Dear patient readers,
Apologies for major Links overload. Seemed hard to trim, too many of the items struck me as having merit.
Kitten hitchhikes more than 100 miles through Pennsylvania in grill of car CBS (Paul R)
Tiny blue octopus identified as new species AccuWeather (Li). Cute!
The secret to pigeons’ incredible navigation was hiding in their liver Science Daily (Kevin W)
Please circulate widely:
A “dove release” at a wedding or funeral is a death sentence for the birds.
The white “doves” sold for releases aren’t doves. They’re domestic white pigeons bred to be small and pretty, with no survival skills outside a coop.
The cheaper DIY versions (Ringneck Doves, King… pic.twitter.com/AmIzZmrpz6
— Give A Shit About Nature (@giveashitnature) May 31, 2026
Stoicism VS Skepticism Classical Wisdom (Micael T)
The Loneliness of the Competitive Quizzer Baffler (Micael T)
🚨 SCIENTISTS JUST CREATED A 5D GLASS DISC THAT CAN STORE 360 TERABYTES AND LAST FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS.
Researchers have developed a revolutionary data storage technology: a tiny glass disc that can hold 360 terabytes of information (roughly 100,000 times the capacity of a… pic.twitter.com/IDx2CuwOX1
— TheNewPhysics (@CharlesMullins2) June 1, 2026
Scientists discover inherited traits that break Mendel’s Laws of genetics Science Daily
Ebola
Congo’s Ebola Footprint Widens as Officials Race to Gauge Epidemic’s True Scale Bloomberg
#COVID-19
Scientists thought brain inflammation was driving long COVID but the scans told a different story Science Daily (Paul R)
🇺🇸US Weekly COVID update: Jun 1, 2026
🔸1 in 277 Actively Infectious
🔸177,000 Daily Infections
🔸1,240,000 Infections In The Past Week
🔸78,000,000 Infections in 2026
🔸62,000 to 250,000 Weekly Long COVID Cases
🔸300 to 500 Weekly Excess DeathsSource: https://t.co/DoQEQz4rNl pic.twitter.com/K8PXDoCWwR
— Denis – The COVID info guy – (@BigBadDenis) June 1, 2026
Climate/Environment
Elephant declines could trigger wider ecosystem losses in African savannas, 15-year test shows PhysOrg
Arctic ocean passes ‘irreversible’ chemical tipping point Oceanographic Magazine
The warming risk hiding in chemicals needed to keep cool Dialogue Earth
Experts say Europeans need to “brace themselves.”
This year’s heat is going to be like nothing ever before.
An unprecedented, highly anomalous heat dome has parked over Western and Central Europe, smashing decades-old temperature records and sending late-May temperatures… pic.twitter.com/UaokcLiguT
— Smart Science (@SmartScience) May 31, 2026
An extensive new study on the Atlantic “cold blob” has concluded that this is a massive warning sign that the AMOC is actively weakening.
The cold blob is well defined within the first 1000M, the same thickness of the AMOC current. pic.twitter.com/d37ZkFYtlK
— Met4Cast – UK Weather (@Met4CastUK) May 29, 2026
China?
China’s crude oil imports slump, but it’s economics not altruism Reuters
BREAKING: 🇨🇳 China’s court just ruled companies can’t fire workers only to replace them with AI.
Beijing is warning firms that putting profit over jobs could carry penalties, especially when it comes to young people.
Read that again. The country racing hardest to win the AI… pic.twitter.com/PiMd1hoM2L
— CryptoGoos (@cryptogoos) May 30, 2026
Japan
Japan Adds to Steel Scrutiny With Probes on China, Taiwan, Korea Bloomberg
Africa
Some people’s lives matter more than others’: local responders in Sudan feel ignored as the world focuses on other crises The Conversation
Tinubu, Makinde set up special forces as terrorists turn schools into hunting grounds Business Day
Southeast Asia
Thailand’s regulatory shift fuels capital flight and shadow network liquidation Pattaya Mail
South of the Border
If Cuba collapses, the US will be forced to deal with the consequence of its actions Sky. Sadly, not really.
Venezuela & IMF working on loan restructuring VenezuealAnalysis (Robin K(
Colombia presidential runoff pits leftist senator against pro-Trump rival BBC
Leaked audio reveals U.S. embassy plot to frame Colombia’s left-wing government in drug trafficking case Camila Lourdes Galarza (Robin K)
Is Bolivia on the brink of collapse? Channel 14
European Disunion
US castigates Europe over defence spend as NATO reassures Asia Internazionale
EU Imperialism Rising After Hungarian Coup Kit Klarenberg
Europeans Face Severe Price Shocks From War and Weather Bloomberg
Climate change: how fires and floods are creating uninsurable areas across Europe The Conversation
Sweden ramps up aid to households and businesses to tackle energy crisis Le Monde
Old Blighty
Britain’s Nuclear Renaissance Faces Mounting Cost Pressures OilPrice
Mandelson lobbied hard for advisory firm after Labour victory, papers show Guardian (Kevin W)
Israel v. The Resistance
Congress quietly moves to integrate US and Israeli militaries Responsible Statecraft (Li). Conor had a link on this yesterday, but please circulate and make noise.
More: SNEAKY Congress Tries TO BOND Israel-US Militaries FOREVER Breaking Points
Now we know why Netanyahu and Loomer were saying they didn’t want aid. After analyzing NDAA Section 234, it would be hard to convince me that this isn’t Israel’s attempt to finish their infiltration of America. “Merging militaries” looks a lot like treason when you peel back the… pic.twitter.com/20VxJx9d0I
— theleahfiles (@leahfiles) May 31, 2026
Strait of Hormuz is as ancient as the hills Indian Punchline (Kevin W)
Climate shocks are pushing Gaza’s fragile systems ‘closer to collapse’, warns humanitarian expert EuroNews
Satellite imagery shows erasure of southern Gaza as Israel expands control Aljazeera
Food supplies dwindle in Yemen following Strait of Hormuz closure New Arab
How Israeli classrooms indoctrinate Jewish supremacy +972
Dead Chabad Rebbe M. Schneerson: “The Jewish body looks…similar to bodies of non-Jews but…the difference…is so great that the bodies should be considered as completely different species…A non-Jewish soul comes from 3 satanic spheres while the Jewish soul stems from holiness” https://t.co/VQm7nfq56s pic.twitter.com/cpGnthVAhD
— B.M. (@ireallyhateyou) June 1, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
France and allies intercept sanctioned Russian oil tanker in Atlantic France24
Russia accuses France and the UK of piracy over cargo ship seizure RT (Kevin W)
From Politico’s morning e-mailed newsletter. You cannot make this up:
LESS TALK, MORE PRESSURE: As Russia ramps up threats against Europe, the bloc is racing to agree a 21st package of sanctions by the end of next week. On the menu? New measures targeting Russia’s oil revenues, banks and shadow fleet, three diplomats and EU officials told Playbook.
Back to Plan A: The proposed sanctions, expected to be presented to the European Commission next week, show that Brussels is doubling down on a strategy of pressuring Russia rather than seeking negotiations — despite calls from some leaders to name a “special envoy” for peace talks.
Look closer: The thinking is that Ukraine could be in a stronger position after the summer. Naming a special envoy at this stage could undercut efforts to pressure Russia just as Ukraine is turning the war in its favor, said one official, who like others cited here was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive sanctions preparations.
North Korea, Russia show deepening security alignment UPI
Ukraine’s Transformation Into An Anti-Polish State Wasn’t Inevitable Andrew Korybko
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
We Sued ICE to Get Its Spyware Contract. The Agency Is Redacting Essentially Everything 404 Media
iPhones Running iOS 26 Are Freezing FaceTime Calls When They Detect Nudity PC Magazine. Paul R: “Next come the SWAT raids if you say something unkind about Trump. This was a feature intended for kids that was supposedly enabled in a beta test by accident, but yeah, I want my calls encrypted all the way through.
Imperial Collapse Watch
Americans Today Have Little To Be Proud Of Ian Welsh (Micael T). It is much worse than that. When people ask where I am from (and I should lie and say I am Canadian), I tell them and immediately say how ashamed I am to be an American, with particulars.
