Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Mark Kreidler notes that people from around the globe are staying away from the U.S. in droves - due to both the risk of being a foreigner in a country looking to detain anybody fitting that description, and the desire to avoid rewarding a rogue regime. And Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson write about the increasing number of Americans choosing to leave the U.S. rather than suffering under the violence and corruption of the Trump administration. 

- Sadiq Khan highlights how UK Labour has only hurt itself by imposing right-wing bigotry as policy rather than giving effect to the progressive values of its base. And Justin Ling questions Mark Carney's cheerleading for the U.S.' wars of conquest, while Lloyd Axworthy discusses how Carney has chosen to enable (and indeed embrace) U.S. aggression in violation of international law. 

- Ajit Niranjan reports on the shocking loss of marine life as a result of the climate breakdown, with drops in marine biomass of up to 20% in a single year. Greg Harman discusses new modeling showing that over 2% of all deaths in a Texas summer - numbering up to a thousand in any given year - can be traced back to extreme heat caused by global warming. And Sadie Harley examines how carbon dioxide levels in the human body are increasing dangerously. 

- Hayley Smith discusses yet another pernicious application of artificial intelligence, as fabricated "public comments" were used by a California environmental authority as reason not to phase out fossil gas appliances. 

- Finally, Erika Edwards reports on the tens of millions of dollars in traceable losses caused by the anti-vaxxers' choice to spread measles in the U.S. - while hinting at far more severe damage which may never be observable. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ana Marie Cox discusses how Jeffrey Epstein was able to amass influence and commit atrocities by sharing the discriminatory and dehumanizing values with his targets. Solani Kolakhtar notes that the Epstein class consists entirely of wealthy and privileged people using anti-elite messaging to distract from their own contempt for and exploitation of the general public. And Jamelle Bouie talks to Andrea Pitzer about the nature of concentration camps as means of treating disfavoured people into things to be warehoused. 

- Sam Freedman highlights the challenges for governments in trying to reach any meaningful proportion of the public in a media environment which is both fragmented into numerous technical channels, yet still largely controlled by the wealthy few. And John Herrman weighs in on Elon Musk's deliberate choice to use X to breed hatred and bigotry, while Justin Hendrix talks to Jose Marichal about the importance of challenging the implicit algorithmic contract underlying our interaction with major social media sites.

- Joseph Stiglitz, Monica Geingos and Michael Marmot warn that inequality will make the next pandemic worse (even as the right's attacks on science and public health mean it will likely happen sooner). And McKenzie Beard offers a summary of how various communicable diseases spread, as well as how best to mitigate risk at the individual level. 

- Finally, Phillip Inman reports on a new study showing how the arbitrary elimination of remote work options has a disproportionate effect on people with disabilities as well as people relied upon to perform care work. 

 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Matt Seybold writes about the message sent at Davos that AI will be forced on people regardless of whether they want it (or whether it will do them anything but harm). And Michael Geist writes about the absurdity of the Carney government allowing the hallucinations of artificial intelligence to override the actual results of public consultation into AI itself. 

- Melissa Troutman and Rebecca Sobel highlight New Mexico's record levels of oil and gas spillage, as the dirty energy industry sees itself as ever more entitled to pollute everything around it. And Olivia Rosane discusses how Louisiana pipeline explosion offers another vivid example of the dangers of fossil fuels which are dumped on unsuspecting and/or marginalized populations. 

- Andrew Longhurst and Rebecca Graff-McRae examine how the UCP's two-tier health care is threatening the public medical system. And Sneh Duggal reports that Ontario's response to increasing levels of hallway health care has been to stop reporting on how often people are forced into it. 

- Finally, Jen St. Denis offers new details as to the far right's operations in Canada - including their sway over right-wing parties. And both Markham Hislop and Don Newman call out Danielle Smith for conjuring up and stoking a separatist threat rather than serving the interests of Alberta and its people. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Stephen Beschloss writes that while the specifics may be unpredictable, the broad strokes of the Trump regime are entirely in keeping with a U.S. political system gone mad. And Hamilton Nolan confronts the reality that the U.S. is unmistakably the bad guy in its treatment of the rest of the world, while Will Bunch properly characterizes it as a rogue state. And Carol Calwalladr discusses the danger as seen from abroad.  

