Buried sediments prove Romans mined gold in Pyrenees Mining.com
This 400-year-old French craft nearly vanished, until a Paris stationery shop saved it EnVols
The Joys and Raptures of Drawing Common Edge
Flu hospitalization rate hits highest mid-October level since 2010: 5 notes Becker’s
Climate/Environment
Industry executives knew for decades about microplastics Los Angeles Times
Attributing Storm Austen Climate Lab Book
Off-grid data centers have 60-80% higher emissions Climate Brink
Pandemics
Bird flu in mink, measles double last year, SNAP at an all time low. Your Local Epidemiologist
Woman treated for Ebola in Nigeria evacuated to Switzerland The Independent
Water
Big Tech’s thirst for water is sparking a global resistance Rest of World
The Koreas
South Korea’s Russia ties draw scrutiny from European partners Traders Union
Why Lee Jae Myung’s Plan for More Housing in Seoul Is a Referendum on South Korea’s Identity The Asia Cable
China?
China’s stock slide can’t be reversed by massive state buying, analysts warn South China Morning Post
China’s AI Jobs Problem: What Economists Fear and Why the Fixes May Fall Short Sinification
China La Liga Ban: Mbappé’s Mao Meme Sparks Stunning Fallout Heavy
Syraqistan
Palestinian girl dies of wounds sustained by Israeli gunfire in southern Gaza WAFA
Netanyahu, Eisenkot claim paths to govern as Arab surge deadlocks vote Al Mayadeen
There’s an effort to insist that Eisenkot will be more restrained or that he’d be better for U.S. interests in the region. The argument relies on ignoring Eisenkot’s actual publicly stated policy positions.
Just like the idea that Vance is a “restrainer” on the Iran War requires ignoring Vance’s public statements on that war like the one below.
Here are Eisenkot’s actual positions👇
— Harrison Berger (@BergerPosts) October 28, 2026
Iran war has cost $47 billion, U.S. military says CBS News
U.S. Warns Gulf of Possible Short, Intense Renewal of Iran War After Midterms WSJ
Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Strike Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Oil Terminal Maritime Executive
The UAE Is Secretly Helping Ansarallah Fight Saudi Arabia in Yemen Drop Site
The Mecca Pact’s Iran problem: An alliance now needs to consult the very power it was built to contain Julia Kassem
O Canada
US-Canada: A Real Trade War or a Kabuki-Style Charade? Pluralia
European Disunion
EU and Arab States Challenge Turkey–Libya Maritime Agreement as Mediterranean Dispute Deepens EU Today
Serbia’s election-winning Student List movement says it will not impose sanctions on Russia Novaya Gazeta Europe vs. Serbia Student List Lead Candidate Vows EU Integration, Open Debate On Russia Ties RFE/RL
Ulm5 — Germany’s show trial sets a dangerous precedent Progressive International
Media groups urge EU Commission transparency as Gaza documents probe unfolds Anadolu Agency
EU prosecutors still have questions for von der Leyen Politico
New Not-So-Cold War
Norway and Finland’s Mediation on Ukraine Will Fail: Europe Cannot do Diplomacy Ian Proud
FRIENDLY KREMLIN REMINDER — THE TRUMP FAMILY PROMISSORY NOTE IS FALLING DUE John Helmer
Lindsey’s legions Events in Ukraine
South of the Border
US Military Executes Five People in Bombing of Alleged Drug-Running Boat in Eastern Pacific Antiwar
Flávio Bolsonaro Flees to US Panamerican Dispatch
Rubio orchestrated Flávio Bolsonaro’s escape to the US, says Trump ally. Metropoles (machine translation)
Federal Police Investigate Rockbridge/Meta Collusion with Bolsonaro Campaign Panamerican Dispatch. Rockbridge was co-founded by JD Vance and bankrolled by Silicon Valley.
L’affaire Epstein
Trump and Epstein’s intrasexual competition The Epstein Files by Julie K. Brown
Trump 2.0
In Trump’s pardon economy, crime victims lost out on at least $119 million in restitution CBS News
According to the book, Kushner got Tillerson fired for a $50 million UAE payment because Tillerson supported Qatar. This panicked Qatar because they realized Kushner was a pay-to-play operative, so they bought Kushner’s New York City apartments, which were in the red, hoping this would help.
— Karen Piper (@PiperK) October 27, 2026
In 2017, Jared Kushner showed Saudi Prince MBS classified information that included who the dissenters were
He used this information to kill Khashoggi in Turkey and others at home
Jared was paid $2 billion, and he allegedly hired a hitman with some of that money
Wild times https://t.co/iYwEF7jAdH
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) October 25, 2026
Midterms 2026
Feds Prep for Election “Doomsday” Scenario Ken Klippenstein
🚨The 2025-2026 political cycle just became the most expensive cycle ever!
With 8 days to go, it’s seen $11.21B in total ad spending and reservations.
The 2023-2024 cycle, complete with its $3.2B Presidential race, saw $11.20B.
— AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact_Pol) October 27, 2026
Hackers target FEC system, disrupting campaign finance disclosures NBC News
Realignment and Legitimacy
When The State Is for Hire Thomas Karat
Police State Watch
Corporations Are Joining Trump’s NSPM-7 Crackdown Dan Boguslaw
Why is everyone lying? Alec’s Copaganda Newsletter
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Researchers Uncover Signs of Massive Surveillance Operation on Starlink Users Gizmodo. “Discover-Tech, an Israeli advertising firm previously linked to the delivery of zero-click spyware, is the top bidder for Starlink ad impressions in 105 countries…”
Healthcare?
New Report: Big Insurance, Big Tech, and the Hidden Use of AI in Health Insurance HEALTH CARE un-covered
ONC finalizes HTI-5 health IT deregulation rule Healthcare IT News
Agriculture
Antibiotic-Resistant Genes Found in Homes Near Factory Farms Sentient
Economy
Guillotine Watch
SoCal sober living homes drugged patients to keep the money flowing, federal prosecutors allege Los Angeles Times
Imperial Collapse Watch
Fake News, Far-Right Propaganda, Exaggerated Crowd Sizes, a Squabbling Left…Welcome to 1930s Berlin! Lit Hub
AI
Anthropic Appears to Be the First Company to Go Public by Warning That It May Destroy Humankind Futurism
Apocalypse Now and Then Equator
Class Warfare
PROPERTY INSURANCE IS GETTING LESS EXPENSIVE. AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDERS STILL HAVE FEW OPTIONS. Shelterforce
On Alienation Evelyn Quartz
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
