Five bathers bitten – police officer shoots two-meter fish Der Spiegel via machine translation. The Monty Python bunny has been giving lessons.
Face it: you’re a crazy person Adam Mastroianni
The Unseen Fury Of Solar Storms Nomea (Micael T)
COVID-19/Pandemics
last night i held the first ever mask-required covid-safer concert in france! everyone in the audience wore a KN95, and air purifiers were placed throughout the venue. what a wonderful feeling it was to go on stage and see this crowd of colorful masks 🥹🤍 pic.twitter.com/64h7EvHHpj
— holocene (@holo_cene) June 23, 2025
1/ Four years ago, my son caught COVID-19.
He was just 16 months old.
What followed was terrifying:
• COVID pneumonia
• Hospitalization
• Weeks of recovery
• And a tragedy in our family
This is the start of his Long COVID journey—one we’re still walking.
👇 pic.twitter.com/rcEcoXN3g8
— IntegralAnswers (@IntegralAnswers) June 19, 2025
Climate/Environment
Climate change threatens Phytoplankton – The ocean’s oxygen powerhouse The Vibes
How the UK is testing a radical plan to refreeze the Arctic The Times
EXCEPTIONAL HEAT IN FRANCE
Temperatures up to 39.9C at Chateaumeillant
JUNE RECORDS
39 Tusson
35.1 Saint Cast le Guildo
34 Lanleff
33.5 Sainte Marie du Mont
SPAIN again with 42C and North Africa with 46C (and MINIMUMS of 35C in Algeria )
In few days extreme heat in the Balkans pic.twitter.com/nzgHMztnTa
— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) June 21, 2025
Freak wind gusts made worse by climate change threaten airline passenger safety The Conversation
‘A lid on a pot’: How does a heat dome work? NPR (Kevin W)
Players and umpire fall ill during MLB games as heatwave grips US Guardian
Wildfires threaten water quality for up to eight years after they burn ScienceDaily (Kevin W)
Arkhangelsk launches production of fertilizers from diamond mining waste Vyzglad via machine translation (Micael T). I take it diamond mine wastes are nasty.
China?
Huawei aggressively expanding, despite US threats against anyone, anywhere using their chips Kevin Walmsley
Why are fewer and fewer Chinese parents sending kids to study abroad?
This post nails it –
“Last weekend in Chongqing, met up with old classmates and friends. Surprisingly, everyone’s talking about one thing: don’t send our kids overseas for studies. Here’s the consensus:
1.… https://t.co/HgsFiEI2Gm pic.twitter.com/wWZvPY9UeG
— ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) June 23, 2025
Elon Musk warns about AI superintendence. A system so powerful it quietly shapes everything beneath it.
But what if China already built one?
Meet 启蒙 (Qimeng), the AI chip designer that may already qualify as superintelligence.
🧵⤵️https://t.co/PypoEYsEhN
— William Huo (@wmhuo168) June 20, 2025
India-Pakistan
India will ‘never’ restore Indus water treaty with Pakistan New Arab
Africa
Armed rebels take control of Heineken facilities in DR Congo’s war-hit east CNN
‘In Benue, it’s genocide, not communal clashes’ Vanguard
South of the Border
Panama declares state of emergency over deadly pension protests France24
European Disunion
EU readies retaliatory tariffs to secure better trade deal with Trump Financial Times
A new crisis threatens Overton via machine translation (Micael T). On labor costs
The ‘sacrifice zone’: villagers resist the EU’s green push for lithium mining Guardian<
The Great Deception: Why Brussels Politics Helps Neither the World nor Us Overton via machine translation (Micael T)
Old Blighty
Starmer stands firm on welfare bill as number of Labour rebels passes 120 Guardian
More pets being put down due to rising vet bills, BBC told BBC (Kevin W) 🙁
Israel v. Iran
It would be better if I were wrong, but I do not see Israel adhering to the cessation of hostilities, despite the report below in the Times of Israel of Trump reaching a new register of choler when he heard of the threat by the Israeli Defense Minister to strike Iran again and Netanyahu trying to treat Trump like a moron in claiming he could not call the planes back.
Aside from the fact that Israel has form in breaking ceasefires, I see them as the scorpion in the tale of the scorpion and the frog, unable to contain its reflexes. I suspect Israel will resume aggression, if nothing else more assassinations in Iran, when the nuclear talks resume and Iran holds fast to its position that it will continue to enrich uranium and will not give up its missiles. Of course, that could happen sooner, with the threat to suspend cooperation with the IAEA as another pretext (recall the IAEA told the US and Israel about the layout of the nuclear sites and is believed to have provided intel about Iranian scientists that facilitated their assassinations). Like Ukraine, Israel has agency.
