Alligator Alcatraz was billed as a 5,000-bed, $450 million-a-year showcase of muscular border policy. A federal judge has now frozen further construction, ordered generators and sewage lines ripped out, and barred new detainees, ruling that the Everglades’ fragile wetlands trump political theatrics. (reuters.com)

The decision lands amid a $23 billion, decades-long federal-state drive to restore the Everglades—the world’s largest ecological repair job. Pouring concrete for a jail inside a watershed slated for multibillion-dollar re-hydration always looked self-defeating; Thursday’s ruling merely quantifies that contradiction. (apnews.com, reuters.com)

History rhymes: Krome Avenue’s detention camp, improvised during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, became synonymous with abuse and legal backlash. Forty-five years on, Washington and Tallahassee repeat the cycle—weaponizing landscape for deterrence, then meeting courts that still privilege due-process and environmental statutes. Expect delays, spiraling costs and, ultimately, offshore alternatives, because incarcerating migrants in swampland collides with both ecosystem math and constitutional law. As Naomi Klein reminds us, “There are no jobs on a dead planet”—nor, it seems, political capital in a flooded one.

The Gist AI Editor

Tokyo’s Inflationary Plateau

Japan’s core inflation, a key measure of price trends that excludes volatile fresh food, slowed for the second consecutive month but remains stubbornly high. The nationwide core consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.1% in July from a year earlier, exceeding forecasts and staying significantly above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target (Strait Times). This persistent inflationary pressure, even as the pace of price hikes cools slightly from June’s 3.3%, keeps the central bank in a tight spot. The data sustains market expectations that another interest rate hike could be forthcoming, a move that would have significant ripple effects on the yen and global bond markets.

Hong Kong’s High-Tech IPO Pulse

In a potential sign of life for Hong Kong’s beleaguered capital markets, Chinese surgical robotics firm Edge Medical has confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) (Bloomberg). The move is noteworthy given the backing from Singapore’s state investor, Temasek, signaling that sophisticated international capital is still hunting for opportunities in China’s advanced technology sector. This IPO will serve as a crucial test of investor appetite for Chinese innovation amid a landscape of economic headwinds and regulatory uncertainty. A successful listing could help restore confidence in Hong Kong as a premier financial hub.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world.

Judge orders halt to new construction at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center
— Strait Times

Japan’s core inflation slows in July, stays above BOJ target
— Strait Times

Chinese Surgical Robot Maker Edge Medical Is Said to File for Hong Kong IPO
— Bloomberg

More than kopi: Coffee-shop fare with a brew of nostalgia drives rise of Johor cafe chains
— Strait Times

Star couple tests France’s tolerance for reporter-politician relationships
— Politico.Eu

Ein Spaziergang mit Karsten Wildberger
— Politico.Eu

The Hidden Costs of State Aid

Industrial policy is back in vogue across Europe, but fresh analysis suggests its proponents are overlooking a critical flaw in their calculations. A deep dive into Chinese firm-level data reveals that state subsidies provoke a predictable and costly response from trading partners. For every euro in subsidies designed to boost a company’s growth, a significant portion is nullified by foreign anti-dumping and countervailing duties. Specifically, these retaliatory tariffs wipe out roughly a quarter of the firm revenue growth the subsidies would otherwise create. This dynamic, often ignored in national capitals, leads governments to systematically overstate the net benefits of their interventions. For the EU, as it navigates a path between the subsidy-heavy models of the US and China, this is a cautionary signal that protectionist measures almost always beget more of the same, fueling trade frictions and undermining the open market principles that foster genuine growth (Cepr).

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

Industrial policy and retaliatory protection under the WTO: Lessons from China
— Cepr

En Iran, la multiplication des incidents suspects fait craindre une poursuite de la guerre à bas bruit
— Lemonde

Der Ukraine-Krieg im Zeitraffer
— Zdf

Adidas entschuldigt sich für Sandalen-Design
— Zdf

So sahen die ersten heute-Nachrichten aus
— Zdf

Negata la libertà vigilata a Erik Menendez dopo 35 anni in cella
— Ansa