curated news excerpts & citations
Siyi Liu @ Independent: Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude oil attempts to pass Strait of Hormuz
A Chinese supertanker, laden with two million barrels of Iraqi crude, was reportedly navigating the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data.
The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Yuan Hua Hu was observed past Iran’s Larak Island, on the eastern side of the strait and heading south.
This voyage, if successful, would mark the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the Strait since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February.
Adam Entous, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan @ NY Times: U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities
Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Trump has asserted.
Cliff Schecter, David Shuster, Alan Eyre @ Blue Amp: Iran Has 1,000 Pounds of 60% Enriched Uranium. The Inspectors Are Locked Out.
… why Iran’s nuclear calculus has now shifted from “hedge” to “weapon.”
Jason Sattler: Trump Heads to China to Celebrate Losing in Iran
Adam Lynch @ AlterNet: Former diplomat hits White House nerve with a single fact
…
“Not a single China expert. POTUS would normally have at least one NSC/State official to provide briefings,” posted Bruen on Tuesday. “Underlines how utterly unprepared he is for meetings with Xi.”
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – May 13, 2026
Two weeks ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act provided that no state or local government could impose any conditions or procedures on voting that would result “in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
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Howard Yu: The Country That Forgot How to Build
Every tech giant in America is now also an electric utility. China builds five reactors for the price of one. Forty years ago, Challenger should have taught us how. We mostly missed the lesson.
(Howard Yu more…)
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Hans Christensen: Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels
(Hans Christensen more…)
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James Eagle: Energy prices are threatening the inflation calm
(James Eagle more…)
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Coco Liu, Lili Pike, Eamon Farhat, Eva Brendel @ Bloomberg: What Jinko Solar’s US Exit Means for Clean-Tech US Investment
The US has become a more hostile environment for Chinese clean-tech manufacturers.
(Coco Liu, Lili Pike, Eamon Farhat, Eva Brendel @ Bloomberg more…)
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Ed Scarce @ Crooks & Liars: GOP Congresswoman Writes Horrific Letter To 10-year-old Boy
resources tracking the “Andes” hantavirus outbreak
Apocalypse Early Warning System
Al Jazeera Death toll and injuries live tracker
ICE Accountability Project
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, Ximena Bustillo, Jasmine Garsd @ NPR: Deaths of migrants in ICE custody hit record high under Trump
- April 16: Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt
- March 25: Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano
- March 16: Royer Perez-Jimenez
- March 14: Naseer Paktiawil
- February 25: Nurul Amin Shah Alam
April 1 – Jennifer Peltz and Jake Offenhartz @ AP: Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide - January 24: Alex Pretti
- January 14: Heber Sanchaz Dominguez
- January 14: Victor Manuel Diaz
- January 9: Parady La
- January 7: Renée Good
- January 6: Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz
- January 5: Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres
- January 3: Geraldo Lunas Campos
- December 31, 2025: Keith Porter
Suffering Under President Obama
NACDL Criminal Case Tracker
Texas Tribune: A Walk for Peace: photos of Fort Worth monks’ journey to Washington
Walk for Peace – Dhammacetiya – The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas
Margaret Chase Smith: Declaration of Conscience
NPR: January 6, 2021: A visual archive
Accountability Initiative ICE List
GriftMatrix
Trump Action Tracker
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
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