Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Toby Buckle and Greg Sargent highlight the need for a global response to the race war being propagated by Elon Musk and other white supremacists. And Will Bunch explains his (however belated) exit from the media empire of a tycoon whose violent anti-humanitarism is absolutely inescapable. 

- Meanwhile, as the fascists among us try to pretend they're defenders of civilization, Moira Doneghan examines the parallels between the Trump regime and the despots who oversaw the decline of Rome. Robert Reich comments on the symbolism of Trump's use of the White House as the backdrop for cage fighting. And Judith Levine discusses the importance of an iconoclastic movement to tear down the monuments built for no purpose other than to assuage a dictator's ego, while Rev. Dr. William Barber II points out the need for a general deep clean as part of the U.S.' reconstruction. 

- Kevin Hardy reports on the increasing number of Americans going hungry due to a combination of evaporating social supports and soaring prices. And Ben Casselman points out the U.S.' general population is rightly peeved at seeing a perpetually increasing gap between income and expenses while a few hoarders amass unprecedented riches. 

- Dell Cameron and Yulia Almazova report on the connections between media, techbros and Trump regime figures in Peter Thiel's private "Dialog".   

- Finally, Brett McKay reports on the lobbying by DoorDash and Uber to pressure Alberta and Saskatchewan to refuse to provide the protections B.C. has offered to precarious workers. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Robert Hunzicker discusses the galling juxtaposition between unprecedented heat and a set of U.S. policy choices which could hardly have been designed to exacerbate matters more. 

- Brett Wilkins points out how major corporations have been able to leverage lobbying costs into avoiding any taxes which would result in their supporting the public interest. And Jake Johnson notes that the two businesses which have inflated Elon Musk's wealth into trillion-dollar territory are among those which loudly proclaim they're avoiding any tax contributions. 

- Robert Reich points out that Elon Musk's wealth accumulation model bears absolutely no resemblance to the theoretical ideal of being rewarded for delivering products to consumers - as it instead relies almost entirely on a combination of hype and public subsidies. And Claudie Moreau reports on the U.S.' blocking of two Anthropic AI models as showing the dangers of relying on the whims of a regime determined to enrich cronies and punish anybody who doesn't fall in line.  

- But in case anybody thought Canada was maintaining an "elbows up" stance toward the threat to our south, Todd Coyne reports on yet another example of Mark Carney tying us even more tightly to the Trump regime, this time by joining in a U.S. Pacific military exercise for the first time since Stephen Harper was in power. 

- Finally, Dougald Lamont discusses how the cottage industry around attacking internal "trade barriers" in the name of general deregulation is based entirely on laughably false assumptions. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Caitlin Johnstone writes about the reality that the whole of humanity is largely being used solely as a profit-generating machine for the benefit of a wealthy few. And Paul Waldman comments on Elon Musk's SpaceX IPO as the ultimate juxtaposition of greed and hate, while Tom Goldsmith discusses how the mere possibility of an individual accumulating a trillion dollars represents an indictment of our political and economic systems. 

- Ann Larson writes about the impact of inequality on workers in U.S. grocery stores - including seniors forced to stay in menial roles far past retirement age in order to try to eke out a living. James Chappel's review of Samuel Moyn's Gerontocracy points out the problem with trying to portray fundamental issues of oligarchic hoarding of wealth along lines other than class. And Sam Freedman discusses how pouring additional resources into a fundamentally imbalanced system won't resolve inequality in education. 

- Janetta McKenzie points out new polling showing that while the UCP and its political cousins try to paint utter obeisance to oil tycoons as a must to keep Alberta in Canada, the fact is that most Albertans reject their demand for guaranteed profits at the expense of everybody else. And Energy Live News highlights survey data showing broad UK interest in installing solar panels as a means of reducing dependency on volatile fossil fuel supplies. 

- Finally, Geoff Dembicki and Jen St. Denis discuss how Mark Carney's push for AI data centres is specifically aimed at exacerbating the extraction and burning of fossil gas. And Darren Major reports on Carney's decision to eliminate the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise who offered the sole means of monitoring the human rights abuses of resource extraction firms around the globe. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Henry Miller calls out the Trump regime's sabotage against American science and research. Matthew Yglesias writes that the return of screwworm to the U.S. is just another predictable consequence of the wanton destruction of state capacity. And Jason Sattler rightly argues that Elon Musk's reward for mass murder shouldn't be adding yet another zero to the most obscene fortune ever hoarded. 

