Odds and Ends — 31 January 2025

@preparedwombat 77

7 days ago

oddsandends

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

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Parents Seek Presidential Pardon for Their Son

https://twitter.com/sahilypatel/status/1884640249995039084

Crypto Firms Gave Big for Inauguration

…Donald Trump’s inaugural committee received millions of dollars in donations from firms in the cryptocurrency industry that’s already seeing special attention from his administration,” Bloomberg reports.
Coinbase Inc., Crypto.com, Galaxy Digital, Paradigm Operations and Payward Inc., better known as Kraken, each gave $1 million. Robinhood Markets, Inc., which offers a trading platform for digital currencies, contributed $2 million.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

https://twitter.com/hartman_bill/status/1884799310203961596

Origin unknown: why the Covid China lab leak theory still matters

Obviously, it is not standard to have aircraft collide:

https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1884953234097266792
https://twitter.com/acnewsitics/status/1884975050312270091

Trump Blames DEI and Democrats for Plane Crash

…Trump blamed diversity requirements at the Federal Aviation Administration and his two Democratic predecessors for the midair collision over the Potomac River on Wednesday night, saying that standards for air traffic controllers had been too lax.
Mr. Trump cited no evidence, and even admitted when pressed that the investigation had only just begun…
His instant focus on diversity reflected his instinct to immediately frame major events through his political or ideological lens, whether the facts fit or not.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1885007240555266152
https://twitter.com/apolitemenace/status/1884848775081992515
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1885007570194006426

There might be brown people…

Said Ogles: “I think you have to look at this with eyes wide open, see what happened. Human error. Was it some sort of equipment failure? Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?”

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1885009300667470324
https://twitter.com/acnewsitics/status/1884842057815978444

Donald Trump Is Just Watching This Crisis Unfold

https://twitter.com/preparedwombat/status/1885094928121811284
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1884837413593260304
https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1885078969742954959
https://twitter.com/PalmerReport/status/1885084581478687101

Politics:

https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1885113980961857877

Clown Show

I think everyone who pays attention knows one of the reasons to expect Donald Trump’s presidency to have trouble governing. The president himself is deeply ignorant and resists learning anything. That was most obviously true at the beginning of the pandemic, but it’s constantly causing him trouble, whether it’s on tariffs or NATO or pretty much anything else. He (thinks he) knows what he knows, and he doesn’t want to hear anything to the contrary. That’s pretty obviously a potential source of all sorts of trouble.
The related problem, also fairly obvious, is that Trump hires for demonstrations of abject loyalty. Not know-how. So not only is Trump himself poorly informed, but he doesn’t hire for expertise and therefore doesn’t get much of it.

https://twitter.com/DarrigoMelanie/status/1884721290935693377

‘Aliens’ and ‘animals’ – language of hate used by Trump and others can be part of a violent design

https://twitter.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1884973030545179072

It’s Chaos Again in Trump’s White House

That chaotic story that unfolded eight years ago with Trump’s ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries repeated itself in his second term with an abrupt clampdown on federal spending this week that spiraled into a quasi-government shutdown.
By the time the White House rescinded the freeze on Wednesday, the scare had briefly disrupted Medicaid payments, senior meals, special education and housing stipends. It also punctured the sense of accomplishment among Trump officials eager to take the levers of power in a more orderly and effective manner than last time.

https://twitter.com/SollenbergerRC/status/1884990910259208344

People on Kash Patel’s ‘Enemies List’ Seek Protection

Some of these people are now taking dramatic measures to protect themselves and their families, according to interviews with nearly a dozen people on Patel’s list or who fear they’ll be scrutinized by the Patel-run FBI.
The list includes a blend of high-profile figures and lesser-known officials who might be more vulnerable if Patel pursues retribution.

https://twitter.com/CalltoActivism/status/1885010732095275272

Trump to Put 25% Tariffs on Mexico and Canada

…Donald Trump warned today that he’s prepared to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that will go into effect on Feb. 1, which is Saturday. The move threatens to set off a trade war with two of the United States’ most critical trade partners.
Said Trump: “Mexico and Canada have never been good to us on trade. They’ve treated us very unfairly on trade.”

https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1885082407704887506

How Many Press Secretaries Will Trump Have This Time?

It took less than two weeks for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to become a liability for her boss.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1884286363996217407

Governors Push Schumer to Fight Harder Against Trump

A group of six Democratic governors pressed Senator Chuck Schumer of New York during a tense call on Wednesday night to be more aggressive in fighting back against President Trump’s nominees and agenda, all but begging the minority leader to persuade Senate Democrats to block whatever they could,.
The call, described in detailed notes as well as interviews with two participants and five other people briefed on the conversation, revealed the growing tensions among Democrats about how forcefully they should oppose Mr. Trump.

https://twitter.com/Mollyploofkins/status/1885035001550434611

OPM’s Top Lawyer Is A ‘Raging Misogynist’ With A Plan To Break The Civil Service

Records Undercut Tulsi Gabbard’s Claim of Ignorance

…Donald Trump’s nominee for director of intelligence claimed Thursday at her Senate confirmation hearing that she was not aware ‘until today’ that a prominent cleric she met in Syria had threatened to unleash suicide bombers on the United States and Europe.
Documents indicate that Gabbard was told in early 2017 and then attempted to control the negative publicity surrounding her trip.

Trump’s Lawsuit Settlements Look a Lot Like Bribery

Donald Trump may have found a new way to funnel cash into his pockets while serving as president—by turning litigation into a lucrative business model.

https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1885108496967848366