A brief note on our daily programming: Yves will have a short Iran war update a little later at 9:55 EDT.
Solar eclipse over Qatar turned into “devil’s horns”
A rare optical effect created an unusual shape over the sea — the Sun looked like two glowing horns.
The effect occurs due to a combination of the eclipse and the refraction of light in the atmosphere over the water.
Video:… pic.twitter.com/kXgVVw2hGF
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 13, 2026
Climate/Environment
Failure to track a stable AMOC state under rapid climate change Nature. Argues AMOC fate rests largely on how fast world warms.
We’ll soon get a glimpse of future temperatures, thanks to this record El Niño WaPo
Wildfire in southwestern France spreads across 2,700 acres, prompts 500 evacuations Anadolu Agency
European drought shrivels crops despite farmers’ best efforts to adapt France24
Germany’s dry rivers spark battle on engineering vs restoration AFP
Rewilding is the best defence against wildfire Ben Goldsmith
Climate and class Counterfire
Pandemics
Ebola spreads to sixth province in Congo as death toll surpasses 2,000 DPA
Air cleaning technologies and the battle against Randomised Control Trials Matters of Perspective
China?
Trump announces drone tariffs of up to 100%, targeting Chinese makers DPA International
US Warns Countries Including India Could Face Penalties for Helping China Evade Tariffs AP
David Daokui Li On The End of Offshore Tax Evasion for China’s Wealthy Pekingnology
What the heck does China Want? New China Literacy by Yaqi Li
South Asia
USAID fallout: In Nepal, when the aid workers stopped coming, the women and babies started dying AP
Syraqistan
Israel blocks crucial supplies from entering Gaza, putting thousands at risk Medicins sans Frontieres
Huckabee Calls Israeli Settler Siege of Palestinian Homes ‘an Act of Terror’ but Defends the Broader Settler Movement Antiwar
Why Power Hates Palestine BettBeat
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Iran blocks US-backed plan for Syrian military intervention in Lebanon Al Mayadeen
US to Roll Out ‘Economic Isolation’ Plan for Iran Next Week Bloomberg
U.S. Infrastructure Strikes Have Left Iranians in the South Without Livelihoods Drop Site
USS Lincoln to be replaced amid growing concerns for troops’ mental health The Independent
A Brief History of the USS Potemkin Village Will Schryver
Africa
The end of “post-apartheid South Africa” and the birth of normal and better politics Ken Opalo
Burkina Faso and the return of political economy Review of African Political Economy
European Disunion
Why Europe Is Struggling to Build Its Gas Stocks Before Winter Bloomberg
Latvia’s national airline has now been downgraded by S&P to CCC-, deep into junk territory, with the agency estimating it may need another €120–170 million in capital as it’s becoming increasingly clear how important the Russian market once was its business model.
airBaltic is… pic.twitter.com/8IWFkmXkBV
— Brian McDonald (@BrianMcDonaldIE) August 13, 2026
Powerful explosion rocks an ammunition plant near Rome
A fire and powerful explosion occurred at the KNDS Ammo Italy plant in Colleferro, which produces medium- and large-caliber ammunition as well as solid propellant for aerospace rockets.
According to preliminary information,… pic.twitter.com/hm8FQ2GpUf
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 13, 2026
Old Blighty
Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires The Guardian
EXCLUSIVE: UK FUNDED THERAPY FOR ISRAELI SOLDIERS Declassified UK
Nigel Farage wins election in which his main rival was a trash can CNN
New Not-So-Cold War
‘Monstrous consequences’ if Japan sticks to Kuril Islands claim – Medvedev RT
Nice try, @WSJ: “Russia seized the islands from Japan in the dying days of World War II and a dispute over their sovereignty has bedeviled relations between Moscow and Tokyo ever since.”https://t.co/1HMBtXl4M9
No, there was no seizure. Possession of these islands was…
— George Szamuely (@GeorgeSzamuely) August 13, 2026
PUTIN WILL CREATE HIS OWN STRAIT OF HORMUZ WITH THE HELP OF NORTH KOREA: 379 TARGETS NAMED. WHO’S ON THE LIST? Tsargrad TV (machine translation)
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Sell Ukraine 10% of US Patriots and ‘we will destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles,’ Zelensky tells CNN CNN
Zelensky’s missile math mistakes: A few Patriots won’t save him RT
Odessa in Deep Trouble – No One Will Negotiate with the US Mark Sleboda
Ukrainian drones wipe out entire US tank brigade in live war game Ars Technica
Poland may cut off Ukraine’s Starlink access amid dispute with Musk RBC Ukraine
South of the Border
🚨BREAKING: In April, I was the first journalist to publish an in-depth investigation covering 3 mysterious boat strikes/abductions in Galapagos. Now a source tells WaPo it was part of a CIA covert operation. Last month, I released NASA images/evidence of the bombing. Link below. https://t.co/fC5yaOFWi7 pic.twitter.com/vEOoS11Jmp
— Camila Lourdes Galarza (@sovietwithsazon) August 13, 2026
Trump 2.0
This means if foreigners decide to create a shell company in Delaware to fund superPACs in elections, which is illegal, there is no way of knowing.
Here is AIPACs lobbying disclosure form showing they lobbied the Treasury Department and State Department on pushing this through. pic.twitter.com/0Ph2pdn6H7
— Wally Rashid (@wallyrashid) August 12, 2026
And:
For the Africans not paying attention, this means that politically exposed African public officials with US residency like Ken Ofori-Atta and Oyindamola Tinubu who have moved stolen African money into the US via their US-registered companies are no longer required to declare… https://t.co/rEvpZlz71K
— David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin) August 13, 2026
Trump has amassed staggering wealth in ‘most openly corrupt’ presidency The Guardian
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Trump directs Navy to return to steam catapults on aircraft carriers The Hill
Trump Opens Door to Foreign-Built Warships in Major Navy Shipbuilding Overhaul gCaptain
Police State Watch
Documents show how feds spied on protesters, left-wing organizations and unions during Metro Surge Minnesota Reformer
Casino Nation
JPMorgan debanked Polymarket over regulatory concerns FT
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
CBP Workers Allegedly Used Government Databases to Spy on Exes, Crushes, and Colleagues Wired
ACLU Says New Flock Camera Guardrails Nothing But a ‘Thinly Veiled PR Attempt’ Common Dreams
Groves of Academe
UMich to bury first-semester grades in bid to ‘curb the mental health crisis’ Campus Reform
Our Famously Free Press
The Press Club Has Banned Me for My Questioning of Schumer Sam Husseini
Immigration
Controversial group wins $158M-contract to represent unaccompanied immigrant children NPR. Not a good look, especially considering Epstein’s links to Customs and Border Protection.
Supply Chain
The U.S. is blocking black mass exports The Battery Chronicle
Imperial Collapse Watch
More and more wealthy Californians are seeking ‘golden visa’ residency outside the U.S. Los Angeles Times
AI
Anthropic could be worth $2 trillion when it goes public Ars Technica
Amazon will train on Twitch streamers’ content by default, unless they opt out TechCrunch
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We’re headed toward the first true AI election Axios
Poll-rigging Bots and AI Robocalls: The Dark Tech Running Israel’s Election Campaigns Haaretz
Hollywood is hiring ‘slop janitors.’ The price is visible. WaPo
Class Warfare
Hillbilly economics Phil Magness
How to Get Rich in America Kyla Scanlon
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
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