Universe expanding faster than physics can explain — New evidence deepens cosmic ‘crisis’ Study Finds
Scientists Discover Bacteria Trapped in Endless Evolutionary Time Loop Science Alert
Ants never overtake, have smart traffic sense, could solve urban transport challenges Interesting Engineering
Mathematical model shows how conformity influences cultural trends and polarization Phys.org
Octopus Arms Think for Themselves – Scientists Reveal How They Work SciTech Daily
Climate/Environment
These small flying robots could be the pollinators of the future ZME Science
Exponential Abyss New Left Review
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Federal Reserve Says It Will Leave Climate Change Organization US News
One Community’s Journey to Create ‘Energy Democracy’ Through Solar The Allegheny Front
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Newsom strikes deal with major lenders to provide mortgage relief during wildfire crisis Long Beach Press Telegram
Modern “plastic” homes burn faster and release toxic chemicals during fires Environmental Health News
Why California keeps putting homes where fires burn Cal Matters
Pandemics
Game wardens went to shoot geese near Nazareth in bird flu fight and found 1,000s already dead Lehigh Valley Live (Carla)
Report warns fatal deer disease could jump to humans. Unlikely, Michigan says Bridge Michigan
Tik Tok
Monopoly Round-Up: Explaining the TikTok Dispute BIG by Matt Stoller
Trump proposes 50% US ownership of TikTok: ‘We’re going to have a lot of bidders’ USA Today
Lol sorry, this may be good for Trump domestically but internationally the US is looking like an unserious joke – the kind of thing they like to paint as “third world banana republic” stuff when others do it. What do you mean TikTok is back? At least Brazil got a concession out… https://t.co/qArrHwiUOY
— Alonso Gurmendi (@Alonso_GD) January 19, 2025
China?
China’s Industrial Policy for Shipbuilding: The US Pushes Back Conversable Economist
Africa
Kenya’s Safaricom faces abductions backlash Semafor. “Activists have accused Safaricom of sharing customer call records and location data with alleged state agents, allowing them to track and capture targets.”
Samar al-Bulushi on Kenya and the War on Terror Geeska
Pfizer Trial Survivors Recount Pain, Demand Overdue Justice After 29 Years News Central
Old Blighty
Keir Starmer touts relationship with Donald Trump as he seeks US-UK trade deal Financial Times
Corbyn is being smeared again – this time to stop protests against genocide Jonathan Cook
O Canada
Canada’s best response to Donald Trump’s aggression? Socialism The Breach
Inside the Conservative Party’s growing alliance with right-wing Hindu groups The Breach
Syraqistan
Trump’s Middle East envoy is considering a visit to the Gaza Strip amid ceasefire deal NBC News. Commentary:
Are these people serious? Where else in the world does “rebuilding” require expelling the entire population? And if Gazans have to be moved, shouldn’t they go back to the homes they were kicked out of in what is today Israel?https://t.co/xyesIeKJda pic.twitter.com/nnTdthXJmT
— gathara (@gathara) January 19, 2025
TERRORIST MARCH Shameless AK-47-wielding Hamas terrorists come out of hiding to throw PARADE on dawn of Gaza ceasefire & hostage release The U.S. Sun. (resilc): “notice the new toyota truck. how is this possible? did idf take over the toyota dealer?”
No Return to the Status Quo Alon Mizrahi
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One in five Israeli tech firms moved some operations and staff abroad during war Times of Israel
The Former Israeli Spies Building AI Systems At Global Tech Companies ¡Do Not Panic!
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Graham calls for the ‘decimation’ of Iranian nuclear program after ceasefire The Hill. Water is wet.
The MEK terrorist group: from domestic crimes to international deception GeoPolitiQ
Syria’s Al Qaeda Branch Intercepts Iranian Drones and Armaments Being Smuggled to Hezbollah in Lebanon Military Watch
European Disunion
Fear and loathing in Davos: EU frets about its lose-lose choice between Trump’s US and Xi’s China Politico
Pressman Badmouths Hungary in NYT Interview — Balázs Orbán Fires Back Hungarian Conservative
David Pressman’s departure from Budapest today—reprising his provocations on the way out—doesn’t just portend a new dawn in Hungary-US relations.
