Why wasps attack and how to avoid them TreeHugger

Have we all underrated the humble pencil? BBC

The NASA engineers struggling to build a better heat shield MIT Technology Review

In a case that made Canadian legal history, Ontario man convicted of impaired operation of a canoe National Post

The Ruler of Dubai Condemns His Runaway Wife, Princess Haya, on Instagram—in a Poem Daily Beast (chuck l)

Waste Watch

Scrap Collector: Japan’s environmental record scrutinized ahead of G20 marine plastic talks Waste Dive

Microplastics from homes and factories are ending up inside mussels off Chennai’s coast Mongabay

How to rehabilitate old oil supertankers BBC (David L)

The mythical economic data on climate change (1): Nordhaus’s 1994 survey of “experts” Patreon (chuck l). Steve Keen

Mexico hail: Ice 1.5m thick carpets Mexico’s Guadalajara BBC (David L)

‘Madrid Central’ protest: Thousands oppose suspension of anti-pollution plan BBC

New Solar + Battery Price Crushes Fossil Fuels, Buries Nuclear Forbes (David L)

Libra

Why Facebook’s answer to bitcoin and WeChat Pay, libra, is doomed to fail SCMP (furzy)

Our Famously Free Press

New York Times Clears National Security Stories with the Government Before Publication. Source: New York Times Does With Tyranny. Thomas Neuburger.

The Mass Extinction No One Is Talking About TruthDig

Watching the End of the World Boston Review

Scumbags can program vulnerable MedTronic insulin pumps over the air to murder diabetics – insecure kit recalled The Register (chuck l)

North Korea

Trump becomes first sitting US president to enter North Korea as he shakes hands with Kim Jong-un Independent

‘We Need Real Diplomacy,’ Not Just Photo-Ops, Says Bernie Sanders as Trump Restarts Nuclear Talks With North Korea Common Dreams

Trump-Kim Denuclearization Talks Still Stalled Despite Korea Meeting International Business Times

China?

Chinese scientists guilty of ‘researching while Asian’ in Trump’s America

Trump’s Huawei shift angers US security hawks FT

Road of US-China relations remains bumpy after Huawei reprieve Asia Times

Protesters dismantle metal fencing at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council SCMP

‘Millions march’: Sudanese renew protests to demand civilian rule Al Jazeera

Syraqistan

Stopped Clocks: The European Union Gets War With Iran Exactly Right American Conservative

Trump’s Lose-Lose Iran Strategy Project Syndicate

Iran Has Breached Critical Limit on Nuclear Fuel Under 2015 Pact, State Media Reports NYT

Class Warfare

US attorney general declares emergency for public safety in rural Alaska, freeing up $10.5 million to support police Anchorage Daily News

New data shows depth of U.S. mental health crisis Axios

Gray Wave of Workers Gives Slow-Growing World a Boost WSJ

I’m an American who’s lived in Europe for 10 years — and I don’t miss these 5 aspects of American culture at all Business Insider

2020

Biden’s spin doctors, Beto’s flop, a sea of sweat: The madness after the Miami debates.
WaPo (UserFriendly)

Her ambition got it wrong about Joe’: Harris faces debate backlash Politico.

Demanding End to ‘AIPAC-Created Status Quo,’ Progressive Jewish Group Pressures 2020 Democrats to Take Stand Against Israel’s Brutal Occupation Common Dreams

Guillotine Watch

Does the World Need $4,500 Sunglasses? Business of Fashion

Bangladesh’s 65-day ban on fishing will hurt over 400,000 poor coastal families Scroll

India

How India copes with heatwaves: From traditional tricks to official action plans, what keeps the country from meltdown? Independent

Special Report: How the Modi government dismantled India’s main defence against drought Scroll

Caste Wasn’t a British Construct – and Anyone Who Studies History Should Know That The Wire

Trump Transition

Furzy: “Nepotism Barbie”…

Ivanka Trump appears to be trying to get involved in a talk among Macron, May, Trudeau and Lagarde (IMF head).
The video is released by French Presidential palace. pic.twitter.com/TJ0LULCzyQ

— Parham Ghobadi (@ParhamGhobadi) 29 June 2019

New EPA rule could expand number of Trump officials weighing in on FOIA requests The Hill GF: “It appears this may be the first government agency that may allow political appointees to determine if FOIA requests are deserving of a response.”

How Trump’s ‘weaponized’ use of foreign aid is backfiring Politico

New Soros/Koch-Funded Think Tank Claims To Oppose US Forever War Caitlin Johnston

A Think Tank Dedicated to Peace and Restraint American Conservative

Antidote du Jour (via):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.