James Bond fans launch fundraiser for Blofeld statue in Poland’s ‘hometown’ Polish Notes
Pabst Discontinues Schlitz, Beloved American Lager Brand VinePair
The Rising Physics of Rental Housing
Climate/Environment
Sea level rise is swallowing Mid-Atlantic farms faster than expected, study finds Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Record ice loss in Central Asia by 2025 raises water risk for millions Phys.org
Severe urban flooding hits two major US cities – but they are being handled very differently Climate Change
Hard Rain Harper’s. “War on climate change”
Scenarios, schmenarios… RealClimate
Is Community the Answer to Brittleness? Snap Forward
HONEY COLLECTORS RISK THEIR LIVES IN TIGER LAND Atmos
The risk of snakebite is increasing as reptiles adapt to a changing world, Guardian study says
An epidemic
COVID and the Great Retrenchment University of Michigan Law
This may be one of the most important long-form COVID papers in a long time.
New research in Frontiers in Immunology suggests that COVID can cause new insulin resistance – and that this may drive abnormal NETosis in neutrophils months after infection🧵— Zdenek Vrozina (@ZdenekVrozina) May 21, 2026
Ebola
And this is exactly what I thought was happening in an epidemic with a 40+% death rate. Everything is falling apart. Chaos. People don’t get things. They burned down a hospital (the last place you’d want to burn down).
Supply chains are breaking fast. You must be…– Roger Seheult, MD (@RogerSeheult) May 21, 2026
Former CDC director on Ebola outbreak: ‘I suspect this will be a very important pandemic’ The Hill
Fears as Ebola cases are reported in rebel-held territory hundreds of kilometers from the attack The Independent
***
The US is ‘simply choosing not to stop’ the Ebola outbreak after major public health cuts, experts say
The White House refused to allow a doctor with Ebola to return to the US WaPo. Second: US doctor exposed to Ebola for treatment in Prague under Radio Prague International
US taps small San Diego biotech for experimental Ebola treatment as pandemic rages Fierce Biotech
Hantavirus
High prevalence of hantavirus in some areas Pacific Northwest Medical Xpress. In rodent communities.
Water
Woman files lawsuit after being arrested for Facebook post about water supply issues in Trinidad FOX4
China?
Each American CEO came to China with a specific issue they wanted to fix. Almost all of them went empty-handed.
Most interesting in this clip was the confirmation that China had indeed blocked Maxwell from selling solar energy equipment to Elon Musk.
— Kyle Chan (@kyleichan) May 22, 2026
Acting Navy secretary: Taiwan arms sales suspended to ensure Iran’s military arsenal
Trump Got a Show, Putin Got a Bromance – Xi Takes the Stage George Chen
Southeast Asia
Indonesia signs letter of intent but no commitments to US on space access: Defense Minister Sjafrie The Hindu
India
‘Chess Piece’ to ‘Blood Bag’? What Trump-Xi Summit Says About India The Wire
Syracistan
The Israeli wing’s “homecoming” party, which showcased its well-documented destruction of villages in southern Lebanon, was met with cheers and laughter from crowds of soldiers, their relatives, and family members.
It is a phenomenon that cannot be seen anywhere but Israel. pic.twitter.com/EkAwH3jL9s
– Israel Genocide Tracker (@trackingisrael) May 21, 2026
Gaza flotilla activists deported after ‘harassment’, ‘harassment’ in Israeli custody
They’re Angry at Ben-Gvir for Being Bad, They’re Angry at Caitlin Johnstone for Being Honest
US threatens to revoke visa of Palestinian UN envoy NPR
Today, the Lebanese opposition refers to Col. Meir Biderman, commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, in southern Lebanon. Israeli media reports that he is fighting for his life.
The same group that killed Hind Rajab, stormed Al-Shifa Hospital and threatened Rafah. pic.twitter.com/11h3djyvg0– Dyab Abou Jahjah (@Aboujahjah) May 20, 2026
***
Trump Cancels Last-Minute Attack Amid Reports Iran Is Now Blocking US Tactics
The breakup of Europe
Trump to send 5,000 US troops to Poland after previous plan canceled France24
Brussels blames China. A Data Point elsewhere in Mpumalanga is being studied
Germany’s political establishment is losing its mind as the AfD tightens its grip on the eugyppius of the electorate.