- The Guardian's editorial board makes the case for Europe to present a strong and united front against the U.S.' imperialism. And Thomas Homer-Dixon and Alex Gordon rightly argue that Canada needs to be planning to respond to American aggression - not tying ourselves even more tightly to a hostile and impetuous power. 

- A.R. Moxon examines the significance of the unapologetic racism and bigotry of white supremacists. 

- And finally, Adam King reviews the state of Canadian labour in 2025 - with unions succeeding in achieving wage gains, but having to fight against adverse conditions in the broader economy. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Amanda Marcotte discusses how Donald Trump is taking know-nothingism to new depths in response to even the most glaring of realities. Mike Konczal notes that whatever theory there was behind Trump's economic policy (other than naked corruption) has utterly failed to materialize. And Casey Michel points out that white-collar criminals are among the few groups seeing any advantage to Trump's regime, while Adam Serwer adds Confederacy enthusiasts and anti-equality conservatives to the list. 

- Conor Curtis writes that Trump's most important current attack on Canada is being launched through corporate lobbyists. And Antonia Scatton discusses the failure of empty messaging which fails to recognize or challenge the control exerted by the wealthy few. 

- David Roberts interviews Samuel Bagg about the importance of social identity in guarding against misinformation, while David Climenhaga points out the massive pile of propaganda being served up by the UCP as it seeks to push anti-Canadian sentiment with no regard for facts or outcomes. And David Gilbert notes that some of the most influential voices in politics are ones who use large platforms to only rarely address political issues.  

- Finally, Patrick Marlborough calls out the Australian right for seeking to exploit a tragedy to push immigrant-bashing. But Amy Remeikis notes that nobody should be surprised to see the shock doctrine applied by conservative parties or their media sycophants. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Truth and Reconciliation Day reading.

- Doug Cuthand offers a reminder of the systematic harm done to Indigenous people by a settler state seeking to eradicate them. And Tanya Talaga writes about the need to protect today's Indigenous youth, while Eva Jewell points out the Indigenous women who are still largely ignored as they suffer violence and discrimination. 

- Jonathan Last discusses how the Trump regime's abuses have exceeded even the seeming worst-case scenarios from a year ago. And Andy Craig writes that the least U.S. Democrats can do is stop funding an authoritarian government - which should make for an important consideration for other actors deciding how to deal with the Trump administration as well. 

- Lisa Held reports on the Democrats' much-needed efforts to point out how corporate control and consolidation are making food less healthy and more expensive. Sara Connors reports on the Libs' choice to cut funding for a program to feed Indigenous children in the Yukon. And Prem Sikka discusses how direct government investment and ownership are a must to support economic growth that isn't directed entirely toward further enriching the wealthiest few. 

- Mitchell Beer reports on the call by Canadian municial leaders for Canada's nation-building projects to avoid exacerbating the climate crisis. Dean Baker discusses how action against the climate crisis also helps to ensure affordability for the general public. And Kyle Stock reports on the popularity of used electric vehicles in the U.S. as a demonstration of the demand for cleaner transportation as long as it isn't artifically overpriced, while Enrico Moretti and Harrison Wheeler examine the benefits of reduced traffic noise from EVs.

- Aaron Gell exposes a new report showing how the insurance industry is booking massive profits while refusing to cover the most important risks people face. 

- Finally, Pamela Duncan et al. study how far-right Facebook groups have radicalized anti-immigrant bigotry in the UK. And Cory Doctorow discusses how the AI bubble is set to pop at any time now.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Noah Berlatsky discusses the Trump regime's policy of wanton violence and murder. And Choe Sang-Hun reports on the recognition by South Korean workers caught in a recent ICE raid that the U.S. is no safe place to work, while Wired tells the stories of federal workers who were caught in DOGE's purge of the public service. 

