The Universe’s Invisible Skeleton Is Finally Revealed SciTech Daily
Earthquake Sensors Have Found A Second Job: Space Junk Detectors StudyFinds
Sloshing liquefied natural gas in cargo tanks causes higher impact forces than expected Phys.org
Tennessee fungus outbreak sickens 35, kills 1, and is linked to soil exposure Medical Xpress
Climate/Environment
12 people reported dead, nearly 800K customers still without power from massive, major winter storm Balanced Weather
The coldest air this Winter is coming this weekend. I expect a pipe-busting freeze across the South as lows plunge into the teens down to the north Gulf Coast and single digits inland, with freeze potential deep into South Florida. Citrus farmers in Florida need to begin… pic.twitter.com/dStPwaKKk4
— Dylan Federico (@DylanFedericoWX) January 26, 2026
Rain, not snow: Extraordinary warmth leaves mountains less snowy across the West Los Angeles Times
Projections of 21st-century sea-level fall along coastal Greenland Nature Communications
Accounting for ocean impacts nearly doubles the social cost of carbon Nature Climate Change
India’s infrastructure spend tops 3% of GDP as climate risks strain insurance cover: Report Down to Earth
Solar and Batteries Are Squeezing Out Natural Gas in California Distilled
Pandemics
Researchers created a nasal drug that locks the COVID-19 virus spike shut, blocking many variants at once.
➡️ It worked both before and after infection in animals — an encouraging step toward future COVID variants and subvariants.
➡️ A new study reports a macrocyclic peptide… pic.twitter.com/eDguTQKnNU
— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) January 26, 2026
The Koreas
China?
The demise of Zhang Youxia hits different Drew Thompson
A journalist asked me for my take on Zhang Youxia, so I might as well post it publicly.
The nuclear secret WSJ story is very likely completely bullshit (for reasons explained by Neil Thomas here: https://t.co/ywnNs7Dr39) and the coup narrative even more so, for reasons of…
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) January 26, 2026
China Moves to Price LNG in Yuan OilPrice
Advancing the Frontier with TENGs Warwick Powell
As warship docks, Cambodia-US ties ride new wave Khmer Times
India
India-EU Summit LIVE Updates | Only the beginning: EU chief hails creation of free trade zone for 2 billion people Deccan Herald
Syraqistan
Exclusive: Leaked “Board of Peace” Resolution Outlines U.S.-Led Plan to Rule Over Gaza Drop Site
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Russia Begins Withdrawal From Northeast Syria Clash Report
Exclusive: Syria’s president reaches out to Kobane’s Kurds after SDF leader rattles US envoy Middle East Eye
Iraqi spy chief warns of reemerging threat from ISIS as its ranks swell WaPo
US warns that an Iran-installed government in Iraq ‘will not be successful’ Anadolu Agency
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Trump Briefed on Intelligence Saying Iran’s Government Is Weaker New York Times
US weighs ‘precision strikes’ on Iranian officials as military build-up surges, sources say Middle East Eye
UAE says will not allow its airspace, territory to be used for attacks on Iran Press TV
Why a naval blockade against Iran would be complex and hard
1- It would have to stay outside the range of their conventional anti-ship missiles, so something like a line from Mumbai to Somalia, about 2,500 km.
That’s a huge area. You’d need a task force with multiple… pic.twitter.com/tDo8Sdd9b2
— Patricia Marins (@pati_marins64) January 26, 2026
Exclusive: Trump says Iran wants a deal as U.S. “armada” arrives Axios
Iran’s “Balkanization” Is Unlikely But Still Can’t Be Ruled Out Andrew Korybko
How Atrocity Propaganda Manufactures Consent For War. The Dissident
Old Blighty
Has the Education Commons Been Enclosed? Tribune
EXCLUSIVE: the DWP has a secret team planting benefit fraud propaganda in the mainstream media The Canary. DWP=Department for Work and Pensions.
European Disunion
EU can’t defend itself without US – NATO chief RT
Greenland is not China or Russia: the real fear of the United States is a Europe that awakens Pressenza
EU’s far left and right coding obliterated by Iran and Israel votes Responsible Statecraft
It’s time for Germany to start paying the cost of maintaining Auschwitz and other former Nazi camps in Poland Notes From Poland
New Not-So-Cold War
NATO planning ‘unmanned defense zone’ with robots, drones along Russia border Interesting Engineering
South of the Border
Vitol and Trafigura: Traders at the Heart of Trump’s Venezuela Oil Grab Bloomberg
‘15 minutes to respond or die’: Leaked audio details aftermath of Maduro’s capture by US Firstpost
Venezuela acting president says she’s had ‘enough’ of orders from Washington The Hill
Haiti leader warns island can’t handle migrant surge if Trump ends TPS Treasure Coast
Haiti officials announce plan to oust prime minister, deepening US standoff Al Jazeera
L’affaire Epstein
Days after the US took over majority ownership of TikTok, the word ‘Epstein’ has been censored. pic.twitter.com/fcwHiTYo9a
— grizzy (@Furbeti) January 26, 2026
Neverending GWOT
Navy SEAL Who Claimed Bin Laden Kill Says Team Covered Up War Crime The After-Action Report
Trump 2.0
Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence ProPublica
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Top Border Patrol official expected to leave Minneapolis as Trump sends Homan to the state CNN
The White House Lays Out Conditions to Pull Federal Agents From Minnesota NOTUS
White House continues to up the pressure on Minnesota Democrats despite Trump’s call with Walz Politico
DHS suspends Bovino’s access to his social media accounts, source says CNN
Rep. Ilhan Omar investigated by DOJ, Congress over ballooning net worth, Trump says New York Post. According to New York Times, investigation began under Biden administration but stalled due to lack of evidence.
Shutdown
Police State Watch
How to Block ICE In Your City Labor Politics
What’s the Deal With That Scary-Looking Green Gas ICE Is Using in Minneapolis? Mother Jones
THE RIVER AND THE FEVER DREAM Texas Observer. Haunting photos.
Immigrant Children Lead Uprising at Texas Detention Center Truthout
In Criminal Justice Elections This Year, ICE Contracts Are on the Hot Seat Bolts
Gunz
I asked militiamen who attended Monday’s Second Amendment rally armed in Richmond, Virginia how they feel about the shooting of Alex Pretti yesterday in Minneapolis by federal agents and the administration’s response.
Here are responses from Virginia Kekoas militia leader ICE… https://t.co/kMlRU1h0ps pic.twitter.com/2qPdu18w5e
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) January 26, 2026
Accelerationists
Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’ New York Times
Immigration
Midwest and Southwest states see major increase in temporary H-2A workers, despite slow growth in program Investigate Midwest
Imperial Collapse Watch
How To Drive Domestic Production and Reindustrialization Ian Welsh
I would recommend anyone looking for already fully formed analysis of a potential American collapse through the lens of the collapse of the USSR to read Dmitry Orlov. Orlov moved from Russia to the US when he was 12, but traveled extensively within Russia in the 90s. He started… https://t.co/FscJvI0bro
— Amerikanets 📉 (@ripplebrain) January 26, 2026
Who really holds all the cards: Trump or the bond market? Asia Times
AI
Big Tech’s borrowing spree raises fears of AI risks in US bond market FT. Paywalled.
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests The Guardian
Data centers are facing an image problem. The tech industry is spending millions to rebrand them. Grist
Economy
US economy: beneath the bombast Michael Roberts
Guillotine Watch
What’s Worrying Billionaires the Most in 2026? Visual Capitalist Data from the UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report 2025.
Class Warfare
Last week marked 16 years since the Citizens United decision.
The consequences have been disastrous.
Billionaire spending has skyrocketed—and it’s no coincidence that economic policies ever since have overwhelmingly favored entrenched wealth over the working class. pic.twitter.com/psU5dkS5Ab
— Roosevelt Institute (@rooseveltinst) January 26, 2026
The Legion of Doom buys a Superweapon Working Class Storytelling
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“US weighs ‘precision strikes’ on Iranian officials as military build-up surges, sources say”
You could rewrite this headline to reflect local realities-
‘Iran weighs ‘precision strikes’ on US bases as military build-up surges, sources say’
When you get down to it, officials can move around or go into hiding. Military bases can’t but can be sitting ducks. I also note the following sentence-
‘The US faced a supply crunch and even asked Saudi Arabia to agree to release Thaad interceptors that it had purchased, but Riyadh refused.’
I take that to mean that the US wanted the Saudis to hand over their THAAD missiles to Israel so that they could help protect themselves – but which would strip out Saudi Arabia’s aerial defenses. No wonder they said no.