Winning the Lottery Makes Men More Likely to Marry. But It Makes Women More Likely to Divorce ZME Science
Climate/Environment
Winter sea ice loss may be underestimated, ancient clues from a warmer Arctic suggest University of Cambridge
Is coal really making a comeback? Grist
Foul Fishmeal Factories: The Stench That Rich Nations Leave Behind The Revelator
PVC Pipes Swept Away by Helene Still Dominate Cleanup of NC River AP
Pandemics
DRC EBOLA OUTBREAK SPREADS TO NEW PROVINCE BORDERING CAR Channel Africa
How I built a COVID-safer school that’s become the heart of a more caring community The Sick Times
Water
Water has emerged as a key issue for Arizona voters ahead of US midterms – governments should take note Chatham House
Arizona Joins Lawsuit Challenging the Federal Government’s Plan for the Colorado River Inside Climate News
China?
China Moves to Prop Up Stocks With Selling Curbs, Buybacks Bloomberg
China is getting more worried about AI risks and national security.
This was the most striking part of China’s new draft export controls on AI and other technologies:
“Technologies proposed for control in this round, such as AI-driven autonomous malware generation and mutation technologies, could be used to attack sensitive systems, including national critical information infrastructure, national defense and military industries, and core government operations, or to circumvent national security defenses. If acquired by non-state actors or malicious entities, these technologies could pose threats to national security and the collective security of humanity.”
Especially that last line: 可能对国家安全和人类共同安全造成危害
— Kyle Chan (@kyleichan) October 17, 2026
Syraqistan
Israeli settlers attack US photographer covering West Bank violence New Arab
The Promise of False Security Larry Johnson
Iraq detains Ukrainian nationals on suspicion of plotting attack on Gulf oil facilities The Cradle
US says Iran barred from maritime trade as pressure campaign targets oil revenue, military funding Anadolu Agency
Iran Ships Some LPG, Jet Fuel Despite US Blockade, Data Shows Reuters
Fog of War Deepens in Hormuz as UKMTO Says Most Ship Attacks Go Unreported gCaptain
BREAKING: The Trump administration reportedly asked Iran for permission to strike Pickaxe Mountain without retaliation, with Donald Trump aiming to launch strikes against Iran within the next 24 hours, according to Iranian IRIB journalist Morteza Ghoroghi.
Ghoroghi wrote that “America asked Iran to allow an attack on Pickaxe Mountain without responding.” He also said Trump’s statements today indicate that war could begin within the next 24 hours, adding that Iran’s military forces are at full readiness to defend the country.
— The Hormuz Report (@HormuzReport) October 17, 2026
Africa
Eritrea’s Coming Crisis? How the Lifting of US Sanctions Might Spell Trouble for Africa’s Most Opaque State African Arguments
How Europe’s most wanted cocaine trafficker turned Sierra Leone into the world’s first true narco state The Guardian
The perceived risk profiles of African economies are changing (and that’s a good thing) Ken Opalo
Old Blighty
Army chief says politicians to start ‘frank conversation’ with public to prepare for war Sky News
Burnham’s life and death decision The Ecologist
European Disunion
EU agrees to fund Ukraine – but not itself Rapporteur
EU open to creating ‘kill switch’ weapon to kick Chinese firms out of market South China Morning Post
Ten lessons from history for Europe’s rearmament Kiel Institut
Rising market power is pushing small business owners towards the radical right London School of Economic and Political Science
New Not-So-Cold War
Trump Signs Order Exempting Russia From Sanctions Legislation New York Times
US-Ukraine rift not affecting weapons Semafor
Starlink Fiasco Heats Up as Zelensky Begs for Billions From Politically Pooped Europe Simplicius
Kaliningrad: Russia’s Nuclear Warnings, Energy (In)Security, and NATO’s Baltic Dilemma Energy Geopolitics & Statecraft
Trump 2.0
5 days of Katie Zacharia: The rapid fall of Trump’s ‘lawyer’ press secretary The Hill
Democrats Suck
AOC and El-Sayed test-drive a national platform for the left Semafor
American Social Democracy Is the Enemy of the Whole World Lukas Unger
Realignment and Legitimacy
So Far, the 119th Congress Is Among the Least Productive of the Past 40 Years Pew Research Center
Why Dan Osborn’s Populist Message Is Landing in the Heartland FERN
Police State Watch
How the Trump Admin. Is Expanding the Definition of ‘Terrorism’ — and What It Means (w/ Dan Boguslaw) Chris Hedges Report
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Groves of Academe
The College Closure Crisis Is Spreading Beyond Campus Governing
Agriculture
American hay growers face triple whammy of drought, pests and high fuel costs KCUR
Economy
Our economy is literally criminal Common Weal
‘Inflation will make people poor’: Airlines brace for years of pain FT
Businesses Slammed by 6.3% PPI Inflation, Worst since 2022, Much Worse than Consumer-Facing Inflation Wolf Street
Guillotine Watch
“They should be afraid.” The tech elite vs the first billionaire wealth tax Blood in the Machine
Imperial Collapse Watch
Feds sold lab equipment that exposed US to ‘severe bioterrorism threat,’ report says CIDRAP
The US military’s race to make fake blood MIT Technology Review
AI
Anthropic offers Blackstone double-digit yield in latest chip financing FT
Why Are Publishers Suing Big Tech With One Hand and Embracing AI With the Other? Lit Hub
Not even Black Mirror could predict this level of dystopia.
A man found out his job interviewer was AI, so he let his own AI take over and walked away, leaving both AIs stuck in an endless goodbye loop. https://t.co/cmxtw3IBxJ
— News to Remember (@allchronology) October 15, 2026
ASML Is Building a Hybrid Bonding Tool! SemiAnalysis
Computers Made of Human Brain Tissue Identify Braille Letters In Breakthrough 404 Media
Class Warfare
North Carolina Turns a Historic School Into Affordable Senior Housing Governing
VA allows union contract to expire for most employees Government Executive
Feeding the Revolution Orion
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
