Links 7/25/2026

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1. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 7:20 am

   “Spain prepares for 47C heatwave as holiday destinations face brutal temperatures”

   Heard on the news tonight that Spain has had to declare a state of emergency for the first time ever in relation to a wildfire-

   https://www.voiceofemirates.com/en/news/2026/07/24/spain-declares-national-state-of-emergency-for-first-time-as-wildfires-force-mass-evacuations/

   Not just small villages under threat but large towns as well.

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   1. Ignacio July 25, 2026 at 8:34 am

      Yes. There are several fires around Madrid and this means mass evacuations compared with fires on the (nearly) empty rural spaces.

      Now I am in the Mediterranean and many here have seen the graphs with record temperatures in Mediterranean waters. The most important effect being that daily minimum temperatures are very high. Yesterday, where I am (Javea/Xabia) close to Cap de la Nao, the minimum was 28°C and I believe this must have been a record or very close to it. Climate change deniers increasingly look like ,(grilled) meat for the guillotines.

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   2. DD GE July 25, 2026 at 8:54 am

      We have a big one near Bordeaux, FR as well.

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   3. mrsyk July 25, 2026 at 9:19 am

      The fires in Spain and France sound scary. Tens of thousands flee fires in France, blazes merge outside Madrid, Reuters.

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   4. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 10:09 am

      I thought initially that what is needed is a EU-wide fire fighting service so that resources and personnel can be shared continent wide in case of emergencies like what is happening in Spain and France. Two seconds later I backpedaled furiously away from this idea for obvious reasons. Such a service would be under the control of Ursula van der Leyan or one of her minions and god knows what could happen here. Like with the present infernos, she might pull equipment & personnel from Spain and France and send them to Germany or Italy right now just in case they had the same sort of flare up there. No, better that they remain under national control.

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      1. cristobal July 25, 2026 at 2:49 pm

         It would probably be better if they were under national control, but in Spain it is partly national, partly local, partly regional – it is complicated and does not seem to be very efficient.

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         1. Ignacio July 26, 2026 at 4:53 am

            What is inefficient is the general management of rural areas and forests. We have already had 2 consecutive rainy springs resulting in grass and herbs overgrowth which is no matched by herbivore intake resulting in easily burning straws which make fires extremely difficult to control. Preventative control, gras cutting and management in forest areas is a demanding task that no one seems to take seriously. I have seen this being done this year in an area where last year a big fire erupted near Madrid indicating that certain municipality reacted in such preventative way. Yet, this should be extended to national level. Then we have the leader of VOX (far right or far idiocy party) saying that the fires are caused by “climatic fanatism”, god forbid this guy ever reaching government position.

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            1. vao July 26, 2026 at 5:58 am

               Discussing with (old) people who were active in the rural economy of yesteryear, forests used to be very clean: the underbrush was systematically cut down — to serve as animal bedding, as kindling, or as fertilizer (hacked and buried) — and the grass was eaten by all the sheep flocks or cow herds wandering around (and the acorns by pigs, which prevented somewhat a disordered sprouting of oaks).

               Nowadays, none of this is done, and landowners, municipalities, and the state are all reluctant to provide the regular outlays to keep the forests in shape.

               In a sense, this highlights the change in the economic system: forests were an asset that had to be maintained — and this activity, while arduous, provided a then economically valuable output. Nowadays, forests are an investment which is supposed to provide direct rent income (cutting trees, essentially) exclusively; keeping them clean is a pure cost without economic advantage, since the potential side output remains unused.

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2. Huey July 25, 2026 at 7:26 am

   Thanks for the cockroach movement update (also love the name). I think this really is an organic protest, unlike the ballyhooed ‘Gen-Z protests’ hyped last year (thankfully fizzling out after failing in Mexico). Time will tell, but I am very interested to see where this goes next, and what it eventually leads to.

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   1. thoughtfulperson July 25, 2026 at 10:47 am

      The conditions now present in India, I suspect, are much closer to the Arab Spring situation than Mexico City 2025. I would not be surprised at all to see more and more similar situations in any countries affected by current price hikes and shortages, including Europe and N.America.

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3. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 7:37 am

   ‘🇮🇷⚡️🇺🇸The Revolutionary Guard issues a warning: Immediately stay away from an area within a 500-meter radius of the locations where US forces are secretly stationed.’

   This could be a clever ploy by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. After issuing this warning, they could have their contacts on the ground report any area where the locals are suddenly giving it a wide berth which might be an indicator of a secret base there. It would strip away its human shields as well. A quick check of a few satellite images and other resources would tell the story one way or another.

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4. KD July 25, 2026 at 8:09 am

   OIL PRICE MANIPULATION IS UNRAVELING – w/ Philip Pilkington

   Very interesting discussion of the mechanics. What is unclear is who is placing these shorts on Fridays and Mondays with the ensuing losses? If its Treasury, then wouldn’t there be some FOIA process? If its private, how could they eat the losses, unless there was some kind of government payback, which also goes towards FOIA. With some pressure someone is going to leak.

   The problem now is the manipulation is transparent, you can just change the algos to ignore or down weight the signal, or if you have a lot of capital, just place big longs in times of low trading volume after the big short and just pick up the free dollars courtesy of the Treasury.

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   1. Yves Smith Post authorJuly 25, 2026 at 9:26 am

      It takes years to get a FOIA answer from the Federal government. And if they redact overmuch and you have to sue, it’s years more

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      1. KD July 25, 2026 at 9:49 am

         Yes, it wouldn’t be overnight, but there may be some interesting denials and possible leaks coming out with some pressure, especially as it unwinds. If Pilkington is correct (and it does describe what is happening on the future chart), then things will be far, far worse when it blows up than if the Administration had just let the market price mechanism reduce demand, rather then just blowing through strategic reserves. If it blows up, its hard to imagine this manipulation not becoming a big deal politically (although probably not on the order of Taylor Swift).

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         1. Rabid groundhog July 25, 2026 at 3:17 pm

            Lordy, 99.9% of the people would have no clue what he is talking about, and a fair number of those who might understand will not make it through a dense 45 minute video explanation, so it is already tough for oil price manipulation to ever become a big political deal. If by some miracle(like I.Q.s rising dramatically over night)it did start to gain attention, there would first be a campaign to demonize, punish, and silence the squealers and then a ready made mainstream media script of 30 second sound bites would be rolled out and repeated ad nauseum proclaiming what a good good thing(kept the market from “seizing up”, limited “windfall profits” etc., etc., etc. ) it actually was.

            And before you know it one of the major miscreants will be elected Senator from Arizona and eventually go on to be a presidential nominee.

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   2. AG July 26, 2026 at 1:51 am

      Ok, watched Pilkington.
      But does it really make sense that Trump is so erratic that he self-sabotages and blows up the plan to keep oil prices stable until after the midterms?
      Why should he do that?
      Because he is Trump? Irrational?
      I don´t buy that.
      Considering that everything else is highly rational or at least conscious.
      And as far as as I understood: that reduction of strategic reserves builds on the assumption that China will go back to importing 12M barrels.
      He mentions that the RUs are going to sell oil to the Chinese.
      Isn´t it possible that the RUs are intervening with higher export to stop the fallout Pilkington predicts?
      It appears there are many variables of power which we cannot know much about.
      My 2 very little cents.

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5. Huey July 25, 2026 at 8:35 am

   Whenever I read about social media, it reminds me a lot of Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen), in particular, the line:

   “Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly”.

   I’m about halfway through the article on ‘hot’ middle-aged AI women on IG, and they are not hot. I am sure that, even before AI & social media, hollywood has poisoned people’s self-perception. “Jennifer” and “Isabelle” make my skin crawl, and yes, part of that is AI’s uncanny-valleyness, but it’s also uncanny because that’s the machine-generated version of flesh-covered Barbies.

   I get to meet a lot of people through my work, and I can say for a fact that real middle-aged (even 60+ years old) hot women do not look like that. I do understand that a lot of self-esteem rides on appearance (and my sex is just as guilty of this) but there is really nothing wrong with (and I also much prefer, compared to medically altered options) a loose tummy/age lines, etc.

   I’m not saying people shouldn’t try to eat well and stay physically fit, but the majority of persons I know who live a healthy lifestyle don’t have skin that sticks to them like a newborn’s, still have some muscles that look ‘flabby’, and still have a convex abdomen. They’re just not overweight.

   Also, I know I’m not the only one who appreciates a little fluff. Healthily slim women are atrractive, but with emphasis on the healthily. If I had to pick between the walking anatomy models I sometimes see on cable, or an “apple-shaped” woman, the choice is easily the latter.

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   1. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 8:47 am

      You wonder how many women that follow these supposed women think straight off that what they need to do first is to divorce their husbands. Doing so will set them free and then they can concentrate on getting their youth back again – by buying those products. You know that it is going to happen.

