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
***
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
***
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.