- Meanwhile, DPA reports onMusk's role in promoting and fueling anti-immigrant pogroms in Belfast and elsewhere.Bryce Covert writes that the immigrant and minority populations who have been terrorized by the Trump regime's police state are now facing the economic fallout from being forced into hiding. And Rachel Gilmore calls out the Canadian wing of the elite-funded white supremacist formation that's trying to impose racism around the globe.  

- Jonathan Watts reports on unprecedented heat in Antarctica as another indicator of a climate spinning wildly out of control.

- Finally, Amber Rolt points out that electric vehicle owners are already seeing massive cost savings from having shifted away from combustion engines, while Kana Iganaki reports on BYD's planned buildout of ultrarapid charging infrastructure in Europe. Fiona Harvey reports on the UK government's plan to rein in power prices by reducing reliance on fossil gas both as a fuel and as a pricing indicator. And Emily Forgash reports that even in the U.S., solar power has passed coal for the first time as an energy source. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Nicholas Kristof rightly characterizes the Trump/Musk demolition of US foreign aid as reflecting the world's wealthiest and most powerful men attacking the world's poorest children. And David Dayen points out the childishness of the thinking of the financiers gathered at the Milken Global Conference on Iran and other serious issues. 

- Ross Macfarlane discusses how to end silence on the urgency and importance of addressing the climate crisis. And Chris Rapley rightly argues that we should treat our living environment with no less respect than astronauts - who would never think to voluntary pollute or destroy the life support systems they rely on. 

- Jan Rosenow examines how Spain's shift to renewable energy has given it some of the lowest power prices in Europe. And Allan Olingo reports on the shift toward electric vehicles in Ethiopia and other African countries as the combination of improved EVs and fossil fuel shortages makes a transition inevitable.

- Finally, James Hannay points out that the forces seeking to let corporate-friendly market forces dictate the availability and affordability of food are no more beneficial for agricultural producers than for consumers. And Gustova Indart discusses some of the advantages of publicly-operated grocery stores as a means of meeting people's needs.  

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. 

 

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. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Adrienne Tanner comments on how Canada has taken on unacceptable risks in accepting industry-funded "research" as a substitute for an accurate assessment of the dangers of pesticides. And Mark Carney's plans to defer to approvals from the U.S. and other foreign regulators only stands to make matters worse - particularly given Virgina Gewin's analysis of the devastating effects of the Trump regime's attacks on science in destroying careers and standards alike. 

- Paris Marx discusses how Elon Musk is showing exactly why conscience-free tech giants need to be regulated rather than allowed to do as much damage to people as they can get away with. 

- Marie Woolf reports on the recommendations of a Canadian task force to regulate artificial intelligence in particular. And Daniel Munro notes that while there are choices to be made as to what to do once the AI bubble inevitably pops, the guiding principle needs to be the public interest rather than the subsidization of ill-fated decisions. 

- Katie Pedersen et al. point out that property controls are just one more mechanism grocery giants use to stifle competition and gauge consumers. 

- Finally, Jeremy Wallace discusses how the renewable energy revolution is set to triumph no matter how much money and power is thrown at trying to subsidize fossil fuel profits. Alexandra White reports that U.S. gas producers are spewing far more methane (and thus doing far more climate damage) than they're willing to report publicly. And David Shephardson and Mike Scarcella report on Michigan's legal action against oil companies for conspiring to suppress electric vehicle development.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Thomas Seal and Derek DeCloet warn about the threat the U.S. poses to Canada - including the risk of becoming even more of a vassal state. And Emmett MacFarlane laments that we're lacking moral leadership at precisely the moment when it's most needed. 

