The Politics Of Planetary Color Noema
How IVF has led to a record number of single moms in their 40s NPR
The Best States For Raising A Family In 2026 StudyFinds
Collection Agency: Crunching the Numbers with a Calculator Collector Inconspicuous Consumption
Oil’s Problem Isn’t Iran or Russia — It’s Too Much Oil OilPrice
Revolutionary imaging of black hole aims to prove they are not ‘evil vacuum cleaners’ The Guardian
Climate/Environment
Davos
As Trump reshapes global order, World Economic Forum starts in Davos today Firstpost
Pandemics
That collapse in SATs since the pandemic began. All catastrophes reboot societies. The status quo has tried desperately to rush everybody back to their old routines, ignoring public health.
The old status quo still broke. I’m seeing this ‘checking-out’ across all parts of life. pic.twitter.com/MhSfyDC2Aa
— Henry Madison (@RageSheen) January 18, 2026
A plea to those no longer masking M (Is) Living With Long Covid
The Koreas
Cheese-flavored spicy noodles are powering South Korea’s food exports to a record high CNBC
Japan
Takaichi enjoys popularity amid Japan’s rightward turn East Asia Forum
China?
China’s Q4 GDP growth slows to 3-year low, full-year pace meets official target Business Times
The Bridge at the Center of the Pentagon Michael McNair. On Elbridge Colby and his China strategy.
The China Commission’s Report ChinaTalk. An incredible comment from Leland Miller, the co-founder and CEO of China Beige Book, who was appointed to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission by Speaker Mike Johnson:
A potential nightmare scenario is China breaking quantum cryptography, achieving AGI, or making some other enormous breakthrough in AI first. Imagine they cure cancer. A shock would go through the system as we’ve never seen — our approach would have failed…We want someone to cure cancer, but we don’t want China to control the pipeline for that cure.
***
What the U.S.-Taiwan deal means for the island’s ‘silicon shield’ CNBC
Taiwan’s Silicon Shield Has Been Sold Out by President Lai
Taiwan’s greatest strategic asset has never been its navy, its air force, or even its alliances. It has been the silicon shield— it’s semiconductor industry, led by TSMC, which binds the world’s economy to Taiwan’s… pic.twitter.com/IuwUug9uQE
— Ignis Rex (@Ignis_Rex) January 19, 2026
Syraqistan
Trump ‘wants nations to pay $1bn to join his Gaza peace board’ The Telegraph
Is Israel The Bankrupt Colony? Frame The Globe News
WOW!
At the Israeli-American Council, Miriam Adelson is asked how she is buying influence over American politicians.
Recognizing that it probably isn’t smart for her to talk openly about this, she hesitates and answers:
“Can you allow me not to answer? … I want to be… pic.twitter.com/gOGXm8xMDR
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) January 18, 2026
***
Trump to POLITICO: ‘It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran’ Politico
Any attack against Ayatollah Khamenei ‘full-fledged’ war with Iranian nation: President Press TV
WOW. Strategic advisor to Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mahdi Mohammadi:
“We know that we are facing a regime-change war in which the only way to achieve victory is to make credible the threat that, during the 12-day war, although it was ready, did not get the opportunity to be…
— Sharmine Narwani (@snarwani) January 19, 2026
The anti-Iran human rights bazaar Al Mayadeen
***
Syrian forces seize major oil, gas fields in eastern Syria Al Mayadeen
Syria reaches ceasefire with SDF, wins ‘significant concessions from Kurds’ The Cradle
Africa
New Scrutiny of Nigeria Strikes as Activist’s Data Unravels Antiwar
European Disunion
The Psychological Stake in Greenland Simplicius
🇩🇪🇬🇱 Fifteen German soldiers deployed to Greenland abruptly left the island today without explanation, Bild reports.
The outlet captured footage of the German troops departing from Nuuk. According to Bild, the return order was issued early in the morning, with all meetings and… pic.twitter.com/AXebfPyfjo
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) January 18, 2026
Bessent on Greenland: “Peace through strength. Make it part of the US and there will not be a conflict because the US right now, we’re the hottest country in the world, we’re the strongest country in the world. Europeans project weakness. The US projects strength.” pic.twitter.com/NQYuvNpsC3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 18, 2026
China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies.
If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.
Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.
We also…
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) January 17, 2026
Will Trump’s Threat to Increase Tariffs on Europe Spark a Financial Crisis? Larry Johnson
High-speed train crash in southern Spain leaves at least 21 dead The Guardian
Old Blighty
Trump administration demands Britain adopt US standards in trade talks Politico
New Not-So-Cold War
Europe already ‘at war’ with Russia, says central banker FT
Military intelligence entraps parliament Events in Ukraine
Ukraine is fighting a war with money Europe doesn’t have Ian Proud
Germany Denies Baltic Sea Entry to Shadow Fleet Tanker ‘Tavian’ in Unprecedented Move gCaptain
THE WHITE HOUSE ARCHIVE — WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN CONFIDED TO GEORGE W. BUSH, WHAT HE MEANS NOW John Helmer
South of the Border
US air authority warns of ‘military activities’ over Mexico, South America Al Jazeera
Weekend Read: Did this Cyberweapon Open the “Pathway” to Caracas? The After-Action Report
Police State Watch
Trump orders active duty troops to prepare for Minnesota deployment Politico
YIKES: If this is true … and I’m skeptical it is until I see local reporting. But it’s bad.
