Links 6/23/2026 | naked capitalism

Overfed Orange Cat Who Looks Like a Pumpkin Finds a Loving Home With SPCA Cincinnati’s CEO LaughingSquid (resilc). My mother’s cat Michael was 27 pounds but he was small pony sized.

Alan Greenspan dies aged 100 Financial Times. I am posting on Greenspan, since here it is required to speak ill of the dead.

Before the 1950s, clover was a STANDARD component of American lawns.

Seed mixes included it on purpose.

Then broadleaf herbicides were invented.

They killed clover along with “weeds.” So the chemical companies rebranded clover as a weed — to sell more herbicide.

That’s it.… pic.twitter.com/7HNfwrXiGV

— The Fourth Musketeer (@IV_Musketeer) June 19, 2026

Ebola

Ebola cases in the Congo are surging, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases and 250 confirmed deaths in the DRC. CBS News’ @RamyInocencio , who is in neighboring Uganda, reports the Africa CDC says tens of thousands of people have been in contact with Ebola, which has not been… pic.twitter.com/pYKJIaHKbK

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 22, 2026

🚨 Let’s put the current #Ebola outbreak into perspective:

Just one month in, reported cases are already about 5 times higher than the combined total from the 2007 Uganda and 2012 DRC outbreaks caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus.

This is already the largest BDBV outbreak ever… https://t.co/ok452pd8Kw

— Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA (@KrutikaKuppalli) June 23, 2026

‼️🇮🇱 BREAKING: The Ebola disease has started to spread in the “israeli” settler entity. The second case has been recently recorded.

Haaretz reported the first case yesterday.

— David Roth-Lindberg (@RothLindberg) June 21, 2026

#COVID-19/Pandemics

COVID-19 may occasionally leave behind more than fatigue and brain fog—it can trigger striking focal neurological syndromes.

➡️ Researchers describe a woman who developed painful tonic spasms—sudden, severe, involuntary posturing attacks—just two weeks after COVID-19. MRI… pic.twitter.com/LqMsFPQkYw

— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) June 23, 2026

⚡ A striking new clue to the mystery of Long COVID:

➡️ More than 80% of patients in this study showed evidence of central sensitization—a condition in which the brain and nervous system become hypersensitive, amplifying fatigue, pain, dizziness, brain fog, and other symptoms.… pic.twitter.com/KbY7JBRQnx

— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) June 22, 2026

Climate/Environment

Seal pups and seabird chicks are suffering in extreme weather. How can we protect them? The Conversation

Climate change may soon cause a catastrophic loss of global biodiversity Nature

A Missing Piece in Climate Models: Nature’s Own Emission Yale 360

Out-of-Control Icebergs Are Wreaking Havoc on the Oceans Futurism

🚨 Update: Niño 3.4 has continued its upward climb — now 29.37°C on June 18.

That is an extraordinary mid-June reading, with 2026 continuing to run above the entire historical pack in the NOAA OISST record.

El Niño is natural. But this is El Niño developing in a warmer ocean… pic.twitter.com/QJnfHJgpZJ

— The Global Warmer🔥🌏 🔥 (@TheGlobalWarmer) June 19, 2026

Britain facing ‘tropical night’ temperatures as extreme heat warning issued Sky

EXTRAORDINARY HEAT WAVE IN WEST ASIAHistory is being rewritten with this deadly heat wave which broke WORLD RECORDSof June hottest nights at high elevationsRECORDSMINIMUM 30.2 Tehran IRAN 1200m 35.6N

MINIMUM 32.1 Ekezhe TURKMENISTAN

Maxes up to 52C next days ! HISTORIC pic.twitter.com/s6Js9zneJh

— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) June 22, 2026

‘Termination shock’: trust our expert warnings on geoengineering’s planetary risks Guardian

China?

China imposes trade curbs on dozens of U.S. firms in retaliation for Pentagon blacklist CNBC

DARPA needs new powerful batteries for the Department of War. But China just built them Kevin Walmsley

Transmission Dominance with Chinese Characteristics China Talk

Japan

Japan’s FX messaging keeps markets on edge over yen intervention risk Reuters

Japan’s FX interventions on the JPY are looking more and more like a cry for help than a show of force https://t.co/vJvUvlvthO pic.twitter.com/2J5GVMRnBE

— JustDario (@DarioCpx) June 23, 2026

Koreas

South Korea slams North Korea’s ‘intensified’ border fencing Anadolu Agency

Korean won hits weakest June level since 1998 crisis AJP

India-Pakistan

Pak Minister Threatens War Against India Over Water Security Amid Crisis NDTV

At least seven killed in twin roadside bombings in northwest Pakistan Independent

Southeast Asia

Thailand rejects Cambodia’s border claims, urges joint fact-finding to avoid escalation Nation Thailand

Africa

10,000 infected in major cholera outbreak in northern Nigeria Yahoo

Red Flags in the Red Sea Corridor as Sudan’s War Goes Beyond Borders BISI

South Africa’s second-biggest medical aid at risk of financial collapse Daily Investor

Ebola closure cuts off a lifeline between DRC’s Goma and Rwanda Aljazeera

Nigerian troops kill 18 terrorists in northeast operations, military says TRT

Not just a hideout: Sahel forests provide base for jihadists Agence France-Presse

As climate shifts, malaria gains ground in southern Africa Malaysian Reserve

Israel deployed troops to Somaliland after recognition, source says Middle East Eye

