Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Hamilton Nolan writes about the inherent conflict between the politics of centrist inaction and the serious and urgent problems which require courageous and immediate solutions. And John Michael McGrath points out the problems with Mark Carney's climate strategy of eliminating emission reductions, pouring public funds into dirty fossil fuels, and hoping some electrification plan materializes despite his pushing policy in the opposite direction. 

- Meanwhile, Noelle Corbett reports that in contrast to the multitude of negative externalities caused by fossil fuel extraction and consumption, solar farms can create significant positive effects including benefiting wildlife and biodiversity.  

- Ellyn Lapointe discusses how the Trump regime's attacks on science in general and meteorology in particular have reduced the U.S.' capacity to forecast the extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate breakdown. Giedre Peseckyte reports on the WHO's call to treat extreme heat as a public health crisis. And Hanna Lee points out the causes of Canada's particularly wild weather so far in the summer of 2026. 

- Finally, Mike Brock examines the radical anti-democratic movement being pushed by Peter Thiel and other billionaires and elites seeking to eliminate any prospect of decision-making by and for the citizenry. And Adam Serwer highlights how the Republican attack on birthright citizenship in the U.S. reflects the underlying goal of undermining any sense of equal rights. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Bill McGuire discusses what the next few decades figure to look like as what's currently considered extreme heat becomes all too normal. And Andrew Gregory reports on the growing recognition that the damage caused by the climate breakdown includes the accelerated spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  

- Stella Levantesi writes about the myth of "green oil" promulgated by Norway's oil industry - which applies equally to greenwashing in Canada's fossil fuel sector. And the Sierra Club points out that a strong plurality of Canadians want to see stronger climate action including a strengthened industrial carbon price - even as Mark Carney goes in the opposite direction. 

- Chris Hoffman discusses the problems with online age verification requirements even in the hands of well-meaning organizations and officials. And Matt Novak writes about new polling showing strong U.S. public opposition to surveillance pricing.  

- Nico Schmidt, Ella Joyner and Conor O'Carroll highlight how tech giants have lobbied to conceal basic facts about the environmental damage done by data centres. And Don Moynihan writes that the Trump regime's sense of entitlement to total secrecy and impunity has reached the stage of demanding a non-disclosure agreement from every single U.S. federal employee. 

-  Finally, Wes Streeting rebuts Blair's demand that human well-being be left entirely in the hands of distorted and irrational markets rather than being a crucial purpose of democratic government. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Graham Readfearn reports on new research showing how more and more people are facing non-survivable heat - and that matters are getting worse as the climate breaks down even further. 

- Kathryn Bakos and James Stewart highlight the desperate need for Canada to include recognition of the climate crisis in its policy plans. And Curtis Fric discusses the latest polling showing the public wants to see more climate action, even as both the Carney Libs and nearly all provincial governments go out of their way to make matters worse. 

- Meanwhile, Jessica Corbett reports that the fossil fuel sector's profit-taking from Donald Trump's Iran war has included a stock selloff in addition to profiteering at the pump. And Nicholas Cunningham, Marcello Rossi and Amy Westervelt write about the false promise of "low-methane LNG" which may in fact be worse than other fossil fuels. 

- Alexander Bor et al. study how people in unequal and undemocratic societies face increased levels of online hatred and hostility. And Crawford Kilian notes that Canada has plenty of room for improvement on the democratic front.  

- Finally, Hettie O'Brien points out what the realities of private equity show us about the predictable course of capitalism running amok. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Mona Charen writes that Donald Trump's war in Iran can't be explained by any motive other than a sheer ego trip. Steven Beschloss notes that nobody should be surprise that the countries who have been on the receiving end of his abuse and impetuousness are less than eager to rush to his aid. And Martin Gelin reports on the V-Dem Institute's conclusion that Trump is aiming squarely at the imposition of dictatorship. 

- Mel Hogan writes that the ultimate effect of sycophantic artificial intelligence is the cultivation of mass psychosis. And Zeb Larson compares the data center boom to the 1800s railroad bubble - featuring large-scale, heavily-subsidized investment which ultimately served mostly to further enrich the tycoons who could more than afford to finance any development on their own.  

