Dear Patient Readers,
Our moderators and your humble bloggers are wasting their time with persistent trolls who try to post under many handles. This is a violation of our written site policies. We will no longer approve and will delete and ban these witty comments if they briefly appear. Find a better hobby.
Looks like your humble blogger was having a bit of a bad day too. That has slowed efforts to address issues such as President Trump’s sudden enthusiasm for “affordability” policies such as a 10% interest rate cap on credit cards. I’m still researching why that might be more counterproductive than beneficial.
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‘Dilbert’ author Scott Adams dies after battling prostate cancer Live Now Fox (Kevin W)
US FDA asks to remove suicide warning from weight loss drugs CNN (Kevin W)
‘The bomb’: doubts cast over discovery of microplastics throughout the human body The Guardian (Paul R). resilc added: “Who’s paying whom?”
Climate/Environment
The end of green energy Unherd
Caribbean record heat
Extreme heat in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
And we’ll be recording again in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
89F/31.7C Charlotte Amalie AP (St. Thomas) Tie Highest temperature recorded in USVI in January pic.twitter.com/d4Y17R4C4P
— Abnormal temperatures around the world (@extremetemps) January 11, 2026
Warm spells of central Asia
Unusually warm conditions are widespread and intensifying in Central Asia, with temperatures typically around 20°C warmer than average in May.
The temperature at an altitude of 1000m in Kazakhstan today reached +19℃!
‼ ️The next day, the temperature may rise to around 28/30 degrees in Turkmenistan pic.twitter.com/1X6Amdopm8
— Abnormal temperatures around the world (@extremetemps) January 11, 2026
Himalayas exposed and rocky after reduced winter snowfall, scientists warn BBC
Floods have hit several parts of Indonesia in the past two days
Thousands of fruit bats killed, worst mass mortality since Australia’s Black Summer Guardian 🙁
Falling iron in the sea poses a danger to seals, penguins and whales Oceanography:-(
Rare meteorite tsunami causes sudden huge waves in Argentine coastal town, killing 1 person and injuring at least 35 Times Now News
A rare tornado hits the Curitiba metropolitan area with winds of up to 180km/h, destroying around 350 homes and affecting more than 1,000 people in São Jose dos Pináis, demonstrating the power of a rare extreme phenomenon in southern Brazil CPG
In a sane world, this would be front page news everywhere.
But it’s hardly mentioned anywhere.
The surface of the North Pacific Ocean has warmed more than twice as much in the past 15 years as it did in the previous 156 years.
This is an increase in the warming rate of over 2000%. https://t.co/tPp1fTHiLO pic.twitter.com/vcN2JuZXyp
— Leon Simmons 🌍 (@LeonSimons8) January 10, 2026
Atmospheric physicist finds error in widely cited Arctic snow measurements PhysOrg
Drought | Vermont drought forces dairy farms into costly survival mode Edairy News. resilc: “Icing Latino workers is a much bigger problem…”
toilet
Drought causes water crisis to hit Turkiye capital, worsening infrastructure problems Hurriyet Daily News
China?
China blames US for trade imbalance as surplus hits record $1.2 trillion in 2025 Financial Times
Panama may terminate China’s CK Hutchison license Wall Street Journal
Are You Dead?: A viral Chinese app for young people living alone BBC (Kevin W)
Southeast Asia
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupts, spewing ash up to 1,600 meters Anadolu Agency
At least 22 people killed when a crane collapses on a train at BBC Thailand. Live blog. As tragic as it is, it also doesn’t look good.
Africa
Egypt’s military is holding billions of dollars in secret cash, officials say, as government misses debt deadline Middle East Eye
Ethiopia and Djibouti leaders talk geopolitics as tensions rise in Borkena region
Chad: ‘Malnutrition is a silent crisis’: Médecins Sans Frontières
south of the border
A Venezuelan victory wasn’t on my fight card, as it’s not much to plunder, but hey, credit goes to the innovative Siestamasking defense plan.
Has anyone noticed that the “drug ship” air strikes have stopped? So… https://t.co/IoJirCBqVJ
— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) January 14, 2026
‘History speaks’: Mass exodus brings Cuba closer to collapse as US pressure intensifies Guardian
discord in europe
Europe must now tell President Trump “enough is enough” and cut ties with the U.S. Guardian newspaper. I wish you the best. First, that would require kissing and making up with Russia.
Theft of Greenland by the Trump Gang: A Chinese Perspective Carl Sanchez
From Politico’s Europe Morning Newsletter:
What’s happening: The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland have arrived in Washington for a high-stakes meeting at the White House with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance, who insisted on being present.
Message: Greenland is not for sale. That is the policy Danish and Greenlandic officials are trying to convey, an EU diplomat familiar with the preparations told Zoya Sheftalovic. “It’s good to have an honest discussion with the regime,” the diplomat added…
How the tide has turned: I was in Strasbourg when Nielsen visited the European Parliament in October and said there were “no plans” for Greenland to seek EU membership. On Tuesday, his tone changed. If forced to choose between the United States and Denmark, he said, “We would choose NATO, we would choose the Kingdom of Denmark, and we would choose the European Union.”
Mixed signals from Capitol Hill: The talks came after a bipartisan group in the United States on Tuesday proposed legislation to block U.S. President Donald Trump’s invasion of NATO countries to finance foreign military invasions. But another lawmaker proposed the Greenland Annexation and State Powers Act and…well, it would do exactly what it says.
Preserving NATO remains NATO’s top priority, an EU diplomat said in this must-read POLITICO article by Jacopo Barigazzi and Nicolas Vinocour. Trump himself has hinted that he “might end up choosing” between Greenland and the alliance, and Frederiksen and EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius have warned that military action could mean the end of NATO.
