Jared Harris. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and do so. Highly recommended.

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

https://twitter.com/jimstewartson/status/2058327420755980539

Soaring bond yields signal 'structural' shift and Bitcoin 'supercycle': Analyst

Fixed-income investors are in a "panic" as government securities, once seen as low-risk, begin to crack, according to BitMEX researcher Shang Wu.

https://twitter.com/Freyy_is/status/2058322802835333154

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Brain inflammation is unlikely to explain persistent long COVID symptoms, neuroimaging study finds

Iran:

https://twitter.com/zlatinna22/status/2058293259101675913

https://twitter.com/BrettErickson28/status/2058177824058704138

https://twitter.com/GavMcCracken/status/2058113622723752010

https://twitter.com/CloutedMind/status/2058201794354745737

Trump’s War Is Staggering to an Incoherent Defeat

Even the president’s supporters are alarmed.

https://twitter.com/FletchLives9021/status/2058268589451354278

https://twitter.com/mdubowitz/status/2058204345535975786

https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/2058304237436842187

Trump keeps the world guessing with mixed messaging on Iran deal

https://twitter.com/Angry_Staffer/status/2058616606750658772

https://twitter.com/meiselasb/status/2058637077131243743

https://twitter.com/ProfessorPape/status/2058646948421476751

https://twitter.com/DougJBalloon/status/2058521513859678672

Politics:

Navy chief undercuts Trump and Hegseth on Taiwan, Iran

Zelenskyy rejects Merz proposal for associate EU membership

African countries are finding it harder to export to the U.S. since President Trump returned to the White House with a long list of tariffs. But China sees their struggle as an opportunity.
Since May 1, Beijing has removed tariffs on all goods from 53 of 54 African nations in an effort to win business and influence across the continent. Everything from wine to sesame seeds and wool has been entering China tariff-free from everywhere except tiny Eswatini, which maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Analysts say the move could push Africa’s population of more than a billion people and vast mineral resources further into China’s orbit.