Odds and Ends — 16 March 2026

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

Changing Basel rules could unlock ‘huge’ liquidity for BTC

https://twitter.com/kshvbgde/status/2032899497081319737
- kshvbgde

Steven Spielberg Is ‘Not For’ AI Replacing Creatives

Flash Fiction:

Little did we know when we formed The Bicycle of Doom that our thrash metal band would struggle to get bookings in America but turn out to be wildly popular in Thailand. We’d be lucky to get a hundred people to show up at a bar in our hometown of St. Louis but sell out a soccer stadium in Chang Mai.

Written for this prompt.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Long COVID leaves thousands of L.A. county residents sick, broke and ignored

Iran:

https://twitter.com/shashj/status/2033071816432922993
- shashj

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2033335008341975526
- RonFilipkowski

https://twitter.com/Angry_Staffer/status/2033324232478728688
- Angry_Staffer

https://twitter.com/IslanderWORLD/status/2033320202004275709
- IslanderWORLD

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/2033238083953393869
- TheEconomist

Key Ally Instantly Slaps Down Trump’s Demand for Help

Sometimes it takes a good friend to call you out when you’re wrong.
For Donald Trump, that pal is the nation of France, which has delivered an emphatic “Non!” to the American president’s request for military support in his Middle Eastern campaign.

https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/2033181428171587979
- CassandraRules

Orphaned Tactics

Once again the United States has entered into a conflict with no strategy. This time, there isn’t even a policy (without which you can’t have a strategy anyway). The war with Iran is little more than the joint targeting process unleashed. The Frankenstein’s monster that is the operational level of war, unsatiated after eating strategy, is now feasting on policy…
Contrary to popular belief, rules of engagement are not some legal or ethical nicety (although crafting effective rules of engagement lean on both disciplines). Rather, rules of engagement are first and foremost an expression of strategy. They frequently (or at least should) limit civilian casualties and guide the strategic use of tactics. Not just because undue harm to civilians is illegal and unethical, but most importantly because it’s bad strategy.

https://twitter.com/Yung_Spengler/status/2032762354065146107
- Yung_Spengler

https://twitter.com/ProfessorPape/status/2032803663136116900
- ProfessorPape

Why Trump’s Move to Lower Oil Prices Fell Flat

If the White House hoped tapping 40% of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve would quickly push down oil prices, it hasn’t worked.
News this week that member countries of the International Energy Agency would coordinate to release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency stockpiles, of which the U.S. will contribute close to half, barely touched the oil price.
Big as the number sounds, it isn’t nearly enough to compensate for the loss of barrels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

https://twitter.com/alwynlhoir/status/2032845300143108415
- alwynlhoir

https://twitter.com/agazeblank/status/2032944956973715607
- agazeblank

https://twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/2033109404908654884
- CraigMurrayOrg

https://twitter.com/rushicrypto/status/2033089250154168364
- rushicrypto

https://twitter.com/ShibleyTelhami/status/2033173515612951026
- ShibleyTelhami

Trump Has No Plans to End the Iran War

Trump has said repeatedly that the war might end soon and he has already claimed victory. He is facing pressure from outside advisers to end the conflict quickly, as well as concerns from fellow Republicans facing a tough midterm election climate. Gulf allies have also expressed their frustration with Washington as Iran has attacked oil refineries, hotels and other civilian targets, piercing the narrative that Gulf nations are safe places for business within a turbulent region.
But Trump is ‘dug in,’ a senior White House official said, adding the timeline being considered remains four to six weeks.

https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/2032831777518092321
- nntaleb

https://twitter.com/NC_Renic/status/2032944650424844521
- NC_Renic

https://twitter.com/ahmadmehrez/status/2032904490362282288
- ahmadmehrez

https://twitter.com/PaulRudnickNY/status/2033181259183149277
- PaulRudnickNY

Politics:

Senate Braces for Showdown Over Voter ID Rules

Trump has demanded that the GOP-controlled Senate quickly pass strict new voting rules ahead of the midterms, setting the stage for a theatrical showdown on the floor this week that could stretch through several days and nights.
Trump, joined by influencers, activists and some Republicans in Congress, has been pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) to pass the SAVE America Act, which already has passed the House. Democrats vow to block the measure, so Thune plans to open the floor to an unusual drawn-out debate that will thrust the contentious legislation into the spotlight—but is unlikely to send it to Trump’s desk.

Big Tech says the quiet part out loud. They want you to be stupid.

Trump’s Retribution Campaign Is Floundering

Grand juries have repeatedly refused to charge those they are targeting.
And now, in the wake of a lacerating ruling by a federal judge derailing an inquiry into the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, officials at the Justice Department have encountered an even more profound problem: Prosecutors are floundering in the most basic steps of criminal investigations into those President Trump wants scrutinized.