Links 12/30/2025 | naked capitalism

Japanese town reeling from year of record bear encounters Guardian (resilc)

ADHD drugs don’t work the way we thought ScienceDaily (fk)

Oral bacterium tied to disability severity in multiple sclerosis MedicalXpress (fk)

After the LA fires hospitals saw a sudden surge in illness ScienceDaily (Kevin W)

Alzheimer’s Fully Reversed in Mice, Scientists Say Futurism

#COVID-19/Pandemics

SARS Cov 2 causes T cell loss for at least 22 months according to a new study

Sometimes I wonder if RFK’s installation and pulling vaccines was meant as a smokescreen for surging illnessess as a result from covid. The so-called “leonardi effect” https://t.co/0trYzrz8tA pic.twitter.com/T4BvUGWTwM

— AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD (@fitterhappierAJ) December 30, 2025

Climate/Environment

Six climate stories that inspired us in 2025 Yale Climate Connections

‘Ghost resorts’: as hundreds of ski slopes lie abandoned, will nature reclaim the Alps? Guardian (Kevin W)

Nepal to scrap ‘failed’ Mount Everest waste deposit scheme BBC (resilc)

The Permian Is Drowning in Its Own Wastewater OilPrice (resilc)

China?

First and second largest economies in charts and figures Asia Times (Kevin W)

Xi Tests Trump on Taiwan With Drills Firing Dozens of Rockets Bloomberg

China’s Push to Master the Arctic Opens an Alarming Shortcut to U.S. Wall Street Journal. Above the fold.

China’s beautiful biotech chaos vs West’s elegant paralysis Asia Times (Kevin W)

Southeast Asia

Thailand and Cambodia agree to consolidate ceasefire in China talks Reuters

Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn says Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to investigate the presence of 450 drones seen on the Thai side of the border, which Thailand claims violated the ceasefire and could affect the release of Cambodian prisoners of war.

Under the… pic.twitter.com/FNkoe07Iyd

— Thai PBS World (@ThaiPBSWorld) December 30, 2025

Africa

U.S. Forces Conduct Strikes Targeting ISIS-Somalia United States Africa Command. resilc: “Merrymakers.”

Trump Delivers Bombs for Christmas Daniel Larison

Old Blighty

French police unions block crackdown on Channel crossings The Times (resilc)

The Starmer Police-State Tarik Cyril Amar

a href=”https://archive.is/cQVd1#selection-471.0-471.35″ rel=”nofollow”>Why should Britain rescue an enemy? Unherd

Israel v. The Resistance

Israel has left nothing fit for life in northern Gaza. It has destroyed every concept and meaning of life. The devastation is immense, and the situation of the displaced is catastrophic. I don’t know how long we will remain like this. pic.twitter.com/US1NwjuPU3

— Omar Hamad | عُـمَـرْ 𓂆 (@OmarHamadD) December 27, 2025

Israel deliberately kills Palestinians using various methods, including gas canisters fired directly into their bodies. pic.twitter.com/s3XM2B7CUK

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) December 29, 2025

This afternoon in front of the illegal Israeli occupation base in Houla, we were threatened by the IDF over loudspeakers from the base. When we continued to film, a group of soldiers exited the base in our direction and came after my car in a tank. It is becoming increasingly… pic.twitter.com/zecKQjyraA

— courtneybonneauimages (@cbonneauimages) December 28, 2025

Dozens of Palestinian doctors graduate in Gaza ‘among rubble and rivers of blood’ The Cradle (resilc)

Shed a tear for Matilda Julian Macfarlane

Four major dynamics in Gaza War that will impact 2026 Responsible Statecraft (resilc)

The Nations Countering Israeli Influence Over Trump’s Gaza Policy American Conservative (resilc)

Israel might have found somewhere to dump Palestinians Ricky Hale and Council Estate Media

When resistance is constrained by its own government, this is how Israel interprets a ceasefire in Lebanon: destroying roads and infrastructure in the south, and operating in areas it did not dare to enter during the war under the cover of de-escalation.https://t.co/OzqfI4eUlb

— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) December 28, 2025

* *

Yemen cancels joint defense agreement with UAE, calls for immediate withdrawal of all Emirati forces Anadolu Agency

A significant escalation in Saudi-UAE tension in #Yemen. Saudi Arabia just carried out airstrikes on weapons & tactical vehicles it said were delivered to Mukalla port on two ships arriving from the UAE, calling it a “clear violation of de-escalation.” pic.twitter.com/oFXR20DKmX

— Nadwa Dawsari (@Ndawsari) December 30, 2025

* *

Trump threatens Hamas, warns Iran of more strikes after Netanyahu talks Aljazeera. Note that Netanyahu had said he wanted the US to attack Iran’s missiles. Trump did not endorse that and stuck with the nuclear program as the target.

