Odds and Ends — 5 April 2024

24 days ago

We watched the season 3 finale of Resident Alien last night. Or it might have been the series finale. I don’t think that the show has been officially cancelled, but it also hasn’t had a fourth season ordered. But, damn, the season 3 finale had so many cliffhangers and unresolved story arcs. Great show though, well-worth watching. Originally for SyFy on cable (which we don’t have), we watched season 1 on Netflix, season 2 on Hulu, and season 3 on Peacock.

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

OneCoin Compliance Chief Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Role in $4B Ponzi Scheme

Indian company sold contaminated shrimp to U.S. grocery stores, 'whistleblower' says

https://twitter.com/jackabryan/status/1776030972531863994

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Study links air quality improvements to fewer school COVID cases

Politics:

Is Trump's $175 million civil fraud bond valid in New York?

When former President Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond in New York on Monday, it appeared that he had evaded a financial crisis. He had paused enforcement of the more than $460 million judgment against him following a civil fraud trial, while his appeal is pending.
But the surety bond was missing vital information typically included in those filings, experts say. These standard elements include documents related to power of attorney for the bond provider, Knight Specialty Insurance Company, a financial statement from the company and a certificate of qualification from the Department of Financial Services.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1775332427642065087

GOP Lawmaker Says FBI Entrapped Capitol Rioters

Even by a conspiracy theorist’s standards, the wild claims made by Representative Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana, stand out.
The hard-right congressman, now in his fourth term in the House, has said that ‘ghost buses’ took agent provocateurs to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to instigate the riot. He has claimed that the federal government is waging a ‘civil war’ against Texas. And he has called the criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents a ‘perimeter probe from the oppressors.’

https://twitter.com/GLandsbergis/status/1775896166053625992

How Steve Bannon Guided the MAGA Rebound

Bannon was not merely a student or passive observer of this prophecy; he wanted to be an agent of it, and an architect of the era that came next. So when he watched Trump glide down a golden escalator to announce his campaign for president, in 2015, his first thought was, ‘That’s Hitler!’
By that he meant someone who intuitively understood the aesthetics of power, as in Nazi propaganda films. He saw in Trump someone who could viscerally connect with the general angst that Bannon was roiling and make himself a vessel for Americans’ grievances and desires.

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1775938149300293655

Judge Cannon DENIES Trump's PRA Motion. Kind Of.

Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar subpoenaed in Arizona probe of Trump fake electors

The Arizona attorney general is nearing a decision on whether to charge Trump allies with crimes, but there is no indication Biggs or Gosar will face charges.

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1775282580314534248

Judge schedules Newsmax case over 2020 election lies for September trial

A judge has scheduled a major defamation case against right-wing cable channel Newsmax to go to trial in late September, putting the battle over 2020 election lies front-and-center at the peak of the 2024 campaign.
Newsmax and the voting technology company Smartmatic could still reach an out-of-court settlement, and further delays are possible. But if the September 24 trial date holds, the fallout from former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election will be on full display as he tries to return to the White House.

https://twitter.com/ryanjreilly/status/1776013349379072195

House Republicans Tried to Tank the Increase to Afghan Allies Visas Altogether

Republican lawmakers praised the inclusion of an additional 12,000 visas to the program in the spending package, but behind the scenes, GOP leadership was pushing to wind down the program.

Serendipity:

A Vigilante Hacker Took Down North Korea’s Internet. Now He’s Taking Off His Mask

As “P4x,” Alejandro Caceres single-handedly disrupted the internet of an entire country. Then he tried to show the US military how it can—and should—adopt his methods.