- Greg Sargent writes that ABC's about-face over Jimmy Kimmel has exposed the lack of public support for the Trump regime's culture war. And Paul Krugman expresses some hope that others facing similarly arbitary demands from the MAGA government will push back sooner and allow the U.S. to avoid the fate of states that lost all independent media to authoritarian regimes. 

- But then, Lord Foulkes notes that the UK's media is still treating its hard-right party with kid gloves and legitimizing its message of hate in the process. And Stephen Maher writes about the need for Canada to prevent alt-right grooming from turning into political violence. 

- Thor Benson discusses how China is taking what looks to be an insurmountable lead over the U.S. in developing and deploying clean energy. And Andrew Freedman reports on Climate TRACE's work allowing people to trace responsibility for air pollution (which confirms the disproportionate role of a few corporate super polluters in spewing harmful substances). 

- Finally, Melissa Heikkilä, Chris Cook and Clara Murray report on the glaring lack of substance behind most corporate spin about AI. But Anja Karadeglija reports that the Libs remain determined to bank on AI as a panacea.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Robert McCoy reports on new modeling showing that everybody besides the uber-rich will be worse off as a result of Donald Trump's economic policies (even leaving aside how his authoritarianism undermines any development). And Curtis Fric notes that the U.S. citizenry bearing the brunt of capitalist abuse is rightly turning against the system. 

- Dale Smith discusses the problems with Mark Carney's apparent willingness to treat "building things" as synonymous with "doling out corporate handouts". Charlie Angus rightly slams Carney for choosing to play nice with fascists rather than building resistance and alternative power structures, while Luke LeBrun writes that progressive voters who lent their support to Carney based on the expectation he'd stand up to Trump have every reason to be angry. And Matthew Miller and Leyla Soleymani make the case for investments in life sciences as one of the most important responses to the U.S.' abdication of any role in scientific progress. 

- The Financial Times reports on the imminent electrification of everything, while Peter Newman and Ray Wills discuss how the largest energy transition in history is well underway. And Micah McCartney points out that China is reining in its use of fossil fuels while positioning itself as the main beneficiary of a clean energy revolution. 

- Meanwhile, Anil Hira discusses how fossil fuels impose social costs that are consistently excluded from resource management decisions. Mitchell Beer reports on the scramble to try to wring short-term profits out of fossil gas both from U.S. producers generally and a Newfoundland development prioritized by the Libs in particular. And Drew Anderson reports on the rural Alberta residents who are fed up with the UCP's allowing oil and gas lobbyists to trample their rights and interests while leaving the public to clean up toxic messes. 

- Finally, A.R. Moxon writes about the glaring disparity in whose lives are seen as worthy of recognition in the U.S. And David Beers and Jen St. Denis report on the deliberate targeting of Rachel Gilmore by Andrew Scheer and other figures in Canada's alt-right for daring to point out the reality of right-wing violence. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Chance Phillips is rightly outraged that the corporate media is letting the Trump regime hand immense power to white supremacists without even calling attention to that fact. And Paul Waldman highlights how Trump's systematic misogyny is exacerbating rather than remedying the sense of dissatisfaction which has been cultivated by the right. 

- Jessica Wildfire discusses how to approach the recognition of imminent social collapse. Brian Beutler points out the importance of fighting against injustice even where victory is far from assured - both due to the possibility of succeeding, and the need to build capacity for ongoing conflicts. Jonathan Last offers his take on how to make good trouble, while pointing out how it's succeeded in reversing some of the Trump regime's abuses. And Hamilton Nolan worries that the American labour movement is crumbling due to a failure to organize broadly.  

- Cory Doctorow highlights how it's impossible to fight enshittification at the individual level, but entirely possible to do so through collective policy choices. And Brian Merchant notes that GPT-5 (among other much-hyped AI releases) is purely bait for investors rather than anything which could possibly hold value for users. 

