Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, and Debt:

Protesters burn Bitcoin ATM as part of demonstration against El Salvador president

Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Named to Time Magazine’s ‘Most Influential’ List

Oddly, his name is not Ned: OpenSea exec used the platform’s influence to pump his own NFTs

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

“Even in the College of Cardinals, there are some anti-vaxers and one of them, poor man, is in hospital with the virus. But life is ironic.” — Pope Francis, (source)

Alberta healthcare system on verge of collapse as Covid cases and anti-vax sentiments rise

26 States Have Restricted Public Health Powers

Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers that state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases.
While some governors vetoed bills that passed, at least 26 states pushed through laws that permanently weaken government authority to protect public health.

Alaska’s largest hospital now rationing care due to COVID surge

The General Milley Brouhaha:

Vindman calls for Milley's resignation: ‘He usurped civilian authority’

Don’t Trumpists have to be juggling some cognitive dissonance here? When Woodward and Costa’s book first surfaced, Trump immediately dismissed it as fake news. So Trumpists should not believe its claims. And if they want to agree with Vindman here, they’d have to simultaneously agree that The Leader was wrong about something and take a cue from Vindman, a man who they loathe and have called a traitor.

Assuming for the moment that Woodward and Costa’s story isn’t fake news, I’d be of two minds. Civilian control of the military is extremely important right up until that civilian happens to be a megalomaniac/sociopath. And while I think it may be quite possible that the U.S. will at some point in the not-distant future stumble into a kinetic war with China, intentionally initiating one in a bid to remain in power is another matter entirely.

This article in Slate digs into what Milley said and did. Very much worth a read.

Kinda blows a hole in all the Trump/Afghanistan fanfic.

"Right after Trump lost the election, Milley discovered the President had signed a military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, before he left the White House."https://t.co/C1X3sdp23o

— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) September 14, 2021

Politics:

Newsom Romps, Elder Concedes: Going Trumpy In California Falls Way Short

Wisconsin Election ‘Audit’ Off to Rocky Start

Wisconsin election clerks are reacting with a mixture of concern and confusion to the first inquiry made by a special investigator hired by Republicans to examine how the 2020 presidential election was run in the battleground state.
The email from the lead investigator landed in the junk folders of at least seven counties and wasn’t received by at least 11 others. Several that did get it flagged it as a security risk.

Boris Johnson Shakes Up His Cabinet

Judge Refuses to Stop Defamation Suit Against Trump

A federal judge overseeing columnist E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump has denied Trump’s request to stop the case from moving forward as they await an appeals court decision.

Arizona Supreme Court denies state Senate's appeal to avoid releasing election “audit” records

Most Americans Feel Democracy Is Under Attack

Pennsylvania GOP Seeks Voters’ Personal Information

The Great Political Mystery of Our Time

Ex-Trump Officials Build Opposition to Afghan Refugees

The former officials are writing position papers, appearing on conservative television outlets and meeting privately with GOP lawmakers — all in an effort to turn the collapse of Afghanistan into another opportunity to push a hard-line immigration agenda.

Serendipity:

Looking for a ripped from the headlines plot for your next novel? This story has everything you need.

Let’s all hope that the graphic showing a map of the possible tsunami effects is wildly inaccurate: A Swarm Of 700 Earthquakes Rattles Canary Islands, Sparks Speculation Of Volcanic Eruption

Money Heist Is the Anti–Ocean’s Eleven

$14? Maybe with all of the lumber being recycled “found” materials. The stove “found” too? Hell, the tarps alone might be more than 14 bucks. Gotta love his ingenuity and the dog:

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