O Canada
Military Minerals: How the US Military’s Demand Drives Extraction from the Defense Project’s Transition to Indigenous Spaces
Old Blighty
Sadiq Khan ends row with Met after blocking £50m AI deal with Palantir The Guardian
The New Cold War
Is The Ukraine-Russia War Entering The Endgame? Cliodynamica by Peter Turchin
NATO incrementalism: First they deny that NATO airspace was used to attack Russia; then argued that the Ukrainian drones did not have permission to be in NATO airspace; now Sweden’s Prime Minister says NATO should help Ukraine direct its attack “correctly”… pic.twitter.com/i88txcdbzs
– Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) May 21, 2026
Finland’s biggest bomb shelters draw the world to Helsinki for safety The Straits Times
🚨⚠️🚨 Ukrainian forces deliberately hit sleeping children in LPR: they targeted the educational building and dormitory of Starrobelsk College.
At the time of the attack, 86 children between the ages of 14 and 18 were inside the building. At least 35 people were injured.… pic.twitter.com/vzrkK0C0wD
– Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ ivan_8848) May 22, 2026
Ukraine tests balloon-launched drone system to extend strike range Intellinews
Imperial Collapse Watch
A Story of Time Jon Kurpis, The Duran
US: New Data Highlights AIPAC’s Ties to US, Israeli Governments DAWN
South of the Border
The Sensational Truth After The Cuban Missile Shooting Accuracy.org
Epstein’s story
Who is Sarah Kellen and why has she not been charged with Epstein-related charges? The Epstein Files of Julie K. Brown
Trump 2.0
Trump Allies and Foes Jockey for Payments From ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund WSJ
Republicans scramble to reconcile differences between ‘anti-gun’ fund The Hill
IS TRUMP’S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING OBAMA? Seymour Hersh
Democracies are simple
Biden’s team failed Kamala Harris in 2024, Democratic autopsy says USA Today
DNC autopsy author Paul Rivera met with the IMEU Policy Project in July 2025, and told them that the war in Gaza hurt Democrats in the 2024 election, according to two people familiar with the meeting.
But the final report says nothing about “Israel” or “Gaza.”… pic.twitter.com/zDjGZ80K9p
– Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) May 21, 2026
California’s fast food council ‘has no leader, hasn’t met in over a year Cal Matters.
Uniparty
Data-Center Divide Harper’s
Police State Watch
UPDATE: Many ICE stores were sold by Trump campaigners who occupied the buildings and lost money.
We went in, and found out that some properties were bought by the feds for 10 times their list price.
A new level of corruption — and you’re paying for it. pic.twitter.com/MmUDL9kFsW
– More Perfect US (@MorePerfectUS) May 20, 2026
Immigrants Reportedly Held in ICE Jails Despite Agreeing to Leave US Written
ICE Spent More In January Than NASA Gets All Year On Internal Immigrants
Newly Released Footage Highlights ICE’s Use of Facial Recognition Technology Truthout
Big Brother is Watching You
After City Ban Herd, Council Member Crashes, Proposes Internet and Phone Ban 404 Media
The AI
It explores the math behind OpenAI and Anthropic’s latest Gary Marcus articles
AI is killing the cheap smartphone David Oks
Generative AI’s Existential Cringe We’ve Lost
it’s 420
Flying with marijuana? How a small change in TSA guidelines could affect The Hill
Agriculture
Trump Defends Chinese Purchase of US Farmland Morning Ag
The United States Has a Food System Problem, Not a Food Shortage William Murphy
Class War
Western leaders are playing their part in our democracy. Do you see what is being said? Jonathan Cook
Imperfect Guardians California Law Review. ‘…confidence in the relative reaction of the average, working, and poor people in the United States is not at all supported by the evidence. That confidence reflects less grounded acquisition, and more ideology or faith in the need for elite rule. Allowing these commitments to continue unchecked is particularly dangerous in the face of the authoritarian politics of concentrated wealth and power that have become a feature of contemporary life. Such rhetoric diverts attention from the undemocratic nature of the US state and allows the ruling elite to blame “the people” for the problems that the privileged few have a hand in creating.’
RENTERING, TAX DEVELOPMENT, AND DATA: RENTERING ORGANIZATION BEYOND LEGAL CAMPAIGNS Shelterforce
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s links and the Antidote du Jour here.
