Links 5/22/2026 | naked capitalism

James Bond fans launch fundraiser for statue of supervillain Blofeld in his Polish “hometown” Notes from Poland

Pabst Discontinues Schlitz, the Beloved American Lager Brand VinePair

The Rise of Build-to-Rent Housing Construction Physics

Climate/Environment

Sea level rise is swallowing Mid-Atlantic farmland faster than expected, study finds Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Central Asia’s record-breaking ice loss in 2025 raises water risks for millions Phys.org

Serious urban flash flooding strikes two major US cities – but is handled very differently Balanced Weather

Hard Rain Harper’s. “The battle over weather modification”

Scenarios, schmenarios… RealClimate

Is Community an Answer to Brittleness? The Snap Forward

THE HONEY COLLECTORS WHO RISK THEIR LIVES IN TIGER COUNTRY Atmos

Risk of snakebites increasing as reptiles adapt to changing world, says study The Guardian

Pandemics

COVID and the Great Retrenchment University of Michigan Law

This may be one of the more important long COVID papers in a while.A new study in Frontiers in Immunology suggests that COVID can trigger new-onset insulin resistance – and that this may drive abnormal NETosis in neutrophils months after infection🧵

— Zdenek Vrozina (@ZdenekVrozina) May 21, 2026

Ebola

And this is exactly what I’ve been saying happens in a pandemic with 40+% mortality. Everything breaks down. Anarchy. People not getting things. They are setting fire to the hospital (the last place you would want to set a fire to).Supply chains break fast. You need to have… https://t.co/G8NJP4uKzg

— Roger Seheult, MD (@RogerSeheult) May 21, 2026

Former CDC director on Ebola outbreak: ‘I suspect this is going to become a very significant pandemic’ The Hill

Fears as Ebola cases reported in rebel-held area hundred of kilometres from epicentre The Independent

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US is ‘simply choosing not to stop’ Ebola outbreak after massive public health cuts, experts say The Guardian

White House resisted letting doctor with Ebola return to U.S. WaPo. And a second one: US doctor exposed to Ebola to be treated in Prague under strict isolation Radio Prague International

US taps small San Diego biotech for experimental Ebola treatment as epidemic worsens Fierce Biotech

Hantavirus

High prevalence of hantavirus in some areas of the Pacific Northwest Medical Xpress. In rodent populations.

Water

Woman files lawsuit after arrest for Facebook post concerning Trinidad water supply issues FOX4

China?

Each American CEO came to China with a specific issue they wanted to address. Nearly all of them left empty-handed.

Most intriguing in this piece was the confirmation that China had indeed blocked Maxwell from selling solar manufacturing equipment to Elon Musk. https://t.co/4Zp9Xvshdp

— Kyle Chan (@kyleichan) May 22, 2026

Acting Navy secretary: Taiwan weapons sales paused to ensure munitions for Iran war The Hill

Trump Got the Show, Putin Got the Bromance — Xi Took the Stage George Chen

Southeast Asia

Indonesia signed letter of intent but made no commitment to U.S. on airspace access: Defence Minister Sjafrie The Hindu

India

‘Chess Piece’ to ‘Blood Bag’? What Trump-Xi Summit Could Spell for India The Wire

Syraqistan

An Israeli unit’s “homecoming” party featured a display of their well-documented annihilation of southern Lebanon’s villages, met with cheers and laughter from crowds of soldiers, their relatives, and family members.

It is a scene impossible to see anywhere but Israel. pic.twitter.com/EkAwH3jL9s

— Israel Genocide Tracker (@trackingisrael) May 21, 2026

Gaza flotilla activists deported after ‘abuse’, ‘torture’ in Israeli custody The New Arab

They’re Not Mad At Ben-Gvir For Being Evil, They’re Mad At Him For Being Honest Caitlin Johnstone

The U.S. threatens to revoke the Palestinian U.N. ambassador’s visa NPR

Today, the Lebanese resistance targeted Col. Meir Biderman, commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, in south Lebanon. Israeli media report that he is fighting for his life.This is the same brigade that murdered Hind Rajab, stormed Al-Shifa Hospital and terrorised Rafah. pic.twitter.com/11h3djyvg0

— Dyab Abou Jahjah (@Aboujahjah) May 20, 2026

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Trump Cancels Last Minute Attack Amidst Reports Iran Has Now Clocked US Tactics Simplicius

European Disunion

Trump to deploy 5,000 US troops to Poland after earlier plan was canceled France24

Brussels Blames China. The Data Point Elsewhere The East is Read

The German political establishment is losing its mind as the AfD cements its dominance over the electorate eugyppius

O Canada

Military Minerals: How US Military Demand Is Intensifying Extraction on Indigenous Lands Transition Security Project

Old Blighty

Sadiq Khan sparks row with Met after blocking £50m AI deal with Palantir The Guardian

New Not-So-Cold War

Is Ukraine-Russia War Entering the End Game? Cliodynamica by Peter Turchin

NATO incrementalism: First they denied that NATO airspace was used to attack Russia; then they argued the Ukrainian drones did not have permission to be in NATO airspace; now the Swedish Prime Minister argues NATO should help Ukraine direct their attacks in the “right direction”… pic.twitter.com/i88txcdbzs

— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) May 21, 2026

Finland’s massive bomb shelters draw world to Helsinki in quest for security Straits Times

🚨⚠️🚨Ukrainian forces deliberately struck sleeping children in the LPR: they targeted the academic building and dormitory of the Starobelsk College.

At the time of the attack, 86 children between the ages of 14 and 18 were inside the building. At least 35 people were injured.… pic.twitter.com/vzrkK0C0wD

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) May 22, 2026

Ukraine tests balloon-launched drone system to extend strike range Intellinews

Imperial Collapse Watch

Matter of Time Jon Kurpis, The Duran

U.S.: New Data Highlights AIPAC Ties To The U.S., Israeli Governments DAWN

South of the Border

The Provocative Reality Behind the Cuban Airplane Shootdown Accuracy.org

L’affaire Epstein

Who is Sarah Kellen and why wasn’t she charged with Epstein-related crimes? The Epstein Files by Julie K. Brown

Trump 2.0

Trump Allies and Foes Jockey for Payouts From ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund WSJ

Republicans punt on reconciliation amid furious disagreement over ‘anti-weaponization’ fund The Hill

IS TRUMP’S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PURSUING OBAMA? Seymour Hersh

Democrats Suck

Biden team failed Kamala Harris in 2024, Democratic autopsy says USA Today

DNC autopsy author Paul Rivera met with the pro-Palestinian group IMEU Policy Project in July 2025, and told them the war in Gaza hurt Democrats in the 2024 election, according to two people familiar with the meeting.

But the final report makes no mention of “Israel” or “Gaza.”… pic.twitter.com/zDjGZ80K9p

— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) May 21, 2026

California’s ‘groundbreaking’ fast food council lacks a leader, hasn’t met in over a year Cal Matters

The Uniparty

The Data-Center Divide Harper’s

Police State Watch

NEW: Multiple ICE warehouses were sold by people in Trump’s circle who were sitting on the properties and losing money.

We dug into it, and found that some properties were bought by the feds for 10x their list price.

It’s a new level of corruption — and you’re paying for it. pic.twitter.com/MmUDL9kFsW

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) May 20, 2026

Immigrants Reportedly Held in ICE Jails Despite Agreeing to Leave U.S. Documented

ICE Spent More in January Than NASA Gets All Year Migrant Insider

Newly Released Footage Highlights ICE’s Use of Facial Recognition Technology Truthout

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

After Town Bans Flock, Councilmember Crashes Out, Proposes Internet and Phone Ban 404 Media

AI

Checking the math behind OpenAI and Anthropic’s latest headlines Gary Marcus

AI is killing the cheap smartphone David Oks

Generative AI’s Existential Cringe What We Lost

The 420

Flying with marijuana? How a small change to TSA’s guidelines may impact you The Hill

Agriculture

Trump Defends Chinese Purchases of US Farmland Morning Ag Clips

The United States Has a Food System Crisis, Not a Food Shortage William Murphy

Class Warfare

Western leaders play their part in our charade democracies. Can you spot the tell? Jonathan Cook

Imperfect Guardians California Law Review. ‘…confidence in the comparatively reactionary character of ordinary, working-class, and poor people in the United States is in no way proportional to the evidence. That confidence reflects less a grounded finding, and more ideology or faith in the need for elite rule. To allow these commitments to go untested is particularly dangerous in the face of the authoritarian politics of hyper-concentrated wealth and power that has become a feature of contemporary life. Such discourse diverts attention from the fundamentally undemocratic nature of the U.S. state and allows governing elites to blame “the people” for problems elites have a disproportionate hand in creating.’

RENT STRIKES, TARGETING TAX BREAKS, AND DATA: TENANT ORGANIZING BEYOND LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGNS Shelterforce

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.