It marks a key moment in showing that the whole “aircraft carrier” of liberal foreign policy has run aground.
A few thoughts🧵 pic.twitter.com/TO541cMLbd
— Gladden Pappin (@gjpappin) January 13, 2025
New Not-So-Cold War
Medvedev In His Parting Words To Biden … Andrei Martyanov, Reminiscence of the Future…
Donald Trump Jr. says Zelensky desperately sought inauguration invite Al Mayadeen
Zelensky, Starmer Discuss WW3; West-Russia War, Russia Advance Quickens; Trump Xi Talk Alexander Mercouris (Video)
Russia Says It Will Counter Any UK-Ukraine Cooperation In Sea of Azov Reuters
Ukrainian air defence system on par with US Patriot announced by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Ukrainska Pravda. Not sure that’s as impressive as he thinks it is.
South of the Border
Cultivating Dragon Fruit’s Political Power in Ecuador Sapiens
Biden Administration
Biden hails ‘extremely successful’ Israeli war that transformed region Al Mayadeen
Biden worked ‘tirelessly around the clock’ — to prevent a ceasefire Responsible Statecraft
Democrats en Déshabillé
‘Lady McBiden’: Alexandra Pelosi Blasts the First Lady Politico
Chartbook 346: Against overcorrection. Yellen’s Treasury defends the legacy of Democratic fiscal policy. Adam Tooze, Chartbook
Vice President Harris faces tough decisions on political future The Hill
Trump 2.0
Trump Inauguration Official’s “Phony Charity” Allegedly Pocketed East Palestine Train Disaster Funds The Intercept. Weasels.
The Billionaires Flocking to Mar-a-Lago to Meet With Trump Bloomberg. Six of the ten richest people on earth so far.
Real estate elite expected at Trump’s inauguration The Real Deal
Trump to suspend security clearances of 51 intelligence officials who falsely implied Hunter Biden laptop was Russian fake New York Post
‘Shock and awe’: Trump plans 100 immediate executive actions. Here’s what could be coming. USA Today
Immigration
Maybe if we’d season th’ immygrants a little or cook thim thurly, they’d go down betther. 3am Thoughts
Americans support mass deportation (until you ask them to think in concrete terms about almost any aspect of that policy), according to a new Axios poll pic.twitter.com/L1S0zT2N1R
— Eric Levitz (@EricLevitz) January 19, 2025
Healthcare?
UnitedHealth mounts full defense of its business in wake of Thompson’s killing Stat
UnitedHealth’s Reckoning: Wall Street Isn’t Buying the Blame Game HEALTH CARE un-covered
Supply Chain
U.S. Companies Stockpile Chinese Goods Amid Tariff Uncertainty Global Trade Mag
Police State Watch
Computer says no fly Lighthouse Reports
Flyover Country
On Development: The cloud is made of concrete Matter
The Great Sherman Land Rush D Magazine. “What happens when $40 billion pours into a North Texas town so small that half its population could fit into a high school football stadium? Sherman is about to find out.”
Biden boosts loan for ioneer’s Nevada lithium mine to nearly $1 billion Mining
Foreign ownership of US farmland continues to rise, but Chinese holdings dip Agriculture Dive
Groves of Academe
MIT Shuts Down Internal Grant Database After It Was Used to Research School’s Israel Ties The Intercept
The Bezzle
Donald Trump’s memecoin drops 38% as wife Melania launches token Coin Telegraph
What the release of Trump’s memecoin signals for crypto regulations Coin Telegraph
Class Warfare
Locking the Door on Corporate Housing Rollups Boondoggle
COSTCO TEAMSTERS OVERWHELMINGLY VOTE TO AUTHORIZE STRIKE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
MLK’s Legacy Is One of Class Struggle. To Fight Trump, We Must Carry His Torch. Truthout
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
