Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- John Rapley highlights Canada's choice between tying ourselves to a dying and decaying American empire and its petropolitics, or instead investing in our future as part of a global clean energy economy. But Murray Brewster reports on Mark Carney's choice to secretly lock us into a billion-dollar military deal as a reminder that the Libs' inclination is to appease and support the Trump regime in substance even while occasionally posturing against it for the cameras. 

- Meanwhile, Natasha Tusikov and Blayne Haggart discuss how Canadians stand to lose out from Carney's plans to deploy artificial intelligence to replace a functional public service.  

- Erin Anderssen and Yang Sun discuss how the lack of available and affordable homes is the main factor driving unhappiness among young Canadians. 

- Cameron Micallef reports on the effort by Australian unions to make gains for workers on a scale not seen in decades, including though a shift to a four-day work week. And Jacob Fuller highlights Arindrajit Dube's research showing that there's plenty of room to increase minimum wages with effectively no impact other than to improve labour's share of income (and perhaps improve social indicators tied to income). 

- Finally, Leni Spooner writes about the dangers of surveillance pricing - and the choice of Libs and Cons alike to let greedy corporations use personal information to extract every possible nickel from consumers. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Casey Newton notes that repeated studies showing the distorting effects of X and other social media sites are making it impossible to pretend that major tech platforms deserve the protection of a presumption of neutrality. And Raphael Satter and Alexandra Alper report on the Trump regime's demand that other countries avoid asserting any protection for data integrity or public privacy where its tech giants think there's something to be exploited.

- Rory White investigates the consultants looking to overwhelm political conversations with AI talking points. And Brett McKay reports on the right-wing astroturf entities who are skirting or deliberately violating Canadian election laws in order to flood the airwaves with election ads without providing timely (or in some cases any) disclosure of who's funding them. 

- A.R. Moxon discusses why toxic masculinity is damaging to the people who succumb to it, while recognition of others' humanity is necessary to the flourishing of one's own. And Kelly Hayes writes that it's no surprise that people who have been systematically isolated are unable to understand the connections being made in Minnesota where people are building support networks. 

- Finally, Sharlene Gandhi examines data from 211 calls which shows that housing and mental health are the most glaring unmet needs among people calling for crisis support. And Simon Enoch discusses Saskatchewan's continued place as the province with the highest rates of child poverty - which is only becoming both broader and deeper under the Sask Party. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Zoe Williams writes that Donald Trump is just the most egregious and unrestrained example of the vice-signalling which has become standard operating procedure among right-wing political parties - but that we're finally seeing a fight back on the side of decency. And Dave Karpf warns that Kalshi and other sites which encourage gambling on everything will inevitably foment addictions and manipulations which we'll come to regret. 

- Patrick Wintour discusses Europe's growing realization that it needs to treat the U.S. as a threat rather than an ally or protector - as reflected in a report from the Munich Security Conference. And Ian Welsh writes that we shouldn't underestimate Canada's ability to be independent from the U.S. - particularly in the longer term if we avoid taking steps to further entangle ourselves with a dying empire. 

- Jack Flemming reports on a Rent Brigade analysis of the corporate price-gouging which added insult to injury in the aftermath of California's wildfires last year. 

- Meanwhile, Toula Drimonis discusses how funding to prevent evictions more than pays for itself in health and social service savings. And the Canadian Climate Institute highlights the need to prepare our infrastructure in advance of climate-related disasters. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Seva Gunitsky notes that the same culture of elite impunity is behind both the Epstein files and Donald Trump's Russian connections. And Alan Elrod writes that the Trump regime's war on the arts can be traced to its general aim of destroying empathy. 

- Damian Carrington reports on a new expert analysis indicating that current models are grossly underestimating the financial damage we can expect from the climate crisis. Aaron Thierry comments on the politics behind the choice of victims of climate change. And Matthew Hoffmann writes about the challenge of trying to develop coordinated global action to reduce the impact of a climate breakdown when the concept of rules-based international relations is being destroyed. 

- Meanwhile, Dan Gearino discusses how the transition to electric vehicles will change our retail landscape as gas stations become non-viable and unnecessary. And Tik Root reports on a new analysis showing that the conversion to EVs is already having a noticeable positive effect on air quality in California and elsewhere. 

