Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, AI, and Debt:
Strategy Mulls Selling Bitcoin to 'Inoculate the Market': Saylor
Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent.
Fuel-Price Crunch Turns Into a Disaster for Airlines
The jet-fuel crisis is turning into a disaster for airlines.
Across the world airlines have been trying to deal with rising fuel costs that are threatening to add billions of dollars in unexpected expenses this year, and forcing carriers to raise fares and trim routes to stem their mounting costs.
California farmers to destroy 420,000 peach trees following Del Monte bankruptcy
Flash Fiction:
“You don’t like it only because it was my idea.”
“That’s not true. It’s impractical, we just don’t have the time.”
“Of course we do. Literally! Plenty of it in the workshop.
“Oh, sure. You keep saying that but you’ve yet to convince me!”
“Because you won’t even look at it. Sure, I bought it second hand, but a used flux capacitor with a few quirks that we CAN afford is way better than a brand new flux capacitor that we CAN’T afford. At least look at it, please.”
Written for this prompt.
Coronavirus and Public Health:
FDA halts publication of covid, shingles vaccine studies
News of the studies being pulled comes weeks after the CDC decided it wouldn’t publish a report showing last winter’s covid vaccine cut the likelihood of hospitalizations.
Iran:
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U.S. Warns China Over Iranian Oil
The United States on Monday urged China to push Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and said that its purchases of Iranian oil amounted to funding global terrorism, delivering a stern rebuke ahead of President Trump’s meeting in Beijing this month with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
The warning came from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will be participating in the high-stakes meetings. Mr. Bessent has been leading an aggressive campaign to cripple Iran’s economy with a blitz of new sanctions.
Oh, a stern rebuke. That’ll whip them into line…
Trump Faces the Reality of a Costly, Unpopular War
Two months into the war in Iran, President Trump is confronting the complicated reality of a conflict that has proved costly, deeply unpopular and lacks a clear endgame.
Energy markets are in turmoil. The Pentagon has given its first public estimate of the war’s cost: $25 billion so far. Key Republicans in Congress are growing impatient. And Mr. Trump is lashing out at foreign allies, like Germany, who have shown no interest in joining the fight.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters on Friday, Mr. Trump insisted he had no regrets… Still, Mr. Trump’s predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences appear to be crumbling around him.
Trump Makes a Bet He Can’t Afford to Lose
When Donald Trump ordered U.S. warships to escort commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, he did more than protect shipping.
He made a public bet – and tying his hands if it fails.
He is betting that Iran will not strike a ship under American protection.
If Trump wins the bet, the United States stabilizes the corridor. If it fails even once, Washington must escalate—or accept humiliation in full view of the world.
Politics:
‘A Huge Mess’: Delayed Louisiana Primaries Stoke Confusion at Ballot Box
On the first day of early voting, some glimpses of voter bewilderment came into focus, part of a dizzying scramble playing out days after a major Supreme Court ruling.
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———— Minnesota Under Siege ————
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———— Voting Rights Act Fallout ————
Supreme Court clears path for Louisiana to gerrymander mid-election
Two More Data Points for the Inconsistent Court
Two procedural moves by the justices on Monday reinforce criticisms that the Court behaves differently in otherwise similar cases based solely on the ideological/partisan valence of the dispute.
———— Stark. Raving. Mad. ————
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———— The Epstein Coverup ————
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———— Autocracy R Us ————
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———— Blatant In-Your-Face Corruption ————
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———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————
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Unsettled Kremlin tightens security around Putin amid assassinations and coup fears
———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————
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———— Mors Imperii ————
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The Democratic National Committee is boosting Kamala Harris for 2028
DNC Chair Ken Martin's refusal to release the party's 2024 autopsy benefits one person — the former vice president
For what it’s worth, I think that Harris made a big mistake by not running for governor of California. She very likely would have run away with it. At a minimum, it was hers to lose. As it is, she allowed a crowded field that’s eating its own, with a no-zero chance that a Republican might win this November. And I find it hard to believe that she could build a coalition strong enough to win the Oval Office in 2028.
Serendipity:
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