- Garrett Graff writes that Trump's anti-science bent is destroying a multi-generation culture of research that formed the basis for the U.S.' economic success. And Arcella Martin reports on the reuse of electric vehicle batteries for grid stabilization as an example of the type of innovation and responsible resource use that's possible when governments aren't actively obstructing progress.  

- Roy Edroso explains and calls out the right's war on cities as reflecting their distate for diversity and inclusion. And Bill Fulton points out that most households could thrive with one less vehicle than they're currently paying to operate and maintain. 

- Finally, Megan Rose and Debbie Cenziper report on both the U.S.' general acquiescence in the importing of medications from banned facilities, and the process resulting in its accepting drugs from one Indian supplier with a grim safety record.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Leana Hosea and Sarij Pathirana report on new data showing that tens of thousands of oil slicks every year are going unreported and doing immense damage to the oceans. And Abrahm Lustgarten discusses new research showing how the climate breakdown and poorly-regulated resource extraction are destroying vital groundwater reserves. 

- Fiona Harvey reports on Antonio Gutierres' pointed observation that renewable energy is vastly (and increasingly) more affordable than fossil fuel energy even without accounting for the environmental harms of the latter. Adrienne Tanner weighs in on China's leading role in transitioning to clean energy - and the choice facing Canada and other countries as to whether to cling to the past or build for the future. 

- Meanwhile, Natasha Bulowski reports on new research showing that electric vehicles have substantial public health benefits even beyond their reduction of carbon pollution compared to dirty energy alternatives. Bill McKibben examines how the Trump regime is trying to stifle the development of renewable energy, while also discussing the options to counter that thumb on the scale. Drew Anderson compiles a thorough list of the subsidies currently keeping Canada addicted to fossil fuels both for our own energy use, and for export purposes. And Mitch Anderson points out that production increases in the Alberta tar sands haven't done anything to help either workers or the province's finances. 

- Greg Sargent talks to Paul Krugman about the reality that the Trump regime's trade deal announcements bear very little resemblance to the reality - as they make everybody worse off, but particularly his own base. And Nathaniel Denaro calls for Canada to approach any negotiations of its own based on the reality that the U.S. is an entirely unreliable trading partner. 

- Andrew Coyne discusses how the Cons' tough-on-crime posturing has given way to advocating for crime without punishment in the case of the Flu Trux Klan. Betsy Powell reports on the response of the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association calling out the demand that prosecutorial discretion in the public interest give way to naked political bias. And Fakiha Baig reports that the UCP is fueling violent racism with its attacks on immigrants.  

- Finally, Kelly Hayes writes that the long-overdue revelations about Donald Trump's close connections to Jeffrey Epstein are crucial in examining the U.S.' culture of elite impunity. And Kate Manne points out the implausibility that dozens of similar but distinct reports of sexual abuse are somehow all to be disbelieved as compared to Trump's ever-changing and farcical denials and evasions.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Adam King discusses how the income gap in Canada has reached more extreme levels than ever before. And Henry Farrell writes about the reality that the uber-rich live in an entirely different world than most of humanity - including in their ability to have their worst and most ill-informed whims turned into government policy through compliant politicians. 

- On that front, Adam Gabbatt reports on the Trump regime's plan to let a glorified chatbot destroy the U.S.' regulatory state - even though it's already well known that AI isn't suited to making government decisions. John Cole's review of Sam Freedman's Failed State discusses how the UK's privatization has proven disastrous - even as the Labour government elected due to public dissatisfaction follows in the footsteps of its Conservative predecessor.

- Doug Saunders highlights how complaints about political polarization inevitably ignore the reality that it's only the right that's veered far outside of reality. Judd Legum notes that Axios is among the media outlets that has exacerbated the problem by treating conservative spin as objective truth. David Pressman discusses how the Trump regime is following Viktor Orban's playbook in entrenching power at the expense of any rational view of the puoblic interest. And Joan Smith points out the connection between domestic abuse and public violence - which unfortunately is more relevant for its explanatory power than any sense that the powers that be will act in response to the former for the purpose of averting the latter. 

