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Links 5/24/2025

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New Jersey Hawk Develops Clever Hunting Strategy Using Traffic Signals ScienceAlert

Container ship barely misses Norwegian man’s house after running aground Washington Post (Kevin W)

Can We Trust Social Science Yet? Asterisk (Anthony L)

“When you see this, I will be dead” Aftonbladet via machine translation (Micael T). Important.

COVID-19/Pandemics

This report is obviously sensationalistic. No idea if the underlying study (see its design) confirms the conclusions:

Climate/Environment

Study: Expanding Renewable Energy Does Not Lower Fossil Fuel Production OilPrice

Warming of +1.5 °C is too high for polar ice sheets Nature

Clouding the forecast: Why so many climate models are wrong about rate of Arctic warming PhysOrg

China?

China’s space ambitions ‘forcing’ Washington’s Golden Dome strategy: commander South China Morning Post

Anti-missile system intensifies US-China nuclear competition Asia Times (Kevin W)

Chinese Work Less For Longer Retirements Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)

The US-Japan alliance – its past, present and unclear future Engelsberg Ideas. Wowsers, others encouraged to comment but I had to stop here:

This transformation was anything but pre-ordained, nor was it simply the result of rational, overlapping interests. Rather, it was the consequence of shrewd alliance management, psychologically astute and empathetic diplomacy, and bold leadership on both sides of the Pacific. It also relied on the two countries’ ability to weather the pressures of their sometimes fractious domestic politics, as well as their capacity to navigate sharply contrasting cultural and historical traditions, not to mention often radically different approaches to economic management.

Bullshit. The US interfered so that socialistic leaders did not come into power by backing many senior people from the old regime…who by any rights should have been purged and even prosecuted as war criminals. Perhaps the insinuation is that the US would not have invested in the absence of right wingers being in charge.

South of the Border

China-CELAC Summit Announces Cooperation Initiatives and $9 Billion Credit Program Venezuelanalysis. Robin K: “A week ago. Ongoing.”

European Disunion

“A short history of exploding pipelines.” The Floutist

Old Blighty

Voters are sick of lectures from the lanyard class The Times (Paul R)

Starmer’s Chagos deal to cost UK up to £30bn The Telegraph (Kevin W)

Israel v. the Resistance

Israel’s aid plan for Gaza is a key part of its strategy to expel Palestinians Mondoweiss

Israel’s reinvasion of Gaza is a strategic disaster Financial Times

America may not be hopeless:

Why Negotiations With Iran Are So Difficult American Conservative (resilc)

New Not-So-Cold War

Ukraine: a country that never was Julian Macfarlane. Includes translation of much-discussed Medvedev remarks, where the punch line was that Ukraine needs to accept the current Russian offer or else it will soon no longer be a state.

Analysis: Russian ‘Triple Chokehold’ Tactic, + Offensive Season Outlook Simplicius

A flagless fleet is threatening the seas Financial Times (resilc)

Make Moscow Pay Foreign Affairs

HOW MUCH MORE WAR CAN RUSSIA AFFORD? Seymour Hersh, Hoo boy….

So Much for Western Expertise on Russia Larry Johnson

Ukraine: a country that never was Daniel Larison

Canada, Norway to deepen Arctic, defense ties amid Ukraine war Anadolu Agency

Well deserved but also means Lavrov can’t retire for at least another year :-)

Imperial Collapse Watch

bob:

Everyone is looking at the quality of the concrete, or the finishing, it’s all bad!
“Don’t build it like they used to…”

It’s a ramp to a sidewalk that doesn’t exist! There is no continuity to the sidewalk in the background. I’d personally bet to the right too,

Aggressive Virus Feeds on Brains of Western Leaders Oliver Boyd-Barrett

Navy pushing billions for sea-based nukes that nobody seems to want Responsible Statecraft

Lessons From Hurricane Helene on Evacuation Orders, Messaging and Emergency Managers ProPublica

50 Years Later, Majority of Vietnam Veterans and U.S. Adults Think the U.S. Should have Stayed Out of Vietnam Emerson Polling (resilc)

Arthur Schlesinger Jr., the CIA, and Me Joe Costello. Important.

