The Maya collapse was blamed on drought. The full story is more complicated. Washington Post (Skip K). From last month, still interesting.
“Tired the Sun with Talking” Classical Wisdom (Micael T)
FDA issues new warning for Ozempic saying it can cause blindness with ‘eye stroke’ side effect Daily Mail (resilc)
Climate/Environment
‘A new age of climate extremes’: Earth accumulating heat at accelerating rate Guardian
Actuaries warn ocean risks are a blind spot for insurers Insurance Business Magazine
🌂 La #sécheresse ne concerne pas que la France. Une grande partie de l’Europe subit le manque de pluie des derniers mois. De nombreux grands cours d’eau européens affichent des débits historiquement bas ! (via ECMWF) https://t.co/7UuuVJ10h4
— Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) November 9, 2026
FAO warns that locust plague is threatening East Africa again Reuters
Why northern Australia is enduring a long-running heatwave. WeatherZone
Water
Drone delivers food to chimpanzee cut off by flooding BBC
Tankers deliver drinking water to villages in drought-hit Nouvelle-Aquitaine ConnexionFrance
Turkey’s shrinking cotton fields expose cost of water scarcity Arab Weekly
117mm in 75 minutes: Record rainfall hits Israel, causing floods and power outages Israel National News
Flood-hit Pakistani farmers sue German firms over climate damage Dawn
China?
China’s Supercarrier Ops. Becoming More Complex: Navy’s Offensive Capabilities Growing Rapidly Military Watch
South of the Border
Venezuelan Parliament Approves Law to Open Electricity Sector to Partial Privatization Venezuelanalysis. Robin K: “Pretty soon it’ll be just like all the other 50 states.”
Perú : Cerimedo contó los votos Reddit (Robin K)
European Disunion
Why the Iran War Means Europe Can’t Afford A Severe Winter Bloomberg
France pressures Germany over nuclear risks of long-range missiles Financial Times. An exclusive.
“Everybody Hates Merz”: Why Germany’s Ukraine Obsession Is Making Germans Poorer Ian Proud
‘Ten times more painful’: Menstrual disorders fuel calls to ban tear gas at French protests France24
Poland’s central bank pushes back against efforts to prosecute its governor Izabella Kaminska
Old Blighty
Sales of tinned food and bottled water jump after ‘Be Ready’ campaign launch BBC
Russell Brand’s First Hours In Jail Have Reportedly Been A “Nightmare,” And The Details Are Grim Bored Panda
Israel v. The Neighborhood
Gaza storm kills five and leaves 70,000 displaced people’s tents flooded Euronews
UK urged to sanction Israeli officials over Gaza aid siege amid deadly floods New Arab
Israel to seek bids for 2,167 homes in illegal E1 settlement project: Rights groups Anadolu Agency
Following a green light from the Israeli politicians to trigger a reaction and impose a security case that prevents the passover of leadership, over 100 Israeli settlers have set fire to Palestinian property, including over 15 cars, in the village of Luban ash-Sharqiya, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) November 11, 2026
My interview on Al-Jazeera shedding light on the bloodsoaked resume of Israel’s opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who was the IDF chief during one of the worst massacres of protesters in modern history & founded the Dahiya Doctrine of mass terrorism against civilian infrastructure https://t.co/Pt06ZweHUU
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) November 10, 2026
❗️سارة نتنياهو تدخل في معركة بالأصوات والصراخ داخل الكنيست مع خصمهم السياسي نفتالي بينيت بينما زوجها رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي يلقي كلمته!
بينيت صرخ:”ماذا عن مستشاريك القطريين؟ هل هم بخير؟”
بن غفير:”يا لك من وقح! أنت تجلس مع القائمة [العربية] المشتركة وتريد أن تتكلم؟! يا لك من تافه لا قيمة لك!”
أمير أوحنا (رئيس الكنيست يحاول التهدئة):”يكفي، هذا السلوك غير محترم.”
بينيت:”هو (نتنياهو) من لا يحترم أحداً!”
