Bears were mysteriously missing toes. These scientists cracked the case. WaPo
Water
As the Colorado River Shrinks, Washington Prepares to Spread the Pain NYT. “The crisis over the Colorado River is the latest example of how climate change is overwhelming the foundations of American life — not only physical infrastructure, like dams and reservoirs, but also the legal underpinnings that have made those systems work.”
#COVID19
Pfizer Responds to Research Claims (press release) Pfizer
Who is “Jordon Trishton Walker”? Investigate Everything with Brian O’Shea. This is as close as I can come to actual reporting on Walker, the Pfizer executive recorded by Project Veritas. It looks thin to me, but Google has become so bad.
Why The White House Shouldn’t Privatize COVID Vaccines Teen Vogue. By the authors of Health Communism.
SARS-CoV-2 variant biology: immune escape, transmission and fitness Nature. From the Abstract: “SARS-CoV-2 shows a complicated relationship among virus antigenicity, transmission and virulence, which has unpredictable implications for the future trajectory and disease burden of COVID-19.” So much for the yearly shot!
What’s CH.1.1? Meet ‘Orthrus,’ a new wildcard Omicron strain with a concerning Delta mutation Fortune. Good, level-headed round-up.
Weak immune system? Government offers advice to help at-risk people avoid COVID-19 infections USA Today. Now that Evusheld is defunct:
Oh, and “at risk” in the headline is obvious question begging.
Air Force general predicts war with China in 2025, tells officers to prep by firing ‘a clip’ at a target, and ‘aim for the head’ NBC
Japan gunning for strategic independence from US Asia Times (Rev Kev).
China?
China’s COVID response withstands test for Spring Festival holidays Global Times
COVID is running rampant in China – but herd immunity remains elusive The Conversation. Fantasies will do that.
China mulls solar export ban as trade tensions grow Australian Financial Review
PM terminates MOU The Fiji Times
Myanmar
Myanmar army set to cement rule with tough new election rules Channel News Asia
Myanmar opium cultivation surging under military rule – UN report Reuters
Flying high in Siem Reap: Man builds ‘Airplane House’ Khmer Times (ER).
Syraqistan
World reacts to rising violence in Israel-Palestine conflict Al Jazeera
European Disunion
French Union Cuts Power to Pressure Macron on Pensions WSJ
Inside the ‘Qatargate’ graft scandal rocking the EU FT
Former NATO general Petr Pavel wins Czech presidential election Al Jazeera
Dear Old Blighty
Army spied on lockdown critics: Sceptics, including our own Peter Hitchens, long suspected they were under surveillance. Now we’ve obtained official records that prove they were right all along Daily Mail
NHS to treat 50,000 elderly and vulnerable patients in ‘virtual wards’ at home Sky News (Rev Kev).
Above Public Opinion London Review of Books
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine needs long-range missiles: Volodymr Zelenskyy Andalou Agency. Oh? What kind of warhead? In the meantime, how to shoot Leopard 2 tanks:
Russian Foreign Ministry Rejects Blinken and Nuland Proposals, Condemns Scholz for Reviving Hitler’s Plan to Destroy Russia John Helmer, Dances with Bears
Concerning the arguments for ‘total defeat’ of Russia Responsible Statecraft
Kennan’s Warning on Ukraine Foreign Affairs. Nobody could have predicted….
Patrick Lawrence: The Shadows Descend in Ukraine Scheer Post
Observer to a Failed Uprising Covert Action Magazine. Belarus.
South of the Border
Why Is Venezuela’s Gold Still Frozen in The Bank Of England? Declassified UK
Biden Administration
The Week CNBC Started to Panic Matt Stoller, BIG. The deck: “The government filed an antitrust case to break up Google, and the Senate held a brutal hearing on Ticketmaster’s monopoly. Wall Street opinion leader Jim Cramer is officially freaking out.”
2024
Biden gets set to lean into economy in 2024 The Hill
Dude, you owe me $2: ‘Venmo Vultures’ scrape for small debts in a tight economy The Inquirer
13 Investigates: What’s really driving up catalytic converter theft in Las Vegas? KTNV
Police State Watch
Horrific bodycam video shows five Memphis cops kicking Tyre Nichols in the head, hammering him with a baton, raining punches down, pepper spraying and tazing him as he screams ‘mom, mom’ – just yards from her home Daily Mail
White House says ‘violence is unacceptable’ amid expected protests over Tyre Nichols bodycam video FOX and White House officials speak with mayors ahead of possible protests over Tyre Nichols footage The Hill. “Preparations to give federal support.”
When the officers are Black: Tyre Nichols’ death raises tough questions about race in policing Commercial Appeal
Police Urge Calm In Light Of Unspeakable Evil They Committed The Onion
Cop City Is A Step Toward Cop Nation Defector. Worth a read.
RussiaGate
How Barr’s Quest to Find Flaws in the Russia Inquiry Unraveled NYT
Our Famously Free Press
Responding to Hamilton 68 (excerpt) Matt Taibbi, Racket. On Hamilton 68, see NC here (2018).
The Bezzle
DOJ requests Bankman-Fried’s bail conditions be revised over possible witness tampering The Hill. SBF: “I would love to reconnect and see if there’s a way for us to have a constructive relationship.” Oh.
U.S. securities regulator probes investment advisers over crypto custody -sources Reuters
The PCAOB, and the SEC, can do so much more to rein in auditors giving false assurance about crypto Francine McKenna, The Dig
Tech
Twitter’s Infrastructure Continues to Crumble, Silently Daring Fireball. Useful.
Supply Chain
‘Flying with one engine’: why global food supplies are at risk despite falling crop prices FT
Healthcare
How a Drug Company Made $114 Billion by Gaming the U.S. Patent System NYT
Class Warfare
The Union Membership Rate Has Dropped to a Historic Low. It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way. In These Times
Millions are missing from the workforce due to COVID-19. Dr. Eric Ding’s Journal
‘Americans Are Gobbling Up Takeout Food. Restaurants Bet That Won’t Change. WSJ. The American solution to the 3Cs problem: Drive-thrus.
Antidote du jour (JB):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
