The way snow is removed in Montreal
pic.twitter.com/yVjVL5BXeW— Science girl (@sciencegirl) December 10, 2023
How the brain builds sentences, neuron by neuron Nature
The nose knows: Electric schnoz can smell when your food’s gone bad Technology.org
Astronomers Want to Build a Swarm of Telescopes to Find LIFE Universe Today
The best accidents in science: 20 discoveries that changed the world without meaning to Quartz
COVID-19/Pandemics
Metformin Cuts Long COVID Risk by Half in New ACTIV-6 Trial Results Drug Topics
Gabbard drops trove of files before leaving office: COVID-19 & Fauci alleged involvement The National News Desk
Climate/Environment
Can we electrify the world? Ambition moves from nerdish backwater to centre stage The Guardian
South of the Border
Colombia presidential candidates have rival visions, but fiscal reality looms for both Reuters
Cuba: Between charcoal and solar panels Al Jazeera
China?
In China, two teachers are teaching static electricity in a fun way.👏 pic.twitter.com/xkAd2XJUoO
— Rizwan (@Rizwan_901) June 20, 2026
Taiwan President Pushes Back On China Pressure, Seeks Swift Approval Of US Arms Package BenzingaYup, China’s EV Price War Was Brutal, But It Drove Innovation Clean Technica
World’s first smart squid-fishing robot that mimics humans begins sea trials in China Interesting Engineering
From Alo to Texas Chicken, foreign brands bet on China despite stiff rivalry SCMP
India
Why India Will Stick with America War on the Rocks
India’s Exam System Under Fire as NEET and CBSE Controversies Grow Fair Observer
India’s Jio lays out sovereign LEO constellation plan ahead of IPO Space News
Africa
‘They came with machetes’ – deadline looms for migrants to leave South Africa BBC
Africa’s banking giants are converging on Kenya as battle for East Africa intensifies Business Insider Africa
Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline: an African dream that could reshape world energy markets France 24
European Disunion
EU leaders aim for October draft deal on €2 trillion budget Euronews
German chancellor criticizes EU budget proposal, opposes more debt Andolu Agency
EU opens dialogue with Moscow Semafor
Old Blighty
UK sets up fresh bout with Big Tech firms over content promotion demand Cryptopolitan
Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy issued an audio warning to all vessels, urging them to stay away from the Strait of Hormuz or face security risks, after Iran announced it had closed the waterway in response to what it described as a violation of the Lebanon ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/s9gt2wR157
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 20, 2026
Iran recloses Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli strikes on Lebanon EuronewsIran, the MoU, Lebanon and the potential Jolani/Syria intervention against Hezbollah Vanessa Beeley substack
‘You could’ve been the greatest’: Trump faces Israeli anger over Iran deal Al Jazeera
🇮🇱🇱🇧 Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir:
“We cannot stop destroying houses in southern Lebanon. We cannot stop, period.
We cannot allow the population of southern Lebanon to return. … We must continue to control the territory even if Trump disagrees.”
PSYCHO.
Writer: Samuel… https://t.co/uilzuQcgTV
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 17, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
Zelensky returns highest Polish honour after award stripped BBC
Russia says Ukraine attempted to strike remote Tyumen region, for 1st time since beginning of conflict Andolu Agency
Ukraine sees improved accuracy of N. Korean missile used by Russia Kyodo News
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Privacy Filter Market Size Is Set to Hit $3.38 Billion by 2035 Futurism
A city’s push for facial recognition on public buses ignites debate over security and privacy AP
Imperial Collapse Watch
Not so empty nesters: record-high number of US adults under 35 live at home, new data says Tne Guardian
Real leadership can save Penn Station from its homeless plague, Mr. President NY Post
Trump 2.0
Was It Worth It? The True Cost of Trump’s Iran War Council on Foreign Relations
The Oxymoron of Trump and “Intelligence” Doomsday Scenario substack
DOJ snubs judge’s demand on anti-weaponization fund, cites ‘serious separation of powers concerns’ The Hill
Trump’s 250-foot vanity arch may be just the beginning as White House seizes power to shatter DC’s skyline The Daily Mail
Musk Matters
Elon Musk and the trillionaire class test democracy’s limits Salon
Elon Musk Just Told Investors to Be (Really) Patient With Optimus and Robotaxi 24/7 Wall Street
Why odds of SpaceX merger with Tesla keep climbing every time the stock shoots up Fortune
Democrat Death Watch
Democrats must drastically change approach to gaining Latino vote | Opinion Sacramento Bee