- Meanwhile, Franklin Foer writes that the Trump regime is trashing both the U.S.' public sector capacity, and the very idea that an impartial civil service can use its expertise to support the public interest. And Maxine Joselow reports that air pollution regulation is the latest area in which the Republican regime is absolutely devaluing human life and public health in order to cater to destructive corporate interests - even as Jerome Smail points out new research showing that air pollution can undermine the health benefits of exercise. 

- But in the "better things are possible" department, Adam Bonica notes that much of what is wrong with the U.S. could be fixed simply by having it emulate its international peers (as long as its model is the median OECD country rather than Russia and North Korea). And A.R. Moxon rightly suggests that rather than being handed absolute immunity to abuse the public, armed state agents should be held to a higher standard in justifying the use of force.

- Joseph Cox reports on a new tracking tool being used by ICE to monitor phones and their owners without a warrant. 

- Finally, Heather Vognell and Agnel Phillip report on SpaceX's unregulated space debris - and the near-misses it has already caused as parts of exploded rockets have intersected with air traffic. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Stacie Goddard and Abraham Newman discuss the neo-royalism emerging as the Trump regime tries to turn the enrichment of a self-proclaimed god-king into a legitimate basis for the exercise of state power. And Toby Buckle highlights how Elon Musk (among other megalomaniacal billionaires) is a fascist under even the strictest possible definitions of the term.

- George Monbiot points out how "trade" agreements continue to be used to allow corporations to both dictate public policy and extract public wealth on dubious grounds. And Paul Krugman writes that the Trump regime is setting up the U.S. economy for a readily-foreseeable crash, while Eduardo Porter contrasts China's progress in reducing poverty against the U.S.' choice to exacerbate it. 

- Juan Cole reports on new research showing that all new electricity demand around the globe is now being met by solar and wind power, making it abundantly clear that there's no future in expanding or extending the use of dirty fossil fuels. And AFP reports on Norway's establishment of a commission to plan for a post-oil economy. 

- Meanwhile, Rachel Salvidge reports on new research showing that large portions of southern Europe are about to run out of water due to the climate breakdown. And Damian Carrington discusses an analysis showing the nine-figure annual costs of lost harvests already in the UK due to heat and drought. 

- Finally, Stewart Prest writes about the folly of Mark Carney's hope (as a best-case explanation for ramming through a new pipeline) that a theoretical policy concession will do anything to address a manufactured identity crisis, while Charlie Angus notes that Danielle Smith didn't even let the ink dry on the agreement before picking new gratuitous fights with him. Amanda Stephenson reports on the UCP's pressure on the Alberta Energy Regulator to undermine the enforcement of gas flaring limits even as Carney banks on it developing and enforcing its own rules. Andrew Nikiforuk talks to David Hughes about the lack of any economic case for more dirty energy infrastructure. And John Woodside reports that two members of the federal Net Zero Advisory Body felt compelled to resign in protest of Carney's reckless support for emission increases. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Kaitlin Tosh and Michelle Inez Simon examine how Elon Musk's takeover of X has led to the systematic pushing of right-wing propaganda on users whether they have any interest in receiving it or not. And Mickey Djuric discusses the farce of the Trump regime and its Canadian puppets becoming more interested in preventing the culling of ostriches being raised for meat than in people's well-being, while Angela Rasmussen notes that even the end of the matter in substance will do nothing to stop the concerted spread of anti-science crankery.

- Meanwhile, Samantha Hancox-Li discusses the need for a determined, war-time mindset in responding to the right's wanton attacks on reason. And Jael Holzman points out the potential to form alliances in pushing back against the tethering of social and economic development to corporate-controlled AI. 

- Stuart Braun comments on the fossil fuelk propaganda mill and its disinformation surrounding the COP30 climate talks, while Emily Atkin examines Bari Weiss' pattern of denialism now being imposed on CBS News. Joelle Gergis writes about the need to move past nebulous "net zero" promises and actually use affordable clean energy to cut down on carbon pollution. And the Economist discusses how China is doing just that by focusing on clean energy development while the U.S. pins its hopes on ever-more-implausible snake oil schemes. 

