Odds and Ends — 22 December 2024
Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:
The U.S. farm sector finds itself in another rough patch. Net farm income declined 4% this year to $141 billion after falling about 20% last year, according to the Agriculture Department. … Some of the world’s largest grain shippers and pesticide suppliers are girding for a shrinking farm economy by cutting costs or laying off workers.
Agriculture trade groups are circulating lists of requests to lawmakers extending beyond direct payments that could buffet against the current market slump.
Bitcoin social sentiment drops to yearly low, signaling BTC breakout
Russia's economy has irreversibly turned toward a 'stagnation trap,' think tank says
Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:
Study: 6% of US adults have long COVID, and many have reduced quality of life
Politics:
Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal
https://twitter.com/DavidCornDC/status/1870581336932847877
https://twitter.com/cwebbonline/status/1870607926781694172
https://twitter.com/Fritschner/status/1870636481179758884
Trump’s IRS Nominee Touts a Dubious Credential
Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, whom President-elect Donald Trump has named his nominee to head the IRS, touts his expertise in tax matters.
He advertises his credential as a certified tax and business advisor, and he adds CTBA to his name on his X profile. That profile encourages people to message him to ‘save 40% on your taxes.’
But tax experts told ProPublica that they have never heard of CTBA as a credential in the tax profession.
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1870603706410184979
Jeffries Wants to Kill the Debt Ceiling Forever
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has privately floated embracing the wholesale elimination of the debt limit next year rather than simply raising it.
President-elect Trump will almost certainly need Democratic votes when the debt limit’s ‘X-date’ is reached — which experts say could be as soon as mid-June.
Republicans have a significant bloc of debt and deficit hawks who will likely vote against raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances.
That gives the Democratic leader considerable leverage to use the debt limit to force concessions.
Mike Johnson Concludes 118th Congress as it Began
The 118th Congress ended almost exactly as it began: with chaos in the House of Representatives that threatened to consume its GOP leader and shut down the government.
While he avoided the ignominious event of a government shutdown, with just hours to spare, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) still faces a daunting vote at the start of the next Congress, on Jan. 3, to win a full term atop the House.
Johnson’s dilemma is the same one that bedeviled his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy (R-California), the always-smiling speaker who proved so ineffective he didn’t last nine months in the job. Both found themselves in a predicament in which the House GOP held a majority in principle but in practice could not come together to govern.
This cycle of political faceplants threatens to derail president-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, as well as Johnson’s hold on power.
Former Adviser Calls Nancy Mace a ‘Pitiful Embarrassment’
Top Cop in New York City Abruptly Resigns
The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned amid allegations he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay.
Albania declares one-year TikTok ban over stabbing
Private Prison Complex Gears Up for Concentration Camps
Private prisons and other companies that provide detention services are getting ready to cash in on what President-elect Donald Trump has billed as “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” That includes scouring for as many detention beds as possible in their networks of facilities, and scouting sites for new buildings to house migrants.
Some executives are considering whether to take up the controversial work of detaining families or unaccompanied children. Others are preparing to hire new staff and snapping up well-connected lobbyists.
Trump to Use All Levers of Power Against the Media
For many years, Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to sue the press but often didn’t follow through. When he did, he almost always lost.
But Trump’s recent settlement with ABC News and a cascade of lawsuits and other complaints against media entities from him and his allies signal a ramped-up campaign from the president-elect. Together, the action has spurred concerns that his efforts could drastically undermine the institutions tasked with reporting on his coming administration, which Trump has promised will take revenge on those he perceives as having wronged him.
Serendipity:
Why Netflix looks like that
https://twitter.com/RyanShead/status/1870730084027650104
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