Will AOC suffer the same fate as Bernie and RFK Jr. in the next Democratic primary? The Hill
Immigration
How Government Fines of $1 Million+ Are Increasingly Targeting Immigrants The Marshall Project
‘They have all the power’: investigation finds that 93% of ICE arrests targeted Latinos The Guardian
Our No Longer Free Press
Defining media is key to retaining freedom of the press Indiana Capital Chronicle
Paramount+ blocks FPF ad about Trump-Ellison censorship threat Freedom of the Press Foundation
Mr. Market Is Moody
Oil Prices Rebound as U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Are Postponed Oilprice.com
Trump ‘loves the inflation?’ Good News — there’s plenty more coming The Hill
Moody’s Sees 49% U.S. Recession Risk as Fed Faces Crucial Policy Test Internatonal Business Times
AI
Companies That Embraced AI Are Now Rotting Away in a Very Specific Way Futurism
Why Amazon hates ‘human-in-the-loop’ AI governance The Register
Why Anthropic Is Sounding the Alarm on the Next Generation of AI Council on Foreign Relations
Agentic AI Comes to Medicine Ground Truths substack
The Bezzle
Bitcoin Rodney enters guilty plea in $1.8B cryptocurrency fraud scheme Cryptopolitan
Health care fraud unit secures 6 convictions involving $1.1B in losses ECIKS.com
Guillotine Watch
The most expensive fish in the world pic.twitter.com/eJfW8GpnC5
— Viktor (@ViktorKlopp) June 19, 2026
Top 10 most expensive Koi fish. 🐠
Koi fish are pricey for their rare beauty, perfect patterns, and elite bloodlines, with some worth over a million dollars. 💸
🎥coralfish12g pic.twitter.com/BBmrhL2wuK
— Interesting World (@_fluxfeeds) April 14, 2025
Antidote du jour (via)
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
“Trump’s 250-foot vanity arch may be just the beginning as White House seizes power to shatter DC’s skyline”
Rumour has it that Trump plans to install a massive horizontal bar atop the Washington Monument thus forming an enormous ‘T’ – after which it will be renamed the Trump and Washington Monument. Ironically, the inspiration for this idea came from “The Handmaid’s Tale”-
https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/Washington,_D.C.?file=Handmaids_Tale_3x06_Washington_Mall.jpg
Rats! The link broke. Here is another-
https://dcist.com/story/19/06/28/heres-how-d-c-appears-in-the-handmaids-tale/
Johnson/McGovern report that a threat now exists from the Israel direction of full Epstein file spillage. Will Trump be gone before his arch can triumph?
This will be too late for the rest of us of course.
It is interesting that in his latest interviews DJT is sounding more like the old Trump who scoffed at DC/Versailles shibboleths. Clearly a truth bomb Samson Option is needed.
This is extraordinary even coming from Trump. Is it not widely understood that a triumphal arch symbolizes a certain military victory and pride in your armed forces?
Trump is in the middle of what is arguably the biggest military blunder in US history and clearly a defeat, and he thinks now is the time to build a giant triumphal arch.
Trumps Iran War = Biggest military blunder?
I view that Vietnam was a long term serial blunder, from the early 1950’s to 1972
Iraq/Afghanistan cost $8.8trillion, not even counting the loss of human life in those countries and went on for 20+ years.
Trump’s military blunder may help the average US citizen as fewer military adventures are justified by the USA’s “betters” in the future.
Trump’s Iran war may have a peace dividend as Israel’s wings are clipped.
Not that Trump planned for this dividend.
I thought it was obvious, then I should have written “strategic blunder.” Vietnam was a debacle but like Afghanistan or Korea nothing much changed globally.
In contrast, the Iran War, if it continues as is, will have profound repercussions for the region and the US which, if it loses influence over this crucial region, it will have a serious impact on the US economically and militarily.
The US signs terms of surrender in the Persian Gulf AND Keir Starmer resigns* [tomorrow] all in a few days.
Christmas in June :)
(*To be replaced by a new feckless drone in Burnham)
won’t be enough ships’ fuel to supply the current global commercial fleet.
JustDario
@DarioCpx
·
1h
Kind reminder: because there has been no demand destruction whatsoever so far, 3 weeks ago, Mercuria shipping head warned that starting from July, there won’t be enough ships’ fuel to supply the current global commercial fleet.
The only question is whether the remaining bunker fuel will be reserved for ship carrying vital products such as oil and gas or will be given to ships transporting junk meant for Amazon and the like. I guess that there will be bidding war between countries who need that bunker fuel for the ships that they charter for their on use.
ships transporting junk meant for Amazon
hey now, I love dual-wielding my $25.00 20v lithium powered hand chainsaws.