- Finally, Ricardo Tranjan writes that Ontario's fall economic statement is predictably loaded with freebies for the corporate class but devoid of supports for people. And Katherine Scott notes that Mark Carney's first federal budget follows a similar path (even after he was elected based largely on a margin of progressive votes). 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- David Lurie discusses how Donald Trump is making flagrant corruption and theft legal for himself and his cronies, while inventing specious excuses to treat anybody who dares to register any opposition as a criminal. Jon Queally points out the predictability of a fascist government rounding up and demonizing labour leaders as a key attack on collective action. And Michelle Goldberg writes about the emergence of autocracy under the Trump regime. 

- Meanwhile, Jeet Heer highlights many of the obvious reasons why the Democrats need to have higher standards than to agree with Elon Musk when he starts disagreeing with Trump's division of the spoils - though even if one wasn't inclined to act on principle, it's hard to see any upside in aligning a party with one of the few public figures more broadly loathed than Trump in any event. 

- Natasha Bulowski reports on the needed pushback against Mark Carney's plans to gut federal regulatory processes for the benefit of corporations pursuing pipelines and other megaprojects. And Morgan Grenfell points out how Doug Ford's cronies will profit from similar legislation designed to squelch public participation and environmental oversight. 

- Ed Zitron reminisces about a time when the tech industry spent at least some time developing products that actually served users, rather than being designed to bleed people dry. And Luke Goldstein and Freddy Brewster report that the government capture by U.S. cryptobros includes pushing to allow banks to raid people's savings and checking accounts to bail out crypto speculators. 

- Finally, Katherine Scott discusses how low-income families in Canada have less disposable income than ever. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- David Moscrop writes about the difficulty in trying to respond to a news stream constantly filled with horrors without breaking down. George Monbiot discusses how Britain is seeing increasing swaths of land turned into desert dead zones. And Paula Simons writes about the grim reality of regular wildfire smoke - including far more severe health effects than are generally known. 

- Meanwhile, Chris Hatch points out the absurdity of trumpeting "decarbonized" fossil fuels when the primary intention of oil and gas production remains to have it burned and turned into carbon pollution. And Gaby Clark examines research showing that methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells are significantly worse than previously assumed. 

- Jessica Wildfire discusses how Donald Trump has been looking for (and working to fabricate) an excuse to impose martial law, while Jonathan Last writes that this week is the most dangerous one in the U.S.' history in terms of the imposition of authoritarianism. 

- Paul Krugman notes that Trump's plans to politicize tax rates on foreign capital is just one more step in ensuring that no rational actors risk a cent of their holdings in the U.S. And Greg Sargent writes that the  difference giving rise to a feud between Trump and Elon Musk is limited to their disagreement as to how best to harm the working class (which should serve as reason for any opposition or resistance voices to refuse to try to make common cause with either of them). 

- Finally, Isaac Phan Nay writes about CUPW's fight to preserve a viable, publicly-operated Canada Post in contrast to management's determination to impose the precarious model used by private delivery services. And in case we needed a reminder as to how businesses are allowed to abuse workers, Nicole Brockbank reports on a single operator's accumulation of almost a million dollars in unpaid wages and fines through multiple employers. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Allison Gill offers a reminder that every aspect of the U.S.' descent into fascism can be traced back to the increasing power of an insatiable oligarchy. Jason Sattler highlights how a PR blitz to dissociate himself from the consequences of his actions doesn't mean Elon Musk is absolved of contuining responsibility. And Paul Starr calls out the Trump regime's plan to impose artificially high taxes on university endowments to punish the role of universities in building knowledge. 

- Paul Krugman discusses the U.S. Court of International Trade's ruling invalidating most of Trump's arbitrary tariffs. But James Downie notes that Trump has refused to accept repeated messages from all kinds of parties as to the harm being caused by his tariff obsession. 

- Colette Delawalla et al. warn that Trump's politicization of science figures to destroy the U.S.' position as a source of research and discovery. David Cutler and Edward Glaeser examine the multi-trillion-dollar health calamity which can be traced back to Trump's cuts to health research. And Cornelia Schneider and Martha Walls point out the eugenic attitudes which result in Trump and RFK Jr. being perfectly happy to sacrifice human lives. 

- Dhruv Mehrotra reports on the U.S.' collection of DNA samples of children as young as 4 in order to allow for the operation of a future surveillance state. And Marisa Kabas reports on Marco Rubio's launch of an office dedicated to white supremacist immigration policy. 