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   2. Samuel Conner July 25, 2026 at 9:13 am

      > “Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly”.

      I was told, years ago, that images of female models in print media are often digitally modified to make the models appear thinner than they actually are. The speaker’s point was that the ideal of feminine beauty being popularized in media was one that does not actually exist in nature.

      —

      The most fantastic people I know are quite ordinary in outward appearance. But they are magnificent in the quality of their character.

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      1. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 9:26 am

         I saw a YouTube video about ten or fifteen years ago showing what they do with the images of female models. A team would calmly discuss lengthening the models legs and instantly it was done with a program. Then they had the software make the model’s face more thinner, her boobs a bit larger and so on. By the time they were finished you would hardly think that it was the same model as they had changed her up so much.

         But this sort of cheating as been going on for decades in these magazines. There was one example I remember that had a recipe with an image of bits of toast floating on a broth. Housewives would drive themselves crazy trying to replicate it, not knowing that in the original image, they stuck toothpicks in blocks of cheese and on top they stuck those bits of toast before filling the vessel with broth up to the level of that toast. Also, the reason that their roast meat was so glossy was that it was sprayed with hairspray.

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         1. Samuel Conner July 25, 2026 at 9:48 am

            The “cheating” character is objectionable, but even more objectionable is what seems to be the motive — by creating widespread anxiety about appearance, it promotes consumer expenditure on products that purport to help people approximate the portrayed ideal of beauty (an ideal, it’s important to emphasize, that does not actually exist in nature.)

            If only people exerted themselves to manifest beauty of character as much as they exert themselves to be outwardly beautiful. That would be a very different world.

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            1. Polar Socialist July 25, 2026 at 11:54 am

               Cuba, I’ve been told, has been a great opportunity for researchers as it has lacked modern advertising industry for decades resulting in a pretty healthy self image for women. Now, as it is slowly opening up, younger generations are experiencing more self doubt and self criticism.

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         2. Martin Oline July 25, 2026 at 4:24 pm

            Rev’s description of the toast floating in broth reminds me of a Klibran cartoon from the book Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head titled Merchandising. The panel shows a rabbit on a shelf strewn with pellets. A sign advertises “Raisins 5 cents.”

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      2. Darthbobber July 25, 2026 at 4:09 pm

         With distance running specialists (10k, marathon), the firm I worked for used to do the opposite. We’d use a ratio that widened them just a tad relative to their height, to make them marginally less skeletal.

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   3. jefemt July 25, 2026 at 9:57 am

      Interesting. Observation, and comments.
      Why do women/ marketers/ socio-economic systems seem to not objectify men…
      If it is 5% to 95% ratio, I would be surprised…

      Humans continue to dazzle me.

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      1. Bugs July 25, 2026 at 10:15 am

         There’s a reason they’re called “the fairer sex”. Women are subjectively seen as more beautiful to majorities of both men and women.

         https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/27/women-faces-rated-more-attractive-study

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      2. Huey July 25, 2026 at 10:42 am

         I’m not sure why you think the ratio is so lopsided. I don’t know the extent to which this particular phenomenon is measurable, but men very much have an ideal they are similarly told they ‘should’ fit. While there is some leeway, (you don’t need to look like Timothee Chalamet or Hugh Jackman), one should at least aspire to be Chris Pratt-adjacent. There is already more than one feature in this ideal that’s suggested, but in the the interest of brevity let’s stay on pure body physique. Suffice it to say, I can’t think of anyone in the form of Peter Griffin, being put forth as someone desirable.

         As was mentioned by others, as well, there is the known viagra fad (still going on, though somewhat diminished), the testosterone obsession, and now ‘looksmaxxing’ (not necessarily limited to men, but I am no expert), where apparently hammers to your jaw can do the job of the plastic surgeon. I sincerely doubt that these trends would have so much energy behind them if, I’m really not sure what you mean by a 5%, relative objectification, but if there was not a pressure on men to make up for a perceived lack of attractiveness.

         Let’s take The Most Interesting Man in the World, even. Physically, he’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he’s The Most Interesting Man in the World, replete with his own private jets, horse ranches and probably his own F1 team. There is a spate of depression/maladaptive behaviours in men now, because this socio-economic expectation of them is too out of reach in this age when all college affords you is the fast food you can eat in between your dead-end shifts, assuming you’re not still waiting to hear back from interviews after two years of applying.

         I have a lot of patients with depression who delayed seeking help because persons told them “well other people have it worse, so why complain?” I am 100% sure that thousands of people have it worse then my most traumatized patients, but that doesn’t make their circumstances any less painful. I don’t believe we should ignore, or minimize, harmful practices, even if only 1% of people are affected by them. It may be idealistic, but in my opinion, it is not helpful to argue that one group of people have it worse, when the circumstances in question affect more than that group of people.

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      3. cfraenkel July 25, 2026 at 12:28 pm

         They objectify men at least as much. It’s just using different measuring sticks. Size of bank account, cost of car, tailored suit vs torn work garments, more importantly…. how many minions you can boss around.

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      4. Lefty Godot July 25, 2026 at 1:58 pm

         You would only believe that women don’t objectify men if you didn’t look at the covers of romance books (and read the marketing blurbs for them). In the most sexually explicit (or “spicy”) ones, you get a picture of a very toned, bare male torso (until recently the head was outside the picture, cut off by the top edge of the cover) with flat stomach and noticeable biceps and chest muscles. More recently you might see a face over this hunk of muscle mass, usually resembling some generic movie star, either “pretty” or “tough” looking to the buyer’s taste, apparently. The less sex-coded covers with male and female characters always show the male noticeably taller than the female and obviously youthful and in very good shape. The blurb often refers to the heroine’s male love interest as “gorgeous” and often he’s “dangerous” too. The objectification is not to lead to quick sex with no strings attached, as in male wish-fulfillment fantasies, but to the woman “taming” this stud to be her faithful sex machine in the bedroom and dependable, loving parent to and protector of the children she pops out as a result of all the “hot” stuff. It’s totally unrealistic, just like the male fantasies are, but not regarded with the same opprobrium as the male version, because women are inherently and unquestionably good and all their fantasies are healthy and (from their standpoint) respectful of the male they objectify. And they will absolutely swear that they are not Essentialists as they tell you this in so many words. Romance is undoubtedly the most popular literary genre and has been for decades.

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      5. AG July 25, 2026 at 9:25 pm

         1) I would advise everyone to watch international womens soccer.

         It was instructive during the most recent Womens European Cup how similiar female and male soccerplayers move, act, look like.

         They even give the same dumb interviews. They behave in the same dumb manner after winnig a game. They have the same primitive features when in “battle”.

         But their play, their skill, the on-field behaviour – it is all identical. In the best of ways and worst of ways.

         Or take a look at photographs of e.g. movie actresses until the early 1990s when there is still some likelihood of a natural, “authentic” impression.

         Compare pictures of later stars with when they were young greenhorns and unknown.
         Women and men look the same: normal and pretty similiar.

         https://www.imdb.com/de/gallery/rg2962529024/mediaviewer/rm4227575041/?ref_=nm_c_ecw_ladies80s_c_cta

         2) As to the testosterone trope: Look at men until the 1970s and compare to what became fashionable according to the PR-industry after that.

         One particularly influential factor was the rise of performance-enhancing drugs invented/discovered in the 1960s for elite sports.
         They became standard in sports in the 1970s. More in the East than in the West. But both sides used them.

         Eventually knowledge about it beyond sports circles spread in the USA via the GDR and some individual chemists who were also intersted in bodybuilding in the US.

         So by the 1970s these products slowly took over not only sports but also the beauty industry.
         Eventually the porn industry.
         And thus found their way into Hollywood.

         3) The history of disciplining the female body over the last 2000 years has shaped textiles, dress styles, the entire textile industries and cultures. Everything. From underwear to shoes to hats to gloves. Not to mention make-up and the history of beauty products. (Incidentally for both sexes.)

         If we exchange comments here about how formative the geopolitical position of Russia or Iran/Persia has been for the cultures of those societies over centuries – why should that not be true for dress codes, minutes of behaviour and role models for the sexes today?

         Which is one of the main causes why “woke” has become such a bone of contention in a relatively short time period. Suddenly certain details are questioned which have been seen as part and parcel of everyday life and self-image over centuries if not millennia.

         Add to that the increasing sexualization via advertisement industry exerting more and more influence on our lives today. And eventually everything we regard as given by nature in reality turns out to be a giant superstructure.

         Is any of the sexes more “attractive”? Or attractive at all???
         Go to a nude beach and judge for yourself.

         What you will see in broad daylight are mammals however with unusually efficient and developed brains and hands.

