Rats love to drive little cars even when they don’t get treats (Paul R)
The Death of Robert Skidelsky – Memories of Bill Mitchell. I gave my book a really nice blurb.
How to pronounce Middle English Dead Language Association (Micael T)
A new way to stop the global spread of a pathogen once linked to the Great Irish Famine STK (Michael T)
Why Your Life Feels Fake: The Antidote to a Sold Life by Dan Ko (Michael T.)
Voting leads to longer lives Penn Social Policy and Research (Dr. Kevin)
Is it possible that humans will become “sun eaters” in the future? think big
New coronavirus infection/pandemic
CDC halts publication of research showing benefits of coronavirus vaccines New York Times
Climate/Environment
Cocaine contamination causes salmon wanderlust Science (Micael T)
Kenya’s drought-stricken elephant desperately needs help Animal survival
UN warns Guardian that global food system is ‘brought to the brink’ due to heat wave
The occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon is progressing rapidly.
Pacific groundwater is currently warming by 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees F) above average.
This warmth is rising toward the ocean’s surface, consistent with predictions of a Super El Niño later this year. pic.twitter.com/670R6onsBc
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) April 22, 2026
Extreme weather is a growing threat to democracy, report says Africa News
Drought in EU accelerates long-term decline, warning of deteriorating land vitality Brussels Times
Geoengineering could protect Amazon rainforest from climate change PhysOrg
98 percent of meat and dairy sustainability pledges are greenwashing: New Scientist
Scientists have discovered where microplastics in the air actually come from. Science Daily (Kevin W)
China?
White House accuses China of stealing AI technology ahead of next month’s meeting between Xi and Trump Independent
US warns of China’s AI distillation as DeepSeek V4 debuts Asia Times (Kevin W)
View from China: The People’s Liberation Army has discovered the US military’s trump card in international affairs (Michael T0)
Goldman Sachs sets record amount of renminbi borrowing by US bank Financial Times
Japan
Breaking a post-war taboo: Japan lifts ban on export of lethal weapons
discord in europe
April private sector deal turns on stagflation warning lights in eurozone Politico
There is no legal means to exclude Spain from NATO, officials say, as US government reportedly considers Euractiv options
EU officially approves 90 billion euros in Ukraine loan and new sanctions against Russia Al Jazeera
old blighty
British consumers are the most pessimistic about the economy since records began in 1978 Yahoo
Cellphone data could be rationed to combat rising costs of Iran war
A tough week for Starmer – but things could get much worse BBC (Kevin W)
UK shuts down unit tracking Israeli war crimes – Guardian RT (Kevin W)
israel vs resistance
As a result, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said that when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in Islamabad and departs in the coming hours, “the Iranians have asked to speak directly with the U.S. envoy and have requested a meeting.”
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and…
— Elijah J. Magnia🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) April 24, 2026
FM Araghchi will not hold talks with US officials during visit to Islamabad
— Iran News 24 (@IRanMediaco) April 25, 2026
U.S. “clear” shift in objectives in Iran war/Lt. Col. Robert Burns & Daniel Davis
Why Western secular thought cannot understand the Iran war
“About 15 years ago, I wrote that Western reliance on the lens of secular rationality was no longer an adequate means of understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even then, it was becoming clear… https://t.co/Ik9hugtMwY
— Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) April 24, 2026
The ongoing war between the United States and Iran has forced the world’s eyes to open to a new reality regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Their highest ranking military commander and nuclear scientist is deeply rooted in the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant.
The bitter irony here is… pic.twitter.com/GBC7f5CVK8
— Chetuya Math Chinagolum (@Chetuyachinago) April 24, 2026
Day 57: Heavy Violence Expected Alon Mizrahi (Chuck L)
JOIN NOW: 🇺🇸 The largest U.S. naval buildup since the Iraq War is currently underway in the Middle East, FOX News reports.
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) April 25, 2026
The Houthis are discussing the introduction of a Red Sea toll, British security firm Lloyd’s List says.
Israel launches new attacks in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire extension Anadu Agency
Gaza continues to shrink as the world moves on
new not so cold war
Russia fights back against Ukrainian counterattack in Zaporizhia History Legend
Brief Frontline Report – April 24, 2026 Marat Khairullin and Mikhail Popov
Internet crackdown has become a lightning rod for dissatisfaction, with President Putin’s ratings at their lowest since the war Intellinews
Russia prepares to take on Europe… White House sets stage for renewed attack on Iran Larry Johnson
big brother is watching over you
France confirms data breach at government agency managing citizens’ identities TechCrunch
imperial collapse watch
New study warns US will suffer from severe depletion of missile stockpile due to war with Iran Military Watch
New Episode: Fireside Discussion in Idaho.
Today, a Navy SEAL, A-10 pilot, and Green Beret answer the questions no one wants to face head-on.
Should our young men and women join the military and fight in Iran?
Please live in the moment. Share it with those who want to see it… https://t.co/TbjKYDzcNg pic.twitter.com/KnR35mx96A
—David Rutherford Show (@drutherfordshow) April 24, 2026
A Ceasefire That Never Stops Fire Olivier Boyd Barrett
Timothy Leary — 1960s acid guru — may have been one of the CIA’s greatest talents Covert Action (fk)
‘The Falkland Islands are British territory’: Britain blasts report that Trump is considering NATO retaliation The Hill
Who decides what is a just war? The Violence of Empire and the Lies We Tell About Peace Jeff Rich
Trump 2.0
Bad Atmosphere and Trump’s Betrayal Dean Baker
Justice Department drops investigation into Federal Reserve Board, Jerome Powell NBC
Levitt says Powell investigation ‘hasn’t necessarily been dropped’ and ‘just under another agency’
Kash Patel admitted to alcohol-related crimes, report reveals, Trump backs FBI director Independent
republican clown car
The Beginning of the End for Chairman Johnson Noah Berlatsky (Chuck L.)
Democrats are the worst
British Labor Party official Imran Ahmed Now, a key cog in the Democratic censorship machine Paul Tucker (Chuck L)
Mr. Market is dizzy.
Stock market is too high and will fall, says BBC
economy
U.S. oil drillers scale back as global supply shortage persists Oil prices
Global shipping orders from Holmes may never recover Asia Times
How the Iran war caused drug prices to soar Al Jazeera. What is happening now, as we and many others have warned you about
Rice shortage looms amid Iran conflict
A.I.
Goal of 8,000 layoffs as part of AI efficiency drive at Axios
New gas-fueled data centers could emit more greenhouse gases than the entire country Wired
Maine Governor Janet Mills vetoes ban on data center construction NBC (Kevin W)
OpenAI announces new GPT-5.5 model is more efficient and better at coding The Verge
Restoring the Ruins: Why AI Can’t Replace Education (Chuck L)
basil
New York state sues Coinbase and Gemini, seeking closure of unlicensed prediction market business Associated Press
There are two stacks on my desk. The stack on the left is a financial disclosure form from a legislator. The stack on the right is an exemption for members who file financial disclosures late.
The stack on the right is always taller.
Wednesday morning I saw soldiers being arrested…
— Peter Gilnas 🦅 (@gothburz) April 24, 2026
guillotine watch
Palantir’s techno-fascist manifesto calls for universal draft oligarch watch. We’ve covered this before, but it’s no wonder there’s more uproar about this terrible proposal.
A cheeky neoliberal look at billionaires NESCIO13
Temporary Antidote (Tracy H):
Click here for yesterday’s link and Antidote du Jour.