New Not-So-Cold War

US offered Ukraine 15-year security guarantee, Zelensky says BBC

Negotiations At A Standstill, The War Progresses Moon of Alabama (Kevin W)

MoA Musings: Sachs’ Essay, Lavrov’s Interviews & Extraordinary Statement Karl Sanchez

Trump ‘very angry’ about Ukrainian attack on Putin’s residence RT (Kevin W)

Did Ukraine Try to Kill Putin? Larry Johnson

Eulogy For A Jewish “Nazi” Joseph Jordan

Armenia’s Next Parliamentary Elections Are Shaping Up To Be Another Flashpoint Andrew Korybko

Imperial Collapse Watch

Important (Chuck L):

https://t.co/b5AWy2J51Q

— Chris Hedges (@ChrisLynnHedges) December 27, 2025

How Britain Destroyed The World To Stop One Train YouTube (Li)

Trump 2.0

MAGA World zeroes in on Minnesota over fraud scandal and Federal authorities in Minneapolis for ‘massive’ investigation into ‘rampant fraud’: Noem The Hill

Trump administration agrees to review stalled NIH research grants after lawsuit Reuters

Zionist Brent Bozell Confirmed as Trump’s Ambassador to South Africa Decensored News

MTG Says Trump Isn’t A Real Christian Daily Caller (resilc)

Supremes

Four Takeaways From the National Guard Ruling Steve Vladeck

Mamdani

Countdown to Mamdani’s Time Amidst Trump Tempest Work Bites

Woke Watch

Liberals Should Read the HHS Review of Pediatric ‘Gender Affirming’ Care Newsweek (Anthony L)

2025’s Biggest Vibe Shift Ken Klippenstein. Klippenstein’s point is much broader but you can’t enforce wokeness with no norms fairies.

L’affaire Epstein

Taibbi and Tracey JOIN FORCES To GATEKEEP Epstein Files Discourse Due Dissidence, YouTube

Epstein and Leviathan: How the Financier Opened Doors to Netanyahu and Ehud Barak Amid Israel’s Offshore Gas Fight DropSite

Our No Longer Free Press

“Free speech and its enemies.” Patrick Lawrence

Economy

The Enshittifinancial Crisis Ed Zitron

Critical minerals are hiding in plain sight in U.S. Mines ScienceDaily (Kevin W)

AI

AI faces closing time at the cash buffet The Register

Bernie Sanders criticizes AI as ‘the most consequential technology in humanity’ Guardian (resilc)

The AI Arms Race Is Cracking Open the Nuclear Fuel Cycle OilPrice

More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds Guardian (Kevin W)

UK Accounting Body To Halt Remote Exams Amid AI Cheating Guardian

The Bezzle

Private equity firms sell assets to themselves at a record rate Financial Times

Class Warfare

Nearly half of Americans believe their financial security is getting worse, poll finds Guardian (Kevin W)

NYC slices now far more expensive than subway fare as ‘pizza principle’ disappears Gothamist

Slopes Are Empty as a Labor Dispute Shuts Down a Colorado Ski Town New York Times

Halifax video game workers form first Ubisoft union in North America CBC

The Bruising Reality of Searching for a Job at 65 Wall Street Journal. From last week, still noteworthy.

When I was 13, I carried a secret shame. We were so poor that I often went to school with no food. At recess, while my classmates opened their lunches—apples, cookies, sandwiches—I sat pretending I wasn’t hungry. I buried my face in a book, hiding the sound of my empty stomach.… pic.twitter.com/Vg8GIBSH9U

— Crazy Vibes (@CrazyVibes_1) December 28, 2025

Wall Street is stealing from volunteer fire departments Kevin Walmsley (Kevin W)

Antidote du jour (via):

And a different sort of bonus (Chuck L):

A soprano was singing her 4th encore, “Sempre libera” an opera number that has a tenor part, a young opera student spontaneously joins her in song when he noticed there wasn’t anyone else singing it 😭😭pic.twitter.com/HHWPAkJxpF

— Restoring Your Faith in Humanity (@HumanityChad) December 28, 2025

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.