Links 3/22/2025 | naked capitalism - The Financial Observer

Octopus jumps shark and goes for a experience on its again Guardian. resilc” “Higher on prime than inside.’

Bald eagle went viral for safeguarding his ‘RockBaby.’ He simply died in Missouri storms Kansas Metropolis Star. resilc: “An omen for Trump.”

Why don’t we keep in mind being a child? New examine gives clues ScienceDaily (Kevin W). I do have a reminiscence of trying via wood crib bars.

#COVID-19/Pandemics

The US gov is scapegoating hashish use so that they dont need to admit covid is inflicting mass coronary heart assaults lmao pic.twitter.com/JPpKKOlCOk

— 🎨Artsy M*rxist 🎨 (commissions waitlist open) (@ArtsyMarx1st) March 21, 2025

For H5N1 BirdFlu to grow to be a human pandemic it wants to vary from a virus environment friendly at infecting birds guts (and spreading via chook droppings) to at least one environment friendly at infecting human noses and lungs (and spreading via the air). The next mutations of the PB2 and HA… pic.twitter.com/qlBrsYJdd6

— Dr Richard Hirschson (@richardhirschs1) March 22, 2025

Local weather/Setting

Extra Than 150 ‘Unprecedented’ Local weather Disasters Struck World in 2024, Says UN Guardian

Worldwide name to droop genetically modified wheat Rise up by way of machine translation (Micael T)

E-Waste Recycling Innovation Might Remodel Lithium Markets OilPrice

China?

China’s EV Increase Is Dangerous For U.S.Tech CrazyStupidTech. resilc: “Why Silconjob valley is shifting into ez DoD cash……..”

CONFIRMED: China constructed and has dropped at full energy the world’s first-ever thorium-containing molten salt reactor, the TMSR-LF1. Preliminary criticality occurred on Oct 11, 2023. Full energy on June 17, 2024. Pa-233 from thorium was detected Oct 8, 2024.

It is the primary MSR to run… pic.twitter.com/7DdWqoxs4x

— Nick Touran (@whatisnuclear) March 21, 2025

China is just too far forward of the second place nation.This statistical chart can solely be designed this fashion👇😂 pic.twitter.com/oKQtKZJXXs

— ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) March 21, 2025

South of the Border

Venezuela Rejects Canada’s Sanctions, Accuses Ottawa of Appearing as a “51st U.S. State” TeleSUR (Micael T)

European Disunion

EU : dictatorship with out borders CocoetteMinute

EU capital flight tops $300 billion – European Council president RT. Micael T: “Oh, it’s just like the oligarchy-run Russia earlier than US turned off Swift. Capital flight was the secret.”

I dont know if there’s a kill change within the F35’s or not. We clearly cannot take your phrase for it.

As one of many choice makers behind Denmark’s buy of F35’s, I remorse it.

The USA can definitely disable the planes by easy stopping the provision of spare components. They… https://t.co/rDucWMUXDz

— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) March 19, 2025

The EU Elite Additionally Needs Entry to Non-public Financial savings Finn Andressen (Micael T)

THE FOOD GIANT’S WINNING RECIPE – HIGH PRICES AND LOW WAGES Proletaren by way of machine translation (Micael T)

Outdated Blighty

Heathrow says it would resume ‘some flights later at present’ and hopes to run full operation on Saturday BBC. I used to be a volcano refugee in London in 2010. I used to be exceedingly fortunate in that my very beneficiant host, Richard Smith, was fully cool about my extending my keep (even higher, he was a glider and knew the right way to learn climate maps, and so may give an excellent estimate as to when issues may clear up). I can’t think about what it will be prefer to be stranded and need to scramble for a spot to remain.

Brexit a key consider worst UK medication shortages in 4 years, report says Guardian (resilc)

British Submarines “Succesful” of Destroying 40 Russian Cities – However Can They?

Former Royal Navy Rear Admiral Chris Parry claimed that British submarines, armed with Trident ballistic missiles, may wipe out 40 Russian cities.

“That’s one thing to consider. These missiles… pic.twitter.com/CMXkpWIo7I

— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) March 21, 2025

The Telegraph, LOL)) Andrei Martyanov (guurst). Extra on UK army efficiency fantasies.

Operation Unthinkable: Churchill’s prime secret plan to invade Russia Telegraph (Robin Ok)

Israel v. The Resistance

“The ovens are chilly. The world is colder.”

The Israeli army has blocked meals and all assist because the starting of March in Gaza.

