NASA Astronaut Snaps Rare Sprite Flash From Space and It’s Blowing Minds ZME Science
Bats replay flight memories in fixed time packets, providing new clues into how memories are stored Medical Xpress
Why Science Hasn’t Solved Consciousness (Yet) Noema
Today, Earth is spinning faster than usual, and scientists are baffled BBC
Does Anybody Really Know What Time Is? Nautilus
Climate/Environment
The Texas Flash Flood Is a Preview of the Chaos to Come ProPublica
‘DISASTERS ARE A HUMAN CHOICE’: TEXAS COUNTIES HAVE LITTLE POWER TO STOP BUILDING IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS Texas Observer
Floods are swallowing their village. But for them and others, the EPA has cut the lifeline. Floodlight
As Fires Consumed California, Small Towns Organized Their Own Defense Truthout
Climate breakdown tripled death toll in Europe’s June heatwave, study finds The Guardian
Pandemics
US measles cases surge to highest since disease was ‘eliminated’ The Hill
Want to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer? Heart Disease? Diabetes? Dementia? And More? Here’s How. World Health Network. “Avoiding COVID-19 infection may be one of the most important things you can do to protect your long-term health.”
Legal Troubles for RFK Jr. and the COVID Contrarian Clique Pandemic Accountability Index
Would certainly help explain a lot:
It’s not a mystery if you’re paying attention… https://t.co/IW3j8dILfF
— James Throt MBBS, MD, PhD, FRCPath (@JamesThrot) July 7, 2025
CDC Scales Back Updates On H5N1 Bird Flu Avian Flu Diary
Japan
China wins as Trump’s ‘Tariff Man’ act trashes Japan’s 2025 Asia Times
China?
A father’s heist for hope against medical bills ends in prison—and tragedy Pekingnology
China reportedly operating Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, as economic ties deepen Intellinews
China’s lead in global shipbuilding may already be fading, new data suggests South China Morning Post
Commentary: The US may win some trade battles in Southeast Asia but lose the war Channel News Asia
India
How India moves: Our analysis of 40 cities reveals a brutally simple answer — it does not Down to Earth
Old Blighty
Goldman Sachs Hires Former UK PM Rishi Sunak As Senior Adviser NDTV
Syraqistan
“The Deception Game”: Trump Is Scrambling to Make a Gaza Deal on Israel’s Terms Drop Site
US sanctions UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese following ‘economy of genocide’ report Middle East Eye. Commentary:
The man below is the founder of Al Qaeda in Syria. The US just took his organization off its terror list and lifted sanctions on him.
The woman below is the UN rapporteur on Israel and Palestine. The US is about to impose sanctions on her.
Let that sink in. pic.twitter.com/3BkqWAp4QQ
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) July 9, 2025
Katz proposes ‘concentration camp’ on Rafah’s ruins for Gaza’s Palestinians The New Arab
How Might Israel Go About Planning the World’s Biggest Concentration Camp in Gaza Haaretz
Just arrested: @freyisrael1 the only journalist in Israel to report in Hebrew how Col. Golan Vach invented 8 non-existent burned babies to cover up the IDF burning to death so many Israelis on October 7 and to incite the genocide he and his brother Brig. Gen. Yehuda Vach now lead pic.twitter.com/HvYZn0T6Jn
— David Sheen (@davidsheen) July 9, 2025
***
Deep Dive: ‘Nuclear ambiguity’ on horizon as Iran weighs options Amwaj https://amwaj.media/en/article/deep-dive-nuclear-ambiguity-on-horizon-as-iran-weighs-options
Yemen sinks another Israel-bound ship violating ban in Red Sea Press TV
Germany accuses China of targeting warplane with laser during anti-Yemen ops in Red Sea The Cradle
The ‘Terrorists’ Must Win Do Not Panic!
European Disunion
Socialists to support von der Leyen in no-confidence vote after she backs down on EU budget Politico
UK and France order more Storm Shadow missiles and step up military co-operation The Independent
Germany’s Merz Claims Diplomatic Efforts To End War in Ukraine Are ‘Exhausted’ Antiwar
New Not-So-Cold War
Trump edges closer to Russia hawks — but will the move last? Semafor
Graham: Trump ‘told me it’s time to move’ on sanctions bill Responsible Statecraft
Trump said he threatened to bomb Moscow if Putin attacked Ukraine, 2024 fundraiser tapes show CNN
Update: Trump still has no clue who paused weapons to Ukraine — but says he WOULD definitely KNOW… if he knew pic.twitter.com/8MT2Rz9vul
— Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) July 9, 2025
The Russian potato shortage that shows Putin’s economy is on the brink The Telegraph
At this point the Russians are deleting key infrastructure and military-industrial nodes – many of them Soviet megaplexes that can take astonishing amounts of damage – off the map of Ukraine on a nightly basis.
Tick tock. https://t.co/k6f0P0ofJX
— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) July 9, 2025
Caucasus
Crackdown intensifies ahead of Pashinyan-Aliyev talks in Abu Dhabi Armenian Weekly
L’affaire Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein Had 1,000+ Victims Ken Klippenstein
The Epstein Client List — Why is Trump Breaking His Promise to Publish? Larry Johnson
The Real Story of the Epstein Files: An Industry Disguised as Media Dedicated to Buying & Burying the Secrets of the Rich & Criminal Dougald Lamont. Not sure that’s the story, but it’s certainly one of them.
“Liberation Day”
Trump’s 50% Tariff on Brazil: U.S. Escalates Economic Pressure as Brazil Deepens Ties with China Telesur
Donald Trump deal to leave EU facing higher tariffs than UK FT
EU trade chief says Europe will have to swallow US tariffs Euractiv
Trump announces tariffs on 7 countries beginning Aug. 1 Anadolu Agency
The problem with Trump’s plan to tax copper is that the U.S. isn’t self-sufficient in copper Fortune
Trump 2.0
TRUMP’S BIG BEAUTIFUL GIFT TO ANDURIL The Intercept. ‘The One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires all new border surveillance towers to be certified “autonomous.” Only Anduril’s fit the bill.’
Gabbard’s team has sought spy agency data to enforce Trump’s agenda WaPo
RussiaGate
At Last: John Brennan and James Comey Under Criminal Investigation for Russiagate Matt Taibbi
Under Trump, the CIA still covers up its Russiagate fraud Aaron Mate
MAHA
HHS backtracks on pledge to disclose new vaccine advisers’ conflicts of interest STAT
Kennedy Abruptly Cancels USPSTF Meeting MedPage Today
Mamdani
Malaparte vs. de Beauvoir; Idi Amin and the Mamdanis’ Antifascism Unpopular Front
Antitrust
Grok Becomes ‘MechaHitler,’ Twitter Becomes X: How Centralized Tech Is Prone To Fascist Manipulation TechDirt
Google is Poised to Devour Yet Another Market: Television Tech Policy Press
Home on the Range
USDA chief outlines plan to block China from U.S. farmland ownership Ohio Capital Journal
Rollins suggests Medicaid recipients can replace deported farmworkers The Hill
What happened to America’s meat recalls? Pandemic-era dip still lingers. Investigate Midwest
Can Cultivated Meat Succeed? One Company Is Turning to Quail Foie Gras & Woolly Mammoth Meatballs Sentient
Brave New World
China’s robot dog breaks Boston Dynamics’ speed record, runs 100m in 13.17 seconds Interesting Engineering
AI
The Cost of State Data Center Handouts Is About to Explode Boondoggle
Police State Watch
Spanish-language journalist remains in ICE custody despite being granted bond AP
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Already Ballooning Over $600 Million, Leaked Document Shows Drop Site
ICE SAID THEY WERE BEING FLOWN TO LOUISIANA. THEIR FLIGHT LANDED IN AFRICA. The Intercept
Louisiana Is Bulldozing the Right of Prisoners to Prove Their Innocence After a Conviction Bolts
Class Warfare
TEAMSTERS GO TO WAR AGAINST REPUBLIC SERVICES Teamsters. Nationwide sanitation strikes.
Just 1.6% of all world’s adults own 48.1% of all the world’s personal wealth Michael Robert’s Blog
Relationships and Trust Working Class Storytelling. “Locals create a community-based and community-run EMS service to fill in gaps.”
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
