Odds and Ends — 18 August 2026

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2026-08-18 14:31

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

South Korea moves to block Polymarket over gambling concerns

Bitpanda Hit With Europe's First Published MiCA Penalty in Austria

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Measles Cases Are Reaching Record Highs in America

The U.S. recently reached a grim milestone: As of July 23, more measles cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention than in any year since 1991. It took less than seven months to blow past the three-decade high recorded last year.
This potentially deadly disease is easily prevented. Shots are widely available and, in many cases, free. Still, since the beginning of last year, more than 4,850 people here have been infected, and three have died. Among them were two unvaccinated girls in West Texas whose deaths made national headlines.
The U.S. recently reached a grim milestone: As of July 23, more measles cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention than in any year since 1991. It took less than seven months to blow past the three-decade high recorded last year,” ProPublica reports.
This potentially deadly disease is easily prevented. Shots are widely available and, in many cases, free. Still, since the beginning of last year, more than 4,850 people here have been infected, and three have died. Among them were two unvaccinated girls in West Texas whose deaths made national headlines.

Iran:

https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2089490729634566313
https://x.com/Nick_Anderson_/status/2089452304454005177

Trump posts map labeling Strait of Hormuz 'new’ US territory

https://x.com/Euan_MacDonald/status/2089433220882292934

https://x.com/SethAbramson/status/2089418172520702257

https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2089683037982278111

Politics:

https://x.com/BillKristol/status/2089320776302236021

https://x.com/RadioFreeTom/status/2089177739219619896
https://x.com/covie_93/status/2089345674110173245
https://x.com/Strandjunker/status/2089356233618694155

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2089419411543482762

https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/2089345085481627733

———— Natalie Harp ————

https://x.com/mpfreeman1950/status/2089381946459656667
https://x.com/TBlountNews/status/2089482143948767586
https://x.com/Chug_A_Lugg/status/2089523123888484578

https://x.com/katierogers/status/2089462291985023257

https://x.com/CameronCorduroy/status/2089491239376740457

https://x.com/TimInHonolulu/status/2089476048497016931

https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2089495008218866004

https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2089510477608984689

———— Stark. Raving. Mad. ————

A Russian court sentenced an opposition politician to 11 years and one month in a penal colony for speaking against President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the latest anti-war figure to be jailed in a broader crackdown on dissent.
Lev Shlosberg, a deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, received the sentence on Monday after being convicted under Russia’s laws against disseminating false information and discrediting the military.

Trump Has Opened the Door for Putin to Move On NATO

…Donald Trump is providing Russian President Vladimir Putin a window of opportunity to break apart NATO, analysts fear, even as the Kremlin searches for an elusive path to victory in its grinding war of attrition against Ukraine.
American actions are accumulating into an existential crisis for the alliance. Trump and members of his administration continue to openly signal their contempt for allies and unwillingness to defend Europe, as the U.S. becomes bogged down in a costly war against Iran with no apparent exit. Putin may be emboldened by the increasingly strained relationship between NATO and its most important member nation.
Intelligence reports from multiple countries have long warned that Russia may be ready to widen the Ukraine war into a direct test of NATO’s resolve.