         Everything else is projection, fashion, fantasy, industry.
         Or “capitalism” if you will.

         p.s. How much we are not used to normal bodies and normal nudity any more we may witness with old movies where actors/actresses were often naked in a way mostly unthinkable today. Can this be turned back? Maybe not.

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   4. JP July 25, 2026 at 10:50 am

      Neoteny is the term for retention of juvenile characteristics in adulthood. This occurs across many species. Males apparently really want to mate with adolescents. That is, the sexually budding. Human males will mate with children because they can’t smell the difference.

      This tendency offends most people and yet the whole fashion and cosmetic industry is built around it. Women do not want to think or admit that they are totally vectored towards enticement but that’s a fact. This is a strong evolutionary axiom even though everyone’s chemistry is plays it to different degrees. So, no mater what your mind says, if your vagus nerve stirs when passing a high school it’s to be expected.

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6. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 8:43 am

   “Omnibus wankers and Britain’s only pensioner”

   ‘Vox pops in the BBC’s coverage of Burnham’s bus fares policy and VAT cuts highlight the problems with attempting to represent the public’s view on any given issue.’

   The worse example I saw of this by the BBC was two years ago when Starmer cut the winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners, probably so the money saved could be sent to the Ukraine. For those pensioners it was not so much a case of Go Die! as Go Freeze! So the BBC did their bit by coming out with an article featuring vox pops of well-off pensioners saying that they didn’t need the money or that they just ended up giving that money to their grandkids. It was sheer bastardy on their part and was just the BBC trying to help Starmer out. He soon had to do a u-turn on this but I never forgot the BBC’s part here.

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   1. paul July 25, 2026 at 8:59 am

      The bibi-c approach is editorial line first, then find those that support it.

      I remember a huge protest against the launching of the second gulf war, completely flooded the city centre, with plenty of great stump speakers like gorgeous george galloway and tommy sheridan.

      BBC crew turned up long after the crowds had gone home and proceeded to ask drivers how strongly they felt about the disruption caused to their transport.

      Their enquiries fell on pretty stony ground, but that didn’t prompt them to adjust their line of enquiry.

      Anyone not there would have been none the wiser about the scale of the congregation or even its reason for occuring.

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7. Yves Smith Post authorJuly 25, 2026 at 9:23 am

   Uh oh:

   Iran vows continuous strikes until enemy surrender

   The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said continuous and targeted fire by Iranian fighters will continue until the enemy’s complete surrender.

   — Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) July 25, 2026

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   1. mrsyk July 25, 2026 at 9:30 am

      Iran’s turn to dictate the pace.
      Up the ladder we go.

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   2. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 9:33 am

      Actually this is a smart development by Iran. In the past Trump would go at it until he decided to call time out and Iran would go along with it. This has happened a coupla times going back to last year’s 12 day war. Then Trump would go at Iran again after a break and weapons were replenished. But now they are teaching Trump that when he starts attacking Iran, that he does not get to have a say when these latest battles will stop and it will be up to Iran to call time out. And in the meantime the US continues to use up their weapons stocks because they now have no choice.

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      1. Yves Smith Post authorJuly 25, 2026 at 12:28 pm

         Oh, I agree this is smart. It may also be that Iran in its game of rope a dope has realized the US is fatigued enough that the time has come for some real punches.

         But Trump will go absolutely nuts if Iran becomes the driver of events. He’ll try to pretend otherwise in the info space but one wonders with what success.

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      2. AG July 25, 2026 at 4:42 pm

         long overdue

         In fact Jacques Baud who is no militarist unlike say Martyanov, suggested already in February I believe that were he Iranian he would not stop until USA/ISR´s definitive official defeat.

         Meaning: He would attack them beyond the point of official retreat.

         As he put it: Beyond the point where it “hurt.” With only one possible outcome: Chasing the US out of the Middle East.

         I found that pretty straight forward for someone who when on a panel in Germany with NACHDENSKEITEN audience ca. 3 years ago started to cry while speaking about his family members who were shot by Germans because part of Résistance.

         And Baud has been studying terrorism, Israel and the MidEast for decades. His utter contempt for Israel has become of a kind that he even articulated it with Nima in several episodes a year ago already. While he articulated some understanding as a military professional in the past vis-á-vis Israel. That has entirely vanished.

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   3. Samuel Conner July 25, 2026 at 9:36 am

      The thought occurs that US threats of escalation (perhaps aimed at managing domestic perceptions more than influencing the adversary) in the context of widely recognized limits on standoff munition “magazine depth” might have been a mistake. Likewise with rhetoric about the adversary’s desperation to reach a deal to end the conflict.

      The old proverb comes to mind about it being better to remain silent and thought to be fool.

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   4. Tom Stone July 25, 2026 at 10:00 am

      Iran has agency Hoocoodanode?
      I’m guessing Trump’s reaction will be “That’s NOT FAIR!
      Followed by a tantrum.
      I wonder who he will take his frustration out on?

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   5. Peter Steckel July 25, 2026 at 10:30 am

      “Uh oh” is right. My one connection straight in to the heart of Crystal City / the Pentagon indicates – not via direct conversation but through attitudes displayed in related conversations on topics close by (I would never jeopardize his security clearance by sending him direct questions on sensitive topics) indicates the top brass still believe we are forever in 2003 militarily and in terms of production.

      My very real concern is as the US appears more and more trapped in terms of its ability to dictate the terms on the battlefield, that using nukes becomes more and more of an only option left. One nuke won’t change the battlefield situation and dozens would just start a series of issues that would end all world trade/life as we know it.

      this will not end well for anyone, sigh.

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   6. ISL July 25, 2026 at 2:01 pm

      Aka, the Russian approach, but with no (political) constraints on where targets can be hit.

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   7. Oregon Lawhobbit July 25, 2026 at 6:09 pm

      Iran’s president should send Trump one of those office plaques that read, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”

      Or perhaps the Iran Lego Team should incorporate it into a video….

      More seriously, Iran needs to insist on a formal surrender document this time, none of this “MOU” stuff. With luck, there’s still time to reserve space at Versailles.

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8. Ignacio July 25, 2026 at 9:49 am

   Chaotic sanctions negotiations expose cracks in EU front versus Russia.

   The inability of the European political castes to realise the failure of sanctions to it’s 21st idiotic package needs more attention than the chaos this article signals. This is taking the shape of a political disease which nobody seems to be taking seriously enough. I have read a few explanations on this failure from different sources with different political approaches. Garden vs Jungle supremacist ideas coupled with extreme Russophobia are themselves enough to explain the road to the 21st but the general inability to explain the failure and yet double down on idiocy should be seen as a worrying symptom that some generations of Western pundits have become more Quixotic that the very same character in the novel. When you use everything to delude yourself from the realities of the world it is you, and non other, who is having a worrying problem.

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9. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 9:49 am

   “5 Raw Quotes From America’s Largest Raw-Milk Dairy Owner”

   This man belongs in prison. He acknowledges that he gets kids sick but that is a price that he is prepared to make – and blows it all off. He will end up killing someone one day. And if one day he does get sent to prison, he should share that cell with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. so that he can spend the next coupla years telling him all about the benefits of drinking raw milk.

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   1. Jacktish July 25, 2026 at 11:57 am

      Sorry, but I consider this just a hit piece with no intention of actually examining pros and cons of raw milk. The reporter did her investigation with her mind already made up and what a surprise! Raw milk is evil. What’s wrong with those 10 million people drinking it anyway, are they crazy?

      Meanwhile, people are getting sick from cyclospora, so when are we going to ban iceberg lettuce?

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      1. Yves Smith Post authorJuly 25, 2026 at 12:26 pm

         Bullshit. The author did consider it. There is no evidence of health benefits from raw milk. I challenge you to provide some. Raw milk is not more bioavailable than regular milk. It does not prevent allergies. It does not cure lactose intolerance, It does not contain special probiotics.

         Tasting better does not = more healthy. If tasty = health, Cheetos and high fat ice cream would be healthy.

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         1. Peter Steckel July 25, 2026 at 2:32 pm

            Well, it may help to exercise your immune system (ducks). That said, for all “we” laugh at some of the theories of the ancients, we sure do have our own. No wonder the gilded age hated Thurston Veblen so much, he showed a mirror to them as just being the predators in jewels they were . . . just as we are generally ignorant, sigh.

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            1. Yves Smith Post authorJuly 26, 2026 at 1:29 am

               That is a nonsensical claim. If this were true apropos raw milk, To the extent the hygiene hypothesis is true, it applies to bacteria. The bacteria in raw milk are not probiotic and do not help the biome.

               Bacteria found in raw milk are not probiotic. Probiotic microorganisms must be non-pathogenic (Teitelbaum and Walker, 2000). In contrast, raw milk can host various human pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Streptococcus spp. Yersinia enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Coxiella burnetti to name a few (Oliver et al., 2005; Hayes and Boor, 2001).

