Rats love to drive small cars, even when they don’t get physical ars technica (Paul R)
The death of Robert Skidelsky – some recollections of Bill Mitchell. He gave me the best descriptive words for my book.
How to pronounce Middle English Dead Language Society (Micael T)
A new way to stop the global spread of a pathogen has been linked to Ireland’s Great Famine STK (Micael T)
Why Your Life Feels Fake: The Solution to the Life You Were Sold by Dan Koe (Micael T)
VOTING IS RELATED TO LIVING LONGEVITY Penn Social Policy & Research (Dr. Kevin)
Can humans become “sun eaters” in the future? Big Think
COVID-19/Pandemics
CDC Cancels Publication of Study Showing Benefits of Covid Vaccines New York Times
Climate/Environment
Cocaine contamination gives salmon wanderlust Science (Micael T)
Drought-stricken Kenyan elephants are desperate for help from Animal Survival
Global food systems ‘pushed to the brink’ by extreme heat, UN warns Guardian
The development of El Niño has developed rapidly.
Water in the subsurface Pacific Ocean has now reached a gaudy 6˚C (11˚F) above average.
This warmth is rising over the ocean and coincides with predictions of a major El Niño later this year. pic.twitter.com/670R6onsBc
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) April 22, 2026
Bad weather threatens democracy, Africa News reports
EU drought worsens 10-year trend, raises alarm over global resilience Brussels Times
Geoengineering can protect the Amazon rainforest from climate change PhysOrg
98 percent of meat and dairy sustainability promises are greenwashing New Scientist
Scientists just found out where microplastics in the air really come from Science Daily (Kevin W)
China?
White House accuses China of stealing AI technology ahead of Xi’s meeting with Trump next month The Independent
US sounds alarm on China’s AI deployment as DeepSeek V4 launches Asia Times (Kevin W)
View from China: People’s Liberation Army receives US Army International Affairs trump card (Micael T0
Goldman Sachs leads the record for renminbi lending by US banks Financial Times
Japan
Breaking a Postwar Taboo: Japan Lifts Its Ban on Sending Deadly Weapons Diplomat
The breakup of Europe
Stagflation warning lights illuminate eurozone as private sector contracts April Politico
There is no legal way to stop Spain from NATO, officials say, as Washington reportedly weighs options for Euractiv
EU formally approves Ukraine’s 90bn euro loan and new sanctions on Russia Aljazeera
Old Blighty
UK consumers are turning out to be the most negative about the economy since records began in 1978 Yahoo
Mobile data may be limited to deal with rising costs of Iran war The Times
A sad week for Starmer – but things could be worse for the BBC (Kevin W)
UK closes Israel war crimes unit – Guardian RT (Kevin W)
Israel v. The Resistance
So White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt says, “The Iranian people have asked to speak personally with the American delegation, and they have asked for a meeting,” when the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad and will leave in a few hours.
Delegates Steve Witkoff and…
— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) April 24, 2026
FM Araghchi will not hold talks with American officials during the visit to Islamabad
– Iran News 24 (@IRanMediaco) April 25, 2026
US Shifting “Clear Objectives” In IRAN WAR / Robert Barnes & Lt Col Daniel Davis
WHY THE WESTERN MIND DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE IRAN WAR
“Fifteen years ago I wrote that reliance on western secularism was no longer sufficient as a way to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It became clear – even then – that…
– Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) April 24, 2026
The ongoing war between the US and Iran has forcibly opened the eyes of the world to a surprising truth about the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Their top military generals and nuclear scientists are steeped in Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy.The funny thing here is… pic.twitter.com/GBC7f5CVK8
— Chetuya Math Chinagolum (@Chetuyachinago) April 24, 2026
Day 57: we expect more violence Alon Mizrahi (Chuck L)
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 The largest US naval buildup since the Iraq War is now underway in the Middle East, reports Fox News.
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) April 25, 2026
The Houthis have discussed using tolls in the Red Sea, UK security firm Lloyd’s List says
Israel launched new strikes in southern Lebanon despite the expansion of the Anadou Agency
As the world goes on, Gaza is shrinking The Times
New Not So Cold War
Russia Fights Ukraine Invasion in Historical Fiction Zaporizhia
Frontline Brief – April 24, 2026 Marat Khairullin and Mikhail Popov
Putin ratings drop after war as internet meltdown becomes Intellinews lightning rod
Russia Prepares for War on Europe… White House Sets Stage for Renewed Attack on Iran Larry Johnson
Big Brother Watching Watching
France Confirms Data Breach at Government Agency That Controls Citizens’ IDs TechCrunch
Imperial Collapse Watch
New Study Warns US Suffers Major Depletion of Missile Stockpile Due to Iran’s Military View
NEW EPISODE: Fireside Chat in Idaho.
Today a Navy SEAL, an A-10 pilot, and a Green Beret answer a question no one seems to want to face head-on:
Should our young men and women join the army and fight in Iran?
Live now. Share with someone who needs to see… pic.twitter.com/KnR35mx96A
— The David Rutherford Show (@drutherfordshow) April 24, 2026
A Ceasefire That Doesn’t End Fires Olivier Boyd-Barrett
Timothy Leary—1960s Acid Guru—May Be Among CIA’s Greatest Assets Covert Action (fk)
‘Falklands belong to Britain’: UK blasts Trump report including NATO retaliation The Hill
Who Decides What Is a Just War? Royal Violence and the Lies We Tell in Silence Jeff Rich
Trump 2.0
Bad Vibes and Trump Betrayal Dean Baker
The Justice Department dropped its investigation into the Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell NBC
Leavitt says Powell investigation ‘wasn’t really dropped,’ ‘just under a different mandate’ The Hill
Kash Patel has pleaded guilty to alcohol-related charges, the report says, as Trump stands with the FBI’s Independent director.
The GOP Clown Car
The Beginning of the End of Speaker Johnson Noah Berlatsky (Chuck L)
Democracies are simple
British Labor Party Operative Imran Ahmed Now Key Cog in Democrats’ Censorship Machinery Paul Thacker (Chuck L)
Mr Market is Giddy
Stock markets are too high and will fall, says the BBC’s Bank of England deputy
The economy
US Oil Drillers Scale Back as Global Supply Crunch Continues OilPrice
Global shipping order may not recover from Hormuz Asia Times
How the war in Iran caused the rising cost of medicine Aljazeera. As we and many others warned, now what is happening
Rice shortages worsen amid Iran conflict challenges The Grocer
The AI
Meta to put down 8,000 as part of AI push for Axios
New Gas-Powered Data Centers Can Release More Greenhouse Gases Than National Grids
Maine Gov. Janet Mills lifts ban on data center construction NBC (Kevin W)
OpenAI Says Its New GPT-5.5 Model Is More Efficient and Better for Coding The Verge
Repairing the Ruins: Why AI Can’t Replace the National Catholic Register (Chuck L)
Bezzle
New York Sues Coinbase and Gemini, Seeks to Stop Market for Unlicensed Predictions Businesses Associated Press
I have two stacks on my desk. The stack on the left is financial disclosure forms from members of Congress. The right stack is a waiver for members who file their financial disclosures late.
A good stack is always tall.
On Wednesday morning, I watched a soldier being arrested for…
— Peter Girnus 🦅 (@gothburz) April 24, 2026
Guillotine Watch
Palantir’s technofascist manifesto calls for a comprehensive Oligarch Watch framework. Covered earlier but more noise about this shocking proposal is warranted.
Cheeky Neoliberal Considerations Against Billionaires NESCIO13
Antidote du jour (Tracie H):
See yesterday’s links and the Antidote du Jour here.
