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What kills Schrödinger’s cat? EurekAlert!
How the ‘fire amoeba’ withstands temperatures that would kill most complex life Science
Climate/Environment
Beyond the Threshold: Have Coral Reefs Crossed Earth’s First Climate Tipping Point? Climate Uncovered
‘Fire after fire’: What Sumatra reveals about Indonesia’s recurring haze problem Channel News Asia
Scientists hope deeper-rooted soybeans can withstand climate extremes and store more carbon AP
Dengue‑carrying mosquitoes expand their reach into new territories – including Florida The Conversation
In Florida, the Climate Crisis Comes Due as a Higher Insurance Premium Capital & Main
Japan
Takaichi and Trump discuss China ahead of Xi’s visit to U.S. Japan Times
China?
History in the making: Trump greets visiting Chinese president Xi at airport
It is extremely rare for a sitting U.S. president to personally greet a visiting foreign president at the airport. Standard protocol is for the Chief of Protocol (or sometimes the Vice President or a… pic.twitter.com/o4liJj4Zvi
— Patrick in China (@PatrickZhengCHN) September 23, 2026
U.S.-China trade truce extended for two months, Bessent says, as Xi begins state visit CNBC
China Still Has What America Needs Foreign Affairs
China holding sensitive F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong Bloomberg
Hope fading for new Boeing deal during US-China summit, sources say Reuters
Syraqistan
Israel facing water shortages caused by destruction of Gaza’s treatment plants The Guardian
Israel moves to bar both main Arab lists from October election Al Jazeera
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Which countries are banning Iranian airlines to avoid US sanctions? New Arab
US Treasury Secretary questions how Iran’s UN delegation will get home as sanctions disrupt flights Anadolu Agency
U.S. Returns Old MQ-1 Predator Drones to Service After New MQ-9s Take Unsustainable Losses to Iran Military Watch
“They call us terrorists? Look at these children. They bombed them and killed them. They had committed no crime. They were innocent.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the United States and Israel at the UN General Assembly today, accusing them of killing innocent… pic.twitter.com/YAhWYTkL92
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) September 23, 2026
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Yemeni Media Reports Major Ansar Allah Attack on Southern Saudi Arabia Antiwar
Elijah Magnier: Ansar Allah in Yemen Capture Advanced Military Equipment and won’t stop until Saudi Arabia pulls out of Yemen https://t.co/veqsJflWNr via @YouTube
— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) September 23, 2026
Alastair Crooke (@AWCrooke): Saudi Arabia is a pillar for one family. If it is no longer oil wealth for Wall Street and the petrodollar, there is nothing there. MBS had Trump as his security. That is gone. The reserves went into NEOM. He cannot deal with Ansar Allah because… pic.twitter.com/OK45Pjtu6k
— 🅰pocalypsis 🅰pocalypseos 🇷🇺 🇨🇳 🅉 (@apocalypseos) September 21, 2026
Africa
Libya oil production hit after armed group shuts pipeline valve Africa News
Tigray forces launch offensive against Ethiopian government Al Jazeera
European Disunion
Pluralism in Illiberal Times The Archimedean Point
Germany De-Industrialised Itself For Ukraine, And Trump’s Oil Donors Profited Nate Bear
Berlin Airport briefly suspends flights over drone sighting DW
O Canada
Canadian premier says prepared for ‘extreme tail risk’ of US military action Anadolu Agency
Old Blighty
Toffs Telling Commoners to Sacrifice Themselves—Some Things Never Change Shane Fitzgerald
New Not-So-Cold War
The CIA warns of a Russian drone attack against Spain, France or Italy El Mundo (machine translation)
Ukraine’s New Strategy: Urgent Ceasefire Before Winter Firestorm Simplicius
Russia not to pause special military operation for talks in any format — Lavrov TASS
In warmongering tirade, Zelensky boasts of arms deals negotiated at UN WSWS
Poland’s Sikorski stocks up on rice, jam and a hand pump ahead of war with Russia Intellinews
Palantir, Dataroom and the War in Ukraine Rainer Rupp
South of the Border
Inside the Armed Incursion From Florida Intended to Topple Cuba’s Government Drop Site
Machado Tried Three Times to Return to Venezuela as Trump Met Rodríguez The Deep Dive
We already knew that the US is controlling Venezuelan oil revenues, even Vzlan officials have confirmed it, and that it placed conditions on spending. But the explicit barring of payments to Russian/Chinese companies is very significant. These firms are owed dividends from joint… pic.twitter.com/sbNipPFrcj
— Venezuelanalysis (@venanalysis) September 23, 2026
Traders Push for Discounts for Venezuelan Oil as Shipping Costs Soar Reuters
L’affaire Epstein
After One Year of Following Jeffrey Epstein’s Money, It Led Me to the Government We Have Now Kait Justice
Trump 2.0
The President’s Irresponsible Power The American Conservative
A US poll showed a willingness to support a military coup against Trump. Top War
Farm state Republicans feel the pressure from rising diesel prices The Hill
More Republicans are breaking from Trump. Is it too little, too late? Vox
Cook Political Report shifts Kansas, South Carolina Senate races toward Democrats The Hill
$1 Billion in Secret Cash Is Reshaping the Midterms Brennan Center for Justice
Democrats Suck
Jeffries Abruptly Cancels Fundraiser With Fox News’s Favorite Dem The Bulwark
Realignment and Legitimacy
Majority of Democratic Voters Want to Prosecute Both Biden and Trump Administration Officials Over Gaza Common Dreams
The Return of the Mass Party? Left Notes
Macklemore vs. Everybody Maureen Track, The American Prospect
Police State Watch
Feds Target AI Critics As “Foreign Agents” Ken Klippenstein
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Seattle becomes first city to ban surveillance pricing Supermarket News
Sports Desk
The politicization of sports is finally complete Who Broke It
Economy
‘Dammit, something has to happen’: White House preparing plan for 90-day diesel exports ban Poltico
White House Rules Out Diesel Export Ban as Prices Surge Above $6.50 Oil Price
Shipping market paradox – negative cargo growth, soaring rates Seatrade Maritime News
World heads into food crises ‘blind’ as U.S. aid cuts squeeze UN food agency, experts warn CNBC
Agriculture
Skyrocketing fuel and fertilizer costs leave crop farmers unable to break even Farm and Dairy
Airbnb Announces ‘Farm to Stay’ Grant Program to Promote Farmer-Led Tourism Morning Ag Clips
Imperial Collapse Watch
McCarthyism wasn’t this bad: the repression of dissent in the face of failing wars Ian Proud
The System for Using Evidence to Improve Federal Programs Has Been Gutted Can We Still Govern?
What comes after the end of the age of the NGO? End of an age
Book Nook
Publishing’s AI Reckoning Publisher’s Weekly
AI
OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says ABC
Class Warfare
MIDDLE CLASS OR WORKING CLASS? ML Today
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
“OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says”
By rights they should call in the Australian Federal Police to investigate this case of hacking and to start preparing charges but I doubt that that would happen. It would mean that our Prime Minister would have to make a decision. Instead he decided to humiliate those AI leaders by bringing it up at the UN as those same leaders were addressing the UN itself. The fact that OpenAI did not tell Oz about this until three months after this hack and then just sent a regualr email to notify us was a bit too much on the nose.