Links 6/13/2026 | naked capitalism

Ancient DNA shared with Neanderthals may explain human language Science Daily (Kevin W)

A Popular Doctor Had Long Warned That Vitamin K Shots Are Risky for Newborns. Now He’s Changed His Tune. ProPublica

Smartphones arrived just before the US fertility rate plunged. One study says it’s a direct cause CNN (Paul R)

Climate/Environment

Gorillas can learn to trust humans even after years of poaching pressure, research shows PhysOrg

How a record-high ‘energy imbalance’ is driving global warming Carbon Brief

We Are in the Anthropocene—Now What? AGU

Im still in disbelief. Each new model that comes out – somehow – raises the expectation of a record breaking El Niño incoming. If for nothing other than my own clarity, I need to plot it – just to see how 2026 stacks up “IF” the models are right. Using @webberweather’s… pic.twitter.com/9pazHBkINQ

— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) June 9, 2026

Amplified Arctic iceberg traffic reshapes benthic biodiversity Nature

Record winter temperatures in Antarctic raise fears over speed of climate breakdown Guardian

Wild temperature swings are becoming the ‘new normal’, EU agency says Financial Times

Colorado and Nevada negotiators throw cold water on parts of federal plan to manage Colorado River Wyoming Public Media

Fishers live in fear as looming El Niño and fuel crisis pile on pressure Dialogue Earth

China?

China cancels high-level meetings with EU Financial Times

OECD’s Subsidy-Centric Narrative of China’s Emerging Industries Is Increasingly Flawed and Outdated: CF40 research Pekinology

China says Japan has torn off its so-called ‘peaceful nation’ mask CGTN

Sen. Slotkin: NDAA, AI guardrails, and banning China’s cars China Talk

Japan

Japan’s looming typhoon crisis threatens disaster defences and tourism South China Morning Post

Koreas

Former South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years in prison for sending drones over Pyongyang Guardian<>

India

Fixed this for you @CNN pic.twitter.com/Znv4VSKuWu

— Wyatt Reed (@wyattreed13) June 12, 2026

The Indian government has voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz Guardian

Modi orders Indian officials to prevent water from entering Pakistan Independent

Why India’s deadly dengue crisis is now no longer confined to the monsoons Aljazeera

Southeast Asia

China Supplies Battle Tanks To Cambodia Amid Thailand Border Row FirstPost

A Princess Who Never Rested On Her Laurels and The Lasting Legacy Of Thailand’s ‘Lawyer Princess’ Bangkok Post. Princess BajrakitiyabhaI died at 47 after having been in a coma for years. She was very well loved for her interest in and dedication to the interests of ordinary people. Please no comments about the monarchy or Thai politica but condolences are fine.

European Disunion

EU to protect industries from future carbon costs if they invest in the bloc Financial Times

ECB raises eurozone interest rates as Iran war stokes inflation Guardian

Germany news: Recession looms as Iran war chokes growth DW

Germany pulled the plug on flagship FCAS fighter jet – the implications for European defence are worrying The Conversation

Switzerland to vote on plan to cap population at 10 million BBC (Kevin W)

Norway challenges EU to call US gas ‘safer’ than Arctic reserves Financial Times

Poor parents forced to steal porridge for their children Aftonbladet via machine translation (Micael T)

Old Blighty

Millions of homes in London, Essex and Kent at risk of sinking as climate crisis worsens Guardian

Gilt Traders Brace for UK Vote With Burnham Eyeing Starmer’s Job Bloomberg

Britain’s defence ⁠secretary Healey quits over defence spending Aljazeera (Kevin W)

Record numbers turning to loan sharks as cost-of-living crisis bites Centre for Social Justice

Met police chief calls for law to make stolen phones ‘unusable bricks’ Guardian (Kevin W)

Same sit, different day!

Arrested under terrorism charges for holding a sign saying “Saving Lives Is Not Terrorism – I support Palestine Action” despite the Government’s ban being found unlawful by the High Court.

“How ridiculous!”

Support at: https://t.co/nOqO4QQdM5 pic.twitter.com/7Tni6bAZo5

— Defend Our Juries (@DefendOurJuries) June 12, 2026

Israel v. The Resistance

BREAKING: ‘Regarding the text of the understanding, we are in the final stages of finalizing it in Iran. The place and time of the conclusion of the understanding have not yet been determined.’Spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) June 12, 2026

What Iran smashed and future of the deal Ryan Dawson:

So we know why Iran hasn’t been striking the UAEAnd we know why the US air base in Saudi Arabia has also been left alone

The UAE refuses to allow its airspace to be against Iran and the Saudis refuse to provide any further logistical support for an offensive against Iran.

The Americans have become over-dependent on their bases in Bahrain and Jordan. The bulk of US land-based air power being concentrated at just two bases is far too dangerous for the US to sustain in a renewed war. Trump is trapped under these circumstances and he cannot renew a general war.

guurst: “CENTCOM going blind”:

Bahrain 🇧🇭Jabal ad Dukhan Radar Facility hit by Iran 🇮🇷 ballistic missile spotted DESTROYED TODAY at

26.0380, 50.5421

BAE AR-327 RADAR capable of tracking ~470 km away.

Plays, I mean, played vital role in regional US 🇺🇸 missile defense & Persian Gulf shipping lanes monitoring. https://t.co/QQ2CWv5rzp pic.twitter.com/ZZnDF7EavR

— Tom Bike (@tom_bike) June 12, 2026

IRAN WAR BATTLING NARRATIVES //LT Col Daniel Davis YouTube

TRUMP: “WE’LL TAKE KHARG ISLAND” AS PEACE DEAL “NEARS” – w/ Geopolitics Expert Brandon Weichert Mario Nawfal. Important aside by Weichert, that Pakistanis are (apparently culturally) extremely optimistic.

Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar: Iran Warns Israel – Leave Occupied Territories or Final Deal Is DEAD Dialogue Works, YouTube

Jeremy Scahill: Iran Fears Trump MENTALLY ILL Breaking Points, YouTube (flora)

Deal to end fighting would lead to Hormuz reopening, Iran says BBC. Which will pin the closure on Israel…

Iran demands $300bn to end war Telegraph. resilc: “How can the Israeli lobby allow this??????”

51st State, Imperial Proxy and Scapegoat Olivier Boyd-Barrett

Iran Attempts to Thwart Iraq’s Disarmament Efforts Alhurra

Israel launches overnight strikes across Gaza Aljazeera

New Not-So-Cold War

World Chess Federation suspends chess superpower Russia Sportschau via machine translation (Micael T)

US publishes docs on ‘dangerous’ Ukrainian biolabs RT (Kevin W)

Poland waits for crucial Patriot missiles, with no firm timeline for delivery TVP World

Imperial Collapse Watch

Remember When We Used to Take World War III Seriously? Washington Monthly

Reading the Times Tom Engelhardt. His first post on his new Substack

First look at the Global War on Terrorism Memorial design in Washington Military Times (Kevin W)

Trump 2.0

Judge indefinitely blocks Trump ‘anti-weaponization’ fund The Hill

Court denies emergency appeal to retain Trump’s name on Kennedy Center Guardian (Kevin W)

BREAKING- Very active rumor mill currently with specifics from senior USG (government) employees that RFKjr will be leaving as Secretary HHS in July, after the 4th. Meeting was apparently held last Monday. Oz to head transition team.

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) June 12, 2026

🚨 BOMBSHELL! Nicolle Wallace exposes a terrifying DOJ power grab.

She confirms the Trump administration is blatantly violating decades of policy to seize control over state elections.

The White House is desperately trying to rig the midterms to maintain their grip! https://t.co/FXL59vaoDz pic.twitter.com/YOKy5f9uGb

— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) June 12, 2026

Washington National Opera sues to force Kennedy Center to turn over $17M in gifts Washington Post

GOP Clown Car

Federal Judge Blocks Paxton’s ActBlue Lawsuit, Citing First Amendment Retaliation Law Commentary

Economy

Global growth is slowing to lowest level since pandemic, says World Bank Guardian

The tanks in Cushing, Oklahoma, are hitting bottom. The oil market is about to hit a tipping point CNN. Not news for those paying attention, but this is a solid overview and the fact that this is appearing on a MSM site is noteworthy.

The world’s strategic oil reserves are running out fast. They cannot hold back the energy crunch for ever Economist

Wholesale prices rose more than expected in May, indicating that pipeline inflationary pressures are percolating higher CNBC

El Niño Slams Into a Global Economy Unprepared for More Chaos BloombergWhy Do the Best Leaders Fail at the Most Important Job? Derek Thompson

Mr. Market Needs a Therapist

Financial Engineering Is Resembling Pre-Crisis Era, Pimco Warns Financial Post

The next financial crisis could start with advanced economies’ sovereign debt Business Times

A must read. Click through:

This broke TODAY — June 10, 2026. From News5Cleveland and the Ohio Capital Journal. Confirmed by the Ohio Farm Bureau. Backed by documents obtained directly from the Ohio Statehouse.

And what is being proposed in Columbus right now — quietly, while every eye in America was on… pic.twitter.com/cQagI9SLov

— 0️⃣BlackBetty ⚓️ (@BabyD1111229) June 12, 2026

You can’t get more 2026 than that Gary Marcus

AI bubble: ‘It’s approaching vindication hour for me’ | Ed Zitron YouTube (resilc)

Breaking news: US Commerce Department effectively shuts down Anthropic’s latest models Gary Marcus

‘Tell Him He’s a Piece of Shit’: Meta’s New AI Unit Is a Total Mess Wired (resilc)

How data centers are blowing a hole in state budgets Popular Information

You generated it, you own it: a Munich court has cracked the search-engine shield for AI answers ResultSense

The Bezzle

SpaceX IPO takeaways: SPCX closes at $161, jumping 19% after record debut CNBC. When I was at Goldman, IPOs were priced so as to seek to achieve a 15% gain at the end of the first day. You need to engineer a first day rise so as to get investors to buy the IPO in teh first place.

Why Musk Raced to Take SpaceX Public in the World’s Biggest IPO Bloomberg

Guillotine Watch

One man. One trillion dollars. Oligarch Watch

Elon Musk, Human Ponzi Scheme Paul Krugman

Class Warfare

When private equity came for trailer parks Unherd

Antidote du jour (via):

And a bonus. I think he wants a bigger pool:

Jaguars are one of the few big cats that actively enjoy spending time in the water pic.twitter.com/6p1l7eqxFs

— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) June 10, 2026

A second bonus:

A man noticed neighborhood cats were coming to his property to drink water, so he set up a camera to see who else was visiting… pic.twitter.com/e3Ws3BxfO0

— Nature Unedited (@NatureUnedited) June 7, 2026

And a third: