Spider monkeys pool their knowledge to find the best fruit Phys.org
Doomsday Clock moved closer to midnight than ever before: What does this indicate? Firstpost
Climate/Environment
The underground network Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. “Trillions of miles of tiny fungal tubes embedded in soil transport nutrients to crops and other plants and fight climate change by storing carbon. Scientists are racing to understand how these fungi—increasingly under threat—function.”
Tourism takes toll on ancient seagrass The Ecologist
Pandemics
Metrodora promised comprehensive treatment. But within two years, it abruptly closed. The Sick Times
China?
Can the “Super-Large Scale” of the Chinese Economy Reshape Globalization? Beijing Cultural Review
Davos Declared the Death of “Old World,” But Here is a Glimpse of the “New World” George Chen
Syraqistan
Israel prepares concentration camp in south Gaza amid efforts to expel Palestinians The Cradle
After Trump Declared Gaza War ‘Over,’ Media Lost Interest FAIR
Bari Weiss’ New CBS Hire List Is Full Of Zionists. The Dissident
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Covering His Tracks? Trump Hard-Pivots Once More to Iran Simplicius
Three Scenarios for a US Attack on Iran Larry Johnson
Iran’s Strategic Decision to Restore Deterrence & Prevent Continued Military Pressure Conflicts Forum
France and Spain signal support to list Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as terrorist group Euronews
The Iran Insurgency Anti Empire Project
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Al-Sharaa meets Putin as Russia seeks to secure military bases in Syria Al Jazeera
Africa
Africa’s data centre boom triggers shift in power investment priorities Intellinews
The UAE has likely turned to Ethiopia as its next front for the RSF in Sudan, especially with supply lines via Chad, Libya, & Somalia under pressure.
This is a recipe for disaster, given current Red Sea tensions, & could pull Egypt, Eritrea, & Saudi Arabia deeper into Sudan.🔗⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8ZYsICMaWd
— Liam Karr (@liam_karr) January 27, 2026
European Disunion
ICE agents’ role in Milan-Cortina Olympics sparks criticism in Italy Euronews
ICE is not welcome in Milan: even a government that calls itself sovereignist should protest. Il Fatto Quotidiano (machine translation)
Switzerland to raise VAT from 2028 to fund $40bn defense expansion Al Mayadeen
Old Blighty
Expensive gas still biggest driver of high UK electricity bills, says UKERC Carbon Brief
New Not-So-Cold War
Kremlin confirms second round of talks with US and Ukraine RT
Germany rules out 2027 as target date for Ukraine’s EU accession Anadolu Agency
Showbiz Hitlerians Events in Ukraine
Russia’s sanctioned oil firm Lukoil to sell foreign assets to Carlyle AFP
China and Russia Bolster Defence Ties Amid US Strategic Moves Devdiscourse
Eighty-Two Years After Leningrad: Memory, Endurance and the Weaponization of Hunger Kautilya the Contemplator
South of the Border
Machado announces imminent return to Venezuela Al Mayadeen
Venezuela’s oil reform fails to lure US majors despite push for private investment Intellinews
Will the CIA turn Venezuela into Ukraine 2.0? RT
China Urges Brazil to Stay ‘On the Right Side of History’ Orinoco Tribune
Trump 2.0
Search warrant FBI served at elections office near Atlanta seeks records tied to the 2020 elections AP
Sen. Mark Warner, top Dem on Senate Intel, on DNI Tulsi Gabbard being spotted at the Fulton County FBI raid
He says if there was a legit foreign intel nexus, the committee hasn’t been informed of that as required by law
Or it’s a “domestic political stunt” pic.twitter.com/tP0oxjxnaX
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) January 29, 2026
Can Trump Pivot on Economy and Immigration to Salvage the 2026 Midterms? Tanveer Bokhari
Trump starts midterms campaign tour in Iowa, focusing on economy instead of immigration Iowa Capital Dispatch
Trump’s Minnesota de-escalation lasts less than 48 hours Axios
Erika Kirk pledges Turning Point will match $1,000 government deposits in ‘Trump Accounts’ The Hill
Shutdown
House Republicans warn against Senate changing DHS funding bill The Hill
A shutdown won’t stop ICE — Congress built it that way Struggle-La Lucha
Democrats en déshabillé
Democrats Outline DHS Funding Demands. Republicans’ Gameplan is TBD. NOTUS
ICE Exposes Democratic Party Irrelevance Black Agenda Report
Police State Watch
Internal review contradicts White House narrative of Pretti’s death NPR
Yeah, they clearly targeted Alex Pretti for assassination in their Palantir ICEstapo database as soon as he went beast mode and kicked that tail light out with precision, just like *wham* https://t.co/EicdHEEDTJ pic.twitter.com/MUdnzuBr3I
