A woman is surprised when a herd monitoring tower appears in her garden without any warning.
Witches back in the spotlight in the Low Countries
536 AD was such a terrible year, it may have been the worst era in human history ZME Science
Climate/Environment
Flash floods kill 4 in Kentucky, 1 in Tennessee, require multiple water rescues ABC News
Unfortunately, wildfire outbreaks in the Western Interior continue to intensify under today’s “very critical” fire weather conditions and record dryness in some areas. Existing fires are intensifying again, and Colorado has two new fires of particular concern. [Thread] pic.twitter.com/CFRBgf2b8V
— Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) June 29, 2026
Europe’s heatwave moves east, with Poland recording record high temperatures Notes from Poland
Hungary breaks heat record, with temperatures reaching 40℃ near Budapest Daily News Hungary
Heatwave: Which countries in Europe are running out of water? Euronews
🔴⚠️🌡️🌊 The unprecedented #heatwave that has hit #Europe is also affecting the Mediterranean Sea. The sea surface temperature in #Copernicus has risen rapidly in the past few days, and the latest abnormal data is over 8℃
⬇️SST daily anomaly on June 27, 2026 #climateemergency pic.twitter.com/Y8PbmcDUxt
— SatWorld (@or_bit_eye) June 28, 2026
Night shifts help brick kiln workers avoid peak heat, but not as a result Mongabay
To decarbonize quickly, think beyond electrification Jacobin
Weather Jiu-Jitsu: Prospects for Atmospheric Nudges to Mitigate the Impact of Catastrophic Extreme Weather PLOS Water
South Korea
South Korea to build semiconductor cluster in southwest with 800 trillion won in corporate investment Yonhap News
China?
Reading Beijing’s signals to Brussels Beijing Studies
Chartbook 454: China Shock 2.0 and mercantilism versus mercantilism violence. adam toews
Southeast Asia
How the Russia-Ukraine war changed Southeast Asia’s arms trade Diplomat
syrakistan
Over 16,000 killed and injured: ‘Israel’ continues to destroy Lebanon Al-Mayadeen
Israel recognizes Armenian genocide, move criticized as ‘cynic’ amid onslaught in Gaza New Arab
Israeli forces launch attack in Syria’s al-Mayadeen, clashes break out in Daraa
NEW: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) board will formally change the definition of who qualifies as a journalist, broadly excluding murdered Palestinian and Lebanese journalists who worked for government-funded news organizations. Israelis, Americans, and…
— Mohammed El Kurd (@m7mdkurd) June 28, 2026
President Trump’s peace committee plans to grant himself total immunity, Guardian documents show
***
Iraq’s Prime Minister hints at reform after mass arrests ahead of President Trump meeting Iraq News
In the shadow of Minab: Inside the US ‘new missile’ test against Iran’s Ramad Middle East Eye
Iran’s quiet surrender: the trap of normalization with the West
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Pakistan security forces say they have killed 29 militants along Afghanistan border Al Jazeera
discord in europe
Austerity undermines the governments that impose it Philipp Heimberger
Hungary can join eurozone by 2030 without austerity, says Prime Minister Intellinews
European Commission headquarters shuts off air conditioners for lower-ranking staff, but most members keep them on Anadolu Agency
Volkswagen’s tough job cuts raise the possibility of selling treasures FT
old blighty
Keir Starmer arson mystery exposes Kit Clarenberg
UK to buy unmanned command ship to replace new destroyer British Defense Journal
A new war that’s not so cold war
‘Mysterious’ Valdai meeting between Putin and Lukashenko sparks speculation amid Zelenskiy’s latest threat Simplicius
Ukrainian senior sergeant threatens Poland with drone attacks on cities Andrew Korybko
Bloomberg is doing everything it can to paint a negative light on Russia’s oil revenues…Marat Khairlin Substack
President Putin addresses Karl Sanchez at the 23rd Party Congress of United Russia
About Russophobia Pascal Lottas
great game
President Trump signs multibillion-dollar mining deal, sons stand to profit New York Times
south of the border
Venezuela earthquake death toll approaches 1,500, tens of thousands still missing France 24
Trump 2.0
‘We should go to court’: Khanna says recent US bombing of Iran was ‘blatant rape’ by President Trump Common Dreams
‘Scary’: Pruitt’s selection of top spy aide raises concerns that Trump’s vote could tamper with MS Now
Party time at ODNI?Spy talk
250th place
Trump’s Great American State Fair faces sparse crowds as Confederate flag controversy hits Forbes
View from the top of the Ferris wheel at the Great American State Fair!! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nQAXNMpKfx
— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) June 27, 2026
Not likely to get much better:
A severe heatwave will continue in Washington, D.C., starting Wednesday and continuing through July 4th.
The NWS currently predicts highs of 104 on Thursday, 105 on Friday and 102 on July 4th, all record highs.
The heat index will be 5-8 degrees higher.
Forecast update: https://t.co/epWSoxksz8 pic.twitter.com/CUCrgJDp3B
— Capital Weather (@capitalweather) June 28, 2026
sports desk
MLB owners want union to let chess player Neil Payne play checkers
A.I.
AI fuels record $200 billion M&A boom in US power sector FT
Microsoft employee emails thousands of colleagues about company’s support for genocide ‘Israel’ The Canary
China catches up with Gary Marcus
Nation Casino
Total sports bets in the US…
2025: $165 billion
2024: $149 billion
2023: $121 billion
2022: $93.7 billion
2021: $57.5 billion
2020: $21.5 billion
2019: $13.1 billion
2018: $6.6 billion https://t.co/hjwOCMecna
— Charlie Billello (@charliebilello) June 28, 2026
Mr. Market
The entire stock market is balanced on one bet, and this week the three groups with the clearest view of its fundamentals began exiting en masse. Hedge funds are selling technology at the fastest pace in a decade. The dollar just posted its biggest gain in almost a month.
— Shanaka Anslem Perera⚡ (@shanaka86) June 29, 2026
health care?
Hospitals are using AI to detect intimate partner violence. That’s a problem. today’s med page
Why the Rural Health Fund’s $50 billion focus on technology upgrades isn’t helping vulnerable hospitals and health care providers The Conversation
‘Republicans intentionally created this crisis’: Federal data shows ACA enrollment numbers are undermining a common dream
supply chain
Cancer drug shortages disrupt hospital supply chains, raising rationing concerns Becker’s Hospital Review
basil
California regulators have voted to release a ride-hailing safety report. Well, they didn’t. San Francisco Public Press
agriculture
What to watch for as screwworms enter U.S. food and power
guillotine watch
Superyacht Armada comes to Miami, leaves marine graveyard in its wake Bloomberg
Mark Zuckerberg reveals he feeds beer and macadamia nuts to cows
“One of my projects at the ranch is trying to produce the highest quality beef in the world.”
“The stakes are very low. We don’t sell, but we’re very interested in cow genetics. We’re trying to figure out… pic.twitter.com/hj3MWFjkTR
— Jack (@Jackkk) June 27, 2026
class war
Number of parents worried about ‘putting food on the table’ rises rapidly Newsweek
Police warn CEO’s bodyguard that Luigi Mangione fever could spark class war The Intercept
Monopoly Recap: Why Wall Street Isn’t Afraid of Leftist Matt Stoller Yet
Antidote (via):
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