Odds and Ends — 5 January 2024
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:
Meet the newly-minted unicorn founder transforming school buses for 27 million U.S. students
Bitcoin ETFs See $700M Net Inflows as BlackRock, Fidelity Gains Offset GBTC Outflows
Former Tesla director Larry Ellison invited Elon Musk to Hawaii to 'dry out' from drugs, report says
Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:
Library of Congress collecting COVID-19 pandemic stories, calling for many different voices
Politics:
Why the World Is Betting Against American Democracy
When I asked the European ambassador to talk to me about America’s deepening partisan divide, I expected a polite brushoff at best. Foreign diplomats are usually loath to discuss domestic U.S. politics.
Instead, the ambassador unloaded for an hour, warning that America’s poisonous politics are hurting its security, its economy, its friends and its standing as a pillar of democracy and global stability.
The U.S. is a “fat buffalo trying to take a nap” as hungry wolves approach, the envoy mused. “I can hear those Champagne bottle corks popping in Moscow — like it’s Christmas every fucking day.”
https://twitter.com/MarkJacob16/status/1754268876790026633
Senators Unveil Bipartisan Border Security Bill
Senators released the long-awaited text of a bipartisan agreement to impose tougher immigration and asylum laws on Sunday, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer eyes votes on the package this week.
The $118 billion package includes a series of provisions aimed at reducing record-high crossings at the southern border and tightening an asylum system that has been overwhelmed by migrants fleeing their homes to seek refuge. It also includes critical aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, which Republicans have said they’ll only support if paired with significant new U.S. immigration restrictions.
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1754325086725713932
The Speaker of the House has announced that he won’t let the House consider the bill. And the Israel-only bill from the House is likely to get a chilly reception in the Senate. There’s doesn’t seem to be an obvious path forward out of the quagmire.
https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1754519559191568707?s=20
Disqualifying Trump Is on the Docket
There is no exception for former presidents who are renominated. The Constitution does not care about MAGA’s feelings and nor should the Court. Bending the Constitution to avoid a confrontation with Trump is the antithesis of democratic rule.
Ex-tea party lawmaker tells former Trump officials to publicly support Biden ASAP
https://twitter.com/IanSams46/status/1754343006390411357
The Republican Party has grown very adept at hostage-holding, something that led to Trump’s first impeachment in 2019. The hard core MAGA wing represents a minority within a minority, yet our institutional rules permit them to veto decisions clearly favored by a large majority of Americans. In the case of the southern border, Trump wants to veto an outcome that the Republicans themselves proclaimed to be a critical emergency, all for the sake of the electoral advantage he believe it gives him. This is another example of Donald Trump’s willingness to burn the whole house down if it serves his personal interests, much like his recent comment that he hopes an economic crash will come before November.
https://twitter.com/patkreitlow/status/1754157501958799852
Trump’s lead over Biden may be smaller than it looks
Consider only the highest-quality polls, and the Republican’s advantage melts away
What Happens, Exactly, If Trump Is Sentenced to Prison?
In the moments after the verdict, Donald Trump would not be hauled off to prison right away. White-collar defendants are typically allowed to remain out on bail pending sentencing, which means, in the case of our former and maybe future commander-in-chief, that he could continue to campaign for president in the meantime. But let’s game it out: If Trump is found guilty, how long till he has to put on an orange (or, as we’ll learn, olive-green) jumpsuit?
https://twitter.com/middleageriot/status/1754160098048397682
Trump Pushes Immigration Conspiracy Theories
Donald Trump, in an interview that aired on Fox News on Sunday, suggested falsely that Latin American governments were picking the citizens they didn’t want and shipping them to the U.S. border, resurrecting a claim that was central to his 2016 campaign.
He also accused the Chinese Communist Party — without providing any evidence — of orchestrating illegal immigration into the United States, and said he believed China would try to interfere in the presidential election, adding that he liked President Xi Jinping ‘a lot.’
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1754181790221144511
Judges Set Record Straight on ‘Political Prisoners’
As Trump floats potential pardons for rioters if he returns to the White House, judges overseeing the more than 1,200 Jan. 6 criminal cases in Washington’s federal court are using their platform to try to set the record straight concerning distortions about an attack that was broadcast live on television.
A growing number of defendants appear to be embracing rhetoric spread by Trump, giving defiant speeches in court, repeating his false election claims and portraying themselves as patriots.
Serendipity:
Tennessee High Schoolers Solved a Nearly 40-Year-Old Serial Murder Mystery
Feral pigs and donkeys may be more salvation than scourge for ecosystems, study finds
https://twitter.com/dark_shark/status/1750777413825618062
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