- More and Better Housing Canada offers a report card on housing policy - finding that not a single province in the country is doing more than a middling job dealing with the failure to provide for basic needs. Hallee Mandryk reports on the skyrocketing rates of homelessness (including among children) in Saskatoon. And Victoria Gibson reports on Doug Ford's choice to favour wealthy landlords in scrapping any affordable housing requirements. 

- Finally, Alex Himelfarb discusses why we have no choice but to keep working for better no matter how grim matters appear today. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jason Furman discusses how Donald Trump's economic obsessions are in fundamental conflict with one another - meaning that the only result of trying to pursue all of them will be to make matters worse for the U.S. And Brian Tyler Cohen notes that Trump's ultimate concession of defeat to Maine Governor Janet Mills reflects just one more example of the value of pushing back against him. 

- Jason Sattler writes that Americans have no way to avoid being sucked into Elon Musk's surveillance vortex as he steals their data wherever it's controlled by a government agency. And Lauren McGaughy and Berenice Garcia report on Musk's being handed a city of his own based solely on votes from his own employees. 

- Joe Wilkins reports on Sarah Wynn-Williams' revelation that Facebook's ad algorithms included the exploitation of "moments of psychological vulnerability", including by targeting beauty product ads to teen girls who had merely deleted a selfie. And Dean Blundell writes that female travelers are particularly at risk as the U.S. hands unchecked power (and arbitrary quotas) to immigration officials. 

- Gil Barndollar and Rajan Menon discuss how the U.S. is throwing away the strategic advantage of friendly neighbours throug Trump's constant attacks on Mexico and Canada. But David Pugliese points out one of the complications in Canada's effort to extricate itself from U.S. control, as spare parts for the F-35s we've already committed to buy will be controlled by the U.S. government even after they've been delivered.  

- Finally, Euronews reports on now research showing how more trees in cities could save large numbers of lives by limiting heat-related deaths. And Jessica Wildfire discusses how any preparation for a climate breakdown (or other predictable disaster) needs to account for the mental health effects of a deteriorating living environment. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Nesrine Malik writes about the need for the rest of the world to imagine - and then build - an international order which routes around the U.S. as an entirely unreliable partner. And the Economist discusses how the U.S. itself will lose out immensely by ending the use of the dollar as an international default currency. 

- Anne Applebaum writes about the systematic kleptocracy being installed at breakneck speed. Paul Krugman and Dan Moynihan each note that Trump has turned the IRS into a tool to allow the wealthy to avoid taxes, while punishing the working class in any way possible. And Jenna McLaughlin reports that the confidential information raided by DOGE for Elon Musk's personal enrichment includes sensitive labor data held by the National Labor Relations Board.  

- Chris Hatch rightly notes that the climate breakdown is in progress - and will continue absent a drastic change in course - whether Trump and his ilk govern in denial of it or not. Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado discuss the scourge of air pollution which kills millions of people every year. And Helena Horton reports on a study finding hundreds of dangerous pesticides in European homes, while Bartosz Brzezinski discusses Bas Bloem's research into the connection between glyphosate and Parkinson's disease. 

- Sumathi Reddy reports on the growing awareness among doctors that COVID-19 can produce cognitive difficulties which last for years. And Baran Erdik studies the effect of COVID on driving in particular, finding a significant association between infections and subsequent car crashes. 

- Finally, Schmutzie offers a survey of the Cons' most recent policy declaration - and notes in particular the similarities to Project 2025 which Donald Trump falsely disclaimed before making it the basis for his regime. Dougald Lamont writes that no government in Canada should be pushing austerity in the face of a teade war which makes it all the more laughable to preach a doctrine of self-sufficiency. And Seth Klein offers his take as to what a genuinely strategic vote would look like. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Gil Duran examines the false claim of an "emergency" underlying Donald Trump's tariff manipulations - along with the dangers of allowing a dictator to manufacture false excuses for drastic measures. And Bill McKibben notes that plenty more of Trump's destructive executive orders are similarly based on contrived or false claims of emergency circumstances. 

