Odds and Ends — 3 August 2025
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, AI, and Debt:
Citigroup, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs lead TradFi's blockchain charge: Ripple
Arthur Hayes Dumps Millions in Crypto Amid Bearish Bet on U.S. Tariff Impact
Coronavirus and Public Health:
Long Covid Hits UK Economy Harder Than Most Other Countries
Trump Blocks Funding for CDC Health Programs
The Trump administration is blocking funding for a swath of public-health programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the latest flashpoint in a push by the White House to withhold money already approved by Congress.
Politics:
https://twitter.com/OurShallowState/status/1951788134045556802
Chinese Hackers Are Playing the Long Game
Chinese hackers are targeting more sensitive U.S. targets than ever — not to smash and grab, but to bide their time.
Beijing is investing in stealthy, persistent access to U.S. systems — quietly building up its abilities to disrupt everything from federal agencies to water utilities in the event of escalation with Washington.
https://twitter.com/SykesCharlie/status/1951656314368557501
Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting
A group of Democratic governors is urging its colleagues to get tough in countering Republican-backed efforts to gerrymander Texas’ congressional districts.
Said Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D): “I’m not a big believer in unilateral disarmament.”
https://twitter.com/jeremykauffman/status/1951814541324812654
———— The Epstein Coverup ————
https://twitter.com/sandibachom/status/1951675447483240530
An awful Trump secret is about to come crashing into the open
https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1951992288453763293
———— By The Numbers ————
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/1951748999096172945
Economic Data Is Now Less Trustworthy
Trump’s move throws the quality of America’s statistical apparatus into question. The immediate worry among economists and former officials following Trump’s move was that it opened the door for the economic data to be distorted for political reasons. Federal Reserve officials rely on U.S. economic statistics to make timely decisions on setting monetary policy, while investors and businesses depend on them to allocate capital efficiently.
https://twitter.com/DoctorHenryCT/status/1951634483867799973
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1951416294412017774
———— Autocracy R Us ————
A five-alarm fire tore through the economic establishment Friday after President Trump ousted the government’s top labor statistician, accusing her — without evidence — of ‘rigging’ a weak jobs report.
It’s just one glaring example from a week that bore many authoritarian hallmarks — purging dissenters, rewriting history, criminalizing opposition and demanding total institutional loyalty.
The overwhelming, all-consuming nature of Trump-driven news cycles makes it difficult to discern partisan hysteria from true democratic backsliding.
But apply any of these five storylines from the past week to a foreign leader — or even a past U.S. president — and it reads like an authoritarian playbook.
Trump’s Domestic Use of Military Set to Get Worse, Leaked Memo Shows
https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/1951617669104296248
https://twitter.com/JamesFLoveIV/status/1951450449309213018
———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————
https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1951604038438379952
India Defies Trump Over Russian Oil
Indian officials said on Saturday that they would keep purchasing cheap oil from Russia despite a threat of penalties from President Trump, the latest twist in an issue that New Delhi thought it had settled.
The defiance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government reflected increasing frustration with a relationship that was once much praised but has been souring rapidly. There is a growing sense in India that its leaders should not allow increasingly volatile American policymaking to shape its choices on vital energy supplies for its huge population, 1.4 billion people.
———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————
Businesses got some clarity on Trump’s trade deal. They aren't reassured.
A half-dozen leaders from financial firms, corporations and trade groups said in interviews that the series of tariff rates Trump unveiled Thursday night were steeper than they had expected, and they worry that the dizzying kaleidoscope of policies he’s applying to different countries will complicate global commerce. The economy is already showing cracks, with the job market slowing and stocks tumbling Friday.
Many business leaders fear that this week’s worrying economic numbers are only the beginning of a more sustained downturn.
———— Mors Imperii ————
https://twitter.com/adgirlMM/status/1951450315372503381
https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/1951656928733491280
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1951998945128780030
Serendipity:
https://twitter.com/TheMonologist/status/1951274536143302942
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