سارة تصرخ: “أنت تجلس مع المشتركين العرب! يا لك من تافه! إخجل على نفسك! يا لك من وقح!”
وخلال خطاب نتنياهو بالكامل كان بينيت آيزكونت يتحدثون مع بعضهم ويضحكون.
— Russia news | 🇷🇺 الموجز الروسي (@mog_russ) November 10, 2026
Iran War
U.S. Bases Damage by Iran: $19.94 Billion World Beyond War
BREAKING: Trump and Netanyahu held an unusually heated phone call focused on Iran, that was “a shouting match from hell,” Israeli officials tell Ynet.
During the call Netanyahu eagerly pushed Trump to resume major combat operations against Iran, while figures inside and outside the White House try to block it, Israeli officials say.
“Iran is working to renew the nuclear threat. The only way to permanently remove this existential threat is by toppling the ayatollah regime,” Netanyahu also claimed during the call.
He warned Israel would soon face “international pressure to accept a nuclear Iran and the survival of the regime.”
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) November 11, 2026
Tehran, Moscow warn against US ‘dangerous’ plan to sabotage shipping in Caspian Sea PressTV
Amazing exchange ⬇️
CNN Anchor: They’ve been saying death to America for decades.
Rep. Adam Hamawy: We’ve been saying death to Iran for decades as well.
CNN Anchor: They’ve killed a lot of Americans.
Rep. Adam Hamawy: And we’ve killed a lot of them as well.
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) November 10, 2026
From yesterday, still germane:
The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government. But Washington flails like a desperate gambler. FOLD YOUR HAND. STOP manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks. Stop denying the West Asian NEW ORDER. Time to SURRENDER to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out.
— محسن رضایی (@ir_rezaee) November 9, 2026
🇸🇦🇾🇪🇪🇬 Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told France 24 that Egyptian troops had already been in Saudi Arabia for several months, having deployed in response to escalating tensions with Iran and attacks on the kingdom.
Abdelatty said Egypt’s parliament gave President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi a clear mandate to take whatever steps he deems necessary to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s defenses.
In response to Houthi claims that Egypt’s mandate amounted to a declaration of war, Abdelatty pointed to comments from a member of the group’s political bureau who described Egypt as a trusted partner and welcomed any mediation by Cairo.
Echoing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Abdelatty said Egypt’s role was strictly defensive. He added that Cairo was working to defuse tensions and that the crisis called for a political solution.
— Egypt’s Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) November 10, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
Natural Gas Project Off Alaska’s Coast May Be a Russian Ploy ProPublica. Robin K:
Hmmm? Nvidia spy case involving the Chinese spying. Military guy spying for the Russians. Renewal of allegations about three Iranians spying in GB. Now ProPublica seems to have joined the post-debacle outcry about Russian threats to the US.
The Leak That Arrived Right on Cue Larry Johnson
After Taking Congress, The Democrat’s First Action Is To Ramp Up The Ukraine Proxy War The Dissident (Robin K)
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Age-Gating Internet Access Comes of Age Thomas Neuburger
Imperial Collapse Watch
Cold Civil War: The White House Against the House Craig Tindale
We need more goat sacrifices Adam Mastroianni
Trump 2.0
Kennedys sue to block Trump’s gilded arch, saying it would ‘cast shadow’ over JFK grave site Guardian
Judge allows Trump’s $10bn defamation case against BBC to proceed BBC
Hegseth at War
House GOP shelves Pete Hegseth impeachment articles The Hill. I got this one wrong yesterday, in that I did not anticipate that the impeachment could be referred to committee to die in this session. But reporters are only as good as their sources, and the 5 articles I read plus the many tweets did not contemplate this move. Regardless, if you are a US voter, call, e-mail, or send a snail mail to your representative to insist that this war criminal be impeached. A key point is that Hegseth’s actions such extrajudicial killings put US servicemembers at risk. If your representative is a Republican , particularly a retiring one, or one of the 11 Democrats who did not vote (see Young Turk for names) I would climb their frame and say that you and others will not forget their act of cowardice. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is the #1 recipient of AIPAC funding and also a weapons maker whore, so this vote underscores the need for his ouster.
