Paradise Revisited Atlantic (Micael T)
Scientists surprised by signs of ancient life in unexpected place Science Daily (Kevin W)
How the Himalayan Blackberry Took Over the Pacific Northwest JSTOR (Micael T)
Global trade in cocaine, methamphetamine booming, UN drug report shows Reuters
Left-Wing Ideology, Mental Health and Physical Modification Journal of Open Questions in the Behavioral Sciences. Michael T:
“This study is particularly focused on social leftism – which is defined by certain attitudes on issues such as gender, race, immigration, gender, and personal expression. This conceptualization is different from economic leftism, which deals with the ideas of redistribution, market regulation, and social welfare”
So they actually read neoliberal identity-mongers, who have nothing to do with the left.
The “study” of the commentariat is divided into smaller, smaller pieces.
Climate/Environment
Climate risks ‘no longer around’ inflation and monetary policy FTAdviser
June featured a record-breaking westerly blast in the Pacific.
This results in new Kelvin wave activity that will transport warm water into the eastern Pacific, possibly culminating in the strongest El Niño on record this year – perhaps by a wide margin. pic.twitter.com/dBI8mba6QP
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) June 23, 2026
He likes the uninteresting apocalyptique
Eye from 0 to 4500 mètres d’altitude… Plus from 30 degrees to 1000m d’altitude, 40 Annecy
Le mont-blanc et ses glaciers dégoulinent. Nous perdons notre eau potable. Une 3e vague de chaleur est pressentie et ils ne parlent que de climatisation pic.twitter.com/qqoISHS2WD
— Valerie Paumier présidente de RESILIENCE MONTAGNE (@Valerie_Paumier) June 24, 2026
Do you think it’s hot? The Antarctic Peninsula is also unusually warm. British Antarctic Survey
Utah officials warn of ‘unprecedented’ water shortages as cities run out Salt Lake Tribune
How much does your country cut in trade? Hannah Ritchie (Micael T)
Hedge Fund Targets $500 Million in El Niño Crop Risk Trade Bloomberg
China?
China vows tariff cuts with US while criticizing its ‘cruel’ trade practices South China Morning Post
A strategic mineral tunnel, against China’s German Foreign Policy
China Uses Its Mineral Advantage Against Japan Bloomberg
NZ internal report warns of Chinese military attack in Pacific France24
‘China Initiative 2.0’: US attack on Chinese scholars strengthens South China Morning Post (guurst)
China Prepares Second LNG Terminal to Receive Arctic LNG 2 Cargoes High North News
Japan
US missile strikes on Japan send clear message to China: A new era has arrived Japan Times
The Koreans
North Korea’s Kim eyes weapons tests and calls for ‘deadly and destructive’ military status Independent
Southeast Asia
China created Indonesia’s nickel boom. Will it last long? Asia Times (Kevin W)
Africa
Arming the Womb: Genocide in the Genocide Kingdom of Tigray
Sudan: New UN Human Rights Report – ‘Brutal Use of Sexual Violence in Sudan’ All Africa
What the rise in anti-immigrant protests has to say about the South African Economist
Johannesburg Collapse Risk Spurs Ask State to Run City Bloomberg
South of the Border
Economic losses mount as death toll from Venezuela earthquake rises Aljazeera
Venezuelans search for missing on their hands as earthquake toll rises Associated Press (Kevin W)
Venezuela: Earthquake Death Toll Rises, US SOUTHCOM Sends Military Equipment VenezuelAnalysis (Robin K)
Killed for Supporting Che Guevara Huseyin Dorgu (Robin K)
Colombia’s Cocaine Trade Now Releases Its OilPrice for Oil Exports
The breakup of Europe
France records its hottest day ever as Europe suffers from NBC’s brutal heat wave
Old Blighty
‘Dangerous’: how schools, care homes and other UK workplaces are coping with the sweltering heat
The UK’s June temperature record was broken for the third day in a row as ministers urged action The Guardian (Kevin W)
UK housebuilders warn of ‘shock waves’ as tax on steel sales double Financial Times
US tariffs bite as UK food and drink exports fall to 10-year low The Grocer
Farmers criticize government plan to tackle threats to food security UK Guardian
Israel v. The Resistance
Trump’s policies are moderate. Trump uses “Islamic Republic of Iran” when he wants to show respect:
Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows at least 26 vessels over 10,000 dwt transiting the Strait of Hormuz with AIS using the southern route from 1410 hrs on 25 June, when the Ever Lovely was hit, to 1200 hrs on June 26. Eight used the Iranian-approved route pic.twitter.com/eCznPh6eVD
— Lloyd’s List (@LloydsList) June 26, 2026
New Report Reveals True Extent of Destruction of US Fifth Fleet HQ in Bahrain Simplicius
Baseline report: How Iran Destroyed a US Navy Base — And Caused a US Recalculation Wall Street Journal.
