Odds and Ends — 8 August 2026

preparedwombat(78)

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2026-08-08 16:04

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

FWiW: Bitcoin will never fall below $60K again: Nansen founder

https://x.com/matrbk/status/2085538543628325039

Coronavirus and Public Health:

Severe COVID may awaken dormant viruses, leading to autoimmune disease, long COVID

Iran:

https://x.com/RyanRozbiani/status/2085545370579279944

How the U.S. Squandered Its Strategic Advantage

Had the Iran war been over in a matter of several weeks, as the administration initially predicted, the U.S. munitions problem would not be so dire. And the problem would be mitigated ‘if we knew when the war will end,’ one defense official told us. ‘The real problem is that there is no long-term strategy—and we can’t plan around that.’
Before the shortages, the U.S. used its technological advantages to shape its strategy. Now the technological advances of its foes—and the strain they have put on U.S. stockpiles—are forcing Washington to reconsider its strategy again, this time without the long-held assumption that U.S. forces would enjoy an advantage in munitions.

https://x.com/joncoopertweets/status/2085717041575543196

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2085765650769654116

Iran Hopes to Deal Trump a Blow at Midterms

Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 U.S. embassy hostage crisis.
For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge on Trump is a legitimate and self-standing war aim, reflected in the mood of those attending the funeral of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei where demands for retribution were ubiquitous.
While Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution have never trusted the U.S. that animus is now also directed personally towards Trump.

https://x.com/TheMaineWonk/status/2085822733875601482

Top General Is ‘Looking for an Off-Ramp’ From Iran War

Over the last few weeks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately made clear to other top Trump advisers that the U.S. needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran — because the military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire and airpower alone is unlikely to achieve President Donald Trump’s stated objectives.

https://x.com/CarolinaLion2/status/2085860216189395228

https://x.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/2085801893599572268

Politics:

https://x.com/RVAwonk/status/2085771164475879885

Trump Is Increasingly Frustrated with Markwayne Mullin

…Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin after Mullin made a series of off-message remarks recently that angered many of the president’s outside allies.
Trump tapped Mullin, a close ally when he served in the Senate, to take over the homeland security post after he fired Kristi Noem in March. At the time, Trump told advisers he had tired of the infighting and drama at the Department of Homeland Security. When Mullin started the job, he told associates his marching orders were to keep the agency out of the news.
But a little more than four months into Mullin’s tenure, the president is souring on him, viewing Mullin as weak and off message, the people said.

https://x.com/allenanalysis/status/2085748834961961248

https://x.com/gtconway3d/status/2085718619225280774

———— The East Wing ————

U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Ballroom Project

A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential ‌authority.

https://x.com/ddiamond/status/2085750449303351460

https://x.com/ryanjreilly/status/2085750463488544843

https://x.com/capitolhunters/status/2085786206726443074

https://x.com/dccommonsense/status/2085810054721327179

https://x.com/caslernoel/status/2085765431554388411

https://x.com/davidfrum/status/2085723435183784056

An explosive-laden drone discovered at an airport in Germany this week likely belongs to the Russian government, according to U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports about the incident.