Odds and Ends — 30 August 2025

@preparedwombat 78

about 19 hours ago

oddsandends

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

Indian court sentences 14 to life in Bitcoin extortion case

Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters

https://twitter.com/JustinWolfers/status/1961240167529771220

Higher Prices Are Coming for Household Staples

U.S. companies have an unwelcome message for inflation-weary consumers: Prices are going up.
Companies including Hormel Foods, J.M. Smucker and Ace Hardware said this week they would raise prices for reasons ranging from higher meat costs to tariffs. Large retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy said some tariff-related price increases are already in place. More are on the way.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1961513290582098340

Why aren’t reporters telling fascists like Miller that they’re spouting lies? RFK Jr. is not even remotely an expert on public health.

https://twitter.com/capitolhunters/status/1961182844744552940

Politics:

Thai Prime Minister Ousted Over Leaked Phone Call

Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra citing serious ethical breaches related to a phone call this summer with the former strongman of neighboring Cambodia.
The court had already suspended Paetongtarn last month after a group of senators lodged a complaint with the court over her conversation with Hun Sen, Cambodia’s longtime leader and the father of the country’s former prime minister. During that call to discuss an escalating border dispute between the two countries, Paetongtarn appeared submissive, referring to Hun Sen as ‘uncle’ and to Thailand’s powerful military as the ‘opposing side.’
Hun Sen later released a recording of the call, setting off a political crisis in Thailand just as the border dispute turned into a full-blown military confrontation.

Australian Politician Threatens to Punch Journalist for Asking About His Lebanese Heritage During Immigration Conference

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1961400233700536766

———— Autocracy R Us ————

https://twitter.com/GBBranstetter/status/1961443684450189645

A Blueprint for Military Takeovers

How the president could normalize military presence in American cities

https://twitter.com/lawindsor/status/1961166489798750394

The Authoritarian Checklist

It is time to admit that America is no longer a functioning democracy…
The consolidation of Trump’s power has happened very quickly, more rapidly than we have seen in other examples of competitive authoritarian systems.
His success is driven by two factors. First, Trump learned a lot from his first term and had personnel with detailed plans in place for his second term. Second, people in institutions decided to accept the new arrangements.

https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1961234663759904899

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

Charges Dropped for Client of Pam Bondi’s Brother

For the second time in less than a month, the Justice Department on Wednesday abruptly dropped charges against a client represented by Brad Bondi, the brother of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1961435665599467553

A federal appeals court late Friday struck down the Trump administration’s signature tariffs, finding that the president had gone too far in his use of emergency powers to rewrite U.S. trade policy.
The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower-court decision that undercuts a core tenet of President Trump’s economic agenda. The majority found the president overstepped his authority under a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act…

What Happens Next with Trump’s Tariffs?

I have no idea what happens next. The Supreme Court is utterly craven, and may well rule that Trump gets to do whatever he wants. But maybe even they will balk.
One crucial thing to understand is that Trump is facing a completely self-inflicted disaster here. He probably could have gotten Republicans in Congress to vote for insane trade policy. But he was impatient, and wanted to start ruling as a dictator right away.
I see that Scott Bessent is saying that ruling that Trump’s illegal tariffs are, in fact, illegal will embarrass the United States. I’m not a lawyer, but last I heard you weren’t allowed to act illegally if obeying the law would be embarrassing. Anyway, let’s be clear: It won’t embarrass America. It will embarrass Trump and Bessent. If anything, it might reassure the rest of the world that some vestige of rule of law yet remains in this nation.

———— DOGE ————

https://twitter.com/NickNehamas/status/1961507992857157861

———— Mors Imperii ————

How Lying Repeatedly Works for Trump

Trump’s lying has always been notable for its audacity – his willingness to make obviously untrue claims that can be very quickly debunked. But it has also been distinguished by its repetitiveness – his unwillingness to stop deploying an exaggerated statistic, baseless accusation or fictional tale after months or even years of debunkings.
Trump has for years had persistently poor poll results on the question of whether he is honest and trustworthy; part of the reason may well be his unwavering devotion to assertions that many Americans already know aren’t true. But his relentlessness also works for him in a way. Because news outlets are naturally focused on new material, some may fact-check a falsehood the first time Trump says it but not the 10th or 100th time. By shamelessly persevering, Trump can eventually get his greatest hits out there with little pushback.

https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1961074450029318513

Trump Fires EPA Employees Over Dissent Letter

The Trump administration has fired at least seven Environmental Protection Agency employees for signing a letter nearly two months ago criticizing the agency’s leadership.
The move to terminate several staffers marks an escalation in the administration’s effort to clamp down on dissent within the federal bureaucracy.

https://twitter.com/FrankLuntz/status/1961445719602315698