- Maalvika writes about the dangers of "compression culture" which imposes uniformity, oversimplification and brittleness in the name of efficiency. And Andrew Nikiforuk laments the triumph of stupidity in the face of the apt warnings of Kurt Vonnegut and others. 

- John Michael McGrath highlights CivicAction's new report on how workers are being priced out of Toronto. Cy Neff reports on the rise of investor-owned homes as an element of the housing crisis in California and elsewhere. And Lauren Scott reports on the status of Manitoba's work to find homes for unhoused people - along with the reality that private market-rate units in particular haven't proven to be part of the solution. 

- Finally, Jeet Heer writes about Zohran Mamdani's success offering hope-based politics in the face of a system set up ito deny anything of the sort, while Greg Sargent points out that Mamdani has also succeeded with outreach that actually earns voters' attention rather than serving merely as placeholding pablum. And David Gulliver discusses some of the lessons the NDP and its leadership contestants can draw from Mamdani's campaign. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Susan Glaser writes about the dictator cosplay arising from Donald Trump's military parade, while Jeet Heer is rightly more concerned about Trump's actual claim to be able to use the military like a warlord. Liz Dye points out that Trump has reached the point of prosecuting political opposition with remarkably little pushback. Geoffrey Johnston discusses how freedom is eroding under the Trump regime. And Outspoken highlights how ICE is the new Gestapo. 

- Meanwhile, Jack Wilson offers a reminder that Canada's continuing pretense that the U.S. is a safe third country is resulting in refugees being condemned to ICE's abuses. And Erica Ifill rightly questions why Mark Carney is pushing a surveillance state no less dangerous and intrusive than the one being established under Trump's fascist administration.

- Paul Waldman writes that the Republicans' latest attempt to shovel wealth upward depends on what can only be described as fictitious economic theory. And David Sirota discusses how the right's culture war provides cover for the looting of the general public by oligarchs. 

- Erica Chenoweth, Soha Hammam, Jeremy Pressman, and Christopher Wiley Shay do point out that contrary to most media portrayals, there's significantly more protest activity than at this time in the first Trump administration - as the public hasn't followed the political and media classes in acquiescing to Trump. And Bill McKibben writes that this weekend offers a unique confluence of events with the potential to crystallize resistance. 

- Michael Ross and Erik Voeten note that the decline of democracy and social justice in the U.S. can be traced in no small part to its become a petrostate (with the encouragement of both major parties). And Linda McQuaig highlights the absurdity of pitching still more publicly-subsidized fossil fuel pipelines as a matter of "national unity" rather than climate destruction even as much of Canada burns. 

- Finally, Taylor Noakes writes that a Canadian federal government actually interested in helping people would be acting to rein in corporate control, including by breaking up grocery monopolies. 

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. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Jason Hickel discusses how capitalism is fundamentally in conflict with the idea of democracy - and how increasing democratic control over the economy is the only way to salvage any popular governance generally.

- Michael Tomasky calls out the new boundaries of corruption being pushed by Donald Trump's granting of access to those who hand him free money through his memecoin, while Amanda Marcotte discusses how Trump's crypto scam imposes costs on everybody. And Don Moynihan notes that Trump's budget, like virtually everything else emanating from his regime, consists entirely of propaganda rather than bearing any relationship to reality.

- Meanwhile, in case anybody was under the illusion that the only regressive action in the U.S. is originating with Trump and his administration, Tracy Wholf reports on the Republican Senate's unprecedented move to eliminate existing pollution controls.

- Charlie Angus discusses the continued MAGA threats to Canada even after we averted the planned coronation of the Poilievre Cons. And Dennis Pilon writes about the undemocratic results of strategic voting. 

- Finally, Marc Edge discusses how right-wing misinformation has come to dominate social media as a result of an attempt to slightly balance the interests of other media against tech giants. James Hoggan offers some suggestions as to what we can do at an individual level to counter rage farming and political deception. And Euan Thomson reports on the likely illegal - if less-than-surprising - monitoring of citizens' social media by Calgary police.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Robert Reich argues that the overriding theme of the new Trump regime is ineptitude, with Paul Krugman's observation that he's staking the U.S. economy on offers which other countries can't accept offering support for that conclusion. But John Slover et al.'s study on the millions of people who stand to die from Trump's wanton slashing of supports signals that cruelty still needs to rank at the top of the list, while Eli Hager writes that a war on children is a huge element of the regime's actions. 

- Harold Meyerson discusses how markets have brought Trump to heel at times - though it's also been worth noting how quick they've been to revert back to "normal" as the people in control of capital are desperate to avoid acknowledging the harm already done when they can find the slightest pretense to make numbers go up. And John Avlon highlights how Americans are demonstrably worse off than they were 100 days ago, with far more damage yet to come. 

- Cory Doctorow notes that Congressional Republicans are joining in the looting of the general public by looking to eliminate protections against corporate fraud and deception. And Dan Friedman and Russ Choma point out the actual dark money behind a political investigation seeking to undermine Democratic donation mechanisms. 

- Quinn Slobodian writes that techbros' temporary fixation with IQ is only a brief stop on the way toward the subordination of human-based knowledge and judgment. And Dell Cameron discusses how car subscription features are just one more piece of the burgeoning private surveillance state. 

- Adam King writes about CAPE's call for public pension funds to divest from Tesla - both to avoid propping up a particularly malevolent corporate actor, and for the sake of avoiding a foreseeable crash. And Michael MacKenzie, Simon Pek and Alex Hemingway make the case to favour democratic employee ownership of businesses rather than catering to the whims of billionaires and foreign capital.

- Finally, Taylor Noakes examines the right-wing propaganda machine which has bullied its way into Canada's political discourse. Max Fawcett writes that a proportional electoral system would offer an important defence mechanism against that threat - though it seems painfully unlikely that Mark Carney will have any more interest in reducing the polarization that brought him to power than Justin Trudeau or previous Lib leaders who have similarly wielded false majorities. And Jared Wesley writes that there are two possible paths ahead for conservatives in Canada - though the observation that there's a theoretical option to build bridges rather than destroying them seems hopelessly credulous in light of the constent track record of the Cons and their IDU co-conspiracists regardless of who's been at the helm.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jared Yates Sexton writes about the unambiguous wrong embodied in the Trump regime's claim to be able to disappear anybody it chooses to. Timothy Snyder rightly categorizes that position as the deliberate use of state terror. Coral Davenport reports on Trump's plan to treat the law as inoperative to the extent it doesn't suit the interests of him or his cronies, including by ignoring regulations which are seen as inconvenient. And Jason Sattler discusses how Elon Musk is attempting to enshittify Social Security out of existence (as an alternative to the Republicans' repeated attempts to eliminate it as a matter of law).

- Amanda Marcotte points out the theocracy embedded in Marco Rubio's attempt to treat any differing views as "anti-Christian bias". Saketh Sundar discusses how hospitals stand to be hard hit by Trump's attempt at a hostile takeover of universities. And Taylor Noakes writes that the rest of the world (including Canada) will suffer from the fallout of RFK Jr.'s gutting of public health. 

- Sushan Singh writes about the connections between right-wing authoritarian regimes around the world, including through the Modi government's interference to promote Pierre Poilievre and the Cons. Taylor Owen talks to Aengus Bridgman and Nina Jankocwicz about the broader reality of foreign information manipulation. 

- Patrick McCurdy and Kaitlin Clarke offer a reminder as to who stands to suffer from Poilievre's war on "woke" (i.e. any attempt to identify and correct injustice). Mel Woods points out the anti-trans messages being injected into the election campaign by the Cons. And Jen St. Denis reports that Canada's alt-right techbros are desperately trying to distance themselves from Elon Musk's DOGE (with all the credibility of Donald Trump's bald-faced lies about his connections to Project 2025). 

