On the lamb: 50 sheep break away from flock and storm German supermarket The Guardian
Incognito in Delaware Hickman’s Hinterlands
“We’re Too Close to the Debris” ProPublica. “How SpaceX Rockets Put Passenger Planes at Risk”
Detroit suburb agrees to a $3.25 million settlement in the case of woman found alive in a body bag AP
How Did TVs Get So Cheap? Construction Physics
Climate/Environment
First tornado warnings of 2026..
…in January.
Welcome to Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/XtEVtkYMxY— Grumpy Dool (@PCSoonersFan) January 8, 2026
Will “AI Slop” derail a potential revolution in weather forecasting? Balanced Weather
Nearly half of American homeowners want to relocate in 2026 because of extreme weather and other climate concerns The Independent
Locals wanted to rebuild Pacific Palisades, Altadena. Then the big investors moved in Los Angeles Times
Wet-to-Dry Cascades May Increasingly Drive Wildfire Activity in Non-Forested Ecosystems, and Further Amplify the Risk of Urban Interface Fire Disasters, in a Warming Climate Global Change Biology
Plastic pellets known as ‘nurdles’ are polluting beaches and waterways Washington State Standard
The US Power Grid Had A Dirty Year in 2025 Distilled
Keep it in the ground? The Climate Brink
China?
A Tale of Two Ecosystems: Why China Has Not Yet Surpassed the US in Original Innovation Sinification
The price of the Marshall Islands’ universal basic income East Asia Forum
India
Exclusive: India plans to scrap curbs on Chinese firms bidding for government contracts Reuters
Why India-US bilateral trade arrangement is taking so long to conclude Business Standard
Syraqistan
Israel Kills Five Children in Surge of Attacks on Gaza “Safe Zone” Drop Site
An elder is someone who is older than olive trees Hauntologies by Elia Ayoub
***
Chinese Maritime Surveillance Firm Warns of Intensified US Troop Transports Near Iran Inside China
The ongoing military preparations in Iran do not suggest a defensive posture at all.
Over the past 24 hours, Iran has taken steps that indicate offensive preparations.
These include: clearing flight paths and diverting them away from major cities; moving offensive assets toward… pic.twitter.com/nNzCaAknp3
— Ahmed Hassan 🇾🇪 أحمد حسن زيد (@Ahmed_hassan_za) January 8, 2026
Iranian security forces hunt Mossad agents as policemen fall to terror attacks Press TV
US says watching Iran response to protests after millions pour into streets (Live) Iran International. (A UK-based site).
Iran shuts down internet amid protest groundswell – monitoring group RT
First Venezuela, now Iran? Musk sure is in a helpful mood:
After Iran moved to cut internet access amid ongoing unrest, Tamir Morag on Israel’s Channel 14 claimed that Elon Musk enabled free access to Starlink for protesters inside the country.
According to the report, the move was carried out quietly several days ago, with protest…
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) January 8, 2026
Deep Data: Will Pezeshkian’s ‘economic surgery’ save struggling Iranians? Amwaj
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‘The real war is Washington’s’: Senior Ansarallah official exposes US control over Saudi–UAE feud The Cradle
Africa
US suspends assistance to Somalia’s federal government, alleging it seized food aid AP
Zambia ditches the IMF…for now Grieve Chelwa
O Canada
European Disunion
Exclusive: Trump administration mulls payments to sway Greenlanders to join US Reuters
Greenland should hold talks with the US without Denmark, opposition leader says Reuters
Bardella says he will attempt to bring down EU Commission over Mercosur deal Euractiv
New Not-So-Cold War
Russia Goes Oreshnik Again Larry Johnson
Russia Accuses U.S. of ‘Gross Violation’ of Maritime Law in High-Seas Tanker Seizure gCaptain
Shadow Fleet Tanker Diverts to Turkey After Reporting Drone Attack Maritime Executive. China-owned and managed.
South of the Border
WHAT IS TRUMP’S GAMBIT IN VENEZUELA? Seymour Hersh
US oil groups warn they will need guarantees to invest in Venezuela FT. The money quote: ‘“No one wants to go in there when a random fucking tweet can change the entire foreign policy of the country,” said one private equity investor who specialises in energy.’