— ParaPower Mapping (@KlonnyPin_Gosch) January 29, 2026
Former Border Patrol chief known for illegal coverups leads Pretti homicide investigation. Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd
Exclusive: ICE’s Secret Watchlists of Americans Ken Klippenstein
ICE Is Using Palantir’s AI Tools to Sort Through Tips Wired
ICE agent tries to enter Ecuadorean consulate in Minneapolis, sparking an international incident The Canary
The order is incredible. You have to read it. It’s not even three full pages and you feel the judicial fury. He says court orders are repeatedly being ignored and people who have done nothing wrong are remaining in detention despite judicial orders requiring them to be released. https://t.co/Tjo2wk4xTn pic.twitter.com/XhPtN6Wiey
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) January 27, 2026
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Administrative Warfare & The End of the Political Landmarks: A Journal of International Dialogue
Groves of Academe
Empire’s Ideology, with Free Pizza: How the Council on Foreign Relations Shapes Higher Education MR Online
PATRICK LAWRENCE: Trump’s War on the Future Has a Past Consortium News
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
App for Quitting Porn Leaked Users’ Masturbation Habits 404 Media
Imperial Collapse Watch
Managing The Powerful. Aurelien
Guillotine Watch
The Wealth Concentration Engine: Rethinking America’s Financial Plumbing Scheerpost
Healthcare?
After Donations, Trump Administration Revoked Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Staff New York Times
AI
US cyber defense chief accidentally uploaded secret government info to ChatGPT Ars Technica
Investors punish Big Tech AI spending that delivers slower growth Reuters
The Bezzle
How Winter Storm Fern Slowed Down the Bitcoin Network Gizmodo
Class Warfare
THE MEANS-TESTING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX LPE Project
Imagining the End of Capitalism Counterpunch
Grass Always Greener Hickman’s Hinterlands
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Taibbi’s latest, public excerpt:
The Politics of Neither
Polls are increasingly clear: both Republicans and Democrats are rapidly losing the public’s confidence. Do more people want to end the culture war than win it?
https://www.racket.news/p/the-politics-of-neither
From the longer article:
Lost amid furious coverage of Minnesota this month was publication of a Gallup survey showing that the share of Americans who identify as Independent is skyrocketing compared to traditional affiliation:….
…
Dennis Kucinich, who became Mayor of Cleveland running as an outsider and twice ran for higher office as an Independent, put it this way: “When you look at Israel, the differences [between the parties] are non-existent. When you look at the financial world and the lack of regulation, the differences and the advocacy are non-existent. When you look at where the money’s coming from, there are certain interest groups financing both parties.”
“Three Scenarios for a US Attack on Iran”
I suppose that Trump is counting on a big, flashy victory and probably is reckoning with a two week political deadline to get it wrapped up. But Iran has said that if they are attacked, that they will shut down the Strait of Hormuz for a three month period. This is a direct threat to Trump. M. Market will definitely have a sad if this happens and the blame will fall on only one person for this happening – Trump. In addition, this suggests at least three months fighting and last time around, Israel could only last two weeks before crying Uncle Sam. Also, three months means that you are talking about April and this could have a damaging effect on the upcoming midterms. A reasonable deal could be made but Trump is demanding that Iran get rid of its ballistic missile program. For Iran, that would men that they would be completely helpless against Israel and the US so that is not going to happen. In short, Trump is pushing them into a corner that they cannot back out of so will go to war if attacked.
“How the Council on Foreign Relations Shapes Higher Education”: This link sparked a personal recollection that the CFR has an active partnership with the primary high school speech and debate NGO: The National Speech and Debate Association. The CFR has banner ads and sponsorship of major tournaments and it supplies a significant number of research resources (i.e., CFR papers) to high school students competing in debate and speech. I’ve linked the seven page list of papers the CFR makes available to these students on the NSDA web-site