Musical interlude

Lastlings - Holding Me Like Water (Juno Mamba Remix)

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Andy Craig writes that the Trump regime and its enabers have shattered the U.S.' past constitutional order.  Jill Lawrence discusses the denihilism behind the Republican embrace of ignorance and destruction, while Adrienne Mitei highlights the absurdity of the elite effort to normalize the collapse of society. And Jessica Wildfire writes about the limitations of in-system prepping in a world that projects to far exceed the most severe temperatures and weather humanity has ever experienced. 

- Gaby Hinsliff notes that Trump and his ilk have made a point of denying merit and humanity to anybody but white males, while warning against the UK allowing a similar attitude to take hold. Gil Duran highlights Ruha Benjamin's analysis of the eugenics which have been embraced by techbros - and the resulting need to avoid relying on them to do anything to support the population which they see as disposable. And Sandeep Vaheesan's review of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's Abundance rightly notes that the path to meeting people's basic needs doesn't involve further empowering the corporate oligarchy which has priced them out of reach. 

- Alex Cyr discusses why Canadians have every reason to fear crossing the border into the U.S. - even as Mark Carney is trying to tie us even more tightly to the Trump regime. And Sam Biddle reports on the U.S. intelligence community's hoovering up of sensitive personal information from data brokers to set up an unprecedented surveillance state. 

- Nicholas Kristof writes about some of the key strategies available to counter an autocracy. And Desmond Cole points out that the suppression of dissent isn't limited to the U.S. - with "bubble zone" laws aimed solely at limiting specific kinds of speech serving as a dangerous example. 

- Finally, Taylor Noakes discusses how Canada Post has long been set up to fail - but how a government with any interest in its effectiveness at providing a vital public service could ensure its success simply by allowing it space to grow. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Edward Zitron writes about the idiotic results of purging all considerations from business decision-making other than goosing short-term share prices. And EuropeanPowell examines the connection between deregulated "free zones" (of the type the Cons are actively seeking to impose in Canada) and the broader hijacking of public resources and services by greedy corporations.  

- Simon Kuper reports on the push for a global wealth tax in order to ensure the richest few can't hide their obscene wealth offshore. Dean Baker makes the case for a financial transactions tax to disincentivize shell games as a substitute for productivity. And Rick Szostak discusses the need for everybody to be willing to contribute to the common good. 

- Noah Berlatsky writes about the dangers of the Trump administration's attacks on vaccines, while Reuters reports on Moderna's decision not to seek approval of a more effective hybrid COVID/flu vaccine under an anti-science regime. Susan Mashiyam highlights a new study into vaccine disinformation as expressed at public meetings. And Bingyu Zhang et al. find that the consequences of COVID-19 include severe cardiovascular outcomes in children.

- Finally, Sam Freedman points out the inherent fragility of hard-right political alignments which rely on uniting the corporate sector and conspiracy theorists against professionals. Matthew Hays notes that Pierre Poilievre's attempts to send different messages to different sides of the conspiracist divide resulted in nobody having any basis to trust him. Crawford Kilian writes that the Trumpists and separatists being boosted by Danielle Smith's UCP are likely to make the Cons even less electable. And Don Braid notes that the immediate purpose of Smith's promotion of separatism is to undermine national values and standards, while Taylor Noakes offers a reminder that the separatist push is being bankrolled and directed by and for the dirty energy sector. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Mike Palecek discusses how the Trump regime's tariff chaos isn't aimed merely at conducting trade wars against other countries, but also serves to destabilize economic activity for other ends (including the desire to seize control of Canada). And Anne Kauranen reports that several European countries are setting up alternate payment systems in case Trump decides to commandeer the infrastructure of Visa and Mastercard for his own ends. 

- But in case we were under the impression that Mark Carney was following trhough on his campaign theme of holding tough against Trump, Bloomberg News reports that he's dropped nearly all of Canada's defensive tariffs, while Mike Le Couteur reports that he has Canada in talks to tie us even more tightly into the U.S.' military by participating in an expensive and unworkable Golden Dome scheme. Which is to say that Carney seems to be following Danielle Smith's agenda of legitimizing a surrender to Trump for the benefit of fascists and oil tycoons. 

