Can Bibliotherapy heal the world’s pain? LitHub
Psychedelic Scientist Nautilus. “Bruce Damer, who got hooked on ayahuasca, saw how life on Earth began. He might be right.”
One Thousand and One Nights of Italy Public Domain Review. “In mid-19th century Italy, two eccentric aristocrats embark on parallel construction projects for extravagant castles in the Moorish Revival style. Ivan Mouret Pazos explores Rocchetta Mattei’s psychedelic rooms, optimized for electrohomeopathic therapy, and the Castello di Sammezzano, an obsessive Orientalist’s fever dream.”
Climate/Environment
Climate scientist warns of ‘winter being redefined’ after record-breaking Arctic heat The Guardian
From climate reporting to security planning: new climate realities
TCB Quick Hit: How climate change destroyed the Pacific Northwest’s plumbing Climate Brink
#breaking news: New drone video from Pacific, Wash., Tuesday morning after a minor breakdown on the White River in Pacific City Park. Entire neighborhoods are submerged in water as water continues to flow from the collapsed levee. #waux #flood #drone pic.twitter.com/QEkcG5QygR
— Matthew Fab (@The_Weatherman2) December 16, 2025
Wildfire smoke rising miles in the air could have unexpected effects on Earth’s climate Space.com
They lost their home in the LA wildfires. LA Times reports state-promised mortgage relief no longer available
How natural disasters exacerbate inequality Phys.org
toilet
‘No water, no life’: Iraq’s Tigris river in danger of disappearing The Guardian
From Tehran to Chennai, cities without water portend a thirsty planet Economic Times
pandemic
Heeding the recommendations of the coronavirus research Big Issue could save the lives of people with disabilities
Outbreaks become pandemic liability indicators
China?
Sanctions and economic war in the US-China conflict: Sinicization of the “People’s School” strategy
Where is the China-GCC Free Trade Agreement?Asia Cable
Why China is in no rush to buy Nvidia’s H200 AI chips ThinkChina
India
India and China in the deep sea of Himalayan hydropower East Asia Forum
Leveraging Taiwan: India’s strategic counterbalance to China Lowy Institute
syrakistan
Trump associates want US military bases in Israel. Government officials are aligned with Haaretz.
Israel’s “algorithmic war” and “algorithmic assassination” in Lebanon continues unabated Conflict Forum
***
Several Republicans advocate cutting off US aid to Israel: Responsible Politics, poll
🇺🇸🕎 This clip from tonight’s White House Hanukkah dinner is wild and deeply revealing.
Donald Trump once again openly boasted that Miriam Adelson donated $250 million “directly and indirectly” to his campaign, then joked that “it’s not what it used to be.” That alone is amazing… pic.twitter.com/7Soq3zfvPY
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) December 17, 2025
Papers owned by Adelson (full article):
Israel’s largest online media outlet is now calling for the creation of a global Jewish security system that would link Israeli security forces with local law enforcement, especially the United States, to identify instances of anti-Semitism and take action against it.
They are now… pic.twitter.com/ptLt462FBm
— Dane (@UltraDane) December 16, 2025
Or Canada
Canadian military intelligence officer allegedly shared classified information with Ukraine’s Globe and Mail
Canada has given up on installing a “Victims of Communism” memorial after hundreds of names were revealed to be associated with Nazi or fascist groups. pic.twitter.com/FqB1HD0pdr
— Orikron 🇵🇹骆 Peisi (@orikron) December 15, 2025
old blighty
Hunger Strike and Trial Craig Murray
Downing Street insists US-UK tech deal talks continue BBC
discord in europe
‘Discriminatory’: US threatens EU companies for technology purposes Euractiv
As Russia’s threat intensifies, frontline states want EU cash Politico
Volkswagen closes German factory for the first time in 88 years TeleSUR
The problem with the EU is not Belgium, it’s Trump Politico. Important sections on the Russian asset catastrophe:
“In Tuesday’s stalled negotiations, EU officials and leaders increasingly cited a nuclear option: forcing through reparations financing with a qualified majority vote – in other words, ignoring the opposition of some countries and proceeding anyway. But some officials said this was likely to tear apart an already cracked channel and lead to a real crisis. Another option is for some countries to simply provide limited bilateral financing.”
Fitch places Euroclear Bank on Rating Watch with Negative Fitch Rating
A new war that’s not so cold war
Russia rules out any concessions on Ukrainian territory – Ryabkov Intellinews
A monologue isn’t a conversation…President Trump’s diplomatic failure with Ukraine Larry Johnson
U.S. elite split, events in Ukraine
***
Ukraine claims world’s first underwater drone attack on Russian submarine in war zone
Yesterday I deliberately did not post anything about the security incident in Novorossiysk, waiting for satellite images.
