Buried power lines across US reveal new clues about internal grid and energy risks Phys.org
Darkness Can Travel Faster Than Light Without Breaking the Laws of Physics ZME Science
Climate/Environment
For more signal and less noise, here are global ocean temperatures, averaged by decade from the decade 1980-1989.
What do you think the 2030s will look like? The 2040s? pic.twitter.com/S5cHu4wyHt
– Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) May 4, 2026
Dr. Freezelove LRB
Climate-driven population decline and adaptation in the US coastal zone zero Nature
The world in 2050: A radical vision of environmental degradation Climate and Capitalism
Emergency brakes: How to limit temperatures long before the final act of geoengineering Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
An epidemic
🛳️CRUISE SHIP DISCHARGE REPORT RELEASED—New cross-timeline data on cruise ship passengers sickened and killed by hantavirus (and 3 others sickened, including one critical). According to a recent WHO report, the index patient died within 5 days of symptoms. Crazier is the closest contact #2… pic.twitter.com/ztCo8o8wEi
– Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) May 5, 2026
China?
China’s Slowdown and the Myth of the Middle-Income Trap Japan Economy Watch
An Equilibrium Model of War Against a Basis in the Western Pacific Policy Tensor
Southeast Asia
Fuel shortages hit Indonesia’s Riau, causing long queues at petrol stations The Star
India
The Price India Paid to Dump Iran The Wire
Syracistan
Rebuilding Gaza: No progress amid rising costs, Israeli curbs, Anadolu Agency experts say
Israeli Soldiers Kill Three Palestinians in Gaza as Unrelenting Attack Continues Antiwar
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All Indications Trump Will Relaunch War Against Iran This Week Larry Johnson
US strike in Strait of Hormuz kills 5 civilians, Iran says TRT World
US military behind UAE oilfield strike: IRIB Al Mayadeen
US official says China ‘sponsors’ Iran, urges Beijing to help open Hormuz Al Jazeera
IRGC touches on capture, reverse engineering of US-developed Amwaj military gear
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Israelis have dual citizenship after ‘massive’ acquisition of Syrian farmland: Report The Cradle
Pakistani Nationals Suspect Arbitrary Detention and Deportation in UAE New Lines Magazine. And freezing their life savings.
The breakup of Europe
Brussels blocks Chinese-made solar panel ‘brains’ from EU funding Euractiv
The US will announce the inclusion of Norway in the Pax Silica group in order to fight China Semafor
Africa
80 percent of Africa’s fertilizers are imported: How food systems can adapt to Iran shock Down to Earth
Old Blighty
Starmer’s secret advisor meetings with US Big Tech The Canary
How Britain’s housing crisis is contributing to its declining healthy life expectancy The Conversation
The New Cold War
New CSIS Report Highlights Large Russian Drone and AI Simplicius Reprogramming
Assassination or coup threats: Why has the Kremlin tightened security around Putin? First post. It’s all based on anonymous European intelligence officials, so proceed with caution.
Events of the Zelensky Family in Ukraine
Russian Ministry of Defense:
“If the Kiev regime would try to carry out its criminal designs with the aim of disrupting the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will bring revenge, big…
– Russians with Attitude (@RWApodcast) May 4, 2026
Russia sentenced 2 hypersonic researchers to 12.5 years in prison for treason, reports Kommersant Meduza
Imperial Collapse Watch
US Imperialism Enters a New Stage: The Left Needs to Take a Closer Look Venezuelaanalysis
Easy to Join, Easy to Leave LRB
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Are there lessons learned from the US failure in the Iran war? The Asia Times
The US’s pursuit of massive weapons runs into Responsible Statecraft
BRICS
Is Russia Silently Blocking the Development of the Central Corridor? Intellinews
South of the Border
The US Navy killed two more civilians in an illegal strike on the Caribbean Al Mayadeen
Trump 2.0
The Trump administration is suing Minnesota for efforts to rein in Minnesota Reformer gasoline producers
Executive Branch Revamps AI Federalism Lawfare
“Trump’s mind, Trump’s trap.” The Flautist
War Without Peace – America’s Strategy Has Little to Do with Trump Peter Hansler
Democracies are simple
Scoop: Dems’ foreign policy group prepares for ’28 Axios. Yuck.
Why the Working Class Abandoned the Founding of Freedom Les Leopold
Obama’s legacy
Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Trump Era The New Yorker. Has Obomba not yet played his role?
Police State Watch
Internal ICE records reveal widespread use of force at WaPo detention facilities
Trump Administration Shuts Down Office of Immigration Detention Oversight Huff Post
Academe qualifications
How a University Research Conference Is Evaluated 404 Media
So the University of Michigan has apologized for this comment, and promised to review their procedures so that it does not happen again. No, seriously. pic.twitter.com/BX63yE9qu6
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 4, 2026
The Accelerationists
Palantir Q1 revenue jumps 85% on booming US business yahoo! Finance
Zuckerberg Tries to Mimic Human Biology at Cellular Level Futurism
The AI
The growing AI reverses Gary Marcus
Dark Money Campaign Pays Facilitators to Establish Chinese AI as Threat to Wires
The Hottest Private AI Companies Have a Growing Crypto Shadow Market Bloomberg
Our Famously Free Press
NATO accused of courting professional writers in ‘propaganda talks’ The Canary
The economy
California faces uncertainty as final shipment of Persian Gulf oil arrives Long Beach Los Angeles Times
The world has plenty of oil, but a distinct shortage comes from Business Insider
Abortion
The US Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay to preserve access to abortion drugs nationwide
Agriculture
CSA boxes get people to buy fresh from farms, but will customer convenience hurt the goal? Harvest Public Media
Class War
The real estate tax has been a huge success for 48 Hills
“Turns out they don’t really vote, they really care about their nursing homes” Working Class Stories
Is there a way? Basics of Planning
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s links and the Antidote du Jour here.
