Counting sheep: saving a bighorn herd in the Rockies The Narwhal
The surprising reason insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky Phys.org
Sleepless and Sex-driven: How One Animal’s Breeding Season is Often its Last ZME Science
Hungry Sea Otters Can Change The World Defector
New Study Links Optimism To Lower Cognitive Abilities SciTech Daily
Climate/Environment
‘Prairie potholes’ could be climate solutions — if we stop destroying them The Narwhal
Across America, clean energy plants are being banned faster than they’re being built USA Today
Water
The right to bathe Aeon
Does fluoride in drinking water lower IQ? Question looms large in court battle Science
#COVID-19
Attentional impairment and altered brain activity in healthcare workers after mild COVID-19 Brain Imaging and Behavior
Viral afterlife: SARS-CoV-2 as a reservoir of immunomimetic peptides that reassemble into proinflammatory supramolecular complexes PNAS
Long COVID could affect at least 1 in 7 N.J. adults. The symptoms can be devastating. NJ.com
China?
Is de-risking the beginning of the end for made-in-China goods? Channel News Asia
China’s EVs could turbocharge recovery – but trade curbs threaten to stall growth at the starting line South China Morning Post
Syraqistan
Four months into Gaza genocide: Israel’s horrific targeting of civilians, purposeful destruction continues Euro-med Monitor
State Department Declares “Ethnic Cleansing” in Sudan but Won’t Say the Same About Israel’s War in Gaza The Intercept
Hamas Shows Signs of Resurgence in Parts of Gaza Where Israeli Troops Have Largely Withdrawn AP
Israeli Army Admits Running Unauthorized Graphic Gaza Influence Op Haaretz
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The U.S. Has Never Been ‘Dragged’ Into the Middle East Daniel Larison
US presents new blueprint to push Hezbollah away from Israeli border Ynet
Damascus Says US Occupation Of Syrian Territory ‘Cannot Continue’ AFP
US forces loot more Syrian oil The Cradle
U.S. Plans Further Retaliation in Mideast as Blinken Heads to the Region New York Times
***
The EU is worried that Israel might extend the war in Gaza to a ‘pressure cooker’ town near Egypt AP
Israel will evacuate Palestinians ahead of invasion into Gaza’s Rafah – official Jerusalem Post
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Egypt’s Suez Canal revenue nearly halves in January amid Houthi attacks The National
IMF ‘Very Close’ to New Loan Agreement with Egypt: Georgieva Egyptian Streets
The Lucky Country
How to break free from slavish adherence to U.S. foreign policy Pearls and Irritations
Old Blighty
Russia, China and Iran could target UK via Irish ‘backdoor’, thinktank warns The Guardian. “The UK should also expand its air and naval presence in Northern Ireland, to counter a growing Russian threat on the UK’s western flank…”
Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of A Failing State – book review Counterfire
European Disunion
Confusion after French government shoots down amendments supporting its own sovereign cloud strategy Euractiv
Farmers in Greece dump apples and chestnuts in Europe’s latest agriculture protest Euronews
Seen in Berlin. pic.twitter.com/7kJpDxhGYP
— red. (@redstreamnet) February 3, 2024
New Not-So-Cold War
Nuland leaves sense of foreboding in Kiev Indian Punchline
Russian Strategic Transformation in Ukraine: From ‘Aggressive Attrition’ to ‘Attrit and Advance’? Gordon Hahn, Russian & Eurasian Politics
Scott Ritter: How the Chechen miracle kick-started the Russian ‘Path of Redemption’ RT
This is extraordinary. Ukraine’s former ambassador to Germany (now ambassador to Brazil), famous in Germany for his vehement demands for weapon deliveries, now says “no one in Ukraine wants to fight this war to the last soldier”, lambasts the complete absence of any diplomatic… pic.twitter.com/PfpNbeTEGu
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) February 5, 2024
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Ukraine and Germany set to sign security pact in February The New Voice of Ukraine
Rheinmetall takes over Romanian military vehicles plant to increase footprint on Nato’s eastern flank bne Intellinews
Four years ago, we warned in the Norwegian media that the US gradually converts our country to an Arctic frontline state.
– Being allies does not imply identical interests. The US aims to destabilise Russia’s borders, we live on Russia’s borders https://t.co/VwEtQjafQ3— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) February 3, 2024
Imperial Collapse Watch
3 F-16 Crashes in 9 Months in Korea, But USAF Says Mishaps Are Unrelated Air & Space Forces Magazine
RussiaGate
The Final Word on Russiagate—And Its Consequences in 2024 Glenn Greenwald (video)
2024
Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden’s struggles against Trump NBC News
Biden Isolated as 85% of Americans fear wider Mideast War, and 50% say Israel has gone Too Far Informed Comment
Forget No Labels. Biden’s Third-Party Peril is on the Left POLITICO. “The White House, in a reflection of their public confidence (hubris?) regarding the politics of Biden’s positioning on Israel, arranged a call with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Fetterman, who has delighted in trolling left-wing critics by resolutely standing with Israel since Oct. 7, told me young voters should consider the implications of enabling a candidate who would likely given Netanyahu even more of a free hand.”
I’m tired of liberals & democrats telling Arab & Muslim’s that we’re the reason Trump is going to win.
That’s not our problem. 30k of our people were murdered by @JoeBiden.
Trump is going to win because of Biden.
Don’t blame the voters, blame the pro-genocide candidate.
— Adam Y. Abusalah (@adam_abusalah) February 4, 2024
Trump
TRUMP: “WE’VE ALWAYS GOT TO PROTECT ISRAEL. THEY’RE AN AMAZING PEOPLE” pic.twitter.com/30alqdDgDq
— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) February 4, 2024
Donald Trump floats tariff of more than 60% on imports from China and denies it would start a trade war Fortune
Immigration
Senators unveil long-awaited border deal POLITICO. $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel and $20 billion for border security.
Boeing
Exclusive-New quality glitch to delay some Boeing 737 MAX deliveries Reuters
Emirates’ President Warns Boeing: You’re in the ‘Last Chance Saloon’ FT
Our Famously Free Press
Quality and Propaganda Craig Murray
Taking Media Out of the Market Law and Political Economy Project
AI
How AI Is Helping Us Learn About Birds The Markup
Experts Warn That the Food You’re Eating May Have Been “Pre-Digested” Futurism
Tech
Against Disruption: On the Bulletpointization of Books Literary Hub
Healthcare?
Why Everyone Hates The Electronic Medical Record Logic
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Hackers can still spy on you even if you cover the webcam. Here’s how ZME Science
Police State Watch
NYPD Fires Useless Robot Futurism
Groves of Academe
Student housing: real estate’s unlikely kingmaker The Real Deal
Supply Chain
Demand for shipments from China via rail through Russia has ‘skyrocketed’ since the Red Sea attacks CNBC
Asia-Europe freight: amid the Red Sea crisis, what options do shippers have? trans.info
Class Warfare
Gig Economy Project – ‘A middle finger to the apps’: UK sees historic riders’ strike Brave New Europe
Why is rent still so high, a year after experts told us it was going to fall? Fortune
Shadow Landlords Strike Back The Lever
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.