Odds and Ends — 7 April 2026

about 7 hours ago

I’ve finally gotten around to reading The Count of Monte Cristo. And almost started the wrong book, the 700+ page condensed version. But I’m now about a third of the way through the complete 1200+ page version in the modern Robin Buss translation. It got off to a slow florid start, but I’m now sucked into the story.

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

AI agents will kill the web as we know it: Animoca’s Yat Siu

Proposed Ethereum Standard Aims to Help AI Agents Execute Complex DeFi Trades

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Beneficial bacteria in respiratory microbiome may protect against long-COVID symptoms

Iran:

https://twitter.com/GoUncensored/status/2040902763031265317
https://twitter.com/Thomas_Binder/status/2040893746770858074
https://twitter.com/DarnelSugarfoo/status/2040896053395042690
https://twitter.com/commons96055467/status/2040939130172199346

https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/2041291451263508565

The Terrorist in Chief

Terrorism, according to ICE — yes, that ICE — ‘involves violence or the threat of violence against people or property to further a particular ideology.’ The official website goes on to declare that ‘Terrorists do not care who they hurt or kill to achieve their goals.’
If you haven’t read Donald Trump’s Truth Social post from Sunday, above, take a minute to do so. Don’t rely on sanewashed descriptions in the media. And then tell me that Trump doesn’t perfectly fit his own officials’ definition of a terrorist.
Don’t tell me that his cause is just, that the Iranian regime is evil. That’s what terrorists always say, and even if it’s sometimes true, terrorism is defined by its means rather than its ends — by its attempt to achieve political goals by violently attacking the innocent.

https://twitter.com/AssalRad/status/2040893726785257526

https://twitter.com/Iran_in_UK/status/2040864348113866884

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2041323409548685451

https://twitter.com/PrepperCanadian/status/2041270822761812448

Is Trump About To Nuke Iran?

The simple fact that we can’t say ‘definitely no, absolutely not, for sure’ is an astounding commentary on how unhinged and dangerous his presidency has become and how far off the rails the war with Iran has gone as Trump flails about with no plan, no strategy, no exit, and a global economy that day-by-day is reeling from the biggest geopolitical oil shock in history.

Experts dispute US account of deadly Iran sports hall strike in Lamerd

https://twitter.com/AlexanderMcCoy4/status/2040607763248697498

https://twitter.com/CarlZha/status/2040623723099943041

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/2041316757093171335

Politics:

https://twitter.com/covie_93/status/2041286263420883204

https://twitter.com/peterrhague/status/2041208510831047057

https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/2041209565753086444

———— Minnesota Under Siege ————

Newly Obtained Video of Minneapolis Shooting Undermines ICE Account

The shooting was a rare instance in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Trump administration ultimately acknowledged a serious lapse. The agency’s acting director, Todd Lyons, said after the charges were dropped that two agents had appeared to have lied under oath about the events, adding that they had been placed on leave and could end up facing criminal charges.

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

New Details About Epstein’s Lenient Plea Deal Emerge

Jeffrey Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal for charges including soliciting a minor for prostitution has long drawn scrutiny, and newly released details are raising further questions about the months he spent on work release from a Florida jail.

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

A Choice of Deadly Drones Is Only a Few Clicks Away for Ukrainian Troops

Ukraine has created online marketplaces to let units select their own drones, a break from generations of standardized and centralized weapons procurement.

https://twitter.com/FoxBrambleFarm/status/2041321686989938768