Happy May Day!
Valerie the dachshund found ‘fit and well’ after 529 days on Kangaroo Island Australian Broadcasting Corporation
FDA issues urgent nationwide recall of bread sold in US found with ‘glass fragments’ Fox Business
Climate/Environment
A New Type of Rock Is Forming — and It’s Made of Our Trash ZME Science
Pandemics
Scientists urge countries to take urgent steps to mitigate H5N1 bird flu menace Down to Earth
EU Commission Paves Way For More H5N1 Vaccine Purchases Avian Flu Diary
May Day
Workers Defy the Billionaire Takeover on May Day In These Times
Mass arrests ahead of May Day demonstrations in Turkey WSWS
Italy Shows How Amazon Can Be Forced to Bargain: Shut Down Its Distribution Truthout
India-Pakistan
India should tread warily on battlefield Indian Punchline
China?
US recently reached out to China for tariff talks – report Forex Live
China, US have not held tariff talks in past 24 hours, FM responds to question on whether negotiations took place Global Times
CHINA APPEARS READY FOR TRADE TALKS WITH U.S. Pekingnology
China’s April manufacturing PMI falls back into contraction amid trade war ING
China waives tariffs on US ethane imports, sources say Reuters
China draws up list of U.S.-made goods exempt from 125% tariffs, sources say Reuters
Old Blighty
Government transparency hits new record low – again Democracy for Sale
Homelessness hit new record highs in England in 2024: ‘The system is at breaking point’ Big Issue
Syraqistan
US tells ICJ that law allows Israel to attack UN agencies that aren’t ‘impartial’ Middle East Eye
Mass evacuations ordered as wildfires engulf Israeli occupation Al Mayadeen
There’s something about this karmic episode that encapsulates the entire Zionist project
They could have lived peacefully alongside the welcoming Palestinians, but their colonial project will ultimately collapse because they cannot stop being violent https://t.co/YjJ9zecD0T
— Tiberius (@ecomarxi) April 30, 2025
***
US targets Iran with fresh sanctions ahead of next nuclear talks The New Arab
Iranian port blast could be ‘planned attack, not an accident,’ IDF Gen. says – interview Jerusalem Post
Did Houthi missiles threaten to sink the carrier USS Truman? Asia Times
Message to IRAN:
We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing.
You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) May 1, 2025
European Disunion
16 countries to ask EU for fiscal leeway to spend big on defense Politico
⚡️One of the chief theories behind Spain’s power blackout this week is that the Iberian grid had an “inertia” problem.So… what on earth is inertia and why does it matter??If only someone had written a long thread about this a while back…👇 https://t.co/1iJcxAUc94
— Ed Conway (@EdConwaySky) April 29, 2025
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine, US sign minerals deal, tying Trump to Kyiv Channel News Asia
UKRAINE AND THE UNITED STATES SIGN ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT AND ESTABLISH THE RECONSTRUCTION INVESTMENT FUND Ukraine Ministry of Economy
The darkly funny part of Iraq being a client state is that no one’s even sure whose it is anymore.
The US still controls the finances, but Iran dominates on the ground.
So if Washington rides Ukraine into the ground and hands the wreckage to Russia… well, it’s not exactly…
— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) April 30, 2025
Trump drops demand for Zelensky to hold elections The Telegraph
US Partially Lifts Military Aid Pause for Ukraine, as Peace Talks Slow Kyiv Post
Another Shocker: WSJ Reveals Russia Arming Massive New Rear Reserve Force Simplicius
WHAT DEAL WILL PRESIDENT PUTIN MAKE WITH THE MAN WHO RULES THE WORLD BUT NOT THE BATTLEFIELD Dances with Bears
Kremlin says peace deal must be reached with Ukraine, not US Anadolu Agency
Trump Ally Lindsey Graham Pushes Russia Crackdown WSJ
The Caucasus
GREAT NEWS!!! The MEGOBARI ACT, introduced by @RepJoeWilson and @RepCohen early this year, is now making its way to the House floor to be considered for final House vote next week
The legislation calls for sanctions against those undermining Georgia’s democracy pic.twitter.com/xSlWNkUCp9
— Alex Raufoglu (@ralakbar) April 30, 2025
“Liberation Day”
BREAKING: Trump admin just whacked tariff collection & import inspection w/ a waiver of Customs rules! This undercuts promised May 2 end of de minimis loophole tariff evasion for China’s goods & “Liberation Day” revenue. Why? DHL is bragging re “constructive dialogue” w/ admin.🧵 pic.twitter.com/gHPdol1yKA
— Lori Wallach (@WallachLori) April 30, 2025
The bottom line:
So, back to the bottomline: If Trump ends the de minimis tariff waiver for China this week as promised, waiving this longstanding Customs rule will gut enforcement and collection. This rollback also undermines collection of ALL “Liberation Day” tariffs. 15/ pic.twitter.com/X44JdybwG8
— Lori Wallach (@WallachLori) April 30, 2025
Waiting for the Supply Shock David Dayen, The American Prospect. “It’s coming, and we know approximately when.”
Trump on China: “They made a trillion dollars with Biden selling us stuff. Much of it we don’t need. Somebody said, ‘oh, the shelves are gonna be open.’ Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more.” pic.twitter.com/6gVbGQ6oJ2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025
The scale of the tariff-avoiding frontrunning in the first quarter of the year is without any parallel in modern American history. The net export contribution to GDP was -4.83%, the largest in the historical record going back to 1947! pic.twitter.com/S6iZurvSk8
— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) April 30, 2025
Commerce Secretary Lutnick says one trade deal is done, but waiting on approval from unnamed country’s leaders CNBC
Lutnick: “It’s time to train people not to do the jobs of the past, but to do the great jobs of the future. This is the new model where you work in these kinds of plants for the rest of your life and your kids work here and your grandkids work here. We let the auto plants go… pic.twitter.com/kDqjMPTUvh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2025
Trump 2.0
BREAKING: In a bizarre moment, Attorney General Pam Bondi impersonates extreme North Korean praise for Dear Leader, saying “President, you first 100 days has far exceeded that of ANY other presidency in this country. Ever. Ever.” Unreal.pic.twitter.com/kiV1QofDze
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) April 30, 2025
Eric Trump travels to Dubai to sell property and crypto Semafor
A cash bonus for having a baby? Trump is considering it. Vox. Commentary:
First of all, it would need to be $100k. Second of all, a cash incentive is coercion within the context of economic desperation. The only way for cash incentives to not be coercive is if people can afford to say no to them. https://t.co/0hW2kuagI2
— Vivian (@suchnerve) April 29, 2025
MAHA
Kennedy Advises New Parents to ‘Do Your Own Research’ on Vaccines New York Times
DOGE
White House pushed job cuts at agency that’s clashed with Musk Bloomberg
DOGE Put a College Student in Charge of Using AI to Rewrite Regulations Wired
Democrats en Déshabillé
Jeffries Wants Dems to Put an End to the El Salvador Trips The Bulwark
Tennessee Man Has Been Stranded in Guatemala Since 2022 Over Tattoo Drop Site. “…a Biden-era case that helped lay the groundwork for Trump’s tattoo-based deportation regime.”
Police State Watch
Activist Mohsen Mahdawi Freed From Prison After Judge Orders His Release Truthout
Arresting a Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, Consortium News
USPS law enforcement assists Trump ‘mass deportation’ effort, sources and records show WaPo
‘We’re citizens!’: Family traumatized after ICE raids home, but they weren’t suspects KFOR Oklahoma City
Kash Patel Scrambles to Lock Down Leaks, Sending FBI Into Chaos The New Republic
DEA sources confirm 17 military members were at underground Colorado Springs nightclub raided early Sunday Denver7
AI
Here’s How To Share AI’s Future Wealth Noema
They really think that they are the only essential human agents and the rest of us are disposable. A stunning and virulent delusion. The enemies of society now rule it. https://t.co/Wtg6M8LbFZ
— Nikhil Pal Singh (@nikhil_palsingh) April 30, 2025
Global elites are rotting their brains in group chats Read Max
Healthcare?
AI won’t replace doctors — it will upgrade them The Hill
Doctors didn’t catch AI’s mistakes. What does that mean for human-in-the-loop? STAT
The Supremes
Supreme Court may allow church-run, publicly funded charter schools across the nation ABC News
Our Famously Free Press
Vote on Antisemitism Awareness Act delayed after fiery Senate hearing Jewish News Syndicate
The fact that backers of the Antisemitism Awareness Act were caught flat-footed by today’s Senate hearing, where there was strong opposition from BOTH sides of aisle to legislating criticism of Israel=antisemitism, shows what happens when you fall for your own false framing. 1/
— Lara Friedman (@LaraFriedmanDC) April 30, 2025
It’s really worth reading this letter. The city of San Marcos, Texas has suggested that they could use the $4.4 million in tax money their residents sent to Israel to instead manage domestic problems (addiction, education etc) and now the governor is calling them antisemites https://t.co/4q65vkLaGQ
— Sean Padraig McCarthy (@SeanMcCarthyCom) April 30, 2025
Imperial Collapse Watch
Do You Believe In Magic? Aurelien, Trying to Understand the World
Screening Room
What Netflix’s patents reveal about the future of watching movies Stephen Follows
The Bezzle
Sam Altman’s eye-scanning project launches cryptocurrency in the US The Verge
When Genius Failed…..Again Racket News
Antitrust
Judge Rules Apple Executive Lied Under Oath, Makes Criminal Contempt Referral BIG by Matt Stoller
Class Warfare
How Shareholder Payouts Fuel Corporate Profiteering The Lever
Remote Work Empowers Workers. Conservatives are using Pandemic Culture Wars to Target it The Gauntlet
Mayor Adams’ administration proposes rent hike for people with NYC housing vouchers Gothamist
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