Trump 2.0

US Reinstates Funding to Propaganda Outlet NED Antiwar.com (Kevin W)

Trump fires dozens from National Security Council in major power shift PressTV. Less possibility of informed input, more concentration of power in Trump’s hands. Also now the lead story in the Financial Times.

4 top partners quit Paul Weiss, Big Law firm that cut deal with Trump Business Insider

U.S. Officials Sold Stocks Before Trump’s Tariffs Sank the Market ProPublica (Robin K)

Trump’s Campaign Against Elite Law Firms Suffers Another Defeat in Court Wall Street Journal

Cuts to Medicaid and maybe Medicare Angry Bear. The Medicare part is not well known.

Trump v. Harvard

Judge temporarily blocks Trump admin from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students Reuters (Kevin W). Hearing on the 29th. It will still take some time (given the high profile of this case, my guess is at most 10 days) for the judge to issue an order, unless the judge deems the case of one side to be so weak that she rules from the bench. I don’t regard the latter as likely since even if so, it does not look so hot to an appeals court.

Harvard v the Department of Homeland Security

Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Move to Bar International Students New York Times. Recaps argument in the complaint.

Trump’s Assault on Harvard Is an Astonishing Act of National Self-Sabotage Yascha Mounk

These Are the U.S. Universities Most Dependent on International Students New York Times (resilc)

Tariffs

Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU and 25% on iPhones BBC

Why Trump Lashed Out at Europe Over Trade Wall Street Journal. Lead story. The fact of this clearly planted piece indicates some on the Trump team are working overtime to try to manage the optics and somehow make Trump look less emotionally immature and destructive than he is. But the “lashed out” in the headline = the Journal not fully buying what it was being sold. But the body is unduly understated, for instance depicting the EU having a “more staid and process-oriented approach” when that is how trade negotiations pretty much have to be done unless one side is dictating terms.

Donald Trump ‘not looking for deal’ as he threatens EU with 50% tariff Financial Times. Hoo boy.

Japan again ‘strongly’ urges US to remove additional tariffs Anadolu Agency

Allianz Trade Global Survey 2025: Trade war, trade deals and their impacts on companies Allianz

The Tyrant’s Trade War Daniel Larison

Immigration

DHS Is Getting Ready to Identify Everyone Who Leaves the Country, Expanding Immigration Dragnet Murzata Hussain

Democrat Death Wish

US senate to investigate who really ran country under Biden RT (Kevin W)

‘Abundance’ Requires Redistribution Compact

Our No Longer Free Press

FBI Visits Me Over Manifesto Ken Klippenstein

Microsoft Bans the Word “Palestine” in Internal Emails Drop Site

AI

Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline TechCrunch

Google’s New Video-Generating AI May Be the End of Reality as We Know It Futurism

CEOs report 25% of AI projects delivers expected ROI Fortune (resilc)

SoftBank just patented EVERY possible AI application LinkedIn (Micael T)

The Bezzle

Influencer who attended Trump’s memecoin dinner says he got a ‘Walmart steak’—and no access to the president Yahoo! (Kevin W). BWAHAHA

Republicans Work Overtime To Help Boeing Avoid Consequences For Its Deadly Plane Jalopnik

Class Warfare

US banana giant Chiquita fires thousands over Panama strike Aljazeera

Antidote du jour. John U: “Scene from the Inca Trail, Peru”:

And a bonus:

A second bonus:

And a third:

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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57 comments

  1. The Rev Kev

    “SoftBank just patented EVERY possible AI application”

    I’m surprised that SoftBank didn’t also patent 1s and 0s while they were at it. But to the point, will those patents hold up if challenged in a court of law? I could lodge a patent for a photon torpedo for example but that does not mean that I can build one. I could only roughly describe how it would work. And if some country actually did build one, would they then have to respect my patent? Come to think of it, I bet that all those patents will be validated. With the investments that Trump is making in AI, he will lean heavily on the US Patent and Trademark Office to make it so – or else.

