How monogamous are humans? Scientists create ‘league table’ for BBC combinations
Early evidence that nature started fire. From 50,000 years ago to 400,000 years ago.
Why are celebrity chefs fighting the PFAS ban? Heated
Stagnant construction productivity is a global problem Construction Physics
Slow love in a harsh world The Continent
San Francisco woman gives birth in Waymo self-driving taxi AP
Climate/Environment
Thousands of people under evacuation order as Washington River floods crest, Washington State Standards
The fact that parts of Washington are experiencing record flooding this week is not surprising given that 1) many places had record 24-hour precipitation (well above Arizona’s 100 years) and 2) we *simultaneously* had near-record temperatures (no snow in the mountains, so all the precipitation was runoff). #WAwx pic.twitter.com/p6wXo65tPY
— Dr. Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) December 12, 2025
Deadly heatwaves will intensify for 1,000 years after net zero Climate and capitalism
pandemic
🔺▪️🔻 “SARS2 infection modulates innate and adaptive immunity and may influence the outcome of infectious diseases such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.”@fitterhappierAJ @1goodtern
“We identified altered immune responses to both SARS2 and MTB in participants with a history of COVID19.
we… pic.twitter.com/tdLDKTgVkx
— Evelio González Prieto (@evelio_prieto) December 8, 2025
South Carolina’s meat outbreak ‘accelerates’, forcing hundreds into quarantine NBC News
Hospital-acquired flu infections soar 55% in one week, NHS ‘facing worst-case scenario’ The Guardian
A deadly ‘super flu’ has forced more schools to close and imposed hospital restrictions as experts warn of deadly symptoms. In the US.
It’s time to act to improve the air we share indoors Australian Academy of Science
South Korea
Hanwha and US defense startup Vatn partner to develop underwater drones Korea Tech Today
South Korea’s pivot to the US alarms Beijing’s Think China
China?
China is secretly breaking the US Pacific Defense Chain National Security Journal. The term “defense” chain is a bit of a misnomer, but that’s okay.
The Central Economic Work Conference concludes. 5 Duties and 8 Important Tasks. USA, Japan, China. Chineseism in the H200s
Reverse Deng? For professionals only MERICS
Innovative medicines: The new battleground in the US-China conflict ThinkCHina
Ruptures, Memory, and Liberal Time Regimes: Reevaluating the Cultural Revolution through a Dialectical Lens Warwick Powell
India
Issues faced by US private equity firms bringing Chinese manufacturing to India Nikkei Asia
Thailand and Cambodia conflict
Border clash between Thailand and Cambodia intensifies with airstrikes and shelling AP
syrakistan
Israel prepares for largest ever archaeological cleanup in West Bank +972 Magazine
UN Security Council Declares War on Gaza By Norman G. Finkelstein Norman Finkelstein
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Air Wars Survivor. “Air Wars reconstructs two aid sites based on hours of footage and interviews with Palestinian aid seekers and former GHF contractors. This short film shows how casualties were inevitable from the design to implementation of a militarized aid system.”
Anduril partners with UAE bomb maker accused of supplying weapons to Sudanese genocide
Türkiye secures dominant role in Syria reconstruction with $11 billion energy, airport deal Turkish Minute
discord in europe
Leaked files suggest US wants to persuade four countries to leave EU Brussels Times
Bulgarian government resigns amid mass protests Intellinews
Germany’s drug commissioner insists on medical restrictions for the elderly WSWS
EU triggers emergency clause to freeze Russian assets indefinitely Euronews
Prime Minister de Weber does not rule out legal action if EU seizes Russian assets held by Belgium’s Euroclear VRT News
The EU crosses the Rubicon and freezes permanent assets. The Duran falls into the Russian trap
A new war that’s not so cold war
US 27-point amended peace plan lifts ban on Ukraine from joining NATO Intellinews
BlackRock’s Larry Fink joins Trump team talks on rebuilding Ukraine Bloomberg
Ukrainian Navy neutralizes Russian Shadow Fleet tanker with maritime drone attack
EU to reinterpret the law of the sea to counter Russia’s shadow fleet Euractic
Former top Biden administration official admits the US could have prevented war and “destruction and loss of life” in Ukraine. dissident
Russian support for peace talks rises to wartime high as public sees war goals largely achieved Intellinews
Censorship and the Ukraine War in Western Academia: A New Paradigm
The problem with these insane hyperboles is that an adversary, in this case Russia, will interpret them as preparations for invasion and take steps accordingly. This is how self-fulfilling prophecies work. https://t.co/uZzfcN8euD
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) December 11, 2025
;
south of the border
US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela after first seizure – sources Reuters
Second strike? All US attacks in the Caribbean are illegal, legal experts say Zeteo
China confirms comprehensive cooperation strategy with Latin American and Caribbean countries
‘This is fraud’: Trump and MS-13 helped manipulate Honduras vote, says senior government official The Grayzone
spook country
U.S. government seizes “approximately 17 cell phones” from former DEA agent indicted on narco-terrorism and money laundering charges All Source Intelligence
charlie kirk
Why did the FBI intervene in the Charlie Kirk murder investigation… Seth Rich’s deja vu? Larry Johnson
Trump 2.0
President Trump signs executive order limiting states’ ability to regulate AI UPI
A sad day for America Gary Marcus
***
Department of Justice compiles list of ‘domestic terrorists’ Los Angeles Times. A rare mainstream media sighting.
