Odds and Ends — 27 May 2025
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, AI, and Debt:
Metaplanet’s Bitcoin ‘premium’ nears $600K per BTC
https://twitter.com/Gabino_Iglesias/status/1927021341594562671
French Police Arrest 12 Suspects in Crypto Kidnapping Investigations
Coronavirus and Public Health:
Covid-19 is now endemic, like flu
The AI threat to public health no one is thinking about: a fake bioterrorist attack
Politics:
Europe Is Stronger Than It Thinks
On Friday Donald Trump, claiming that he was unhappy with European negotiating tactics, announced his intention to impose 50 percent tariffs on goods imported from the European Union. A rate that high would virtually shut down trans-Atlantic trade. But on Sunday, after talking with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, he announced that the tariffs would be postponed until July 9.
I have no idea what von der Leyen said, and I’d also note that a huge threatened tariff that may or may not happen in 6 weeks does a lot to increase destructive uncertainty. But let me offer some advice, to the Commission and the EU as a whole: Don’t try to appease Trump. You can’t make any substantive concessions, because your policies toward U.S. exports are already quite favorable. And even giving Trump some kind of symbolic, meaningless win will only embolden him, confirming his false belief that ‘they’ve treated us very badly over the years.’
Above all, Europe needs to overcome its learned helplessness and act like the great power it is — especially given America’s apparent determination to destroy the pillars of its own strength.
California Republicans would love Kamala Harris to run for governor
California Republicans love to hate Kamala Harris. And they’d really love her to run for governor.
Republicans are exceedingly unlikely to win a governor’s race in the deep-blue state. But Harris’s possible entry is already bringing GOP candidates tactical benefits, allowing them to run against a high-profile adversary who’s likely to energize donors and the conservative rank-and-file.
https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1926764791059661043
NPR Sues the Trump White House
The lawsuit says the administration is usurping Congress’ right to direct how federal money will be spent and to pass laws. It names President Trump, White House budget director Russel Vought, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Maria Rosario Jackson, the chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, as defendants.
———— Autocracy R Us ————
How to Hide a Constitutional Crisis
The executive branch is relying on the language of the law as cover to claim that it is complying with court orders when in fact it is not.
———— Memorial Day ————
Trump Praised Himself During Memorial Day Speech
…used his remarks to valorize himself, taking credit for bringing the Summer Olympics and soccer’s World Cup to the United States during his second term and boasting about his plans for a military parade next month in Washington.
https://twitter.com/Mollyploofkins/status/1927068565288432119
———— Blatant In-Your-Face Corruption ————
Trump Takes Pay-to-Play to New Level
Even seasoned practitioners of Washington pay-to-play have been startled by the new rules for buying influence. In December, a seat at a group dinner at Mar-a-Lago could be had for a million-dollar contribution to maga Inc., a super pac that serves as a war chest for the midterms. More recently, one-on-one conversations with the President have become available for five million. The return on investment is uncertain, a government-affairs executive told me: “What if he’s in a bad mood? You have no clue where the money is eventually going.” Another lobbying veteran described the frank exchange as “outer-borough Mafia shit.”
———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————
https://twitter.com/WarMonitor3/status/1927036565710147917
https://twitter.com/KateGoesTech/status/1926997286615154829
———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————
https:/twitter.com/TimHannan/status/1927057079065346185
Pete Hegseth’s Divided Inner Circle Endures
An enduring rift among Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s cadre of senior advisers has divided the Pentagon’s front office and fueled internal speculation about his long-term viability in the Cabinet post after several episodes that attracted White House scrutiny.
The conflict within Hegseth’s inner circle persists even after he purged several political appointees in April and attempts to portray a sense of unity among his remaining brain trust. His claims, however, are belied by continued behind-the-scenes dysfunction, brought on by unresolved personality conflicts, inexperience, vacancies in key leadership roles and a steady-state paranoia over what political crisis could emerge next.
———— Mors Imperii ————
Billionaire Investor Says Trump Pushing Fascist Policies
“When I say that the policies President Trump is using to ‘make America great again’ are remarkably like the policies that those of the hard-right countries in the 1930s used, that should not be controversial.”
https://twitter.com/thetonymichaels/status/1927070342989725717
The independent Government Accountability Office has served Congress as the nation’s chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century. Now it’s under assault.
The typically uncontroversial, under-the-radar agency is fighting to retain power against attempts by Republicans in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill to undercut its legal conclusions and independence — an onslaught that has been fast and furious.
Serendipity:
https://twitter.com/TheCinesthetic/status/1927025921816400065
Want a free Hive account? Join Hive using my referral link.
Congratulations @preparedwombat! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next payout target is 47000 HP.
The unit is Hive Power equivalent because post and comment rewards can be split into HP and HBD
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP