This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1108 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, PayPal, Clover, or Wise. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser, what we’ve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, bonuses for our esteemed writers.
New data indicates that the universe will ‘end in a big crunch’ and scientists predict when it will happen Earth.com
Plan to Reflect Sunlight to Power Solar Panels at Night Upsets Astronomers Bloomberg (AFXH)
Removing 50 Objects from Orbit Would Cut Danger From Space Junk in Half ars technica
New research reveals what’s really hiding in bottled water ScienceDaily (Kevin W)
Researchers just unleashed microbes trapped in Arctic ice for 40,000 years: ‘These are not dead samples’ Independent
Climate/Environment
Renewables overtake coal as world’s biggest source of electricity BBC
Massive system of rotating ocean currents in the North Atlantic is behaving strangely — and it may be reaching a tipping point Live Science
Climate change is messing with global wind speeds, impacting planetary health Mongabay
Intensification of marine heatwaves and their climate drivers in the Arabian Gulf Nature
Iraq’s Amerli reservoir dries up: Worst drought in a century Shafaq
Asia warms faster than rest of world, impacts continent Nation of Change
Could another poor water year spell disaster for the Colorado River? KNPR
Rich nations profit from the climate crisis as two-thirds of climate finance for the Global South is handed out as loan Oxfam (Ignacio)
China?
How China is challenging Nvidia’s AI chip dominance BBC (Kevin W)
Trump to Unveil Farmer Aid as China Shuns U.S. Crops New York Times
China halts US soybean imports to hit Trump’s MAGA supporters Asia Times (Kevin W)
Snubbed by China: Trump team presses unlikely buyers to snap up US soybeans South China Morning Post
Koreas
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is deploying ‘special assets’ and warns US and South Korea Independent
Korea’s wildlife is vanishing, hunted to the brink of extinction South China Morning Post
Japan
Takaichi means for Japan and the wider world Asia Times (Kevin W)
Yen, bonds sell off as Takaichi win spurs bets on fiscal easing Reuters
India
Indian Think Tank Assesses Indian Trade Karl Sanchez. The climate change/species loss denialism in the aside, “India needs to plan for the eventuality of having two billion people…”
The Antipodes
Slowly, then all at once; Australia’s looming economic disaster Spectator
Record numbers of Kiwis moving overseas amidst cost of living crisis, rising unemployment New.com.au
Africa
Burundi endures ‘worst economic crisis in a country not at war’ Financial Times
Ninth night of GenZ 212 anti-corruption youth protests sweeps Morocco France24
South of the Border
Fishermen in Trinidad and Tobago fear for their lives and jobs after US strikes in the Caribbean Associated Press
Venezuela’s Maduro says US embassy ‘false flag’ bombing foiled in Caracas Aljazeera (resilc)
Milei Authorizes US Troop Deployment in Tierra del Fuego Without Congressional Approval Orinoco Tribune (Robin K)
Another Gen Z uprising?: Protests in Paraguay against the Peña government Peoples Dispatch (Robin K)
European Disunion
From Politico’s morning European newsletter:
MACRON KICKS THE CAN TO WEDNESDAY: We’re frankly loath to write anything about the French government, lest it change before you even have a chance to read it. But as things stand, French President Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of his 14-hour-old government on Monday morning — only to task outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with leading last-ditch talks.
Vraiment this time: Should Lecornu fail to reach a deal by Wednesday evening, Macron “will face up to his responsibilities,” close advisers told French media. Which may mean he will call a snap election.
Let’s be clear: No one thinks Lecornu will get a deal…
It’s become a theater of the absurd, and we can already envision the key scenes in the movie version:
— The lone figure: Macron made no public statements Monday but was spotted walking solo along the banks of the Seine.
— Triumphant cat lady: Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a cat lover, took a kitten in a travel cage to a crunch meeting at National Rally headquarters, Marion Solletty reports. “We are ready to govern,” said the party’s president, Jordan Bardella, as he walked in, repeating calls for a snap election in which RN would likely perform very well.
— Et tu, Attal? Gabriel Attal, the close Macron lieutenant whom the president elevated to the post of prime minister at the ripe age of 34 last year, went on TV and declared: “I no longer understand [Macron’s] decisions.”
NOT SO ENTERTAINING: The weakness of France — the EU’s second-biggest economy and only nuclear power — has consequences for Ukraine, Gaza and the entire European economy.
“France is too big to fail,” said one diplomat from an EU country. “So this endless political instability puts the entire eurozone at risk.
Macron ally calls on French president to quit early Financial Times
Why Macron’s meltdown weakens Europe Politico
Europe May Need to Fight a Currency War to Weaken the Euro Bloomberg
No euro for Hungary as EU ‘falling apart’ – Orban RT (Micael T). Orban recognizes that the euro is a roach hotel.
Old Blighty
Police to get new powers in crackdown on repeat protests after hundreds arrested at Palestine Action rally Independent
In the UK, you can be arrested for “terrorism” saying you disagree with a government decision Council Estate (resilc)
Veteran pro-Palestine campaigner Sarah Wilkinson, who was subjected to severe mistreatment in an Israeli prison, has now been detained by UK police at Heathrow Airport for interrogation.
Stripped of her phone and money, Wilkinson stands accused of documenting the Israeli… pic.twitter.com/zoWJrXjTyj
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 6, 2025
Maniac Killers Cult, pt. I Events in Ukraine
Israel v. The Resistance
Trump’s Gaza plan puts Netanyahu in a bind Le Monde. Who writes these headlines? Israel has increased bombing of Gaza, FFS
Gaza plan: Looks Like peace, acts like occupation Responsible Statecraft (resilc)
The 1 Fatal Mistake the Palestinians are Always Making Alon Mizrahi
Israel-Premier Tech to change its name and move away from ‘current identity’Guardian (resilc)
Yemeni army launches drone toward Eilat port in fresh anti-Israeli operation PressTV
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine accuses China of aiding Russian strikes with satellite data The Times
An Ethnic Ukrainian Lobby Might Soon Take Shape In The Polish Sejm Andrew Korybko
Caucasus
The Ukrainian scenario failed: Georgia’s State Security Service intercepted weapons for protesters. TopWar (Micael T)
Serbian president warns Balkans tensions could spark global war News.az
Syraqistan
Crying babies dimmed by hunger fill this Afghanistan hospital – where parents fear each day might be the last Sky
Election without voters: Most Syrians ‘unaware’ about Sunday’s parliamentary election The Cradle
Imperial Collapse Watch
How Russia forced the West to face its own decline RT (Micael T). Um, the US and I think at least France and Germany are firmly in denial.
Milken and Friends Build a $500 Million Monument to Their Version of the American Dream Racket News (Chuck L)
Trump 2.0
FUHRER FASCISM — HOW DID VZGLYAD KNOW THAT TRUMP’S MEETING WITH THE GENERALS WAS A LOYALTY TEST? BECAUSE RUSSIANS REMEMBER HITLER’S FUHRERREID OF 1935? John Helmer. Important.
a href=”https://www.jalopnik.com/1985689/portland-naked-bike-ride-trump-protest/” rel=”nofollow”>Portland Plans Naked Bike Ride To Protest Trump Siccing The Troops On Its Residents Jalopnik (resilc)
Shutdown
Trump walks back offer to talk to Democrats as government shutdown extends Aljazeera
Staffing issues see U.S. flights delayed as shutdown persists Axios
Democrat Death Wish
Dem-aligned think tank blasted for Blinken appointment to board Responsible Statescraft
Charlie Kirk
Just a Coincidence? Charlie Kirk Vowed to Leave the Pro-Israel Cause 48 Hours Before He Was Killed Larry Johnson. The 48 hour part has been rumored before, but now there is more support. The bigger matter is that this story is not going away.
L’affaire Epstein
Top US court rejects appeal from Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell RT (Kevin W)
Trump on pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell: ‘I’d have to take a look at it’ The Hill. fk: “Dear God! I think he is more senile than Biden.”
Our No Longer Free Press
New CBS owner David Ellison met with top Israeli general in scheme to spy on Americans The Grayzone (Kevin W)
What Will Bari Weiss Do to CBS News? New Yorker (Robin K)
Economy
Why the cost of buying economic growth is destined to rise South China Morning Post
America is now one big bet on AI Financial Times
‼️US FREIGHT RECESSION is getting worse:
The Cass Freight Index, a key measure of freight volumes, fell in August to the lowest since the Financial Crisis.
Weak consumer spending, housing, and industrial activity continue to hit demand.
The real economy is in a recession… pic.twitter.com/cOULggcMFh
— Global Markets Investor (@GlobalMktObserv) October 5, 2025
Billionaire beef boss says Americans crave so much protein the country is outpacing its own production and turning to imports Fortune (Kevin W)
Mr. Market is Moody
How a US Economic Collapse Could Reshape the World? Modern Diplomacy. Note this is pretty conventional thinking. Jomo has repeatedly pointed out that many Global South countries are close to financial crises.
The System is BROKEN! The Car Market Collapse is HERE! YouTube. resilc: “Lots are full when I drive by in Western Mass.”
Lighting the way for electric vehicles by using streetlamps as chargers ScienceDaily (Kevin W)
AI
AI knockoff of my book (L) versus the genuine article (R)
We need to rise up and stop the tech industry by force. Our livelihoods, our culture, and our ecological environment are worth fighting for. I am deadly serious. pic.twitter.com/MhaAuXyYFI
— Seth Harp (@sethharpesq) October 5, 2025
What Happens When AI Directs Tourists to Places That Don’t Exist? BBC
Wow, it’s really cool that we can use AI to make fake CCTV footage of people committing crimes. Surely this has no downsides whatsoever. https://t.co/SM3UIvJokO
— Joe B (@AstroJoeB) September 30, 2025
The Bezzle
The GENIUS Act is Anything But Ian Welsh
Class Warfare
What happens when giving is fuelled by hate? The rise of retributive philanthropy Globe & Mail (Dr. Kevin)
Craft Breweries Struggle as Sales and Appetites Wane New York Times (resilc)
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus (Chuck L):
Elephant pretends to eat this guy’s hat..😅 pic.twitter.com/KVe6Ze6eq9
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) October 6, 2025
For a change from our usual bonuses, one of resilc’s new metal art creations:
And a second bonus:
Epiphyllum oxypetalum, the queen of the night, blooms once a year in the night
Its flowers wilt with the rising sun pic.twitter.com/oRgBmd8FiI
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) October 6, 2025
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
