Odds and Ends — 25 March 2026

@preparedwombat 78

3 days ago

oddsandends

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

UK review recommends crypto donation pause over foreign interference risk

https://twitter.com/nfergus/status/2036539236543865264

OpenAI to Shut Down Sora Video App, Derailing $1 Billion Deal with Disney

Flash Fiction:

My car died in the middle of somewhere, surrounded by fields of ten foot tall sunflowers. So I could not see anything to get a frame of reference. No cell coverage. No response from old Bessie when I turned the key in the ignition. Opened the hood and stared at the engine for all the good it did, I’m about as far from being a mechanic as person can be. Thought I’d flag down another vehicle but it’s been five hours now and haven’t seen any. It’ll be dark soon.

Written for this prompt.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Yep, a mom's COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds

Iran:

https://twitter.com/RWApodcast/status/2036460363181428834

https://twitter.com/aidnmclaughlin/status/2036776568467370087

Xi Stays Silent as Trump Stumbles in Iran

Nearly one month into President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, there’s one person whose silence stands out: Xi Jinping.
In contrast to most other Group of 20 leaders, China’s commander-in-chief hasn’t commented on the conflict, keeping quiet as panic elsewhere sets in. South Korea has set up an emergency economic task force, the Philippines warned about grounding planes and Japan is beginning its largest oil release from emergency stockpiles to date.
In Beijing, it’s largely business as normal.

https://twitter.com/mouvement33/status/2036565823444361497

https://twitter.com/mattparlmer/status/2036588753318453634

Iran’s military leaders dismiss Donald Trump’s deal claims

Iran’s top military leadership has scornfully dismissed Donald Trump’s claims that the Islamic republic was ready to make a deal after Washington presented Tehran with a 15-point plan to end the war.
Our first and last word has always been, is, and will be this: someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you — not now, not ever,” the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s military command, said in a video message on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2036125189172244962?s=20

Politics:

Ex-Trump Official Calls Out Scott Jennings

“You know who’s a perfect metaphor for the GOP? Scott Jennings. A pundit who mocks Trump with us during commercial breaks — but fawns over Trump when the camera is rolling. Brave enough to speak out… in the green room.”

How Jack Smith Connected the Dots

Former special counsel Jack Smith’s office sought to map a vast web of contacts between President Donald Trump’s most vocal Republican allies in Congress and key players in his bid to subvert the results of the 2020 election, according to newly released records of the Smith-led investigation.
Emails from January 2023 circulated among Smith’s deputies show how top GOP lawmakers communicated directly with individuals later identified by Smith as Trump’s co-conspirators in his election interference plot, including attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.

Revenge is a dish best served cold? MAGA’s worst nightmare must be Jack Smith becoming Attorney General in 2029.

https://twitter.com/notbubbawallace/status/2036096340443222099

———— Stark. Raving. Mad. ————

https://twitter.com/krassenstein/status/2036514519682281555

https://twitter.com/danpfeiffer/status/2036565651184296076

———— Autocracy R Us ————

https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/2036455099682136363

Prosecutor Admits Lack of Evidence Against Fed Chair

A top deputy to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro acknowledged in a closed-door hearing this month that the Justice Department did not have evidence of wrongdoing in its criminal investigation of the Federal Reserve over the cost of its building renovations.
The prosecutor’s admission, which has not been previously reported, undercuts President Donald Trump’s claim that ‘there is criminality’ in the $2.5 billion overhaul of the Fed’s headquarters overlooking the National Mall.

Trump Admin Confirms 91 Wrongful Deportations of Asylum Seekers

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

https://twitter.com/cbouzy/status/2036405430495109470

Mysterious Trading Patterns Follow Trump Into War

An epidemic of suspicious trading has emerged around President Trump’s most consequential decisions — each time, just minutes or hours before he rattles global markets.
As the Iran war sends prices soaring for ordinary Americans, a select few appear to be profiting in plain sight. It’s precisely the kind of alleged corruption Trump built his political career railing against.

https://twitter.com/AnaCabrera/status/2036732237543047561