Odds and Ends — 26 May 2023
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:
Chinese state media removes video on crypto after Binance CEO calls it ‘big deal’
U.S. Treasury Reserves Drop to $49.5 Billion
In case anyone was wondering, there are 24 individuals on the Bloomberg Billionaires list who have more money than the Treasury does right now.
USBTC Aims to Become Bitcoin Mining Giant After Deal to Buy Celsius Assets
Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:
Large study provides scientists with deeper insight into long COVID symptoms
Florida Man:
DeSantis Flip-Flops on How to Pronounce His Own Name
DeSantis Would Consider Pardoning Capitol Rioters
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that, if elected president, he would consider pardoning some of those convicted on charges related to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
DeSantis avoided directly answering questions on whether he’d pardon Donald Trump but left open the possibility.
Politics:
Trump Aides Moved Docs Before FBI Agents Visited
Two of Donald Trump’s employees moved boxes of papers the day before FBI agents and a prosecutor visited the former president’s Florida home to retrieve classified documents in response to a subpoena — timing that investigators have come to view as suspicious and an indication of possible obstruction.
Trump and his aides also allegedly carried out a ‘dress rehearsal’ for moving sensitive papers even before his office received the May 2022 subpoena.
Prosecutors in addition have gathered evidence indicating that Trump at times kept classified documents in his office in a place where they were visible and sometimes showed them to others.
It’s seeming more and more likely that Trump will be indicted over the MAL documents, and probably soonish. The question then becomes whether the Fulton County investigation or the January 6th investigation would be the next indictments. All three by late summer?
The Debt-Ceiling Fight Puts Millennials and Gen Z at Risk
White House and G.O.P. Close In on Deal to Raise Debt Limit and Cut Spending
The GOP Is Escalating Its War on Ideas
It’s not only Ron DeSantis’s Florida. From targeting educators to banning books, Republicans are taking their anti-education crusade national.
Wisconsin's finest Glenn Grothman is on the House floor right now complaining that Biden isn't nominating enough straight "white guys" as judges pic.twitter.com/mdTmqiToxQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 25, 2023
Justices Limit EPA’s Power to Address Water Pollution
The Supreme Court on Thursday curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to police water pollution, ruling that the Clean Water Act does not allow the agency to regulate discharges into some wetlands near bodies of water.
RNC Chair Says Debt Default Would Help Republicans
CPAC Is Rocked by a Resignation
A top leader in the organization that puts on CPAC, the highly influential conference of conservative leaders, resigned on Tuesday night, citing financial mysteries surrounding the organization’s leader.
Bob Beauprez, the longtime treasurer of the American Conservative Union, said that he was not fully informed about money being paid for chairman Matt Schlapp’s legal defense against a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.
Said Beauprez: “I cannot deliver a financial report at the upcoming board meeting with any confidence in the accuracy of the numbers.”
All six announced Republican presidential candidates now support sending the US military into Mexico, with or without Mexico’s permission.
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) May 25, 2023
This is also known as an invasion. https://t.co/nKIC0GQs3j
Water war: Why drought in Spain is getting political
Brussels, Madrid and Andalusia are embroiled in a fight over the drought-stricken Doñana National Park.
Texas lawmakers issue 20 articles of impeachment against state AG Paxton
In an unanimous decision, a Republican-led House investigative committee that spent months quietly looking into Paxton recommended impeaching the state’s top lawyer.
Serendipity:
Want a free Hive account? Join Hive using my referral link.