FBI officials call Antifa the biggest threat to the U.S., but provide few details Reuters
Scoop: Trump administration prepares to revoke visas of Elon Musk’s Twitter Zeteo critics
***
Indiana Senate defeats redistricting plan by overwhelming vote WTHR
***
What is a farmer? How does the government count farmers? The high politics of seemingly mundane statistical work Notes on the crisis
Bessent: “I run a soybean farm.”
Brennan: “You don’t own it. You invest in it.”
Bessent: “My family goes out and works on it.”
This is the strategy of real-time billionaires, insisting on struggle, outsourcing labor, and pretending that proximity equals experience.
he is not… pic.twitter.com/BzDiLSmExT
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) December 7, 2025
republican funhouse
Senate rejects last-ditch plan and goes back to square one on health care subsidies NOTUS
So MAGA says $8.3 billion a year is too much to spend on Americans’ health, so they are imposing huge tax increases of 100 to 300 percent on tens of millions of Americans through skyrocketing health insurance premiums. Just one day after approving a $1 trillion budget for their global empire and Israel/Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/DG2Hz02uC7
— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) December 11, 2025
Deshabille Democratic Party
How the Democratic Party Lost the White House by Christopher D. Cook, Roots Action
Even in a moment of populism, Democrats remain divided on the issue of corporate power By Matt Stoller
Chuck Schumer has not said whether he opposes regime change in Venezuela.
Jake Tapper: Do you disagree with President Trump’s ultimate goal of regime change in Venezuela?
Chuck Schumer: Look, the bottom line is that President Trump is throwing so many different things at so many different fronts… pic.twitter.com/kwjWMsBgM8
— Ken Klippenstein (NSPM-7 compliant) (@kenklippenstein) December 10, 2025
mamdani
Mamdani and New York’s top rabbis meet privately, but core rift remains unresolved CNN
When people ask how Israel affects people living in the US, they come up with entire articles like this one where Israel supporters boast that the mayor is trying to block housing cost cuts because he’s not pro-Israel enough https://t.co/YP9UF8wTvz pic.twitter.com/iqybmvsrrp
— Hamid Bendaas🇩🇿🇵🇸🇮🇷 (@HBendaas) December 11, 2025
Should the left criticize Zoran? Labor politics
immigration
$2 billion in Pentagon funds diverted to immigration operations, Congressional Democrats say ABC News
Immigration crackdowns destroy local economies. Borderland Talk with Jen Budd
economy
New jobless claims surge to highest level in months as Trump economy threatens common dreams
Trump: Instead of 4% GDP or 3% GDP, it should be 20% or 25%. I don’t understand why it can’t be done. pic.twitter.com/mcqKmvYhP5
— Asyn (@Acyn) December 10, 2025
A.I.
What happens when NIMBYism and AI collide? Distillation
antitrust law
Jared Kushner and three Arab monarchies at the center of Paramount and WBD bid The Guardian
police state surveillance
DHS data harvest puts Americans at risk Wired
Nation Casino
Everyone’s gambling, but no one’s happy Kyla Scanlon
Kalsi bet this year’s Person of the Year award on “AI,” but decided “no” because the current winners were a group of AI executives they called the “Architects of AI.” pic.twitter.com/TwOipqmjt1
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) December 11, 2025
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