Musical interlude

Ilan Bluestone & Jerome Isma-Ae - Tension

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Anne Applebaum discusses how the actual regime change under Donald Trump involves the replacement of any public service with a system devoted exclusively to patronage, while Lee Morgenbesser argues that state capture is the best description of Elon Musk's abuses so far. Christina Pagel classifies Trump's actions in a few more distinct categories - though the dismantling of government and systematization of corruption do make up the majority of them. Mike Brock writes that the potential for courts to reverse some of the most flagrantly unconstitutional actions of Trump and Elon Musk doesn't provide a meaningful response to a coup in progress. And Larry Elliott writes that Trump's insistence on imposing tariffs ultimately reflects weakness in lacking any other mechanism to project power. 

- Geoffrey Johnston writes that Canada has effectively stood up to Trump's bullying so far. Aisha Ahmad discusses why any U.S. attempt to annex Canada would be expected to backfire (particularly in a context where Trump is simultaneously picking other fights and undermining the U.S.' own military). And Aaron Wherry notes that Trump's threats are turning the impending federal election into a review of what Canada can control, while Cam Holmstrom makes the case for a big-table response. 

- Brett McKay reports on Samara's new research showing how "power abusers" on social media were a major force in the UCP's retention of power in 2023. But Charles Rusnell examines the emerging connection between the UCP's health services corruption and the misuse of police authority, while Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean writes that Danielle Smith and company have mostly gone silent as the truth comes out. 

- Justin Ling implores Ontario voters not to allow Doug Ford yet another term in which to loot the province for his cronies' benefit. 

- Finally, Emma Beddington writes about the virtual impossibility of avoiding plastics even as their dangers have become readily apparent. And Sara Kirk and Lana Vanderlee discuss how Canada's food system makes unhealthy eating the default. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Jared Yates Sexton discusses the Trump-Musk plot to replace any remnants of U.S. democracy with an oligarchy. Josh Marshall examines the mechanisms put in place to give an unelected billionaire unprecedented control over the American government, while Marc Elias points out the plan for an immediate hollowing-out of the civil service to be replaced (if at all) with unabashed sycophants. David Lurie notes that Trump's direct attacks on the judiciary seem likely to remove any pretense of legitimacy. 

- Cynthia Miller-Idriss notes that Trump is consciously replacing any norm against racism with one of white supremacy. And Mehdi Hasan writes that repeated griping about diversity, equity and inclusion is the new N-word, intended to validate racism and bigotry as a systemic force. 

- Shawn Donnan, Joe Deaux and Daniel Flatley report that foreign aid is just one more area in which Trump is replacing funding for effective government agencies with a blatant giveaway to financial-sector cronies. David Dayen observes that Musk's plan to sell off publicly-owned real estate will likely cause a financial crash, benefiting nobody but the already-rich investors who can afford to swoop in and purchase at cut-rate prices. And Abrahm Lustgarten offers a warning as to how the climate breakdown which Trump is determined to exacerbate will destroy home values. 

- Finally, Steven High offers a reminder as to how worker-based collective action has saved industry from corporate predations before. And Martin Patriquin reports on the unfair labour practice complaint challenging Amazon's decision to close down warehouses to avoid recognizing a certified union. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way chart the likely road ahead in the U.S.' journey from democracy to authoritarianism, while Hamilton Nolan's interview with Stephanie Kelton includes the warning that it may be too late to salvage anything if a resistance movement limits its focus to electoral politics and timelines. Sam Freedman discusses how Elon Musk's influence - and the associated use of technology to seize unfettered power - is the main difference between Donald Trump's first term and his second. David Zipper notes that consumers have plenty of power to protest Musk's absues by making the choice to boycott Tesla as the main source of his current wealth. And Ed Zitron juxtaposes the promise of technology which could help improve people's lives against the reality that tech giants are exploiting us. 

- Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Bretty Murphy discuss the illegality of the immediate trashing of USAID. And Greg Sargent discusses how Pope Francis' response to the invocation of theology to excuse Trump's hatred has placed a spotlight on his administration's moral rot, while Sarah Newey reports on the first deaths directly traceable to the shutdown of its operations. 

- Paul Krugman writes that Trump and Musk have made it open season for scammers to steal money from the American public. And Liz Dye discusses how the destruction of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau represents a combination of spite and opportunism. 

- Dave Jamieson reports that large numbers of U.S. workers are joining unions in an effort to build collective strength against Trump. And Jon Milton notes that there's plenty Canadian governments can and should do in response to corporate union-busting, including Amazon's shuttering of its Quebec warehouse in response to an organizing campaign. 

