Skip Kaltenheuser: We Surely Need an Army of Howies Now Down With Tyranny. Howie Klein, R.I.P.
Woman sentenced for accusing her estranged spouse of illegally accessing bank account from outer space KBTX (resilc)
#COVID-19/Pandemics
Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Nature (Dr. Kevin). They really do want to kill us.
Climate/Environment
🐂💩📈
We are changing the climate of our planet faster than in the known history of our world.Methane reached a record high of 1946.5 ppb!
That’s already much higher than the peak of the mid range climate scenario (SSP2-4.5)! https://t.co/d2oklyP8gJ pic.twitter.com/TqPinVkWeZ
— Leon Simons 🌍 (@LeonSimons8) February 11, 2026
Scientists thought they understood global warming. Then the past three years happened. Washington Post
The world is closer than thought to a “point of no return” after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said. Guardian
Despite Eastern U.S. cold, January 2026 was one of the world’s warmest Januaries on record Yale Climate Connection
Three days left: AZ faces deeper Colorado River cuts as federal deadline looms KNXV – Phoenix Scripps
During the Chinese New Year period, a crazy and prolonged super warming will sweep across East Asia. Around February 15th&20th, many parts of China will break the record for the highest temperature in February! @extremetemps pic.twitter.com/udXvWuxNI2
— Jim (@yangyubin1998) February 11, 2026
Tornado frequency in Türkiye increases by approximately 60% due to climate change Anadolu Agency
Climate crisis linked to fall in southern right whale birth rates as researchers raise ‘warning signal’ Guardian
China?
Why China’s central bank won’t save the country from deflation Economist. Note:
Bloomberg, a news agency, reported on February 9th that China’s regulators have warned commercial banks against holding too many American government bonds. Some banks have been told to cut their exposure….
Are fears of Sino-American financial warfare finally coming true? Thankfully not. In guiding its banks, China was not making a fresh geopolitical threat. At most, it was trying to limit the banks’ vulnerability to the many geopolitical threats that already exist. Dollar bonds have been a tempting asset for Chinese lenders, offering higher returns than similar securities at home. But any hit to the dollar could inflict heavy losses on overexposed lenders.
China housing market shows no clear turning point as price declines continue South China Morning Post
Japan
Japan seizes Chinese fishing boat inside its economic waters amid rift with Beijing Guardian
Japan will soon learn how far Takaichi can ride her luck South China Morning Post
Antipodes
Millions of litres lost: fire and drought leave north-east farmers on the brink Stock and Land (Australia)
Africa
Morocco struggles to evacuate thousands amid unprecedented floods Middle East Online
Three Key South African Cities Hit by Water-Supply Shortages Bloomberg
European Disunion
Munich Security Conference Evangelizes European War Simplicius
Wrecking-ball politics German Foreign Politics (Micael T)
France slashes renewable energy targets, expands nuclear power with new law France24
Heating bills have become a disaster for the Baltics Vzglyad via machine translation (Micael T)
Farmers to drive tractors into central Athens for mass protest ekathimerini
Old Blighty
Britain is on course for its weakest decade of growth in a century, according to the latest GDP figures LBC
British bread under threat as wheat fields flooded Telegraph
Palestine Action vindicated in court Asa Winstanley
Ruling against Palestine Action ban is embarrassing defeat for the government Guardian. It’s hard to think the Starmer government can be more embarrassed after Mandelson but general point taken.
“None of Us Knew”: The Classified Epstein Intelligence Trail That Runs Straight Through Starmer’s Defense Sayer Ji
Conflicts of interest Richard Murphy (Colonel Smithers). Aurelien notes:
Technically, the Cabinet Secretary is not likely to approve any contracts: his Department, which is tiny, spends very little money. But it looks bad, insofar as every time her husband gets a contract it will be alleged that she played a role.
I can’t understand why we have come to this: the Cabinet Secretaries of the past were unimpeachable career civil servants who would have been relentlessly security checked since their youth. I have no idea what the world is coming to.
Israel v. The Resistance
The Israeli army launched thermobaric and pressure bombs, supplied by the United States, on Gaza. These bombs, which burn at a temperature of 3,500 degrees Celsius, are capable of killing thousands in seconds, leaving no trace. pic.twitter.com/pZhoIfsazP
— China pulse 🇨🇳 (@Eng_china5) February 12, 2026
Trump hasn’t bombed Iran yet. He must be reading these polls Responsible Statecraft (resilc)
Unusual activities at Iranian nuclear sites; US warships collide in Caribbean Janta Ka Reporter. Good photos of rebuilding of the obliterated nuclear sites.
