Lord God Bird Orion Magazine
What ice fishing can teach us about making foraging decisions Ars Technica
Cancer might protect against Alzheimer’s — this protein helps explain why Nature
On Technologies vs. Commodities Construction Physics
Climate/Environment
US leads record global surge in gas-fired power driven by AI demands, with big costs for the climate The Guardian
Why the government is trying to make coal cute Grist
Things fall apart; the maintenance schedule cannot hold. The Snap Forward
Pandemics
Why is India’s Nipah virus outbreak spooking the world? Al Jazeera
China?
While politicians shape U.S.-China relations, their families turn to the stock market Rest of World
China’s Demographic Crisis and the Return to 400 Million – by PKU Prof. Zhang Junni Sinification
Fall of top Chinese general Zhang stirs US uncertainty about China’s military Straits Times
India
Blocked By Modi Govt for 14 Months, US SEC Wants Federal Court to Serve Summons on Adani Via Email The Wire
Syraqistan
Israeli army accepts Palestinian health ministry death toll of 71,000 dead in Gaza Middle East Eye
Apple acquires secretive Israeli AI startup Q.ai for $1.5 billion Calcalist
***
Insight: Trump weighs Iran strikes to inspire renewed protests, sources say Reuters
Iran’s top diplomat heads to Türkiye for high-stakes talks on Friday TRT World
Saudi, Israeli officials visit D.C. to talk possible U.S. strikes on Iran Axios
Africa
Somalia Plans to Foment Conflict in Awdal Region After Israeli Recognition of Somaliland Drop Site
Ethiopia’s premier discusses security, cooperation with senior US officials in Addis Ababa Anadolu Agency
Fears of renewed civil war as clashes erupt in western Tigray Africa Report
Niger military gov’t says France, Benin, Ivory Coast behind airport attack Al Jazeera
Old Blighty
‘Very dangerous’: Trump reportedly warns UK of doing business with China as Starmer seeks a reset CNBC
O Canada
Trump officials met group pushing Alberta independence from Canada FT
How Big Tech Spearheads the US Threat to Canada The Tyee
Trump amps up trade war with Canada by targeting Bombardier CTV News
European Disunion
Mercedes declined Lutnick’s bid to move to US, CEO tells The Pioneer Reuters
Maybe future generations will understand the colossal gift Germany threw away with Vladimir Putin.
A Russian leader who lived in Dresden for years, speaks German, whose daughter was born in Saxony, and who repeatedly offered genuine partnership and friendship to the German… pic.twitter.com/J8tv0UlR6G— Richard (@ricwe123) January 29, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
Trump says Putin will not attack Ukraine cities during cold week BBC
BRICS and Bones Oliver Boyd-Barrett
EXCLUSIVE: Council revises criteria for Ukraine to buy weapons with EU funds Euractiv
Congress Leaves Azov Ban Loophole Open…Again Azov Lobby Blog
South of the Border
Venezuela’s Rodriguez signs oil reform law while the US eases sanctions Al Jazeera
Trump Adds Tariff Threat to Campaign Against Oil Supplies to Cuba TeleSUR
Mexico calls Cuba oil halt ‘sovereign’ as US pressure mounts Al Mayadeen
Chinese contract at Panama Canal canceled by court in win for Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” Axios
Trump 2.0
TRUMP’S GLOBAL SEA WAR IS THE NEW STRATEGY FOR REGIME CHANGE – VENEZUELA, IRAN, CUBA, RUSSIA, CHINA, INDIA John Helmer
Spook Country
Tulsi Gabbard Drags U.S. Intelligence into Trump’s Election Fraud Campaign Spy Talk
“Liberation Day”
Trade deficit soared 94% in November and was higher than a year ago, despite tariff efforts CNBC
When I talk about collapse this is what I mean. We’re not going to have a Mad Max type scenario – I mean we could – but that is unlikely. What is more likely to occur is stuff like this where basic inputs become so expensive and one day you’ll hear people say things like
“When… https://t.co/3Cel3TZftU
— Explaining Sapiens (@XplningSapiens) January 29, 2026
Shutdown
Democrats en déshabillé
Schumer Accused of ‘Downright Complicity’ as ICE Reform Plan Draws Backlash Common Dreams
Police State Watch
Border czar signals federal surge could ease if Minnesota grants ICE jail access Courthouse News
ICE Prepares to Descend on Ohio Haitian Community After TPS Expires The New Republic
Trump administration’s ending of TPS for Haitians accelerates staffing crunch in elder care Marketplace
Companies reap $22bn from Trump’s immigration crackdown FT
“This Is Not America” Is the Most Dangerous Lie We Keep Telling Ourselves Truthout
AI
Microsoft’s AI Spend Is Starting To Spook Investors Gizmodo
Banker claims Oracle may slash up to 30,000 jobs, sell health unit to pay for AI build-out The Register
Music publishers sue Anthropic for $3 billion over ‘flagrant piracy’ Engadget
An AI Toy Exposed 50,000 Logs of Its Chats With Kids to Anyone With a Gmail Account Wired
Mamdani
Imperial Collapse Watch
This is a genuinely incredible story.
The hottest term on Chinese social media right now is “kill-line”: if you go to Xiaohongshu, Bilibili or Douyin, everyone is speaking about it.
Why? It all has to do with the story of Alex, known as “牢A” (“Láo A”, literally “prison A”… pic.twitter.com/laPPFhf05q
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) January 29, 2026
Trump and Bessent Trash the Dollar Ann Pettifor
Mr. Market Is Moody
The Odd Market Behavior of Precious Metals… Will a US Attack on Iran Make It Worse? Larry Johnson
Indonesia stock exchange CEO resigns after US$80 billion market rout Channel News Asia
Guillotine Watch
Man accused of posing as FBI agent in apparent attempt to spring Luigi Mangione from prison NBC News
The Bezzle
Elon to Merge SpaceX and xAI Futurism
Crypto bill advances in US Senate but faces obstacles Reuters
They’ve bought themselves a Congress Citation Needed
Class Warfare
The Housing Ladder’s Broken Promise Progress and Poverty
Maine’s “Lobster Lady,” who fished for 97 years, has died at 105 Boing Boing
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Tulsi Gabard, Atlanta raid – Georgia used Dominion voting machines in 2020 elections. Is there any link to Maduro, Dominion voting systems and foreign influence?
The real danger here is the private ownership of and “proprietary algorithms” used in the machines.
Politics is not a business. Thus it follows that any and all examples of business behaviour must be kept away from the exercise of politics.
To paraphrase Lord Acton: “Money corrupts, absolute money corrupts absolutely.”
The “Odd Behaviour of the Precious Metals” continues apace.
Both silver and gold have been pushed down about fifteen percent, (15%) overnight. This before the ‘traditional’ Friday Morning Smackdown where metals are knocked down by high volume selling of paper shorts around nine am New York time.
When is the next Triple Witching Hour? It should be a Show for the Ages.
As I say from time to time, “Fear not the VIX.”
For those looking for today’s protest music, Kneecap would like a word with you.
New one released yesterday – I can’t make out all the Irish, but from what I can gather, they have a bone to pick with Keir Starmer.
“House launches investigation into hospitals allegedly letting foreign patients jump organ transplant lines”
Now this is an interesting story in terms of the America First movement. They would be outraged how Americans are dying because foreigners with money get to jump the que and get those organ transplants which originally came from American donors – and they would be right. But when you get to people like Trump and his ilk, they are just as likely to set up a Golden Medical Visa at the cost of say, $500,000. You pay for one of those and you get to come to America where you are put at the top of the list and do what these hospitals have been doing through the back door. Gotta remember, the business of America is business which is still true after those words were uttered a century ago.