    Reply ↓
    1. Polar Socialist

      With my interactions with patent lawyers, patent law and writing a patent application it became obvious that one can not patent a concept or a general idea – there has to be a description of “a device” and an explanation of how that device does what you claim it does. It should be detailed enough for someone “skilled in the trade” to be able to build one following the claims in your application, while none of the claims should “be obvious” to that same somebody.

      And even then, the more generic these mentioned patents are, the more likely they are to invalidated by any previous patent application with a narrower scope under that generic umbrella, just for the fact that part of what the patent claims has obviously been “invented” already.

      Writing a patent application is a creative process where you want to simultaneously achieve three points; protect your original innovation, protect is as widely as possible and not invalidate your application by covering any existing or pending patent application. It seems that on the first reading the patent examiner will always sent the application back with a list of preceding applications that are vaguely related to your innovation and claims, and tasks you to explain how your application is different and not infringing these.

      Or to put it short, any patent system that allows these AI generated generic craplications to go trough is seriously broken. On the other hand, I interacted with European patent system, so your mileage may vary.

      Reply ↓
  2. herman_sampson

    Here in Indy, they do not pour sidewalks until a house is built. 60 years, across the street from us is a vacant lot that has no sidewalk – both sides of street have sidewalks, but that the only vacant lot and has no walk. Supposedly, there were plans to put in a street there, but no action.

    Reply ↓
    1. Arkady Bogdanov

      Yes, I have noticed the holdback on sidewalks as well. I think the sale of the house/lot is used to finance the sidewalk.
      Regarding concrete quality, I can share some info. I’ve been involved with concrete for a long time, and I am one of those rarified individuals who can plan vertical concrete construction- formwork and logistics (as well as a good bit of the steel reinforcement engineering), so I have been involved in pouring a lot of concrete, including some record-setting pours.
      It used to be that when you ordered concrete most suppliers would batch concrete to exceed the required strength by 50%. This was very common practice. In other words, if you ordered 4000 PSI concrete, they would actually deliver 6000 PSI concrete. This was considered a safety margin to protect liability as there are a lot of variables that are difficult to track, especially when concrete is poured without dedicated quality assurance personnel on site in sufficient numbers- contractors want to pour concrete that is less viscous, as it is less work, so they like to add water. Extra water is just as bad as not enough water- it weakens the final strength of the concrete, so instead of having a fight over liability in court if the concrete were to fail prematurely, suppliers deemed it less costly to simply make the concrete overstrength to prevent such problems. Well, these policies were mainly instituted by small, family-owned concrete suppliers that had a good grasp of their product and how it was used. Fast forward and concrete, like everything else, was neoliberalized. Small firms were gobbled up and consolidated, and began to be run by MBA’s rather than people who understood the product and how it was used. Energy costs also pushed up the cost of portland cement (essentially made by heating vast quantities of limestone to high temperatures in a kiln) which is the active ingredient in concrete. The people running the concrete companies started to supply concrete to the strength that was actually ordered, often with no safety margin. Meanwhile, most contractors, indeed including many project managers, superintendents, and even QC personnel were never aware that they had been historically gifted a large safety margin, and continued on their merry way. They don’t get they are now working with a different product, and now must pour their concrete in a stiffer form (which is generally a lot more work).
      Then we get into accelerators (and other additives, but accelerators are the most problematic). If you pour concrete during cold weather, when it might be subjected to freezing temperatures, you have to use an accelerator, mix with hot water, and insulate, or even heat it during the initial 3 days after the pour. There are two types of accelerator- Chloride-based, and non-Chloride based. Non-Chloride accelerators are more expensive, so unless you specifically order non-Chloride accelerator, they send you Chloride- every single time. Chloride, being a salt, does not mix well with steel reinforcement in concrete. It corrodes the steel which then expands inside the concrete which then ruptures the concrete. You can almost always identify this before failure, as you will see white residues leaching out of cracks in the concrete. In the “olden days” as recent as 10 years ago, you almost never saw a concrete supplier using Chloride, but now it is common- many companies will strap bags of it to the fenders of concrete trucks as soon as the weather starts to chill in the north (Non-Chlorides are liquids that must be added at the plant).
      These relatively recent changes to concrete formulations, driven by the neoliberalization of the construction industry and material suppliers, are what have caused deteriorating concrete quality.
      Long story short- if you are doing a project with concrete, specify that your contractor use at least 5000 PSI concrete, and if you pour in cold weather, insist that they use only non-Chloride accelerator and if at all possible, be there when they pour- concrete should not be overly loose (There is a test for this called a slump test, but most homeowners and few contractors keep slump cones on hand- if you are interested there are videos on Youtube that show how to perform a slump test, which is incredibly simple).

      Reply ↓
        1. Arkady Bogdanov

          I feel I should add- get 5000 PSI concrete for things that are structural or subjected to the weight of vehicles. 4000 PSI is fine for sidewalks. In both cases this is typically 1000 PSI above the current industry standard.

          Reply ↓
      2. objective ace

        >I think the sale of the house/lot is used to finance the sidewalk.

        I’d speculate its more of a liability and workload thing. Cities shift liability, if someone slips and falls, to the homeowner. No homeowner = no one to shovel/keep the sidewalk cleared or be legally liable

        Reply ↓
  3. griffen

    Tim Cook to the Trump tariff threats…”Bro what’s up with this, I can tell you them IPhones will only be exponentially higher, to begin at the outset, thinking about building in the US…”. Mildly sarcasm.

    This is a strategy that seems like our POTUS is peeing into the wind by offering such a direct threat of economic harm to a once vaunted, yes still true, great American company…Apple not being solely alone on that point. Telling corporations this week how to run their P&L is a new one, especially for the Republicans.

    Reply ↓
    1. Arby

      Apple as a company delivers good manufacturing and engineering wages to people in China to generate very high profits for the global rentier class while dodging much of the tax burden of being headquartered in the USA through an array of regulatory and tax breaks written by its lobbyists. There is very little American about this corporate citizen other than its ability to own federal lawmakers and administrators. It is not alone in this regard.

      Reply ↓
      1. griffen

        Now that I think about it a little more, this all is reminding me of a similar instance when the sitting US President berated a large corporation for being too good at their profitable business.

        Exxon Mobil got in the cross hairs of Joe Biden roughly three years ago during the summer, when he bemoaned that the company was making “more money than God”… so today it’s nothing really new but in 2022 that was in a Democratic administration.

        Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Had the same thought myself. Can you imagine a major corporation adopting an AI – and then giving it total access to all the emails, communications, videos, texts, etc. to make it more “efficient?” Hilarity would ensue. What if that corporation’s AI starts talking to the competing corporation’s AI? What if they start making arrangements between each other? What if they go to war with each other? Actually it would make a good film Sort of like a corporate Forbin Project.

      Reply ↓
  6. VTDigger

    Suicide ghouls at it again. I wonder who’s pushing it this time, using this poor fool as a booster. I hear business is booming in Canada, you can get pills for ’emotional distress’ now so they say.
    That’s one way to fix your pension problem I suppose…

    Reply ↓
    1. Yves Smith Post author

      You are utterly out of line. You are effectively accusing Michael T for being a “suicide ghoul” for sending this account and me being one for posting it.

      How many close family members have you had who suffered from debilitating terminal conditions?

      This woman was clearly in terrible physical shape and had very poor prospects for living much longer, let alone having any decent quality of life, and she was of sound mind and able to decide on her own.

      You instead seem to be advocating for medical ghouls to insert tubes into her to extract money.

      My father shot himself because he had a terminal disease, had ulcers in his mouth so bad he could not eat (and lost 25% of his body weight in six weeks), and skin so dry and thin on his hands and feet that they developed deep cracks with even careful use, so he was in pain every time he tried to use his hands or walk. He was covered in bloody bruises, the result of merely minor and ordinary bumps that would not have led to a bruise on an healthy person. He could not sleep, and sleep deprivation is a form of torture. He was put on presnisone, which barely helped and makes most patients feel terrible.

      So you vote instead for close relatives to find a corpse with blood, brains, and bone scattered a cross a room, which is what my mother faced when she found him? Oh, and he killed himself the day before I was scheduled to visit, I hope because he wanted to make sure one of his kids were there to help her mourn and deal with the practicalities of his death.

      At least, as a friend morbidly joked, he was a hunter so he knew how to do the job properly. 15% of the attempts of suicide by gun don’t succeed.

      I know two other friend of my parents who killed themselves in their old age. One had had cancer multiple times, and when it came back again, her lungs would fill with fluid and they’d have to stick a tube in her to clear them. She did not want to be subjected to that regularly. She saved up enough sleeping pills to do the job. Another simply stopped eating and taking her meds.

      Reply ↓
      1. VTDigger

        I apologize I did not intend for the submitter or poster on this site to be indicted, but rather the media and author of the story.

        I very well may go to hell, but surely you agree that is quite different than people with no terminal diagnosis being prescribed lethal doses of medication? Suicide pods on demand?

        I had a different experience. My father had severe depression for most of his life and wanted to die some days. Was given a terminal cancer diagnosis 5 years ago but a clinical trial has kept it at bay. If he had had the option I fear he would not be with us today.

        And I am so sorry for your loss, I had a friend do the same when tapering off an SSRI 8 years go. Went to a gun range.

        Reply ↓
      2. JohnA

        I listened to her speaking, all 3 parts, and there was nothing ghoulish about her. It was incredibly moving. She was the opposite of a poor fool. She had thought everything through very carefully and very clear in her head and rational. She also realised that if she delayed much longer she may not be physically capable of swallowing enough pills. As it was, she even stuggled to get the pills out of the blister packaging. Her biggest concern was for none of her friends to be on the hook for assisted suicide or similar.
        She did not have a pension problem and even had enough money to travel to Switzerland. But why should she have to go to a strange country and strange surroundings?
        As Yves said, you can go to hell with your smug moralising.

        Reply ↓
      3. Quentin

        I witnessed the euthanasia of my best friend some 13 years ago in the Netherlands. Trolls like VTDigger would deprive others of the chance to choose a preferred exit from this dimension. They are some kind of prohibitionists who deny others their self determination. Moralising twits.

        Reply ↓
      4. Anonymous 2

        How truly awful. I think the whole NC commentariat, when it reads this, will weep for you. I am.

        Reply ↓
      5. caucus99percenter

        Euthanasia is permitted in the Netherlands. Both a Dutch friend’s mother and her father’s post-divorce second life partner chose to die that way, on their own terms with dignity, fully aware to the last and in the presence of loved ones.

        My heart goes out to you; when it comes to this subject, as with numerous others, I agree with you completely.

        Reply ↓
    2. Pat

      As someone who first considered suicide at age twelve, believe me I do not take it as a panacea for everything. It is not. But having watched people deteriorate from AIDS, cancer, and dementia/Alzheimer’s etc I also do not discount the reality that medicine doesn’t solve everything and that continued treatment is sometimes a slow torture for both the patients and their families. Allowing someone to assess their condition, their odds, and yes even their finances regarding care and make the decision to die with dignity would be far less ghoulish then forcing them to live with no quality of life. We treat our animals better than we do our terminally and incurably ill humans in America.
      And the reason I say finances, is that in our for profit healthcare system after bankrupting themselves many end up in facilities more concerned with the Medicaid check than in providing actual care for their patients. It can be a final sadistic indignity on the weakest among us.

      Reply ↓
    3. Henry Moon Pie

      When the time my treatment has gained me is up in a couple of years, and the bone mets reappear and are unresponsive to the anti-androgen treatment, I’ll be looking to end things before my spine or pelvis is breaking. It’s a bad way to go. And I’m not particularly interested in a morphine button that you press until you’re dead. I highly respect how this woman handled it, and hope that I can do as well.

      And psilocybin is still on my bucket list.

      Reply ↓
      1. Expat2uruguay

        Helium inhalation is what I have considered, although it may be difficult to find concentrations sufficient for use. I believe that the right to die should be a fundamental human right.