Alerting the 11th Airborne was UNAMBIGUIOUS indicator for an invasion of Greenland I wrote a year ago.
Minnesota would be a good place to interim stage these forces in the lower 48.… https://t.co/AfLMvQ2urP
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) January 18, 2026
FBI opened probe on Minneapolis shooting; none exists now, Justice Dept. says WaPo
Lawyers allege Dept. of Homeland Security is denying legal counsel to Minnesota detainees ABC News
Minneapolis AFL-CIO Calls for General Strike on Friday as Movement Spreads to Other Cities Payday Report
this is what it has come to for Mexican restaurants in the Twin Cities pic.twitter.com/RhbZ3xDhfQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 19, 2026
Democrats en déshabillé
Every House Democrat Votes Against Defunding A Cutout Of The CIA. The Dissident
Dems’ divide over Harris surfaces as she looks like a 2028 contender Axios
Imperial Collapse Watch
The Imperial Epithet in the Liberal Imagination Un-Diplomatic
Trump vs. Penguins, or Whatever Happened to America? Marat Khairullin Substack
Where is the world headed? Nuclear war, WW3 or just plain old Global Capitalist resource capture? Vanessa Beeley and Fiorella Isabel
Accelerationists
Why Silicon Valley is really talking about fleeing California (it’s not the 5%) TechCrunch
Guillotine Watch
Billionaires’ wealth hits record in 2025, Oxfam warns of ‘dangerous’ political risks ahead of Davos France24
Democracy’s Edge: Elite Overproduction Simon Pearce
The Bezzle
More than half of all crypto tokens have failed — and most died in 2025 CoinDesk
The Disclosure of Aliens Could Cause a Bitcoin Rush, Former Bank of England Analyst Says Gizmodo
AI
A Man Bought Meta’s AI Glasses, and Ended Up Wandering the Desert in Search of Aliens Futurism
Experiment suggests AI chatbot would save insurance agents a whopping 3 minutes a day The Register
Sequoia to invest in Anthropic, breaking VC taboo on backing rivals: FT TechCrunch
The Real AI Talent War Is for Plumbers and Electricians Wired
The shape of time Aeon
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
‘Aaron Rupar
@atrupar
Bessent on Greenland: “Peace through strength. Make it part of the US and there will not be a conflict because the US right now, we’re the hottest country in the world, we’re the strongest country in the world. Europeans project weakness. The US projects strength.” ‘
In all this talk of the threats to Greenland, nobody is pointing out the obvious. That out of some 200 countries in the world, there is in fact only one country threatening Greenland. China would not bother as Greenland is on the other side of the planet and they could never supply their forces. In fact, Greenlanders have said that they have not see a Chinese navy ship in over a decade. Russia won’t for much the same reasons. Only the Trump regime is threatening a country on the edges of the Arctic and make no mistake. It won’t stop with Greenland but Iceland will be next up and Trump is already demanding that Canada fortify their northern borders so he has not forgotten Canada either.
Tbh I think Trump 1000% believes in global warming and has his sights on securing his place in the history books by founding a real northern empire for us all to move into.
From the NYTimes, no paywall.
Buy Greenland? Take It? Why? An Old Pact Already Gives Trump a Free Hand.
Analysts say the Cold War agreement allows the president to increase the American military presence almost at will.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/world/europe/trump-greenland-denmark-us-defense-pact.html
So if it’s not really about the military, could it really be about the minerals?
https://xcancel.com/AIPAC/status/2011568638378082387
https://xcancel.com/RoKhanna/status/2012298777286115736
https://xcancel.com/RoKhanna/status/2012301652158566873
There are some gems in there from all those exchanges with Mr. Khanna:
>Can you clarify what you mean by “snuck these in”? Did you not know they were in there when you voted for it? Asking in earnest
>I genuinely did not
>Next question is whether you knew Randy Fine was cartoonishly Islamophobic and genocidal when you said you were proud to stand side-by-side with him
>Again, no. First time met him or heard of him. Have since seen his disgusting statements.
At this point why even vote for representatives or senators, in a few years we will probably have CongressAI Clanker to rubber stamp any bill produced by AIPAC or whatever other lobby. Save everyone time, money and legitimacy. Everyone wins!
“Ukraine is fighting a war with money Europe doesn’t have”
That’s OK. The Ukrainians no longer have the troops to fight this war and the US and Europe cannot keep up with weapons manufacture to fight it. But I would dearly love to know how much money has been pumped into the black hole of the Ukraine. At a minimum I would reckon half a trillion dollars but I think that it is much, much more than that.