Launching Links with somewhat short rations. Please review again at 7:30 AM for a full dose.
Bear Conflicts are Expected to Increase in June iBerkshires (resilc). You’ve been warned!
One-third of galaxy’s most common planets could be in habitable zone University of Florida (resilc)
Was He Apollo’s Son? Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy Literary Review (Anthony L)
#COVID-19
Kevin W on the tweet below: “My take is that a narrative is being built to make all future lockdowns illegal because it makes the economy sad.”
“Lockdown benefits ‘a drop in the bucket compared to the costs,’ landmark study finds…the findings showed that lockdowns had been ‘a global policy failure of gigantic proportions…the biggest policy mistake in modern times.’”https://t.co/tQxbi4h9FX
— Michael P Senger (@michaelpsenger) June 5, 2023
Climate/Environment
US Supreme Court Rejects Big Oil Challenge to Offshore Fracking Ban in California Common Dreams. Mirabile dictu.
US Treasuries Blacklisted by German State as ESG Law Takes Hold Bloomberg
China?
🧵 Western corporations are refusing to go along with the US-Western strategy of decoupling from China — and the militarisation of great-power relations. Is the capitalist class revolting against the military-industrial complex and the neocons?
A THREAD.https://t.co/QBYjVvFfTX
— Thomas Fazi (@battleforeurope) June 6, 2023
DEA: Chinese organized crime laundering money for Mexican drug cartels NBC (furzy)
European Disunion
Using Angola’s power glut for Germany’s energy transition DW. Resilc: “In effect, mining Africa yet again.”
La belle France
France faces 14th day of nationwide protests to derail pension reform France24
The host then asks him why we “never respond to the attacks we suffer?”
He has a really powerful answer:
“First, because there is a real, internalized weakness. And it also because it has a cost. When Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin decided to use the resources they… pic.twitter.com/cj0wkOxk1E
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) June 4, 2023
Old Blighty
WHY A PAIR OF BRITISH OFFICIALS WATCHED PAINT DRY Now I Know (Dr. Kevin)
Guatemala’s presidential hopefuls channel heavy-handed tactics of El Salvador’s leader Associated Press (resilc)
New Not-So-Cold War
We have a post on the Kakhovka dam destruction but some additional tidbits and initial commentary below
Structural damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam appears to have started several days ago, further proving that Ukrainian officials are lying about a Russian strike earlier today and Western media is once again echoing misinformation. pic.twitter.com/y1ihLW6pIS
— What’s the media hiding? (@narrative_hole) June 6, 2023
Don’t Forget WaPo’s Report From December About Kiev’s Plans To Blow Up The Kakhovka DamAndrew Korybko.
Washington Post article from December 2022 said Ukraine “conducted a test strike” on the Nova Kakhovka dam in preparation for its offensive in Kherson pic.twitter.com/YA5l69kHil
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) June 6, 2023
New York Times in April 2022 on Ukraine intentionally flooding one of its villages when troops opened a nearby dam. This was “not an outlier,” the article adds: “Ukraine has been swift and effective in wreaking havoc on its own territory, often by destroying infrastructure” pic.twitter.com/sG52M5SGLX
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) June 6, 2023
⚡️Nova Kakhovka dam continues to collapse, water flow is uncontrollable — TASS
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) June 6, 2023
NATO chief calls destruction of dam in southern Ukraine ‘outrageous’ Anadolu Agency
Ukraine war: What we know about Kakhovka dam attack BBC
* * *
An Unwinnable War Foreign Affairs. Important. I had wanted to take this apart but the events of the day intervened. Foreign Affairs is THE heavyweight American foreign policy journal, so rest assured that whatever it says has a big following or is emerging conventional wisdom.
