Links 5/7/2025 | naked capitalism - TheAdviserMagazine.com

Dear patient readers,

You get a Links double dose due to a coordination issue and an excess of diligence by your Links providers. This has never happened before, so enjoy.

I left both stand rather than sorting this out. You will note the comparatively few duplicates, showing how overloaded the current news environment is.

The Sex Lives Of Common Vegetables Noema

The second birth of JMW Turner New Statesman (Anthony L)

#COVID-19/Pandemics

CORONAVIRUS/Weekly COVID-19 cases in Taiwan surge 78%, extend climb: CDC Taiwan Focus

Long COVID May Cause Long-Term Changes in the Heart and Lungs and May Lead to Cardiac and Pulmonary Diseases Mount Sinai

Hospital acquired COVID has a 10% fatality rate. The US is dealing with the worst measles outbreak in a decade. Drug resistant fungal infections are on the rise.

HICPAC were close to finalizing new guidance for airborne infection control in hospitals. Instead they’ve been axed. pic.twitter.com/wltMCkyEAG

— Kelly (@broadwaybabyto) May 7, 2025

Climate/Environment

Glaciers feeding eastern rivers of Indus basin retreating faster,’ says top glaciologist Anil V Kulkarni Indian Express

EU scientists sound alarm over escalating spring drought Politico

Massive hail storm shuts down metros in Paris 9News

After record-breaking heat in 2024, Tucson will open more cooling centers and distribute more supplies AZ Luminaria

Trump Admin Plans To Shut Down the Energy Star Program Engadget

China?

Bessent, Greer to Meet China to Start Trade Talks This Week Bloomberg. Wellie, China not sticking to its guns re no negotiation w/o US dropping or at least cutting tariffs, unless they plan to take a page from Putin and treat “talks” as restating their position to the comprehension-challenged US.

China chides US over ‘serious negative impact’ of Trump tariffs as trade talks set to begin Guardian

China Cuts Key Rate, Reserve Ratio to Aid Economy Hit by Tariffs Bloomberg

China Introduces 504-Qubit Superconducting Chip Quantum insider (Chuck L)

Israel-Pakistan Row

India launches air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir BBC. Live blog.

Kashmir crisis live: India missile attack kills eight; Pakistan says five Indian fighter jets shot down Guardian. Live blog

PM Modi’s strong message to Pakistan: ‘India’s water will be used only in India’s interests’ India TV News (Kevin W)

O Canada

Mark Carney holds his own in Oval Office encounter with Donald Trump Financial Times

Canadian province could hold secession referendum – premier RT (Kevin W). Weren’t there Alberta secession noises ~ 15 years ago?

South of the Border

Mexican president denies ‘fracture’ in ties with US following Trump’s military proposal Anadolu Agency

European Disunion

AfD ban debate: We must fight the causes, not the symptoms Nachdenkseiten via machine translation. Micael T: “That’s a cute thought but in the world of symbol politics, the cause is to be ignored because addressing that would require competence and a will to make things better.”

Would we have called this corruption if it were in Colombia? LinkedIn (Micael T). On the privatization os schools in Sweden.

Old Blighty

No 10 ‘completely tone deaf’ on harm caused by winter fuel cut, critics say Guardian (Kevin W)

The UK Defence Journal should focus on real analysis, not childish hit jobs Ian Proud

Israel v. the Resistance

This photo of a starving Palestinian child looking at her previous self should be seared into the public consciousness of the world.

This is what they’re doing in Palestine. And the West is complicit. pic.twitter.com/znC0yZwAMx

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) May 6, 2025

After two months of devastating blockade and starvation of Gaza, Israeli officials demand that we shut down the universal aid distribution system run by the UN and NGOs like NRC. They want to manipulate and militarize all aid to civilians, forcing us to deliver supplies through…

— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) May 5, 2025

Israeli TV producer calls for ‘Gaza holocaust, gas chambers’ New Arab

Israel eases block on exits from Gaza after Trump urges resettlement Financial Times

‘Desperate, traumatised people’: Gaza faces wave of looting, theft and violence Guardian

Damn. Listen to this insane story about the Mossad. Israelis are fucked. pic.twitter.com/B27jTEypxq

— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) May 6, 2025

* * *US loses another jet off Yemen – media RT (Kevin W). Arrestment failure? Does that mean the rubber band thingies that are supposed to get the planes to stop on the itty bitty landing area didn’t work and the plane skittered into the drink?

Trump Blinked in the Face of Houthi Resistance, But Called it Victory… Pakistan and India Ramp Up for War Larry Johnson. One can hope regarding his first report, but one wonders if this is flavor of the week, to tell Netanyahu that the US is not saddling up to Do Something about the Houthi attack on Ben Gurion airport. But there is a face-saving “deal” of sorts: “It was easy for the Houthis to promise to stop shooting missiles at US vessels because there will no longer be any US vessels in the Red Sea.”

The cracks are no longer hidden.

The United States did not inform Israel of its visit to the Middle East, and it will not include Tel Aviv.

The U.S. also did not notify Israel about the ceasefire with Yemen.

The message is clear: America is retreating.

