Odds and Ends — 29 October 2025

@preparedwombat 78

3 days ago

oddsandends

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

Western Union Chooses Solana for Stablecoin

https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1982823964981256249

How an AI job apocalypse unfolds

Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite

Behind the wave of white-collar layoffs, in part, is the embrace by companies of artificial intelligence, which executives hope can handle more of the work that well-compensated white-collar workers have been doing. Investors have pushed the C-suite to work more efficiently with fewer employees. Factors driving slower hiring include political uncertainty and higher costs.
Altogether, these factors are remaking what office work looks like in the U.S., leaving the managers that remain with more workers to supervise and less time to meet with them, while saddling the employees fortunate enough to have jobs with heavier workloads.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Flu, COVID Increase Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

Politics:

https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1983343106054303833

White House Fires Arts Commission

The White House on Tuesday fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency that was expected to review some of President Donald Trump’s construction projects, including his planned triumphal arch in Washington.
The commission, which was established by Congress more than a century ago and traditionally includes a mix of architects and urban planners, is charged with providing advice to the president, Congress and local government officials on design matters related to construction projects in the Capitol region.

Obamacare enrollees get first look at 2026 prices as premiums soar

Premiums for Affordable Care Act coverage will skyrocket 26%, on average, next year, according to a KFF analysis released Tuesday evening, just days before open enrollment starts on November 1.
The price hike is one of the largest jumps since Obamacare plans debuted more than a decade ago — and it doesn’t factor in the expiration of the enhanced premium subsidies.

https://twitter.com/AdameMedia/status/1983254972062924915

———— The Trump Shutdown ————

Democrats Plan to Sue Over Food Aid

Dozens of Democratic attorneys general and governors are planning to sue President Trump’s administration Tuesday over its decision to not tap emergency funds amid the government shutdown to keep food aid flowing to 42 million Americans next month.

Shutdown Pain Intensifies

The pain of a U.S. government shutdown is poised to intensify this week as the funding lapse nears a full month with no resolution in sight.
A series of deadlines in the coming days could have negative consequences for ordinary Americans, cutting off food assistance for low-income Americans, raising health insurance premiums for millions on Obamacare and depriving air-traffic controllers, TSA agents and other federal workers of paychecks.

“My advice to the ICE agents parallels Tolstoy's to Russian army officers: Apologize to the public and resign.”

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1983219679083503858

https://twitter.com/GlennThrush/status/1983224439425671547

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

Inside the Trump family’s global crypto cash machine

https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1983315824648868063

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1983260028363505877

———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————

As Trump’s tariffs vex Republicans, some hope for a Supreme Court rescue

The Senate will try again this week to rein in President Donald Trump’s tariff regime — even as some of its Republicans quietly hope for the justices across the street to squash it.
Said one GOP senator: “This should be Congress’ call if you’re increasing taxes on the American people through tariff policy. We are the ones who dictate tax policy. This is a form of taxation.”
The high court will hear arguments next week in a case that challenges Trump’s ability to use national emergencies to impose tariffs.

———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————

US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say

https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1983288770733715632

———— Mors Imperii ————

Can Trump really undo Biden’s pardons?

It would be an unprecedented maneuver of political retribution, and something for which there is no basis in the Constitution or existing law.
The power to pardon is set up for the president as one of the few unchecked powers in American government.
It takes up less than a sentence in the Constitution — “he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
It doesn’t say anything about an autopen or even require that a president physically sign off on a pardon, much less pass a competency test. Elections every four years are the competency test, and the 25th Amendment allows for incompetent presidents to be removed from office. Biden’s Cabinet did not remove him.

https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1983268365650276700

Trump Uses Misleading Videos to Portray Chaos

Officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have used similarly misleading footage in at least six videos promoting its immigration agenda shared in the last three months, a Washington Post analysis found, muddying the reality of events in viral clips that have been viewed millions of times.
Some videos that purported to show the fiery chaos of Trump-targeted cities included footage from completely different states. One that claimed to show dramatic examples of past administrations’ failures instead featured border crossings and smuggling boats recorded during Trump’s first term.