- Noah Berlatsky is rightly scathing about the U.S. Democrats who are responding to a fascist regime and the destruction of the civil service with tax baubles. And Ned Resnikoff points out the impossibility of building a functional society on a deliberately-suppressed resource base. 

- Finally, Markham Hislop calls out the lack of any plan for Canada to live up to even the most distant or modest of our climate commitments. And Emily Atkin examines the latest permutations of fossil fuel propaganda, featuring the demand that we put our future solely in the hands of the same bad actors who have already lied us into dangerous global warming. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

 This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Anand Giridharadas writes that the most important takeaway from the Epstein files is the existence of the "Epstein class" which considers itself beyond both any concern for humanity as a whole, and any accountability for its actions. Ryan Broderick examines how the entitled abusers around Epstein have been actively looking to undermine democracy for profit. And John Sipher comments on the need for more to come of the damning evidence against so many powerful people than temporary media attention.

- Meanwhile, Carlos Avenancio-Leon discusses how access to food is a polarized political issue in the U.S., with the pro-starvation party becoming increasingly strident in its desire to see people suffer. 

- Mark Kersten highlights how Canada can stop enabling the abuses of Donald Trump's authoritarian state. But The Dabbler warns that Mark Carney is instead combining rhetoric about principle and independence with consistent choices to make us even more dependent on the U.S.' tech giants.

- On that front, Faiz Siddiqui et al. examine Elon Musk's deliberate choice to bet on turning Grok into a generator of nonconsensual porn as his primary business strategy. And Raphael Sattler tests the results of that decision. 

- Finally, Marco Oved reports on the shift in employment from the oil and gas sector to clean energy - and the improved lives of workers as a result. And The Energy Mix points out a new Pembina Institute analysis showing how the price of renewable energy is plummeting, while Chris Aylett and Armida van Rij note that anybody concerned about energy security should be fully on board with a just transition. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- David Suzuki writes about the desperate need to loosen the grip a few megalomaniacal billionaires have over political and economic decision-making. And Matt McManus' review of The Democratic Marketplace examines how policies which cater to capitalism are undermining democracy. 

- Paul Krugman discusses what affordability really means in the eyes of the public - with inclusion, security and fairness ultimately meaning more than snapshots comparing immediate income to prices. And Robert Renger points out the obvious imbalance when corporations are routinely treated as too big to fail, while people (and marginalized groups thereof) are treated as too insignificant to be worth helping. 

- Patricia Cohen writes about the implausible valuation of AI-based corporations - together with the reality that any prospect of their producing returns commensurate with their current prices depends on further undermining the position of workers. And so when the Economist notes that businesses haven't been taking up AI at the pace its evangelists demand, the result is likely better in any event. 

- Meanwhile, Chris Hannay reports on the lack of reason to think the UCP's enabling of private medicine will do anything but shift resources away from an already-overloaded public system. 

- Finally, John Woodside discusses how Mark Carney has been using a past (if questionable) reputation for climate concern as cover to govern for the oil industry. And Carl Meyer and Drew Anderson examine how Carney's pipeline deal with Danielle Smith undermines multiple climate policies to rely solely on weakened industrial emission rules, at a time when the default to keep our planet habitable should be "all of the above". 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Bruce Campbell discusses how Canada continues to be both a laggard in its own climate action, and an obstacle to international cooperation. And Patrick Greenfield and Kristi Greenwood discuss the growing danger of zombie fires in the Arctic due to a warming and drying climate. 

- Michael Green examines the problems with treating the U.S. poverty line as a measure of sufficiency rather than deprivation - meaning that while steps to reduce measured poverty like Rashida Tlaib's Economic Dignity for All Agenda would represent progress toward economic security, they shouldn't be taken to be adequate. And Will Parker reports on the first months of operation of Atlanta's government-funded supermarket in providing accessible and affordable food where it presviously wasn't available. 

- Abdullah Khan et al. study the immense social benefits of vehicle safety technology which the Trump regime is looking to deregulate. And John Lorinc examines (note: post from July) the lack of any evidence to support the Ford government's attacks on bike lanes - in stark contrast to the clear evidence that they save lives. 

- Luke James reports on the steps insurers are taking to avoid being stuck with liability for AI catastrophes. And Tina Nguyen examines big tech's lobbying to have the Trump regime prevent any regulation or liability by fiat.

- Finally, Markham Hislop discusses how Danielle Smith and the UCP are attacking the very idea of democracy in Canada by seeking to import Trump's corruption and authoritarianism.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Paul Krugman writes that the combination of anti-fascism protests and Donald Trump's crackdown on them could be crucial in determining whether the U.S. sees an end to even the pretense of democracy. G. Elliott Morris notes that Saturday's "No Kings Day" protests were attended by millions of people. And both Toby Buckle and A.R. Moxon discuss how the contrast between the widespread and energetic anti-regime protests and the desultory Trump birthday parade shows the power of popular outrage and dissent. 

- Shawn Micallef notes that this year's Pride events are particularly important as a means of protest. And Dale Smith discusses how book-banning and online age verification - both of which are being pushed as part of an anti-LGBTQ agenda - each serve as tools of authoritarianism.  

- Desmond Cole is the latest to highlight how Mark Carney is adopting Trump's mass surveillance and hostility toward immigration even while pretending to defend Canada against them. Karl Nerenberg  notes that Carney is using the U.S. threat as an excuse to bypass democracy on behalf of corporate interests, while David Thurton reports on the justified backlash against the flattening of Indigenous rights and environmental protection in the name of megaprojects. And Mitchell Beer reports on Simon Donner's warning that Carney's theory about "decarbonized" fossil fuels is patently absurd to anyone with so much as a grade-school understanding of chemistry. 

- David Dayen writes about the damage Trump's signature economic bill will do to the U.S. - exacerbating inequality, stifling productivity and worsening public health - if it passes. And Ryan Ermey reports on new research showing that Americans are already seeing declining spending power and quality of life. 

- Issie Lapowsky interviews Megan Greenwell about the harm done by private equity as it undermines functional businesses in the name of short-term wealth extraction. And Jason Hickel makes the case for economic democracy as a necessary system to ensure that human survival and well-being are given any weight in political decision-making.

- Finally, Yei Ling Ma reports on the choice by Wal-Mart and other major companies to pull out of an agreement on reducing plastic contamination before it takes a penny out of their immediate profits. And Kaylie Tiessen warns that sellers' inflation figures to be making a return to Canada soon as corporate retailers turn confusion about inflation and tariffs into windfall profits. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tim Dickinson interviews Naomi Klein about the oligarchy's escalating war against the general public, while the Guardian's editorial board points out that warehouse and transport workers are the first groups to face decimation as a consequence of the Trump regime's class war. And Lauren Leffer discusses how the normalization and rationalization of death is the primary common theme to Robert F. Kennedy's actions while in charge of U.S. public health. 

- Marc Elias discusses the need for U.S. courts to stop treating the Trump regime as a normal litigant as it repeatedly ignores rulings and seeks to intimidate judges. And Brian Beutler calls for Democratic governers (and anybody else who might be tempted to appease Trump) to avoid becoming an object of scorn like Paul Weiss.

- Jonathan Last writes that the essence of a fascist view of law enforcement is to encourage state violence against perceived enemies while demanding that allies be treated as entirely above the law. And Will Sommer discusses how the MAGA right's moral compass has been so thoroughly warped that it's treating the direction of the "n" word toward a child as a cause deserving of crowdfunding.  

- Andrew Nikiforuk talks to Ece Temelkuran about the predictable steps from democracy toward autocracy - and the importance of acting in the early stages to avoid being pushed down the path. And Zoe Yunker interviews Alexis Shotwell about the need for collective action in response to large-scale problems. 

- Edward Keenan points out how multiplex construction can be a key element in resolving the housing crisis - but that Toronto and other municipalities have effectively banned it in favour of single detached buildings. 

- Finally, Colleen Fuller writes that Canada needs a public insulin manufacturer to ensure that an essential medication doesn't disappear due to arbitrary action by a few corporations.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Daniel Drezner examines how the Trump regime's (nearly) worldwide tariff announcement confirm the complete ignorance and incompetence of everybody involved. Paul Krugman notes that the policy process underlying the tariffs is if anything even less rationally explicable than the tariffs themselves. And Jonathan Chait writes that the best one can say about the deliberate crashing of the U.S. economy is that it will limit Trump's ability to consolidate power, while Ian Dunt theorizes that Trump's paranoia and rage will ultimately be his undoing.  

- Robert Reich suggests that Canada and other countries can strengthen their position in the face of the U.S.' destruction by joining together to develop new trade blocs. Angella MacEwan rightly notes that nobody can treat Trump's latest whims as the last word on anything - making it all the more important to build more reliable economic structures without relying on the U.S. And Seth Klein discusses the importance of recognizing and bolstering public institutions which aren't subject to foreign takeovers or domination. 

- Rebecca Solnit discusses how the Trump regime represents a true test for Americans as to whether they're prepared to work for a democracy or drift toward authoritarianism. And Robert Reich offers some rules in dealing with Trump's demands, while noting how some of the organizations best positioned to resist have chosen to cave or even comply in advance. 

- Andy Rowell and Nina Lakhani examine how Trump is planning to enrich fossil fuel donors while encouraging them to cook our planet even more. Damian Carrington reports on the growing recognition among insurers that our economic system can't survive the damage we're inflicting on our living environment. 

- Finally, Mehdi Hasan writes that it's both wrong and destructive to treat people (regardless of their immigration status) as being illegal. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- George Monbiot discusses the nihilism behind the new Trump regime which seems positively eager to see the world burn, while Jessica Wildfire writes that the super-rich aren't under any illusion that our current path of planetary destruction is remotely sustainable. And Andy Kroll chimes in on the reality that Elon Musk's main focus is on allowing himself and other tycoons to enrich themselves without paying taxes (or following regulations to protect the public), while Adam Bonica notes that there too the effect is ultimately harmful even for the wealth hoarders whose interest is supposedly being served. 

- Benjamin Hart interviews Steven Levitsky about the reality that Trump's attacks on democracy have been even more severe than even his strongest critics predicted. And Mike Masnick discusses how it's impossible to comment on technology issues (among other topics) without a close examination of the politics of Trump's authoritarianism. 

- Ian Welsh discusses how Trump has ended the era of American hegemony. Paris Marx points out the need for the rest of the world to both channel its activity around the U.S., and ensure appropriate consequences for Trump's bad-faith dealings. Andrew Coyne comments on the inescapable conclusion that Trump's aims include trying to destroy Canada, while Allan Woods writes that we have no choice but to work on reducing our vulnerability to capricious U.S. action. And Cam Holmstrom argues against any "middle ground" concessions which would sacrifice our ability to protect our own interests while leaving Trump tariffs in place. 

- Meanwhile, Max Fawcett points out how right-wing politicians are glaringly failing to meet the moment by recognizing any need for solidarity. And Eric Ham notes that the business lobby also remains conspicuously absent in speaking up for Canada. 

- Xiaodan Pan, Benny Mantin and Martin Dresner discuss what to expect - and what people can do to prepare - in the face of what looks to be an indefinite trade war. Ed Silverman talks to Richard Gold about the potential to suspend patents and other intellectual property monopolies as part of Canada's response to tariffs. Nathaniel Denaro points to Mexico's plan for industrialization and modernization as a far more viable course of action than limiting our own "country-building" to corporate giveaways, while both Chris Severson-Baker and John Woodside highlight how a transition to clean energy can both reduce our dependence on the U.S. and set up a more resilient economy. And Peter MacLeod makes the case for a civil defence force to provide security against both foreign threats and other foreseeable emergencies.