Syraqistan
US forces complete transfer of thousands of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq The Hill. fk: “Gee, why are all of these monsters headed to Iraq?”
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky rules out referendum on ‘bad deal’ as European leaders gather in Munich Independent
Russia Memo Sees Return to Dollar System in Pitch Made for Trump Bloomberg. Presupposes an agreement to end the war, which is na ga happen.
Is Spring Kiev’s End time? Julian Macfarlane
The Calculus of Conflict: How Russia’s Military Doctrine is Reshaping Modern Warfare [i] Black Mountain Analysis
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses New York Times (resilc). Yet another reason to wear a mask in public.
Dude, where’s my surveillance footage? 404 Media
Ring kills Flock partnership amid surveillance scrutiny The Register
Imperial Collapse Watch
Western countries see World War III coming Politico
Russia and China Are Expanding their Cooperation to Counter US Efforts to Bully Iran and Cuba Larry Johnson
Trump 2.0
The MAGA Bubble Is Imploding Paul Krugman
The US cannot be trusted to lead a critical minerals coalition Financial Times
Trump’s Public/Private Situationships In the Public Interest
Trump to undo legal basis for US climate rules France24
Trump’s Religious Liberties Commission Implodes Over Zionism Ian Welsh (Micael T)
Big Business Has Pam Bondi Fire Trump’s Antitrust Chief Matt Stoller
Tariffs
US House overturns Trump’s Canada tariffs in rare bipartisan rebuke France24
Democrats’ tariff gambit sparks new headaches for Mike Johnson The Hill
Trump tariffs hammer volume of Scotch whisky exports to US Herald Scotland
ICE Rampage
Exclusive: ICE Masks Up in More Ways Than One Ken Klippenstein (Chuck L)
The Watchdog Designed To Keep ICE In Check Is Being Quietly Erased The Lever
BodyCam Footage EXPOSES CBP Lies In Shooting of US Citizen Breaking Views
Democrats have the leverage in the shutdown over ICE G. Elliott Morris
If ICE Pulls You Over, Say These 4 Words Immediately (LAWYER Explains) YouTube. Sadly, news you can use. There are others in this genre, but this one is short and hammers in what to say.
MAHA
How pediatricians found themselves at war with RFK Jr. STAT
L’affaire Epstein
Bondi faces MAGA media backlash after hearing on Epstein The Hill
🚨 Massie just said what GOP leadership has been terrified to admit:
“The Speaker, the Attorney General, the FBI Director, the President, and the Vice President could’ve spared our party months of humiliation if they’d done the right thing four months ago.”
They knew.
They… pic.twitter.com/TdrYsemhX8— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) February 13, 2026
A Play-By-Play Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Staggering Financial Illiteracy Racket News. Again confirming that all it takes to look like a brilliant investor is inside information
Economy
Secular Shifts In Employment Brian Romanchuk
Detroit Automakers Take $50 Billion Hit as EV Bubble Bursts Wall Street Journal
Trade bellwether Singapore says global ‘fragility’ will hit economy Financial Times
Mr. Market is Edgy
Rally in corporate bonds prompts ‘bubble’ fears Financial Times
Beware the private-credit dark money infecting Wall Street Globe & Mail
AI
Anthropic Declares $20 Million War On OpenAI Futurism
Seedance, Kling and the Chinese AI Video Ecosystem China Talk
Guillotine Watch
‘A different set of rules’: thermal drone footage shows Musk’s AI power plant flouting clean air regulations Guardian (Kevin W)
Class Warfare
US Household Debt Hits Fresh Record Trading Views
Is MAGA pushing the Catholic Church to the left? Vox
NYC still struggling to replace emergency housing vouchers set to expire under Trump Gothamist
Antidote du jour. Mark T: “Carmine Bee-eater.”
A bonus:
Front porch cow.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/wQ49RCkqYB
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) February 14, 2026
A second bonus:
She put a camera on her cat to find out how many friends he has, and found this.pic.twitter.com/Mo5i6S0aRa
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 12, 2026
And a third:
This is beyond awesome
pic.twitter.com/0eo99vhyzz— Science girl (@sciencegirl) February 12, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
