Could the Oldest Human Story Really Be 100,000 Years Old? ZME Science
Who Knew? 1 In 5 Americans Are Convinced They’re Psychic StudyFinds
Waiting on Apocalypse Hickman’s Hinterlands
Climate/Environment
Florida’s On Fire, Montana Puts Up A Column, And Severe Drought Lingers On. The Hotshot Wake Up
The Trump administration wants to take an ax to the East’s last great forests Grist
HOW ‘NATIONAL SECURITY’ BECAME THE NEW JUSTIFICATION FOR DRILLING Atmos
Water
Rusting Rivers: Alarm Grows Over Uptick in Acidic Arctic Waters Yale Environment 360
Japan
Japan reverses landmark policy to allow lethal arms exports Asahi Shimbun
China?
Liquidating an “Empire”: China’s Strategy to Capitalise on US Hegemonic Strain | by Wu Xinbo Sinification
Chinese chess scandal erases decade of champions amid match-fixing probe Caixin
Southeast Asia
UN Warns of Worsening Hunger as Myanmar Runs Low On Fertilizer, Fuel The Irrawaddy
Syraqistan
Sexual violence and forcible transfer in the West Bank Norwegian Refugee Council
Israeli occupiers’ fire turns morning at Palestinian school into panic and bloodshed Anadolu Agency
IDF Gives Order To Fire On Civilians In Southern Lebanon. The Dissident
Settlers raise Israeli flag at Al-Aqsa, soldiers wave banners amid Lebanese village ruins New Arab
“Zionism is not reformable” — Israel’s ‘moral injuries’ and moral breakdown Conflicts Forum
***
Nerve Agents, Kill Plan: What US Nuke Scientist Told Undercover Journalist NDTV
Trump Does TACO Tuesday, But Still Sabotages Exit Ramp… JCPOA 2 Larry Johnson
Left With Nothing But Gimmicks, Trump Gets Bluff Called Again By Confident Iran Simplicius
US Central Command says forces ‘rearming’, ‘retooling’ during ceasefire – Live UpdatesDawn
Iranian shadow fleet tankers break through US blockade The Telegraph
US stresses effectiveness of blockade based on impact to Iran’s economy Lloyd’s List
US naval blockade has little impact on food supply: Iran Gulf Today
***
Donald Trump considers UAE bailout says he is shocked ‘they are really rich’ WION
European Disunion
EU fuel prices post fastest rise since 2022 — Eurostat TASS
EU attempts to outmaneuver Iran rollercoaster with emergency energy plan Politico
Charles Michel accuses von der Leyen of ‘power grab’ Brussels Times
Old Blighty
UK inflation jumps to 3.3% in March as fuel prices surge amid Iran war CNBC
UK military trial drone swarm technology with European allies The Canary
Starmer has led a massive cover up about the Mandelson appointment Ian Proud
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine reopens damaged Druzhba pipeline to unlock €90 billion EU loan France24
Ukrainian drones strike Druzhba pipeline station that produces export-grade oil – sources Ukrayinska Pravda
The Grid Is the Loan Frame the Globe News. “How Russia Built a Nuclear Dependency Architecture Across the Global South While the West Sanctioned Everything Else.”
Ukraine’s richest man buys luxury apartment in Monaco for $550 million Kyiv Independent
Zelensky’s favorite oligarch, Rinat Akhmetov, known for having bought himself a yacht for 500 million dollars, has carried out another interesting act and set a new record.
He bought an apartment in Monaco for 550 million euros.
I would like to remind you what exactly oligarch… pic.twitter.com/YhhEOIN55H
— Anatolij Sharij (@anatoliisharii) April 21, 2026
Imperial Collapse Watch
US at risk of running out of missiles if another war breaks out after depleting stockpile in Iran operations CNN. “Breaks out”.
Trump trade chief urges US allies to pay more for critical minerals FT
Fixing the GaN Problem ChinaTalk
Immigration
Trump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US to Congo Al Mayadeen
South of the Border
Rare Survivors of Pacific Boat Strikes Allege U.S. Forces Kidnapped and Tortured Them Drop Site
U.S. PERSONNEL WHO DIED IN MEXICO WERE WORKING FOR THE CIA, SOURCES SAY The Intercept
Trump 2.0
NASA Breaks Silence on Deaths and Disappearances of Scientists With Ties to Space Tech Gizmodo
Dr. Oz announces a 50-state audit of Medicaid program oversight AP
Trump’s DOJ sued over campaign to amass data on millions of voters Stateline
GOP senators ponder giving Trump official blessing for Iran war Responsible Statecraft
The Uniparty
Biden Official: Biden Was Preparing To Bomb Iran If Re-Elected Caitlin Johnstone
Police State Watch
ICE Is Planning New Fast-Track Construction Contracts Project Salt Box
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Is Your Pasta Sauce Listening? Prego Debuts Recording Device for the Dinner Table Hot Hardware
When Lina Khan ran the FTC, she spotted this *exact* scenario and launched an investigation
The very first thing Trump’s FTC Chair did when he took over was kill it https://t.co/sPOJSfd85B pic.twitter.com/9C3ArYFlC4
— Sarah Miller (@sarahmillerdc) April 21, 2026
Maryland’s Bold Stand Against Dynamic Pricing: The First State to Ban Surveillance-Driven Grocery Prices Captain Compliance
MAHA
RFK Jr. Won’t Commit to Following New CDC Nominee’s Vaccine Guidance Truthout
AI
Florida AG launches criminal investigation into ChatGPT over FSU shooting NPR
How to Teach Kids to Evaluate Information (Before AI Teaches Them Not To) Card Catalog
this is the most satisfying plot twist in tech history pic.twitter.com/4Hn8XkYM8s
— Gracia (@straceX) April 20, 2026
Economy
Lufthansa cancels 20,000 short-haul flights, consolidates routes DPA International
Karex to raise prices sharply as Iran war strains supply chain The Star. World’s top condom producer.
ECB chief Christine Lagarde warns of possible food rationing due to fertilizer disruptions
“A third of fertilizers are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz… that is at risk.” pic.twitter.com/soiJEQaXyy
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) April 21, 2026
***
A wave of fires and explosions hits strained global energy infrastructure. Here’s what to know TRT World
Come on, this is getting ridiculous. Now a huge explosion at an oil drilling rig in Etoile, Texas is being reported. In the last 24 hours, a large fire broke out at an oil refinery in India, and 10 fuel tankers were engulfed in flames after a large explosion in Myanmar.
It’s… https://t.co/0VWm1zAbln pic.twitter.com/miRX9hj0Ux
— Open Minded Approach (@OMApproach) April 21, 2026
Mr. Market’s YOLO Adventure
The stock market’s new approach to valuation FT
Oil Falls After Iran Says It Received Sign US Will End Blockade Bloomberg
The Bezzle
OpenAI in talks to commit up to $1.5bn to private-equity joint venture FT
Class Warfare
Everything is a Scam Working Class Stories
When Does Breaking the Law Become Moral Courage? The Culture Explorer
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