               Probiotic microorganisms must be of human origin in order to have an impact on human health (Teitelbaum and Walker, 2000). Bacteria present in raw milk are from infected udder tissues (e.g., mastitis causing bacteria), the dairy environment (e.g., soil, water, and cow manure), and milking equipment. High bacteria counts in raw milk only indicate poor animal health and poor farm hygiene.

               https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/raw-milk-misconceptions-and-danger-raw-milk-consumption

               Reply ↓
               1. vao July 26, 2026 at 6:06 am

                  In my childhood, I heard enough warnings about getting brucellosis from raw milk or fresh cheese made from raw milk. Caused by yet another bacteria too.

                  Reply ↓
      2. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 7:05 pm

         I submit what this guy actually said-

         “I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital, and they have been sick, but they recovered. … But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer. And I’m going against the grain here. I’m climbing a mountain they say you can’t climb.”

         Not all recovered though so far-

         ‘One of the children affected was 7-year-old Chris Martin. After about a month of drinking raw milk, he fell gravely ill with a dangerous strain of E. coli, known as O157:H7. Chris suffered permanent kidney damage. Now 27, he can’t drink alcohol and will spend the rest of his life under a nephrologist’s care because of his elevated risk of chronic kidney disease.’

         Reply ↓
      3. IM Doc July 25, 2026 at 8:56 pm

         I will insert life experience here.

         My family and I live in an area where there are multiple dairy farms that sell raw milk. I would say there is a difference in having this type of product delivered to your home and our experience of being able to drive right up to the location and being able to walk all around the facilities to inspect with your own eyes the product as it is being made. The place where we buy it is as clean as they come.

         I listen to a lot of patients talk about raw milk. I hear people talk about pasteurization and its seeming ability to remove the taste and some of the nutrition from the milk. I cannot taste any difference – nor can I find any well-done medical literature to support this assertion. My feeling is the pasteurization argument is not based on reality – but most people are not all that concerned about this aspect. They are mostly concerned about the addition of chemicals and hormones into the milk during the processing – and or present from how the cows are fed/maintained. That is at least understandable. At least in our area, pasteurized milk free of hormones and chemicals in the grocery store is hideously expensive compared to the raw milk at these dairies. I am afraid that is just living in America right now.

         All that being said – I would never recommend to my patients the consumption of unpasteurized milk. I guess the life experience of taking care of multiple patients with E. coli 157 in my life does raise one’s eyebrows. Not to mention a patient with Brucella endocarditis who ended up with heart valve replacements at age 32. It gets your attention.

         Our family buys fully pasteurized milk and dairy products from these farmers – we know the source and we like to support our neighbors. They do not use chemicals and hormones. They sell raw milk and they sell pasteurized milk. There is one thing however that we do get raw…….and that would be the cream we use to make butter. And butter only. You can certainly use pasteurized heavy whipping cream in the grocery store to make butter……however, cooking wise, it is a profoundly inferior experience with both taste and utility. But I would like to make a point very clear…….the conversion of cream into butter in our house is done the way it has been for time immemorial. It is fermented for several days at room temperature using a good dose of last week’s buttermilk and all the organisms therein. Once fermented for a few days, it is then churned ( actually beaten heavily ) and separated into butter and buttermilk. My kids and I start off every day with a very cold glass of buttermilk – it is one of the gifts we as humans have been given. The organisms in the buttermilk are like Godzilla to the toxic organisms in raw milk that cause human problems. Generations upon generations of humans have laid down this experience over the eons of time. You do not get sick from the butter or the buttermilk processed in this fashion. And the buttermilk organisms have their own awesome benefit for our health. Again, this is the ONLY raw anything dairy we use. The butter made this way is incredibly tasty – and the things like bread you make with it are much improved as far as texture, etc. There is a noticeable difference in taste in things like scrambled eggs and sautéed onions/potatoes, etc compared to regular store butter. This method was taught to me by my great grandparents and this is exactly the kind of thing that is becoming a lost art among so many pre-industrial activities. I would like to reiterate again – this is butter only – done exactly the way it has been done for generations to prevent bad bacteria. I would NEVER dream of using raw cream for something like whipped cream or ice cream or coffee cream. And for God’s sake – making cheese or cottage cheese from raw milk actually concentrates these organisms and really increases the risk. Brucella melatensis infections are now endemic in Latin America and even our Southern tier because of the use of unpasteurized goat milk to make cheese.

         Reply ↓
10. tet vet July 25, 2026 at 9:53 am

    1. According to NO 1, the US now has all of its KC-135s (total = 100) in Israel (High Confidence/5 sources)
    2. Our military in the ME is solely dependent on air power
    3 We cannot utilize air power without KC-135s
    4. Israel is a very small country, all of which is within range of Iran’s missiles.
    5. Israel has only two refineries for jet fuel, both of which are within range of Iran’s missiles.
    6. No sane person would continue the war given this fact situation.

    Reply ↓
    1. jefemt July 25, 2026 at 10:01 am

       I think sanity may not be in the picture.
       And it appears the psycophants and sycopaths are content to get in line to emplace their noses snugly up Trumps cloaca (too early?) .

       Ploymarket and Cashey must be BUZZIN’!! Heady Times!!!

       Reply ↓
    2. ilsm July 25, 2026 at 10:40 am

       KC-135 re-engined to CFM 56 generation in late 1980’s can carry 200,000 pounds of off load JP-8 (Mil Spec Jet A1 now common jet/turbine aviation fuel between AF and Navy).

       F-16 carries about 6000 pound of fuel
       F-35 USAF version 16000 pounds, Navy version a bit more.
       F-15 13,500
       F-22 18000
       F-18 14000

       C-17, C-5, B-52 and B-1 can carry a lot more than fighters.

       100 KC 135 is a lot of off load!

       Reply ↓
       1. tet vet July 25, 2026 at 11:56 am

          One other little tidbit about KC-135s is that they are NOT classified as a defensive weapon. Accordingly selling them to Israel is illegal. Accordingly, it would not have been possible for Israel to start the war which we, of course, HAD to join in. When our laws can’t be used to advance the elites’ agenda, our nation of (shyster) lawyers figures out a workaround.

          Reply ↓
       2. scott s. July 25, 2026 at 2:45 pm

          JP-8 is not allowed on any carrier aircraft. AFAIK, no land-based USN aircraft use JP-8, and if they get some from USAF there are extensive procedures that must be followed for cleaning tanks/fuel systems.

          Reply ↓
    3. Verifyfirst July 25, 2026 at 2:38 pm

       This is gobsmacking. ALL of the US military’s refueling planes are now sitting–presumably out in the open–in Israel?

       Especially since there was information posted on NC a few weeks ago about how old these re-fueling planes are (60 years old?), and how impossible to replace, like ever, apparently (as in, the new versions that were supposed to replace these don’t work, is what I remember).

       I would imagine the US military in most of the world is primarily dependent on air power. China must be loving Iran degrading what capability the US military had left….

       Reply ↓
       1. cristobal July 25, 2026 at 2:56 pm

          What a great idea. Can anyone say ¨Pearl Harbor¨?

          Reply ↓
       2. scott s. July 25, 2026 at 2:58 pm

          Think the US has about 100 or so KC-46 aircraft as well?

          Reply ↓
          1. Verifyfirst July 25, 2026 at 3:38 pm

             This excellent piece on NC from Haig Hovaness in April is what I was trying to remember–maybe 25 KC-46 actually operational at any time, and total 125 KC-135s operational.

             https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/04/coffee-break-armed-madhouse-running-dry-in-the-sky.html

             Personally, I cannot imagine any military leader being willing to put 100 operational KC-135s in Israel, but what do I know……maybe they are all far underground in highly secured, impenetrable bunkers…on no, wait, that’s Iran.

             Reply ↓
11. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 10:01 am

    “Ukrainian Drone Strikes Set Wildberries Warehouses Ablaze Across Russia”

    The problem with the war in the Ukraine is the precedents that it sets. Take this one. The Ukrainians say that they are hitting Wildberries because some sellers on their site sell some military gear and drones. In truth, it is to brew discontent in Russia. Regardless. As it turns out, sellers on both Amazon and eBay sell the same sort of military gear and drones as well. So that means that it is now permissible to do strikes on Amazon and eBay warehouses and the people that work there. Wouldn’t even have to be a war but could be a terrorist strike.

    Reply ↓
12. Tom Stone July 25, 2026 at 10:04 am

    Erm…
    Trump is not sane.
    This has been evident for some time.

    Reply ↓
    1. Samuel Conner July 25, 2026 at 10:24 am

       For some definition of “sane”, perhaps.

