Odds and Ends — 20 July 2025

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

GENIUS’ ban on stablecoin yield will drive demand for Ethereum DeFi — Analysts

Schwab Wants to Offer Stablecoin Amid Expanding Crypto Services Push

Bitcoin Core devs finally patch 5-year old disk fill bug

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Nurseries in England bring in Covid-style protocols as measles cases rise

Politics:

Japan’s Ishiba on the brink in pivotal poll as inflation stokes backlash

Japan’s ruling bloc led by the Liberal Democratic party is in danger of losing its majority in both houses of parliament for the first time in 15 years as a backlash led by first-time voters, inflation-strained households and savvy social media campaigners hits traditional politics.

Trump Loses Ground on the Economy and Immigration

President Donald Trump spent much of last week trying to fend off a revolt in his base over the Jeffrey Epstein case, but he has more than just problems within his own MAGA followers. He has lost ground with the broader public on issues that once were among his strongest attributes.
A year ago, voters saw Trump as a better steward of the economy than Vice President Kamala Harris. His tough talk on immigration appealed to many voters who saw the southern border as out of control and who blamed the Biden administration for the huge influx of undocumented migrants. Now he’s getting negative reviews on both.

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

NYT: A Timeline of What We Know About Trump and Epstein

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1946629196274352165
- SethAbramson

https://twitter.com/SassiestMinx/status/1946537526631505978
- SassiestMinx

https://twitter.com/MAGACult2/status/1946729652560511465
- MAGACult2

The government does have an Epstein list — here’s the proof

https://twitter.com/KimberlySuth/status/1946724657282814083
- KimberlySuth

https://twitter.com/krassenstein/status/1946722022957940905
- krassenstein

https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1946569792963363010
- BillKristol

———— Autocracy R Us ————

How Trump’s ICE may draw the wrong recruits

In years past, agents were largely motivated by allegiance to the Constitution. Not anymore

Border agent charged with child sex trafficking, fraud in Cochise County

ICE Races to Build Migrant Tent Camps

With an overnight tripling of its annual budget and intensifying pressure to increase deportations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is racing to expand its detention space with temporary tentlike structures, despite safety warnings.

https://twitter.com/GeauxGabrielle/status/1946590214626873434
- GeauxGabrielle

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko/status/1946255445087105042
- TrentTelenko

So far, I’ve only seen this story from Ukrainian sources. If true, it’s big: Hackers erased Gazprom’s digital brain in catastrophic cyber strike, HUR source says

Ukrainian operatives reportedly wiped servers, clouds, and backups, crippling the control systems of Russia’s gas empire.

Parades, flags and songs: The campaign to force Ukrainian children to love Russia

https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1946547058040504627
- davidfrum

———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————

https://twitter.com/highbrow_nobrow/status/1946601657430606078
- highbrow_nobrow

———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————

Another Pete Hegseth Aide Exits

Another senior aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is leaving the Pentagon, officials said Saturday, marking at least the sixth departure of a top adviser in Hegseth’s first six months in office.

———— Mors Imperii ————

https://twitter.com/commons96055467/status/1946662082260111600
- commons96055467

Democrats Plot Their Own Redistricting

House Democrats are actively preparing for political trench warfare against the GOP in next year’s midterm battle, with talks taking shape behind the scenes to mount a counterattack against President Donald Trump’s power play in Texas that aims to cement GOP control of Washington for the rest of his second term.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his political team have begun privately shaping a legally risky — and likely expensive — strategy to redraw House maps in several Democratic-controlled states, according to Democrats briefed on the effort. They are exploring their plans in California, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Washington state in hopes of flipping at least a handful of Republican seats next November.