Six striking images showcase scientific fieldwork Nature
Climate/Environment
Policy Experts Fear Laxer Climate Rules Could Leave U.S. Markets Open to Greater Volatility Inside Climate News
We’ve really decided to let people gamble on the specific temperature a single city reaches on a daily basis pic.twitter.com/KlBwCvsx59
— Hunter📈🌈📊 (@StatisticUrban) May 13, 2025
Insurers seek to surcharge California homeowners for L.A. County fire costs Los Angeles Times
An L.A. Doctor’s House Burned. Now He Treats the Fires’ Effects in Neighbors. New York Times
Pandemics
“SARS-CoV-2 airborne detection within different departments of a COVID-19 hospital building and evaluation of air cleaners in air viral load reduction” Journal of Aerosol Science. Cleaning the air reduced the viral load in the air of a Covid patient’s room by up to 98.1 %. Rooms with HEPA ventilation had zero virus detected.
Air quality in schools – Why is it being ignored? Teachwire
UK decision not to suppress covid raises questions about medical and scientific advice The BMJ
China?
CAN CHINA “BUY” AMERICA? FIFTY YEARS AGO LAST WEEK THE FORD ADMINISTRATION CREATED THE GOVERNMENT BODY THAT STOPS THAT FROM HAPPENING. Notes on the Crises
Trade truce with China is hailed, but it may not be enough to stop shortages Los Angeles Times
Commentary: Is a US-China trade agreement really possible? Channel News Asia
Amazon And Meta Stock Add To Gains After Trump Slashes Tariffs On ‘De Minimis’ China Shipments Investors Business Daily
Prof. Wang Jisi on Trump and US Foreign Policy (Part 1) Sinification. “When it comes to international affairs, I have so far seen no evidence that Trump is following any kind of plan, or indeed that he actually has one.”
US warns that using Huawei AI chip ‘anywhere’ breaks its rules Business Times
US Navy wants sea-launched nuke missiles to hold China at bay Asia Times
Taiwan is playing with darkness by abandoning nuclear power Intellinews
India – Pakistan War
The hyphen hovers over India India Inside Out by Rohan Venkat
🇮🇳🇫🇷 India’s Rafale supplier Dassault Aviation crashed -9.48% in 5 days.
🇵🇰🇨🇳 Pakistan’s J-10C supplier Avic Chengdu Aircraft soared +61.65% in the same period. pic.twitter.com/YoPPsLcWEv
— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 12, 2025
PM Modi Elaborates on S-400 Missile System’s Importance For India’s Air Defence: Why They Matter Now More Than Ever Military Watch
Old Blighty
Palantir’s NHS data platform rejected by most hospitals Democracy for Sale
Medhurst Case: Test of a Turning Tide on Gaza Consortium News
European Disunion
Pfizergate: Commission broke transparency rules over von der Leyen texts, court rules Euractiv
Syraqistan
Breaking News
Israeli military shot and killed 12 yo Mohammed Bardawil, a key eyewitness in our paramedic massacre investigation.
Mohammed was the sole surviving witness to the presence of Major Nikolai Ashurov & Israeli tanks during the execution of UN staff member Mr Shatout https://t.co/AaqU66ug5k pic.twitter.com/sF34tDDUmp
— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) May 13, 2025
IOF massacre at Gaza hospital leaves at least 28 killed, 70 injured Al Mayadeen
In Private, Some Israeli Officers Admit That Gaza Is on the Brink of Starvation New York Times
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Israel Is Blocking Medical Care for Syrians in Newly Occupied Area of Golan Heights Drop Site
Trump says he will order removal of all US sanctions on Syria Anadolu Agency
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Trump signs ‘largest arms deal in history,’ secures $600bn Saudi investment pledge The Cradle
US Hypocrisy on Terrorism Reaches New Heights, While Trump Signals a Welcomed Shift in US Foreign Policy Larry Johnson
The insane, demagogic incoherence of Trump and the Trump administration keeps everyone guessing. A scam for all seasons. https://t.co/hgHr4TlauL
— Dan Kervick (@DanMKervick) May 13, 2025
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US renews pressure on Iran with China oil sanctions Mehr
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Exclusive: Houthi ceasefire followed US intel showing militants sought off-ramp Reuters
F-35 Had To Maneuver To Evade Houthi Surface-To-Air Missile: U.S. Official The War Zone
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Pro-Kurdish party seeks ‘confidence-building measures’ from Ankara as PKK disbands Turkish Minute
New Not-So-Cold War
Trump envoys Witkoff and Kellogg to go to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine talks, sources say Reuters
Kremlin confirms delegation will attend Istanbul peace talks — Lavrov, Ushakov will likely represent Russia Kyiv Independent
EU to intensify sanctions on Russia after ceasefire calls ignored Euractiv
European economist says Russia’s economy is strained due to the Ukraine war and sanctions ABC News
Brief report from the front, May 13, 2025 Marat Khairullin Substack
Russia sentences former oligarch over $300 million theft RT
How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Nazis (Part 1) Azov Lobby Blog
South of the Border
China offers Latin America and the Caribbean billions in bid to rival US influence Reuters
Spook Country
Tulsi Gabbard fires ‘deep state’ heads of security council who oppose Trump Daily Mail
“Liberation Day”
Big winners in China-US tariff truce: supply chain managers using FTZ’s to build stocks, buy time Inside China / Business
Uncertainty Of Future Tariffs Continues To Hamstring Economy Moon of Alabama
Geonomics, nationalism and trade Michael Roberts’ Blog
Trump 2.0
Qatar’s $400M jet for Trump is a gold-plated security nightmare The Register
Qatar Airways to announce major purchase from Boeing during Trump’s visit The Hill
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Trump Talks About Prices. Lina Khan is Lowering Them The Economic Populist
Does Trumpism Have A Future? Unpopular Front
MAHA
Lysenkoism 2.0 and the dismantling of the NIH Science-Based Medicine. Well worth a read.
RFK Jr. is full of crap HEATED
Experts warn Congress cuts to addiction funding will mean more overdose deaths NPR
Illinois governor is first in US to block federal access to personal data on autism AP
GOP Funhouse
House panel releases sweeping GOP tax bill The Hill
Republicans Aim To Enshrine Rental Price-Fixing The Lever. See NC here.
Republicans Try to Cram Ban on AI Regulation Into Budget Reconciliation Bill 404 Media
Democrats en déshabillé
How Joe Biden Handed the Presidency to Donald Trump New Yorker.Commentary:
Ass-covering in the finest tradition of our media-political class. Like media placing all blame for Iraq War WMD lies on Dubya while claiming they, the brave incorruptible media who sold us Dubya’s/Biden’s lies, were victims rather than agents of DC lies.https://t.co/O3vNtWrudv
— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) May 13, 2025
Chuck Schumer says he’ll obstruct Trump’s justice department picks over Qatar jet gift The Guardian
Immigration
Upping Pressure on Supreme Court, Judge Approves Trump’s Use of Alien Enemies Act to Expel Migrants Common Dreams
Federal grand jury indicts Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan in ICE case Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Pentagon spent at least $21 million on flights to Guantanamo, which currently holds 32 migrants NBC News
The Libertarian Tech Bros’ Weird, Dystopian Plan for Guantánamo Bay The New Republic
Trump revives the use of #Guantanamo to hold migrants. 37 arrived today to add to 32 already held. I guess he’s interested in Gitmo again because he’s frustrated that the courts are thwarting his use of the mega-Guantanamo in El Salvador to randomly send migrants on a 1-way trip. pic.twitter.com/c8bZCpEZqF
— Andy Worthington (@GuantanamoAndy) May 13, 2025
Police State Watch
Hasan Piker detained at the border and questioned for hours over politics User Mag
Blitzscaling for tyrants Programmable Mutter
Boosting ICE budgets is bipartisan Polygraph
AI
Audible is giving publishers AI tools to quickly make more audiobooks The Verge
Healthcare?
UnitedHealth Hits Panic Button: Ex-CEO Hemsley Reinstalled Amid Tumult HEALTH CARE un-covered
Imperial Collapse Watch
FAA launches Newark airport task force with Verizon, L3Harris executives CNBC
America’s Great Brain Drain Dissident Voice
Fire the Generals Ken Klippenstein
The Bezzle
Small-time Trump coin buyers have seen their investments collapse WaPo
Class Warfare
Warehouse Workers Who Ship NYC’s Luxury Fashion Brands Are Unionizing Labor Notes
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“The Libertarian Tech Bros’ Weird, Dystopian Plan for Guantánamo Bay’
I got a idea. Pull the military out and send those prisoners to a supermax prison in the US. Yes, they will then be entitled to full rights to defend themselves in American courts but we all have to make sacrifices. That leaves you with 45 square miles (117 km2) of land and water on the shore of Guantánamo Bay. So then you take a page out of Trump’s playbook and turn it into a luxurious resort for the rich and wealthy. You can have high-priced hotels, casinos, knocking shops, restaurants and shopping arcades. If you told Trump that a prime block of land would be set aside for a Trump hotel, he would totally buy into the whole project. Workers you ask? Put in contracts for Cuban workers and buy produce from them to keep the Cubans onside and not to stir up trouble. It’s either that or follow that tech bro plan which would be nothing more that a money pit – with them the major beneficiaries.
Much better than the status quo, so why not give it a try?
The article flies over a few facts, making it seem that its the current government that has abandoned nuclear power – in reality, that decision was made 20 years or more when a number of plants under construction were mothballed – partially because they didn’t make much economic sense at the time, and partially under intense US pressure over its nuclear weapons program. The one remaining nuclear power plant, at Maanshan (a very nice surf spot as it happens) is more than 40 years old and would cost a fortune to keep running. Its contribution to overall Taiwanese energy use is pretty small.
You can certainly argue that it was a serious mistake by Taiwan to opt for coal and gas instead of nuclear for its electricity, but that decision was made decades ago and would take further decades (and many billions of dollars) to reverse. Extending the operating licence for Maanshan would make very little difference. A much better bet for Taiwan would be investing in geothermal energy – the entire country is a major geothermal hotspot.
United Airlines flight attendants stage a protest at the PR event launching a new business class seat. No contract in 5 years, lowest pay of major US airlines. Interesting to note that the 3 gulf carriers pay more than the US.
@xJonNYC The FAs have their say at today’s UA new Polaris event
They got arrested for trespassing. Hope they aren’t sent to El Salvador.
>>>Boosting ICE budgets is bipartisan Polygraph
I know that this view will be unpopular with the vast majority of the peeps…
If you don’t like a law (eg, migration), repeal it. Selective enforcement is corrosive to society/govt legitimacy long-term.
This term, your side doesn’t enforce migration laws. Next term, the other side stops enforcing environmental laws.
“Ask for forgiveness (or look the other way), don’t ask for permission” (at all levels of society) is one of the 100 things destroying America’s social fabric.
Be that as it may, the article in question is about the ICE BUDGET and the fact that it’s steady increases have been supported by both parties, regardless of who’s in power.
So on THIS issue, the precise point is that “your side” and “their side” are the same, and that the alternation between parties makes no difference.
great, timely piece by historian Zachary Foster:
https://palestinenexus.com/articles/jewish-antizionism
“US Hypocrisy on Terrorism Reaches New Heights, While Trump Signals a Welcomed Shift in US Foreign Policy”
I thought that Larry Johnson would be more stirred up about Trump with meeting Syria’s Jolani. That guy is basically an al-Qaeda leader and until recently had a $10 million bounty on his head by the US government. So I can see it now. Trump enters the room to meet Jolani who comes in with a trimmed beard, polished shoes, an expensive Rolex and a bespoke suit. The cameras are rolling for this historic event. Trump thinks to himself at least this is one leader that does not go around wearing t-shirts. As Jolani gets closer, he rips his jacket open to reveal sticks of dynamite, shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ before hugging Trump, then BOOM! Can you imagine?
US’ side of the Shi’a-Sunni schism!
Sunni terrorists, sustained by USA since 1980’s are the good guys.
Trump in KSA is renewing US pledge to Arabian peninsula Wahabbi.
As long as Sunnis in charge Israel is safe.
Sell them new anti missile shield, golden dome for Medina!
I think that Trump’s speech in Saudi Arabia is perhaps the best I’ve seen give him. To be honest I can’t recall a better speech from a US president.
Among items strengths, he’s gracious to the hosts, rather than lecturing them as other Western leaders like Biden or Baerbock would do.
He’s acknowledging real strengths in the hosts, which is they built up gleaming cities, that they’re probably proud of themselves.
He’s acknowledging real failures at home, the trillions wasted on Baghdad on Kabul and nation building there. Those cities would be better off without US nation building.
And finally it reflects real recent policy changes. They’re lifting the idiotic sanctions on Syria and they ended the idiotic attacks on Yemen.
Honestly, I think a large percentage of the influence is how well they dress. And they let him touch the orb. He really enjoyed that!
Agreed on the speech, but let’s see where he goes with it.
On Syria, give a leg up to US’ “refined” terrorists.
If IDF can kill Gazans new Syrian allies can kill non SUnni.
Keeping in mind that Obama received a Nobel Peace Prize (2009) for making speeches and without making positive actions toward peace, I would say that Trump was following in Obama’s footsteps, considering one of Trump’s goals is receiving a Nobel.
I’m afraid that starting a trade war with China, bombing civilians in Yemen, threatening Iran with a full-fledged attack, helping Israel commit a genocide in Gaza and keeping the war in the Ukraine going is not going to get him that Nobel peace prize.
Not even if he regifts the Qatari jet to the Nobel committee?
As proven by how they gave a Nobel to Obama before he even did anything, they are a cheap date.
Perhaps we should encourage Trump to take still more bribes from the Arab countries if it means a correction of the long standing and senseless policy of favoring the 9 1/2 million Jewish Israelis over the triple digit millions who surround them. After all there has long been plenty of campaign bribery going on to further the anti Arab cause.
In his recent talk with Judge Nap Alastair Crooke points out that the Cold War excuse for our ME policy was to keep the Soviets out of the Middle East. But the Cold War–mostly also senseless–is over despite neocons trying to revive it. FDR favored the Arabs while still asking them to accept Zionism. Truman on the other hand defied the advice of his State Department by siding with Israel. This policy mistake engendered all that has followed.
At this point Israel isn’t going anywhere but for their own good someone needs to introduce them to reality.
> he’s gracious to the hosts
Because he wants $40 oil. Trump is a salesman.
> lifting the idiotic sanctions on Syria
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani was a most wanted terrorist a few month ago. Now that he is in charge, so no more sanctions.
Trump is no different, he is just doing “it” differently.
“PM Modi Elaborates on S-400 Missile System’s Importance For India’s Air Defence: Why They Matter Now More Than Ever”
How long until the US orders India to get rid of those S-400s because it is against US law for them to own them. And then to tell India to buy inferior Patriot batteries instead – which don’t exist at the moment – and to buy hundreds if not thousands of Patriot battery missiles – which have not even been manufactured yet. If India is lucky, they should get those Patriot batteries & missiles by 2040. You think that Pakistan will wait?
The US doesn’t have that level of control over India. Might change in the future, but India is an important part of trying to contain China and because it has a conflict with China it also has more incentives to maintain relations with Russia.
The Turks are much more vulnerable to pressure and have less reasons to keep Russia on side.
India already has a domestic Patriot equivalent (medium range, up to around 150km), the Barak 8, which is jointly produced with Israel. Earlier reports indicated that India bought the S-400 specifically for the purposes of providing air defence over its borders with China – hence range and anti-stealth capability is particularly important. The recent possible failures in conflict with Pakistan may result in a rethink about where they are deployed.
Mixing two separate systems is not considered good practice in air defence, so its a curious decision – presumably they have fallen behind in producing a Barak with the range to match the S-400. The big question, presumably well pondered by the Russians and Israelis, is how they stop each side getting access to key operational and technical inside information.
“Illinois governor is first in US to block federal access to personal data on autism”
Hey, Pritzker, why not block federal access to all personal data? Fourth amendment, anyone?
Or does it apply only to corporate persons now?
It’s funny how someone(s) is positioning/astroturfing Pritzker (billionaire, Dem. Machine scion) as a potential “Resistance” leader-2028 contender, see Jimmy Kimmel visit and Pritzker’s name popping up in random WaPo-NYt mentions.
With friends like elite Democrats, who needs Republicans?!
“Geonomics, nationalism and trade”
This is why I decry the entire project to manufacture a divorce in the original term “political economy” into supposed “sciences” of each, an achievement of the unholy alliance of the marginalist school (Alfred Marshall being the foremost cementer of the ideas of Jevons, Menger and Walras) in economics and their Gilded Age funders in banking.
It’s harmless enough in microeconomics, but intellectually lethal in macroeconomics — because in the latter “the politics never really went away.” It’s also why wherever international business investment went, gunboats inevitably followed … 🤨
“Qatar’s $400M jet for Trump is a gold-plated security nightmare”
It doesn’t have to be. Trump could lease that 747 Jumbo jet back from the US government for a dollar a month while the government picks up the tab for the running expenses. He then announces that all those that own one of his Trump meme coins can go into a lottery to get a flight aboard this Jumbo jet for an hour or two. People would go out and buy & register one like they would with lottery tickets, especially MAGA supporters. Those that win would pay a $50 fee but that would be seen as cheap for a Trump flight and there would be no security issues at all. And is this so different to when recently top buyers of his coin could get a dinner with him?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/12/top-buyers-trump-cryptocurrency-dinner
If you get behind on your payments on your Tesla, they can auto- drive your car back to the dealership.
Makes me speculate that if Tesla can do that – then they could auto-drive your car off a cliff or into a pole if you don’t agree with Musk politics…..just speculating ya know – maybe a fun little sci-fi – a little data integration with siri, doorbells and all sorts of smart devices combined along with digital currency and Homeland security and police fusion centers…… why you could deport anybody you want with a self driving cab or car instead of iconviniencing ICE and the courts….you could knock off any opposition and disapear people at will….erase their identity and digital footprint or frame someone easy-peasy………..who needs to mess with that constitution or laws etc.
Sounds about rite for the duopoly’s vision for Making America Great Again and Defending democracy…… I just wish they would tell me for whom they are defending democracy for and, for whom are they making America great
Regarding Guantanamo being re-purposed as a prison for migrants: Obama, when refusing to pursue criminal investigations against torture and other criminal acts at Guantanamo and elsewhere, said it was time to “look forward, not backward.”
We now have a much clearer idea of what he meant.
“RFK Jr. is full of crap”
Somehow, looking at the images of RFK jr. taking his grandkids to go swim in those polluted waters, I am reminded of that 1975 film “Jaws.” The scene where people were on the beach but were not going into the water because of the recent shark attack. That is, until the local official leans on some older people to go into the water and when they do, they take their very young grandchildren with them into those waters. Don’t know why I thought of that old film…