Do birds enjoy flying? Phys.org
Salad greens scrutinized as cyclosporiasis outbreak spreads Stateline
Cacti spines, snake fangs, snail love darts – oh my! How function drives the evolution of nature’s puncture tools The Conversation
The banana as we know it is in trouble WBUR
Climate/Environment
US heatwave shatters records as wildfires fuel toxic air across North America National herald
Does your building have upgraded air filters? At these levels we see immediate increases in hospital ER visits and heart attacks, and most of that air pollution you breathe happens indoors. Strongly recommend MERV13 or higher, even better if it's a "MERV-A" rated filter which… pic.twitter.com/VyktaOm2xX
— Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen) July 15, 2026
Anyone for a train ride through Canada in the age of global warming?
Armstrong in Northern Ontario, Canada.
The crew are believed to have made it out safely. pic.twitter.com/kwCcjDZWYj
— Matthew Todd 🌏🔥 (@MrMatthewTodd) July 15, 2026
A Rare Atlantic Niña Emerges, Joins Super El Niño to Build an Atmospheric Shield for the U.S. Severe Weather Europe
New normal? The US has suffered a major power outage EVERY month of 2026 Electrek
Ebola
More health workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo exceed 2,000, including 754 deaths AP
Water
FEDS CUT BIG CHECK TO KEEP L.A.’S WATER PARKED IN LAKE MEAD Hoodline
Boulder City Council seeks to stop data center on BLM land Nevada Current. On the shores of Lake Mead.
The Koreas
CIA’s former Korea chief is now selling the country’s weapons to the U.S. Government All-Source Intelligence
Cargo trucks line up at China-North Korea border in trade surge Daily NK
China?
Trump’s Aides See China Cheating on Trade, But Shun Retaliation Bloomberg
Beijing pulls capital back toward the real economy CHINA POLICY leads
China’s War on ‘Lying Flat’ Comes for Companion Chatbots Gizmodo
Southeast Asia
Malaysia says it is investigating tech commune in Forest City run by ex-Coinbase executive Straits Times
Syraqistan
House defeats bid to end military aid to Israel as over 100 Democrats vote for it The Guardian
Trump’s Ex-Campaign Manager Is Running An Israeli Influence Operation Targeting the MAGA Base TIME
Iran says US strikes hit wheat silo, another site in Khuzestan Anadolu Agency
U.A.E. Rewarded With Coveted AI Chips for Supporting U.S. War in Iran WSJ
Exclusive: Iraq puts Lebanon’s Hezbollah on banking sanctions list New Arab
Iraq, US to unveil economic agreements worth $60 billion Iraqi News
European Disunion
VW Wanted To Save A Plant With Military Trucks. Qatar Had Other Ideas Car Scoops
The US base in Vicenza has become a start-up in the new war of robotics! Have CyberPunk and Terminator stepped out of the films as humanity’s nemeses? ComeDonChisciotte.org (via GeoPolitiQ)
Kushner’s luxury resort project in Albania gets embroiled in new scandal involving forged documents News am
Lithuania’s new PM says allowing Taiwan’s de-facto embassy was ‘maybe too brave’ Reuters
Old Blighty
Res Judicata and Extreme Unionism Craig Murray
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine to buy Chinese drone parts with EU funds FT
Zelensky To Sack Kiev Defence Chief Drone War Fails; EU Faces Gas Crisis Funds Kiev Buy China Drones The Duran
Kremlin “Passivity:” A Major Threat to the Future of the Russian Federation? Oliver Boyd-Barrett
Why Moscow Still Talks to Trump: Three Hypotheses on the Logic of Russian Diplomacy Kautilya The Contemplator
Moscow demands IAEA action over ‘terrorist’ killing of nuclear plant staff RT
South of the Border
French Company Suspends Shipments to Cuba Following U.S. Executive Order TeleSur. “Among the affected shipments is one containing more than 3.5 million syringes and needles for the healthcare system.”
US Navy SEALs Deploy to Trinidad and Tobago The After-Action Report
US to impose 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports DPA International
Brazil: Foreign Ministry warns of risk of US military action Plenglish
Trump 2.0
Leak: Rubio’s WMD Scandal Is “Far-Left Terrorism” Ken Klippenstein
House Republicans resurrect Save America Act by adding it to spending bill The Guardian
FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots ProPublica
RUSSELL VOUGHT IS USING THE PLUMBING OF FISCAL FEDERALISM TO CREATE A NEW PATRONAGE SYSTEM Notes on the Crises
As states absorb Medicaid funding cuts, family caregivers face financial ruin STAT
Democrats Suck
Jeffries Opposes Bid to Cut Israel Aid After Record AIPAC Earmark Sludge
Police State Watch
Trump reinstates ICE traffic stops after fatal agent-involved shooting Al Mayadeen
The Accelerationists
Trump quietly clears the road for Musk’s robotaxis Oligarch Watch
WORKER’S DEATH AT SPACEX FACTORY FOLLOWED HUNDREDS OF INJURIES IN RECENT YEARS Texas Observer
SpaceX stock hits all-time low, dips below IPO price Yahoo! Finance
The political economy of billionaire derangement Programmable Mutter
Antitrust
The FCC plans to rip up local TV station ownership rules Engadget
Imperial Collapse Watch
People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S. Pew Research Center
What If American Power Is the Problem? Dame Magazine
Dramatic video shows the U.S. Navy Blue Angels making a low-altitude flyover above Pensacola Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Navy officials confirmed in a statement that Blue Angels leadership is “reviewing the circumstances surrounding the maneuver and conducting a thorough safety… pic.twitter.com/ZUa1ryk4X8
— ABC News (@ABC) July 15, 2026
Hegseth Orders Mandatory Testosterone Screening, Optional TRT for Troops 30 & Older Military.com
FDA drug approval affects healthcare around the world, but political shortcuts could hurt the agency’s international reputation The Conversation
Critics slam idea to create US combatant command for robots Responsible Statecraft
AI
Winning the AI Pentathlon Requires Endurance RAND
Data center electricity demand is expected to drive up costs after recent power auction The Hill
26 Meta employees sue, alleging AI-driven layoff picks hit workers on medical and parental leave AP
AI Music App Suno Got Hacked, Giving a Glimpse of Just How Much Music It Scraped Gizmodo
What you hate about AI is the capitalism Grace Blakeley
Casino Nation
Breathing in hefty lungfuls of smoke as I get explosive diarrhea from salad, the sky turns apocalyptic orange while oil companies drill in protected lands, screwworms are eating cattle alive and the president just paid $6 million for rape. And I’m also able to bet on all of it! https://t.co/R1HhtzJrbP
— davey (@jerseyh0mo) July 15, 2026
“Liberation Day”
Democratic opposition over Trump tariffs complicates Russian sanctions push The Hill
Supply Chain
Airbus, Boeing fly parts on giant Antonov jet to ease supply snags Reuters
Class Warfare
The case for tripling union membership Economic Policy Institute
Wall Street Wants Your Baby Economic Populist
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“Cargo trucks line up at China-North Korea border in trade surge”
Looks like Xi’s personal visit to North Korea has paid off. North Korea has really come in from the cold and may be able to become a developed nation, especially if it can tap its mineral wealth. They withstood the siege by the UN that put their people on a starvation diet so soon that may become a bad memory. And with increased wealth, it is likely in the long run that their government will be able to be less restrictive as trade ties open up. Of course they will have to be wary of their balance of trade as I am pretty sure that they do not want to become to reliant on other countries and become vulnerable.