The painful truth about “healing” crystals The Wall Street Journal (Li)
Why we shouldn’t sanitize fairy tales Plow (Anthony L.)
Falling birth rates could cause disasters bigger than politicians dare even contemplate. The Guardian (Kevin W.): There’s a lack of balance. The climate crisis would be far more destructive, intractable and costly if anyone were to take it seriously.
#COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus Disease)
Exclusive: The government has burned or written off £1.4bn worth of Covid PPE from one supplier in summer 2020 – the most wasteful public contract of the entire pandemic. Thread 1/ pic.twitter.com/Wl06kNowHf
— John Ironmonger (@JonIronmonger) June 25, 2024
Climate and Environment
The temperature in Sweehan, Emirates was 51.7°C.
Temperatures are now above 50°C at dozens of stations in the Middle East, and have reached 47°C in northern China.
From China to Algeria, thousands of records are being destroyed and the history of global climate is being rewritten.
Nothing like this has ever happened before. pic.twitter.com/JcmoYetAFd— Extreme Temperatures Around the World (@extremetemps) June 23, 2024
Ending growth won’t save the planet… Curbing economic growth won’t save the planet from catastrophic climate change. The Washington Post. The only reason this argument is true is because we are past the point where we can stop catastrophic change.
Most UK renewable energy projects never get beyond the planning stage Financial Times
Mass protests erupt in Iraq over power outages as temperatures reach over 50 degrees New Arab
Concerns over Senate gridlock put global tax truce in jeopardy Financial Times
China?
South China Sea: Philippine anti-ship missile base targets Scarborough Shoal South China Morning Post
Beijing: New Finance Ministry Rules Equivalent to “Decoupling” Asia Times (Kevin W)
Our China policy is a disaster for American security and prosperity. Responsible national governance
U.S. ambassador accuses China of undermining diplomacy in rare rebuke The Wall Street Journal
Korean Peninsula
US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea amid tensions with North Korea Al Jazeera
India
Indian authorities reject China’s request to resume passenger flights after four years Reuters
JPMorgan to facilitate $40 billion investment in Indian government bonds Bloomberg
South of the Border
Webinars on July 7 and 14: “Venezuela’s Choice: What’s at stake in the upcoming elections?” Orinoco Tribute (Robin K)
Africa
The other crescent: The budding influence of Iran in the Sahel Geopolitics
European Separation
France could cause the next euro crisis Financial Times
The greatest destruction of wealth in the history of the Federal Republic Machine translated translation page (Akos G)
Survey: France’s far-right National Party leads in first round of electionsTRT World
France, the new Popular Front, hope and contradictions Protecting Democracy
EU liberals prepare for financial battle with Le Pen International Affairs (Michael T)
Old Brittany
‘Pedophile playground’: Inside the scandal at King Charles’ alma mater Telegraph
Gaza
🚨 Israel is intensifying its hunger war in the Gaza Strip by targeting services and aid distribution centers. In the last 24 hours, it has bombed the UN headquarters, killing an aid worker, and also the clinic where the head of the emergency services worked… pic.twitter.com/cVBvvENbXg
— Ramy Abdu | Arabic (@RamAbdu) June 24, 2024
Hello Mohammed, how are you?
I’m home now, I have them all buried inside and I’m sleeping next to them.
My wife, my children, my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters. I am left alone.One of thousands of untold stories in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/5DiP2SakLm
— Mohammed Omer ALMOGHAYER ✊🏽 د. Mogaza (@Mogaza) June 24, 2024
Listen deeply Caitlin Johnston, YouTube (Dr. Kevin)
What role does revenge play in Jewish life, literature, and culture? Aon (Dr. Kevin)
Israel Electricity chief at risk of dismissal after warning of war with Lebanon The Cradle (Kevin W.)
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim they worked with Iraqi militias to attack Israeli ship Al Jazeera
Houthis intensify Red Sea attacks, straining supply chains The New York Times (Kevin W.)
Netanyahu agrees to ‘partial’ ceasefire, but not end Gaza war Arab News
Israeli war criminals: Can the ICC jail them? Cradle
Netanyahu says he won’t agree to deal to end war in Gaza, tests latest ceasefire proposal Associated Press (Kevin W.)
A new cold war
Ukraine Update: Russia Summons US Envoy Over Crimea Attacks Day Y
How are the American ATACMS missiles being used by the Ukrainian military? Gilbert Doctorow
Ukraine’s debt time bomb (the West must pay) Antiwar.com (Kevin W)
Ah, that got old. Andrey Martyanov: Debunking Shee Hersh’s claims
EU foreign ministers approve decision to transfer Russian asset interests to Ukraine TASS
Poland considering closing border with Belarus, minister says Eura Active
Assange
Julian Assange is free
Julian Assange is now free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison, where he had spent 1,901 days, on the morning of June 24th. He was granted bail at the High Court in London and released in the afternoon at Stansted Airport, where he boarded a flight.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 24, 2024
Julian Assange agrees to plea deal, leaves UK prison for US soil BBC
VIDEO: State Department won’t detail how Assange harmed “national security” – or how “Russiagate” used to demonize WikiLeaks may actually have been IsraelgateSam Husseini. Husseini is unhappy with some of the implications of the plea deal and linked to this post to show why.
Empire Collapse Watch
“Conscription Notice” from Shop of Horrors Dennis Kuchinchi (Robin K)
I have a fever and the only prescription is to read more Peter Turchin. Albert
Trump
Trump promised to give green cards to all immigrants who graduated from college in the United States, a promise his campaign later backtracked on. The Independent. Dan K also flagged the report with further rebuttals. Campaign backs down on Trump’s green card promise Fox
‘She’s keeping her distance’: Melania Trump unlikely to return to the White House Salon. The press attacked her to the max, even though I heard she gave amazing state dinners. They attacked her Christmas decorations, which I never understood why. And the White House, as a building, is clearly a dump.
Biden
Outraged Democrats try to block debate over Biden’s transition The Hill. Beware the Streisand Effect!
US court blocks part of Biden’s student loan relief plan CNBC
The Land the Law Forgot: The Supreme Court and New York’s Legal Wasteland Jonathan Turley
The press is no longer free
Turns out Australia is the most secretive democracy in the world…oh no, we have no freedom of press, no freedom of speech, and whistleblower protection laws don’t help. Albo could sort it out but for some reason he doesn’t have the time. #Australia #AustraliaPool pic.twitter.com/NWKpEt0xTy
— Punters Politics (@punterspolitix) June 24, 2024
artificial intelligence
Situational Awareness Leopold Aschenbrenner (Steve S.)
Nvidia shares fall 13% as traders scan charts for support Bloomberg
The hidden environmental impact of AI Jacobin (Robin K)
Apple’s App Store policies under attack under new EU competition law The New York Times (BC)
Rising costs threaten to delay new U.S. LNG export projects Oil prices
Major auto dealers begin warning about impact of ransomware attack hitting dealership software provider CDK Wolf Richter. I linked to this story a few days ago. Still not resolved…
Class struggle
I’m living rent-free in New York City, and moving into my van has allowed me to save money, avoid taking out a loan, and live a life full of adventure. Business Insider. Not The Onion
Amazon union, airport hub workers join Teamsters to organize workers nationwide The New York Times
Wine on Blood: A History of Naval Warfare, Part 1 Big Serge
Today’s Antidote: Anne M:
The third generation of the exotic escaped geese family at Roger Williams Park is doing well. I believe they are cousins. The slightly larger goose is about 2 1/2 weeks older than the three young ones. There are other adult geese nearby for a total of 10. One is missing. I hope he is still there.
See yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour here