The Scoop — Congress poised to delay key U.S. vote: A key vote on eliminating tariffs on U.S. industrial goods is facing delays, four Congressional sources tell POLITICO’s Camille Guice and Max Gurriera. This has been proposed as a tactical response to President Trump’s threat to annex Greenland, and will almost certainly anger the US government.
Imagine the glee and laughter in Moscow and Beijing when the US Congress was forced to pass a bill to prevent the US president from invading another NATO member. https://t.co/IPHxGnVMut
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) January 14, 2026
France opens consulate general in Greenland on February 6 as threat from the US increases
Sorry, but the EU has no right to scream “McCarthyism” responsible national strategy. I can’t say that very often.
israel vs resistance
Gaza: Storm worsens already dire humanitarian situation, UN warns
Gaza: UNICEF insists ceasefire is not enough as it continues to kill children
Jewish terrorist who killed Palestinian family says he will allow couple to meet Times of Israel (resilc)
Iranian protesters reject US, Israeli interference Middle East Eye
The deranged Iranian rebels, backed by the United States and Israel, boast of the terrorist tactics their military is deploying inside Iran, from killing civilians to torching places of worship.
See replies encouraging ISIS to violence and calling for similar acts in the US https://t.co/OoaKx7YChW
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 13, 2026
President Trump vows ‘very strong action’ if Iran executes protesters BBC lead story on setting up VPN in US. Diplomatic colleagues from the Global South report that three of the people targeted for execution are Mossad.
Douglas McGregor: America’s war with Iran risks sparking world war Glenn Diesen, YouTube
A new war that’s not so cold war
No electricity, no running water, minus 19 degrees: Kiev seeks relief from Russian attack and cold BBC
EU ranks among top buyers, France and Spain expand Russian LNG imports Kyiv Post
Long but effective:
“All wars are wars of resources”
Natural gas reserves by country, look at Ukraine (see why Uncle Sam is so interested?)
Watch till the end and you’ll see why Russia is such an attractive target for Western bankers. pic.twitter.com/ttUj7Iy8wf
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) January 13, 2026
imperial collapse watch
Shadi Hamid talks about the American Power Sam Mace lawsuit. Wowsers. It must be nice to smoke what he’s smoking.
Just anarchy Aurelian
The Loss of the Republic Scott Ritter
The Pentagon buys equipment in a sting operation, and some law enforcement officials suspect it may be linked to Havana syndrome CNN (resilc)
Trump 2.0
How It Stops, How It Ends Rick Wilson (Bill L.). important.
Is the US government using a “Nazi-inspired” slogan? Metro (resilc)
Former president and Democratic leaders remain silent on impeachment of Donald Trump Ralph Nader, Counterpunch (resilc)
Stephen Miller’s world view is just like that of “Starship Troopers” Washington Monthly Magazine
Ford plant heckler says he has no regrets after being suspended from his job after President Trump gave him a middle finger and told him to “fuck you” Daily Mail
America: Breaking Bad – Julian MacFarlane again. rogues gallery.
trump vs powell
There are currently not one but two major articles published in the Wall Street Journal.
versus:
Billionaires and the November Election Dean Baker
immigration
US companies hit by anti-India backlash as President Trump restricts foreign workers Financial Times
ICE Rampage
ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Goode receives $10,000 donation from Bill Ackman USA Today (resilc)
Joe Rogan criticizes ICE tactics: ‘Are we really going to become the Gestapo?’ NBC
There are a lot of comments like this on Twitter, but keep in mind that this is what dampens the momentum of “left wing” content.
Today at 34 & Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive through a street where protests were taking place in front of a home that ICE was raiding, claiming she had a doctor readily available. ICE agents smashed her window, cut her seatbelt, dragged her outside, and then arrested her. pic.twitter.com/Y9bDF1xfKW
— Amanda Moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17) January 13, 2026
A 21-year-old Santa Ana man was permanently blinded in one eye after DHS officers fired “less-lethal rounds” at close range. He underwent a six-hour surgery to remove plastic, glass and metal embedded in his face.pic.twitter.com/XwdyrfZUZO
— War Monitor (@TheWarMonitor) January 14, 2026
Key West protests over President Trump’s ICE death squad killing of Commissar Lenny Goode Lucy
Lafaire Epstein
House Republicans to pursue Bill Clinton for contempt of Congress over Axios Epstein investigation
Facing threats of contempt, Clinton refuses to testify in Epstein probe New York Times
Mr. Market is dizzy.
Silver, tin, copper set record in metal rally Bloomberg
A.I.
The rapid rise and slow decline of Sam Altman Gary Marcus
America’s largest power grid operator has an AI problem—too many data centers The Wall Street Journal
ChatGPT kills man after OpenAI brings back ‘inherently dangerous’ GPT-4o, lawsuit alleges futurism
basil
Eric Adams launches virtual currency. The next day, $1 million went missing. new york times
guillotine watch
Meet the pro-Trump billionaire who bought up a Pennsylvania town
LA Rams owner Stan Kroenke becomes America’s largest private landowner New York Times
Peter Thiel donates $3 million to fight California’s billionaire tax proposal Guardian (resilc)
class war
‘I wish we could all rally together for a general strike’ – New York City nurses talk about second day of strike WSWS
Antidote (via):
And bonus:
In Nara, we learned that deer open restaurant doors and bow to ask for food 🦌 pic.twitter.com/A7bdoAqyQ3
— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) January 11, 2026
Second bonus:
Counting sheep.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/47ZSiCtO40
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) January 14, 2026
And the third (Constance C):
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