Trump says he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado NBC News. The deck: The president also said it would be a “great honor” if Machado decided to give him the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year.
Venezuela frees ‘large number’ of prisoners after Maduro abduction TRT World
‘Bullying act’: China slams US demand for exclusive Venezuela oil partnership Press TV
DNI Tulsi Gabbard, Who Ran for President as Anti-‘Regime Change,’ Praises Trump’s Venezuela Operation Decensored News
Trump Threatens Cuba Again and Claims: “I Don’t Need International Law” Telesur
Trump says US ‘going to start now hitting land’ against drug cartels Channel News Asia
Trump 2.0
Senate advances resolution to block Trump from using military in Venezuela The Hill
Trump Tells Fannie, Freddie to Buy $200 Billion of Mortgage Debt Bloomberg
Why Protecting Homebuyers Might Mean Protecting Prices
Stripped of the politics, Trump’s message is that housing is for people, not portfolios.
He’s arguing that affordability has broken down so badly that the government needs to step in and stop large institutional investors… pic.twitter.com/OIwLWhZfFk
— EndGame Macro (@onechancefreedm) January 7, 2026
Also worth noting that private equity also owns over 10% of all U.S. apartments and has been aggressively pursuing buyouts of manufactured housing communities
Police State Watch
Federal agents shoot two people in Portland, police say Oregon Capital Chronicle
Woman killed by ICE agent in Minneapolis was a mother of 3, poet and new to the city MPR
Feds oust Minnesota investigators from ICE shooting probe Minnesota Reformer
Threatening Prosecutions, JD Vance Blames ‘Left-Wing’ Network—Including Media—for ICE Killing Common Dreams
ICE AGENT WHO SHOT RENEE NICOLE GOOD IDENTIFIED AS JONATHAN ROSS The Intercept. Reportedly an Iraq War vet.
Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods 404 Media
SCOOP: Senate Negotiators Eye Another ICE Funding Increase Migrant Insider
Imperial Collapse Watch
The reality of Trump’s cartoonish $1.5 trillion DOD budget proposal Responsible Statecraft
The CRINK supremacy: WWII-era military power flipped as Global South powers take over Intellinews
Is America on Step 1? 11 To Go? America’s Undoing
Just Because They’re Crazy Does Not Mean They Are Not Winning Oliver Boyd-Barrett
Pete Hegseth’s Lawyer Dives into the Bro-Vet Podcast Wars The After-Action Report
Healthcare?
House passes 3-year extension of ObamaCare subsidies The Hill
“Liberation Day”
October Surprise: U.S. Trade Deficit Shrinks to 15-Year Low on Import Collapse Bloomberg
Economy
Important point: 2025 is likely to be the worst year for job growth outside of a recession since 2003 (when hiring was anemic after the Dot Com bust).
We’ll get December data on Friday. It’s likely to show only ~700,000 jobs added in 2025.
[And ~70% of the jobs in 2025 were… pic.twitter.com/3JJRSqtFCU— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) January 8, 2026
This got lost in the shuffle yesterday because of the securities crimes committed by the Trump administration and the whole, you know, brownshirts murder a citizen thing, but the ADP number came in yesterday 20% light.
Nobody in this admin seems to want to talk about how there… pic.twitter.com/IvPxxK2Sri
— BonkDaCarnivore (@BonkDaCarnivore) January 8, 2026
AI
Elon Musk’s xAI under fire for failing to rein in ‘digital undressing’ CNN Business
Does ChatGPT refer with Names? Design Intention and Derivative Reference in Large Language Models Nonsite
How Silicon Valley will eat its AI competitors in 2026 Business Times
The Bezzle
Class Warfare
Released this morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ labor share of income for Q3 2025 is the lowest on record. pic.twitter.com/LvcUIPGHDD
— Mike Konczal (@mtkonczal) January 8, 2026
Knowing Something Better in Your Bones Working Class Storytelling
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
