How SOS Became the Universal Distress Signal Laughing Squid
Dictionary.com’s word of the year is ‘6-7.’ But is it even a word? AP
Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation Phys.org
Climate/Environment
The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink BioScience
Global tree cover loss due to fires surged by 370% compared to 2023 Down to Earth
2 dead after being found in flooded basements as New York City sees record rainfall CBS New York
IMF ready to help Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa if needed The Gleaner
Bill Gates calls for ‘strategic pivot’ in climate change fight away from curbing emissions NBC News
I wanted to offer some thoughts on the Gates climate memo that has been circulating this week. While I can’t directly speak for others, I can say that my own response is one of dismay & deep frustration (and that this view is shared by many climate/Earth scientists). [1/n]
— Dr. Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) October 30, 2025
Pandemics
Asymptomatic Human Infections With Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Confirmed by Molecular and Serologic Testing JAMA Network
‘Suck it up, keep going’? A critical disabilities analysis with strategic recommendations for supporting the wellbeing among people living with long COVID Critical Public Health
Wave of RSV, particularly dangerous for babies, washing over U.S.; doctors urge vaccination Los Angeles Times
Monkeys on overturned truck were not infected with hepatitis C, herpes and COVID, university says WLBT
Historians smell a rat over beaked plague doctor masks The Times
China?
Trump-Xi Face Off for All the Marbles in South Korea Simplicius
Trump no-show at big Asian economic forum may risk US reputation in region AP
The Koreas
South Korea pledges $350bn investment in the US Intellinews
South Korea’s 30-year quest for nuclear subs pays off. What comes next? Breaking Defense
India
India races to reform financial sector as foreigners pull $17 billion Economic Times
India’s $3.9 billion plan to help Modi’s mogul ally after U.S. charges WaPo
Old Blighty
Toxin levels in fish lead to calls for UK-wide ban on mercury dental fillings The Guardian
Syraqistan
Israel bombs Khan Younis despite affirming ceasefire commitment New Arab
Rafah hoax: Netanyahu’s pretext for Gaza bloodshed Al Mayadeen
Classified U.S. report finds backlog of hundreds of possible Israeli human rights violations WaPo
🔴 Breaking: Israeli Army Launches Criminal Investigation Into Whistleblowers Who Exposed Detainee Rape at Sde Teiman
The Israeli army has opened a criminal probe into the leak of footage from the Sde Teiman detention camp showing a Palestinian detainee – blindfolded,… pic.twitter.com/F4hoWjcye6
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 29, 2025
Inside the Shin Bet’s secret startup factory Calcalist
⚡️🇮🇱JUST IN:
Israel’s ex-Mossad Chief brags they have spread “boobytrapped & manipulated equipment” like Hezbollah’s pagers in “all countries you can imagine”
pic.twitter.com/6J9w1rL1Mj— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) October 29, 2025
India to approve deals worth $3.7b for Israeli defense missiles Globes
US Envoys Put Lebanese Army Under Watch Al Akhbar
Moscow restarts military flights to Syrian air base amid efforts to strengthen Damascus alliance The Cradle
L’affaire Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein and the Mossad: How The Sex-Trafficker Helped Israel Build a Backchannel to Russia Amid Syrian Civil War Drop Site
European Disunion
EU carmakers ‘days away’ from halting work as chip war with China escalates The Guardian
New Not-So-Cold War
China Stands By Russia; Russia Closes In On Trapped Kiev Pokrovsk Troops; Syrsky Gives Up; Poseidon Alexander Mercouris (Video)
Russia offers temporary ceasefire for journalist access in Ukraine Yeni Safak
Moscow says it tested Poseidon underwater drone, another nuclear ‘super weapon’ Euronews
Burevestnik – Part I Black Mountain Analysis
Leaked: Britain’s Ukrainian Sniper Training Plot Kit Klarenberg
The US Can’t Break Russia Larry Johnson
EU Lifts Sanctions on Heavy-Load Carriers ‘Audax’ and ‘Pugnax’ Involved in Russian Arctic LNG Construction gCaptain.
Where Is the West Heading? Valdai Discussion Club
War? Don’t do it Edward Slavsquat
At Least They’re Not Talking. Aurelien
South of the Border
U.S. Eyes Striking Venezuelan Military Targets Used for Drug Trafficking WSJ
US strikes another drug vessel in Eastern Pacific: Pentagon chief Anadolu Agency
How Miami hawks hijacked Trump’s foreign policy UnHerd
US debt trap: How libertarian Javier Milei is selling Argentina to Wall Street – for $82 billion Geopolitical Economy Report
Africa
US Urged to End Arms Sales to UAE as It Backs Genocidal Paramilitary in Sudan Truthout
More than 2,400 young Moroccans face prosecution over Gen Z protests France24
Curfew, Blackout as Tanzania Poll Protest Chaos Continues All Africa
The Belgian prince, the national park, and the bitcoin mine The Continent
Mali revokes over 90 mining exploration permits Mining.com
U.S. urges citizens to flee Mali amid jihadi blockade and fuel shortages Face2Face Africa
Spook Country
Can a Former Spy Make a Good Governor? Spy Talk
“Liberation Day”
US Senate passes resolution to end Trump’s global tariffs Anadolu Agency
How We Lost the Trade War Paul Krugman
Trump 2.0
With mass hunger approaching as food stamps expire Saturday, huge price increases revealed for Obamacare healthcare plans WSWS
Trump and Nuclear Threats Accuracy.org
Police State Watch
National Guard in each state is ordered to create ‘quick reaction forces’ trained in civil unrest AP
Border Patrol takes lead role in Trump administration’s Chicago crackdown, carrying out more arrests than ICE CBS News
ICE Is Now Wandering the Streets, Scanning People’s Faces to Check If They’re Citizens Futurism
Our Famously Free Press
North Carolina GOP Official Uses ‘Connections With the Trump Admin’ to Threaten ProPublica Journalist Common Dreams
God’s Chief Justice ProPublica
Healthcare?
OIG Says There Are Ghosts in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Plans HEALTH CARE un-covered
Immigration
US will limit number of refugees to 7,500 and give priority to white South Africans The Guardian
Democrats en déshabillé
A confident DNC chair defends his party’s prospects Semafor
Imperial Collapse Watch
Losing the Swing States Foreign Affairs
Arms companies pay shareholders more cash than they generate Stephen Semler
Historic U.S. Civil War Ship Decaying Due to Fungal Invasion Maritime Executive
AI
‘They Are Trying to Maximize the Amount of Money They Can Get Any Given Consumer to Pay’ FAIR
Immediately After Ditching Its Nonprofit Roots, OpenAI Is Already Preparing to Go Public Futurism
How artists behind Marvel, Alien, and the Matrix movies are fighting AI Blood in the Machine
Meta readies $25bn bond sale as soaring AI costs trigger stock sell-off FT
AI layoffs to backfire: Half quietly rehired at lower pay The Register
Economy
Where Have All the New Jobs Gone? Dollars & Sense
How Bible Sales and Chipotle Explain the Economy Kyla Scanlon
Class Warfare
Yes, Everything Crashed–Just Not For You Charles Hugh Smith
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
