Dolphins recorded using sea shells to catch fish for first time Oceanographic
The Great Modern Train Robbery: Thieves Steal $200 Million a Year Bloomberg
Rich and poor kids should grow up next to each other The Argument
Climate/Environment
Look, how hot this island is, the international media will start to notice this issue sooner. Not only the fires that are being noticed, drought is also hitting the island of Kalimantan https://t.co/UYxiBVXulA
— yellowcity (@mrbanyakduit) August 20, 2026
European farmers face ‘unprecedented crisis’ after successive heatwaves The Guardian
Hunger At The 2°C Dinner Table Climate Uncovered
World may warm by 25 per cent more than current projections suggest NewScientist
How the World’s Largest Electric Company Fell Quiet on Renewable Energy Inside Climate News
Headlines from 2036: We have our winners! Climate Colored Goggles
Pandemics
Mobile gold miners in eastern Congo complicate health workers’ efforts to contain Ebola AP
COVID is ‘growing’ in nearly every state, CDC reports. Here’s where levels are highest The Hill
The Koreas
Trump says he will meet N. Korea’s Kim this year, puts N.K. nukes at 57 Yonhap
Japan
Japan has few answers as bond rout puts fiscal plans at risk Reuters
China?
The story told in this graph is important. If you set a GDP growth target and you cannot get consumption to grow faster than the target, then you also cannot allow investment to grow more slowly than the target except to the extent that a rising trade surplus takes up the slack.… https://t.co/ll4FO1jhFn
— Michael Pettis (@michaelxpettis) August 19, 2026
China Evergrande founder sentenced to life in prison Straits Times
So, What Is China Actually Doing? The Merchant’s News
Unitree’s Blockbuster Debut Vaults Billionaire Founder Into Ranks Of China’s Richest Tech Moguls Forbes
Syraqistan
IDF Marks Palestinian Detainees With Numbers as It Expands Northern West Bank Operations Haaretz
Israel’s Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir brags about public viewing booths to watch Palestinian political prisoners be executed
He advertises it as an attraction where Israelis can enjoy the murder of Palestinians up close.
Israel is introducing the death penalty against… pic.twitter.com/h9NVMwDdHR
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) August 19, 2026
***
Trump declares ‘Economic D-Day’ on Iran, its allies Turkiye Today
The Confession in the Escalation: If Iran Is Beaten and Hormuz Is Ours, Why the “Unprecedented” Sanctions? Larry Johnson
U.S. conducting stealth operation to transport oil through Hormuz Axios
Saudi Arabia wants Iran-backed militia ‘heads to roll’ in Iraq amid talks with Tehran Al-Monitor
***
Turkey rejects Israeli claim that planned troop deployment prompted Syria airstrike Turkish Minute
Ehud Barak accuses Netanyahu of manufacturing crisis with Türkiye Turkiye Today
The changing landscape of Middle Eastern politics is fascinating to observe.
The most senior US envoy in the region – effectively the ambassador to three countries simultaneously – is publicly taking Syria’s side and rebuking longtime US darling Israel. Meanwhile, an… pic.twitter.com/PZLnYKtxuV
— T. 📚☕️ (@levantophile) August 18, 2026
🇺🇸🇮🇱/Syria: Israeli Strikes at Syrian Airport Part of US Perception Management
▪️Israeli strikes on Syria are designed to manage regional public perception ahead of the regional use of US-backed terrorists now controlling Syria;
▪️In order to use Syria against Iran and its… pic.twitter.com/mxUATUWzfi
— Brian Berletic (@BrianJBerletic) August 19, 2026
European Disunion
Brussels changes gear on Big Tech enforcement Politico
Greece’s alliance with Israel is becoming a domestic liability Middle East Eye
Armed Neutrality & The Consistent Renunciation of War Pascal Lottaz
O Canada
Trump Dangles Keystone XL Revival as Canada Tariff Deadline Looms Oil Price
Old Blighty
Harry and Meghan will be living back in Britain THIS MONTH: Pair’s sudden decision to leave California takes Charles and William by surprise – Archie and Lilibet will attend UK school but couple don’t plan to be working royals Daily Mail. All is right with the world again.
The politics of Cher Chris Dillow
The Lucky Country
Australia taps US firm to build yard for 10,000-ton AUKUS nuclear submarines Interesting Engineering
New Not-So-Cold War
British Foreign Policy on Autopilot: Escalating in Ukraine Without Strategy, Consent or Hard Power Ian Proud
Russia warns UK against participation in war Anadolu Agency
Giving Terrorism the Consideration It Demands The Duran
Is A Social Crisis Really Inevitable Like A Former Top Russian Economist Recently Warned? Andrew Korybko
Sacked Ukraine defence minister challenges Zelenskyy with call for election ITV News
South of the Border
U.S.-Registered Drone Detected at Site of Suspected CIA Boat Strike Drop Site
Half of Venezuela’s oil output now exported to US IDN
CK Hutchison seeks US$1.5 billion from Panama in treaty dispute arbitration Channel news Asia
L’affaire Epstein
Virginia Giuffre’s case files finally to be unsealed The Epstein Files by Julie K. Brown
Spook Country
The Hidden Debt That Apple Owes to the CIA WSJ
Five Americans, Ecuador intelligence chief killed in tourist helicopter crash in Kenya CNN
Trump 2.0
Politics drove antisemitism probes against Ivy League schools, DOJ whistleblower says WaPo
Bessent Becomes Most Interventionist Treasury Chief in Decades Bloomberg
Trump administration advances plan to rescind protections for nearly 45 million wild acres States Newsroom
GOP Funhouse
Darline Graham’s Campaign Must Give Back Megadonor Money NOTUS
Democrats Suck
Another democratic socialist victory – Angie Nixon in Florida – sends shock waves through party establishment The Guardian
Ossoff annoys Trump, White House, to Democratic delight and dismay The Hill
Our Famously Free Press
Media’s Obsession With Natalie Harp Shames Us All Kathy Gannon
The Flood is the Strategy Card Catalog
Police State Watch
ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers who make immigration arrests CNN
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code Wired
Amazon aims for delivery drones to reach 500 US neighborhoods by end of 2026 Ars Technica
The Accelerationists
Whistleblower Arturo Béjar leads testimony in landmark trial against Meta NPR
MAHA
Doritos as farm-to-table snacks? Big Food, under duress, gets creative STAT
Sports Desk
Extreme heat has changed elite sport this summer – it must adapt to survive The Guardian
Casino Nation
Gambling on the Little League World Series? Sports bettors have gone too far TechCrunch
The Chaos Machine Harper’s
Immigration
The Fight Begins Over Student Workers Migrant Insider
Imperial Collapse Watch
The $1 Trillion Black Box ProPublica
Tens of Thousands in Indiana Are Still Without Power a Week After Deadly Storms AP
AI
AI was supposed to win people over by now — it hasn’t TechCrunch
Class Warfare
How an Alleged Wage-Fixing Scheme Is Fueling Historic Labor Uprisings Sentient
Don’t Let Them Take What’s Ours Working Class Stories
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