        Reply ↓
    4. Ian

      Barring accidents, I probably have about thirty years left on planet earth and at the moment, I’m finding it quite agreeable. Through the miracles of good genetics and dumb luck, I have no major health problems.

      That said, when I get to a certain point of decrepitude, I absolutely plan to to go out at a place and time of my own choosing, governments, religious fanatics and moralsts be damned.

      I’m not depressed nor do I despair. This is simply a rational decision based on quality of life and treating myself with the same kindness I have given my cats when they got too old and sick.

      Reply ↓
  7. Quentin

    ‘When you read this, I will be dead.’ Can someone post here a translation of part 2 of this gripping diary of a woman deliberately planning her own death? I’m hopelessly dumb when it comes toe a google translation.

    Reply ↓
  8. JohnA

    Forget looking into whether Starmer keeps suspicious company with young Ukrainian male ‘models’, the police are now reportedly investigating whether the dastardly Russians are behind this whole ‘mystery’ of why Starmers’ houses and former car were firebombed a few days ago. But of course it must be Putin’s doing.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      The whole thing is starting to remind me of how back in 2022 it was reported that somebody attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi. But as the whole story stated to come out, it all went sideways. The police will have to be careful here. Rule one of any bureaucracy – never launch an official investigation until you know exactly what is going to be found out.

      Reply ↓
      1. JohnA

        Or simply declare it a ‘public inquiry’ Then you do not have to make public the findings if ‘disclosure could harm the public interest’. This has been the case with the ridiculous inquest into the death of Dawn Sturgess, the drug addict, whose death the British establishment wants to claim was caused by novichok, from a carelessly discarded perfume bottle by 2 Russian assassins sent to kill the Skripals on the orders of Putin.

        Reply ↓
  9. IM Doc

    Interesting. Twitter is down for the count this AM. I am unable to get anything but “Something is wrong. Please try again.” And it appears all the twitter links here are down as well. At least right now. On this site – just the text appears – no twitter links, etc.

    Reply ↓
    1. Terry Flynn

      Same. Didn’t Elon use a lot of Tesla stock to enable his purchase of Twitter? If so, I wonder if creditors of Tesla are beginning to put their foot down, with downstream implications for Twitter.

      Tesla stock isn’t exactly bullish at the moment but I’ll defer to anyone who knows better about the use of stock to buy another company.

      Reply ↓
  10. The Rev Kev

    “HOW MUCH MORE WAR CAN RUSSIA AFFORD?”

    ‘Economics could be the determining factor for peace in Ukraine’ by Seymour Hersh

    After all the great work that Hersh has done, how sad to end up having your life be a parody of itself. He says that he has lived in Washington for the past six decades, undoubtedly to garner news sources, but it sounds like he is drinking the DC kool aid here. I do wonder if what he said in that post is a reflection of what they believe in Washington and which he has been listening to. I hope not lest they panic if the Russians make deep inroads into the Ukraine in the coming months.

    Reply ↓
    1. Unironic Pangloss

      honestly, think Hersh has a ghost-writer doing all the heavy lifting while Hersh is essentially a “showrunner” .

      Russia has defacto infinite resources, magnitudes more national unity-patriotism than the West, competent elites, and a BFF gorilla in its corner (PRC). ironically validating a discrete, narrow version of MMT.

      Irony alert: if Clinton or W or Obama gave Putin NATO and EU memberships, Putin would’ve taken it in a second and made the Kremlin tow the line. But no, anti-Russian ray-cisss think tanks and leaders gotya treat Putin as leader of the Hun hoardes.

      Reply ↓
      1. Michaelmas

        At least as relevantly, Russia also has missile and EW weapon systems that are a generation in advance of the US, and — also not irrelevantly — a larger nuclear arsenal.

        One day — hopefully soon — someone will write an account of this generation of Western leaders titled ‘The New Donkeys.’

