Odds and Ends — 22 April 2024

@preparedwombat 76

14 days ago

oddsandends

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

Bitcoin Transaction Fees Come Crashing Down Post Halving

After the halving, fees spiked to $146 for a medium-priority transaction and $170 for a high-priority transaction.

Wealth management firms to boost Bitcoin ETF holdings — Bitwise CEO

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonous

Politics:

https://twitter.com/ruthbenghiat/status/1782079534948360441

The Shadow Speaker

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor.
Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill, the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever.

“These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.” — Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX)

https://twitter.com/BettyBowers/status/1782161509667291522

‘Sir, Can You Please Have a Seat.’

Donald Trump had stood up to leave the Manhattan criminal courtroom as Justice Juan M. Merchan was wrapping up a scheduling discussion on Tuesday.
But the judge had not yet adjourned the court or left the bench. Mr. Trump, the 45th president of the United States and the owner of his own company, is used to setting his own pace. Still, when Justice Merchan admonished him to sit back down, the former president did so without saying a word.
The moment underscored a central reality for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. For the next six weeks, a man who values control and tries to shape environments and outcomes to his will is in control of very little.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1781711059969015906

Campaigns Find Alternatives to Facebook

The company has decreased the visibility of politics-focused posts and accounts on Facebook and Instagram as well as imposed new rules on political advertisers, kneecapping the targeting system long used by politicians to reach potential voters.
Waves of layoffs have eviscerated the team responsible for coordinating with politicians and campaigns, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private personnel matters. This includes foreign-based workers and U.S. employees who promoted the company’s products to politicians and fielded questions from campaigns about their services.

https://twitter.com/SeanCasten/status/1782173761619325057

Ex-‘National Enquirer’ Publisher David Pecker Set to Testify First at Trump Trial

https://twitter.com/middleageriot/status/1782071255954346081

Crush of lawsuits over voting in multiple states creates a shadow war for the 2024 election

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1782198637746868681

GOP Lawmakers Take Stand Against Polio Vaccine

New Hampshire could soon beat Florida—known for its anti-vaccine Surgeon General—when it comes to loosening vaccine requirements. A first-in-the-nation bill that’s already passed New Hampshire’s state House, sponsored only by Republican legislators, would end the requirement for parents enrolling kids in childcare to provide documentation of polio and measles vaccination.
New Hampshire would be the only state in the U.S. to have such a law, although many states allow religious exemptions to vaccine requirements.

https://twitter.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/1782128477480587649

Arizona Republican drops reelection effort after accusation he forged signatures

https://twitter.com/jefftimmer/status/1781817977853095977

House Republicans Blame Right Wing for Lack of Border Wins

A growing number of House Republicans are accusing their conservative colleagues of enabling Democratic wins, especially after this weekend’s foreign aid votes.
Multiple members believe they could have gotten concessions from Democrats on border policy in exchange for Ukraine funding, only to be blown up by backlash from conservatives.