Did the Great Animal Migration of Africa extend into deep time?The Complete History of Sapiens
The world’s largest urban rail system is under construction JRUrbaneNetwork
What would happen if the Italians built a subway under Providence? Transit Guy
Pedestrian observation not due to Baumol effect
NASA loses contact with Mars rover MAVEN Space News
Climate/Environment
Washington state flooding: Evacuations underway near Skagit, Snohomish and other rivers Seattle Times. 100,000 people could be evacuated.
Balanced weather forecast for catastrophic river flooding in western Washington over the next few days. Meteorologists describe it as “almost incomprehensible.”
pandemic
SARS-CoV-2 leaves a lasting mark on the immune system’s Jon Snow project. A layman’s overview of the important study “Sustained Decay of Lymphocyte Subsets Following SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak.”
Therefore, increased infections = decreased immunity + increased infections by other pathogens, which increases the amount of pathogens circulating to infect others, further increasing the incidence of other infectious diseases. This increases vulnerability to infection and increases the incidence of https://t.co/AUTrfGBhkR.
— Dr. Evonne T. Curran💙🇺🇦 (@EvonneTCurran) December 9, 2025
A recent scientific paper investigated the effects of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks on lymphocytes (important for the body’s immune system).
I noticed that the author shared the data behind the graphs in the Appendix Supplementary Materials, so I built a simple dataviz project.
🧵 pic.twitter.com/jLJiBZL2y1
— Mike Honey (@Mike_Honey_) December 8, 2025
Death rates are outpacing births in some parts of the country, antibiotic resistance is creeping in, disability claims are on the rise, sick leave is on the rise, and more.
— Turn (@1goodtern) December 9, 2025
***
H5N1 tipping point: Scientists identify when containment fails Nature
Japan
US nuclear-capable bomber flies with Japanese jet after Sino-Russian training, Tokyo announces Asia One
China?
New York Times editorial board urges US to prepare for future war with China
Top secret document warns China will destroy US military in battle over Taiwan The Telegraph
India
Indian arms makers hold unusual meeting in Russia to discuss potential joint venture Reuters
nepal
US Regime Change Front funds Nepali youth revolutionaries, leak reveals The Grayzone
Thailand and Cambodia conflict
Fighting intensifies on Cambodia-Thailand border ahead of phone call with President Trump Channel News Asia
syrakistan
Winter rains flood tents in Gaza as Israel bombs and destroys Palestinian homes New Arab
Gazan baby malnourished and ‘bearing the scars of war before he takes a breath’ UN News
Israel’s biggest fraudster: hiding the true number of people killed in Gaza Jonathan Cook
Remember what it took for politicians to start calling for a ban on social media for children? Recognition of Israeli genocide. https://t.co/QKugsK9rk3
— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) December 9, 2025
In a new peace, US companies will help Israel spy on and target responsible state strategy in Gaza
How Israel organizes and arms settler militias to terrorize Palestinians at drop sites in the West Bank
Israel to withhold 50 million cubic meters of water from Jordan: Turkiye Today report
Are we still at war with Iran? seymour hersh
discord in europe
Europe quietly abandons the dream of indigenous sixth-generation fighter Al Mayadeen
NATO is a fairy tale book and food for business syndicates
Thomas Massie proposes bill to withdraw US from NATO American conservative
Belgium is caught between Eurodog and Russian fire hydrants Larry Johnson
A new war that’s not so cold war
More war! ukraine events
Will Ukrainian ultranationalists and NATO continue their hybrid war even after “peace”? Andrea Choc
Hidden character Venik
Russian NSS Julian McFarlane
Russia’s hybrid warfare is putting Europe to the test of FT. Unsurprisingly, the unnamed intelligence agency is pressing for the war to continue.
