Odds and Ends — 3 September 2025

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

BitMine Immersion Technologies recently purchased 153,000 ETH, taking a $655 million step toward its goal of owning 5% of the asset’s supply.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/1962924231781425485

A common nasal spray may block Covid infection, trial results indicate

Politics:

Trump’s Troop Deployment to LA Violated Federal Law

A federal judge found on Tuesday that President Trump illegally sent troops to enforce his immigration policies in Los Angeles, siding with state officials who contend the operation violates a 19th-century law barring the U.S. military from undertaking domestic law enforcement. Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco conducted a three-day bench trial in August on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claim that the forces Trump deployed over the objection of state and local officials violated the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 statute that restricts use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement except when authorized by Congress.

US military kills 11 in strike on alleged drug boat tied to Venezuelan cartel, Trump says

On the Hive blockchain, @limonta has more on this story.

https://twitter.com/ReichlinMelnick/status/1963012832594968642

https://twitter.com/xghostnotesx/status/1963017411499880462

The Anti-Trump Strategy That’s Actually Working

The first seven months of Trump’s Oval Office do-over have been, with occasional exception, a tale of ruthless domination. The Democratic opposition is feeble and fumbling, the federal bureaucracy traumatized and neutered. Corporate leaders come bearing gifts, the Republican Party has been scrubbed of dissent, and the street protests are diminished in size. Even the news media, a major check on Trump’s power in his first term, have faded from their 2017 ferocity, hobbled by budget cuts, diminished ratings, and owners wary of crossing the president. One exception has stood out: A legal resistance led by a patchwork coalition of lawyers, public-interest groups, Democratic state attorneys general, and unions has frustrated Trump’s ambitions. Hundreds of attorneys and plaintiffs have stood up to him, feeding a steady assembly line of setbacks and judicial reprimands for a president who has systematically sought to break down limits on his own power. Of the 384 cases filed through August 28 against the Trump administration, 130 have led to orders blocking at least part of the president’s efforts, and 148 cases await a ruling, according to a review by Just Security. Dozens of those rulings are the final word, with no appeal by the government, and others have been stayed on appeal, including by the Supreme Court.

https://twitter.com/joeflood/status/1962952764155134239

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

https://twitter.com/ifudontlike2bad/status/1962631170367332824

House Members Ready Action on Epstein Files

House members are wasting no time laying the groundwork this week for a confrontation with GOP leaders over releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files,” Politico reports. Freshly back in Washington from the August recess, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) plans to take the formal steps at 2 p.m. today to file a discharge petition, the procedural maneuver necessary to bypass leadership and force a vote on his resolution compelling the DOJ to unseal the files related to the late, convicted sex offender. Once he does that, Massie said in a social media post Tuesday morning, he can begin gathering the necessary 218 signatures required to bring the resolution to the floor.

https://twitter.com/sandibachom/status/1962955535755391343

https://twitter.com/TimHannan/status/1962976534278635969

https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1963046489208340834

I first thought that Allen might be exaggerating. He’s not.

https://twitter.com/karlykingsley/status/1963042292597391766

https://twitter.com/marlene4719/status/1963044744906285209

———— Autocracy R Us ————

Alarm after FBI arrests US army veteran for ‘conspiracy’ over protest against ICE

Legal experts say charges against Afghanistan war veteran Bajun Mavalwalla II mark an escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on first amendment rights.

https://twitter.com/joni_askola/status/1962884998253465726

The Trump Administration Gets a Serious Scolding

A federal judge’s scathing opinion explains why Trump’s deployment of troops to California was more than just an overreach.

———— Blatant In-Your-Face Corruption ————

https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1962862346528846313

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/astraiaintel/status/1962755267122098512

https://twitter.com/JPLindsley/status/1962790083204993053

https://twitter.com/JPLindsley/status/1962983405940797749

https://twitter.com/CalltoActivism/status/1962969642391011782

———— Smoot-Hawley 2.0 ————

Treasury Yields Spike After Tariff Decision

Treasury yields jumped on Tuesday to begin September trading as a court decision knocking down most of the Trump administration’s tariffs raised the prospect of the government having to repay the money already brought in, stretching an already-stressed U.S. fiscal situation.

https://twitter.com/JamesSurowiecki/status/1962919649185566923

Fabricated Numbers Central to Trump’s Pitch

President Trump boasted over the weekend that his tariffs — most of which an appellate court ruled illegal — had generated $8 trillion in new revenue. That number isn’t just wrong. It’s impossible. Total U.S. imports last year were just $3.7 trillion.

———— Mors Imperii ————

Judges Reinstate Biden’s FTC Pick

A federal appeals court has reinstated a Biden appointee to the Federal Trade Commission despite President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her.

https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1962956043685703734

Trump Is Inventing Fake Emergencies to Gain Real-World Power

Donald Trump has figured out the cheat code for authoritarianism: Fake emergencies bring real power. The president has invoked emergency authority in three distinct contexts—declaring a public-safety emergency to defend his takeover of the District of Columbia; claiming an ‘invasion’ to justify an immigration crackdown, including sending the National Guard to Los Angeles; and invoking ‘extraordinary’ factors to support his tariff war. Although Trump is not the first president to grab greater powers behind the cloak of emergency authority, he is the first to have done so in such an extreme way. Worse yet, the lack of resistance from Congress or the courts suggests that there is little, if anything, to prevent Trump from expanding his use of ’emergency’ authority even further as he accumulates power. Emergency powers exist for good reason. In democratic societies, the general rule is that the legislative branch defines what the executive branch should do, and then the executive acts on the direction of the legislature. The problem with that model is that legislative activity is remarkably slow, even at the most urgent of times.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1962984265634689030

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1963049148300546459

I first assumed that had to be a faked Trump post. Nope, it’s real.