        Reply ↓
        1. Retired Carpenter

          Michaelmas,
          re: Western leaders …‘The New Donkeys.’
          Please do not insult donkeys. Inoffensive,unassuming, hard-working citizens! Here is a good description: “Donkeys are highly intelligent and adaptive creatures that display a multitude of remarkable traits.
          One of the main reasons people perceive donkeys as unintelligent animals is their cautious nature. Donkeys have a strong sense of self-preservation and often approach new situations and environments with skepticism. This cautious behavior can be misinterpreted as stupidity by those unfamiliar with donkeys’ instincts. However, this hesitancy is actually a sign of their intelligence, allowing them to carefully assess potentially dangerous situations before proceeding.”
          If only “Western leaders” were so gifted…

          Reply ↓
    2. mahna

      Are you suggesting that “a knowledgeable US official recently told me” is not enough of assurance for you?

      Reply ↓
    3. ilsm

      I do not think Russia is any more troubled by the Kievan war than US or as badly as much of the EU (who are talking printing euros).

      That said Hersh is not much of a researcher.

      I watch what Russia does. It is not pushing the terror bombing as is Kiev!

      Reply ↓
  11. The Rev Kev

    “FBI Visits Me Over Manifesto”

    Damn right that Klippenstein shouldn’t talk to FBI agents without a lawyer. All those questions sounded like a trap for a gotcha moment so that they can throw him in the slammer and have him go through the court system for the next coupla years. If I were him with those FBI agents, I would not even confirm my name without leaning over and conferring with my lawyer first.

    Reply ↓
    1. flora

      Something about this sounds like it’s out of a mid-20th c. dystopian science fiction story. Epecially this bit.
      ‘ “You guys from the satellite office in Middleton?” I asked the them, alluding to one of their many but little-known resident agencies, distinct from their field offices (Wisconsin’s being in Milwaukee).

      “Have you been there?,” the man asked, looking surprised.

      No, that’s where the last visit came from, I explained, smiling. (The Bureau paid me a visit last year about my publication of the JD Vance Dossier.) This also seemed to throw them off. ‘

      …
      Straight reporting like Klippenstein’s sounds like a scene in a dystopian novel. Whatever happened to those mid-20th c sci-fi novels warning about a dystopian techno-future? Bad Cattitude wonders about this question.

      A Brave New Fahreheit 1984
      the intersection of education, AI, and society to come

      https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/a-brave-new-fahrenheit-1984

      Reply ↓
    2. griffen

      It’s pretty jarring to read this account and also understand it was not the first rodeo with agents in dark Tahoe government vehicles. Seems like a good lawyer to have on his side though.

      Cynically I can’t help it, but wonder that wouldn’t it be a “hoot” if an agent named Smith was involved.

      Reply ↓
  12. Henry Moon Pie

    Re: climate–

    The article about polar ice acts as if we had not bid good-bye to 1.5 C a long time ago, and as if 1.0 C was something never to be seen again in the absence of nuclear winter.

    There’s been another re-examination of Donella Meadows et al. projections in The Limits to Growth. Here’s a teaser:

    Economists get over-excited when anyone mentions ‘degrowth’, and fellow-travellers such as the Tony Blair Institute treat climate policy as if it is some kind of typical 1990s political discussion. The point is that we’re going to get degrowth whether we think it’s a good idea or not. The data here is, in effect, about the tipping point at the end of a 200-to-250-year exponential curve, at least in the richer parts of the world. The only question is whether we manage degrowth or just let it happen to us. This isn’t a neutral question. I know which one of these is worse.

    Reply ↓
    1. caucus99percenter

      It’s all too much like officers and crew squabbling on the bridge of the Titanic about what to do, long after having realized that the watertight bulkheads don’t go high enough, too many hull sections have been breached, and sinking is now a certainty.

      Or another image that comes to mind is the ending of Rudyard Kipling’s The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo:

      So they were left in the middle of Australia, Old Man Kangaroo and Yellow-Dog Dingo, and each said, ‘That’s your fault.’

