MIT study finds Earth’s first animals were likely ancient sponges Science Daily (Kevin W)
How old English can you understand? Colin Dore (Michael T.)
Wild Rice and the Rights of Nature JSTOR (Micael T)
Behind Stealth: Understanding the Theory That Made Stealth Possible [i] Black Mountain Analysis (Chuck L)
In the low-carb vs. low-fat debate, research suggests food quality is more important for heart health JAMA (Robin K)
#New Coronavirus Infection/Pandemic
Deadly avian influenza first discovered in California elephant seal Los Angeles Times
Climate/Environment
Extreme weather is changing the world’s rivers The Conversation
Chronic ocean heating is driving ‘staggering’ loss of marine life, Guardian finds
Shrinking cold-water habitat means more whales will be caught in nets, CBC study finds
Northern Ireland farmers warn of mineral losses following ‘wettest start in nearly 150 years’ AgriLand
China?
How China concealed drone flight during rehearsal in Taiwan Reuters
Pentagon to spend $12.6 billion to strengthen surveillance of Chinese submarines and satellites Bloomberg
NEW: We have released a groundbreaking feature @CSIS @ChinaPowerCSIS A database and accompanying report that systematically investigates purges within the Chinese military. Our data shows that the PLA purge is much more serious than previously understood. pic.twitter.com/jYaha3mCNn
—Brian Hart (@BrianTHart) February 24, 2026
China’s latest battery runs on salt to power vehicles even in frigid climates Kevin Walmsley (Kevin W)
South Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his refusal to engage with the Seoul Independent, insisting his country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security was threatened.
Africa
‘We do not want Israeli aggression in the Horn of Africa’: Turkish official Turkiye Today
Why Ethiopia and Eritrea are on the brink of war again Le Monde
south of the border
President Trump hints at ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba amid US fuel blockade Al Jazeera (Kevin W)
We have visited many evils in this world. How much arrogance does a country have to insist that it has to break an agreement with Hondurans and Cubans that is clearly beneficial to both parties just because some crazy people in South Florida don’t like it? https://t.co/LuXvRucita
— Ryan Grimm (@ryangrim) February 27, 2026
“Inventions and Solutions”: How Cuba Survived 60 Years of US Blockade Al Jazeera World Documentary, YouTube (resilc)
Killing cartel bosses won’t solve Mexico’s organized crime problem: American Conservative Party (resilc)
discord in europe
Germany’s oil and gas production falls as prices rise New York Times
Hungary and Slovakia release strategic reserves to avoid oil supply shortage Upstream
Denmark calls snap election amid tensions in Greenland
Intimidation of Ministers – Convicted of machine translation harassment and unlawful intimidation of Afton Bladet. Micheal T:
This is truly terrifying. Sweden’s judicial system has never worked so quickly. Less than a month later he was found guilty. Harassment lawsuits typically take 6 to 12 months. Second, the “threat” wasn’t a threat at all. If you, as a minister, fear a basket of apples, you are not qualified to be in politics. Secondly, the decapitated dolls were not meant to be directed at politicians, but to show who the Swedish government is supporting in Syria: the ISIS people whose heads they are beheading. There is also a case in Germany where people who accused serial liar Merz Pinocchio were fined 90,000 euros and the police were sent in.
old blighty
Green Party’s Hannah Spencer wins Labour’s ‘safe seat’ in surprising result that restores hope Council Media
Full text of the victory speech of the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer, who won Mr Gorton and Mr Denton in the election:
14,980 – Green
10,578 – Reform
UK 9,364 – Labor
“Okay. There’s a lot, so come with me.”
“I didn’t grow up wanting to be a politician. I’m a plumber.”
“And two weeks ago… pic.twitter.com/iONH4xjU4z
— Farouk (@implausibleblog) February 27, 2026
“That’s amazing.”@siennamarla About the results. However, I do not agree with her analysis of PLP. Labor MPs are generally not soft leftists. They were carefully selected by the Institute because they are supine and loyal, and therefore lack the ability to rebuild the Institute even if they wanted to. pic.twitter.com/gpubAOKtw5
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 27, 2026
This word from Starmer’s handler Peter Mandelson means the current “Labour Party”.
They are Tories with red rosettes…and they were so arrogant that they thought people couldn’t see through them. pic.twitter.com/IGdp2lZMnx
— Philadelar in tattered pants (@RaggedTP) February 27, 2026
* * *
Household energy debt soars ‘to reach £7bn by end of 2026’ Telegraph
UK investigates Epstein’s use of Royal Air Force base for sex trafficking RT (Kevin W)
England ‘close’ to court injunction following 2024 riots BBC
israel vs resistance
Who exactly are Israelis? William Murphy (Michael T.)