Hunger as weapon of warfare and elimination. https://t.co/tqxd3Z6UtL

— Nicola Perugini (@PeruginiNic) March 21, 2025

Lives shattered in Tulkarem amid Israel’s escalating army assault within the West Financial institution Mondoweiss (guurst)

On Peter Beinart, “Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza” Juan Cole. resilc:

No Saving Grace: The politically organized Jewish collective is sweepingly for the genocide, slaughter and ethnic cleaning of Palestine Alon Mizrahi

Nonetheless, calls to excommunicate anti-Zionists “from inside the Jewish individuals” have gotten more and more insistent. “In a lot of the Jewish world at present, rejecting Jewish statehood is a larger heresy than rejecting Judaism itself. … We’ve constructed an altar and thrown a complete [Palestinian] society on the flames” (p. 102).

* * *

Geography Willian Schreyer. Essential.

Warfare on Iran Would Be No Cakewalk American Conservative

New Not-So-Chilly Warfare

Trump needs a deal — not peace. Julian Macfarlane

Understanding Why Russia Gained’t Settle for a “everlasting” Ceasefire Larry Johnson

High Trump allies maintain secret talks with Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian opponents Worldwide Affairs. resilc: “Perhaps these kleptocrats use much less cocaine than the present idiot, however a flip in the direction of peace with Russia it ain’t.”

UK to host additional army planning periods on Ukraine Politico (Kevin W)

Head of Russian Nationwide Guard IT Middle Arrested in Moscow in Fraud Case Kommersant by way of machine translation. Micael T: “In Russia they’re arrested. Within the collective West, they grow to be Bundeskansler or Ministry of Well being in Germany or President of the European Fee.”

Fixing the Drone Dilemma: Can Russia Succeed? Simplicius. Essential however paywalled. He normally gives a giant chunk without cost.

Turkiye

Tense protests develop in Turkey over Istanbul mayor’s detention Reuters (Kevin W)

Imperial Collapse Watch

Sinking ship: US undersea nuclear deterrent’s plunging credibility Asia Instances (Kevin W)

Trump to announce new Air Power contract for next-gen fighter jet Searching for Alpha. resilc: “The F-35 doesn’t work so why one other, particularly when drones are the present and future……….”

Trump 2.0

“To cross that rubicon [of defying court rulings] is a giant ‘no, no'” for People. This courtroom subject is a giant loser for Trump.

The idea that Trump should observe courtroom orders is extra well-liked than Mom Teresa: 84% of all adults, 92% of Dems, 82% of Indies & 79% of the GOP. pic.twitter.com/viRxH66YUO

— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) March 19, 2025

America’s Financial Exceptionalism Is on Skinny Ice New York Instances. resilc: “On skinny ice? The place has this particular person been within the final 50 yearzzzzz?”

The Nice Demolition Persuasion. Micael T: “This isn’t trustworthy. The deconstruction of the New Deal began earlier. Trump just isn’t altering something, simply radicalizing the trajectory.”

Medical faculty advocates warn Trump order may impede aspiring medical doctors The Hill

Authorized consultants say Trump official broke regulation by saying ‘Purchase Tesla’ inventory however don’t anticipate a crackdown Related Press

Trump escalates threats in opposition to those that destroy Tesla autos Washington Submit (Kevin W)

Elon Musk visits Pentagon after bombshell studies on entry to China warfare plans Axios

US legal professional normal to deliver prices for Tesla harm, citing ‘home terrorism’ Guardian (resilc)

J.D. Vance Is the Most Disliked New Vice President in Historical past Washington Month-to-month

Trump on collision course with GOP protection hawks over NATO The Hill

DOGE

Machiavelli warned {that a} prince may kill a person’s father and nonetheless retain authority, however not take his patrimony. Threatening Social Safety is worse than that. And sure, it does have an effect on youthful individuals by decreasing inheritances and/or main some to spend extra to help getting older mother and father.

From an alert reader:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/21/social-security-benefits-trump-doge/

[https://archive.is/fEieS]

Dudek initially informed information retailers, together with in a Friday interview with The Washington Submit, that the decide’s choice to bar delicate knowledge entry to “DOGE associates” was overly broad and that to conform, he might need to dam nearly all SSA staff from accessing the company’s laptop methods.

And from the Division of Schadenfreude:

As Dudek contemplated whether or not to halt company operations, many headquarters workplaces in Woodlawn, Maryland, have been thrown into chaos. The DOGE staff of a few dozen software program engineers have been denied entry to the constructing and to their authorities laptop computer computer systems on Dudek’s order, leaving their standing on Microsoft Groups “Unknown,” as if that they had stop or retired, stated one worker, who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly.

The important thing level:

As for the remainder of the company’s greater than 50,000 claims processors, name heart staff, incapacity hearings workers and different workers, “How are they not DOGE-affiliated?” Dudek requested.