“Trump is so desperate to avoid an oil crisis that he still lets Iranian oil tankers sail out of it”
JustDario
@DarioCpx
·
2h
The Strait Of Hormuz is still shut by the IRCG
Trump is so desperate to avoid an oil crisis that he still lets Iranian oil tankers sail out of it
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is holding up today, but no chance Israel will withdraw
Clearly, Iran holds all the cards
Inefficiencies and lack of redundancy may amplify economic destruction, and in difficult to predict ways. We look to be in for a wild ride.
Re: Tulsi Gabbard story from National News Desk.
Is National News Desk a reliable source? Here’s an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry on NND:
“The program has been accused by Media Matters for America of airing COVID-19 misinformation,[11] inviting commentators from “anti-immigrant” organization FAIR,[12] repeatedly airing a National Taxpayers Union falsehood regarding the cost of the INVEST in America Act,[13] promoting efforts to counter inclusion of critical race theory in public schools,[14] and concealing interviewees’ support of Republican efforts to restrict voting while discussing election security.[15][16][17]
The National News Desk has distributed multiple stories based on videos manipulated by the Republican National Committee. In one instance, a video distributed by the organization purported to show American president Joe Biden soiling himself.[9]”
Here’s a link to Gabbard’s press release on the same topic
https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2026/4163-pr-10-26
I had to go and check on that FAIR anti-immigrant claim — whew, it was Federation for American Immigration Reform (never heard of it before) not Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (the FAIR I know).
Wiki is not always impartial about current politics or political actors. / ;)
It seems none of the main networks or papers covered this story. So it must not be true? Plenty of coverage about the algae in the reflecting pool which seems to be the hot story many are talking about. And of course that great new building in Chicago that just opened in honor of his highness St. O.
“market increasingly vulnerable to a short-covering rally…”
Ole S Hansen
@Ole_S_Hansen
Over the past seven weeks, managed money’s net long position in Brent crude has collapsed from a 7½-year high of 496k contracts to a 2026 low at 114k contracts in the reporting week ending 16 June, when prospects of a US-Iran peace deal gathered momentum and Brent subsequently tumbled 14%. The scale of the liquidation highlights how quickly speculative sentiment has swung from fears of a prolonged supply disruption to expectations of a sizeable supply surge once flows through the Strait of Hormuz normalise.
However, as highlighted previously, last week’s 45% reduction in the net long was driven primarily by aggressive short selling rather than long liquidation. Gross short positions surged to 231k contracts, the highest level since the pandemic, while long exposure remained relatively elevated. This leaves the market increasingly vulnerable to a short-covering rally should the expected supply recovery prove slower than currently priced, or if traders are forced to reassess what given the present situation constitutes a fundamentally justified crude price.
Note weekly COT data from the CFTC will be published Monday due to Friday’s Juneteenth holiday.
“Why Amazon hates ‘human-in-the-loop’ AI governance”
The Australien govt is also falling for this idea. A coupla days ago it was found that an algorithm was being used to see how much support was given to those accessing the aged care system. And once the algorithm had spoken, that was it and humans were barred from making their own judgements. They weren’t even in the loop. It raised an unholy row so now the govt has had to back down on that last feature-
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/concerns-over-governments-new-aged-care-algorithm/fma3whlgs
The article left me with the nagging feeling that the objectives of those AI proponents are twofold:
1) reduce human intervention in those AI-driven processes as much as possible, since human beings are slow and their performance is unsteady (as they are not robots) — and I suspect, because they are also expensive;
2) but keep human beings liable for the consequences of whatever those AI agents do — for after all, those human beings are formally in charge, hence responsible, to whom one deflect blame and apply a punishment in case of failures.
I wonder how much those AI gurus have actually read about how people work in organizations. They should know that simplifying steps, bypassing formal communication channels, or cutting corners is ubiquitous — because otherwise many organization’s processes would slow down to a crawl: that is why “work to rule” is an effective action. But unlike AI agents, people usually do not go about destroying everything just to fulfil a very specific goal. Which is also why the AI gurus are so interested in capturing the actual way of working of human employees so that they can “turn their workflows, domain knowledge, and accumulated judgment into AI systems that improve with each use”. But that presumes observing people at work, not people trying to corrall AI agents.
Precisely what that German court just did in finding Google liable for defaming lies in AI search summaries.
