Links 2/5/2026 | naked capitalism - TheAdviserMagazine.com

A hearing test for the world’s rarest sea turtle EurekaAlert!

Climate/Environment

Fitch warns sovereign credit risk will rise with worsening climate events Intellinews

Home values are rising fastest in the most resilient places. Cause/effect or coincidence? Climate Change and Your Home

Water

One of the most pressing issue facing agriculture in the US is the rapid and continued depletion of ground water in our most important food producing regions.

But even more concerning is the degradation of farmland’s ability to capture, store and cycle rainwater.

The… pic.twitter.com/ZrXIqi1RT4

— Sam Knowlton (@samdknowlton) February 3, 2026

Inside Cleveland’s pay-as-you-can plumbing co-op that sees clean water as a human right Signal Cleveland (Carla)

Pandemics

Measles cases grow in SoCal; one infected person flew into LAX, spent hours at Disney park Los Angeles Times

DHS locks down detention center hit by measles outbreak The Hill

Fearing ICE crackdown, immigrants nationally are avoiding treatment, sometimes with dire consequences STAT

China?

Readouts of Xi-Trump, Xi-Putin calls Pekingnology

Trump-Xi Call: One Call, Two Statements, Many Signals George Chen

China warns Panama as Hong Kong firm contests ruling on canal ports Al Jazeera

Year of the sad horse: A defective toy goes viral in China — and sums up a nation’s mood NBC News. What defective toy would sum up US mood?

Lai says Taiwan should seek trade ties with democracies Taiwan News

India

India will diversify energy supplies after deal with U.S. on Russia oil imports Reuters. Diversify, not halt Russian imports as US claimed.

Is Trump Deluded About India No Longer Buying Russian Oil? Consortium News

Syraqistan

Wave of Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 21 Palestinians, amid new round of West Bank raids The New Arab

Israel cancels coordination for patient evacuations from Gaza, says Palestinian Red Crescent Anadolu Agency

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WHAT COMES NEXT IN IRAN? Seymour Hersh

Iran Adamantly Rejects US Attempt to Control Upcoming Negotiations Over Iran’s Nuclear Program Larry Johnson

‼️ US Heavy Airlift to Middle East

The most recent update of heavy transport deliveries to the Middle East is now up to 108 — a substantial acceleration over the past several days.

I figure there is now enough air defense and strike ordnance in the region to sustain a… https://t.co/5uw1MZUQXH

— Will Schryver (@imetatronink) February 4, 2026

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Where do the Kurds and the recent ISIS prison-breaks fit in the bigger picture in West Asia?Vanessa Beeley

The Sistani Hedge: Trump’s Irrational Pact in Baghdad Mohamed Karaki

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On the Death of Libya’s Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Sawahil

Africa

Gunmen have killed 162 people in west Nigeria attack, says Red Cross official The Guardian

US deploys specialist military team to Nigeria as jihadist conflict escalates The Africa Report

UN backs Trump plan for Sudan, after receiving $2bn lifeline from US The Africa Report

Old Blighty

The Mandelson affair: inside the scandal of a century The New Statesman (IH)

That visit led to a £240m ‘strategic partnership between Palantir & MOD. Intel committee needs to examine Mandelson’s potential conflict of interests but also the national security consequences as revealed here in@thenerve_news.2/https://t.co/Yfx2XZAQF3

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) February 4, 2026

Labour MPs say Starmer’s days as PM are numbered amid fury over Mandelson The Guardian

Inside Reform’s plans for a fascist takeover Hauntologies by Elia Ayoub

Victory for Palestine Action as “Filton 6” acquitted Electronic Intifada

European Disunion

From arms to orbit: Rheinmetall’s expansion unsettles rivals FT

Germany continues to sink Intellinews

New Not-So-Cold War

Witkoff & Kushner repeat their dress-down insult to the Russian delegation in the new round of Abu Dhabi talks. US officers Alexus Grynkewich (2nd right) & Timothy Brown (extreme left) show more caution, respect. pic.twitter.com/vzWkkIJ4aq pic.twitter.com/TJapiYJwNb

— Dances_with_Bears (@bears_with) February 4, 2026

What Are The Odds Of Russia Agreeing To A Three-Tiered Ceasefire Enforcement Plan In Ukraine? Andrew Korybko

Estonia Detains Ship Heading for Russia Suspected of Smuggling Reuters

EU Buys 93 Percent of Yamal LNG As Imports Surge Ahead of 2027 Russian Ban gCaptain

Russian spy satellites have intercepted EU communications satellites Ars Technica

The experts comment: New START expires, bringing both risks and opportunities Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Russian businessman’s remains found on British base in Cyprus RT

South of the Border

Russia will continue oil shipments to Cuba despite US pressure Al Mayadeen

US Refiners Struggle to Absorb Venezuelan Oil Surge After Trump-Maduro Deal Reuters

L’affaire Epstein

Epstein Geopolitics And the Age of Primitive Accumulation Un-Diplomatic

Putin envoy dismisses Polish PM’s claim Epstein scandal was Russian operation Polskie Radio

lol they dragged the “piss Trump dossier” guy out of Russiagate retirement for One Last Job https://t.co/aLzwzuV55Y

— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) February 4, 2026

Newly released Epstein files reveal further ties to Israel Mondoweiss

Trump 2.0

Read the extended transcript: President Donald Trump interviewed by ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Tom Llamas NBC News

GOP Funhouse

Sen. Mitch McConnell hospitalized after experiencing ‘flu-like symptoms’ NBC News

Democrats Suck

Dems embrace “law and order” in ICE shutdown fight Axios

Police State Watch

The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building ProPublica. Commentary:

This raid was one of the first in which military hardware (a Black Hawk helicopter) and personnel were used. The orders came from the top after Trump said the Marines should “practice” on American cities. They found a willing training ground with the help of a slum lord.

— HollyGolightly (@hollygolytlee) February 4, 2026

As ICE Terror Forces People Inside, Calls Grow for Eviction Moratorium in Minnesota Truthout

Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon WaPo

700 federal agents set to leave Minnesota; districts sue feds to keep ICE away from schools MPR

Bringing The Genocide Home: SAPD Asks Council For Drone Used In Gaza Inadvertent

Sam Altman and the day Nvidia’s meteoric rise came to an end Gary Marcus

Alphabet resets the bar for AI infrastructure spending CNBC

Requiem for a film-maker: Darren Aronofsky’s AI revolutionary war series is a horror The Guardian

Imperial Collapse Watch

US seeking to form critical mineral ‘preferential trade zone’ to counter China Anadolu Agency

America’s lost weapons are stopping it mining minerals in Pakistan The Canary

Is Coal Mining Pollution America’s Next Big Critical Minerals Source? Governing

Beyond The Appearances. Aurelien

“MAHA”

Senior FDA Official Under OIG Investigation Over Divorce, Assets Bloomberg. Accused of orchestrating a fake divorce to avoid conflict-of-interest rules.

Healthcare?

Senate talks to revive ACA tax credits appear to be fizzling out The Hill

The 2008 Housing Crash Was a Warning. Health Insurance May Be Next. HEALTH CARE un-covered

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