Shut up and fight! US and Europe waste time with delusional talks while Russia advances Mark Sleboda (Video)
Understanding After Ukraine. Aurelian
Africa
The US has sanctioned Colombians involved in the Sudanese war, but has not mentioned Middle East Eye, which is affiliated with the UAE. So why is this so?
great game
Kazakhstan to supply Kashagan crude directly to China after damage to CPC terminal Astana Times. Damaged by Ukraine/NATO attack.
south of the border
President Trump steps up war preparations as US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker for international piracy WSWS
War with Venezuela intensifies: Here are the motives behind it. dissident
Inside the Pentagon’s emergency response to boat strike survivors The New York Times
Drugs as a hostile threat? 7 questions for retired Major General Stephen Lepper After-action report
Today is the anniversary of Gary Webb’s murder. pic.twitter.com/kamgbGYs2N
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) December 11, 2025
Hemispheric Fault Lines: Venezuelan Resistance and Latin America’s Crossroads between Sovereignty and Neocolonialism Vanessa Beeley and Fiorella Isabel
Congress approves new tariffs on products from China and non-FTA countries Mexico News Daily
Trump 2.0
US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court commits not to prosecute Donald Trump Reuters
President Trump’s own mortgage matches description of mortgage fraud, records reveal ProPublica
How Donald Trump Jr.’s fortune jumped six times in one year Forbes
Eric Trump is 10 times richer since his father’s election Forbes
Is the White House’s AI policy consistent? Gary Marcus
Idiots on the Parade: The dystopian sci-fi classic that inspired “Stupidity” exposes the Trump administration to the harsh light of a new genocide Dougald Lamont
accelerationist
Book Notes: The Technological Republic (2025) Stages of the Scholar. Co-authored by Palantir CEO Alex Karp and his general counsel Nicholas Zamiska. From the review: “It’s similar in format and tone to a business class airport book, but this comparison insults the airport paperback.”
“Liberation Day”
US-Indonesia trade deal on the verge of collapse FT
How President Trump’s tariffs forced China to pivot and expand exports CNN
Desperate farmers say ‘system is broken’ as relief package arrives USA Today
unity party
Congress should reject Steven Semler’s $901 billion military policy bill. they didn’t.
mamdani
Daily Dirt: Real estate fund Mamdani transition RealEstate.news
In a private meeting, Mamdani reassured developers and investors that the door “remains open” The Real Deal
immigration
President Trump launches expedited visa gold card program priced at nearly $1.3 million The Straits Times
Have China’s top AI researchers ever stayed in the United States? Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
imperial collapse watch
Turning gabbro into rare earths is like spinning straw into gold Carl Sanchez
Decline in Understanding: How America Lost its Ability to Study the World by Kautilya the Contemplator
***
Due to the deepening debt crisis, governments in the Global South are spending an average of 15% of their revenues on external debt servicing. This number has doubled since 2010.
More than 3.4 billion people currently live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on health care and education. pic.twitter.com/odf7bFPZrp
— Jason Hickel (@jasonhickel) December 10, 2025
Evidence and implications of geopolitical tensions and international financial fragmentation CEPR (via Adam Tooze, highlighted below)
[The US and countries geopolitically close to it] It accounts for approximately 65% of the world’s external assets and liabilities. The share of China and countries geopolitically close to China in total assets and total liabilities has increased from about 2% to 3% in recent years and remains at a relatively low level. This is in contrast to China’s much larger influence in global GDP (15%) and global trade (13%).
A.I.
DOW Leaks: Inside the AI Platform and Internal Notes Ka’s Counter Programming
health care?
Trump is exposing (sort of) correct health care
abortion
Obstetrics-related emergency medical care and labor law violations, no health exceptions allowed JAMA Health Forum
economy
Fed cuts interest rates by a quarter of a point after apparent disagreement over US economy The Guardian
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell says the U.S. may be greatly exaggerating employment data WSJ
guillotine watch
Extreme inequality – and what to do about it Michael Roberts
deregulated casino
Think tanker alters Ukraine war map before making large payments to Polymarket Responsible State Strategy
Inside the dark and predatory world of crypto casinos The New York Times
class war
Online/Offline Working Class Storytelling
Why does Gen Z have a growing appetite for retro technology? BBC
Walking the Tightrope of Hope London Book Review
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