- Finally, Nino Antadze writes that Canada can draw important lessons from Georgia as to how to defend its sovereignty against a hostile superpower. And Charles Smith discusses how the new strain of Canadian nationalism emerging in response to Trump's threat may chart a path for our future development. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jason Sattler examines how a corporatist SCOTUS laid the groundwork for the fascist takeover of the U.S. by prioritizing money over people. Brian Tyler Cohen discusses the absurdity of Elon Musk demanding to be treated as a victim while declaring everybody but himself to be subhuman (with gross contempt for people's lives and well-being serving as the common theme of all of his business and government actions). And Amanda Marcotte discusses Musk's disdain for retirees and benefit recipients as he looks to strip them of their Social Security income. 

- Tom Phillips and Clavel Rangel report on how the U.S. rendition of hundreds of people to be used for prison slave labour in El Salvador is based solely on tattoos which demonstrably establish nothing about any wrongdoing. And Shirin Ali and Mark Joseph Stern focus on soccer player and Venezuelan refugee Jerce Reyes Barrios in particular as someone who was rendered in the absence of any explanation.  

- Charlie Angus offers some hopeful dispatches from his Elbows Up Resistance tour. Iglika Ivanova points out how the policy response to the U.S.' hostility can also improve the quality of life for Canadians in general, while Shauna MacKinnon, Catherine Lussier and Mark Hancock focus on the value of social housing in particular in improving people's well-being. And in case there was any doubt how much need there is for improvement on that front, Natalie Stechyson reports on our decline in glboal happiness rankings even before the second Trump regime took power. 

- David Macdonald and Sonja Macdonald study the spread of news deprivation in Canada. Linda McQuaig calls for an end to control of media by foreign capital interests who are motivated both to slash reporting and impose corporatist editorial lines. Crawford Kilian writes about the need for Canada to fight back against the U.S.' information warfare. And Cole Bennett calls out Pierre Poilievre's war against the truth, while Luke LeBrun exposes Canada Proud's big-money attempt to spam Canadians with QAnon-esque disinformation. 

- Finally, Erin Blondeau examines how Poilievre's "anti-woke" messaging is copied directly from the U.S.' dangerous white nationalist scene. But Sarah Sahagian notes that Mark Carney isn't helping matters any by eliminating ministries with responsibilities for diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Alejandra Gomez and Greisa Martinez Rosas offer a reminder that Donald Trump's attempt to pit immigrants against other workers serves only to distract from the reality that the capitalist class is callously exploiting both. And Amanda Taub reports on the protection racket diplomacy which has been tested first in the U.S.' threats to abandon Ukraine. 

- Jill Filipovic writes about the adolescent masculinity that represents the common thread of Trump's various factions and plans. David Dayen offers some hope that Trump's initial plan for a coup against U.S. democracy has failed as most institutions have survived the first wave of attacks, while Brian Beutler discusses how his unabashed villainy has helped to avoid a takeover without resistance. Adam Serwer points out how one of Trump's core goals is to reverse the gains of the civil rights movement. And Beatrice Peterson reports on the mass firings of intelligence community employees who dared to participate in LGBTQ+-oriented private chat conversations, while Madison Pauly reports on the McCarthyist demand that workers out their LGBTQ+ colleagues to enable their being purged from the civil service as a whole. 

- Alice Southey and Tabatha Southey write about the need to stop treating Trump's constant threats to take Canada by force as a joke or a thought experiment. David Moscrop points out how the external menace makes it easier to unite around what makes Canada worth defending. And Nora Loreto discusses how much of our sovereignty has already been sold off by our ruling class, while Taylor Noakes rightly notes that Trump's consequence-free negation of free trade agreements (including the one he himself negotiated) shows how little they were worth in the first place. 

- Crawford Kilian offers some lessons for both the U.S.' democracy and our own. Geoff Bickerton argues that the CBC provides us with an important trusted news source at an extremely low cost - which is particularly vital as the U.S.' media and information ecosystem is dominated more and more by the world's wealthiest and most narcissistic few. And Carine Abousief discusses the need to make our health care system more resilient against U.S. threats (rather than instead making it even more dependent on foreign actors).  

