The banana apocalypse is coming. Can we stop it this time?<\/a> ZME Science<\/p>\n Can Art Save the \u201cPost-Apocalyptic\u201d Salton Sea?<\/a> Sapiens<\/p>\n Pandemics<\/p>\n Structure and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 spike refolding in membranes<\/a> Science. Seems important.<\/p>\n As new school year opens, COVID-19 surge forces abrupt classroom closures in the US<\/a> WSWS<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Key drug doesn\u2019t work against deadly new mpox virus, study finds<\/a> Politico<\/p>\n Mpox risks spreading in Congo\u2019s crowded mines, refugee camps<\/a> Bloomberg<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Plant pandemics: They are the next big contagion and pose threats to global food security<\/a> Down to Earth<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Climate\/Environment<\/p>\n \u201cDark Oxygen\u201d Findings Could Sink Deep Sea Mining<\/a> IEEE Spectrum<\/p>\n Hurricane Ernesto arrived way early. It\u2019s an ominous sign.<\/a> Grist<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Africa<\/p>\n The geopolitics of the war in Sudan<\/a> An Africanist Perspective<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n China?<\/p>\n Bond market struggle; PRC views of US election; Stock market; WeRide in the US; Sabina Shoal; Foreign carmakers crash<\/a> Sinocism (Micael)<\/p>\n China to restrict exports of strategic metal antimony<\/a> Asia Times<\/p>\n China\u2019s new maritime goliath poised to patrol disputed seas<\/a> Asia Times (Kevin W)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Syraqistan<\/p>\n Israel reduced \u2018humanitarian zone\u2019 to 11% of Gaza, says UN agency<\/a> Anadolu Agency<\/p>\n At least 10 killed in Israeli attack on southern Lebanon<\/a> Al Jazeera<\/p>\n Israeli airstrike kills at least two Palestinians in West Bank, health ministry says<\/a> Reuters<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She was documenting and publishing evidence of Israel methodically sniping children in the head https:\/\/t.co\/FO0qEVawek<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jennine (@lilearthquakess) August 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Gaza sees first polio case in 25 years as UN calls for mass vaccinations<\/a> The Guardian<\/p>\n Israel massacres Gaza family following two days of \u2018constructive\u2019\u00a0ceasefire\u00a0talks<\/a> The Cradle<\/p>\n Biden \u2018optimistic\u2019 about Gaza cease-fire deal<\/a> Anadolu Agency<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018All due respect.’\u201d<\/a> The Floutist<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Leaked Israeli Docs Reveal Effort to Evade Foreign Agent Lobbying Law<\/a> Lee Fang<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Iraq postpones announcing end date of US troop\u00a0presence<\/a> The Cradle<\/p>\n CIA gives head of Qatari intelligence top award<\/a> Axios<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n European Disunion<\/p>\n The strange death of the German authoritarian liberal political class<\/a> Defend Democracy Press. (Micael): \u201cThis is premature.\u201d<\/p>\n Polish leader urges Nord Stream patrons to \u2018keep quiet\u2019 as pipeline mystery returns to spotlight<\/a> AP<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n New Not-So-Cold War<\/p>\n America\u2019s JASSM air to ground stealth missiles and Russian plans to use tactical\u00a0nukes<\/a> Gilbert Doctorow<\/p>\n Russia informs IAEA about Ukraine\u2019s alleged plans to target Zaporizhzhia, Kursk nuclear power plants<\/a> Anadolu Agency<\/p>\n Ukrainian troops trained in UK before attacking Kursk<\/a> WSWS.\u00a0Commentary:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sentiment here in Russia has in my view changed dramatically, friends that were relatively liberal about the Conflict are now far less so,<\/p>\n Since the Kursk attack, its increasingly being related to me that this will have to be ended on the battlefield. the idea of the \u201cfraternal\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/rzTpuBqfuV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) August 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Ukraine\u2019s invasion of Kursk Oblast disrupts secret talks with Russia on stopping attacks on power facilities \u2013 WP<\/a> Ukrainska Pravda.\u00a0Commentary:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cSir, we\u2019re losing the war! The frontline can\u2019t hold up for much longer!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you considered undertaking an obviously suicidal action that will shut down any hope of negotiating our way out of this and doom us entirely?\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com\/s0reXTB0dl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) August 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Nato\u2019s folly<\/a> Prospect Magazine<\/p>\n Fitch downgrades Ukraine to \u2018RD\u2019 \u2013 Default<\/a> The International Affairs (Micael)<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n FBI searches US home of Soviet-born Biden critic<\/a> RT<\/p>\n Russian Messianism: A Roundtable Discussion<\/a> Landmarks: A Journal of International Dialogue<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Kadyrov said he received a Tesla Cybertrack from Elon Musk. He promised to send it to the \u201cspecial military operation\u201d zone and attached a machine gun to it.<\/p>\n \u201cElon, thank you! Come to Grozny, I will receive you as the most dear guest! I do not think that our Russian MFA will be\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/m72fg2G2PU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n South of the Border<\/p>\n Elon Musk\u2019s X to shut operations in Brazil amid bitter legal fight<\/a> Al Jazeera<\/p>\n White House Walks Back Biden\u2019s Call For New Venezuela Election: Here\u2019s What Other Leaders Are Demanding<\/a> Forbes<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Spook Country<\/p>\n Google: Iranian hackers targeting affiliates of both US presidential campaigns<\/a> The Record<\/p>\n OpenAI Says It Caught a ChatGPT-Powered \u2018Iranian Influence Operation\u2019<\/a> Gizmodo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Kamala<\/p>\n Kamala Harris outlines pro-corporate economic agenda at North Carolina campaign stop<\/a> WSWS.