What Amish Country Can Teach us About The Future of Rail The Transit Guy
Wars trigger $12bn venture capital rush into defence tech FT
Climate/Environment
European countries close schools, cancel trains as heatwave set to intensify Channel News Asia
45°C (113°F) is possible Monday/Tuesday in parts of western France. That’s hotter than the current forecast for Phoenix, Arizona.
France is enduring one of the country’s worst heatwaves ever, due to its unprecedented duration, intensity, and extreme temperature anomalies. pic.twitter.com/5jl9thFAKZ
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) June 22, 2026
Utah wildfire forces evacuation of small town as extreme heat roasts US west The Guardian
What does it cost to air-condition a World Cup? Politico
Comprehensive national climate damage assessments framework applied to the UK Nature
Climate Migration is No Longer a Future Crisis, But Bangladesh’s Current Reality Pressenza
Ebola
Confirmed Ebola cases in DR Congo cross 1,000 as new infections recorded Anadolu Agency
Japan
Japan seeks G7 price floors to break China’s rare earth grip Asia Times
China?
China strikes back: Export controls hit 10 US firms, procurement ban expands to 46 companies First Post
Chinese Oil Imports May Never Fully Recover From Iran War Bloomberg
China Caught In “High-Technology/Low-Productivity Trap” Japan Economy Watch
Southeast Asia
Three reasons why a food-supply shock may be coming to Southeast Asia: Goldman Sachs CNBC
India
As India Gets Hotter, Clothing Adds a Layer to Caste Inequality The Wire
Syraqistan
Iranian delegation walks out of Switzerland talks after Trump’s latest threats The Cradle
In Switzerland, US-Iran agree on 60 day roadmap for final deal The New Arab
Israeli army won’t withdraw from occupied territory in southern Lebanon, defense minister says Anadolu Agency
Even If the Strait of Hormuz is Open, it Ain’t Open Larry Johnson
Are You Serious? You STILL Buy the “Trump vs. Bibi” Soap Opera? BettBeat
Graham on Iran deal: ‘I think it’s going to fail’ The Hill
Why Were Army Chiefs Of Lebanon, Bahrain, Turkey In Pakistan Days Before MoU Signing? Kathy Gannon
Massive explosion at Qatar industrial plant leaves dozens injured and missing TRT World
Old Blighty
Britain’s Energy Crisis Is Driving Manufacturing Offshore Oil Price
Trump says Starmer ‘will resign’ as he failed on energy, migration DPA International
Tweedledee New Left Review
European Disunion
Chartbook 452 Europe’s Machiavellian moment? Adam Tooze
The AfD Co-Leader’s Demand For Ukrainian Reparations To Germany Touches On An Important Point Andrew Korybko
🚨🇦🇱 BREAKING: Albanians tore down barriers at Kakome Beach in southern Albania, declaring that the country’s beaches belong to the people, not oligarchs
✊️🇦🇱As opposition to the controversial Kushner-Trump resort project intensifies, public anger is spreading over the… pic.twitter.com/GqSvlRmT8Z
— Anonymous TV 🇺🇦 (@YourAnonTV) June 21, 2026
Italy’s mafia problem has a new look, and it isn’t Italian Euractiv
UN Human Rightsghts Chief Opposes EU’s Decision To Dump Migrants Onto Return Hubs In Third Countries Tanzania Times
Africa
The Lucky Country
Australia signs $1.8bn radar export deal with Canada Al Mayadeen
O Canada
Please Advise! Why Did a BC Mining Company Hire Kristi Noem? The Tyee
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukrainian Drone Attack Kills Four Civilians in Crimea, Governor Halts Gas Sales Antiwar
Russia expects not implementation of Anchorage agreements, but victory — Kremlin TASS
US treasury chief urged Trump not to host ‘Mr Bean on crack’ Zelenskyy, book says The Guardian
South of the Border
Far-right millionaire wins Colombia’s razor-tight presidential election The Guardian
The Bautista brothers are convicted fraudsters who own the private off-shore company that manages Colombia’s voting software
Their company botched Colombian elections in 2014 and 2022, when 400,000 votes for Petro’s party went missing
Before any official tally, Trump and… https://t.co/DDxgXtxGOt pic.twitter.com/EMPrNWlrTt
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) June 22, 2026
US military attacks another vessel in Caribbean, killing two Press TV
Trump 2.0
When the Trump administration cracks down on Anthropic, who benefits? TechCrunch
How the Trumps seek to expand their real estate empire in Europe El Pais
Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career WaPo
Democrats Suck
Liberal Elites Promote ‘Abundance,’ But Democratic Voters Want Socialism The American Conservative
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
A city’s push for facial recognition on public buses ignites debate over security and privacy AP
The Accelerationists
Enough people have asked me about the Peter Thiel-Dialog story that I think it’s worth saying what it is, or at least what I saw it to be. So:
–Dialog is a conference. I went once in 2018 and once in 2022. No one ever asked me to keep it or my presence a secret.
–My…
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) June 20, 2026
Agriculture
Supply Chain
Aluminum’s War Shock Blunted By Dark Transits And Chinese Supply Bloomberg
Competing great powers, sanctions and the dark fleet Seatrade Maritime
Sports Desk
Iran hold Belgium to goalless draw as World Cup campaign gains momentum Press TV
Casino Nation
They looked like they were getting rich on Polymarket—but none of it was real WSJ
AI
Stop Saying Half of 2026 US Datacenter Capacity Is Canceled Semi-Analysis
Tesla plans to sell modular AI data center hardware called ‘Megapod’ Electrek
Daters say AI dependence gives them the ick Fast Company
Class Warfare
Congress is finally set to pass a housing bill: Here’s what it would do The Hill
Report: The States Where Corporate Landlords Own the Most Housing Governing
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“A city’s push for facial recognition on public buses ignites debate over security and privacy”
It must have been twenty years ago that I read that some American cities were installing open microphones in public buses. Why? Don’t know. But back then the Bush regime wanted to spy on everyone. This is just more of the same. New cars already heavily spy on their drivers and passengers and rat them out so perhaps the organs of security felt that there was a gap in coverage with those that used public transport. Enter cameras with facial recognition.
“What Amish country can teach us about the future of rail” is an interesting article. It shows an inexpensive way to improve rail travel in the USA. However, “the Lancaster model” failed to mention another reason why ridership is so high in and out of the Lancaster station.
Amish people love trains. Their religion and culture discourage automobiles and airplanes, but trains are OK. My wife and I have made many long-distance train trips and observed many Amish passengers. They are all dressed in black but they go for flashy suitcases, especially hot pink and metallic blue. They stick to themselves but we have managed to engage in conversations with some of them over the years. We learned that many Amish go to Mexico for winter vacations.
Alan Greenspan, Fed Chairman Through Prosperity and Crisis, Dies at 100 (NY Times)
A great believer in the fantasy of efficient markets self regulating. Greenspan did quite a lot of damage to Americans over 100 years. No more. But these ideas live on.