Woodpeckers Use Tennis Player ‘Grunting’ Trick To Drill Trees StudyFinds
Social identification with a team boosts fans’ social well-being EurekAlert
Can Visiting an Art Gallery Lower Your Stress Levels and Improve Your Health? Smithsonian Magazine
Climate/Environment
Northern Lights dazzle all the way to the Gulf Coast as major solar storm impacts Earth Balanced Weather
CO2 to hit record in 2025, key temperature limit could be reached in 4 years: Study Straits Times
The sinister alchemy that puts lead into Zambian children’s veins The Continent
Pandemics
PUPIL ATTENDANCE & ILLNESS
The government & media seem to believe that the significant rise in pupil absence compared to pre-pandemic is primarily driven by truancy.
They don’t seem to believe there is a GENUINE increase in illness.
So let’s take a closer look at the data… 🔎 pic.twitter.com/xvHkQZR05G
— Cat in the Hat 🐈⬛ 🎩 🇬🇧 (@_CatintheHat) November 12, 2025
Japan
Deepening chill with China over Taiwan Observing Japan
Stagflation Creates Policy Dilemmas, Conflict Between Takaichi and BOJ Japan Economy Watch
Japan and Europe come together in support of Taiwan Intellinews
China?
Europe’s carmakers face ‘devastating’ chip crisis as Nexperia supply crunch continues FT
What’s the $13 bn bitcoin hack that China blames US for? Firstpost
China buys more Brazil soybeans as US purchases stall Farmer’s Advance
🇨🇳🇺🇸China Hatches Plan to Keep U.S. Military From Getting Its Rare-Earth Magnets
China is reportedly planning to ease the flow of rare earths and other restricted materials to the U.S. by implementing a “validated end-user” (VEU) system that excludes companies with ties to the… pic.twitter.com/Q5ozBfJIuT— CN Wire (@Sino_Market) November 11, 2025
India
Putin to visit India on Dec 5 as ties deepen, says Russia-India forum host Business Standard
Syraqistan
Rescue Teams Dig Up Over 50 Bodies Buried in Shallow Graves in Courtyard of Gaza City Clinic Drop Site
Israeli crowd applauds soldiers accused of raping Palestinian prisoner Middle East Eye
US to build internment-style camps for Palestinians in Israeli-controlled Gaza The Cradle
Navy Considers Base for 10,000 Near Gaza Without US Troops Bloomberg
Trump Formally Asks Israel’s President to ‘Fully Pardon’ Netanyahu in Corruption Case Haaretz
Israel is building a ‘land grab wall’ deep inside southern Lebanon as air strikes continue The New Arab
“The terrorist(s) in the White House.” Patrick Lawrence, The Floutist
European Disunion
Europe’s fiscal–geopolitical vicious circle German Institute for International and Security Affairs
IMF calls for radical reform of the European welfare state WSWS
Far right cheers as von der Leyen’s party abandons centrist coalition over green rules Politico
Leader of far-right AfD suggests Poland as great a threat to Germany as Russia Notes from Poland
New Not-So-Cold War
The scandal that could bring down Volodymyr Zelensky The Spectator
As I said, NABU, which went against Zelensky’s cronies, is US proxy in Ukraine: “NABU detectives met with a new FBI agent in connection with the Mindich case, sources say. Yesterday, detectives at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine met with the new FBI officer, who… pic.twitter.com/vKjqH1nu6d
— Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) November 12, 2025
How Far Will Ukraine’s Corruption Scandal Go? Andrew Korybko
Germany to funnel more cash into Ukraine’s corruption-plagued energy sector RT
Norway reportedly considers sovereign fund collateral for EU’s €140bn Ukraine loan Intellinews
Germany inches close to agreement on contentious military service but questions remain Euronews
Gas gangrene returns to Ukraine in echoes of First World War trench warfare The Telegraph
Russia Officially Introduces New Branch of the Armed Forces: Unmanned Systems Forces Simplicius
TED POSTOL: Burevestnik Missile & Poseidon Torpedo, What We Know Daniel Davis / Deep Dive (Video)
Africa
Sudan relief operations are on the brink of collapse, UN agency warns AP
The Caucasus
Speculation of sabotage, projectile grows as Turkey investigates military plane crash Turkish Minute
South of the Border
Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break CNN. When you’ve lost the UK (if report is true).