Humiliation: Israel Tucks Tail After Failing All Objectives in War against Victorious Iran Simplicius
Head of #Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization: “We’ve taken necessary measures & are assessing the damaged areas. Plans for revival [of #nuclear facilities] were pre-arranged, and our current strategy ensures no disruption to production & services. pic.twitter.com/3OzppGj6TH
— Iran Nuances (@IranNuances) June 24, 2025
Israel reportedly planned to strike 15 key regime targets when Trump told Netanyahu not to respond to Iran missiles this morning Times of Israel (Li)
COL. Douglas Macgregor : Trump and His War On Iran. Judge Napolitano, YouTube. Key point at 8:10, that it will take an estimated 2 years for Israel to replenish its air defense stocks….which were not adequate to begin with.
S strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme, says Pentagon assessment BBC. Kevin W: “A few minutes later – ‘White House rejects intelligence assessment that strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme’ at https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c20xel1e97gt”
Many upshots of Iran’s strike on US forces in Qatar Asia Times (Kevin W)
* * *
Iran’s parliament votes to suspend cooperation with IAEA pic.twitter.com/SLHslyByEm
— Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) June 25, 2025
Proliferation, Retaliation, And Other Consequences Of The War On Iran Moon of Alabama
* * *
From Micael T: The Trump Sequence:
A) Unilateral announcement.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114734934153569653
B) But involved parties not informed.
Here Iran doesn‘t seem too hot on the idea.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/06/23/750080/iran-decided-punish-us-aggressors-wont-accept-imposed-peace-def-min
C) Countries calling licking Trumps’ ass
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114735940283355339
D) MIC ka-ching
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114736289471368584
* * *
Iran has demanded payment from the United States to compensate for the damage caused by last weekend’s B-2 bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iranian deputy Foreign Minister Khatibzadeh says that Iran will pursue diplomatic and legal channels for the compensation.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 25, 2025
UAE calls Israel’s Smotrich ‘morally bankrupt’ over Iran war funding demand New Arab (Kevin W)
* * *
An Iranian man left this comment on my YouTube channel. It’s the single best explanation I’ve ever heard on the future of #Iran 👇
As an Iranian, I can tell you the situation is no longer just political—it’s existential. We are trapped between two collapsing structures: one…
— Cyrus Janssen (@thecyrusjanssen) June 23, 2025
Egypt alarmed by Israeli influx into Sinai amid double standards accusations Middle East Eye (Chuck L)
Israel receives nearly 39,000 compensation claims for damages caused by Iranian missiles Anadolu Agency (Kevin W)
With much to lose, China sat on Israel-Iran war’s sidelines as U.S. flexed Washington Post. So US sources poke China in the eye after Rubio begged China for help re the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel v. the Rest of the Resistance
As of 10 a.m. local time, 37 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip this Tuesday, according to medical sources cited by @AnasAlSharif0.
➤ 29 of the victims were killed while waiting for aid. https://t.co/l7yqmPUA0j
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 24, 2025
Head of #Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization: “We’ve taken necessary measures & are assessing the damaged areas. Plans for revival [of #nuclear facilities] were pre-arranged, and our current strategy ensures no disruption to production & services. pic.twitter.com/3OzppGj6TH
— Iran Nuances (@IranNuances) June 24, 2025
When the smoke clears, the true toll will be unbearable. pic.twitter.com/FXF4IYLvkC
— 𝓙𝓲𝓶𝓶𝔂 𝓙 🫒🗝️🇵🇸 (@JimmyJ4thewin) June 23, 2025
Israel is building a tunnel to cut off Palestinians from the heart of the West Bank Mondoweiss (guurst)
New Not-So-Cold War
Five NATO countries have decided to mine the borders with Russia and Belarus Vyzglad via machine translation. Micael T: “To stop Ivan and Svetlana to enter the EU or to stop Europeans fleeing the sinking ship?”
