Neanderthal Dentistry, and the Scientist Glad Not to Have Experienced It New York Times
The Conscience of the City Harper’s. “On the life of the garbageman.”
Capitalism Is a Flammable System: An Interview with Alejandro Pedregal MR Online
Climate/Environment
SOS flare from shipwrecked mariner may have sparked 16,000-acre fire on Santa Rosa Island, USCG says ABC7
HISTORY IS COMING: 40c IN EUROPE
This will arguably be the harshest spring heat wave in European history
We can see up to 40C in Spain,35C in Central Europe for days.
Thousands of records will be pulverized in Spain,Portugal,France,Benelux,UK;SCandinavia,Germany,Alps,Czechia,… pic.twitter.com/TV9fpp3eTr— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) May 20, 2026
Video and satellite photos show Iran war oil spill on Persian Gulf island AP
Pandemics
Incredible speech delivered by Baroness Linforth in the House of Lords today calling for clean indoor air in schools.
“It would cost less than a tenner per child per year to provide pupils and staff with clean air – about the same cost as a coffee and a cake.”
☕️🧁 pic.twitter.com/aqItZRCSkN
— Cat in the Hat 🐈⬛ 🎩 🇬🇧 (@_CatintheHat) May 20, 2026
Full text of Baroness Linforth’s speech available here.
If covid infections make you *more vulnerable* to almost every other pathogenic infection by multiple mechanisms, then you’d expect increases in almost every other pathogenic infection.
And that’s what we see.
Ten completely unsurprising news stories:
— tern (@1goodtern) May 19, 2026
Ebola
Infection prevention and control guideline for Ebola and Marburg diseases WHO
You are right to be concerned.
Its like the pandemic never happened.
It is a wilful failure to understand aerosol transmission.
The even describe >5u as droplets and not aerosols.
They have learned nothing. pic.twitter.com/F7WoGdHtbs— Dr Evonne T Curran NursD 💙🇺🇦 (@EvonneTCurran) May 20, 2026
A passenger on board tells me there were not enough masks for passengers.
— Jonathan Carlson (@TVreporter) May 21, 2026
Hantavirus
Andes Hantavirus Outbreak on a Cruise Ship, 2026 The New England Journal of Medicine
I’m so incredibly frustrated. We have an outbreak report for the cruise ship, published in NEJM, and great clinical, epidemiological, and genomic reporting, and…
NOT A SINGLE MENTION OF VENTILATION/FILTRATION SETUP ON THE SHIP
Folks, we keep doing this. A lot of MD/PhD… https://t.co/2gmUJHnrBQ
— Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen) May 20, 2026
Malaria reintroduction into US is possible: CDC report CIDRAP
China?
Trump says he’s willing to talk to Taiwan’s leader, a major departure from diplomatic norms CNN
Visa-free travel, porcelain set, oil and gas: highlights of Putin’s visit to China TASS
Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing showcased an unbreakable alliance with Xi Jinping. But behind the closed doors, the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is completely scrambling the rules of the Sino-Russian energy relationship.
The hard data tells a different story.
🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/vFlE3CfcmR— Francesco Sassi (@Frank_Stones) May 20, 2026
LET’S PLAY HIDE AND SEEK – PUTIN AND XI PLAY HIDERS, WE PLAY IT John Helmer
Nvidia says it has ‘largely conceded’ China’s AI chip market to Huawei CNBC
India
India faces LPG gap of 400,000 barrels a day as energy crisis goes on Nikkei Asia
Syraqistan
For those who don’t know, the Freedom Flotilla activists are foreign nationals from:
🇺🇸U.S.A
🇪🇸Spain
🇮🇹Italy
🇹🇷Turkey
🇫🇷France
🇩🇪Germany
🇧🇪Belgium
🇦🇺Australia
🇨🇦Canada
🇬🇧United Kingdom
🇬🇷Greece
🇦🇱Albania
🇵🇹Portugal.And others.
ISRAEL IS DOING THIS TO YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) May 20, 2026
The Horrors of AI-Driven Military Targeting, From Gaza to Iran Defend Democracy Press
Elon Musk lauds Israeli innovation as ‘No. 1 in the world’ Jewish Insider
How Israel-Backed Sweida Became Syria’s Narcotics Capital New Lines Mag
***
I was waiting for this Axios report as the final indication that a fully coordinated U.S.-Israeli military action against #Iran might indeed be imminent (I sincerely hope I‘m wrong). https://t.co/MJwSKtbTl8 pic.twitter.com/gImNuejVdK
— Hamidreza Azizi (@HamidRezaAz) May 20, 2026
Michael Bay To Direct True Story On Largest Rescue Mission In American History To Save Two Downed Pilots In Iran Deadline. True story!
