Do memories form on a blank slate? EurekAlert
‘Speed running’ Scientology: TikTok trend causes havoc, church alleges ‘hate crimes’ Los Angeles Times
Death Valley National Park is experiencing its first major superbloom in a decade as of March/April 2026, driven by record winter rainfall (1.7 – 2.5+ inches) that transformed the desert landscape with vibrant carpets of yellow, pink, and purple flowers.pic.twitter.com/YgaHskYSlM
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) April 28, 2026
Climate/Environment
European State of the Climate 2025: record heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, while glaciers shrink and snow cover declines World Meteorological Organization
Poleward migration of warm Circumpolar Deep Water towards Antarctica Nature
We Are Bombarding America’s Forests With Roundup Mother Jones
Rush for ‘green energy’ minerals harms the world’s most vulnerable Climate & Capitalism
April 2026 has been an unusually hail filled month Balanced Weather
Pandemics
Here’s the COVID Vaccine Paper the CDC Censored MedPage Today
Japan
Specter of stagflation Observing Japan
China?
Christian Zionism Has Come for the Chinese Mind BettBeat Media
MSS Reveals: Foreign Organizations are Heavily Funding “Lying Flat Influencers” and Systematically Conducting “Lying Flat Brainwashing” Ministry of State Security WeChat (Translation via Sinocism)
China’s preparedness Warwick Powell
Syraqistan
Lebanon: New IPC analysis shows conflict escalation pushing nearly a quarter of population into acute food insecurity World Food Programme
Israeli navy intercepts Global Sumud Flotilla vessels heading to Gaza Anadolu Agency
Israeli maps outline expanded zone of military control in Gaza Reuters
A Growing Rat Infestation Plagues Tent Cities in Gaza Drop Site
Military Suicides Surge as IDF Scales Back Mental Health Support Haaretz
***
Scoop: Commanders to brief Trump on new Iran military options Thursday Axios
US Seeks to Deploy Hypersonic Missile for the First Time Against Iran Bloomberg
European Disunion
Iran war costs EU €500M a day, von der Leyen warns Politico
German government plans massive cuts to health, pensions and social benefits WSWS
Berlin deepens military ties with Washington while Merz-Trump rift grows Politico
Albania, US firms sign $6bn LNG deal to boost Balkan energy security Intellinews
Africa
O Canada
$200 Per Barrel Oil Isn’t Out of the Question – and it Would Ravage Canada’s Health Care System Dougald Lamont
Old Blighty
‘Full force’ of Iran war will hit food prices soon, supermarkets warn The Telegraph
New Not-So-Cold War
Putin, Trump discuss May 9 ceasefire, situation around Iran TASS
Russia would not accept military presence of outside powers in Central Asia, says defence minister Intellinews
“The myths of ‘Russian aggression.’” The Floutist
Culture ministry sends inspectors to Venice Biennale over Russian Pavilion ANSA
South of the Border
US, Latin America countries criticise China’s retaliation over Panama Canal Al Jazeera
Who’s the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ in China-Latin America cooperation? The US should look in the mirror Global Times
L’affaire Epstein
Pam Bondi to appear before House oversight panel over Epstein files The Guardian
Trump 2.0
The Trump plan to add work requirements to public housing Can We Still Govern?
At the White House, First Lady Melania Trump hosts Queen Camilla and children participating in a cross-cultural educational program using Meta VR headsets, April 2026. pic.twitter.com/eFZPWRZUYW
— Future Adam Curtis B-Roll (@adamcurtisbroll) April 29, 2026
***
Is the Justice Department lying about Saturday’s “shooting”? Doomsday Scenario
The “Good Liberal” Assassin Un-Diplomatic
GOP Funhouse
Johnson quashes farm bill rebellion to pass budget blueprint for reconciliation 2.0 The Hill
Democrats Suck
‘Dangerous and Shameful’: 42 House Democrats Help GOP Send Trump Spying Bill to Senate Common Dreams
Top Democrat Opposed Surveillance Bill — While Whipping Votes For It The Lever
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Gov. Wes Moore Claims Maryland Banned Surveillance Pricing for Groceries. It Didn’t. Boondoggle
Imperial Collapse Watch
Strategic Intimacy Without Trust: Russia, Iran and the Emerging Anti-Coercion Order Kautilya the Contemplator
The Accelerationists
Exclusive: The US Tech Giant Where Employees Wear IDF Uniforms To Work Nate Bear
The Supremes
Will the Voting Rights Act be a casualty of the collapse of the Soviet Union? Tony Karon
Supreme Court Signals It May Let Trump Kill TPS for Haitians and Syrians — With Barely a Look at the Evidence Migrant Insider
Immigration
Groves of Academe
How YouTube Took Over the American Classroom WSJ
Should schools get rid of homework? Some educators are saying yes NPR
AI
A.I. Bots Told Scientists How to Make Biological Weapons New York Times
Google inks deal giving Pentagon access to AI models for ‘classified work’: Report The Cradle
Landmark New Report Warns That A Flawed AI Content Market is Accelerating ‘Content Cannibalization’ Center for Journalism & Liberty
Sheer insanity. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta collectively are spending more money than the Manhattan Project *every single month*. More than 12x the Manhattan Project every year.
And what they have got to show for it?
None are making major profits on AI; none has a… pic.twitter.com/1XeMRxDcQX
— Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) April 29, 2026
Finally, the AI feature we all wanted and needed: Amazon now creates an AI “podcast” about products where two AI “hosts” discuss the product and take your questions as if it’s a call-in show. pic.twitter.com/iSFMYrZeI3
— Katie Notopoulos (@katienotopoulos) April 29, 2026
Crapification
Your Dinner Got Worse On Purpose Worse on Purpose
“MAHA”
RFK Jr. talked about ‘reparenting’ kids on wellness farms. We visit one that inspired him NPR
Economy
Oil Hits Wartime High on Report US Eyeing Iran Military Options Bloomberg
not good when the gas price guy is literally saying his system can’t handle how fast prices are rising pic.twitter.com/OYGWxfUVt4
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) April 29, 2026
Aramco halts LPG shipments through May over war damage to Saudi export hubs The Cradle
Au contraire, @WSJ: A fractured or absent OPEC+ is a disaster for the US oil industry and foreign policy.
No OPEC+ = Wild Price Volatility = Gut punch for high-cost US shale oil, the first victim when oversupply appears.
Have folks already forgotten 2015 and 2020?
More… pic.twitter.com/puA8SSf8Zw
— Bob McNally (@Bob_McNally) April 29, 2026
I think the UAE’s decision to leave OPEC+ has absolutely nothing to do with oil.
Yeah since the UAE was the only country besides Saudis with spare capacity, they might have had some beef with the quotas themselves.
But the real issue is the timing. Why now? The SoH is closed…
— JH (@CRUDEOIL231) April 29, 2026
The Bezzle
California high-speed rail price tag jumps to $231B, nearly seven times 2008 estimate KMPH. At this rate will cost a trillion by the early 2100s.
Class Warfare
Why Hasn’t Zohran Done More to Boost Organizing? Labor Politics
Claire Valdez Wants to Bring the Labor Movement Into Congress Hamilton Nolan
Electoralism as Containment: The Reproduction of Liberal Hegemony Inside the U.S. Left William Murphy
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