Another one.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240222-air-canada-chatbot-misinformation-what-travellers-should-know
And one of many links for the Google case:
https://www.wired.com/story/a-court-has-ruled-that-google-is-liable-for-false-statements-generated-by-ai-overviews/
If these sorts of decisions are upheld by top courts, it will end the externalization of the cost of AI producing false/wrong information.. (I hate personification verbs like hallucinating or lying).
Once companies actually have to bear the cost of the false information they will fundamentally change how much false information is released (unless they can find a workaround for the legal rule and so don’t actually bear the cost.)
The producer pays rule when it existed was a similar kind of incentive structure
I disagree. The German court held a corporation accountable for the content of its communication. The human in the loop is setting up a scapegoat to review AI decisions and hopefully catch them. It seems more like the danger from the Tesla ‘full self-driving’ trick, where it will switch to the driver just when things get confusing, requiring a driver lulled by inaction to respond suddenly. When the accident happens, the blackbox shows that it was the human driving, and the stats are thus systematically gamed.
“I wonder how much those AI gurus have actually read about how people work in organizations.”
The problem is that most of these AI gurus at the apex of the pyramid seem to be college dropouts who have never actually had to work for a living so they would have a place to sleep and eat other than a park bench in a secluded spot not patrolled by the police at 3:00 am. But that is also a general characteristic of 95% of the PMC, so the rot propagates itself up and down the chain. Now that the PMC is in the crosshairs, things are different…
RE: Companies That Embraced AI Are Now Rotting Away in a Very Specific Way
After describing the accelerating crapification caused by “AI”, there is this remedy –
“Going forward, a shift is clearly needed: employers need to figure out how to ensure that AI is only being used when it actually makes sense and adds value.”
Or, alternatively – hear me out here – maybe just not use the clankers at all?
Logically, the sentence you quote is perfectly correct, appropriate, and congruent with your suggestion: if AI does not make sense and does not “add value” (to whom?), it should not be used.
‘Going forward, a shift is clearly needed: employers need to figure out how to ensure that AI is only being used when it actually makes sense and adds value.’
The cynic in me reads that to say that if the AI screws up, that those employers will still hold those employees responsible for any mess made and not the AI’s programmers. As it is, they are being held responsible for where and how they use that AI.
But if Gov uses AI to auto decide welfare payments, for example, and also AI to triage complaints, then there is no recourse.
Reminds me of the good ol’ days trying to cancel AOL.
Michael Hudson says another depression is coming and if so won’t all this frivolity cease?
Back when aristocrats were even more of a thing they used to amuse themselves with machines designed to imitate humans. Then it was a mere parlor trick designed to entertain. Now?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_Turk
Of course in our service economy it is true that there are rote “bullshit jobs” that might as well be performed by robots. The replaced, however, may not care to starve quietly.
I cannot wait for the for the the Second Great Depression to arrive. I know there will be suffering, but suffering is what we need to fix things. And I will promote top the fullest capacity that I have the conversion of millions to socialism, co-ops, universal health care, etc.
People are suffering everyday right now and no one cares. I know because I see them, and I see them because I am one of them so I travel in those circles. The idea my small group has come up with is to get the language right, and when people are awakened by there suffering, we will be prepared to send a message that resonates and changes things. It is useless to speak now, the middle class still think they are temporally embarrassed millionaires. And most still have full access to their addictions that they can soothe themselves away from the dystopian reality.
Suffering is not bad, in fact, it is a functional part of our biology that teaches us important lessons.
Old 1934 movie directed by King Vidor. Made during the Great Depression.
Our Daily Bread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kznoAkSWGLM
The final scenes of the movie reflect the ideas of FDR’s New Deal program the Civilian Conservation Corps which started in 1933.
“I cannot wait for the Second Great Depression to arrive. I know there will be suffering, but suffering is what we need to fix things.”
I tend to see your apparent political message about the necessity of suffering as an endorsement of the status quo that has existed over the past 10,000 years.
Seems, to me, very far from revolutionary.
“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”
I don’t suppose ai companies would ever pay a ceo kickbacks for using their product.
“Democrats must drastically change approach to gaining Latino vote” archived:
https://archive.ph/C0vpO
“German chancellor criticizes EU budget proposal, opposes more debt”
It may be that Merz realized that Germany itself would be on the hook for much of any extra debt taken on by the EU. And as it stands, Germany has more than enough economic problems without taking on any more.
A controversy just erupted in Germany regarding the “hidden load” imposed on the German budget by the EU mounting debts.
It is estimated that till 2030, Germany will have to pay back its share of the EU debt amounting to €120b (it was €118b in 2025, and only €15b in 2021). That represents €1’437 for each person living in Germany. The total EU debt was already €800b in 2024, and will amount to €1150b in 2030, whereas only 5% of that money serve to cover EU programmes (the rest are credits to EU states, to Ukraine, to other extra-EU states, etc).
