Lucid Dreamers Tried to Become Wolves. Some Say They Grew Fur and Felt Animal Instincts in a Strange New Study ZME Science. Watching too much Wolfwalkers before bed?
Climate/Environment
Massive chunk of sea ice has not refrozen in West Antarctica, satellite images show ABC News
Waterlogged tropical disturbance could soon flood parts of the South WaPo. “The amount of moisture pulsing across Earth’s skies set a record in 2024. Now, with growing potential for the strongest El Niño on record and new temperature records in 2027, those moisture levels — which are largely tied to increasing temperatures — are on the rise once more.”
The Merchants of Doubt are coming for Extreme Event Attribution science The Climate Brink
Ebola
Ebola Outbreak In Congo Yet To Peak, May Last A Year: Red Cross AFP
Pandemics
How long Covid’s scientific stalemate made it politically erasable STAT
The OMB and the Politicization of Science New England Journal of Medicine
China?
The risk here is that the current administration (and their defenders) confuse the reduction of the bilateral deficit with real progress, and ignore growing reliance on Chinese made inputs via third party markets. I worry about this a lot; Trump wants to claim a premature win
— Brad Setser (@Brad_Setser) June 16, 2026
This is China: The Heavy Price Paid for Overestimating Outlaw US Empire Power Karl Sanchez
China’s military mouthpiece PLA Daily cites SpaceX role in warning of satellite arms race South China Morning Post
Southeast Asia
EXPLAINER – Russia-ASEAN summit: What’s on the agenda? Anadolu Agency
Syraqistan
US Finally Capitulates with ‘Memorandum’ of Surrender Simplicius
The US and Iran Versions of the MOU Show Major Areas of Disagreement Larry Johnson
Former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe says Benjamin Netanyahu is about to release the real Epstein files in an effort to sabotage the peace deal.
He says the material would include never-before-seen material involving a majority of U.S. government officials.
He… pic.twitter.com/sqrgAQGf3r
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) June 16, 2026
Iran vows harsh response if ‘Israel’ does not halt Lebanon aggression Al Mayadeen
The Burning Borders – will Jolani’s Takfiri Forces Intervene in Lebanon? Vanessa Beeley
𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣’𝗦 𝗚𝟳 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗖𝗛: 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗨𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗪𝗔𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 DD Geopolitics. It’s not as though they haven’t been trying.
Israel moves to cement control over Hebron and Ibrahimi Mosque area New Arab
European Disunion
Government Changes Constitution to Prevent Viktor Orbán from Running Again Hungary Today
French spies break with data-analysis giant Palantir, wary of relying on US tech France24
Africa
Is France funding terrorism in the Sahel? Review of African Political Economy
O Canada
Canada to host new defence bank while major allies hesitate Canadian Affairs
Old Blighty
Emulated Silliness: The UK Under-16 Social Media Ban Countercurrents
New Not-So-Cold War
G7 promises to support Ukraine and sanction Russia in joint declaration Politico
Europe wants to force Ukrainian refugees to return home to fight The Mercenary Diplomat
Dutch military tests camp design for Russian war prisoners in Marnehuizen NL Times
Russian frigate fires warning shots in English Channel RT
Poland launches legal bid to reclaim Russian consulate as Moscow threatens “painful” consequences Notes from Poland
Imperial Collapse Watch
8 Killed in B-52 Crash as Second Military Aircraft Goes Down Within 24 Hours Military.com
Trump is forcing U.S. companies to manufacture more weaponry NBC News
21st Century Schizoid Man Aurelien
South of the Border
Cuba in Numbers: The Genocide of the Blockade in Numbers and Facts Cubadebate (machine translation)
Venezuelan Gov’t Signs Deals with General Electric and IMPSA to Boost Electricity Supply Venezuelanalysis
Brazilian Supreme Court Sentences Eduardo Bolsonaro for Instigating U.S. Sanctions TeleSur
Trump 2.0
Trump’s Family Crypto Firm Is Expected to Get Federal Banking Privileges NOTUS
Trump Plans to Protect Methane-Leaking Stripper Wells. This Billionaire Donor Will Benefit. ProPublica
Records reveal $600M estimate for Trump’s ballroom project, with half from taxpayers WaPo
White House Cancels 2026 OSHA Penalty Increases Confined Space
GOP Funhouse
Georgia runoff: Republican voters choose Trump-backed conservative to face Jon Ossoff The Guardian
Police State Watch
Feds charge 15 anti-ICE activists Minnesota Reformer
How to FOIA ICE Project Salt Box
FBI foils plot to attack White House UFC event using explosive drones, snipers France24
MAHA
How an Addictive Gas Station Drug Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet New York Times
Agriculture
USDA could face potential sterile fly shortage as screwworm threatens Texas cattle industry Houston Chronicle.
‘Elon Musk Should Have to Pay For This’: Trump Admin Says It Needs $1 Billion to Combat Screwworm Common Dreams
Sports Desk
AIRBNB’S LOBBYING CAMPAIGN MEETS RESISTANCE ACROSS WORLD CUP HOST CITIES Shelterforce
AI
The US Government Is Letting a Key Data Center Regulation Expire Wired
DOJ seeks to dismiss air pollution lawsuit against xAI data center AP
Healthcare?
