Why have coups become so frequent in Africa lately? “The challenge in West Africa and the Sahel is that you’ve got very rapid population growth.” / DW

In Benin and Guinea-Bissau, coup leaders are said to be responding to democratic disappointments. / Good Authority

India’s parliament votes to open its nuclear energy sector to private interests. / Nikkei Asia

President Trump’s media group, the business behind Truth Social, is merging with a nuclear fusion power startup. / Axios

Liz Hoffman: The world’s leading democracy is starting to look like a family office with a meme hobby. / Semafor

Among anti-trans moves this week, the House of Representatives passes a bill that would ban gender-affirming medical care for minors, threatening doctors who provide it with felony charges. / NPR

“Jetway Jesus” refers to people using wheelchairs to board airplanes early, then gamely walking off their flights upon landing. / The Wall Street Journal [$]

Casey Newton offers 11 tech predictions for the coming year—e.g., the AI bubble won’t burst, OpenAI retires Sora—and notes what he got wrong last year (the collapse of the bro-ligarchy). / Platformer

A study suggests aquatic ecosystems may benefit from the construction of offshore windfarms. / Phys.org

Some nice photographs in an article about cowboys using GPS collars on cattle, enabling ranchers to remove fences around the American West. / The New York Times [$]

David Lynch gets a solo painting show at Pace Gallery Berlin in January. / artsy

For last-minute holiday shopping, check out our shortlist for the upcoming Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes. / Tournament of Books, Field Notes

“Outfits! Hams! Indoor smoking!” Using old pictures to remember publishing holiday parties of yore. / Literary Hub

See also: An account of Hunter S. Thompson attempting to set his Christmas tree on fire. / Open Culture

In the members area, unlocked links from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times ↓