Part 2: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-December 2024 Calculated Risk
Climate
World’s largest iceberg emerges from vortex, moving northward Anadolu Agency
The secret treasure trove still hidden in Africa’s forests Al Jazeera
Syndemics
CDC Wastewater Scan Shows H5 Detections In 11 States Avian Flu Diary
Bird flu causes deaths of cats and zoo animals as virus spreads in US FOX
China?
China’s manufacturing in next 20 years aims to be cheap, good and high-tech: Expert CGTN
China needs incentives to power a lean, grass-roots-official machine, economic leaders say South China Morning Post
China vows to crack down on illicit spycam recordings after rise in hotel room voyeurism cases Channel News Asia
India
Modi’s $6 Billion Submarine Plan Stalls Following Sea Tests Bloomberg
BJP’s attack on the American ‘deep state’ reflects growing global discourse Business Standard
The Koreas
Was South Korea’s coup an attempt to restart the Korean War? People’s Dispatch
K-pop, carols, free food at South Korea impeachment protests Channel News Asia
Syraqistan
HTS leader emphasizes need to evolve from ‘revolutionary mentality’ Anadolu Agency
‘Syria will not engage in conflict with Israel’: HTS chief breaks silence on Israeli assaults Press TV
Blinken confirms US contact with Syrian rebel group The Hill
* * * Syrian 25th Armoured Division Continues the Fight Against Jihadists Despite Government’s Fall: Can They Hold Out? Military Watch
IAEA says Iran agrees to more monitoring at key nuclear enrichment plant France24
Press TV, Iran: “Israeli aggression” [in Syria] Gilbert Doctorow
European Disunion
Georgia’s turmoil deepens as ex-footballer named president BBC
* * * Moldova enters state of emergency, Transnistria stockpiles firewood BNE Intellinews
Abolishing Democracy in Europe Craig Murray
Dear Old Blighty
Big Brother in the pub The Pub Curmudgeon
New Not-So-Cold War
The End Game in Ukraine Julian Barnes, NYT
The Price of Russian Victory Foreign Affairs
In The Escalation Debate, Results Matter The National Interest
Bureaucrat Main Character Syndrome is killing Ukraine — and America The Spectator
* * * Ukraine’s patchy fortifications help Russia advance FT
War Map Reveals Russian Advances As Ukraine’s Fortifications Destroyed Newsweek
Drones attack Chechen capital, likely targeting bases of riot police and special forces Ukrainska Pravda
* * * Ukraine to set up mechanism to supply food to Syria, Zelenskiy says Reuters
Ukrainian authorities postpone US minerals deal to let Trump seal it – NYT Ukrainska Pravda
The New Great Game
Central Asian Militaries and Asian Geopolitics The Diplomat
Digital Watch
OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment Mercury News. The deck: “Suchir Balaji, 26, claimed the company broke copyright law.”
American cops are using AI to draft police reports, and the ACLU isn’t happy The Register
Trump Transition
About 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump on Cabinet, spending or military oversight: AP-NORC poll
Will the Hegseth nomination survive? The Daily Howler
Mullin applauds Hegseth‘s attempts to court Republicans behind closed doors: He’s ‘killing it’ The Hill
ABC agrees to give $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle defamation lawsuit AP
Spook Country
Commentary: The ‘Five Eyes’ spy alliance should let Japan join Channel News Asia
The Supremes
Constitutional Federalism and the Nature of the Union (PDF) GW Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2024-64. From the Abstract: “The former British Colonies in North America became “Free and Independent States” following the Declaration of Independence—a status that entitled them to all of the rights and powers of every other sovereign state under the law of nations. Under that law, states could alienate their sovereign rights and powers in a binding legal instrument, but only if the instrument met certain requirements. As [Emmerich de] Vattel [(1760)] explained, and Hamilton echoed in The Federalist, all instruments used to alienate such rights and powers were subject to an important background rule designed to avoid misunderstandings and war: a legal instrument could alienate sovereign rights and powers only if it did so in clear and express terms or by unavoidable implication. Instruments that failed this test left sovereign rights and powers with the original holder.”
Our Famously Free Press
‘Do we exist?’ A robot news site shadows a Northwest town The Seattle Times
Haunted By Ghost Papers Local News Initiative
* * * Completing merger, ‘McClatchy Media’ forms with lifestyle brands and greater reach Miami Herald
Supply Chain
Fitch Ratings: Global Shipping Outlook Is Stable in 2025 Hellenic Shipping News
Healthcare
Ohio Supreme Court delivers win to CVS, Walgreens, Walmart in national opioid case Pharmacist Steve
The FDA Hasn’t Inspected This Drug Factory After 7 Recalls for the Same Flaw, 1 Potentially Deadly Propublica
The Final Frontier
Xmas Pre-Game Festivities
Stay sober and have a jolly holiday season with these expert tips AP
Annotations: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens JSTOR Daily
Imperial Collapse Watch
US Army and US Navy Successfully Test LRHW Hypersonic Missile Naval News. LRHW = Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon.
Class Warfare
* * * Amazon union authorizes strike at 2 New York warehouses The Hill. Amazon Teamsters.
Railroads and Unions Divide and Scramble Labor Notes
* * * How Walter Benjamin’s Iconic Antifascist Essay Escaped Europe Literary Hub
The Global Rules of Art: The Emergence and Divisions of a Cultural World Economy Nonsite.org
* * * The Big Shining Lie: We’re Better Off Now–No, We’re Poorer, Much Poorer Charles Smith, Of Two Minds
Antidote du jour (H. Zell):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
