In 2016, 18-year-old Andrej Ciesielski secretly climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza with a GoPro, filming the whole thing.
Halfway up the 146-meter pyramid, police noticed him but he kept going, risking three years in jail. At the top, he enjoyed an amazing view before climbing… pic.twitter.com/CxxDQL927M
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 19, 2026
Viagra’s Next Act Could Be Stopping Cancer From Spreading ZME Science
A Master of the Traveling Salesperson Problem Finds His Own Path Quanta Magazine
Eye Implant That Restores Vision to the Blind Cleared for Sale Futurism
South Korea’s Navy puts a humanoid robot at the helm for the first time Cryptopolitan
COVID-19/Pandemics
Long COVID Brain Scans Reveal Damage to Dopamine Neurons SciTech Daily
More health workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo near 3,000, including over 1,300 deaths RFI
Climate/Environment
Wildfire smoke is crossing borders as climate change intensifies Europe’s blazes Euronews
The 2026 western US snow drought was about four times more likely due to climate change PNAS
South of the Border
Can Cuba outlast Marco Rubio? Responsible Statecraft
How much will it take to rebuild Venezuela after the earthquakes? Global Voices
De la Espriella eyes inauguration at army base in southern Colombia in break with tradition The Bogota Post
China?
China’s self driving electric trucks are reshaping the future of logistics pic.twitter.com/qtLll0sUBq
— ViralRush ⚡ (@ViralRushX) July 22, 2026
China lures away 105 top American minds in bid to dominate med, tech fields NY Post
Is this China’s Next Sixth Generation Fighter Prototype? Rapid Progress in Development Brings Service Entry Estimates Closer Military Watch Magazine
China bans rare earth exports to 14 European companies S&P Global
China Keeps Beating Renewable Targets And Missing Nuclear Ones Clean Technica
India
India’s Cockroach Protests End as Modi Government Bows to Demands Drop Site News
Vaishali Sinha: Creating India’s Renewable Energy Giant Sustainability Magazine
Ghost flats explained: Why some fully built homes remain empty despite India’s housing shortage The Times of India
Africa
The Economics of Solidarity: Why Social Stability is Africa’s Greatest Investment Risk Africa Brief substack
Kenya: What Dangote’s new refinery means for East Africa DW
Africa’s minerals are not the problem. Weak governance is The Africa Report
European Disunion
EU naval mission will now intercept Russian shadow tankers in the Indian Ocean Defense News
EU Backs Off Methane Rules as Energy Security Fears Mount OilPrice
Old Blighty
The UK has its first Catholic PM – but don’t expect a US-style religious culture war to follow The Guardian
UK government considers fast-track approval for North Sea oil, gas projects : Report Andolu Agency
US/Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria,
Why Israel now sees Turkiye as a strategic threat The Cradle
Yemen’s Houthis fire missiles, drones at Saudi Arabia CBC
Syrian Intervention In Lebanon Is Militarily And Politically Infeasible, Experts Warn Forbes
Iran War
“For now”. Netanyahu’s visit is Monday-Wednesday for, among other things, Lindsey Graham’s wake. The wake means Trump will be surrounded by hawks. Will they succeed in changing his mind?
Chickened out like a little bitch. I stick by my thesis that it was the Iranian counter-personnel deterrent threat. But we’re still looking at $150, even if oil crashes when markets open tomorrow evening. The fundamental geopolitical impasse remains: Iran won’t let go of Hormuz… https://t.co/EzPmmJARyW
— Policy Tensor (@policytensor) July 26, 2026
Did Trump TACO Again on Iran? Why? Larry Johnson
US-Iran conflict: Apparent airstrike pause as Oman talks advance on Strait of Hormuz Gulf News
Iran slams Ukraine’s ship attack as Israeli settlers torch West Bank mosque Aljazeera live feed
Iranian strikes forced US to halt, revisit regional strategy: Army spokesman PressTV
‼️🧵 Rumors are swirling that the Pentagon is pressuring Trump to call off the war with Iran because the US has nearly exhausted its stockpiles of air-defense interceptors and stand-off strike missiles.
Imagine that.
— Will Schryver (@imetatronink) July 26, 2026
🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump wants Iran to hand him an exit. Fmr Trump Lawyer Robert Barnes says the intel community just told him, in writing, that Iran isn’t giving him one.
