How to embrace the darkness: Notes for surviving uncertainty The Marginalian
Waffles: From Greek ritual to sacrament to the breakfast table Pax Culinaria
Amazon to produce Fallout Shelter competition reality show Engadget
Climate/Environment
Scary discoveries about microplastics in our bodies may be flawed. That’s both good and bad. mother jones
It’s already over
A new meta-analysis on microplastics in food examined nearly 200 studies. This is the first comprehensive study of all major food categories and found that fruits, vegetables and grains account for approximately 99.5% of daily microplastic intake. Not seafood
Everyone expected… pic.twitter.com/BG8Bd2lBBi
— Vittorio (@IterIntellectus) January 13, 2026
pandemic
Anthony J. Renaldi’s Cost of Denial
Bird flu warnings are being ignored. I’ve seen this pattern before on The Conversation
South Korea
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison in first martial law sentence The Straits Times
South Korea’s delicate balance adjustment method amid the Sino-Japanese conflict The Diplomat
Japan
Japan gets caught up in President Trump’s trade war with China Japan Economy Watch
Conversation between Kaho Miyake and Emmanuel Todd Emmanuel Todd
China?
President Trump imposes 180-day deadline to counter China’s control of critical minerals Anadolu Agency
The latest update on the “big hit” US-China soybean agreement: Good news for American farmers. But most are bad. Kevin Walmsley
Why Chinese youth choose to leave ThinkChina
The Rise of the “Donlo Doctrine” and Its Impact on China Affairs by Mr. Sun Chenghao and Mr. Chen Xiyan
India
US-India Insights: Beyond the Optics: India’s Emerging Strategic and Commercial Partnerships Center for Strategic and International Studies
Equality is not the enemy of growth – oligarchy is the Indian Express
syrakistan
Israel is expanding Gaza’s death zone by changing the Yellow Line that was supposed to protect survivors of genocide Truth and Balance
Palestinians in Gaza die as winter cold and collapsed buildings cause Israel to close off supply drop-off site at evacuation center
***
President Trump hesitates to bomb Iran…for now Larry Johnson
The intent of the attack was confirmed.
— Sukhender Kajoshaji (@sHuRuLuNi) January 15, 2026
Reassuring news: Lindsey Graham appears heartbroken over Iran Caitlin Johnston
Iranian protests appear to be slowing under the weight of brutal crackdown The Guardian
US sanctions Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei’s aides, over Al Jazeera crackdown on protests
Starlink worries about controlling Iranian regime: Has satellite internet become a new battleground? first post
The Guardian also reports that Iran plans to create a “national internet” that will be more restrictive than China’s. This appears to be a new strategy for countries facing regime change to adopt advanced email systems and then build a nationwide Internet. pic.twitter.com/ltwRrXEvnI
— Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) January 13, 2026
***
Pakistan-Saudi Turkiye defense deal underway, defense production minister speaks The Express Tribune
Africa
Vital minerals put East Africa back on Washington’s map
Blue Nile State: Craters with potential to erupt throughout the region Ayin Network
Trump bombed Nigeria. Next door, it canceled a USAID project to curb violence. Whether we’re together or apart
Or Canada
Carney talks with Xi Jinping on new strategic partnership between Canada and China CTV News
discord in europe
EU’s ‘Membership Lite’ plan for Ukraine terrorizes European capitals FT
European cannon fodder: the introduction and expansion of conscription in many EU countries WSWS
Italy’s privacy watchdog hit by corruption probe into disastrous U.S. tech giants Reuters
A new war that’s not so cold war
CIA/MI6 legal operation supports atrocities in Ukraine Kit Clarenberg
Sitrep 1/15/26: Is “winter vacation” over? Simplicius reinvigorated by Russian campaign
When will the costs of Russia’s “snail attack” in Ukraine be tallied? edward slab squat
President Putin: International cooperation and sincere partnership are the keys to world peace Karl Sanchez
The last honest American between the White House and the Kremlin died 80 years ago John Helmer
***
Rethinking unionism: Moldova and the rebuilding of the post-1945 order Roman Kimić
Chechnya’s Kadyrov is reported to be seriously ill (again). Here’s what we know: moscow times
south of the border
Donald Trump’s first Venezuelan oil sale deal goes to mega-donor company FT. Paywall. Here’s a summary.
Acting President Rodríguez announces oil reform in response to U.S. Venezuelan crude oil sales report Venezuela Analysis
US seizes MT Veronica in Caribbean, expands Operation Southern Spear against Venezuela’s shadow fleet
Why access to Venezuela’s ‘heavy’ crude oil is ‘tremendous’ news for US refiners, Al Jazeera
How do you surrender to a civilian plane? After-action report
President Trump receives Nobel Prize from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado Reuters
The Trump Justice Department is now arguing in court that Maduro had to be removed because illegal mining is displacing indigenous communities https://t.co/ubiDX8Znnb
— Sagar Enjeti (@esaagar) January 14, 2026
Trump 2.0
Republicans vow to stop President Trump from taking Greenland by force
Is Iceland the 52nd state? Comments from US ambassador candidate raise concerns Global News
Republicans break with Trump over credit card interest rate cap proposal The Hill
Yan Gakutong: Trump’s imperialist turn and the end of Western Sinicization
Looking further back into the future: The New Royalists, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System International Organizations
Third World Authoritarianism as a Consequence of Progressive Failure Sam Husseini
police state surveillance
Three children hospitalized after family’s van is hit by ICE flash bang in Minneapolis Common dream
President Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act against Minnesota protesters
Straight out of Project 2025: Trump’s immigration plan was clear capital and major
***
Richard Wolfe: ICE terrorism, administrative security, and why a general strike could flip the scenario
How the definition of “Doxxing” is twisted into a weapon of anonymity Gizmodo
***
Shadow contractors are training ICE strike teams
Sources say ICE mistakes resulted in some recruits being sent to field offices without proper training.
Some Republicans are calling for stronger ICE training
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio named in leaked ICE documents La Voce di New York
DHS uses neo-Nazi anthem in recruiting efforts after deadly Minneapolis ICE shooting
accelerationist
Larry Ellison had to change the name of one of his yachts after discovering it had ‘I am a Nazi’ spelled backwards
imperial collapse watch
Profit Realization, Productivity, and Sucking System Liquidity Warwick Powell
First Trump-class battleship could become the most expensive battleship in U.S. history Bloomberg
spook country
The silent cog of domestic intelligence SpyTalk
health care?
Oops! House sends Jamie Dupree’s erroneous Obamacare bill text to Senate Regular Order
Marry for health insurance? ACA cost crisis forces drastic choices NPR
academy glove
The unholy marriage between UnitedHealth and the University of Minnesota is a danger to the future of health care – Health Care Exposed
More students are choosing community colleges and certificates over four-year degrees CNBC
A.I.
Abolish the senses Blood in the Machine
After AI New Left Review
Against generative AI: Is art humanity’s last refuge? LitHub
basil
Data Center Worship Boondoggle
class war
New York City’s Big Medical Institutions vs. Nurses: Economic Populists
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