Odds and Ends — 21 December 2024

about 20 hours ago

Mick Herron has, so far, published eight novels in his Slough House series. I’ve read them all. Looking forward to the ninth, but in the meantime, I’ve just started his collection of related novellas. If you have an Apple TV+ subscription, the first four books have been adapted (with some changes) as Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman. Highly recommended. If you don’t have a subscription, they might be available from your library on DVD.

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

United States of Bitcoin? These States Are Considering BTC Reserves

Tether pours $775M into video-sharing platform Rumble

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots

DenyDefendDepose:

https://twitter.com/lawindsor/status/1870056373016506741

https://twitter.com/KBAndersen/status/1870118079276921287

Politics:

Trump Wanted Shutdown to Happen on Biden’s Watch

President-elect Donald Trump, who derailed a bipartisan spending deal in Congress, tried on Friday to escape responsibility for the consequences, saying it would be better to let the government shut down under President Biden’s watch than to allow a politically damaging stalemate once he takes office next month.

Elon Musk Shook Up U.S. Politics. Will the U.K. Be Next?

Elon Musk has already helped propel Donald Trump into the White House. Now he might have his sights on a political shake-up at another iconic address: 10 Downing Street.
There is growing alarm among Britain’s political establishment that Musk, who has been sharply critical of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, may radically alter the U.K.’s electoral landscape by donating millions of dollars to Reform UK, a populist upstart party. Britain’s government says it wants to change the law to prevent foreigners from making outsize political donations.

https://twitter.com/TristanSnell/status/1870095341946634324

Judges Are Increasingly Alarmed

In extraordinary but little-watched court proceedings since Election Day, judges appointed by presidents of both parties have emphasized the need for accountability for the people who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to derail the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
These judges have sounded dire warnings about the fate of the country if the lessons of the 2020 election go unlearned, and they are bluntly bracing for a turbulent start to the second Trump presidency…
The judges’ clarion calls are becoming markedly more frequent and pointed as Trump’s inauguration nears.