Odds and Ends — 4 March 2026

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

Kraken wins Kansas City Fed approval for limited master account access

The Disappearing American Mortgage

Young and working-class people aren’t getting on the property ladder anymore.

Apple iPhone Hacking Kit Used By Spies, Crypto Scams Could Have US Intelligence Origins

Flash Fiction:

”You need to tell me where the bomb is. So far, I’ve shown restraint.”

”Breaking my fingers is your idea of restraint?”

”Indeed it is. Tell me what I want to know or you’ll get a dose of something unwelcome.”

”Cut the Bond villain crap. It’s blowing at noon and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. We’re all going to die. I welcome your dose.”

Written for this prompt.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Flu was again worse than covid this winter. Is that pattern here to stay?

Iran:

https://twitter.com/HamidRezaAz/status/2028623375757873309
- HamidRezaAz

https://twitter.com/Kathleen_Tyson_/status/2028909683952762893
- Kathleen_Tyson_

https://twitter.com/realnikohouse/status/2028911495128416514
- realnikohouse

https://twitter.com/richimedhurst/status/2028647430879592947
- richimedhurst

https://twitter.com/mmpadellan/status/2028935643917623546
- mmpadellan

Israel Bombs Council Choosing Next Iranian Leader

The Israeli air force on Tuesday struck the building housing Iran’s Council of Experts in the holy city of Qom in an attempt to disrupt the process of appointing a new supreme leader.
The Council of Experts is the body within the Iranian regime with the authority to appoint a new supreme leader. The clerics on the council vote on a short list of candidates being drafted by a smaller secret committee.

https://twitter.com/RachBlevins/status/2028806616515002443
- RachBlevins

https://twitter.com/TheMaineWonk/status/2028705677653234004
- TheMaineWonk

https://twitter.com/OWS1892/status/2028889055132311943
- OWS1892

https://twitter.com/SocialistMMA/status/2028882638316974354
- SocialistMMA

UAE Considers Striking Iran Missile Sites

The United Arab Emirates is considering taking military action to stop Iranian missile and drone strikes on the country.
An Emirati strike on Iran would be unprecedented. The fact that it’s being considered reflects the enormous anger among Gulf countries over Iranian attacks that have targeted civilian infrastructure and oil and gas facilities.

https://twitter.com/RichardMNephew/status/2028806286607864013
- RichardMNephew

https://twitter.com/covie_93/status/2028895494735339802
- covie_93

https://twitter.com/Tazerface16/status/2028857259221230029
- Tazerface16

https://twitter.com/wyattreed13/status/2028960697971802463
- wyattreed13

Hegseth, Caine preview major gravity-bombing campaign on Iran

Translation: we’re running out of smart bombs.

https://twitter.com/Mesnia1016/status/2028644389325594676
- Mesnia1016

https://twitter.com/maria_drutska/status/2028644044742795581
- maria_drutska

https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/2028826473138635124
- TheRickWilson

https://twitter.com/SpockResists/status/2028733395484708987
- SpockResists

https://twitter.com/davidsirota/status/2028979804561916211
- davidsirota

Politics:

Trump Defeated on Congestion Pricing

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the federal government’s attempt to end New York’s congestion pricing toll was illegal, handing a major victory to the state in its defense of the first-in-the-nation traffic reduction plan, which the Trump administration had tried for more than a year to kill.

https://twitter.com/JohnWest_JAWS/status/2028761861466775669
- JohnWest_JAWS

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

While we’re all distracted by the Iran fiasco, the DOJ has been taking down Epstein files.

———— Autocracy R Us ————

Trump Tries to Continue Fight Against Law Firms

The Trump administration indicated on Tuesday that it planned to renew its defense of executive orders that it had leveled against law firms, a sharp reversal a day after indicating that it would drop that fight in court.
The situation remained fluid Tuesday morning. It was not immediately clear what legal strategy the administration would ultimately embrace or whether a court would allow the Justice Department to reverse course.

https://twitter.com/gtconway3d/status/2028953700991975835
- gtconway3d

Noem Has ‘Systematically Obstructed’ Inspector General

The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said the agency’s leaders had ‘systematically obstructed’ its work, including in a federal criminal investigation.
In the letter to lawmakers dated Monday, the inspector general outlines 11 instances that he says the department had blocked his office from accessing records and information it needed to pursue its inquiries. He said DHS’s refusal to cooperate in the criminal investigation, which he said had national security implications, was ‘particularly egregious.’