But the real panic…

— Ahmed Hassan 🇾🇪 أحمد حسن زيد (@Ahmed_hassan_za) May 6, 2025

But:

Trump seems to have concluded a ceasefire with the Houthis, negotiated in Oman, that will see the Bab al-Mandeb reopened to American ships and leave Israel and Yemen to continue their long-range war.

If this was his intention all along, the bombing campaign suddenly makes sense. pic.twitter.com/bmWplauwAG

— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) May 6, 2025

Per the above tweet, Larry Johnson notes by e-mail: “I don’t think maritime insurance companies will be lining up to offer US ships new policies. The fact that the war between the Houthis and Israel will continue makes the risk of putting ships in the Red Sea too great. We’ll see.”

New Not-So-Cold War

Mission unaccomplished: EU foreign ministers en route to Ukraine bearing no gifts Euractiv

Russia heard no initiatives to create demilitarized zone from Kiev — Kremlin TASS. More Keith Kellogg negotiation vaporware.

EU to completely abandon Russian gas imports by 2027 Ukrainska Pravda

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

NSO Group Must Pay More Than $167 Million In Damages To WhatsApp For Spyware Campaign TechCrunch

Imperial Collapse Watch

The Political Influence of Social Media and the Digital Fragmentation of the West Valdai Club (Micael T)

Trump 2.0

Exclusive: Democrats target Trump family’s crypto empire Axios. (Kevin W). This could be fun, on the unduly optimistic assumption that the Dems stay the course.

NIH grants plummeted $2.3 billion in Trump’s first months, as federal-academia partnership crumbles STAT

U.S. Orders Intelligence Agencies to Step Up Spying on Greenland Wall Street Journal (Kevin W). All what, 55,000 residents?

Tariffs

“If tariffs are so bad, why do other impose them on us?”

Comparatively speaking, they don’t.

Even before Trump, the US was already one of the heaviest users of tariffs and non-tariff barriers in the developed world. After “Liberation Day,” it moves to the bottom of the list. pic.twitter.com/5jFKjMdE76

— Phil Magness (@PhilWMagness) May 6, 2025

The first boats carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in LA. Shipments are cut in half. Expect shortages soon CNN

Just so I make sure I am following.

The “breakthrough” deal that we are signing with the UK is that we agree to lower the steel and car tariffs back to April 1st, 2025 levels?

In exchange for… nothing? pic.twitter.com/8xQv9pMEQC

— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) May 6, 2025

Trump signs executive order to boost US drug manufacturing amid threat of tariffs FiercePharma (Kevin W)

Faisal Islam: Trump tariffs may have helped drive UK-India trade deal BBC (Kevin W)

Immigration

Trump’s deportation bust Unherd. A brutal takedown.

ICE Targets NY Farmworkers Union Leaders – SEIU 1199 Prez Ousted Mike Elk

Our No Longer Free Press

NYU Law About-Face: Students Can Take Exams Without Swearing Off Protests Intercept

Mr. Market is Moody

NY Fed’s “Multivariate Core Trend” Inflation Measure Hits 3.0%, Worst in Over a Year, Predicts Acceleration of PCE Price Index Wolf Street

Antitrust

New Bill Would Force Apple, Google To Open App Store Ecosystems The Verge

SOMETHING ALARMING IS HAPPENING TO THE JOB MARKET: A new sign that AI is competing with college grads Atlantic.

Technology Review jumps the shark Gary Marcus

AI law firm offering £2 legal letters wins ‘landmark’ approval Financial Times

ChatGPT Users Are Developing Bizarre Delusions Futurism (Micael T)

The Bezzle

HAWK TUAH GIRL SAYS SHE’S HORRIFIED BY WHAT HAPPENED WITH HER CRYPTO LAUNCH Futurism. Micael T: “To all the kids out there: if your speciality is how to do proper blow-jobs, stick to that field do not do finance-stuff. Know the limits of your niche.”

New Hampshire just became the first state to establish a crypto reserve Business Insider (Kevin W)

Amazon’s Zoox Robotaxi Unit Issues Software Recall After Recent Las Vegas Crash CNBC

Another Move in the Deepfake Creation/Detection Arms Race Bruce Schneier

Mozilla’s Google Dependence Threatens Firefox’s Survival Reclaim the Net

Guillotine Watch

Jeff Bezos’s Big Space Lie: What a Millionaire’s Space Selfie Really Costs Rebelion via machine translation. Micael T: “CO2 compensation by just leaving them out/up there given that on the planet the millionaires are the main emitters of CO2 (private jets etc.)?”

Class Warfare

Orange County official shot lost DoorDash driver in the back: cops Daily News. Wowsers. He could not make bail…

Why More CEOs Are Heading for the Exit Wall Street Journal

Karl Marx in the 21st Century Rebelion via machine translation (Micael T)

Antidote du jour. John U: “A herd of Capybaras on the banks of the Tambopata River, Peru.”

And a bonus:

This cat adopted neighbor’s puppies without consent of their mom pic.twitter.com/gbFtZ5GBNJ

— contents that ll heal your depression 🌻 (@catshealdeprsn) May 6, 2025

A second bonus: