Odds and Ends — 5 November 2025

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

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Trial data show ensitrelvir has potent antiviral activity against COVID-19

Public health defends its time-tested approach against the rise of MAHA

Politics:

If Republicans aren’t scared by what happened Tuesday night, they should be. One year after President Donald Trump and Republicans won the White House, Congress and every battleground state, Democrats struck back by painting Virginia and New Jersey blue Tuesday night, shifting the map leftward in county after county… This was a Democratic romp in the midst of a national crisis over the now record 36-day government shutdown. It should send a stark message to Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune that the national tide has shifted decisively from last year’s Republican victories.

https://twitter.com/PiperK/status/1985591410167259350

‘If it was anybody else, we’d arrest him tomorrow,' Justice Department aide said of Trump

A handful of documents found by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago were so sensitive that even a senior Justice Department official didn’t have authorization to see them.

https://twitter.com/hissgoescobra/status/1985809222408585715

https://twitter.com/davidsirota/status/1985813564645621769.

https://twitter.com/HouseJudiciary/status/1985834055871418828

He made his money selling camels and gold. Now this warlord controls half of Sudan

https://twitter.com/benjaminpenn/status/1985774136795316372

———— The Trump Shutdown ————

Two days ago, Trump announced that he’d (arbitrarily) pay 50% of the SNAP benefits.

Yesterday, he said, no, not disbursing anything until the shutdown ends:

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1985743102909276574

A few hours later, the White House vaguely walked back that statement without specifying if they’d be sending out 100%, 50%, or some other random amount, or when that might happen.

Americans ‘dumbfounded by cruelty’ of Trump officials slashing Snap benefits

https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/1985811926836744659

———— Autocracy R Us ————

https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1985754044648816808

https://twitter.com/RubenGallego/status/1985536333134381416

Feds Drop Case Against Man Accused of Injuring Greg Bovino’s Groin

Footage of the alleged altercation failed to support the assault claim, per reports from the hearing. Bovino himself did not wear a bodycam that day. “Without video of the actual physical exchange … there is only the evidence of the hearsay statement of Bovino,” Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said.

https://twitter.com/slantchev/status/1985490412396773501

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1985816463643476142

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

https://twitter.com/amyklobuchar/status/1985521869731004712

https://twitter.com/PiperK/status/1985621638818513122

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

https://twitter.com/JayinKyiv/status/1985605341418041433

https://twitter.com/general_ben/status/1985729674001985552

https://twitter.com/JayinKyiv/status/1985453540962136249

https://twitter.com/ChuckPfarrer/status/1985754781366005784

https://twitter.com/evgen1232007/status/1985755312637559241

———— Melon Husk ————

Tesla board to shareholders: Pay Musk or else

———— Hegseth on the Rocks ————

Trump Weighs Options for Attacks on Venezuela

The Trump administration has developed a range of options for military action in Venezuela, including direct attacks on military units that protect President Nicolás Maduro and moves to seize control of the country’s oil fields. President Trump has yet to make a decision about how or even whether to proceed. Officials said he was reluctant to approve operations that may place American troops at risk or could turn into an embarrassing failure. But many of his senior advisers are pressing for one of the most aggressive options: ousting Mr. Maduro from power.

———— Mors Imperii ————

https://twitter.com/johnbourscheid/status/1985663944619421808

A Confederacy of Toddlers

The Trump administration is a regime of troubled children.

https://twitter.com/gilduran76/status/1985770871559241871

It's Been a Year Since Trump Was Elected. Democrats Still Don't Get the Internet

After losing big in 2024, Democrats promised a digital reckoning. But 12 months out from that devastating slate of losses, Democratic digital programs are still plagued by the same issues that doomed them last year. Despite millions of dollars in influencer investments and “lessons learned” memos, party insiders say Democrats are still stuck running social media programs that strive for authenticity, but often clash with the party’s unrelenting desire to maintain control. Said one Democratic digital strategist: “I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why we are still so rigid and moderating everything when we have nothing to lose for the first time. All of the threats of fascism and right wing takeover. It’s all here.”