As you can see, the drone crashed into the corner of the pier, but the submarine was still there, confirming the claims of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The fact that Ukraine was able to slip in… https://t.co/EweaVvbxCi pic.twitter.com/9rAFJolYXt
— Olga Bazova (@OlgaBazova) December 16, 2025
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant switches to single external power line after fire Anadolu Agency
***
NATO and Ukraine’s war against Russia extends to Black Sea merchant ships WSWS
Russia deploys all eight nuclear-powered icebreakers to maintain Arctic export routes
For the first time, Russia has simultaneously deployed its entire fleet of eight nuclear-powered icebreakers to maintain winter navigation in the Ob and Yenisei Gulf. #ocean traffic date… pic.twitter.com/mjBE03RKYl
—MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) December 16, 2025
south of the border
President Trump declares “total and complete blockade” of “sanctioned oil tankers” inside and outside Venezuela, anti-war
Article 101 of international law states that a military blockade is not only a violation of the United Nations Charter, but also a crime of aggression.
Unless the blockade is in response to an “armed attack.”
Nothing on President Trump’s list of complaints comes close to an armed attack.
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) December 17, 2025
US officially recognizes Colombia’s EGC Group as a ‘terrorist organization’ Al Jazeera
Why is Trump giving Nicaragua’s Ortega a free pass? world politics review
Operation Condor: Transnational Murder Syndicate Kit Clarenberg
Trump 2.0
Susie Wiles, JD Vance and ‘Junkyard Dogs’: White House chief of staff on Trump’s second term (Part 1 of 2) Vanity Fair
Susie Wiles on the Epstein file, Pete Hegseth’s war tactics, retaliation and more (Part 2 of 2) Vanity Fair
The White House began damage control over Wiles’ unfiltered Axios interview. Other trivia:
The US strategy in Venezuela is to continue to threaten Maduro in the hope that he will surrender without a war, Trump’s chief of staff told Vanity Fair.
Venezuela has no intention of surrendering. Trump had no plan at all, and Maduro was right to bluff about it. https://t.co/nCvbQVs6Mx pic.twitter.com/RlpYhl8QXz
— Ollie Vargas (@Ollie_Vargas_) December 17, 2025
Susie Wiles admitted that everyone knew about Emancipation Day and the tariffs in an interview with Vanity Fair today. They were thinking out loud but had no clear path forward on how to move forward.
American consumers and workers are even worse off. pic.twitter.com/X8hYfVXZ0P
— Tahra Hoops (@TahraHoops) December 16, 2025
Susie Wiles told the NYT that she did not call Elon Musk an “public ketamine” in her Vanity Fair Eleven interview.
“That’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t have said that and I wouldn’t have known.”
Vanity Fair: That’s great, I have a recording of you saying that. https://t.co/SblJJHmh58
—Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) December 16, 2025
***
White House designates fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction
When everything is a weapon of mass destruction and everyone is a terrorist or a traitor, there are no limits to executive power.
Fentanyl designated as a weapon of mass destruction https://t.co/p6aCfRHiP6
— Ben Hunt (@Epsilon Theory) December 16, 2025
Pentagon plan calls for major power changes within the U.S. military WaPo
imperial collapse watch
How Capitalism Replaced America Murtaza Hussain
Why America’s Profits Are High Why America Can’t Compete (America Won’t Reindustrialize) Ian Welsh
Trump is targeting dividends for defense giants’ shareholders as cost overruns mount, sources say Reuters
republican funhouse
House Republicans block vote on insurance subsidy extension, rolling order by Jamie Dupree
big brother is watching you
Russia expands biometric ID system (again) Edward Slavsquat
police state surveillance
DHS denies ICE agents detained Ilhan Omar’s son NOTUS
I’m posting this again because I can’t help but think about how incredibly ignorant Kash Patel’s FBI agents are kicking snow in Providence 🤣pic.twitter.com/6AUNufBA9T
— Wu-Tang is for kids (@WUTangKids) December 16, 2025
meanwhile…
To be fair, Katie Miller added this note at the beginning of her podcast with FBI Director Kash Patel and his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, but so far it doesn’t help the negative ratio it’s receiving (see bottom of screenshot)… pic.twitter.com/d7dJ5vLG8k
— Jimmy Simmons (@ArticulateTHGHT) December 17, 2025
Federal authorities say anti-government group planned New Year’s Eve bombing in Southern California LA Times
Long-term paid FBI informant contributed to terrorist attacks against Kameshima Liberation Front The Intercept
american exceptionalism
Florida NPR’s dramatic increase will nearly double executions in 2025
immigration
Ghost Truck Working Class Storytelling
economy
U.S. adds 64,000 jobs in November as unemployment rate hits four-year high USA Today
A.I.
Why Sam Altman is getting into the porn business
London, King of the Cannibal Island Book Review
Nation Casino
High cost of US sports betting boom “Axios”
basil
Meta tolerates rampant ad fraud from China to secure billions of dollars in revenue Reuters
Rogue state uses crypto gap to finance weapons development Asia Times
class war
U.S. Border Patrol agent Greg Bovino appeared on the picket line at Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago today. Workers have been on strike against manufacturer Mauser since June. When workers are intimidated by federal agents, worker organizing dwindles. https://t.co/If9kKAQlyP pic.twitter.com/7V9X2SzGdg
— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 16, 2025
Antidote (via):
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