       I wonder whether it might be that within DJT’s value system, his actions are sensible (even if at times objectively self-defeating). If I understand Michael Wolff’s interpretation of DJT’s psyche, everything is “about him”. On this interpretation, actions that from a wider perspective are objectively harmful to the wider world could appear justifiable if they magnify the perception of personal greatness, power, and importance.

       If this interpretation is valid, an adjective more appropriate than “insane” might be “a-social” or “anti-social”. Within the value system, the behavior makes sense, but the value system is oriented counter to what is beneficial to the wider world.

       Although, such a self-oriented value system need not necessarily be counterproductive. I have wondered whether it might be possible for this kind of personality to be beneficial to the world by pursuing (for entirely self-exalting reasons, like a highly narcissistic version of FDR) policies that would produce widespread benefit and result in enlargement of the fame of the policy-maker. That path would have strong head-winds, which would make success even more magnificent.

       Reply ↓
    2. Martin Oline July 25, 2026 at 12:53 pm

       I was wondering last night when CNN would assign a psychiatrist to the White House as a reporter. It would make more interesting reports but that will never happen.

       Reply ↓
    3. Dr. John Carpenter July 25, 2026 at 1:14 pm

       No kidding?

       Reply ↓
    4. In Cold Chud July 25, 2026 at 2:56 pm

       Was there an Alexander Mercouris link I missed?

       Reply ↓
13. jefemt July 25, 2026 at 10:06 am

    Today’s news and links… it really is getting to be A Lot.

    Thank you, I guess.

    Nighttime low in Bozeangeles de Caleeforneyyah Norte : 68 f. Hard on trout and other wildlife.
    All the magpies, crows, and our yardbirds were walking around mid-afternoon stressed and panting.

    We change the bird baths and waterers often. What have we done to our space ship!?

    Succotash. As in sufferin’….

    Reply ↓
14. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 10:46 am

    ‘Glenn Diesen
    @Glenn_Diesen
    Russia is establishing a blockade of Ukrainian ports by attacking port infrastructure and ships along Ukraine’s entire Black Sea coastline — seemingly with the purpose of making Ukraine a de facto landlocked state.’

    The Ukraine thought that it was great shooting at all those Russian ships a coupla days ago and trying to kill the crews. Now they just Found Out. As others Diesen said, the Ukraine is now essentially a landlocked country. there’s blowback for you.

    Reply ↓
15. flora July 25, 2026 at 11:40 am

    Daniel Davis and Alastair Crooke:

    Alastair Crooke: NATO Will Collapse as Ukraine’s Defeated

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FknqAtiuz9A

    Reply ↓
16. AG July 25, 2026 at 11:43 am

    re: Michael Hudson about the US preserving hegemony

    Michael Hudson spoke with Nima and with Diesen on the 23rd.
    I understood more from the Diesen talk.
    But I recommend listening to both if it helps to hear the reasoning multiple times as it does for me.

    Nima
    53 min.
    https://rumble.com/v7d63fi-michael-hudson-the-media-missed-trumps-real-plan-heres-what-hes-actually-do.html

    Diesen
    52 min.
    https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/michael-hudson-the-us-plan-to-revive

    From what I grasped I wasn´t entirely sure if Hudson weighed in that the US is losing its wars.

    re: Russia – in the last 3 minutes with Diesen he didn´t consider that Russia is winning.

    He suggests the Russians are waking up or should wake up to the fact that the real enemy is NATO/USA not Ukraine.

    Someone might point out realities on the ground to him re: Russia.

    With Nima Hudson announces that a new essay will come up in 2 weeks where he explains all this in writing. I am eagerly waiting!

    Another talk with him and Desai would be great. Unlike the other hosts she too is an economist and it´s not a one-way, she asks great questions, corrects him and makes some astute observations herself.

    Reply ↓
    1. Samuel Conner July 25, 2026 at 1:54 pm

       TL;DR of the Nima/Hudson interview is that in MH’s view, there is a coherent plan behind DJT’s policies, discernible from the first term. Basically, it’s to maintain US control of “chokepoints” of the world economy, through control of the financial transactions architecture, the fossil energy production/distribution system, and maritime trade routes.

       He sees the last agenda in view in the moves to assert US-based control of Panama canal infrastructure/ports and the rhetoric about Greenland (the Greenland/Iceland passage becoming an important trade choke-point as the Arctic warms.)

       It was a depressing talk. We’re heading into (or already arrived at) poly-crisis and global elites are “fighting over what’s left” rather than mobilizing to address the common planet-wide challenges.

       Reply ↓
       1. AG July 25, 2026 at 3:13 pm

          I do get the overall picture.

          But does it matter to him that the US is losing to Iran and to Russia?
          How important is the military part to his analysis?

          If Iran prevails in this war there is no control of Hormuz the intended way.

          And he does state that currently Iran is attacking those areas where US AI-companies are suppoed to be outsourcing to and that Iran is expelling the US from the Gulf region and that actually the entire economic foundation there can be annihilated by Iran.

          However he mentioned attacks on RU refineries, too.
          But those hits are almost meaningless.
          So if the goal is to reduce RU´s capabilities on that sector that goal is failing.
          RU is trading more not less. (Something Hudson himself mentioned in the past of course.)

          I doubt the West is attacking the oil infrastructure entirely for that purpose though.
          The PR effect is extremely important to NATO as well.

          Of course there is a diversionary level to this re: Central Asia and that “extending RU” idea.
          But frankly I doubt that really works out. Russia is fighting the SMO with one hand only and has more than sufficient capacities for the other issues as far as I have read.

          Due to the size of the country Russian logistics, resource management and infrastructure have always been allocated in a manner to serve all fronts. Europeans, self-centered and small-minded as they are, always look only at the Western front of RU. Assuming that´s all there is to it.

          RU however can only survive thinking globally. It has no other choice. And that has been the case for centuries now.

          Reply ↓
          1. Samuel Conner July 25, 2026 at 4:37 pm

             > I doubt the West is attacking the oil infrastructure entirely for that purpose though.
             The PR effect is extremely important to NATO as well.

             Agreed. Hudson placed these strikes into his overarching scheme, but I concur with you that they are probably more nearly simply opportunistic attacks for news value and support of a narrative that Russia is taking significant hits from Ukraine.

             (aside, my TL;DR was for other readers who have not seen that interview.)

             Reply ↓
17. flora July 25, 2026 at 11:43 am

    Due Dissidence guy Russell Dobular interviews author Peter Turchin.

    Full Interview w/ Peter Turchin Who Correctly Predicted 2020 Social Unrest!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52eqkJM-Ll4

    Reply ↓
    1. AG July 25, 2026 at 3:19 pm

       thanks!

       Reply ↓
18. raspberry jam July 25, 2026 at 11:47 am

    Conflicts Forum has a new post of recent pieces in Israeli media that I strongly recommend.

    Quote:

    Ahead of Trump meeting, Netanyahu lays the groundwork for Israel to rejoin Iran war (Ben Caspit, Al-Monitor):

    As he plummets in the polls, Netanyahu is attempting to justify reopening the Iranian front, a move the security establishment would rather avoid, sources argued. They pointed to reports on the Mossad uncovering an Iranian espionage ring and on Iran moving thousands of centrifuges into Pickaxe Mountain, saying Netanyahu and his associates are using leaks and releases to sway public opinion. The push is expected to top the agenda during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington … While Trump remains undecided about resuming war against Iran, Netanyahu sees an upside to such an escalation, preferably with Israeli involvement …

    Netanyahu has plunged in the polls … Political sources say that more war could serve Netanyahu well within his party, which is due to hold primaries next week. Netanyahu, fearing a host of populist candidates who would further erode the party’s prospects at the ballot box, announced on June 19 that the primaries might be delayed “for security reasons” … A senior Israeli diplomatic source [said:] “Trump can resume the war with Iran but doesn’t want to. Netanyahu wants to but can’t” … “Trump may find himself reluctantly dragged into another round,” he added …

    Another linked piece in the post is this one from Ma’ariv byline Anna Barsky– not paywalled but you’ll need to run through a translator:

    Israeli sources estimate that the IDF is prepared to act against additional targets in Iran, if the United States gives the green light. Possible targets include energy infrastructure, along with other targets remaining in the Israeli target bank. Jerusalem estimates that such an Israeli action could trigger a direct Iranian response against Israel, and therefore coordination with Washington has clear operational significance.

    So far, no American confirmation has been published that a decision has been made to allow such a move, and Washington continues to examine several alternatives. The Gulf states are also wary of direct Israeli involvement, fearing that it would widen the conflict and harm regional stability. One of the options being examined is a graduated move: American escalation first, and only then a decision on whether to allow Israel to join openly.

