Do birds like to fly? Phys.org
Salad vegetables come under scrutiny as cyclosporosis outbreak spreads Stateline
Cactus spines, snake fangs, snails love darts – oh my! How functionality drives the evolution of natural lancing tools The Conversation
Bananas as we know them are in trouble WBUR
Climate/Environment
U.S. heat wave shatters records as wildfires pump toxic air across North America National Herald
Does your building have upgraded air filters? These levels immediately increase emergency room visits and heart attacks, and most of the air pollution you breathe occurs indoors. MERV13 or higher is highly recommended. Even better is a “MERV-A” rated filter. pic.twitter.com/VyktaOm2xX
— Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen) July 15, 2026
Who wants to take a train ride through Canada in the age of global warming?
Armstrong, Northern Ontario, Canada.
The crew appears to have escaped safely. pic.twitter.com/kwCcjDZWYj
— Matthew Todd 🌏🔥 (@MrMatthewTodd) July 15, 2026
Rare Atlantic Niña emerges, joins Super El Niño to create atmospheric shield over Europe for severe US weather
New normal? The US will experience massive power outages every month in 2026 Electrek
ebola hemorrhagic fever
Congo’s Ebola cases surpass 2,000, 754 dead, more health workers on strike, Associated Press
toilet
Federal officials take big cuts to keep LA’s water at Lake Mead’s food line
Boulder City Council seeks to shut down data center on BLM land Nevada Current. Located on the shores of Lake Mead.
South Korea
CIA’s former South Korean director now sells the country’s weapons to all U.S. government intelligence agencies
Cargo trucks lined up at China-North Korea border for trade Daily NK
China?
Trump aides believe China is cheating on trade, but avoids retaliation Bloomberg
Chinese government returns capital to real economy China policy takes the lead
China’s fight against “lying down” begins with companion chatbots Gizmodo
Southeast Asia
Malaysia says it is investigating Forest City tech community run by former Coinbase executive The Straits Times
syrakistan
Israel kills more than a dozen Palestinians in Gaza over 24 hours in violation of US-backed ceasefire The Cradle
More than 100 Democrats vote in favor of ending military aid to Israel in the House of Representatives The Guardian
President Trump’s former campaign manager is running an Israeli influence operation targeting MAGA bases TIME
Iran sends message to J.D. Vance, warning that Kushner and Witkoff are ‘abusing’ internal access to negotiation drop site
Iran says US airstrikes hit wheat silos elsewhere in Khuzestan-Anadolu
UAE awards long-awaited AI chip to help US aid Iran war WSJ
Exclusive: Iraq adds Lebanon’s Hezbollah to banking sanctions list New Arab
Iraq and US announce economic deal worth $60 billion Iraq News
discord in europe
VW wanted to save its factory with military trucks. Qatar had other ideas Car Scoop
The US military base in Vicenza has become the beginning of a new robot war! Did Cyberpunk and the Terminator emerge from the movie as humanity’s archenemies? ComeDonChisciotte.org (via GeoPolitiQ)
Kushner’s Albania luxury resort project embroiled in new scandal over forged documents News Am
Lithuania’s new prime minister says allowing Taiwan to set up a de facto embassy “may have been too courageous” Reuters
old blighty
Res judicata and extreme unionism Craig Murray
A new war that’s not so cold war
Ukraine to buy Chinese drone parts with EU funds FT
Zelenskiy to be fired as Kyiv defense minister over failed drone war. EU faces gas crisis funding as Kiev buys Chinese drones The Duran
Kremlin “passivity”: a major threat to the future of the Russian Federation? Oliver Boyd Barrett
Why Russia Still Talks to Trump: Three Hypotheses on the Logic of Russian Diplomacy Kautilya the Contemplator
Russia demands IAEA action over ‘terrorism’ killing of nuclear power plant worker RT
south of the border
French company suspends shipments to Cuba in response to US Presidential Order TeleSur. “Among the affected shipments is one containing more than 3.5 million syringes and needles for the healthcare system.”
U.S. Navy SEALs dispatched to Trinidad and Tobago Post-mortem report
US imposes 25% tariff on most imports from Brazil DPA International
Brazil: Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns of risk of US military action
Trump 2.0
Leak: Rubio’s weapons of mass destruction scandal is ‘far-left terrorism’ Ken Klippenstein
House Republicans reinstate ‘Save America Act’ in spending bill The Guardian
FBI considers use of questionable AI technology to verify signatures on seized mail-in ballots ProPublica
Russell Vogt uses the mechanisms of fiscal federalism to create a new patronage system Notes on the crisis
Family caregivers face financial ruin as states absorb Medicaid funding cuts STAT
Mysterious funds supporting President Trump’s second term WSJ
Democrats are the worst
Jefferies opposes bid to cut Israeli aid after record AIPAC earmark sludge
police state surveillance
President Trump resumes ICE traffic stops after agent-involved shooting of Al Mayadeen
accelerationist
Trump quietly pave the way for Musk’s robotaxis Oligarchy Watch
Worker dies at SpaceX factory, where hundreds of injuries occurred in recent years Texas Observer
SpaceX stock hits all-time low, below IPO price Yahoo! Finance
The Political Economy of Billionaire Derangement Programmable Mutter
antitrust law
FCC plans to scrap local TV station ownership rules Engadget
imperial collapse watch
People in many countries now view China more positively than the U.S. Pew Research Center
What if American power is the problem? dame magazine
Dramatic video shows U.S. Navy Blue Angels flying low over Pensacola Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Navy officials confirmed in a statement that the Blue Angels’ leadership “has reviewed the circumstances surrounding the operation and is implementing thorough security controls.” pic.twitter.com/ZUa1ryk4X8
— ABC News (@ABC) July 15, 2026
Hegseth orders mandatory testosterone testing, optional TRT for troops over 30 Military.com
FDA drug approvals impact health care around the world, but political shortcuts could damage the agency’s international reputation
Critics slam idea of creating US Combatant Command for robots
American slop and optimization imperial mufta
A.I.
Endurance RAND is required to win the AI pentathlon
Data center power demand expected to drive costs up after recent power auction The Hill
26 Meta employees file lawsuit alleging AI-driven layoffs hurt workers on medical and parental leave AP
AI music app “Suno” was hacked, revealing how much music was scraped Gizmodo
What AI hates is capitalism Grace Blakely
Nation Casino
You’re inhaling tons of smoke into your lungs while getting explosive diarrhea from a salad, the sky turns an apocalyptic orange while oil companies drill on protected land, screwworms eat cows alive, and the president just paid $6 million for monkfish. And you can bet on it all! https://t.co/R1HhtzJrbP
— Davey (@jerseyh0mo) July 15, 2026
“Liberation Day”
Democratic opposition to Trump tariffs complicates Russia sanctions, boosts The Hill
supply chain
Airbus, Boeing fly parts of giant Antonov plane to ease supply crisis Reuters
class war
Case study of tripling the number of union members Economic Policy Research Institute
Wall Street Wants Your Baby Economic Populist
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