Swiss court to rule on landmark Trafigura corruption case Reuters
Hedge fund Elliott warns White House is inflating crypto bubble that ‘could wreak havoc’ FT
Tennessee GOP passes immigration law to criminalize elected officials’ votes The Tennessean
DC Airport Collision
The Near Misses at Airports Have Been Telling Us Something The Atlantic
Pilots have long worried about DC’s complex airspace contributing to a catastrophe AP
* * * Trump was challenged after blaming DEI for the DC plane crash. Here’s what he said (transcripts) AP
What the data says about Trump’s DEI air crash claims Axios
The FAA’s Hiring Scandal: A Quick Overview Tracing Woodgrains (albrt).
* * * Ex-Acting FAA administrator: Trump made ‘excellent choice’ with Christopher Rocheleau The Hill
Climate
Catastrophic tipping point in Greenland reached as crystal blue lakes turn brown, belch out carbon dioxide LiveScience
Researchers make disturbing discovery while studying organic waste: ‘This raises concerns about the long-term impact’ The Cooldown
Water
Ogallala Aquifer drops by more than a foot in parts of western Kansas KSN
Syndemics
Uh oh:
there are dead geese and swans everywhere on the charles https://t.co/GwUWAWZgaM pic.twitter.com/zOTYnX21io
— assistant inspector (@housetrotter) January 30, 2025
How to protect HHS, FDA, NIH, and other health agencies from political interference STAT
China?
Interview with Deepseek Founder: We’re Done Following. It’s Time to Lead The China Academy
AI race heats up as Alibaba announces new model it says surpasses DeepSeek CGTN
China builds huge wartime military command centre in Beijing FT
Could this new stress-tolerant rice from China boost crop yields? South China Morning Post
Myanmar
Myanmar Junta Extends Emergency by Another 6 Months The Irrawaddy
New report details Singapore firm’s role in supplying fuel to Myanmar military Myanmar Now
India
Death, Stampede and the Pitfalls of VIP Culture at the Kumbh: A First-Person Account The Wire
Reports of second stampede in Mahakumbh emerge; Mela authorities deny New Indian Express
Africa
Tough Decisions Must be Taken by Zimbabwe, World Bank Says Bloomberg
Syraqistan
Trump says ‘will make determination’ on US troops in Syria Anadolu Agency
Israeli military to hold on to Syrian territory indefinitely FT
Qatar’s Calculated Plan for Gaza Will Crush Far Right Israeli Dreams of War and Displacement Haaretz. The deck: “Israeli officials believe Qatar seeks a Middle East foothold via Trump ties, aiming to make Gaza a Mediterranean outpost. Its role in the hostage talks highlights a strategic vision, contrasting far-right Smotrich’s messianic territorial imaginations.”
Private US Company Is Reportedly Hiring US Veterans to Run Gaza Checkpoint Truthout
Israel and the delusions of Germany’s ‘memory culture’ Guardian
Challenging misconceptions that hinder Muslim response to child abuse Al Jazeera
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia Seizes Another Ukrainian Town in Push to Take All of Donetsk NYT. The deck: “Moscow’s troops used the same pincer tactic on Velyka Novosilka that has enabled their recent capture of town after town in eastern Ukraine.”
* * * Both sides pay terrible price in war, both must give in, US secretary of state says Ukrainska Pravda
Zelensky Demands an American Garrison The American Conservative. The deck: “President Trump should respond: Hell no!”
EU debates return to Russian gas as part of Ukraine peace deal FT
Kremlin signals efforts to sway Trump towards accepting Putin’s demands – ISW Ukrainska Pravda
* * * SITREP 1/29/25: Ukraine’s Mass Drone Heave Conceals Spreading Foundation Cracks Simplicius, Simplicius the Thinker
Trump Administration
4 of the biggest clashes between Patel, Senate Dems at his confirmation hearing FOX
Why the intel community needs Tulsi (but is too blind to know it) Responsible Statecraft
Key takeaways from Tulsi’s US Senate confirmation hearing Al Jazeera
* * * Trump rescinded a half-century of environmental rules. Here’s what that could mean Vox
EPA dismisses science advisers The Hill
Scientists scramble to understand Trump administration actions NPR
Spook Country
Matt Taibbi: All the Top Secret Information Trump Is Releasing & What He Should Declassify Next (video) TNC
Senior FBI officials forced to resign amid leadership shakeup: Report Anadolu Agency
The National Security Establishment Needs Working-Class Americans Foreign Policy
Digital Watch
DARPA To Launch Pre-Crime AML Program The Rage. AML = Anti-Money Laundering
Drones
NJ residents in disbelief over White House answer on drones The Hill
The Final Frontier
Researchers confirm the existence of an exoplanet in the habitable zone (press release) Oxford University
Greenland
Imperial Collapse Watch
“For those within the Empire’s inner core, the full, seismic implications of Trump’s “aid” suspension may not be fully obvious” Kit Klarenberg, ThreadReader.app
US aid was long a lifeline for Eastern Europe. Trump cuts are sending shockwaves through the region AP. Commentary:
One of the largest Hungarian opposition media outlets is upset by Trump’s executive order halting U.S. foreign aid for 90 days, as Hungary’s “independent” press stands to lose millions of forints in funding. Makes you wonder how independent one can be when relying on another… pic.twitter.com/BqXVP9dzg7
— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) January 29, 2025
Halt Of USAID Exposes Malign Foreign Influence Moon of Alabama
Class Warfare
The Case for Kicking the Stone Los Angeles Review of Books
Antidote du jour. Via Innocent Massawe:
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