Zelensky is already asking for more before next winter…
Re; Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
Something to remember amid the furious howls:
Peace Through Strength: President Trump Launches Operation Epic Fury to Crush Iranian Regime, End Nuclear Threat
“Iranian-Americans are celebrating a new dawn of hope”
“Top lawmakers rallied behind Operation Epic Fury on the Sunday morning talk shows”
“Experts, commentators, and others are praising President Trump’s historic action”
“World leaders have expressed their strong support”
“Lawmakers across the political spectrum are backing Operation Epic Fury”
What a collection of names and quotes! Too bad they and their lifeboats are swiftly disappearing into the horizon while most of the passengers in steerage still haven’t the foggiest…
Chris Hedges has added his two-bits:
The Joke is on Us
“Trump has also been necessary to expose the plastic progressives, the liberal anti-Trump imperialists who, in their opposition to Trump’s deal with Iran, can only look like warmongering imperial psychopaths,” writes Nate Bear. “From all those sharing memes on social media about surrender, from the Democrats and CNN talking heads decrying the deal, to Jimmy Fallon dragging Trump for giving Iran back the money the US stole, there is no articulation of an alternative to endlessly bombing Iran. There’s no anger from liberals over dead Iranians, or at the imperial state, at Zionism or the embedded death machinery that made this violence possible. No, they’re just embarrassed for empire. And they don’t want to recognise the limits of that empire.”
Too early to give Trump credit for at least keeping us out of another “forever war,” but…
Trump is still stuffing things up for himself – and everybody else
‘Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be NO TOLLS after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!! President DJT’
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116784032456610294
Followed by:
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP
– ‘EU opens dialogue with Moscow’ – Semafor
Well, that headline certainly got my attention. Just click-bait apparently, even if it’s from Semafor. First of all it is neutralized in the second paragraph:
“The president of the European Council, comprised of member states’ governments, defended his decision to open diplomatic communications with the Kremlin after the leaders of France and Germany criticized the decision. The move is highly contested across Europe, where several countries want to crack down further on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.”
Here is the linked article from which this comes…
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/19/costa-defends-surprise-decision-to-open-diplomatic-channel-with-russia
… which begins by saying this:
“António Costa, the president of the European Council, has defended his surprise decision to open a diplomatic channel with the Kremlin to assess whether conditions exist for peace negotiations — a possibility his team concluded is not currently viable.”
“Not currently viable” because in addition to the objections of France and Germany you have vehement opposition from “Poland, the Baltics, and the Nordics” (surprise!) among others. Still, a worthwhile symbolic effort by Costa to remind folks what diplomatic sanity might actually look like.
“‘You could’ve been the greatest’: Trump faces Israeli anger over Iran deal”
It must really suck to live in the Golan Height’s “Trump Heights” right now-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Heights
The Israelis are really unhappy about that MoU and want the war to continue. But as they are not doing much of the fighting in it, want the US to do so for them. The US meanwhile has woken up to the fact that if they continue, then a worldwide Great Depression will ensue. But I don’t think that Israel is worried by that, most likely because they believe that Uncle Sucker will still pump tens of billions into Israel if this happened.
Lindsey is feeling crushed by possible Trump breakup letter.
…and when it comes to Uncle Schlemiel handing over tens of billions, the Israelis are almost certainly correct.
Almost three months ago, Conor Gallagher wrote a review of what was happening with those potential trans-African gas pipelines, the competition between Algeria and Morocco, and the imponderables of those huge (in physical dimensions and costs) endeavours. Now this article informs us that work for the TSGP is re-starting, but that many imponderables with those physically and budgetary huge projects remain.
Nakedcapitalism is truly a step ahead.
Oh, and the main gist of the article seems to be that this whole infrastructure will follow the old pattern: Africa exporting raw materials to Europe, instead of setting up a local industry (what about fertilizers?) to take advantage of that gas bounty.
‘Rizwan
@Rizwan_901
In China, two teachers are teaching static electricity in a fun way.’
China mass producing the next generation of punk rockers!
Yet another sector where China will trounce the world with its overcapacity!
Douglas Mackinnon at The Hill:
Conservative news aggregators have infuriatingly conflated socialism with communism forever. For The Hill to let Mackinnon do so is yet another example of how neoliberals keep their thumb on the scale of public opinion. “Socialists and communists” = “capitalists and fascists” imo. Casually linking economic systems to poltical systems is oligarch bafflegab for justifying their ongoing anti-socialist crusade.