- Meanwhile, Julie Fine et al. find that even in the U.S. there's a strong majority desire to see more effort to protect people from the harms of a climate breakdown. And Cristen Hemingway Jaynes reports on a new study showing that it's entirely possible to pair a transition to a clean economy with the availability of a decent standard of living for everybody. 

- Manuela Vega reports on new research confirming that financialized landlords tend to impose higher housing costs, while Andrew Willis reports on the capital sharks circling around a major apartment holder. And both John Michael McGrath and David Moscrop highlight the seemingly obvious point that the Libs' insistence on treating housing primarily as capital stock is absolutely contrary to any attempt to make it more affordable and available for people who need it. 

- Finally, the Canadian Press reports on the continued rise of food and grocery prices far in excess of inflation as corporate grocers put the screws to Canadians. And Aaron Vansintjan notes that a solution to our food crisis will require promoting local production.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Poised cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Krugman examines the regressiveness and cruelty of the Republicans' planned budget which imposes massive costs on those who already have the least in order to fund tax cuts for the uber-wealthy. Sam W writes about the "let them skip meals" demand being made of people suffering already in poverty. And Jessica Donati et al. report on the amount of food aid currently rotting away due to the Trump regime's callousness, instead of going to people in developing countries who relied on it to survive. 

- In case there was any doubt whether the American public is on side with being under constant attack in a one-sided class war, Aaron Sojourner and Adam Reich note that public opinion is simultaneously supportive of unions and enraged at big business. But Josh Marshall rightly criticizes the establishment Democrats who are refusing to fight. 

- David Suzuki discusses how the concentration of wealth can be traced to the destruction of our living environment.  Amanda McKenzie notes that emission targets mean nothing if they're not paired with action to meet them (and through actual emission cuts rather than accounting tricks). Marc Lee writes that B.C.'s choice to lock in decades of fossil gas exports is nothing to celebrate, while Fenner Stewart examines how Canada's dirty energy industry has foisted the cost of its operations off on the public. And Mitchell Beer points out Mark Carney's stark choice between taking a golden opportunity to work toward a just transition, and allowing oil and gas magnates to saddle us with a dying and unsustainable economic policy. 

- We Don't Have Time points out how global temperatures continue to soar due to carbon pollution, while Chris Hatch notes that we're likely to see another summer of extreme wildfires. And Brendan Montague comments on the need for climate policy to reflect the worsening risks and realities. 

- Finally, Laurent Carbonneau discusses how Canada is handing out more and more corporate subsidies compared to its investment in people - while seeing no apparent benefit. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Bill McKibben rightly describes the Trump regime's attacks on the entire federal regulatory apparatus as vandalism with a plan (which includes making things more wasteful in ways that serve the profit motive of corporate donors). Georgina Gustin reports on its choice to facilitate toxic forever chemicals in the U.S.' water supply as a particularly egregious example. And Veronica Riccobene and Lucy Dean Stockton report on the Republicans' choice to validate the use of artificial intelligence to allow for rent collusion and insurance claim denials. 

- Michael Tomasky calls out the absolute lack of limits on the Trump regime's corruption and inclination to abuse power. But Brian Beutler notes that the Democrats' reluctance to call out corruption when it happens is both allowing it to continue unabated, and preventing the opposition party from being seen as offering any change for the better.

- Crawford Kilian reviews Carl Zimmer's Air-borne, pointing out the readily-available opportunities to keep people healthier by keeping our air cleaner.

- Erika Morris reports on a new study showing that investments in social housing produce massive returns in dollar value alone, while also providing jobs and (of course) helping people find homes.

- Finally, Gabriela Calugay-Casuga warns that the Carney Libs' prioritization of tax baubles risks starving the federal government of resources needed to support people's health and well-being.