<\/p>\n Harris\u2019 plan to stop price gouging could create more problems than it solves<\/a> CNN (Kevin). So Harris comes out with a non-plan to tackle price gouging. Her campaign can\u2019t even explain<\/a> what would constitute excessive profit, what a ban on price gouging would target, or how it would be enforced. Maybe the obfuscation is the point. Harris also mentioned<\/a> her supposed opposition to concentration and price fixing, yet failed to voice support for Jonathan Kanter and the DOJ antitrust division and Lina Khan and the Federal Trade Commission who for the first time in decades are aggressively going after these practices? It seems that\u2019s something Harris would note in her big economic policy rollout if she were serious.<\/p>\n Another perspective:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1. Ok why is Kamala Harris talking about price-fixing, gouging, mergers, and general pricing bullshit? Obviously it polls well. But why? Let\u2019s go over the *evidence* for why Americans are mad at big business over pricing. Let\u2019s start with rent. https:\/\/t.co\/bvMr7JaqbJ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/z9Wed8C9bb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) August 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So why can\u2019t Harris just say she supports Khan and results like this:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n where can i get a Lina Khan yard sign? https:\/\/t.co\/bnW9eeCdzB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Molly White (@molly0xFFF) August 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Antitrust<\/p>\n Judge temporarily blocks sports streaming service Venu, siding with Fubo on antitrust concerns<\/a> CNBC<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Kroger now claims it will cut prices by $1 billion post-merger, 2x the previous claim. Either (1) they magically discovered half a billion dollars\u2019 worth of extra efficiencies, or (2) they *already* wield pricing power\u2026 which the merger would increase.https:\/\/t.co\/bmLRzLjBQW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John Mark Newman (@johnmarknewman) August 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Democrats en d\u00e9shabill\u00e9<\/p>\n Look who\u2019s funding the local Democratic Party<\/a> 48 Hills. San Francisco.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Budget Cuts Threaten SF Food Programs for Seniors and Adults With Disabilities<\/a> San Francisco Public Press<\/p>\n The toxic conversation about people out of work needs to stop. It\u2019s harming disabled people<\/a> The Big Issue<\/p>\n Police State Watch<\/p>\n Oakland\u2019s Summer of Discontent<\/a> Bleeding Edge<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Imperial Collapse Watch<\/p>\n America\u2019s Out-of-Control Client States<\/a> Nonzero Newsletter<\/p>\n The US needs more pop-up air bases worldwide to keep enemies guessing<\/a> Foundation for Defense of Democracies<\/p>\n The Navy Runs Out of Pants for Its Working Uniform \u2013 Won\u2019t Get More Until October<\/a> Military.com<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Groves of Academe<\/p>\n \u2018A police state\u2019: US universities impose rules to avoid repeat of Gaza protests<\/a> The Guardian<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Our Famously Free Press<\/p>\n A year after Marion County Record raid, authorities keep ignoring press rights<\/a> Freedom of the Press Foundation<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Healthcare?<\/p>\n California moves to cut medicine prices with novel deal on opioid overdose drugs<\/a> FT. (Phil)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Big Brother is Watching You Watch<\/p>\n U.S. Transportation Department announces ambitious, high-tech roadway safety plan<\/a> The Detroit News (Kevin W)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n AI<\/p>\n Popular AI \u201cnudify\u201d sites sued amid shocking rise in victims globally<\/a> Ars Technica<\/p>\n What comes after the AI crash?<\/a> Disconnect<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Bezzle<\/p>\n Dubai court recognizes crypto as a valid salary payment<\/a> Coin Telegraph<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Google threatened tech influencers unless they \u2018preferred\u2019 the Pixel<\/a> The Verge<\/p>\n Class Warfare<\/p>\n A Kaleckian approach to financialization and functional income distribution: Austria and Finland in comparative perspective<\/a> Institute for International Political Economy Berlin. From the abstract: \u201c\u2026we expect financialization to influence the aggregate wage share through three channels: (1) sectoral recomposition, (2) financial overhead costs and rentiers\u2019 profits claims, and (3) bargaining power of trade unions and workers. We empirically analyze the long-term trends for each of the channels before and after the Great Financial Crisis and the Great Recession for Austria and Finland. Overall, we find evidence for all three re-distributional channels contributing to the changes in functional income distribution. The explanatory power of the individual channels, however, differs strongly due to the heterogeneity of the countries.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDisenshittify or Die\u201d<\/a> Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic<\/p>\n Public Ownership of Public Goods<\/a> How Things Work<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Antidote du jour (via<\/a>):<\/p>\n See yesterday\u2019s Links and Antidote du Jour here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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