Dudek can take that view in consequence of DOGE being a Bolshevik-style parallel construction to the present authorities construction, relatively like am epiphypte or a most cancers. Thankfully, not less than for social safety recipients, the decide disagreed. Right here is the restraining order, which is a corker:

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.577321/gov.uscourts.mdd.577321.48.0.pdf

The order’s definition of “affiliate” is Part 10(b), picture hooked up:

I feel Dudek is incorrect in his interpretation of “affiliated”, though IANAL, as a result of affiliate doesn’t imply random connection however implies an authority relation or a enterprise relation:

https://content material.subsequent.westlaw.com/practical-law/doc/I03f4d935eee311e28578f7ccc38dcbee/Affiliate

https://dictionary.justia.com/affiliated

https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/affiliation-and-contribution-limits/

Therefore, in the event you’re within the DOGE chain of command, or implementing “the DOGE agenda” (presumably acknowledged within the Government Order) you might be “affiliated” with DOGE.

“any individuals working, straight or not directly, in live performance with any of the above people”

Take Dudek. He cooperated with DOGE, earlier than he received fired (then rehired and promoted), to get them knowledge. I’d say that makes him an “affiliate” though *straight*. That is actually wise, if the decide needs to construct a firewall between personally identifiable SSA knowledge and DOGE; you’d need each events of the information trade on the surface of the firewall, provided that the SSA particular person handing over the information “confirmed keen” to interrupt no matter guidelines, rules, and statutes DOGE is breaking (relatively like a receiver of stolen items). So we would conceptualize the firewall as going “one diploma of separation” out from DOGE (that being the tissue, to proceed the most cancers metaphor, to be excised).

However what about “not directly”? If that means any variety of levels out from DOGE, then Dudek’s interpretation is colorable, however I feel “in live performance” (i.e., sharing “the DOGE agenda”) takes care of that downside. “Not directly” may very well be two or extra levels out, but it surely’s as if one a part of the DOGE tumor have been notably malignant and needed to be traced additional to be reduce out; but it surely doesn’t indicate (Dudek’s interpretation) that the most cancers has metastatized to your complete physique (that’s, your complete SSA).

This will account for the climbdown. Hoisted from feedback:

It seems like Dudek has backed down for now:

Immediately, the Court docket issued clarifying steerage concerning the Non permanent Restraining Order (TRO) associated to DOGE staff and DOGE actions on the Social Safety Administration (SSA). Subsequently, I’m not shutting down the company. President Trump helps retaining Social Safety workplaces open and getting the suitable examine to the suitable particular person on the proper time. SSA staff and their work will proceed beneath the TRO.

For many People, not getting their Social Safety examine would imply not with the ability to afford lease, groceries, their remedy—or all three!

However a billionaire cupboard secretary is saying in the event you complain about not getting the advantages you have EARNED, you are a fraudster. pic.twitter.com/IdeqF3nq64

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) March 21, 2025

Casar: You’ll be able to rapidly clarify Doge with simply two numbers.

First: $8 million a day. That’s how a lot Elon Musk collects in federal authorities contracts.

Second: $65 a day. That’s how a lot the common senior—somebody who has labored their whole life—will get from Social Safety.… pic.twitter.com/kjAATxP7E0

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 22, 2025

Accenture is DOGE’s first company casualty as shares dive on warning that contracts will probably be reduce CNBC (Li). Sorry, no. Tesla is.

GOP Clown Automotive

Texas’s GOP Governor Can Arbitrarily Deny Democrats a Seat in Congress Till Subsequent Yr Intercept

States of Denial: Authorities transparency spotty within the states, and worsening Iowa Capital Dispatch (Robin Ok)

Immigration

French scientist denied entry to US over views on Trump’s insurance policies Center East Eye (Kevin W)

U.S. to revoke authorized standing of greater than a half-million migrants, urges them to self deport CBS (Robin Ok)

Trump admin needs undocumented immigrants to return ahead. What do NY attorneys say? Gothamist

Our No Longer Free Press

UK MP Questions Whether or not Elon Musk and JD Vance’s Criticism of Censorship Legal guidelines Could Represent “Overseas Interference” Reclaim the Internet (Micael T)

Groves of Academe

“I am ready to listen to whether or not I will probably be one other particular person thrown to the lions”

Columbia professor Bruce Robbins reveals {that a} formal investigation has been launched by the college after he took his class to one of many encampments final yr.

Watch➡: https://t.co/wVP081r9Ys pic.twitter.com/NJWdCzrXbz

— Center East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) March 20, 2025

Columbia agrees to Trump calls for in effort to get again federal funding Politico (Kevin W)

Universities are caving to Trump with a surprising pace and scope Politico (resilc)

Police State Watch

Lengthy Vary Acoustic System (LRDA) [i] Black Mountain Evaluation

Crapification

Southwest flight virtually takes off from taxiway — not runway — at Florida airport ABC (Kevin W)

Class Warfare

Shareholder Energy and Employees’ Labor Market Outcomes Federal Reserve Financial institution of Chicago. resilc: “By no means ’nuff for the oligarchy.”

Medicaid Is a Center-Class Profit. Right here’s What to Know. New York Instances (resilc)

Antidote du jour (by way of):

And a bonus (Robin Ok):