The Criminal Enterprise Run by Monkeys – Wall Street Journal (Li). No, this isn’t related to OpenAI.
We initially overlooked this story when it first appeared. It seems to reflect trends stemming from the smartphone era. I can recall 1993 and 1994; while the competition was fierce, it didn’t manifest in this manner.
Whales ‘forced to shout’ to communicate over shipping noise – Telegraph
A supervolcano nearly wiped out humanity 74,000 years ago, but humans did something remarkable – Science Daily (Kevin W)
A Hungarian psychologist raised three daughters to demonstrate that with early specialization, any child could become a chess grandmaster. He succeeded; two daughters became grandmasters, and one became the greatest female chess player in history.
Then, a sports scientist examined the… pic.twitter.com/5fzvRHMnSC
— Ihtesham Ali (@ihtesham2005) May 9, 2026
Hantavirus
How are countries responding to hantavirus? – BBC
French woman told by doctors that hantavirus symptoms were merely anxiety – Guardian (Kevin W)
Climate and Environment
Canadian Muskoxen Hit Hard by Diseases and Climate Change – Good Men Project
Scientists discover that a ‘triple whammy’ of chaos has begun a downward spiral in Antarctica – CNN
Temperatures continue to rise in India. Today, Barmer recorded 47.3°C, the highest temperature for this month. Nights are also brutally hot, with minimum temperatures in Rajasthan ranging from 32°C to 34°C in the hottest areas.
Extreme heat is expected to spread to other parts of India in the coming weeks. https://t.co/0SgmKBXHyl
— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) May 11, 2026
Beginning May 9th, northern China will experience the year’s strongest heatwave! Forecasts predict temperatures in Hebei Province could surpass 40°C on May 13th, with many weather stations expected to set mid-May records. @extremetemps pic.twitter.com/JR0fXgvKWg
— Jim (@yangyubin1998) May 7, 2026
U.S. farmers grapple with extreme heat and drought, facing losses to crop yields – Guardian
Study reveals that plastic waste transports toxic substances through marine environments – Daily Sabah
China?
The Stakes of Trump vs. Xi – Foreign Affairs
New Trump sanctions on Chinese firms: strategic leverage on Xi or excessive measures? – Asia Times (Kevin W)
Trump invites corporate leaders, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, on a trip to China for a summit with Xi – CNBC (Kevin W). It’s rather audacious, reminiscent of Netanyahu bringing laundry on official trips, only to have it cleaned on the taxpayer’s dime. It’s worth noting this summit was confirmed by China at the last minute, and no preparatory work was undertaken.
China cautions against an increase in Japanese neo-militarism, calling for genuine remorse from Japan – Bastille Post
India
Southeast Asia
Philippine debt service payments more than doubled to ₱737 billion in the first quarter – Manila Standard
Indonesia grapples with its debt crisis
– Asia TimesEl Niño raises concerns of dual water risks for Thailand from May to July – The Nation. If it affects Thailand, similar impacts are likely for other Southeast Asian nations.
Africa
Dozens perish in jihadist attacks in central Mali – Aljazeera
Nigeria announces dozens of terrorists killed as troops overcome an assault on a military base – TRT Afrika
At least 69 are killed by rebel fighters in northeastern DR Congo – Aljazeera
Tremors in South Sudan signal potential for greater upheaval – Arab News
Sudan’s humanitarian crisis: Marginalized in the global narrative – Stimson
South of the Border
Venezuela’s leader to defend claims over mineral-rich territories in Guyana before the UN court – Independent
Venezuela raises concerns over ‘serious’ environmental impacts from an oil spill near Trinidad and Tobago – Los Angeles Times
Antipodes
New Zealand outlines potential fuel rationing measures – Bloomberg
European Disunion
The U.S. engages in discreet discussions to establish new military bases in Greenland – BBC. This occupies a significant position in the U.S.-Canada edition of the site.
Impact of the Iran conflict on European food production lines – Sky
Decoding the implications of German rearmament – Thomas Fazi
Germany pushes to acquire Tomahawk missiles following contention with Trump – Financial Times
Old Blighty
Global bond market vigilantes scrutinize the UK economy after Labour’s polling debacle – Streamline
Did Starmer’s speech do enough to quell calls for his resignation? – STV. The short clip makes for uncomfortable viewing. While I should offer further insight into Starmer’s difficult position, I find his political failures tiresome. Nonetheless, UK readers have a vested interest in this narrative, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
Israel vs. The Resistance
Marathon symbolizes a turning point for a Palestinian runner recently released from Israeli custody – ABC Australia
A distressing and thoroughly documented analysis from historians Liat Kozma and Lee Mordechai from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem details the starvation of Gaza over the past three years using data, testimonials, official statements, and food pricing insights.