Here are the details of the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon that was signed today. Here’s why it’s a non-starter:
1) The agreement is not a peace agreement but a framework for future negotiations. There is no recognition involved.
2) The core method is “driver areas.” The Lebanese…
— Shaiel Ben-Ephraim (@academic_la) June 26, 2026
The US-Iran war may be over but the death toll continues to rise The Telegraph
Safety Is Where No One Dies New York Review of Books (guurst)
Soldiers injured during the Iran war accuse the Pentagon of underestimating their injuries
Gulf states press US to ignore Iran missile threat The Times
Israel says troops will not withdraw from ‘safe zones’ in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria
Eternal Wars: Israel’s conflict cycle shows no finish line for Aljazeera
Yemen’s Houthi group vows to target any Israeli presence in rebel-held Somaliland Anadolu Agency
Another Hormuz? The Red Sea Threat to the World Economic Forum’s Foreign Relations
The New Cold War
France seizes fifth Russian ‘shadow fleet’ ship linked to Ukraine war Aljazeera
Ukraine’s Belarus Gambit: When Strategic Pressure Produces Political Upheaval in Kautilya
Russia’s fuel crisis and Crimea’s logistics problems: is the Kremlin losing its grip on reality? TopWar (Micael T)
Russia is preparing for a possible ‘provocation’ in the Baltic states or Poland, sources tell the Guardian. At the risk of offending different readers, isn’t “Latvian genius” an oxymoron?
Kazakhstan turns from Moscow to Beijing and Baku GIS
Big Brother Watching Watching
Nearly a million passports have just been exposed on the public Internet—and anyone can access them with a simple URL CA. Since the beginning of this month, still germane
Imperial Collapse Watch
US military bases to host precious minerals plants in onshoring push Mining.com
Trump 2.0
John Bolton pleads guilty in secret documents to The Hill prosecution
John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to withholding sensitive national security information. Under his plea agreement, he faces up to 5 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release, a $2.25 million fine, forfeiture of his state pension, and must…
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 27, 2026
Immigration to another country
Over 425,000 Children in US Face Deportation Hearings Without Lawyers DropSite
The economy
Inflation in “Core Services” Rises, and the Impact of AI on Energy and Commodities: Inflation Outpaces Wolf Richter’s Fuel
Mr. Market Needs A Healer
Asian stocks are suffering in a new way as a rollercoaster week draws to a close Channel News Asia
‘Extremely Worrying’: Ex-Wall Street Regulator Gets Nervous Politico
SpaceX bond sale signs markets are in ‘bubble territory’, Allianz CIO warns Financial Times
The AI
The Tokenpocalypse Is Here: Companies Want to Stop Spending Big on AI 404 Media
The month Generative AI lost its mojo Gary Marcus
The state of the AI economy Exponential View (Micael T)
Why Are People Using AI to Text Their Friends? Terry Nguyen (Micael T)
Elite Malfeasance
Medicare Advantage Company Pays $342M to Government Amid Investigation of KFF Health Issues Payments
Bezzle
A Stablecoin Crash? Barry Ritholtz
Private debt fund Ares Management has been hit by calls to withdraw from City AM
This Year’s Fed Stress Test Is A Futile Exercise Awaiting Your Better Stock Markets
Meet the multi-millionaire think tank couple who advocate ‘communism for landlords’ and a global welfare state while living in a $30 million mansion New York Post (Micael T)
Guillotine Watch
‘You can’t make billions without hurting people’: Cory Doctorow on Elon Musk, the AI bubble and the ruthless imagination of executives’ Guardian
Class War
The United States Can Improve Itself. Capital Just Refused to Pay William Murphy (Micael T)
Tennis Racket CADTM (Micael T)
Techno-oligarchy and the privatization of sovereignty: a new phase of capitalism Rebelion by machine translation (Micael T)
Specialists in aeon violence
Antidote du jour. Tracie H:
A female sparrow on our roof.
He keeps chirping and peeking over the edge of the roof. I think he is jealous of the warbler who enjoys bathing the birds below the little sparrow.
And a bonus (Chuck L):
A Failed Flight Leads to a New Life for an Eagle
A few months ago, park visitors began to notice something unusual near a quiet lake near the forest. A young eagle followed a family of ducks in the grass, sitting close behind the nets as if it belonged to them. In the beginning,… pic.twitter.com/KOAZbkxAax
— The Husky (@Mr_Husky1) June 25, 2026