- Steve Smethurst discusses new research about the threat of PFAs and other dangerous chemicals in sewage sludge which is used for agricultural purposes. And Andrew Gregory reports on a study showing that air pollution is responsible for upwards of a thousand annual cases of a single form of lung cancer in the UK, while Denise Balkissoon writes about the data gaps which limit our ability to identify similar threats in Canada. 

- Finally, Kim Pate discusses how Pierre Poilievre's draconian attacks on drug users would only exacerbate poverty and addiction. And Brett McKay reports on the 19-year difference in life expectancy between Indigenous people and other Albertans as a grim example of how discrimination and bigotry lead to severe health consequences. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Elevated cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Krugman discusses how Donald Trump and Elon Musk are severing the U.S.' ties around the world. And Eamon James and Dan Mangan report that the one form of international interaction Trump is looking to bolster is the legitimization of bribery. 

- Lisa Needham writes that Trump isn't pretending to govern as anything but a dictator unbound by law or by accountability. Jason Stanley writes about the new Republican "Southern Strategy" seeking to make a constant war against minorities and their voting rights into a foundation for electoral dominance. David Dayen notes that the technological takeover of the U.S. government seems designed to impose to impose rule by capricious and malicious autopilot. Molly Jong-Fast calls out the second Trump administration's war on science, while Amanda Marcotte notes that Musk is going out of his way to destroy research and innovation after building his own obscene fortune on past generations' work. 

- The Guardian's editorial board notes that the real purpose of Trump's obsession with tariffs is to allow him to impose the most extreme program of systematic economic inequality the world has ever seen. Jason Leopold and Evan Weinberger highlight the blatant self-dealing involved as Musk shreds the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and seizes competitors' confidential information just in time to turn X into a financial services rent-seeker, while Kylie Cheung points out that existing creditors and banks are also looking forward to free rein to scam their customers. 

- Meanwhile, James Temperton and Murad Hemmadi report on Shopify's embrace of Nazi merchandise and causes - which is of course particularly important given Pierre Poilievre's desire to turn its principals into the Canadian version of Musk. Nora Loreto discusses the ethnonationalism behind Pierre Poilievre's new choice of slogans. And Jon Henler reports on new research showing that the far right spreads fake news far more than any other grouping on the political spectrum. 

- George Monbiot laments that Keir Starmer's Labour government is further dismantling the UK's machniery of government (and undermining its own stated goals in the process). And Chris Dillow points out how the fanatical belief in commodified markets as the solution to everything prevents governments from serving the interests of their citizens. 

- Finally, Adam King interviews Bryan Evans and Carlo Fanelli about the damage Doug Ford has done to workers in Ontario. And Canada Healthwatch points out that despite how one prominent poll has been framed, it's unlikely that health care will be the top issue for voters - making a full accounting for Ford's subservience to Donald Trump a must to ensure he can't hang on to power. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Carole Cadwalladr highlights the Elon Musk-led coup against democratic governance in the U.S., while Sarah Kendzior discusses how Musk and the rest of his toxic techbros are best described as strip-mining the future of humanity. Brian Barrett points out the obvious dangers of treating the civil service underpinning a functional society as a startup where "breaking things" is the primary objective. And Jonathan Martin notes that many American lives are at risk (along with far more from people in affected countries) due to the Trump administration's obliteration of USAID. 

- Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew and Janet Yellenall offer their warning that American democracy is in grave danger. Brian Beutler writes that U.S. Democrats have just enough levarage to face the choice between either standing up for representative institutions by insisting that government funding be conditioned on their effectiveness, or enabling Trump to take unfettered control. Jared Yates Sexton writes that it will ultimately take concerted collective action to win the existential fight against a Trump autocracy. And Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor points out how the fascist right's attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion have gained ground primarily because of policies which have fallen far short of their billing. 

- Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood offers a reminder of the need for Canada to fight back against economic warfare (among other attacks) from Trump. Dan Gardner writes about what might happen as historic alliances crumble - though I'd question his doomerist assumptions that Canada willl inevitably give in to Trump's demands and other countries will have no interest in developing alternative alliances. Charlie Angus points out that boycotts are already having a massive impact on U.S. tourism and other industries, while Anthony Rosborough discusses how a strengthened right to repair can help us break free of corporate shackles which could all too easily be commandeered by the Trump regime. And Steven High argues that we need to work on reversing the deindustrialization of Canada, while Ricardo Tranjan makes the case that we need a stronger safety net (similar to what we had with the CERB just a few years ago) to ensure people aren't cowed into submission by a risk of deep poverty. 

- Finally, David Moscrop argues that Ontario voters shouldn't reward Doug Ford for his combination of blatant corruption and implausible posturing against a regime for whom he's long proclaimed his unwavering support. And Carolina Aragao notes that Ford's track record also includes the lowest levels of well-being of any province.