He laid out what leaked out of the Washington Post this week: every round of strikes has hardened Iran’s position rather… pic.twitter.com/lr8FF1SsJC
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 25, 2026
Gulf countries want the war to end, but can’t agree on how Politico
What Happens When When Fake Oil Prices Meet Reality? Hard Times Chris Martensen
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine war briefing: Russia launches deadly attack on weapons exhibition near Kyiv The Guardian
Russia, Ukraine exchange overnight strikes, killing 17, injuring dozens on both sides Andolu Agency
Politicians vs generals: Ukraine’s long, hidden war within Asia Times
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a ‘duress’ password during border search TechCrunch
Growing use of police drones spurs privacy debate Deseret News
Imperial Collapse Watch
As defaults on student loans surge, millions in U.S. trying to get their lives back on track Japan Today
Homeless count leaves LA voters with impossible choice for mayor — and crisis for democracy NY Post
GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson pays tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham: “We met him in 1990 approximately—there was a mission of AIPAC. We took freshman congressmen—Republican—[on paid trips] to Israel.”
“Every day, there was not a day that Sheldon [didn’t] talk with… pic.twitter.com/iePrYkjEbH
— Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) July 24, 2026
MTG succinctly explains something most Americans don’t know: There are two votes on every bill in the House, and frequently the first (unreported) vote matters more than the second vote for final passage: https://t.co/Nvlyz03Zr8
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 24, 2026
Trump 2.0
Trump says full-scale war with Iran ‘if we don’t get 100% of what we want’: Report Andolu Agency
Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and proved its point CNN
Trump says he will dismantle the ICC ‘brick by brick’. It could be his most chilling move of all The Guardian
US appeals court rules Trump cannot implement mail-in voting order Reuters
Musk Matters
Lucky 13! Starship Deploys Starlink Satellites and Splashes Down Intact Universe Today
Will SpaceX buy Tesla? Elon Musk is not revealing his plans Scripps News
Democrat Death Watch
Andy Beshear is what’s wrong with the Democratic Party in the Trump era The Nation
Letter: Why I left the Democratic Party Napa Valley Register
Immigration
Trump’s new immigration strategy revealed in purchase of two ICE detention centers in California Times of San Diego
ICE expected to open mass detention facility in NC, sparking anger, pushback NC Newsline
Our No Longer Free Press
Wartime Pentagon goes two-plus months without media briefing U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
Press Freedom Groups Warn ‘No Newsroom in America Is Safe’ After House GOP Subpoenas Left-Wing Outlet Common Dreams
Mr. Market Is Moody
US bond yields face pressure Semafor
Global Energy Crunch Entering a ‘More Dangerous’ Phase Morningstar
Opinion: The stock market’s calm is cracking. Here’s how to prepare for an August shock. MarketWatch
AI
The Hugging Face Incident Astral Codex Ten
US lawmakers propose AI ‘kill switch’ bill Semafor
Secret Soulmates: How AI Romantic Companions Are Starting to Impact Real-Life Romantic Relationships in Young Adulthood BYU Wheatley Institute
Scientists Are Designing CRISPR Gene Editors With AI Singularity Hub
Chinese researchers develop programmable plant immunity system Xinhua
The Bezzle
FBI ‘Most Wanted’ fraud suspect arrested in Jamaica over alleged $32M COVID-19 relief scheme NY Post
Poker, fraud and Spider-Man: Prominent lawyer gets 6 years in prison UPI
This is exactly how Messi should end his career, in disgrace.
Messi not only cheated in the World Cup.
He also cheated on his taxes.
Despite being a billionaire, he made gobs of money by hawking junk food to children.
And worst of all, he never used his huge platform to… https://t.co/d9BCtdPxwY
— Dimitri Lascaris (@dimitrilascaris) July 26, 2026
Guillotine Watch
Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet
1. Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet, 17th Century Antique Persian Carpet – $33 million. The most expensive rug ever sold is the Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet, a 17th-century Persian masterpiece.#WorldMostExpensiveCarpet pic.twitter.com/2HGeaGkXht— Hamza Khan (@HamzaKhan377795) June 27, 2024
#DidYouKnow this Chinese vase sold for £22m at auction in 2010? Making it the most expensive vase ever sold! https://t.co/Iy5fsbyZiu pic.twitter.com/sSqdx1AkGX
— Homes & Antiques (@homes_antiques) October 25, 2016
Antidote du jour (via)
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
