Odds and Ends — 3 July 2025

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

Solana Staking ETF Opens for Trade, Becoming First Such U.S. Crypto Staking Product

J.P.Morgan wary of stablecoin's trillion-dollar growth bets, cuts them by half

IMF Rejects Pakistan’s Bid to Subsidise Power for Crypto Mining

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Judge Says Layoffs at HHS Were Likely Illegal

A federal judge has ruled that recent mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were likely unlawful and ordered the Trump administration to halt plans to downsize and reorganize the nation’s health workforce.

Politics:

A Profile in Cowardice

The word in the Capitol was that Murkowski had planned to vote against the bill if she was not the decisive vote; but would vote yes if she was. As you attempt to parse that political logic, note that a profile in courage it is not.
And so ends Murkowski’s brief stint cosplaying as a Woman of Principle. And I would argue that makes her even worse than other collaborators and toadies.
She pretended to be better; and might have been. But it was all bullshit.

The Problematic Politics of Trump’s Bill

America’s two political parties have traded places economically. Where Americans once referred to upper-income ‘country club Republicans’ and blue-collar ‘lunchpail Democrats,’ they now see a working-class GOP and, in many ways, a professional-class Democratic Party.
That is good news for Republicans, because working-class voters—often defined as those without a four-year college degree—are one of the biggest blocs in the electorate. But with that success comes a problem: The GOP now represents more constituents who rely on social safety-net programs, such as Medicaid.

Debunking All the B.S. About Zohran Mamdani

In securing the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York, the young Muslim progressive has faced a tidal wave of hateful misinformation

House Republicans Made a Mistake in the Rules Committee

Republican leaders aren’t only scrambling to find the votes to push their megabill through the House, they’re also dealing with an unexpected procedural issue that could complicate floor consideration of the ‘big, beautiful bill.’
Long story short, that means once the House begins debate on the procedural measure, Johnson doesn’t have a ripcord he can pull to delay or reschedule voting. Moreover, Democrats would be free to deploy a variety of delay tactics, including motions to adjourn or table the measure.

Trump’s Big Beautiful Debt Bomb

Republicans are using transparently dishonest accounting to hide just how much they’re adding to debt — hey, we aren’t really cutting taxes, just extending tax cuts that were scheduled to expire. And they’re also claiming that the OBBBA’s tax cuts (the ones that they say aren’t really happening) will generate a miraculous surge in economic growth… Add in Trump’s bizarro claims about what his tariffs will achieve. Again, do we look like a serious country run by serious people?

———— Theresienstadt in the Everglades ————

https://twitter.com/GeoRebekah/status/1940410206443524326

https://twitter.com/SanteenaR/status/1940198946527486413

https://twitter.com/davenewworld_2/status/1940438947668320741

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1940192166959358111

https://twitter.com/chaidingari/status/1940450760661270886

———— Autocracy R Us ————

https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1940216457666908560

https://twitter.com/MeachamDr/status/1940393811462795360

Judge Bars Trump from Expelling Asylum Seekers

A federal judge in the District of Columbia barred the Trump administration Wednesday from expelling asylum seekers from the United States, dealing a major blow to the administration’s efforts to curtail crossings at the U.S. southern border.
In a 128-page decision, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss invalidated a proclamation that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office that declared an ‘invasion’ on the border and invoked emergency presidential powers to deport migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum.

Mr. Abrego's Account of Torture at CECOT in El Salvador

Mr. Abrego has filed an amended complaint asking the court to declare the government's actions unlawful and to order his release. He describes his torture in El Salvador in the complaint.

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1940315100088504585

https://twitter.com/covie_93/status/1940415628432785449

https://twitter.com/55akch/status/1940439426603352365

Trump and Putin speak after Pentagon stops Ukraine missile shipments

https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/1940417658165625009

Russia Celebrates US Stopping Ukraine Weapons Shipments

https://twitter.com/visionergeo/status/1940416166478152130

https://twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1940600668567298559

https://twitter.com/Mylovanov/status/1940493813363232993

———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————

Analysis shows Trump’s tariffs would cost US employers $82.3 billion

Trump’s Tariff Pause Is Set to Expire

…Donald Trump’s trade war risks reigniting next week when a temporary pause on sweeping tariffs is set to expire, potentially driving up costs for businesses and raising prices for consumers.
While Trump and administration officials recently indicated the deadline might be pushed back, the president told reporters Tuesday that he wasn’t planning an extension and is informing countries of their new tariff rates. He said it has been harder than planned to make trade deals with a number of foreign governments because they are ‘spoiled from having ripped us off for 30, 40 years.’

———— Mors Imperii ————

Trump Weighs Criminal Charges Against Election Officials

Senior Justice Department officials are exploring whether they can bring criminal charges against state or local election officials if the Trump administration determines they have not sufficiently safeguarded their computer systems.
The department’s effort, which is still in its early stages, is not based on new evidence, data or legal authority … Instead, it is driven by the unsubstantiated argument made by many in the Trump administration that American elections are easy prey to voter fraud and foreign manipulation.

https://twitter.com/samlymatters/status/1940150015240151544

Miscarriage Becomes Life-Threatening After Abortion Bans

Before states banned abortion, one of the gravest outcomes of early miscarriage could easily be avoided: Doctors could offer a dilation and curettage procedure, which quickly empties the uterus and allows it to close, protecting against a life-threatening hemorrhage.
But because the procedures, known as D&Cs, are also used to end pregnancies, they have gotten tangled up in state legislation that restricts abortion.
Reports now abound of doctors hesitating to provide them and women who are bleeding heavily being discharged from emergency rooms without care, only to return in such dire condition that they need blood transfusions to survive.

https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1940369132601643035

J6 Insurrectionist Now Working in the Justice Department

https://twitter.com/SundaeDivine/status/1940458802333339827

James Carville Says Trump Will Try to Rig the Midterms

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1940550423305494907

Serendipity:

https://twitter.com/TwinsAlmanac/status/1940386284201013614

https://twitter.com/Super70sSports/status/1940402937240727679

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