    The sensitivity surrounding the trip is also heightened by past precedents in which political meetings or visits by senior officials preceded military operations and served as part of diversionary efforts. This is not evidence of an imminent move, but the timing and focus on Iran give each detail of the schedule special significance.

    Also, yesterday a Likud MK backbencher blurted out that “everyone knows we’re about to attack Iran” as part of talking about something unrelated to the media and there was a Thick of It style fracas where other, higher-ranking MK and cabinet members had to come out and say that the guy had no idea what he was talking about and out of the loop.

    Netanyahu continues to look worse and worse. If he were to suddenly die (either during an Iranian attack as was suspected earlier this year during the 40 days when he was apparently being treated for prostate cancer or just due to poor health) I have no idea how this would impact the ongoing election or the many wars. Not just in terms of immediate continuity of government but also succession of his own goals. I think this is an unappreciated and rising potential black swan event that could impact how events of this summer further unfold.

    Reply ↓
19. iTreniDiTozeur July 25, 2026 at 11:52 am

    The cat fish cancer article is strange! Not likely in the way the authors intended. The proper scientific response to the theory of transmissible cancer, in absence of transmission tests or even solid theory of transmission mechanism, should be high skepticism. But the article treats it as settled.

    As a student of Marx, hugely leery of how science is practiced on Bourgeois Planet, it is weird to read such an article which presumes we all sing from the same hymnsheet. We read about a hugely novel occurrence in an article shorn of all disagreement and are supposed to be along for the ride? This shouldn’t seem so obvious.

    Reply ↓
    1. Huey July 25, 2026 at 12:46 pm

       I would actually suggest that the response should be curiousity, versus skepticism. The world is more complex than we often give it credit for, and it’s not infrequent that a prior understanding of something is later proven to be a much smaller view of the bigger picture, building on the groundwork of the initial investigations and even those in separate fields.

       Transmissable cancers themselves aren’t novel so much as they are rare. The classic case cited is that of the Tasmanian Devil, mentioned as well in the article, and reportedly there are others.

       I would personally encourage more research into these Catfish melanoma cases, as this debate won’t be settled without it, whereas approaching the topic as wholly improbable may lead us to miss out on information that could potentially impact ecosystem (incl. human) health, for the better.

       To your point about the news article in general, it is true that there is room for improvement, regarding their presentation of the hypothesis. They do admit that other causes may better explain it, though, and I felt that their opening paragraphs dealt reasonably well with acknowledging alternative possibilities, while still arguing that current evidence points towards transmissibility.

       Reply ↓
20. jhallc July 25, 2026 at 1:16 pm

    From the goat antidote, based on the scratching going on, that old saying holds true. “If you lie down with dogs…”

    Reply ↓
21. AG July 25, 2026 at 1:38 pm

    re: mass surveillance with AI

    The excellent Jack Poulson who I think appears underrepresented in recommendations in general:

    Securities and Exchange Commission is acquiring AI agents to monitor cellphone locations
    Newly public documents detail the SEC’s planned purchase of AI surveillance agents from a CIA-affiliated firm for monitoring cellphone locations, social media, and credit headers.
    https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/securities-and-exchange-commission

    “(…)
    “The [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission] requires a cloud-based software solution that provides real-time data aggregation, analytics, and risk intelligence capabilities in support of its mission to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation,” stated a high-level summary of a software subscription renewal published to the award management site SAM.gov on Wednesday, with offers due by August 5, 2026. The proposed start date of the renewed access is August 14, one day after the end of a $1.4 million, five-year contract between Babel Street and the SEC which began on August 9, 2021.

    An attached (partly redacted) price list for the renewing product licenses from the Reston-based data broker Babel Street contains explicit references to the company’s most controversial product: the cellphone location-tracking platform Locate X, which has historically gathered precise GPS locations of the personal cellphones of unsuspecting civilians around the world through backroom deals with application developers.

    One of the lead executives overseeing Locate X has been the former CIA Counterterrorism Center (CTC) senior targeting officer Patrick Butler, who subsequently became the founder and CEO of the In-Q-Tel-backed link-analysis company PATHAR/Dunami, which was acquired by Babel Street in June 2020, leading Butler to rise to an executive vice president at Babel.
    (…)
    One of the four listed “salient characteristics” for the SEC’s renewal of its Babel Street licenses was listed as “Agentic AI-Driven Workflows,” which was said to include AI agents which “can independently conduct complex, multi-step threat investigations, discover supply chain vulnerabilities, and perform digital telemetry.” Babel’s AI agents were further claimed to have the ability “to bypass the safety filters found on general-purpose consumer AI models, [which] lets analysts explicitly query and summarize malicious material, extremist communications, and raw digital exhaust.”
    (…)”

    Including links to a couple of FOIAs.

    And this 2024 study (which I believe was mentioned on NC – ?)

    Watching the Watchdogs: The Information Asymmetry of SEC Interactions
    https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4941708

    Reply ↓
22. AG July 25, 2026 at 1:45 pm

    Dumb question but who is Mario Nawfal???
    I know who other talking heads are like Martyanov, or the Judge, or Diesen or Sleboda or Nixon.
    But I have no imagination what Nawfal brings in to be an expert. He looks like he is barely out of high school.
    At least compared to the oldies I listen to. With them I know there is knowledge and wisdom.
    But probably I´m just being an old fart myself.

    Reply ↓
    1. amfortas July 25, 2026 at 3:23 pm

       i looked him up just yesterday, as a matter of fact.
       when i first encountered him, he seemed like a kid, a babe in the woods interview style…which is cool, if ya think about it. but ive found he’s growing on me a bit.
       seems to have absorbed a lot of information from all these people he’s been interviewing.
       he’s 32, and at least began as something of a striver/hack.
       he may have also absorbed a bit of world weary wisdom from the interviewees, as well….
       nevertheless, i keep the saltcellar handy.

       Reply ↓
       1. AG July 25, 2026 at 4:01 pm

          ok!
          thanks for weighing in.

          Reply ↓
          1. amfortas July 25, 2026 at 6:46 pm

             were i his age, and talkin 1 on 1 with such people, i’d consider it a pretty good education.
             heres today w martenson…last bit is a crack spreads and oil futures for dummies thing,lol.
             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1MLdAAnR8Q

             Reply ↓
             1. amfortas July 25, 2026 at 7:19 pm

                and this, w pilkington, is remarkable. ive never really grokked puts and shorts…seems dishonest, somehow,lol.
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7VEraMUEzI
                so its not Mario, himself, but the quality of his guests, that matters.
                over time, he has become a better interviewer…no longer so much babe in woods, etc.
                when i put myself in his shoes, that all has to be a hell of an education.

                Reply ↓
                1. skippy July 25, 2026 at 9:45 pm

                   Pilkington was a regular poster back in the day deconstructing the Austrian/Libertarian ideology and false notion of money/monetary system. Also spent time with Graeber, and notable others. Did some interesting studies whilst working for GMO in SE1 on China’s economy.

                   Just keep in mind that Mario’s and others like it are highly monetized and all the caveats that come with it due to incentives.

                   Reply ↓
                   1. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:15 am

                      re: Pilkington and Graeber, interesting…

                      Reply ↓
                   2. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:29 am

                      This is totally off: But with various Irish like Clare Daly, Mick Wallace, Pilkington or actress Kerry Condon (breakout performance with “F1” last year) I have developed a taste for Irish accent…

                      Reply ↓
                   3. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:55 am

                      Ah, I see. NC had an interview with Graeber by Pilkington in 2011:

                      https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/08/what-is-debt-%e2%80%93-an-interview-with-economic-anthropologist-david-graeber.html

                      Reply ↓
                2. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:14 am

                   thanks, though this one is longer not thru yet

                   Reply ↓
                3. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:24 am

                   interesting considering it´s mainstream Wiki (mostly affirmative of Pilkington):
                   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reformation_in_Economics

                   Reply ↓
             2. AG July 26, 2026 at 12:11 am

                thanks

                Reply ↓
    2. Martin Oline July 25, 2026 at 4:11 pm

       I don’t know much but he has a platform on X, has interviewed Musk, Hunter Biden, and others of government or political backgrounds. He is also CEO of the Attention Company, a conglomerate of crypto, AI and longevity incubators. I think he is proven to be sufficiently obsequious and has been given the stamp of approval by the powerful.
       Someone on Sonar21 called him Mario N Awful the other day. It fits him, he seems to be clueless.

       Reply ↓
    3. skippy July 25, 2026 at 6:16 pm

       In the last few days during a show with Larry Johnson, Mario Nawfal noted his approval for Javier Milei and his economic plans for Argentina. As YS has pointed out, commenters with military/Intel backgrounds can be ignorant about functional economics/monetary/financial systems. Seems Mario has a ideological preference with a side of issues when one considers Milei and friends …

       Reply ↓
    4. AG July 26, 2026 at 2:18 am

       It´s funny: I almost did not post this question about Nawfal because it appeared kinda dumb and admittedly a-little-bit-ad-hominem 🙄.