— TheMuslimLawyer (@faisalkutty) May 11, 2026
A Palestinian farmer expresses deep sorrow as Israeli soldiers demolish a greenhouse on his land in northern Jordan Valley, highlighting the destruction of large swathes of land by the Israeli army.
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) May 11, 2026
Israel calls for additional troops to be deployed immediately amidst a ‘collapsing’ military situation – TRT World
Israeli weaponry deploys small metal cubes against civilians in Lebanon, similar to Gaza – Aljazeera
Gulf nations seek Turkey’s air defense capabilities amid perceived threats from Iran – Middle East Eye
Yemen faces rapid economic decline as regional tensions heighten – Yemen Online
War on Iran: Saudi Arabia’s senior official claims it sidestepped an Israeli strategy aiming to ‘plunge the region into disorder’ – Middle East Eye (Kevin W)
Trump’s ‘Unacceptable’ Response – Daniel Larison
Iranian banks continue operations despite financial sanctions imposed by Trump – Observer
The New Not-So-Cold War
The complexities of WWIII – Julian Macfarlane. The initial part concerns the Middle East, but the main focus is on Russia.
Finland is on a trajectory to become one of Russia’s staunchest adversaries – Andrew Korybko
Imperial Collapse Watch
Why Are Americans So Perplexing? – YouTube (Roy P). Super interesting watch.
The RICO State: Exposing the Criminal Framework of Global Capital – William Murphy
Yes, Death to the American Empire – Sam Husseini
A History of OPEC: Implications of its Current Crisis – Think BRICS
Trump 2.0
Trump proposes suspending federal gasoline tax, though he cannot enact this alone – Associated Press (Kevin W)
Lawsuit regarding Trump’s renovations of the Reflecting Pool – The Hill
GOP Clown Car
What is causing Susan Collins to tremble? – Ken Klippenstein
Our No Longer Free Press
Nick Kristof has conducted an in-depth investigation into reported occurrences of sexual violence against Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Many Israelis on Twitter dismiss his findings as fabrications or propaganda.
I have contributed to the NYT several times; they have rigorous fact-checking protocols.
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) May 11, 2026
Meta is faltering. Perhaps that’s timely. – New York Times (The Joker)
Economy
Coal shipments rise as nations seek alternatives to disrupted gas supplies – Financial Times
Asia braces for a second wave of energy shocks stemming from the Iran conflict – Independent
Hokkaido faces a garbage bag shortage due to panic buying – News Japan. Given regional trends, this scarcity isn’t surprising, particularly at this early stage in Japan.
Mr. Market is Giddy
The financial system is a giant polycrisis, poised to detonate – Globe and Mail
AI
Significant announcement: A senior researcher at Google DeepMind has published a paper stating that AI will NEVER achieve consciousness, neither in 10 years nor in 100 years.
This paper is titled “The Abstraction Fallacy.”
Authored by Alexander Lerchner, the disclaimer notes that it doesn’t represent Google’s opinions. You can see… pic.twitter.com/Z3HmAa5z0J
— Guri Singh (@heygurisingh) May 9, 2026
Google warns of a surge in AI-driven hacking, which has escalated into a widespread threat – Guardian (Kevin W).
Your reliance on AI is overwhelming – 404 Media
????:
It seems that only older generations are investing in AI, which is rather unfortunate to see senior citizens being misled into believing another industrial revolution is on the horizon. Perhaps they desire to believe this, as a means of accounting for a perceived generational failure to create a better world.
— Seth Harp (@sethharpesq) May 11, 2026
Class Warfare
NEW: In the U.S., auto loan and credit card defaults have reached an all-time high, despite the stock market nearing record highs according to CNBC’s data.
— Dominic Michael Tripi (@DMichaelTripi) May 11, 2026
The Serpent in the Garden: A.J.A. Wood’s examination of the ‘cultural Marxism conspiracy’ – Commonweal (Anthony L)
Tesla strike spreads beyond Sweden’s borders – IF Metall blocks international operations – Dagens Arbete (Micael T)
Municipalities will now be prohibited from competing with businesses – Tidningen Näringslive (Micael T)
Why should Swedes continue to consume if half the country is regressing? – Aftonbladet (Micael T)
Antidote du Jour (Nat):
A bonus:
A cat discovered sunlight and was puzzling over why it suddenly felt warmer. 🤗🤗 pic.twitter.com/zknu8ALhZT
— The Figen (@TheFigen_) May 9, 2026
A second bonus:
This dog is brilliant; look at how it skillfully removes that wheel. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UfGLsucvYD
— The Figen (@TheFigen_) May 10, 2026
And a third:
Unbelievable 😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/8iOBbJ91Bb
— cats with powerful impressions 🐾 (@catshealdeprsn) May 10, 2026
You can check out yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