Old Blighty
Palestine Action prisoners may be sentenced as “terrorists” Palestine is Still the Issue
Starmer’s inner circle knew about APCO’s Labour Together investigation Democracy for Sale
European Disunion
EU explores fertiliser stockpiling as food crisis looms FT
Germany’s Merz proposes Ukraine as EU ‘associate member’ without voting rights France24
Germany’s Military Patronage Of Ukraine Is A Crucial Part Of Its Grand Strategy Andrew Korybko
German employment shows 486,000 fewer on the job in first quarter DPA
Africa
New Not-So-Cold War
Kremlin responds to ‘borderline crazy’ threat from NATO state RT. Speaking of crazy:
Russia’s public threats against our Baltic States are completely unacceptable.
Let there be no doubt.
A threat against one Member State is a threat against our entire Union.
Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for drones endangering the lives and security of people…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 20, 2026
Ukrainians Wagnerizing Events in Ukraine
Zelensky calls Nazi collaborator & leader of OUN, which organized with Nazis police, SD battalion & SS Galicia Division that perpetrated mass murder of Jews, Poles & Ukrainians, “Ukrainian hero” & announces his reburial with state honors. His standing ovation to SS Galicia… pic.twitter.com/6IEP7gKslJ
— Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) May 19, 2026
South of the Border
Cuba Girds for Invasion as Trump Launches Raúl Castro Indictment Amid Punishing Blockade Drop Site
U.S. Nimitz Carrier Enters Caribbean Amid Trump’s Threats Against Cuba TeleSur
Bolivian Government Charges Labor Leader With Terrorism as Police Crack Down on Protests Common Dreams. And now playing the USA.
Betrayal in Venezuela Black Agenda Report
The Return of the Conquistadors: A New US-Zionist Colonial Front Reshaping Latin America Fiorella Isabel and Vanessa Beeley
Trump 2.0
Trump Demands Firing of Parliamentarian Over Disagreement on Ballroom Funding Truthout
***
Trump IRS ‘Slush Fund’ Will Expose DOJ Lawyers to Fraud Charges Bloomberg
House Judiciary Republicans reject subpoenas for architects of new ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ Politico
DOJ official told GOP ally that big payouts were coming for Jan. 6 defendants NBC News
Abortion clinic protesters eligible for payouts from new Trump ‘anti-weaponization’ fund Politico
***
Terrorist “Body Count” Captivates the White House Ken Klippenstein
Trump: “I’m right now at 99% in Israel. I could run for prime minister, so maybe after I do this, I’ll go to Israel and run for prime minister.” pic.twitter.com/395pG2GYfz
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 20, 2026
Israel in America
Pro-Israel groups celebrate Massie’s defeat, brace for Rabb Jewish Insider. As one would expect after they spent massive amounts of money to defeat him.
Some huge anomalies in the Massie primary. Last minute mail in votes mysteriously appear at the last minute and record voter turnout against Massie despite him increasing his voter turnout by almost 20% on 2024. pic.twitter.com/BlwgRm3U2H
— Maryann Revealing Light 🍉 (@MaryannRevLight) May 20, 2026
Jewish groups rally behind bipartisan Senate antisemitism bill with $1B security allocation Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Democrats Suck
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, championed by figures like Barney Frank, is frequently lauded by the political establishment as a safeguard against the financial instability that characterized the 2008 crisis.
However, beneath the bureaucratic… https://t.co/1BUKdJnnLl
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) May 20, 2026
Imperial Collapse Watch
Upstairs, Downstairs. Aurelien
Continuing Imperial Depravity–A Rant Karl Sanchez
BRICS
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Disney accused of misusing facial recognition technology Los Angeles Times
The Accelerationists
Smirking Musk Laughs About Cutting Ebola Prevention ‘Accidentally’ Daily Beast. From February. Increasingly germane. And no, the funding was not restored.
Central Banks
AI
Sycophantic AI Decreases Prosocial Intentions and Promotes Dependence Science
How Transformer Shortages and System Dynamics Threaten America’s AI Ambitions Warwick Powell
Intuit to lay off over 3,000 employees to refocus on AI TechCrunch
Book Nook
Literary Prizewinners Are Facing AI Allegations. It Feels Like the New Normal Wired
Economy
This Arkansas Town Is Humming With the Sound of Missile Making WSJ
Guillotine Watch
Bezos defends billionaires, hypes AI, talks taxes and praises Trump in CNBC interview CNBC
Class Warfare
U.S. employers spend more than $1.5 billion annually on union avoidance Economic Policy Institute
The Left, Trade Unions, and Mass Organisations Savage Minds
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