U.S. Air Force Surges Budget For Urgently Needed F-47 Fighter By 65 Percent as Chinese Competition Intensifies Military Watch
DoD not allowed to fix most of its own stuff. Guess who’s cashing in? Responsible Statecraft (resilc)
Trump 2.0
Hegseth strikes female and Black Navy officers from promotion list New York Times (Kevin W)
‘Disturbing Graves’: Vietnam Moves the Dead to Make Way for Trump’s $1.5B Golf Course Sunday Guardian (Dr. Kevin)
Trump posts AI-generated images of a ‘DronePort’ he wants on top of new White House ballroom Yahoo! Kevin W: “Question. How do they plan on getting those fuel trucks on top of that roof?”
GOP Clown Car
How Maine’s lobster revolt could cost Trump the Senate Financial Times. Go lobstermen! I have some in my gene pool.
Our No Longer Free Press
Australia’s two-tier hate crime laws explained The Noticer (KK). Trust me and read it. Worse than you could imagine.
I’ve been banned from the UK. I tried to get on a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a speech at Oxford. I’ve been banned for criticizing Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) May 31, 2026
The UK Is Getting Even Crazier In Defense Of Israel Caitlin Johnstone (Kevin W)
UPDATE: Scott Pelley called out Bari Weiss, saying in the meeting: “She’s murdering 60 mins. She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.” https://t.co/FUgJLPYae5
— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) June 1, 2026
Economy
Trump’s war is starting to strangle the world Sydney Morning Herald
Sudden outbreak of wildfires near Canada’s oil sands threatens to disrupt supplies amid global energy crisis Independent
The aluminium shock hitting the world economy Bloomberg
Iran war forces farmers to seek fertilizer alternatives from cow dung to compost Associated Press. resilc: “Too bad they can’t spread bullshit from deecee……”
How Drought-Stressed Wheat Could Complicate Harvest This Season Agriculture.com
Australian wheat harvest to drop almost 50 per cent as farmers adapt to energy crisis Australia Financial Review
Historic cattle shortages push US beef prices to record highs Financial Times
Mr. Market Needs a Therapist
AI debt sales reshape global corporate bond markets Reuters
Writing’s on the wall for the bond market – for those who can read it South China Morning Post
AI
LLMs are closer to religion than they appear. Watch out for those who like it that way The Register
AI Company Paying Random People $2,000 Per Month to Crank the Hog Futurism
Fake ChatGPT download site infects Windows and Mac users with malware Malwarebytes
The Bezzle
Crypto treasuries turn to risky equity in drive to raise cash Financial Times
github and the crime against software Efron Licht. Dave our tech maven: “This was once a wonderful product.”
Guillotine Watch
Trump Shovels $4 Billion Directly to Elon Musk, Who Spent a Fortune Getting Him Elected Futurism
Class Warfare
Graham Platner Loses Washington’s Vote Ken Klippenstein
Sexting scandal is latest Graham Platner controversy to threaten his chances in Maine The Hill. This clip is not available on YouTube, but I recall in the California guberantorial race when three credible women accused Schwarznegger of having groped them. Schwarznegger got in front of the cameras on a nice green lawn, with his wife Maria Shriver next to him. Schwarznegger said he did it, he apologized to the women, said he was on a movie set and was young and stupid and thought he was being playful, now thanks to learning more, particularly from his wife, he knows better. The scandal immediately went away. The problem is Planter’s bad behavior is fresher but he needs a version of this sort of thing.
The Home-Insurance Coin Flip: Nearly Half of Claims Result in Zero Payout Wall Street Journal
West Coast Cities Turn to Vacancy Taxes to Grapple with Housing Crisis The Urbanist
Antidote du jour. Tracie H:
This pretty Palomino always looks like it’d love some attention each time I pass it on the days my walk take me along the dirt road that skirts its corral. There are two fences between us that suggest that strangers are unwelcome, so I am forced to ignore the prancing and staring that seem designed to draw me near.
And a bonus. Looks like an Aby!
Una donna riceve un avviso dalla telecamera di sicurezza interna mentre era fuori casa:
“Ecco cosa ho visto” 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ha9SDaV1mI— Claudia (@ClaudiaToni) May 29, 2026
A second:
Baby donkey learning to cross a bridge.. 😊
🎥 IG: rootdownacresbend pic.twitter.com/5Yk9vBYSnb
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 30, 2026
And a third:
A single gram of goodness is worth more than a ton of good intentions. pic.twitter.com/UfviHCL430
— The Figen (@TheFigen_) May 30, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
