Odds and Ends — 21 July 2026

preparedwombat(78)

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

Tether-backed Twenty One, Strike merger plan scrapped

https://x.com/doseofpurple_/status/2079096162770919816

Bank of Korea Scales Up CBDC Pilot With Half a Million Users

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Temporary Long COVID Relief Seen With Antihistamines and Anti-Inflammatories

Iran:

https://x.com/AlanRMacLeod/status/2078969820570161290

https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2078858879530623288

Houthis Declare Maritime Embargo Against Saudi Arabia

Houthi militants in Yemen on Monday declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia effective immediately, threatening to exacerbate the oil supply disruption triggered by Iran’s attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during the U.S.-Iran war. The strait is a choke point for commercial ship traffic that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets.

Once upon a time (or in an alternate universe), the USA and the Houthis might have found common cause. The Houthis may have no great love for America, but they really hate Al-Qaeda.

https://x.com/AaronBlake/status/2079165017476190474

GOP Boxed in On Iran War as Trump Sidelines Congress

President Trump has yet again circumvented the legislative branch as he orders American forces back into combat in the Middle East, weeks after both chambers of Congress rebuked him for waging war with Iran without authorization.
The collapse of the cease-fire and resumption of hostilities has inflamed a debate on Capitol Hill over war powers just as the administration is seeking tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict.
That has presented Republicans with a political worst-case scenario months before midterm elections in which their majorities are at stake: They are being asked to vote to fund an unpopular war over which they have had no meaningful oversight, and which they have never voted to approve.

https://x.com/OwenShroyer1776/status/2079223274009944527

https://x.com/covie_93/status/2078880128499626456

Politics:

Trump Is Scrambling for More Defense Money

In a closed-door briefing earlier this month, key Pentagon officials sat down with House spending leaders from both parties to make an urgent case to quickly deliver more cash to fund the U.S. war in Iran.
But when pressed by members of both parties for details, Pentagon officials were unable to offer any meaningful specifics about why they need the money so quickly — frustrating Republicans and Democrats alike, according to two people in the room.”
Now, with the Pentagon’s reserves further depleted, the administration is unfurling a full-court press on Republican lawmakers in hopes it can clinch tens of billions of dollars that officials are seeking this summer as the U.S. continues its fight against Iran.

Or, hear me out here, members of Congress could grow spines. Crazy, I know.

Gas Prices Are Rising Again — And So Is GOP Grief

Just when Republicans thought they’d caught a break on gas prices, the collapse of President Trump’s Iran deal is derailing their best chance to change the inflation story before the midterms.
Falling gas prices are one of the most tangible ways to ease voter anger over inflation. Renewed combat — and the threat of escalation — has prices shooting back up.

https://x.com/SpencerHakimian/status/2079525276661289305

https://x.com/LibertyLockPod/status/2079250904528920805