Illinois hospital fully closes after last elevator fails Becker’s Hospital Review. Failed state.
Private equity dismantled West Suburban Medical Center and other area hospitals Chicago Sun-Times
Obama Legacy
Obama gets star-studded performer list for presidential center opening USA Today
Guillotine Watch
Supply Chain
Scarcity and Shock Propagation in a World of Nested Supply Chains Warwick Powell
Economy
Warsh Isn’t Delivering A Rate Cut—And Trump May Not Mind Forbes
The Bezzle
🚨 SpaceX just pulled off the greatest financial engineering feat of the century. In about a week.
Here’s everything that happened, in order:
– Folded xAI into a rocket company, turning “space logistics” into an “AI infrastructure” story overnight
– Priced the IPO at a flat… https://t.co/GfKgrgkh9h— Thierry from arvy 🇨🇭 (@ThierryBorgeat) June 16, 2026
Class Warfare
Nearly 1 in 4 US tenants fell behind on rent in 2025 Stephen Semler
Can We Automate the Safety Net? Can We Still Govern?
Selling one’s soul and saving it Dublin Review of Books
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
re: architecture China + Armenia
Jinling Art Museum / AZL Architects
2024
https://www.architecturelab.net/jinling-art-museum-azl-architects/
Guesthouse of the Armenian Writers Union
Sevan Lake, Armenia
Geworg Kotschar
1965
https://architectuul.com/architecture/guesthouse-of-the-armenian-writers-union
Re: 21st Century Schizoid Man
A great post by Aurelien about the PMC’s (and everybody else’s) growing detachment from reality. And cool reference to King Crimson.
However, schizophrenia (what Aurelien means) and schizoidism (what the title says) are two different things, though some say that they exist on a continuum.
Schizoids (like myself) have no hallucinations or delusions. We are very much anchored in reality. The problem is that we cannot engage with reality. The “schizein” of schizoids is not separation from reality, but separation between body and mind.
“The Burning Borders – will Jolani’s Takfiri Forces Intervene in Lebanon?”
Jolani may think that this is a great idea of having his Jihadist fighters go fight and die for Israel but the ground troops may feel differently. And Iran could let their own feelings be known here by sending Jolani a brief message with a set of longitude and latitude coordinates on it. And when resolved, shows it to be the exact location of Syria’s Presidential Palace. It’s one thing for Jolani to be chopping people’s heads off but I am sure that he is not willing to have an Iranian ballistic missile dropped on his own.
B-52 Crash
“We lost eight great Americans,” Hayes said. “This crash is deemed to be unsurvivable, and right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their loved ones.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the world rejoices that 8 Waffen US are dead and their murder-machine is no more. I will be keeping my thoughts and prayers for the little girls of Minab school.
Re: Feds charge 15 anti-ICE activists. Count 1, conspiracy, is the bulk of the indictment, and along with the charges against students in Michigan, shows just how silly it is for activists to rely on Signal. Never say anything to a phone you wouldn’t say directly to a cop. Counts 4 and 5 allege violations of 18 USC §2261, the text of which explicitly specifies intimate partners. It’s a domestic violence statute. Unless there’s more than the government is letting on in indictment, or I’m misreading things (or there’s case law applying this to police), these charges are government harassment and retaliation.
UFC* 86
Donald Trump versus Iran
2 Empires go into the octagon, one fades badly and cries uncle (Sam)
PPV(HD) $12,000,000,000.00
* Ultimate Folding Championship
Rumour has it that Pete Hegseth visited the Oracle of Delphi in Greece and upon return to Washington DC, was excited to report to Trump that they told him-
‘If you cross the Strait of Hormuz, a great empire will be destroyed.’
Rumour also has it that soon Pete Hegseth will be found sitting outside the Pentagon with his belongings in a cardboard box.
👍😂
re: French nukes
This is sort of funny.
French report plans for new gen. hypersonic nuke missile
https://www.defense.gouv.fr/dga/actualites/dga-commande-developpement-du-missile-hypersonique-asn4g-mbda
The report has about 4 lines.
The German blog reporting it, blows it up into an entire article:
(can´t machine-translate any more)
https://www.telepolis.de/article/6-100-km-h-Frankreich-baut-eine-unaufhaltsame-neue-Atomwaffe-11333267.html
What we know for sure: No technical details are revealed by the French. But the new technology is supposed to reach Mach 5 (Russians “WOOOW”) and it´s highly exclusive “only few countries have such exquisite knowhow.”
I am seriously impressed.
And of course it makes us so much safer.
“Venezuelan Gov’t Signs Deals with General Electric and IMPSA to Boost Electricity Supply”
I’m going to guess that all those mysterious explosions and sabotage of Venezuelan electrical infrastructure have finally come to an end. But if I were Venezuela, I would be extremely wary of US promises to boost their electrical output. After Iraq was invaded and their electrical infrastructure was wrecked, contracts were give to US corporations to restore the Iraqi electrical grid but year after year, it just did not happen.