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Odds and Ends — 22 May 2026

preparedwombat

Published: 22 May 2026 › Updated: 22 May 2026Odds and Ends — 22 May 2026

Odds and Ends — 22 May 2026

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

Why do central banks still trust gold more than digital assets?

Nearly $500B in Bitcoin Is Exposed to Future Quantum Computing Attacks: Glassnode

Blockchain data firm Glassnode mapped the vulnerabilities embedded in Bitcoin’s existing supply, pointing to exchanges as a weak point.


Coronavirus and Public Health:

COVID is shaping Americans' reaction to Ebola and hantavirus

Iran:

Iran Rebuilds Military Industrial Base Faster Than Expected

Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, one sign it is rapidly rebuilding certain military capabilities degraded by US-Israeli strikes…
The rebuilding of military capabilities, including replacing missile sites, launchers and production capacity for key weapons systems destroyed during the current conflict, means that Iran remains a significant threat to regional allies should President Donald Trump restart the bombing campaign.

Iran and Oman in Talks Over Strait of Hormuz Payments

Iran has discussed partnering with the Gulf state of Oman — an American ally — in a system charging fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, ignoring the Trump administration’s warnings against demands for payment to pass through the critical international waterway.
It is unclear whether anything concrete will come out of the discussions. But the talks appear to signal that the United States and Iran are no closer to ending a war that has badly damaged the global economy despite repeated claims to the contrary by President Trump. At least publicly, neither side has shown a willingness to compromise.

Trump’s Endgame Is Surrender

Now that Trump has made clear he has no intention of fighting to reopen the strait, the stampede to get good terms with Tehran will begin. All nations heavily dependent on energy from the Persian Gulf will want to cut their deal quickly to get the oil and gas and other commodities flowing and rescue their battered economy…
Trump no doubt hopes that he can slip away without Americans noticing the magnitude of this defeat. The financial markets may stabilize if it is clear that oil will eventually start flowing again through a reopened strait, even if under the new Iran-controlled system. A major strategic setback for the United States need not affect Wall Street. The president may also hope that he can change the subject by launching another military operation, this time against the government in Cuba. And the news media have indeed begun writing more about Cuba than about the unfolding disaster in Iran.

Politics:

A must-read: The 39 Steps: The Final Post in my Trump-Russia Timeline!

After 36 years of cultivating Donald J. Trump as an asset, Russian intelligence finally put its man in the White House. This is how they did it.

The DNC’s 2024 Autopsy Report Leaked

Trump’s second term is increasingly about one thing: Trump

———— Cuba ————

———— The Epstein Coverup ————

———— Autocracy R Us ————

They’re Really Going For It

Trump's plan to overturn the midterm elections comes into focus.
There’s no contradiction between Donald Trump’s deepening unpopularity—and his evident commitment to further unpopular conduct—and his intensifying assault on democracy and the rule of law.

———— Blatant In-Your-Face Corruption ————

Trump’s Corruption Is Unprecedented

Let’s say it plainly: There has never been a president as corrupt as Donald Trump. There is no close second in our history.
Take two days in May as Exhibit A. Americans just found out that in the first quarter of this year, Trump’s stock portfolio made 3,600 trades — an average of nearly 60 a day. This is a rapacious pace that would make a day trader on meth blush. Many of these appear suspiciously timed to benefit from actions approved by the president himself. For example, his Nvidia stock surged after Trump announced the company would be permitted to sell its cutting-edge AI chips to China. Similar suspiciously well-timed calls were made ahead of big government moves involving other companies, from Intel to Palantir to Boeing. The Trump Organization says all trades are made by a third-party investment advisor. If so, they appear to be psychic.
But the apparent insider trading scam being run from within the Oval Office is small change — merely millions of dollars — compared to the self-dealing plunder of $1.8 billion tax-payer dollars being pushed through the DOJ and IRS.

White House Attempts to Buy Off Senators

The White House put out a one-pager about the fund which says the “weaponization fund” will have “no partisan restriction” and that senators “whose records were secretly subpoenaed” could also apply.

———— Putin&Krasnov vs. Ukraine ————

———— Mors Imperii ————

Serendipity:

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“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” – Plutarch

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