- Finally, Kate Ravilious reports on new research showing that the effects of the climate breakdown include reducing the absorption of carbon dioxide by plants. Alex Fitzpatrick notes that climate change is also leading to a longer allergy season. And Damian Carrington reports on a new study showing that half of all carbon dioxide pollution can be traced to 36 major fossil fuel companies.

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. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Ryan Meili discusses how we should define Canada as a country through an ethic of care - rather than through opposition to any foreign actor. Matthew Mendelsohn examines how we can respond to the U.S.' defection from any good faith action, while Jim Stanford discusses how we can build a stronger and more independent society (though Geoff Dixon notes that complete self-reliance isn't a a practical option). And Charlemagne makes the case for Canada to join the European Union. 

- But Yves Engler writes that Canada's corporate oligarchs are eager to funnel resources into guns rather than necessities of life. And Craig Renney warns us not to make the same mistake as New Zealand in voting for right-wing populism which inevitably fails even on its own terms. 

- James Tapper reports on a new poll showing that a strong majority of Britons see the rich as having too much influence in politics. Nicolas Shaxson laments that the Starmer government is only making matters worse by stifling regulators in the name of growth, while George Monbiot notes that a developer-driven housing policy will do nothing to help people in need of an affordable and accessible home. 

- Finally, Brian Beutler discusses the importance of fighting for democracy in the face of actors who are eager to demolish it. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Novinite surveys the numerous countries facing unprecedented heat warnings as the most extreme effects of the climate crisis hit earlier in the year than ever before. And Matt Simon discusses the release of black carbon from wildfires as yet another dangerous climate feedback loop. 

- Emma Cooper-Smith and Hannah Lindell-Smith highlight how liquified natural gas is a climate menace rather than a solution. But Christopher Bonasia reports on a Con-affiliated lobby group's insistence on running ads which have been found to be misleading as their fossil fuel fanaticism outweighs any interest in accurate information, while Rob Miller calls out the oil and gas industry for its spin and propaganda seeking to expand dirty energy production and consumption alike. 

- Geraint Harvey and James Wallace point out that employers are consistent foisting the costs of neglecting workers' health and welfare on the public purse. And Adam King notes that the Trudeau Libs have rendered the right to strike nugatory for rail workers by using bureaucratic mechanisms to prevent unions from using their bargaining power. 

- Joan Westenberg discusses how trickle-down economics have always been a miserable failure toward their asserted goal of improving general welfare through wealth building - though they've worked wonders in concentrating the wealth that does exist in the hands of a perpetually greedier few. 

- Finally, Elizabeth Smythe examines how the UCP is following a worn and predictable playbook to dismantle democracy. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Thom Hartmann discusses how conservative policies and rhetoric both kill people even looking only at  homicides and suicides. Cory Doctorow points out how the conservative impetus to exacerbate inequality has resulted in the housing crisis - including through new means for the wealthy to take homes away from workers. And Jessica Wildfire highlights the inherent unsustainability of any attempt to use wealth or privilege to vanish from a society which is in the midst of breaking down under the logic of extractive capitalism. 

- Meanwhile, Gaye Taylor takes note of the steps Canadian cities are taking to try to reduce the foreseeable number of heat-related deaths which we can expect in the midst of a fossil-fueled climate breakdown. And Annie Nova writes about the immense financial cost of climate change for the people being born today. 

- David Olive writes that there's no valid objection to the Libs' plans to modestly increase the tax inclusion rate on capital gains, while Max Fawcett rightly argues that if anything Canada should be doing far more to ensure the rich pay their fair share. 

- Norm Farrell discusses the propensity of megaprojects to take on a life of their own which results in our missing out on more efficient and effective alternatives. 

- Kim Siever challenges the claim that business owners are entitled to a disproportionate share of profits based on their being the only parties taking on risk. And David Moscrop interviews Alex Hemingway about the far superior results of worker-owned firms by numerous standards - including the job security and resilience which are normally treated as the main reason for serving the interests of capital. 

- Finally, Jared Wesley discusses how the UCP is a threat to democracy - though it's worth noting that every justified criticism represents an element of the playbook of right-wing parties across the continent. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jess Davis reports on the World Meteorological Organization's conclusion that 2023 saw the worst-ever level of climate breakdown under every key indicator. And Brett Christophers rightly argues that we'll never make progress in combating the climate crisis as long as we're operating under the short-sighted, greed-based capitalist system that precipitated it (and whose main actors are systematically breaching even their own selective promises).  

- Bob Yirka reports on research showing that food packaging is replete with dozens of "forever chemicals" - the vast majority of which are banned from exactly that use. And Dylan Baddour discusses the massive handouts being shoveled into petrochemicals and plastics manufacturing which cause immense environmental harm at both the individual and community levels.  

- Meanwhile, Aki Ito reports on research showing that recessions may actually be producing longer lifespans, as the positive effects of reduced traffic and pollution outweigh any effects of reduced income. 

- Erica Ifill writes that the Libs' attempt to solve a shortage of housing with handouts to rich developers is doing nothing but to strengthen the position of the Cons as they seek to make matters even worse. 

- Finally, Mordecai Kurz discusses how capitalism is directly opposed to the pursuit of democracy.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Alexandra Hutzler reports that even a majority of Americans seeing mask mandates lifted aren't prepared to buy the line that it's safe to stop taking basic precautions - particularly given the likelihood that the amount of one's initial exposure has a substantial impact on both immediate symptoms and the risk of developing long COVID. 

- Devi Sridhar writes that self-isolation is still a must for people who test positive for COVID - though the lack of social supports has been calculated to take that socially responsible choice away from people who don't have the means to self-fund the protection of others. And Steven Lewis offers a reminder that the failure to provide the basic building blocks of a functional society isn't for lack of resources. 

- Meanwhile, Colleen Fuller laments that we're going backwards in providing supplies of basic medications such as insulin which were once deliberately made affordable, rather than exploited to maximize profit at the expense of human health.

- Wenonah Hauter discusses how the fossil fuel sector is a job killer (as well as a planet poisoner and magnet for the obscene concentration of wealth). And Nick Pearce writes that the Moe government is entirely secretive about the amount of public money being used to keep the industry rolling in subsidies. 

- Jesse Drucker and Ben Hubbard report on the Credit Suisse data leak which has provided a new peek into the world of offshored and concealed wealth which benefits strongmen and spies at the expense of everybody else.

- Finally, Christine Mitchell writes about the role of white Christian nationalism in the #FluTruxKlan. Mitchell Thompson reports on the connection between Randy Hillier and the heavily-armed "Diagolon" group. And Jennifer Wolowic discusses the need to invest in rebuilding our democracy - particularly in light of the reality that massive sums of money can be marshaled both from within Canada and abroad to try to overthrow it.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Miquel Oliu-Barton et al. study the effects of different government approaches to COVID-19 - and find that elimination strategies have produced far superior outcomes to attempts to live with uncontrolled community spread. And Andre Picard begs us to stop repeating our mistakes in responding belatedly and insufficiently to the spread of increasingly dangerous mutations. But Bruce Arthur discusses how Ontario looks to be limiting any public health response, while Teri Carter writes about the arrival of Omicron in areas of Kentucky where the population is operating in denial of the pandemic. Katelyn Jetelina examines what we know about the Omicron variant so far. And Alexander Quon and Adam Hunter report on the confirmed arrival of Omicron in Saskatchewan, even as Scott Moe cozies up to anti-vaxxers.

- Meanwhile, a Nature editorial highlights the need for vaccine equity to limit global spread, rather than relying on selective and ineffective travel bans, while Glen Pearson warns against trying to hold to a risky lifestyle behind a wall of pandemic nationalism. And Umair Haque discusses how capitalist ideology has exacerbated the pandemic, while Walker Bragman calls out Joe Biden in particular for prioritizing pharmaceutical profits over the needed distribution of vaccines. 