Musical interlude

TWO LANES - Belong

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Natalie Alms reports that Elon Musk's attempt to manufacture a fraud scandal at the Social Security Administration has failed miserably - except to the extent his real goal was to undermine service levels for people entitled to benefits. Andrew Buncombe reports that the activities being arbitrarily slashed by DOGE include the cleanup of nuclear waste. And Joshua Kaplan, Brett Murphy, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski report on the U.S. government's use of diplomatic pressure and funding cuts to get African countries to hand both money and control over vital infrastructure to Musk's Starlink. 

- Josh Toussaint-Strauss et al. examine how PFAs have come to be ubiqitous in our bodies and our living environment, while CBC maps out where they're most concentrated in Canada. And Tobi Thomas reports on new research showing that early exposure to air pollution has lasting health consequences. 

- Alyssa Sinclair et al. compare the effectiveness of different motivational strategies, and find that a focus on future impacts rather than present-day accounting is more effective in spurring people to action. Katie Surman reports on the Union of Concerned Scientists' latest study documenting how dirty energy companies have misled the public about the long-known dangers of climate change. 

- Jonathan Ames reports on a warning that homebuyers (and the professionals who advise them) are at risk if they don't consider climate impacts on property use and value. Lauri Myllyvirta reports on a new analysis showing that China has lowered carbon pollution in the context of economic growth by shifting toward clean energy. The Guardian's editorial board writes about the need for environmental standards (including using solar panels and heat pumps) in new housing construction, while Alison Takemura notes that carbon-free construction is particularly important in rebuilding from climate disasters such as wildfires. And Andrew Lawrence notes that contrary to its billing as apocalypse-proof, the Cybertruck has proven unable to hold up even under normal use. 

- Izzy Romily writes about the value of low-traffic neighbourhoods in creating healthier communities. Abdul Matin Sarfraz calls out Doug Ford for pouring massive amounts of public money into increasing gridlock while eliminating healthier alternatives to single-vehicle traffic. And Hilary Beaumont notes that the climate breakdown is resulting in the collapse of ice roads, making remote communities even less accessible than they previously were. 

- Finally, Charlie Angus points out that the Alberta separatists being treated as the most important people in the world by both the UCP government and the corporate media are bound up in a history of racism and bigotry. And CTV News reports that even the corporate bigwigs who benefit from an angry and distracted public are making clear they have no appetite to support the destruction of Canada. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Robert Reich discusses how Donald Trump's absolute lack of inhibition is responsible for the disastrous effects of his regime - and how a public revolt which threatens Republicans necessary to his sense of impunity is the most plausible means to set the boundaries which are otherwise lacking. 

- Bob Lord highlights how the U.S.' tax system in general and treatment of capital gains in particular are both highly regressive. But Bobby Kogan and Greg Sargent each point out that the Republicans' current plan is to make matters far worse. 

- Dell Cameron reports on the Trump regime's plans to allow data brokers to profit off of sensitive personal information with no regard for the public, while Joseph Cox reports on the dangerous amounts of data being collected (and sold to the U.S. government) from license plate readers. And Luke Goldstein and Katya Schwenk report on a Republican push to shield a landlord oligopoly from answering for price-fixing.  

- Meanwhile, Simon Enoch rightly asks whether we trust unreliable and easily-distorted artifical intelligence to control access to vital social programs.

- Linda McQuaig offers a reminder that public investment has been the only proven means of building a strong Canadian economy which benefits everybody. Marc Lee discusses the importance of federal support for housing construction in particular. And Tom Goldsmith points out that Canadian businesses have never turned immense profits into meaningful investments in research or innovation, while Mario Toneguzzi reports on Loblaws' plan to extract even more profits out of consumers based on claims of tariff uncertainty. 

- Finally, Jen Gerson writes that Danielle Smith's pandering to separatists is the antithesis of leadership, reflecting an abandonment of the public good out of what can at best be characterized as cowardice. And Lisa Young points out how the UCP's belated amendments to the referendum legislation it's rammed through the Legislature confirm their utter failure to recognize the effect of treaty rights and constitutional responsibilities on the exercise of trumped-up grievance politics.