Military Watch: Serial production of “Oresnik” will be a turning point
ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T CARRY A-BOMBS, IT CAUSED “SIGNIFICANT CONCERN IN MANY WESTERN COUNTRIES”
The introduction into serial production and armament of the new Oreshnik missile system will be a milestone, the… pic.twitter.com/jJOxE0QZta
— Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) June 25, 2025
NSC advisors urged ‘ISIS’-style drone attacks on Russian rail, leaked files show Grayzone (Kevin W)
Hungary, Slovakia block adoption of 18th package of EU sanctions on Russia — Szijjarto TASS (Kevin W)
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
The New Face of Surveillance Doesn’t Need Your Face Reclaim the New (Micael T). Your stride is a biggie. But those change with injury, joint replacements, and even a heel lift.
Well, except: RFK Jr. Wants Every American to Be Sporting a Wearable Within Four Years Gizmodo (Kevin W)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Trump’s wavering on Nato defence pact casts pall over summit Financial Times
At June’s Nato summit, just keeping Donald Trump in the room will be seen as a victory The Conversation (Kevin W)
Will Trump’s Strikes on Iran Unleash a Global Arms Race? Washington Monthly
THE EROSION OF COERCION: HOW CYBER RISKS IMPACT POWER PROJECTION War Room
Italian defense minister says NATO ‘as it is’ has no reason to exist Politico
https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-no-reason-to-exist-italian-defense-minister-us-europe-summit-giorgia-meloni-mark-rutte-guido-crosetto/
Could there be a military draft in US? Fears rise after Iran attacks USAToday. resilc: “Good idea. I’d love the smell of burning draft cards in the morning.”
Trump 2.0
Senate parliamentarian rejects offshore oil, gas drilling provisions in GOP megabill The Hill
Joe Rogan gives decisive take on MAGA civil war as Iran bombing continues to tear Trump’s base apart Daily Mail. Li: “Leader of young men sides with young men.”
The cracks in MAGA are here to stay Unherd
Trump and AOC exchange blows over impeachment push Axios
Democrat Death Wish
BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani Wins NYC Democratic Primary, Cuomo Concedes Zeteo. The problem is the Democratic Party exists mainly to stomp on progressives who are democratic socialists. So it will be interesting to see what the ruling elements do.
What Hakeem Jeffries Won’t Do to Stop Trump’s War With Iran Intercept (resilc)
3 Years in, Horrors Wrought by Anti-Abortion “Dobbs” Ruling Are Apparent to All TruthOut. Here because Team Dem has gone silent on reproductive rights, which was once a big draw for them.
Our No Longer Free Press
Norwegian had meme on Vance – was not allowed to enter the US Expressen via machine translation (Micael T)
MARSHMALLOW MINISTER MASHED: Leipzig court overturns Nancy Faeser’s ban on the AfD-adjacent magazine Compact egyppius (Micael T)
EU Commission plans to expand the fact-checking network Multipolar via machine translation (Micael T)
Mr. Market is Moody
Powell Says Strong Economy Can Weather Rate-Cut Pause Bloomberg
AI
Andreessen Horowitz Backs AI Startup Whose Motto Is ‘Cheat at Everything’ Gizmodo (Dr. Kevin)
Hinge CEO Says Dating AI Chatbots Is ‘Playing With Fire’ The Verge
A.I. Computing Power Is Splitting the World Into Haves and Have-Nots New York Times
The Bezzle
Stablecoins ‘perform poorly’ as money, central banks warn Financial Times
Guillotine Watch
Listen and circulate widely:
Dual-Board Certified Adult Psychiatrist records a call with Optum Healthcare
Optum Healthcare is a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare
He is contracted to provide services for suicidal veterans with Optum and they’re refusing to pay
Optum Rep says “The law doesn’t matter” when the… pic.twitter.com/6HsR2I6ybR
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) June 22, 2025
Secrets of the Bezos wedding exposed: Outrageous dinner plans. Who’s in and who’s out. The dress designer. And the REAL cost. Insiders spill every jaw-dropping detail to ALISON BOSHOFF Daily Mail (Li)
Class Warfare
Don’t Buy the Scare About Social Security CounterPunch (resilc)
Antidote du jour. John U: “Gracie and her son Einstein”:
And a bonus:
Golden Retriever really has no enemies pic.twitter.com/X4QUKs3BIB
— contents that ll heal your depression 🌻 (@catshealdeprsn) June 21, 2025
A second bonus:
Loving them is a full-time job. pic.twitter.com/cst76OOiCs
— Why you should have a cat (@ShouldHaveCat) June 20, 2025
And a third:
Splash splash 😍🥰🦆 pic.twitter.com/S94SGrRdBf
— Beauty Of Nature 🌳 (@ShouldHaveAnima) June 22, 2025
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