South of the Border

US strike on an alleged drug boat kills 2, leaves 6 survivors, in the eastern Pacific Ocean Independent

Trinidad’s Continuous State of Emergency BISI

Colombia’s escalating, brutal internal conflict is defining its presidential election BBC

Bolivian president declares state of emergency and deploys military to quell anti-government protests Guardian

European Disunion

ECB’s Chief Economist Sees Prolonged Period Of High Inflation Wall Street Journal

German farmers warn of liquidity crisis as prices fall and costs rise Yahoo

Zelensky’s Interview Poured Fuel On The Flames Of His Spiraling UPA Dispute With Poland Andrew Korybko

Thousands of staff at Czech public broadcasters strike over funding plans Guardian

Balkans

‘We want a new Albania’: protests against Jared Kushner-backed resort turn anger on government Guardian

Old Blighty

Burnham set for coronation Telegraph

I didn’t think I could hate a PM more than Blair and then came Starmer.

I didn’t think Burnham could be worse.

He’s determined to prove me wrong. https://t.co/cuPJsWrQuT

— Kathleen Tyson (@Kathleen_Tyson_) June 23, 2026

Starmer says new PM to take over mid July if Burnham unopposed, or by end of August if there’s election Guardian

Keir Starmer has gone — but we will never forget the role his government played in the greatest crime of our time.

Today, I re-presented my Bill for an independent inquiry into Britain’s complicity in genocide. pic.twitter.com/xuhNldAFai

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 22, 2026

Bank of England unveils Armageddon stress test scenario ‘more severe than the financial crisis’ City AM

Israel v. The Resistance

Report: Netanyahu ‘in panic’ over new US-Iran Lebanon oversight mechanism; US official denies Israel excluded Times of Israel

Israel sets ‘conditions’ for ending occupation of south Lebanon: Report The Cradle (Kevin W)

‘JD Vance put lipstick on a pig: Iranians have the upper hand ‘ in peace negotiations FRANCE 24

US lifts sanctions on Iranian oil RT (Kevin W). Note too often misreported. Only a 60 day waiver

US eases oil sanctions as Iran denies Vance claim on nuclear inspectors BBC. BBC for a change is accurate in its headline.

A vessel sailing off Yemen’s coast came under attack, the second such incident in less than two weeks, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Sunday Shafaq

So…let me get this straight…the gReAtEsT mIdDlE eAsT wAr EvEr, that was TOTALLY won with high-precision, had only three candidates that US-Israel deemed as viable replacements for Ayatollah Khamenei…

1) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,

2) Masoud Pezeshkian (the current president),…

— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) June 23, 2026

The Iran War Dead-Enders Daniel Larison

New Not-So-Cold War

Russian attacks could cut Ukraine grain exports by a third Reuters

Sabotage at the bottom of the sea The Times. Micael T: “So now it is a porn star who blew up Nord Stream. This is just getting more and more silly.”

For those with strong stomachs: Anne Applebaum and Fiona Hill: Are the Autocrats Winning?” YouTube. Robin K: “In case you’re wondering about the state of the US neocon narrative on Russia-US-EU-Ukraine. Remember: this pair are two of our “best minds” on international affairs.”

Dispute over second world war army unit threatens to divide Poland and Ukraine Guardian

Imperial Collapse Watch

When Military Fellows Replace Hill Staff Antiwar.com (Kevin W)

Breaking Back into Reality Postliberal Order

Trump 2.0

‘Blatantly unlawful’: Judge blocks DOJ subpoenas aimed at Tim Walz Politico

🔵 House Democrats Attack Trump Over Iran Sanctions Relief

House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats assailed the Trump administration after the Treasury issued a 60-day license authorizing the sale of Iranian crude and oil products, the initial sanctions relief at the heart of… https://t.co/zJpbKLGZLG

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 23, 2026

Staggering amounts of fentanyl hit streets as the DEA watched and took no action, records show Associated Press (resilc)

Economy

‘Running off the cliff’: An explosion of household debt has put the US economy in a tough spot Yahoo

GOP embraces speculation about China’s role in data center backlash The Hill

AI risks triggering ‘catastrophic’ phone network blackouts Telegraph

Trump’s Iran peace deal is suddenly wobbling. The AI bubble is, too Australian Financial Review

Have we officially entered an AI bubble? Just look at San Francisco’s bonkers housing market Independent

Guillotine Watch

Those of us on the academic and research side who have been warning of the threat of the billionaire class, and specifically the dark enlighten neo reactionary sect of techno fascists tried to tell yall this was how it was going to end.

They plan to murder humanity. https://t.co/X1fr4yJfpA pic.twitter.com/FlqLmKofVI

— K(sad trombone noise enthusiast) (@brainnotonyett) June 20, 2026

Apocalypse Early Warning System Kyle McDonald

Antidote du jour. Tracie H: “Saw this lovely Swallowtail hanging out between a Magnolia tree and this Lily of the Nile on this morning’s walk.”

A bonus (Chuck L):

I had a magical experience with a bumblebee yesterday. I saw her on the bike path and thought she was a goner, she couldn’t move her front legs but I still didn’t want her squished so I tried bringing her to a flower and she starting eating! But the coolest thing was… 1/ pic.twitter.com/gNhT5TywI5

— Danica Priest🦇🦎🦇🦎🍃💚🍃 (@DanicaPriest) June 20, 2026

A second bonus: