Odds and Ends — 24 October 2024

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

Ethereum ‘Verge’ upgrade to enable nodes on phones and smartwatches

Proof that immigrants fuel the US economy is found in the billions they send back home

Union members reject deal with Boeing, prolonging strike

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Maternal COVID infections may affect newborn heart development

Politics:

Trump’s Defense Secretary Says He’s a Fascist

Biden believes Trump is a fascist, White House says

https://twitter.com/acnewsitics/status/1848999713007116418
- acnewsitics

https://twitter.com/mattmfm/status/1849055924767367388
- mattmfm

https://twitter.com/leahmcelrath/status/1848857457386471784
- leahmcelrath

Kamala Harris Plans To Close With A Strong Anti-Fascism Message

I don’t know if it’s the winning message, but it’s the right message. It’s hard to imagine waking up the day after Donald Trump wins and wishing you’d spent more time talking about inflation and economic anxiety.

https://twitter.com/jdpoc/status/1849136156467937701
- jdpoc

Gisèle Pelicot takes stand in French mass rape trial

https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1849168351739699529
- TheRickWilson

The Most Persuasive Closing Message for Harris

Tucker Carlson Compares Trump to Abusive Father

https://twitter.com/MarkJacob16/status/1849180710134825125
- MarkJacob16

Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement

https://twitter.com/Bricktop_NAFO/status/1849146191897825479
- Bricktop_NAFO

Nearly Half of GOP Candidates Have Cast Doubt on 2024 Election

Nearly half of Republican candidates for Congress or top state offices have used social media to cast doubt on the integrity of the 2024 election, highlighting a pervasive effort within the GOP to undermine public trust in the vote ahead of Nov. 5

Trump Allies Revive Debunked Voting Machine Theories

It has been nearly four years since a parade of judges dismissed wild claims from Donald Trump and his associates about hacked election machines and a year and a half since a leading machine company obtained a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over the debunked conspiracy theories.
But Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign and his closest allies are again trotting out the theories as part of a late-campaign strategy to assert that this year’s election is rigged — although this time Mr. Trump’s campaign appears to be largely acting behind the scenes.

https://twitter.com/jemillerbalt/status/1848690507876024456
- jemillerbalt

It’s Possible to Track a Personal Phone to an Abortion Clinic

A company got access to a mobile phone-tracking tool used by law enforcement and U.S. government agencies across the country. They found significant privacy vulnerabilities.

I'm a pollster. Here's why polling the 2024 election is harder than ever.

Polling is built on a simple idea: If we talk to a representative, miniature version of a state or country, we can estimate what the whole state or country thinks. It’s like getting a sample at an ice cream shop: one well-mixed spoonful tells you what a whole cone will taste like.
But it’s getting tougher to reach the people needed to build that mini-country or mini-state. Response rates — how often people are willing to pick up a cold call or answer a text from us — have been dropping for decades.
The related challenge: We have to model our way around the fact that nobody talks to us. That’s risky.

Russia and Iran May Stoke Violent Protests After Election

Russia and Iran may try to encourage violent protests in the U.S. after next month’s election, senior intelligence officials warned Tuesday in a declassified memo.