Russia denies Venezuela sought military aid and rejects U.S. ‘war on drugs’ justification Brasil de Fato
Migration from Venezuela Anti-Empire Project
Argentina’s US$870-million boost of IMF holdings points to US aid Buenos Aires Times
L’affaire Epstein
Epstein email says Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ but White House says release is a Democratic smear AP
More House Republicans Consider Defying Trump In Upcoming Epstein Files Vote NOTUS
Epstein Geopolitics Un-Diplomatic
Trump 2.0
ICE, National Guard Deployments Just the Beginning Ken Klippenstein
These Wall Street titans are expected at Trump’s White House dinner tonight CBS News. Last night.
Five Questions for IRS CEO Frank Bisignano Can We Still Govern?
Breaking: DOJ Signals CFPB Funding May Lapse in Early 2026 After Justice Department Legal Opinion Concludes Fed Losses Block Transfers Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor
***
Trump organization requested record number of foreign workers in 2025 The Hill
Trump doubles down on plan for 600,000 Chinese student visas despite MAGA backlash Fox News
“Liberation Day”
US Treasury chief says ‘substantial’ tariff relief coming to coffee, banana prices Anadolu Agency
CHART OF THE DAY: While most of the critical minerals talk in the US is about rare earths, something far more important is happening:
US aluminum all-in costs have surged to a record as traders/smelters demand huge physical premia on top of LME prices due to Trump’s tariffs. pic.twitter.com/kxoE9BNVcs
— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) November 12, 2025
Shutdown Deal
Shutdown Deal Kills Food Safety Rules The Lever
MAHA
Vance, RFK Jr. to mingle with health execs, influencers at DC MAHA summit The Hill. Closed to public and the press.
Democrats en déshabillé
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff arrested in FBI public corruption probe The Sacramento Bee. Federal authorities reportedly approached her seeking help with probe into Newsom.
Progressive Wilson on the brink of victory in nail-biter Seattle mayoral race Salon
Police State Watch
Fullerton police stop man pointing gun at female driver, only to learn he is ICE agent Los Angeles Times
Imperial Collapse Watch
The Dark Crusade of “Little” Wars The Realist Review
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE Protean Magazine
Should a war hero be deported? The complex dilemma around one convicted vet. Christian Science Monitor
‘Nuremberg’: Can You Diagnose Evil? MedPage Today
AI
Exclusive: Here’s How Much OpenAI Spends On Inference and Its Revenue Share With Microsoft Edward Zitron
The Ecological Cost of AI Is Much Higher Than You Think Truthdig
Natural gas will “dominate” electricity supply for U.S. data centers, according to the World Energy Outlook 2025. pic.twitter.com/mSTNFvHO6x
— Richard Meyer (@RichardMeyerDC) November 12, 2025
Data Centers in Nvidia’s Hometown Stand Empty Awaiting Power Bloomberg
Economy
Car loan delinquencies are surging. Here’s what to do if you’re falling behind. Yahoo! Finance
Mr. Market Soaring Blind
White House says October jobs and inflation data may never be released because of the shutdown CNBC
Dow scores first close above 48,000, buoyed by expected end of government shutdown CNBC
Class Warfare
Stocks Aren’t Salvation Hamilton Nolan
Notice how they tell you to hate SNAP recipients, but never the people who have built SNAP subsidies into their low-wage business model? That’s because the owners of the businesses also pay professional propagandists to tell you who to hate. pic.twitter.com/1VRewxixDc
— Russell Dobular (@russelldobular) November 12, 2025
Rise in premature deaths prevents Americans from reaching age of Medicare eligibility, study finds McKnights
Meditation upon a Cannoli Hickman’s Hinterlands
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