Major trigger warning: you do not want to watch this any time in close proximity to a meal and maybe not ever. I just looked at itty bits. That was enough. Those of us, even who are having difficult times, have very little clue how terrible war is:
“Kill me, don’t torture me. Kill me.” … Ukrainian soldier begs the medic to kill him …-> War is hell! When will this senseless killing stop … pic.twitter.com/D59tdNmDQS
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) June 4, 2023
Ukraine war: Kyiv says troops advance on eastern front BBC
Corteva Agriscience And USAID Announce Collaboration to Support Ukrainian Farmers PRNewswire. Resilc:
When I started with USAID in ’79 it was about rural poor. I set up small scale credit in Indonesia programs. 12$ loans. Then Reagan started the let’s all support of US corps and political aspects and it has snowballed ever since…….. USA USA
Syraqistan
Imran Khan: U.S. was manipulated by Pakistan military into backing overthrow Intercept (resilc)
Make ISIS Iran’s Problem American Conservative (resilc)
Saudi Arabia to cut oil output by 1 million barrels a day in July Al Jazeera (Kevin W)
Who is looting Yemen’s oil, and where does it all go? The Cradle (guurst)
Saudi Arabia Executes Two Shia Bahrainis on Terrorism Charges in “Grossly Unfair” Trial Juan Cole
Inside the Taliban’s war on drugs – opium poppy crops slashed BBC. Resilc: “Synthetics will kill it anyway.”
Imperial Collapse Watch
Saying no to America has become a very popular stance in the Middle East and it is accelerating the decline of its power.
— #AJOpinion by @marwanbishara ⤵️ https://t.co/GFnO7vgfar
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 6, 2023
The Demon in America’s Sacred Narrative Michael Vlahos (Chuck L)
Did Shangri-La give birth to a new Quad? Asia Times (Kevin W)
Five things the debt-ceiling deal suggests about the future Robert Reich Guardian (resilc)
Washington’s self-defeating foreign policy Asia Times
2024
Trump’s Challengers Are Making the Same Mistakes All Over Again New Republic (resilc)
Mike Pence’s presidential candidacy is doomed but he continues anyway Washington Pos. Um, let us not forget the GOP competition includes John Bolton.
Cornel West announces he’s running for president Politico (Kevin C)
Biden
The Complicated Reality of Joe Biden, America’s Oldest President New York Times
Trump and Obama’s former doctor: Biden ‘not fit mentally or physically to be president Daily Mail (Li)
Trump
Trump smoking gun tape gives Jack Smith all he needs Washington Post (furzy)
GOP Clown Car
Got footage from inside this event. They admit the bill is “100% meant to scare” immigrants and beg the crowd to “urgently” convince “your people” to not leave Florida since folks in the agriculture industry are mad workers are leaving. The hypocrisy is so brazen and disgusting. https://t.co/LzsV2qgG0F pic.twitter.com/BnWnWCWqcI
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) June 5, 2023
Stewart Rhodes Says He’s a Political Prisoner. Are Republicans Listening? Intercept (resilc)
Oath Keepers Are Going to Prison, But They’re Not Going Away Vice (resilc)
Democrats en déshabille
Newsom slams DeSantis over migrant drop-off: ‘You small, pathetic man’ ABC7. Kevin W: “Kidnapping charges? Calling the ICC.” Moi: Namecalling is not the first line of defense for those in a strong position.
Woke Watch
The backlash: how slavery research came under fire Guardian (Kevin W)
Our No Longer Free Press
The demise of CNN Robert Reich (furzy)
BREAKING: Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. claims Pfizer funneled $12 million dollars to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper as part of a deal to promote mRNA COVID jabs to the American public.
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) June 5, 2023
Gunz
Georgia College Students can Continue to Bring Handguns to Class, even Concealed: State Supreme Court Juan Cole
AI
AI-generated content should be labelled, EU commissioner says Al Jazeera
The Bezzle
Elon Musk Apologizes for Tesla’s Annoying Automatic Wipers, Still No Hope for Owners autoevolution (resilc)
There’s a lot in the SEC’s suit against Binance. The biggest deal is that there are two trading firms propping up the exchange’s volume.
And it wouldn’t be a crypto scandal if there wasn’t a mysterious, $11 million yachthttps://t.co/h5RzPAUKaA
— Kevin T. Dugan (@KevinTDugan) June 5, 2023
Class Warfare
Zeitgeist 2023 Heisenberg Report (resilc)
America’s quit boom is over Axios (resilc)
Idle rich baffled by poor people’s distaste for dangerous, low-paying jobs Boing Boing
What the debt ceiling debate missed Financial Times. Important (and archive.ph is your friend)
America This Week: “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” Racket News (Chuck L)
Antidote du jour (furzy):
And a bonus (guurst):
Damn humans, always need to clean up after them. pic.twitter.com/vWtLpiAZgD
— Ben Proj (@ben_proj) May 31, 2023
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.