This is evil incarnate. Hell is not deep enough for those who commit and support such acts.
There’s no darker sound than what Iblis infuses into the Agents, and we see it in moments like this. Cruelty is engineered, broadcast, and ritualized. And Gaza still exists https://t.co/iRxm1r4uHU
— Thomas Keith (@iwasnevrhere_) February 26, 2026
Exclusive: Ro Khanna to introduce comprehensive resolution condemning Israeli settlements and settler violence Middle East Eye (resilc)
* * *
Needless to say, this section had to be redone based on the start of the war. We also run something like a live blog.
Seed M. Marandi: Israel and US launch surprise attack on Iran Glenn Diesen, YouTube
Breaking news: IRGC attacks US naval base in Bahrain with missiles Republic World, YouTube
War against Iran has begun (following several sources) ind.ca. resilc: “Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to have dubbed this attack the Lion’s Roar. It is more similar to the Roar of the Lying One.”
President Trump’s unusual confession that Iran strategy is based on luck Janta Ka Reporter, YouTube. Trump’s clip starts at 2:58. The full text of Hannah Spencer’s acceptance speech is also included at 8:00.
President Kennedy speaks on the floor of the US Senate: Ayatollah wants to kill people who oppose him on religious YouTube (resilc)
Senate Majority Leader: Any war with Iran should result in regime change. Libertarian Institute. resilc: “But it’s more likely that the regime is the legatee.”
Could the United States use this ethnic conflict to destroy Iran from within? RT (Kevin W)
* * *
A new poll showing more Americans are sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis will send the Zionist lobby into a panic. Dissident (Dr. Kevin). The underlying Gallup poll is here.
This analysis is correct and Americans should pay close attention.
The Israel-India alliance inherently works against US interests.
A U.S. attack on Iran would serve the alliance’s interests, not America’s, and would destroy the Trump presidency. https://t.co/Ozq8QEGq48
— Dr. Lawrence Sellin (@LawrenceSellin) February 27, 2026
Oil tanker rates soar to six-year high
Pakistan/Afghanistan
Pakistan and Afghanistan move towards war Asia Times (Kevin W)
Pakistan’s defense minister says it is at ‘war’ with Afghanistan after BBC attack
A new war that’s not so cold war
Russia-Ukraine war, with an estimated 500,000 deaths, Europe’s deadliest since 1945 Lemond
How the Ukraine War Ended Thomas Fudge, Unheld (Chuck L)
Denmark and Norway deny Overton protection to Ukrainian man through machine translation (Micael T)
A Russian drone approached the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Swedish port of Malmö on Thursday, officials said, before being intercepted by the Swedish military. TVP World
big brother is watching over you
The app will alert you if someone is wearing smart glasses near 404 Media. Bwahahaha.
imperial collapse watch
Roaming Charge: The Empire Situation in Extremis Counterpunch (resilc)
Much of the design of administrative law and the U.S. Constitution assumes an active and healthy Congress, interacting with the courts and the executive branch and actively amending the law in response to its decisions, changes in technology, and other emerging challenges. Democratically…
— Tim Wu (@superwuster) February 24, 2026
9 US Navy sailors charged with gang ties after assaulting maritime executive (resilc)
customs duty
Lawsuits against US surge as President Trump’s policies spark court challenges Financial Times
mamdani
Who are the real extremists? Ken Klippenstein
Lafaire Epstein
The Hill explains the big new controversy over the Epstein files
economy
AI boom isn’t a free pass for debt-laden major economies Reuters
Urgent warning for the US economy: Top economists warn Professor Steve Keene and Professor David Lorenzon, YouTube (Micael T)
A.I.
Defense and AI spending pushes global debt to $348 trillion Financial Times
important. Click through:
I’ve never seen anything like this in 45 years on Wall Street.
Sam Altman has just convinced three of the world’s smartest investors to cover his losses.
110 billion dollars. But the profit is zero.
Largest private financing round in history.
Let me explain why this is borderline… pic.twitter.com/ksKoAn272L
— George Noble (@gnoble79) February 27, 2026
Silicon Valley billionaires are investing heavily in shaping US AI rules Financial Times
I studied cognitive science at Stanford University. He then wrote an introductory play about AI authoritarianism. new york times (resilc)
President Trump orders government to stop using Anthropic in AI dispute BBC (Kevin W)
Block cuts 40% of workforce with AI introduction New York Times
class war
Top 20% Corbin Trent and America’s Open Letter to Destruction (resilc)
Distribution of U.S. Household Wealth since 1989 Federal Reserve Board (Micael T)
How much does it cost at least to visit Walt Disney World? Frommers (resilc)
Antidote (via):
In seconds he became a victim.. 😂 pic.twitter.com/SXQgODGiDY
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) February 26, 2026
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
