I guess the MSM unloaded most of their dipshittery yesterday because now it's News-heavy again.

Summary

News

Ursula von der Leyen has managed to whip EU members into accepting the 15% decrease in gas consumption over the next year. Putin is helping them along by cutting Nord Stream 1's flow from 40% to 20%, which sends gas prices up by 17%, and is cutting into the euro and raising the dollar higher. Also, glaciers in the Alps are vanishing at their fastest rate in 60 years of record keeping, as mountain villages hit 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). The UN says that the first Ukraine grain ships may begin moving within a few days. Ukraine's Naftogaz, their largest state-owned oil and gas company and the provider of 17% of the total state budget revenue last year, has had their debt plan rejected by their creditors (a two year debt payment freeze). India and China have bought 13% less Russian crude over the last four weeks due to demand easing. High energy prices are forcing one in six German firms to cut production. Managers across industries in Germany are feeling increasingly pessismistic about the future. Germany has way too many hogs and it's ruining the local environment (don't worry, these aren't feral). The UK is pumping their foreign aid money into Ukraine at the expense of funding climate programs in developing countries, as the welfare of fascists is obviously more important than a breathable atmosphere.

China is launching a new tunnelling project to send water from the Three Gorges Dam into a huge, 1400 km long tunnel that at some points will go 1000 meters below the surface, all the way to Beijing. It will take a decade to build and cost $8.9 billion. China has also approved their first homegrown antiviral pill, as an alternative to Pfizer's Paxlovid. China does actually seem fairly serious about not wanting Pelosi to visit the US, while the US military is proposing escorting Pelosi on a military plane and bringing their aircraft carriers along. Indonesia and China are making friends. Sri Lanka's new president is already cracking down on protestors, by using the police to dismantle a protest camp after the protestors said that they were going to leave peacefully. Sri Lanka is also restricting fuel imports for the next year due to a shortage in foreign exchange. Bangladesh wants a $4.5 billion IMF loan. Afghanistan is talking to the US about getting their reserves back, and while progress is being made, there are still big hurdles in place.

The US might revoke aid to Rwanda due to human rights abuses.

The American Automobile Association did a survey, finding that two thirds of Americans are altering their lifestyle due to fuel prices, such as driving less, postponing vacations, and reducing shopping trips. US house prices could significantly decrease due to reduced demand for new houses. Elizabeth Warren writes an article in the WSJ about how the Fed are fucking up and how it'll be the poor who have to pay for it all, and while the piece has the expected brainworms, it's certainly not the worst thing I've read in the WSJ. OPEC+ is 2.84 million barrels per day below its oil production target.

Climate and Conflict

Russia is striking port infrastructure in Mykolaiv too, says the ever-reliable mayor of the city. Other than that, we're still on hold, basically. Russia has apparently repaired the bridge to Kherson and also has a pontoon bridge in place, which is good for them, I guess.

Russia will quit the International Space Station after 2024, after which they will start putting together a Russian orbital station.

Dipshittery, Good Takes, and Hope

Ukraine is very unhappy about Lavrov's visit to Africa, in which he is swinging a pocket watch back and forth in front of African leaders' eyes and telling them that the food crisis isn't Russia's fault, to which they dreamily agree.

Nearly 2500 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers are striking at Boeing after rejecting the contract offer. Over 400 Planned Parenthood workers from Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska have joined the Service Employees International Union with a 90% yes vote.