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Links 2/15/2025

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Underwater fossil bed discovered by collectors preserves rare slice of Florida’s past ScienceDaily (Dr. Kevin)

Ancient Objects From 50,000 Years Ago Reveal Mysterious Symbols ScienceAlert (Chuck L)

Are We Alone? Scientists Uncover Evidence That Intelligence May Be Inevitable SciTech Daily (Chuck L)

Dating coaches’ advice to single New Yorkers: It’s not them, it’s you. Gothamist

Superbugs Are Losing to Science, Light, and a Little Spice SciTech Daily (Chuck L)

Climate/Environment

China?

Tensions with the West are fuelling China’s anxiety about food supplies Economist

Koreas

Pentagon says North Korean missiles that can hit US may soon be in production South China Morning Post

India

As Modi Visits D.C., Sikh Americans Say Surveillance and Threats Continue DropSite (Micael T)

What US Officials and Activists Should Know About the Khalistan Movement Diplomat (Micael T)

Africa

Fighting in Africa’s mineral-rich DRC killed over 3,000 in less than 2 weeks. Here’s how your phone plays a part CNN

Dispatch: Children reduced to skin and bones in war-torn Sudan’s forgotten famine Telegraph

Sudan says plan for first Russian naval base in Africa will go ahead Guardian. Reduces need to keep base in Syria. Note Russia is also seeing if it can get a base in Libya.

Iran Forges Deeper Ties With Sudan in Boost to Wider Influence Bloomberg

O Canada

Top bank regulator halts Basel endgame implementation amid tariff uncertainty Financial Post

European Disunion

Pentagon Chief Names NATO’s Key Goals Vzyglad via machine translation. Micael T: “How is NATO going to bring peace if they are calling for war with Russia*?” * *https://www.newsweek.com/nato-ally-warns-russia-launching-large-scale-war-europe-2029855

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Vance tells Europe Trump is ‘new sheriff in town’ in combative speech Le Monde

Vance’s Unwelcome Meddling Daniel Larison

Vance’s blast at Europe ignores Ukraine and defence agenda BBC

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Transatlantic twilight: European public opinion and the long shadow of Trump European Council on Foreign Relations (DLG)

Europeans have found a way to bring down gas prices without Russia’s help Vyzglad via machine translation. Micael t: “I really do think that the EU is trying to bankrupt the masses according to the WEF-motto ‘you will own nothing’.”

Germany’s economy will probably shrink for a third year in 2025, according to the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bloomberg

US military builds bio-lab with security level 3 in Germany – German government allegedly knows nothing about it Nachsdenseiten via machine translation (Micael T)

Study confirms: Emigrating makes Germans happier Anti-Spiegel via machine translation (Micael T)

Austria’s political crisis deepens as far right fails to form government BBC

Anti-government protest halts air traffic in Belgium Reuters

Old Blighty

‘Let’s not forget the pain of the 2008 crisis in pursuit of growth,’ warns Andrew Bailey Guardian

Israel v. The Resistance

If You Only Watch One Thing Today, Please Watch This Mehdi Hasan

Senior Hamas leader says Israeli ceasefire violations aim to continue genocide through other means Mondoweiss

LIVE: Three Israeli captives, 369 Palestinians set for release in Gaza deal Aljazeera. The Palestinians are properly called hostages. Nearly all incarcerated Palestinians were simply rounded up for the crime of being Palestinian.

Malaysia, Egypt reject Trump’s plans to displace Palestinians in Gaza Anadolu Agency. Recall Egypt’s El-Sisi cancelled a trip to see Trump after Trump ambushed and humiliated Jordan’s King Abdullah.

‘No to ethnic cleansing’: over 350 rabbis sign US ad assailing Trump’s Gaza plan Guardian (Skip K)

New Not-So-Cold War

Zelensky says no peace deal without Ukraine involvement BBC (Kevin W)

Dima at Military Summary has a similar rumor, but says the ask came from Treasury Secretary Bessant, which makes more sense:

Update 7:55 AM EST: Confirmed by the Financial Times just after Links went live. Lead story. Ukraine rejects Trump bid to take rights to half its mineral reserves. And Nima had it right:

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered Zelenskyy the deal during a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, which came after Trump suggested the US was owed half a trillion dollars’ worth of Ukraine’s resources in exchange for its assistance to the war-torn country.

Zelenskyy wants American and European security guarantees to be tied directly to any deal on the mineral reserves, according to three people familiar with the US-Ukraine negotiations…

Ukrainian officials asked how the agreement would contribute to their country’s long-term security, but were only told it would ensure an American presence on Ukrainian soil — a vague response that left key questions unanswered, those people said.
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G8 has lost its relevance – Kremlin RT (Kevin W)

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Danger Ramps Up in the Baltics, as War Party Won’t Go Quietly Simplicius. Important.

resilc: “I will bet my last dollar the Ukies staged this false flag after all the Trump news of the day”:

Land grabbing in Ukraine – Western agricultural giants dominate the terrain Hintergrund via machine translation (Micael T)

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UK army too ‘run down’ to lead Ukraine peace mission – ex-chief BBC. The fact that this ex-chief had to clear his throat suggests that he might not have worked out what Aurelien pointed out via e-mail:

It’s a series of ifs, but if Starmer was briefed intelligently and if he understood what he was saying, then he’s talking about the UK participating in some kind of NATO-led long-term security guarantee after peace has broken out. Since the Russians won’t accept that, and since Trump doesn’t seem to envisage it either, it’s a cheque that will never be cashed. I hope it’s just a political move in the upcoming post-Ukraine blame game. I should be horrified if Starmer takes the idea seriously, but you can never tell.

Zelensky’s full speech at Munich Security Conference (2022) Kyiv Independent. Tom W:

I’ve been inclined to think of this speech as one of the proximal causes of the SMO. It was in motion anyway but Russia seems to like to have certain things stated clearly and publicly.

With Rubio being turned around on the way to the same conference 3 years on because his airplane had a fault it seems like a good moment to review it.

Trump 2.0

Donald Trump triggers prospect of global trade war over ‘reciprocal’ tariff plan – increasing risk of tensions and inflation Sky

Despite court orders, Trump administration freezes numerous funds The Hill

Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies STAT

Trump Slashes CDC Workforce Associated Press

Department of Education Halts Thousands of Civil Rights Investigations ProPublica

Democrats call out Trump actions on Tesla, Musk The Hill

DOGE

Lawsuit to Stop Elon Musk From Decimating Government Gets a Tough Judge Gizmodo (Dr. Kevin)

Judge temporarily halts mass firings at CFPB, preserves agency data Politico. A Public Citizen suit!

Elon Musk is failing to cut American spending Economist

3D analysis shows how helicopter pilots could have mixed up jets in DCA crash Washington Post

After Meeting with Trump’s Border Czar, Eric Adams Vows to Return ICE To Rikers Island THE CITY. If it walks like a payoff and quacks like a payoff…

Seventh prosecutor in Eric Adams case resigns and calls out Trump’s former lawyer in scathing letter CNN (Kevin W)

Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn’t rule out removing Eric Adams from office following allegations NYC mayor was involved in ‘quid pro quo’ with DOJ New York Post

Our No Longer Free Press

White House bars AP reporter from Oval Office because of AP style policy on ‘Gulf of America’ Associated Press. Oddly not picked up much by the press until the White House doubled down:

Mr. Market is Moody

US inflation surge dampens Fed rate cut odds Think.ing

‘No signs of slowing’: US egg prices soar as avian flu rips across farms. Financial Times

The world is underestimating the risk of a US recession Telegraph

AI

DHS’s compliance with AI privacy, civil liberties requirements lacking, IG says Biometric Update

Lawyers face judge’s wrath after AI cites made-up cases in fiery hoverboard lawsuit The Register (Chuck L)

The Bezzle

KKR Is Said to Weigh Nissan Investment After Honda Talks End Bloomberg. Looks like trying to catch a falling safe.

Class Warfare

‘No one wants to pay $25 for breakfast’: US restaurants are cracking under inflation Guardian. resilc: “ahoy……general economic collapse. No tax on tips because no tipzzzzzzz.” Moi: “Who has breakfast at restaurants except when traveling and/or having a business breakfast? Maybe the occasional weekend brunch? This seems to be a problem of the at least marginally afflluent.”

Americans are finding it harder and harder to pay off their debt CNN

Antidote du jour. Chet G:

From a sequence of three of a female red-bellied woodpecker. Whereas most woodpeckers go straight to the suet feeder, this female prefers seed or, especially, peanuts. She flies to the primary tree in my yard and hops down (first photo); she selects a peanut (second photo [the one below]); and she hops up the tree (third photo) to a launching point and flies away. A few minutes later she repeats the process (again and again). A woodpecker with personality!

And a bonus (Chuck L):

And a second bonus (Chuck L):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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