Not sure why they are afraid of AOC. To get elected you have to make speeches. AOC has one of the least friendly voices I’ve ever heard in politics. 95% of Americans do not live anywhere near anyone who speaks like AOC does (extremely flat and nasal which slides into a whine very easily).
As our democracy matures (rots?) voters have learned to look past things like race and gender but it’s impossible to ignore a voice that sounds like an autotuned smoke detector alarm. There is no greater handicap in politics than to have a voice others find annoying.
Yeah, I’m not sure what MacKinnon’s motivation is here. He is, or at least used to be, an old school Republican who worked in the Reagan and GHW Bush administrations. If AOC gave indications that she would actually go all-in on the “socialist” economic agenda then she would certainly get the full Bernie treatment by the Democrat Establishment, not to mention face a full-on offensive by Wall Street and corporate America. If she sold out and gave them Obama-type reassurances in private, she *could* possibly get enough support by the Establishment for a nomination, simply because the Democrats have no one else at the moment. But she could not win a national election – no way. She would be easily demonized by the Republicans as a “woke” commie. And the fact that she is a Latina woman would not help in this regard. She would get the support of progressive Democrats but no one else; and most voters in the country are not progressive Democrats.
Pessimistic? Absolutely. Am I being *too* pessimistic? I’ve been watching this stuff for over half a century now. Whenever I think this, I always find out later that I have not been pessimistic enough.
I didn’t realize, this is for president, wowzers
No thanks.
Maybe AOC can work tirelessly for a ceasefire as well; I wonder if anyone in Gaza will be alive by then?
AOC is a fine actress. She learns her lines. (When she goes off script it’s not good.) She called Pelosi her political mama bear. / ;)
Yes, It’s all a cheap act. The kabuki theater of US politics has become so over-played and dumbed-down, it is downright boring and now even obnoxious. I can’t stand it anymore. However, it can be a source of some great tragic humor.
If she were smart, she would primary Schumer in 2028. She might be able to win New York if she ran the right campaign.
I agree she’s a loser for president in 28
I’d bet that she would first set up the run with DNC leadership and Schumer would retire. She’s not going to rock the boat without knowing she’s got a winning machine behind her. She can easily run and perhaps win in ’32 from a secure Senate seat. The Dems got nothing for ’28.
re: Ben-Gvir in a former life. / ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAKQqPr-ZKU
Ben-Gvir says Israel needs more Lebensraum.
Lapid says from the Nile to the Euphrates.
Thanks for the link.
Here’s the longer utube:
The origins of ‘Greater Israel’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8jIXA-LnM
And from Turkish public television TRT.
What is the ‘Greater Israel’ plan Netanyahu has been pushing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blc_F0_KrQo
And to add to historical irony: Friedrich Merz wants Lebensraum in Russia, und Drang nach Osten!
(Slavs, especially Russians are uentermensch)
“Ukraine sees improved accuracy of N. Korean missile used by Russia”
Yet another plus for the North Koreans getting involved with this war. Now Pentagon and South Korea planners will have to reckon with most of North Korea’s missiles getting an upgrade making them more accurate. And you can bet that they have been paying attention to how the Iranians fought this war and will apply those lessons in the peninsular. Suddenly those 80-odd US bases in South Korea do not longer seem to be so secure anymore, especially as all those antiair missiles got transferred out of the country to Israel.
Time for a rousing rendition of “The East is Red.”
Rejoice!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GndAiU2qoDI
If Trump really does want to establish a Cult of Personality, he should study how those wily Chinese propagandists did it. I see a lot of references to “the people” and general improvements in the standards of living in the Chinese example. Curiously enough, Carville was and is right; it is the Economy Stupid!
Stay safe. Prepare.
Trump already has a cult of personality. It’s of the père fouettard sort. His devotees love abuse and think it’s all part of the genius plan. Anything that goes wrong is Obama or Biden hangover, or Muslims and immigration. I’ve been around them for the past few weeks and they’re absolutely cultists. Trump is their god.
US bases in Korea are tactical problems.
US positions in Japan, Guam, PI are first priority, and nukes not needed.
I think it is important to keep in mind that Trump’s physical and mental deterioration is significant.
Confabulation is not a minor issue when it concerns POTUS, Trump may well not remember what he said or promised five minutes ago, let alone last week.
And there’s no one to keep him in check.
Susie Wiles is doing her best to “Manage” Trump…
Trump, who wants to dominate the World and everyone in it…good luck with that.
I expect to see more stupidity, more rage and more overt craziness from both Trump and his crew of ass kissers and nutjobs.
It’s going to be a right lively Summer.
The Revolution will not be televised, but it will probably be streamed. That’s why I expect to see soon a national law mandating biometric identification be required for access to social media and the Internet in general.
All Hail our glorious Social Credit Score!
Stay safe. Conform Citizens!
‘We are the Borg. Your technological and biological distinctiveness shall be added to our own. You will adapt to service the collective. Resistance is futile.’
Resistance is not futile.
Resistance R = voltage(V) / Current(I)
(old joke)
“(old joke)”
Wait, old? I can’t find it in my copy of Apuleius. Perhaps it is one of the Mysteries of the Esoteric Order of Dagon?
Stay safe and grounded.
https://www.rt.com/news/641858-trump-no-limits-power/
The ravings of a madman are normalized now, the sycophants who pose as journalists are doing a helluva job.
re: humour and politics
Conversation about humour and politics with Lauren Berlant, 2021
SUSTAINING ALTERNATIVE WORLDS: ON COMEDY AND THE POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION
A roundtable discussion with Lauren Berlant, Sianne Ngai and Alenka Zupančič
https://www.textezurkunst.de/en/121/sustaining-alternative-worlds-comedy-and-politics-representation/
intro:
Lauren Berlant, the scholar and cultural theorist, died two days ago. On this sad occasion, we would like to publish a conversation we had here with Berlant, Sianne Ngai, and Alenka Zupančič for our March issue on the topic “Comedy.” While working on that issue, we considered what it means to take up comedy right now, amid a global pandemic and following a year of urgent, far-reaching social movements and political events. Constructive disagreements abound, the conversation explores comedy’s relationship to trauma, to representation, and to capitalism, and the productivity of political satire and in-jokes is questioned. Despite whatever relief it might bring us, comedy may actually be the genre least effective in helping us forget our troubles – though, as this discussion shows, it is anything but unproductive.
“Why India Will Stick with America”
Boy, India really screwed up here. Just before the war they bolted themselves onto the US & Israel – only to see those two countries fail badly against Iran. The idea was to use the US to balance against China but now the US no longer has the weaponry to fight China itself. Add in all the US tariffs on India and Trump officials saying that they will never allow India to rise and the future is not looking good for India. Even worse, India has wanted to see themselves be the leader of the Global Majority but after their full fledged support of Israel’s genocide and US aggression, nobody wants to know them anymore. That’s a heckuva job, Modi.
0829 PDT
Israeli soldiers in Lebanon are free to take action if under threat, Israel’s Katz says
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-soldiers-lebanon-are-free-take-action-if-under-threat-israels-katz-says-2026-06-21/
Lebanese turtle conservationist Mona Khalil killed by Israeli strike
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwylx1vq18zo
A windowless concrete tower 40 stories tall on the China coast stacks 35-ton blocks to store a wind farm’s power, lifting them when the wind blows and dropping them through generators when the grid needs it, no lithium inside
https://www.autonocion.com/us/tower-china-wind-farm-power/
0834 PDT
Everyone Argued Over Whether the US Could Buy Greenland. The Island Was Never the Point — and a US Company Just Quietly Locked Up a Piece of What’s Actually Underneath It for the Next Fifteen Years
https://www.autonocion.com/us/greenland-rare-earths/
The UK Took the Reactor Graphite It Was Going to Bury for Millennia, Drove the Radioactive Carbon Off as Gas, and Sealed It Inside a Diamond That Now Trickles Electricity on a 5,700-Year Clock
https://www.autonocion.com/us/uk-energy-nuclear-waste-scientist-diamond-batteries/
A sodium battery station the size of 15 soccer fields is already feeding a Chinese grid, storing power for 12,000 homes with a metal 500 times more common than lithium that you scoop straight out of seawater
https://www.autonocion.com/us/sodium-battery-chinese-grid/
Hello COVID, is that you?
F.A.A. Investigates Near Miss Between Planes at Boston’s Logan Airport (NY Times)
Surely Covid, but also not enough air traffic controllers, and surely poor working conditions for existing air traffic controllers.
How long before some clowns decide to give AI a shot at being air traffic controllers? I mean hey, no time off, no calling out sick, bringing home life problems to work?
for all the other dads out there:
https://scheerpost.com/2026/06/21/fathers-and-sons/
Thank you. That is a fine essay.
