Leap Seconds Were a Headache. Now Timekeepers Are Considering a Leap Hour Gizmodo
Adolf Hitler baby photo in New Jersey middle school yearbook sparks investigation ABC6
Roadway to the Brain? Alzheimer’s Linked to Notorious Tire Chemical StudyFinds
How to lie about radiation Works in Progress
Climate/Environment
The 2026-27 El Niño is simply astonishing.
Tropical Pacific waters are running nearly 7 weeks ahead of where they’ve ever been at this point in an El Niño cycle in modern history.
Models now put the peak strength at 3.6°C on the Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI), the new… pic.twitter.com/bsMmj0C0qs
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 9, 2026
June 2026 is Western Europe’s warmest June on record Copernicus Climate Change Service
11 dead, 19 missing as Spain wildfire roars through village AFP
France’s Heatwave Cuts Wine Harvest as Growers Brace for Smaller Vintage Vino Joy
Saharan Dust Unloads on the Atlantic Eye on the Tropics
Cities In Dust: The Technosphere Trap Endgame George Tsakraklides
Ebola
Ebola outbreak is ‘fastest growing ever’ as 600 die AFP
Water
Pakistan Ups the Ante on Indus Water Dispute With India The Diplomat
China?
China factory fire kills at least 28 people Channel News Asia
HELIUM -China banned helium exports today (MOFCOM/GACC Announcement No. 29, HS 2804290010), effective immediately. It’s lawful under GATT XI:2(a) , a temporary prohibition to relieve a critical shortage, with all three limbs plausibly met given Ras Laffan’s outage took out a…
— 🇦🇺Craig Tindale (@ctindale) July 10, 2026
Southeast Asia
Should Southeast Asia Fear the Second China Shock? FULCRUM
India
Google to plant its AI flag in India: What it means for the country Economic Times
India’s Persian Gulf diplomacy is churlish Indian Punchline
Syraqistan
Israel Continues to Shoot Children in the Head During the Gaza Ceasefire Truthout
Amid the complete denial of treatment and the absence of even the most basic medical care here, the children of Gaza are facing severe skin diseases that are unbearable, with pain beyond description—no human being could endure at all. https://t.co/BXQyaXl5Jb pic.twitter.com/nOzotLfbBL
— Haitham in Gaza 🇵🇸🍉 (@HaithamElmasri1) July 8, 2026
IDF Chief Tells Pilots To Expect ‘Major’ Israeli Operations Against Iran Antiwar
Israel shared intelligence with US of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, sources say CNN
What did Jolani and Trump agree at the Ankara NATO summit and was Erdogan sweet-talked into alliance? Vanessa Beeley
Türkiye’s S-400s headed to third country, sale to be finalized July 10: Report Turkiye Today
Russia plans July launch for commercial hub at Syrian port Cyprus Mail
Old Blighty
Received a letter from Natwest threatening to close my 42 year personal account because “some transactions look like business transactions”.I spent an hour on the phone unsuccessfully asking them to tell me which transactions.
— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) July 9, 2026
European Disunion
Germany records highest corporate bankruptcies in over 20 years with nearly 5,000 filings in Q2 2026 Europe Says
New Not-So-Cold War
EU countries rush to avoid disastrous revision of Russian oil price cap Euronews
Capitals gut next EU sanctions package against Russia Euractiv
Shooting Starlink: The “no limits” partnership between Russia and China is taking aim at Elon Musk The Insider, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde
The Botched Oligarch Assassination In Monaco Turned Into A Reputational Disaster For Ukraine Andrew Korybko
Russia no longer trusts West’s declared readiness to negotiate — Lavrov TASS
South of the Border
Venezuela Seeks Access to Its IMF Reserve Assets for Earthquake Recovery TeleSur
L’affaire Epstein
DIRTY FORTY: EPSTEIN’S BILLIONAIRE FRIENDS & ASSOCIATES ARE SULLYING AMERICAN ELECTIONS Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
Charlie Kirk
Suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing ‘said he wishes he hadn’t done it,’ roommate told Utah prosecutors CNN
This is so wild. This entire prosecution hinges on statements & evidence provided by twiggs, whose DNA is on the gun/towel/screwdriver. Beyond that we have a bunch of iffy footage of people who may or may not be Tyler Robinson acting suspiciously but not murderously in… https://t.co/A00S6nueY3
— moe tkacik (@moetkacik) July 8, 2026
Trump 2.0
Trump acquired at least $10 million in defense stocks last year Responsible Statecraft
Trump clears out independent election commission in sweeping shake-up The Independent
WHAT CONNECTS CONVENTIONAL WISDOM PROCESSORS, AI AND THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS? PART THREE Notes on the Crises
Trump Pardons Another Toxic Chemical Confined Space
Bipartisan housing affordability bill set to become law on Friday — unless Trump vetoes it Yahoo! Fiannce
The administration has a new climate change office. It’s headed by a climate critic. Politico
Trump promotes ‘Freedom Fuel’ stations that sell cheap gas. How they’re able to do so is unclear CNN
Democrats Suck
Maine Democrats approve 600-person convention to pick Graham Platner’s replacement Bangor Daily News. Commentary:
Maine held a hard fought Democratic Senate primary but unfortunately the voters chose wrong and now the DC party bosses need to select a new candidate. Sorry, but that’s how democracy works
— Stop the Forever Wars (@DoctorFishbones) July 8, 2026
They are openly announcing a purge of the left. Maybe they will get El-Sayed, maybe they won’t. They didn’t get Mamdani, at least not yet.
But understanding the Platner scandal as insufficient vetting or personal tawdry behavior is missing the broader political architecture. pic.twitter.com/RV0O2U6Ugn
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 9, 2026
Eying 2028, Rahm Emanuel test drives tough love message in Israel Responsible Statecraft
DMFI and the Pro-Genocide lobby are endorsing Rahm Emanuel’s speech because once they pass Section 219 of the NDAA as planned and Israel gains direct access to the $1 trillion+ Pentagon budget, any political opposition to funding Israel will be meaningless. https://t.co/W4uDAfL562
— Harrison Berger (@BergerPosts) July 9, 2026
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Flock Cameras Screw Up, Swarm Innocent Man With Armed Police Futurism
The purpose of Flock cameras is to destroy a legal concept known as “the reasonable expectation of privacy.”
This “reasonable expectation” protects you in places such as a store dressing room, toilet stall, or standing alone in a field.
Flocks are being installed to negate…
— Retro Coast (@RetroCoast) July 9, 2026
Groves of Academe
Against the New Weapons of Mass Destruction Ziggurat
‘We will never use them’: the California universities stockpiling AR-15s, grenades and submachine guns The Guardian
AI
OpenAI and Google sell AI models to blacklisted China groups FT
AI Is Turbocharging Bosses’ Efforts to Spy on Their Workers Truthout
One ChatGPT User Generated Nearly 28,000 Pregnancy Fanfic Stories and It Gets Even Worse From There ZME Science
Meta Patents AI Device That Tracks Your Emotions, Watches You Take Your Meds 404 Media
This permit, common for dry cleaners, is now being used to build AI power plants Floodlight
Healthcare?
Why American ambulance rides are so expensive David Oks
Your next nurse may monitor you from the Philippines Rest of World
A new proposal for organ donation sparks concern NPR
Immigration
Mexico to file criminal complaints in US over deaths of Mexicans in immigration enforcement Reuters
Guillotine Watch
Flight of fancy: San Francisco moves to build private luxury airport terminal The Guardian
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