A security agent for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just warned the reporters here — for Hegseth’s first press conference in 6 months — that we will be physically removed from the briefing room if we are not professional and maintain decorum. We asked if that meant no shouted questions and got no clarity. It’s the first time any of us could ever remember being threatened like this. Shouted questions are normal. “This is crazy town” one journalist said, noting the White House has never threatened reporters like that. We’re in the room, back row:
— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) November 10, 2026
Hegseth’s Pathetic Defense Daniel Larison
Midterms Post Mortems
The Meteoric Rise of “America First Democrats” Chris Armitage
Immigration
Trump wants an immigration deal. He could start with caregivers Vox
Democrats Suck (upgraded from Death Wish since they might perform at least minimally now)
But then again….
Incoming Rep. Don Leonard says top House Democrats have threatened to “make [his] life a living hell” and cost him re-election if he continues attaching conditions to his support for Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
His conditions: 1) a vote on an amendment to end Citizens United and 2) “end U.S. support for the war in Iran and the country, Israel, that led us into it.”
He says Jeffries is refusing to meet with him and the threats are like something “out of a movie.”
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) November 10, 2026
Senate Revolt Gains Momentum Young Turks, YouTube
Schumer Support CRUMBLES As Van Hollen Emerges Breaking Points, YouTube
What’s the Democrats’ Legislative Agenda in Financial Regulation and Consumer Protection? Adam Levitin. From last week, still germane
GOP Clown Car
Top Senator Faces Mutiny as Republicans Erupt Into Civil War Daily Beast
Colom has not even officially won. Someone is freaked out over his great ads:
#MississippiMatters
— Scott Colom (@scott_colom) November 11, 2026
Economy
S&P 500 falls after hot CPI ignites inflation concerns: Live updates CNBC
The Car REPO Crisis Is OUT OF CONTROL – “Market CRASH Is Next” YouTube (resilc)
a href=”https://www.nbcnews.com/business/energy/gas-prices-fall-4-gallon-oil-markets-trump-iran-war-russia-ukraine-rcna608498″ rel=”nofollow”>Gas prices fall below $4 per gallon for the first time since July NBC
AI
Anthropic bankers prepare to increase IPO valuation to $1.5tn or more Financial Times. Lead story.
OpenAI Continues to Suffer Heavy Losses as Revenue Rises to $10 Billion Wall Street Journal. Lead story. No archived version yet.
The Spy Who Leased Me China Talk. Good one-stop shopping on the Nvidia spy scandal.
Jensen’s Bizarre Adventure Ed Zitron
The 2500-year-old strategy that took down Jensen Huang People’s Art of War. Micael T: “Well, Jensen is not down yet but the essay is really interesting.”
How to Outsmart an AI: A Skeptic’s Guide to Resisting AI-Driven Social Engineering Skeptic (Micael T). I cannot imagine voluntarily interacting with a chatbot.
Guillotine Watch
Bill Gates has earned billions investing in climate-polluting landfills ProPublica
Class Warfare
An American Furniture Maker Tried to Bring Jobs Back Home. It Didn’t Work. Wall Street Journal
Dems Should 1st Pass $15-An-Hour – A Lesson from Lula on Mobilizing Workers Mike Elk
Antidote du jour (via):
And a bonus:
A girl adopted the most aggressive cat before it was put to sleep.
In a month she managed to change him completely. https://t.co/kHOwPmdZSN
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) November 10, 2026
A second bonus:
Russian RAVEN goes VIRAL for SPEAKING with HUMAN-LIKE RUSSIAN ACCENT and LAUGHING
Karlusha REPEATS phrases after its trainers — including ‘WELL DONE’ https://t.co/9c2Pnc74xO
— RT (@RT_com) November 1, 2026
And a third:
If it weren’t for cats, the world would be truly boring.
They’re better than politicians. 😂 https://t.co/Pu290HZQNN— The Figen (@TheFigen_) November 9, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
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