- Finally, Danyaal Raza points out how public health care in Ontario is under threat as Doug Ford seeks another term in which to neglect and/or privatize services. And Shellene Drakes-Tull calls out Ford for his own determination to sell out as much of the provinces as he can for the benefit of his cronies both north and south of the border. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Brian Cox writes that the combined cruelty and incompetence of the new Trump oligarchy should remind us of the need to tax the wealthy rather than letting them concentrate riches and power. And Richard Partington reports on a new study showing that UK Labour is losing support because of its insistence on pandering to the right rather than dealing with people's poverty and economic insecurity. 

- Maia Mindel discusses the risks of not being able to trust politicized data - as well as how to know when it ceases to be believable. 

- Owen Jones warns that the rise of the AfD in Germany (as the chosen party of Elon Musk and the global alt-right) reflects a disturbing pattern in the Western world. And Julia Damphouse notes that the election did see its momentum stall while the unapologetically leftist Die Linke also made a substantial breakthrough. 

- Max Fawcett recognizes that the Flu Trux Klan which appropriated the Canadian flag for its anti-science cause is downright eager to sell us out to the U.S. But fortunately, Curtis Fric notes that the convoy and extreme Cons are isolated in that position, with a strong majority of Canadians favouring like-for-like retaliation against Trump's planned tariffs. Charlie Angus points out the lengthening list of similarities between Canada and Ukraine in needing to build alliances to respond to a direct border threat.

- Simon Enoch and Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood note that there's no reason to tie the laudable goal of building high-speed rail to an exploitative P3s structure. Nelson Bennett points out the corporate forces looking to capitalize on the Trump threat to profit from slashing taxes and public services. And Andre Picard writes that if we're looking for ways to eliminate internal barriers to a constructive federation, a good place to start would be in prioritizing effective health care nationally over provincial whims. 

- Finally, Rumneek Johal discusses how Doug Ford in particular has undermined Ontario's health care system - and is seeking to do another term's worth of damage to it. Desmond Cole discusses how Ford has gotten away with a track record of failure and corruption so far. And Famita Syed, Emma McIntosh and Elaine Anselmi examine what Ontario's parties are proposing when it comes to environmental issues - with the PCs againrefusing to offer anything to voters after using their power to squelch any previous prospect of improvement. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Paul Krugman discusses how Donald Trump is eviscerating financial regulation and consumer protection just when it's most needed, while Henry Farrell points out how the undermining of government intersects with the polycrisis which Trump refuses to even acknowledge let alone address. And Bryan Mena reports on new polling showing that U.S. consumers are recognizing the dangers of Trump's regime. 

- Brian Beutler writes about the futility of trying to work with people who have resolved to engage in as much criminal behaviour as they can get away with. Ian Dunt notes that Trump's flagrant lies about Russia's invasion of Ukraine represent the most clear attack yet on epistemic reality. And Zeynep Tufecki examines how the theft of private information may be used to entrench Elon Musk's power both inside and outside of government. 

- Niall Harney and Jon Milton write that Amazon's union-busting should be a wakeup call for Canada's labour movement. Adam King reports on an attempt by Toronto's business lobby to take away paid days off for retail workers. And Marc Lee calls out the gross overstatement of the effects of supposed interprovincial barriers in an effort to undermine regulation in the public interest - while offering a reminder that there's a readily-available mechanism to deal with any barriers which are actually identified. 

- Taylor Noakes discusses how the U.S.' disruption of existing trade patterns gives us a golden opportunity to build a clean energy society. But David Moscrop writes that Mark Carney is offering nothing more than business as usual, complete with austerity, corporate handouts and illusory climate policy. 

- Finally, Ricardo Tranjan and Ryan Romand point out how Ontario's provincial election has involved little attention to the province's desperate need to collect revenue to be used for public services. And Saima Desai discusses the how Ontario's education system is falling apart after two terms of Doug Ford slashing what were already insufficient funding levels.