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It’s “A Cat-astrophe”! (1919) Public Domain Review
Nazi Germany had no hope of making an atomic bomb, uranium cubes reveal Science
Climate/Environment
At what point are we allowed to say the climate system is broken?
I certainly feel like a broken record.
July: hottest on record.
August: hottest on record.
September: hottest on record.
And looking at this forecast… October is already raising eyebrows. https://t.co/IqK640cNv8
— The Global Warmer🔥 (@TheGlobalWarmer) October 5, 2026
The world without solar and wind? The Climate Brink
Pandemics
Russian authorities have surely sequenced the Irkutsk pathogen, but refuse to identify it.
Physical lockdown indicates it cannot be controlled with prophylactic antibiotics, implying engineered pan-resistance or that it isn’t plague at all.
2/4
— Kevin Esvelt (@kesvelt) October 5, 2026
New York declares statewide disaster emergency as measles cases rise France24
PMC COVlD Update, Oct 5, 2026
(🧵1/5)
◾️Levels peaked at ≈610,000 estimated new daily infections in mid Sep
◾️36 states still with known outbreaks
◾️13th COVlD wave
Details:
The US has at least 36 states and territories with COVlD outbreaks. The apparent wave peak has passed, but transmission remains high across much of the country. States with observed outbreaks include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawai’i, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. There are likely outbreaks in additional states. The summary statistic only includes counties with observed data, rather than estimated data. For example, Arkansas, DC, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin likely have outbreaks, but monitoring is poor.
Use Layered COVlD Safety:
◾️Get boosted ASAP, especially if high transmission nearby. Novavax has a lower side effect profile than other boosters and comparable effectiveness.
◾️Mask up with a well-fitting N95 respirator.
◾️Improve air hygiene: Open windows, flip the HVAC from auto to on, shut off the car’s recirculation ‘feature,’ add air purifiers, and / or use air quality monitors.
◾️Test daily when sick, exposed, or gathering, and stay home when sick.
◾️Monitor your blood pressure to reduce the risk of surprise post-acute cardiovascular sequelae.
◾️Spread accurate information by sending dashboard screenshots to family, checking the public health credentials and experience of information sources, and avoiding sharing ‘miracle’ interventions.
— Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA (@michael_hoerger) October 6, 2026
Japan
Takaichi decries alleged Okinawa murder by U.S. Marine, urges cooperation Kyodo News
China?
Huawei and Qualcomm sign broad patent licensing deal TechWire Asia
Asia
World Bank Warns Asia Is Running Out of Money to Fight Energy Shock OilPrice
India
Indian Supreme Court demands government answers on voter purge Asia Times
Syraqistan
Israeli occupation forces near completion of ‘massive trench’ to partition Gaza: Report The Cradle
CIA Report Warns Israel Could Head Toward Civil War, Total Collapse Capital & Empire
Israel Was Ready To Shoot Down Flydubai Jet if It Kept Course for Tel Aviv: Report Open the Magazine
***
If true, it is not bad news. That will force Iraq to be engaged in a war with israel and the entire region will be engaged as one front.
https://t.co/p1wvMgxiMc
— Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 (@ejmalrai) October 5, 2026
***
🚨BREAKING: Yemen Has Recaptured All The Areas Temporarily Seized By Saudi Proxy Militias Earlier Today
Bab al-Mandeb is securely under the control of the Sana’a Ansarallah-led government.
Despite the use of 100 fighter jets & thousands of fighters in a surprise attack, their proxies were unable to hold any territory.
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) October 5, 2026
Marwa Osman : Joint statement by the “Mecca Alliance” Soverignista
Türkiye, Pakistan commit forces to Saudi Arabia after emergency Mecca Alliance talks Turkiye Today
Trump promises to please Erdoğan when asked about Turkey sanctions Turkish minute
Saudi Arabia World Cup 2034 plans hit by major blow as $2.5bn Neom stadium project suspended GOAL
Africa
Inside Somaliland: The Israel-Turkey clash coming to the Horn of Africa Middle East Eye
Old Blighty
US withdrew bombers from UK airbase over Iranian ‘Spider Web’ style drone threat: Report Firstpost
UK ‘threatening to expel 27 Israeli diplomats’ over E. Jerusalem consulate closure New Arab
Worst ever outbreak of bluetongue hits British farms Guardian
O Canada
PM Mark Carney pledged to ‘Buy Canadian.’ Since then, $7.8 billion in contracts went to American corporations Toronto Star
Quebec separatists vow independence vote after provincial election win France24
European Disunion
Ex-chief of German intelligence service arrested for espionage DPA International
Reports claim Trump tried to change Poland’s government. What do we know? Notes from Poland
Germany to set up first drone regiment next year, modeled after Ukraine war lessons Defense News
German applications for military service refusal rise DPA International
Tens of thousands join French student protests in Paris Al Mayadeen
Ben Wray – The housing movement has transformed Spanish politics, and might save Sánchez on 29 November Brave New Europe
Macron and Merz Want a European Trade “Kill Switch”-But China Holds the Rare-Earth Counterweapon Rare Earth Exchanges
This must be the biggest fail of #EU diplomacy this year !
The much-awaited French-German position paper on EU’s China policy has leaked from all directions, in different versions, one even signed by the two presidents !
And the EU leadership is nowhere to be seen on this supposedly history-changing moment.
This “leak” either means that there is some serious resistance to the text from within the EU commission and European chancelleries, and that some high-ranking officers have leaked the document hoping to nip it in the bud.
Or worse, it could be a pathetic attempt at changing the Chinese position before trade negotiations, by organizing the fake “leak” of a history-changing document that makes it sound like France and Germany see eye-to-eye on that topic (that would be a first) and have mustered the courage to confront their biggest supplier and export market.
Let’s see how much ripple this two-pager will make in the coming weeks.
But it has demonstrated one thing already : how desperate the EU’s position is and how headless this group is.
#FrenchGermanPaper
— Laurent Michelon (@LAURENTMICHEL0N) October 6, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
Overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow among largest in two years TASS
Peace populists? Events in Ukraine
Russia’s Communists in rare Moscow anti-government demonstration, chant Navalny’s “crooks and thieves” slogan Intellinews
CIA Director John Brennan Pressed Ukraine Government To Use Force in Donbass in April 2014 Covert Action Magazine
Putin’s dirty tricks reach Finnish lavatories The Telegraph. Are we approaching peak hybrid war yet?
Chokepoints
Five Hormuz Incidents Reported Monday as Tanker Attacks Mount gCaptain
Turkish grain ship sinks in Black Sea after deadly drone attack Euronews
Arctic sea routes boom as Gulf war and global warming divert shipping Traders Union
Hackers Breached Propulsion System of US-Bound Oil Tanker Bloomberg
L’affaire Epstein
Whistleblower who flagged Lutnick’s links to Epstein dies The Banker
South of the Border
Coast Guard Returns Fire on US-Mexico Border as Hundreds of Troops Pour Into Rio Grande Valley Military.com
Mexico asks US for evidence of alleged gunfire from Mexican territory as joint border patrols begin Anadolu Agency
US Army tests counter-drone tech at Mexican border as cartel drone use rises Defense News
Trump 2.0
Military Mobilizes for Upcoming Elections Ken Klippenstein
Trump approval ratings plummet to new low, polls show The Guardian
Kristi Noem’s Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She Left New York Times
Trump Says to Let Iran ‘Take Out’ Los Angeles, San Diego in Nebraska Speech MTN
Trump says he will pay for ‘Patriotic Ads’ himself after facing backlash from Democrats The Hill
GOP Funhouse
Let me help you with his headline:
Compromised pedophile who then became the most important Congressman at a pivotal moment in American history (99-07) finally dies and goes to hell.
In other words, key pieces of legislation that eroded or completely nerfed American civil liberties, led to the murder of countless civilians abroad, and transferred public wealth to criminal banks were passed under the care of an almost certainly blackmailed pedophile.
— Whitney Webb (@_whitneywebb) October 5, 2026
Imperial Collapse Watch
Up Against the Wall The Baffler
Economy
Heating oil costs projected to jump nearly $900 this winter WMUR
Aiming at fuel costs, Trump opens tax-exempt ‘red dye’ diesel to all drivers NBC News
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
The Higher Authority of Global Internet Ola Tunander (Micael T). Today’s must read.
Police State Watch
The Dignity Act calls for more concentration camps. Jenn Budd
DHS buys fifth private detention site since July, adding GEO’s Adelanto complex Project Salt Box
The Supremes
Supreme Court Justices Skeptical of Big Oil Bid to ‘Escape Trial for Climate Deception’ Common Dreams
AI
Private-credit worries spur Fed review Semafor
A Budding Consensus on AI Revenues, and Some Thoughts on the AI Labs IPOs Jared Bernstein
Brighter isn’t better and more is less. The AI slowdown is nigh, no matter who says what The Register
Don’t be fooled—LLMs don’t reason MIT Technology Review (Micael T)
I, too, think we should invent books.
— David Moscrop (@David_Moscrop) October 5, 2026
Are We Back Inside Plato’s Cave? The Culturist
The Bezzle
A Prediction Market About the Past? Sure, Why Not! Wired
“U.S. property and casualty insurers reported $31.2 billion of underwriting profits for the first half of this year, nearly triple the $10.9 billion for the same period last year, according to a report last month from rating firm AM Best. Higher premiums and lower payouts on claims helped drive the profits upturn, the report said.”
Why do tolerate this kind of behavior by insurance carriers? What’s the point of collecting a premium if the probability of payouts in the event of an accident is a coin toss? That’s not insurance, that’s a scam.
— Hal Singer (@halsinger) October 5, 2026
Koreans Left With Spoiled Food Due To Borked Samsung Firmware Update For ‘Smart’ Fridges TechDirt
Class Warfare
‘A Devastating Gut Punch’: New Trump-GOP Cuts to Food Aid Take Effect Amid High Grocery Prices Common Dreams
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