       But had I not asked, amfortas wouldn´t have doubled-down on Pilkington and I wouldn´t have watched the video. And I would know much less than I do now.

       And eventually I might even reconsider looking into Nawfal from time to time.
       Regardless that Martyanov gave up on Nawfal. Understandably after what I had seen at least early this year.

       Reply ↓
23. In Cold Chud July 25, 2026 at 2:10 pm

    “Trump Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum”

    Americans are touchy about their history, and, for a certain temperament (by far, the prevalent one), there’s quite a bit to be touchy about. Decline/collapse doesn’t help. How does one retreat into a gauzy, kitschified past when historians stand in the way, wagging their collective finger? Why do they have be such a Debbie Downer?

    I have a feeling that the domestic, cultural aspect of imperial collapse will be superlatively horrific on its own, in a way that is not purely a product of the economic and military dimensions. Yes, we have the Prairie School, Harold Budd, and the Packard Super Eight (I could be Matt Taibbi), but our cultural residue is too thin to provide even the most meager cushion, as was always entirely predictable, for a continent-size Ponzi scheme. There is no way to tell ourselves that we had a good run, and maybe refocus on human needs (even massaging the past the way the European colonial powers did), when all that is left is the charred exoskeleton of a lie.

    And the worse material conditions become, the more attractive the past of happy slaves and Providentially-empty plains and father provides for all with one job at the zinc smelter gets, the more time you spend there, the more resistant you are to returning to (objectively but now also subjectively) ever more nightmarish reality, and the more your rage at whoever is trying to drag you back is liable to come out.

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24. Sam Culotte July 25, 2026 at 2:40 pm

    >Rural states need immigration most Green Gazette (Robin K)

    Ain’t gonna happen. Why did this author bother writing this article? Does he/she live in the real world? Immigrants on the whole go where there are other immigrants of their kind. That—in the main—means medium- to big-sized cities. Turkey Neck Bend, Wyoming might want/need immigrant labor. It ain’t gonna get it. File this article under “I Want a Pony”.

    Reply ↓
25. AG July 25, 2026 at 2:56 pm

    re: PTSD and RU´s SMO

    Martyanov yesterday with Nixon had an interesting comment:

    He suggested that PTSD is certainly existent among RU forces – after all soldiers are killing other humans.
    But the fact that most seem to share the position that this war is one for the survival of the nation-state provides them with purpose and sense which makes it easier to bear. aka: It´s a just war for them and thus there are much fewer cases of PTSD than in other wars. Certainly as he put it, American wars. (which would be of little surprise if taken at face value.)

    July 23rd
    TC 45:30+
    https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2026/07/garland-and-yours-truly_01417460831.html

    He also mentions that by no means would PTSD among RU Afghanistan veterans be comparable to US Vietnam War veterans. That is more sound than it may appear from Western propaganda. PR which btw is so deep within our Western understanding of matters that even old-style antiwar critics of US imperialism initially would equate the US´s conduct with that of RU. In fact “Afghanistan was RU´s Vietnam” is a standard assumption probably shared by 99% of people in the West.

    fwiw Martyanov who is a “baby-boomer” knew many who served in Afghanistan. And there is no reason for him to make this observation up.

    Indeed the question is an interesting one, whether or not PTSD and its level incidence among troops is substantially different depending on wether the soldiers regard the war as just or not.

    In this plays the perception: A soldier (old IDF?!) may perceive a war as just and may not suffer PTSD while all others regard it as grave crime of aggression.

    What deeds can you cope with as “justified” with your own moral self. What deeds you cannot?

    Who knows maybe we will get the chance to read Russian surveys about this problem today which are of a kind that they have to be accepted as methodically sound even by Western psychiatrists.

    Reply ↓
    1. AG July 25, 2026 at 3:59 pm

       p.s.
       My notion to compare the RU sit. and possible lack of PTSD with a “just war” is probably pretty false and misleading.

       The main thrust of Martyanov´s argument goes to defending one´s homeland. That of course is again a different thing altogether than just a “just war” and runs much much deeper.

       With which potentially my follow-up question, if some troops who would not fight at the border to defend their home may as well be exempt from PTSD, is rendered mostly meaningless.

       G.I.s (Martyanov mentioned them briefly) were fighting a “just war” in Europe. Still they suffered after their return.

       Reply ↓
       1. Huey July 25, 2026 at 7:26 pm

          Might Russia also have a well-maintained psych service for vets? Teaching people helpful coping mechanisms and, if possible, facilitating early rotations would likely reduce the incidence of PTSD.

          On a somewhat related subject to coping mechanisms, defense mechanisms (they’re from two competing, though likely intertwined, schools of thought) like rationalization (see examples in the justifications above) are very helpful, if not ‘immature’ tools to employ. Mature (healthier, eg. employing humour) or not, they exist because they do help.

          Reply ↓
          1. AG July 25, 2026 at 11:58 pm

             Good question. In the West such an assumption would be regarded as impossible because Russians are primitve murderers and backwards people.

             Reply ↓
26. johnnyme July 25, 2026 at 4:14 pm

    Iran condemns Ukrainian attack on commercial vessel in Caspian Sea, calls it irrational

    Iran has strongly condemned a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.

    In a statement, Iran’s foreign ministry said the attack today caused an explosion on the ship that killed one sailor and injured another.

    The statement continued that the “Ukrainian regime’s attack on the Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, which was explicitly acknowledged by the head of that regime, is a sign of the continuation of the irrational and hostile approach of the Ukrainian regime towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

    Reply ↓
27. johnnyme July 25, 2026 at 4:48 pm

    The Eighth Front: Inside Israel’s $1 Billion Influence Campaign

    The Israeli government has spent more than $1 billion in direct expenditures on public diplomacy since the Hamas–led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, a dramatic escalation in such spending. This represents Israel’s new reliance on influence operations in the United States, funded directly by the country’s government and subject to American laws on foreign influence.

    This paper uses FARA data, Israeli government procurement documents, and interviews with dozens of sources to trace the size and effects of this shift. Israel’s FARA spending is set to triple from 2024 to 2026, and the country is on track to become the single biggest FARA spender this year. Much of this work flows through the French firm Havas Media, which subcontracts with American firms that specialize in reaching the once most reliable sources of support that Israel is now losing: Evangelicals, conservatives, and young Americans. The tactics are new in kind, not just scale: paying influencers directly, funding a mass texting operation, and, the most novel of these new approaches, hiring firms like Clock Tower X to build networks of websites designed to shape how artificial intelligence chatbots characterize Israel.

    Reply ↓
28. mrsyk July 25, 2026 at 4:49 pm

    Ann, I hope you and yours are well.

    Houthi Strike Burns Jizan Aramco Refinery; Yanbu Attack Seals Saudi Arabia’s Oil Trap, tech times. Good info here. The final part of the article is titled,

    What the Jizan Refinery Is and Why the Yanbu Attack Is Larger, from the text,

    Yanbu is Saudi Arabia’s entire export operation during the Hormuz closure. There is no third corridor.

    Red Sea escalation threatens Turkiye’s balancing act, arab news. From the text,

    Turkiye strongly condemned the Houthi threats to impose the blockade on Saudi Arabia, affirming its solidarity with Riyadh. At the same time, with the evolving Red Sea security landscape, Ankara is expanding its engagement in the Horn of Africa, a region it views as crucial to protect its maritime interests.

    Reply ↓
    1. Huey July 25, 2026 at 8:02 pm

       Yes, haven’t seen her here in a little while.

       Reply ↓
       1. Randall Flagg July 25, 2026 at 9:03 pm

          I also miss the comments from Arizona Slim, Petal and Jen to name a few others.
          Wishing them well.

          Reply ↓
          1. mrsyk July 25, 2026 at 9:18 pm

             Slim here…”

             Reply ↓
          2. Huey July 25, 2026 at 11:00 pm

             Doubled, and as well for Wuk.

             Reply ↓
             1. Irrational July 26, 2026 at 3:54 am

                couldn’t agree more

                Reply ↓
29. mrsyk July 25, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    Iranian foreign minister, pro-regime media threaten Kyiv with ‘ballistic missiles’: ‘All of Ukraine is within reach’, NY Post.

    Some meat for the arms specialists.

    Reply ↓
    1. Yalt July 25, 2026 at 6:27 pm

       Ahhh, now it makes sense.

       Early this afternoon Middle East Spectator posted this…

       Middle East Spectator — MES
       Within one day I received more death threats from Ukrainians than from Israelis in the past 3 years combined.

       All due to a single post.

       I thought that was odd…how many Ukrainians are even aware of the existence of the Middle East Spectator telegraph account?

       But a lot of expat Ukrainians read the New York Post. I didn’t even have to click the link to know who the “pro-regime media” were.

       Reply ↓
       1. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 7:17 pm

          The guy will probably end up on the Ukrainian kill list which is run out of Langley.

          Reply ↓
30. amfortas July 25, 2026 at 6:19 pm

    i guess my whole life has been figgering out whether im the sad creature nailed upon the colored door of time, or the insane teacher be there, reminded of the rhyme.
    the mutant enemies are legion, however.

    Reply ↓
    1. ambrit July 25, 2026 at 7:45 pm

       You’ve been listening to old Prog Rock again.

       Reply ↓
       1. Yalt July 25, 2026 at 8:13 pm

          It’s never too late to rearrange your liver.

          Reply ↓
    2. tegnost July 25, 2026 at 11:37 pm

       Probably both…
       At ambrits suggetion I recommend
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ZvPSpLxCg

       Reply ↓
31. Jason Boxman July 25, 2026 at 7:14 pm

    Poor Trump out of bullets

    Trump Holds Off on Major Escalation Against Iran as Advisers Raise Concerns (NY Times)

    The threat to interceptor stockpiles is one of many considerations that have made a return to major combat operations a hugely risky endeavor, administration officials say. Mr. Trump and his top aides are also uneasy about the prospect of a widening war in the Middle East, the alienation of key Gulf allies who are vulnerable to Iranian attack, a global economic crunch, and growing energy and refugee crises.

    The latest turn in Mr. Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran came after a meeting on Friday with top advisers and senior members of his cabinet, according to two people briefed on the discussion.

    I imagine at this Iran is begging for a capitulation^Hdeal.

    Reply ↓
    1. Randall Flagg July 25, 2026 at 9:10 pm

       Well, i was a little surprised the other night when NBC News had a segment about the US conserving interceptors.

       https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-military-letting-iranian-projectiles-defenses-rcna588369

       Reply ↓
32. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 7:20 pm

    Oh, Donald. You’re such a lovable doofus-

    https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116981273030570747

    Reply ↓
    1. Ben Panga July 25, 2026 at 7:49 pm

       Access is blocked from my location; can you post the text Rev?

       Reply ↓
       1. The Rev Kev July 25, 2026 at 8:03 pm

          It’s actually an AI image of the Canadian – US border showing what looks like an enormously tall wall until see see that it is actually an air filter barrier with the logo ‘Clean Air Clean Borders.’ This is what passes for Presidential dignity these days. Trump is just another Reddit *s***-poster.

          Reply ↓
       2. Yalt July 25, 2026 at 8:08 pm

          It’s an AI-generated wall at the US-Canada border. To the left (Canada) are beautiful lakes and virgin forests, to the right there are highways running along the border (two of which start out parallel but oddly cross and peter out in what must be an AI glitch), buildings that may be supposed to be ICE facilities, and the forests have been cleared for pasture. The wall in between is in the form of an enormous HVAC MERV 16 air filter. A sign on the US side says

          –NORTH AMERICA–
          AIR FILTER BARRIER
          Clean air. Clean borders.

          Reply ↓
33. Tom Stone July 25, 2026 at 7:23 pm

    Today’s links are a reminder of the difference between fiction and reality.
    Fiction has to make sense on some level.
    Reality does not.
    It’s going to be a lively summer.

    Reply ↓
34. Henriux Miller July 25, 2026 at 7:34 pm

    Regarding the article in today’s links: “What a US war with Cuba would really look like “, my take is that the assessment is generally correct. However, when the author quotes someone telling them: ‘This would be like the worst parts of Iraq and Afghanistan,” (…) in which U.S. soldiers would be fighting against a “really hard to identify insurgency”’, I believe that there’s an overestimation of the capabilities of any insurgency in Cuba, even taking into account that some army personnel could potentially join such insurgency. The Cuban most organized militia, the Milicias de Tropas Territoriales (MTT, very recently sanctioned by the State Department) have been for decades in a state of disarray, and their members (basically, most of them are workers employed by the state enterprises, controlled by the government, and they have to sign up and join) barely attend any regular practice. There is no fuel to move them around, no extra food to feed them lunch or even a snack, no spare weapons and bullets for practising…This is very different from the well-trained and highly motivated 1960s militias (Milicias Nacionales Rervolucionarias or MNR) that –for instance– fought bravely during the Bay of Pigs invasion, or even the same MTT and their level of professionalism at their peak, during the 1980s, when the Reagan administration started to be more vocal about possibly invading Cuba (and then defeated a small Cuban military force in Grenada, as you all likely remember). And remember too that in Cuba most of the army troops are young men, often teenagers, who must be there because it’s the law (“Servicio Militar Obligatorio”). These days they aren’t motivated at all, they are poorly fed and their training and facilities are from bad to dismal. In short, the country doesn’t have the resources it had from the 1960s and up to the 1980s when it built a powerful, well-armed, and very skilled army and a strong militia force, while counting on the continuous financial and logistic support from the USSR. More importantly, I truly believe that Cubans today, and in particular the younger generation, is way less supportive of the government than any previous generation. They have been born and lived in a country that has been falling apart and suffering from crisis after crisis since the 1990s, and their lives have been much harder and rough than what their parents experienced. Yes, no question about the fact that the US embargo has been very damaging and effective (and have been made tighter and deeper since Trump first time around, and then Biden, and reinforced now). But the Cuban government has tried to hide all their shortcomings, their lack of creativity, their wrongheaded economic and financial decisions, and their extreme inefficiency behind the embargo. And Cubans are not stupid, and they can often separate the consequences of the embargo from the consequences of the unpopular and counterproductive policies of the government, more acutely since Raul Castro became the man in charge.
    I posted a comment yesterday about Cuba, as part of the comments below the (always excellent) Iran War entry from our host, since a number of commentators were sharing their opinion about what Cuba could expect based on the current USA government’s foreign policy.
    Someone responded to my comment labelling it as “potential gusano nonsense”.
    Let me clarify that I was born and raised in Cuba, lived there during most of my adult years, and have been living outside of Cuba, for personal reasons, since the beginning of this century.
    I have lived in the US (never in Florida or Miami) and Canada. I have family in Cuba, I have close friends in Cuba, I have professional peers in Cuba with whom I am often in touch. I love my country and I want the best for Cubans and for the nation, including independence and prosperity. I have been back to Cuba every year once of twice since I left the country, more than two decades ago. My last trip was in the summer of 2023, before the first collapse of the national electrical grid (something that is now almost normalized, and is happening even several times during the same month). In short, I am not spouting “gusano nonsense”. I am speaking as someone that knows that reality extremely well and in detail and is constantly in touch with people there. Below I am providing a couple of links that may illustrate some of what I wrote yesterday (the fact that trash isn’t collected most of days in Havana, creating an infernal sanitary situation). And I am not sure if the article and interview with Raul Castro’s grandson and main bodyguard has been posted on NC. Aside from the bias of the reporters, it’s a good portrait of this person, who’s only merit is that he’s the grandson of the most powerful man in Cuba. I believe that it is clear that he –wearing expensive Hermes sneakers and a gold chain, and drinking California wine off the menu, while most people in the country are going to bed without power, so they are suffering the heat and can’t turn on their fans, and their food is spoiled in their unplugged fridges– is at the top of an elite that couldn’t be more superficial and more detached from reality. That elite (or a substantial part of it), imho, will bend over as needed to please Rubio and Trump, of course as long as they can play the Delcy role, and as long as the Trump-Rubio team finds a way to forget and forgive the fact that there’s an indictment (justified or unjustified, it doesn’t matter) against Raul Castro in the USA.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikhqz9-KEzg

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/07/06/castro-grandson-trump-deal-cuba-exclusive/90784545007/

    Reply ↓
    1. Huey July 25, 2026 at 8:07 pm

       Wow Henriux, thanks for this perspective, I was not aware of this side of the situation.

       Reply ↓
       1. Henriux Miller July 25, 2026 at 10:01 pm

          You’re welcome! It’s hard to get a more complete picture when it comes to Cuba, and a lot of the information I check, aside from my communication with friends and family, is in Spanish.

          Reply ↓
       2. Gumbo July 26, 2026 at 12:46 am

          Same.

          Reply ↓
    2. Alice X July 25, 2026 at 10:56 pm

       Well, let me offer an alternative vision, if might be.

       A world without Greed

       Which may be called a socialist world

       Greater Greed would need a precipitous decline

       For the benefit of the many

       Critiques on greed and the human heart

       Reply ↓
       1. Alice X July 25, 2026 at 11:03 pm

          Rather the human heart and greed

          And empathy

          Reply ↓