      Reply ↓
  13. The Rev Kev

    ‘– GEROMAN — time will tell – 👀 —
    @GeromanAT
    🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦 The Russian army has begun using a ‘triple chokehold’ tactic at the front, which allows for slow but steady advancement – The Telegraph’

    The Russians will soon be out of the Donbass with all its fortified towns and villages and out on open plains. So how will the Ukrainians hold out in mini-fortifications in this sort of terrain?

    Reply ↓
    1. Mass Driver

      🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦 The Russian army has begun using a ‘triple chokehold’ tactic at the front, in contrast to meat & shovels gambit played ’til now. In other news, water begun being wet.

      Reply ↓
      2. Mass Driver

        Seems like the season of water is wet discoveries is open, since World famous Jihadi Julian also had an epiphany.

        https://x.com/JulianRoepcke/status/1925807370208182645
        In the fourth year of the war, it is clear that Russia is pursuing the clear goal of winning the war against Ukraine – and is consistently gearing its entire economy towards this.
        [machne translation]

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  14. ilsm

    Re: Engelsberg Ideas on Japan.

    I agree the article which I mostly skimmed seems a bit touched by angst against current DC regime’s diplomatic and trade policies.

    I have been out of the business for more than 5 years but seems to me Japan has not reduced its reliance on US Navy Aegis pickets, nor built any long range radars (postponed developing 2 US designed land based long range radars) not investing in air and missile self defense.

    DPRK nuclear weapons pose a huge threat to US forces in Japan proper and Okinawa, plus Guam! Japan is enjoying US’ continued occupation.

    That said I suspect the US THAAD (sensor) redeployed from S Korea to Israel lessens missile defenses in the region as that set might have engaged missiles in the ascent phase.

    Less US occupation given limits of missile defenses may be good for Japan.

    I have an idea the author may be paying tributes to Mac Arthur’s benevolent rule.

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  15. Expat2uruguay

    Here are two YouTube videos to comprehensively update the Burkina Faso military situation in their fight against the JNIM.

    First up, an official state media update, “Burkina Faso’s military upgrade: A total revolution in fighting equipment”. Various Colonels showing of lots of new equipment from China, Turkey and Russia and describing the operational changes that have been made since Captain Traoré became the interim president two and a half years ago. 13 minutes
    https://youtu.be/r6LpFkwwDWI

    Second, local color of Rapid Intervention Battalions returning from a pivotal victory
    in a motorcycle parade giving a sense of the spirit of celebration and renewed faith among the people. 3 minutes
    https://youtu.be/tXq2T5Ksabw

    saludos

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  17. Polar Socialist

    “Triple chokehold” my sweet patootie… Find, fix and destroy has been the basic of military field manuals since probably the Napoleonic era.

    From what I’ve been able to gather, the biggest thing preventing Ukrainians from maneuvering is their own commanders telling them to hold fast. That and the lack of mobility. So, the Russians do a couple of recon raids, figure out the Ukrainian positions, isolate them (by preventing supplies and rotation) and then bombing them to tomorrow. Rinse and repeat for 15:1 casualty rate.

    All this “chokehold” BS is an Ukrainian attempt to explain away why the defender is suffering much more losses than the attacker. Ukrainians just don’t have the qualified staffs, experienced officers, motivated troops or even mobility to do flexible defense to grind down the Russian forces.

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  18. Quintian and Lucius

    “Container ship barely misses Norwegian man’s house after running aground”

    They gave the homeowner two sentences of quotation in this article and he really knocked it out of the park. “If it had hit five meters further to the right, it would have slid up the rocky cliff, and then my house would probably look quite different.” Truly enviable sense of humor on ‘im.

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  20. Carolinian

    Re ProPublica on all the “looks like a duck” Trump admin insider trading–Trump recently said he only ran again to get revenge for 2000 and clearly revenge is a dish best served with a nice Chianti and a 50k Rolex in case you need to check the time. Even his foreign policy seems more about cooking up deals for his sons and son and law. It could be the only diff between Trump and the preceding line of grifters is that he pretends to care about the poors while Obama called them “folks.” If indeed he is therefore a classic “presidential” then it’s only a matter of time before Michelle drops the high hat and offers him gum.

    Of course the sarc view may still be premature but that Rolex is ticking.

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