- Jake Johnson writes about the continued concentration of wealth within a tiny proportion of the world's population, while Michael Read takes note of Australia's impending inheritance tsunami. And Jeff Ernsthausen, Paul Kiel and Jesse Eisinger highlight how some of the most prominent tycoons in the U.S. have avoided paying taxes on their fortunes by selectively booking business losses. 

- Adam Tooze writes that the U.S.' dependence on fossil fuels may drag its entire economy down in the decades to come - a warning which applies with equal force to Canada. John Michael McGrath discusses a new report from Ontario's Financial Accountability Officer on the immense costs of a climate breakdown (and the costs which couldn't yet be modeled), while Gordon Laxer suggests that we should limit the influence of foreign oil companies on our politics. And Nazanin Meshkat reports on a call from Ontario doctors to stop gratuitous highway construction due to its effect on people's health. 

- Finally, Barton Gellman discusses the wealth and privilege of the violent movement which launched a coup to try to keep Donald Trump in power this year regardless of the choices of voters - and will likely do far more toward that end in 2024. 

Thursday Evening Links

 This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Christo Aivalis rightly points out that the NDP needs to be a party of labour and fight to ensure workers' needs are central to Canada's political discussion, rather than amplifying the rhetoric of the exploitative corporate lobby even when it's in the guise of "small business".

- Pete Hudson makes the case for a public vaccine manufacturer in Canada. And the latest Dispatches from the Left includes a reminder of the harm privatization does to the public interest:

Now is the time to put efforts into organizing around taking back our Crowns, restoring services like laundry, cleaning, and food services that have been contracted out to private companies, and putting a stop to privatization of any kind. For-profit service provision is violence. This year we have done nothing but pay for the short term profits gained by the privatization of vaccine labs, of long term care, of STC, of all the auxiliary services necessary to make our healthcare system function. The cost has been far more than we can bear. Privatization robs the public of control over the ways that our communities are run. It robs us of oversight, of opportunity, and, in the case of those who died so Extendicare could have its most profitable year ever, it robs us of our lives. Public ownership isn’t a panacea for the problems of our time. But it is a step towards justice and equity.  

- Andrew Nikiforuk calls out the Kenney UCP's word games as it barges ahead with coal mining in the Rockies. And the Star's editorial board criticizes Doug Ford's prioritization of enriching donor developers over preserving Ontario's environmentally sensitive areas.

- Richard Raycraft reports on the Libs' sudden cut in funding to supports for people with disabilities related to printed text.

- Finally, Luke Savage writes about the need to focus on the development of democracy even when it would be tempting to give up in the face of public choices.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Justin Ling discusses the dangers of the U.S.' fever swamp conspiracy theories as they get shared - and warped - for Canadian marks. Ryan Cooper writes about the conservative victimhood complex which has made it impossible for the U.S. to be governed in the public interest. And Megan Garber notes that the rise in media echo chambers - and connected decline in local news - has kept far too many people from having credible sources reporting on the world around them.

- Laurie Adkin and Ricardo Acuna highlight how Jason Kenney's UCP has taken direct aim at democratic rights and norms in Alberta to replace it with an unaccountable kleptocracy. Gil McGowan warns against Kenney's plans to replace any labour rights with U.S.-style anti-worker laws. And CBC News reports that the Municipality of Wood Buffalo is having to sue tar sands operators to pay taxes owing - even as the UCP shovels more and more money to the fossil fuel sector based on the laughable promise that it will pay off at some point.

- Greta Thunberg offers a travel diary from her efforts to motivate the world to finally act to avert climate breakdown. And Nerilie Abram, Matthew England and Matt King discuss the threat posed by the destabilization and disappearance of Antarctica's ice sheets.

- Meanwhile, Kevin Ma reports on the perpetually-increasing amount of electronic waste being disposed of every year.

- Finally, John Muscedere and Russell Williams write that seniors deserve far better than to be warehoused in for-profit long-term care operations - and that much of the answer may lie in ensuring supports are available to allow people to remain safely in their own homes.