- Miles Klee, Andrew Perez, Asawin Suebsaeng and Meagan Jordan discuss Elon Musk's gleeful destruction of every part of the U.S. government that falls under the notice of the DOGE team. And Josh Marshall discusses the effects of substantially shuttering the Department of Justice's tax division as being a massive handout to wealthy tax cheats, while Tom Scocca and Joe MacLeod note that people who have complied with their tax obligations are being punished by having their information used against them for other purposes. 

- Paul Darren Bieniasz warns about the Trump regime's destruction of science in the U.S., while Daniel Altmann and Angela Rasmussen discuss how to respond to threats against public health. Mary Van Beusekom highlights how a substantial proportion of the U.S.' population is suffering from long COVID even as Trump guts public health capacity. And Paul Krugman points out the parallel rise of the quack-industrial complex providing self-serving and wrong answers to exceedingly important questions. 

- Mitchell Beer discusses how the world at large can move on from being tethered to an unreliable U.S. Mitch Anderson talks to Seth Klein about Canada's path to a war footing to respond to the U.S. threat and the climate crisis together. And Christo Aivalis points out that neither the Libs nor the Cons are defending Canadian workers in their plans to limit how Trump's threat affects the corporate class. 

- Finally, Maddi Dellplain examines the structure of Canadian health care, and the policies on offer from the federal parties to address it. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Paul Krugman examines the reality that the Trump regime is bad for business (as it is for people as well). But that doesn't mean it's not bent on allowing the wealthy few to take a larger proportion of a shriking economic pie - as Elizabeth Dwoskin et al. report on DOGE's plans to turn government operations into profit centres, while Jake Pearson reports on the dismantling of any work by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to ensure scammers and rent-seekers can exploit people without any pushback.

- Meanwhile, Mather Iantorno points out some of the options available to ensure the Canadian public doesn't bear the brunt of Trump's tariffs - with the NDP's proposals for price caps and antitrust enforcement both ranking as key tools. 

- Ethan Phillips highlights why we can't count on markets alone to diversify our trade flows. And Fred Wilson and Robert Chernomas discuss the need to make use of public investment options to fund economic development, rather than trying to prod corporations who would rather use their already-massive cash reserves on buybacks and bonuses to pursue capital spending in the public interest. 

- Finally, Charlie Angus writes about Danielle Smith's choice to take Trump's side over Canada's (and Pierre Poilievre's willingness to let her). Eric Wickham reports on the MAGA fanatics who have thrown their support behind Poilievre because they see him as willing to impose Trump's agenda in Canada. And Simon Enoch weighs in on the tech companies looking to impose a DOGE north of the border under a Con government. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Steven Greenhouse discusses how Donald Trump's obsession with tariffs is ultimately harmful to everyone affected. But Jonathan Freedland writes that Trump's addiction to his own supply of fake news ensure that he doesn't see the damage he causes, while Jason Linkins notes that even the mainstream American media is minimizing and normalizing even the most authoritarian of his actions.  

- Jonathan Last discusses the importance of approaching Trump's regime with a dissident perspective. Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the need for descriptors that honesty and fully account for a revolution against democracy. And John Restakic describes the new administration as a pathocracy, while discussing how large numbers of voters contributed their support to its abuses. 

- Arwa Mahdawi makes the case for people from around the world to avoid the risks associated with visiting the U.S. And Americans for Tax Fairness points out how undocumented workers have contributed substantial tax revenue without receiving any services - only to be rewarded for their work with the threat of rendition. 

- Bruce Arthur writes about the dangers of Danielle Smith's choice to take Trump's side over Canada (and seek to influence the federal election accordingly). And Eve Gaumond notes that the Canada Elections Act offers theoretical protection against undue foreign influence - but that it's unclear how that principle will be applied when major social media and press outlets are controlled by courtiers of a hostile foreign power. 

- Finally, DT Cochrane examines how federal spending can and should be an engine for economic development - both generally, and particularly in response to the need to route our activity away from the U.S. And David Edward Tabachnick discusses how the U.S.' threats may be raising the prospect of national sovereignty which had largely been declared obsolete over a half-century ago. 

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.