Hey, America! Happy 250th birthday, darling! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wishing you the most glorious Independence Day ever.
May the next 250 years be even brighter.
Cheers today too 🥂
July 4, 2026. pic.twitter.com/VMuP3a7Ano
— Muse (@xmuse_) July 4, 2026
20 Animals Like No Other on Earth
American colonists in 1776 lived in daily pain, but their medical tools showed how cruel life was ZME Science
Astronomers today discover a huge merging universe of extremely rare galaxies
College students are being tested at the future-oriented level of a 10-year-old.
New coronavirus infection/pandemic
Diabetes worsens long-term COVID-19 complications: European health care
Ebola infections in Democratic Republic of Congo surge to more than 1,500, death toll rises to 473 Andre Agency
Climate/Environment
Heat is the story – climate change is the cause Share post
Cooling inequality: How air conditioning is creating new climate inequalities The Conversation
south of the border
Venezuela: a winding road after the June earthquake Fair Observer
Cuba’s health system, once a source of national pride, declines as energy shortages deepen
Keiko Fujimori declared winner of Peruvian presidential election just weeks after voting BBC
China?
🇨🇳🔥This is a Chinese plant factory, a complete indoor vertical cultivation system.
Space-saving multi-tier racks enable high-performance production with a small footprint. #China pic.twitter.com/GfpfGSRKb7
— Beautiful China (@90Hercost) July 3, 2026
China’s latest satellite engine sets world record: High performance enables bigger, faster, more maneuverable spacecraft Military Watch Magazine
China’s express delivery number exceeds 100 billion by end of June CGTN
Chinese military promotes two new generals after AP ranks plummet in anti-corruption purge
Chinese government dispatches new coast guard to waters east of Taiwan SCMP
India
Skyroute Aerospace aims to launch India’s first private orbital rocket, Cryptopolitan, in July
India and Japan deepen business ties Semafor
“Fear mongers are in the depths of despair after India successfully weathers energy crisis”: Prime Minister Modi Deccan Herald
Africa
The worst war you haven’t heard about Fair Observer yet
African security at a crossroads: The continent faces a changing world More news
South Africa deploys troops as anti-immigration protests intensify Africa News
discord in europe
European Commission aims to revitalize EU defense teamwork with five new major projects Euronews
EU moves to block retail investors from exploding multi-billion dollar prediction market boom CoinDesk
Von der Leyen admits ‘technical problems’ with EU’s new airport border checks Politico
old blighty
Celtic nations begin plan to dismantle Britain after reformist election victory Guardian
Andy Burnham Should Take a Taxi Prospect Magazine
Israel vs. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
BREAKING NEWS 🚨 Israel has again launched a blind storm attack on Lebanon, reducing houses and walls to piles of rubble. This footage clearly shows that after such a massive massacre, Israel is finally embarking on complete destruction. pic.twitter.com/n2nl6z9LqU
— Asif Ali (@AsifAli_Haider) July 4, 2026
Lebanon-Israel deal betrays ‘victims of war crimes’, human rights group tells Al Jazeera
Israeli bombing kills Palestinians in Gaza; military destruction continues – Andor News Agency
Palestine this week: 1,000 days of genocide as Israel continues to kill children Zeteeo
250 Candles, 1 Funeral: How Iran Turned July 4th into Judgment Day Thinking about BRICS Substack
A new war that’s not so cold war
Russia claims control over five settlements in eastern and northeastern Ukraine
Brief Frontline Report – July 3, 2026 Marat Khairullin Substack
Ukraine attacks major oil terminal in Russia’s St. Petersburg BBC
big brother is watching you
U.S. Air Force engineer charged with cutting off swarm surveillance cameras receives thousands of dollars from supporters across the US
“Invisible cameras” that will change our daily lives—Finance BigGo raises privacy concerns as smart AI glasses become more popular
imperial collapse watch
Furious reporter says Austin’s $125 million public library is now being used as a filthy homeless shelter Daily Mail
America needs 250,000 new shipyards to build submarines already paid for, but not found 1945
Trump 2.0
Trump kicks off America’s 250th anniversary celebrations with partisan attack The Guardian
How Trump became Washington DC Semaphore President
President Trump has shared strong hints that he is looking to add his face to Mount Rushmore as the White House sends a message of support for having his face on the iconic monument Daily Mail
President Trump’s $600 million meme coin income reignites ethics battle over Senate crypto bill Cryptopolitan
musk is important
Tesla’s sales rebound sharply amid backlash over Musk’s political adventures “This is Money”
DOGE self-deleted on July 4th. The grand experiment failed long ago. political
Elon Musk’s X Money — New details about the bank-killer super app Benzinga
Elon Musk literally sat down with Y Combinator for 45 minutes and explained how to build world-changing companies better than any other business school on the planet. This is the advice he gave to a room full of young founders.
1. Don’t try to create something great. Try building… pic.twitter.com/7ecpzklwmK
— Lewis 🏴و♀️🏴🌾🌾🌾🌾 (@WaldronLewis) July 2, 2026
Democratic Party Death Watch
James Carville warns that victory for radical democratic socialists signals ‘the end of the two-party system’ New York Post
Infighting within the Democratic Party poses a threat to the party seeking to regain the House majority Foreign Policy Journal
immigration
Trump border wall and ICE expansion signal long-term changes for U.S. Immigration Enforcement Davis Vanguard
Court of Appeals rules ICE should grant bail hearing after 90 days in custody FOX News
Our press is no longer free
Media leadership unites against President Trump’s attack on free speech: Standing firm against historical comparisons Fortune
AG Sulzberger: On Independence Day, we must remember the free press’ role in freedom Dallas Morning News
Mr. Market is in a bad mood.
America in the spotlight: Consumers remain pessimistic about the economy. US employment to decline in June, according to the Associated Press
3 reasons why the Trump bull market could collapse in late 2026 The Motley Fool
Cleveland Fed president says AI spending is fueling inflation, warns of rate hikes
A.I.
Alibaba’s DAMO Academy AI autonomously discovers four new superconducting materials, verified by experimental finance BigGo
ByteDance Discovers New Scaling Law That Can Sustain AI Boom Beyond Current Limits Crypto Briefing
AI will cost utilities a record $240 billion in 2026. Buy these stocks to take advantage of the power surge. Motley Fool
basil
Kebab company supplies millions of goats, chicken thighs and animal fats mislabeled as lamb to Britons in scandal likened to horsemeat food fraud crisis Daily Mail
OMB says fraud costs ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ annually The Center Square
guillotine watch
Richest People in the World (1987-2025), created by ‘TopDataChart’
Source: Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg
— Science Girl (@sciencegirl) February 7, 2026
Top 10 richest families in the world:
1. 🇺🇸The Walton Family – $513.5 billion
2. 🇦🇪 Al Nahyan Family – $335.9 billion
3. 🇸🇦 Al Saud family – $213.6 billion
4. 🇶🇦 Al Thani Family – $199.5 billion
5. 🇫🇷 Family of Hermes – $184.5 billion
6. 🇺🇸Koch family – $150.5 billion
7. 🇺🇸 Mars… pic.twitter.com/jfWAbJhFt8
— Global Statistics (@Globalstats11) January 30, 2026
Antidote (via)
See yesterday’s link and antidote here