Not sure where I saw this. I thought it was here in Links! But I don’t see it above.
https://sonar21.com/strategic-oil-reserve-nears-collapse-us-must-choose-guns-or-butter/
Says there is 9 days of oil in the SPR before the SPR is depleted to 20% level. At that level, the storage caverns start collapsing and can no longer be refilled. Of course that wouldn’t stop Trump, but the article doesn’t mention that.
Oh yes there will be a shortage of light distillates and the commercial truck fleet (grocery movement) will have to compete with the military (jet fuel) for them.
Larry Johnston makes a number of errors in his analysis of the SPR.
First is an error of composition, treating the SPR as a single storage entity when in fact the term “SPR” refers to four discrete entities. Larry lists each of them together with their rated capacities
Bryan Mound: ~166 MMB 20% minimum = 33 MMB
Big Hill: ~90 MMB 20% minimum = 18 MMB
West Hackberry: ~72 MMB 20% minimum = 14 MMB
Bayou Choctaw: ~44 MMB 20% minimum = 9 MMB
I have seen no information on the SPR that disaggregates present storage levels in each of the above storage sites. It is entirely possible that one or more is presently closer to the collapse level than the others.
The second error concerns the statement the SPR storage is divided into the categories “sweet crude” and “sour crude.” These are normally stored separately and are withdrawn as required and then mixed to meet a specific refinery slate; it is not known which of the above storage sites holds which category of oil and in what quantity.
The US produces primarily sweet oil which is refined to gasoline. The US lacks sour crude which it imports from Canada, Venezuela, and possibly Saudi Arabia.
Sour crude is essential for the production of diesel. Without it the cost of truck, railway, and airline transport increases. All the US aircraft operating in the middle east, and all the ships on station to block Hormuz, burn heavy distillates. To continue to maintain force effectiveness the US military may end up in a bidding war with G7 states seeking to ensure food delivery to their citizens.
Iran does not face this problem.
As various members of NC have stated: “It is going to be an interesting summer.” Buckle Up!
Just saw this in the Guadian
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/ng-interactive/2026/jun/21/american-racial-anxiety-white-working-class-rights
The Guardian is flagrantly engaging in divide-and-rule politics, and demonizing the white working-class, focusing on race and identity. The superficial treatment of politics in this article should be embarrassing, but after all Craig Murray said that the Guardian had become a mouthpiece for MI6 (and CIA). So I guess I should not be surprised. The Guardian used to be a working-class paper many years ago.
The negotiations have started in Switzerland with JD Vance on the mic…
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/us-iran-begin-talks-switzerland-112203950.html
The media drama about the Benny and Donny rift is likely exaggerated.
This looks like the US is setting up Iran to take blame for Hezbollah “causing trouble” . Instead of demanding that Israel withdraw from Lebanon immediately. Are these negotiations, just more dog-and-pony shows?
Tracy Shuchart (𝒞𝒽𝒾 )
@chigrl
·
1h
“near paralysis of dry-bulk commodity traffic” >>
More than Oil and Gas: Stranded Fertilizer Ships Reveal Another Side of Hormuz Crisis
The temporary agreement announced by the United States and Iran to end months of conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz does not mark an immediate end to a commercial disruption that has unfolded largely away from the spotlight that focused mostly on oil and gas.
While energy markets await the resumption of crude and LNG shipments, shipowners carrying fertilizer cargoes remain trapped in uncertainty, awaiting operational guidance on transit procedures and safety.
According to tanker-tracking firm Kpler, more than 40 fertilizer vessels carrying roughly one million tons of cargo have been stranded behind the strait since the US-Israel war on Iran started at the end of February.
As a result, weekly fertilizer exports through Hormuz plunged by 90 percent, falling from about 600,000 tons a week in late February to just 60,000 tons in early June, reflecting the near paralysis of dry-bulk commodity traffic. (Aawsat)
I would be nervous riding a tanker of oil through a war zone. I would be more nervous about riding a tanker of LNG. The term fertilizer is the only word I have heard for the Middle East product but I am pretty sure we aren’t talking about cow s**t. I would be down right afraid to ride a cargo of ammonium nitrate anywhere.
Curious about that Covid study re: metformin.
“Although the trial’s primary end point—the total prevention of all self-reported symptoms on day 180—did not meet the strict statistical threshold for efficacy, the results for medical diagnoses were substantial. The study found a high probability of benefit in preventing clinician-diagnosed Long COVID, which occurred in only 0.56% of those receiving metformin compared to 1.17% of those in the placebo group by the 6-month mark.”
I would not have guessed most clinicians could or would diagnose Long Covid at six months post infection–maybe that account for the super low numbers–1% of placebo group infected developed Long Covid? I recall numbers more like 10 to 30%, especially after multiple infections?