Odds and Ends — 6 May 2026

@preparedwombat 78

about 22 hours ago

oddsandends

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

Strategy Mulls Selling Bitcoin to 'Inoculate the Market': Saylor

Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent.

https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/2051691772796096544

Fuel-Price Crunch Turns Into a Disaster for Airlines

The jet-fuel crisis is turning into a disaster for airlines.
Across the world airlines have been trying to deal with rising fuel costs that are threatening to add billions of dollars in unexpected expenses this year, and forcing carriers to raise fares and trim routes to stem their mounting costs.

https://twitter.com/calvinfroedge/status/2051086108339917243

California farmers to destroy 420,000 peach trees following Del Monte bankruptcy

Flash Fiction:

“You don’t like it only because it was my idea.”

“That’s not true. It’s impractical, we just don’t have the time.”

“Of course we do. Literally! Plenty of it in the workshop.

“Oh, sure. You keep saying that but you’ve yet to convince me!”

“Because you won’t even look at it. Sure, I bought it second hand, but a used flux capacitor with a few quirks that we CAN afford is way better than a brand new flux capacitor that we CAN’T afford. At least look at it, please.”

Written for this prompt.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

FDA halts publication of covid, shingles vaccine studies

News of the studies being pulled comes weeks after the CDC decided it wouldn’t publish a report showing last winter’s covid vaccine cut the likelihood of hospitalizations.

Iran:

https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/2051822612737585266

https://twitter.com/hashjenni/status/2051386305792373064

https://twitter.com/JamieBonkiewicz/status/2051374209780109351

U.S. Warns China Over Iranian Oil

The United States on Monday urged China to push Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and said that its purchases of Iranian oil amounted to funding global terrorism, delivering a stern rebuke ahead of President Trump’s meeting in Beijing this month with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
The warning came from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will be participating in the high-stakes meetings. Mr. Bessent has been leading an aggressive campaign to cripple Iran’s economy with a blitz of new sanctions.

Oh, a stern rebuke. That’ll whip them into line…

https://twitter.com/Mylovanov/status/2051037831733051855

Trump Faces the Reality of a Costly, Unpopular War

Two months into the war in Iran, President Trump is confronting the complicated reality of a conflict that has proved costly, deeply unpopular and lacks a clear endgame.
Energy markets are in turmoil. The Pentagon has given its first public estimate of the war’s cost: $25 billion so far. Key Republicans in Congress are growing impatient. And Mr. Trump is lashing out at foreign allies, like Germany, who have shown no interest in joining the fight.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters on Friday, Mr. Trump insisted he had no regrets… Still, Mr. Trump’s predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences appear to be crumbling around him.

https://twitter.com/hissgoescobra/status/2051398628607144344

Trump Makes a Bet He Can’t Afford to Lose

When Donald Trump ordered U.S. warships to escort commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, he did more than protect shipping.
He made a public bet – and tying his hands if it fails.
He is betting that Iran will not strike a ship under American protection.
If Trump wins the bet, the United States stabilizes the corridor. If it fails even once, Washington must escalate—or accept humiliation in full view of the world.

Politics:

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2051089958195081393

‘A Huge Mess’: Delayed Louisiana Primaries Stoke Confusion at Ballot Box

On the first day of early voting, some glimpses of voter bewilderment came into focus, part of a dizzying scramble playing out days after a major Supreme Court ruling.

https://twitter.com/preparedwombat/status/2051111410730418575

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/2051332710744915972

https://twitter.com/bourscheid/status/2051621989949833729

———— Minnesota Under Siege ————

https://twitter.com/ReichlinMelnick/status/2051724561826054332

———— Voting Rights Act Fallout ————

Supreme Court clears path for Louisiana to gerrymander mid-election

https://twitter.com/johnbisognano/status/2051449709747667332

Two More Data Points for the Inconsistent Court

Two procedural moves by the justices on Monday reinforce criticisms that the Court behaves differently in otherwise similar cases based solely on the ideological/partisan valence of the dispute.

https://twitter.com/jen_rice_/status/2051718316629086659

DNC Chair Ken Martin's refusal to release the party's 2024 autopsy benefits one person — the former vice president

For what it’s worth, I think that Harris made a big mistake by not running for governor of California. She very likely would have run away with it. At a minimum, it was hers to lose. As it is, she allowed a crowded field that’s eating its own, with a no-zero chance that a Republican might win this November. And I find it hard to believe that she could build a coalition strong enough to win the Oval Office in 2028.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2051455261055848523