- Mia Maldonado reports on the results of an Oregon pilot program showing that modest income security can work wonders in helping homeless youth to find permanent housing. But Niko Block observes that the financialization of housing is pushing stability out of reach for far too many. 

- Finally, Ashley Aimone laments Mark Carney's failure to live up to rhetoric about a well-being economy and society as he instead imposes yet another round of austerity and corporatism. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Charlotte Clymer discusses Mark Carney's Davos speech as signaling a divorce from the U.S. But Justin Ling points out the need to match sporadic and selective words of independence and solidarity with meaningful action, while the Economist reports on the reality that Canadian soldiers are continuing to carry out U.S. orders even as the Trump regime threatens to take us over. 

- Dylan Dusseault discusses how the Davos agenda conspicuously avoids any consideration of having the wealthy pay a fair share of taxes - no matter overwhelmingly popular and positive that course of action would be. And Graeme Wearden reports on the numerous millionaires who are onside with contributing to the common good. 

- Blayne Haggart highlights the implausibility of promises from Microsoft and other U.S. tech giants that they'll respect Canadian data sovereignty - particularly when they've so pitifully prostrated themselves in front of the Trump regime at every opportunity.  

- Finally, John Michael McGrath asks whether 2026 will finally be the year Ontario starts making progress in answering its housing crisis - while noting that Doug Ford's track record strongly suggests the answer is again "no". 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jonathan Last discusses how the U.S. economy is coming apart under a regime which is attacking progress and security in any form. Matt Johnson highlights how the general public is turning against Trumpism even in the areas where it once found some support, while Toby Buckle laments that the people who offered early warnings about his dangers were ignored. But Miles Taylor warns that the Trump regime's next step is to designate all opposition as "terrorism" which can be summarily suppressed, while David Dayen rightly questions why Congress is continuing to allow Trump to run roughshod over laws and appropriations alike. 

- Justine Calma writes that public backlash is succeeding in blocking expensive and dangerous data centres. And Joe Wilkins reports on the revelation that the contents of "private" ChatGPT conversations are being harvested for profit. 

- Science Magazine names the growth of renewable energy as the breakthrough of the year for 2025. But in case anybody thought that meant governments would stop going out of their way to push dirty fossil fuels, Rafi Schwartz reports on Donald Trump's intention to undermine climate science by trashing the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, while Catherine Garrett reports on yet another oil company leaving the Alberta public holding the bag after failing to pay its taxes. And Natasha Bulowski reports on Steven Guilbeault's painfully modest request that the federal government enforce the law when it comes to climate obligations, while Adrienne Tanner reports on Avi Lewis' far more ambitious plan to make Canada a clean energy leader rather than a fossil. 

- Finally, Ximena Gonzalez writes about the need for Alberta's housing policy to focus on building non-market homes rather than providing handouts to corporate developers, while Alex Hemingway points out the need for B.C. to invest far more in its own social housing. And Ludovic Viger discusses the value of co-ops as another housing model. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Cathy Young and Cas Mudde each discuss how the Trump regime's "national security strategy" is based on pushing cronyism and bigotry over democracy and security - and seeking to impose that same prioritization on every country it can. 

- Meanwhile, Emmett MacFarlane writes that Trump has found an eager fellow traveler in Danielle Smith as she wields the notwithstanding clause at every opportunity to attack minority rights. And Saima Desai reports on the growing movement of unions and trans advocates fighting back against Scott Moe's discrimination against trans youth.

- Max Abelson et al. offer a detailed look at the documented connections between Jeffrey Epstein and numerous corporate and financial bigwigs. And Pema Levy discusses how Republicans are trying to give dark money even more power to manipulate American elections, while Phil Weiser and Javier Mabry note that it's possible to fight back through citizen intiatives at the state level. 

- Natasha Bulowski reports on Mark Carney's latest plan to hand power to the corporate class by allowing it to embed employees in the federal government, while Adrienne Tanner discusses how Carney has made a cynic out of her (and many more) in handing over climate policy to the fossil fuel sector. And Emma Arkell reports on Quebec's legislative attacks on the labour movement. 

- Rhoda Feng reviews Tim Wu's The Age of Extraction as a needed reminder of the rent-seeking business model behind the our tech overlords. And Judd Legum writes about the casino-fication of news as the next frontier of converting flows of information into profit centres. 

- Finally, James Hardwick writes about the reality of Canada's housing bubble - and the desperate need for large-scale social and not-for-profit housing to improve anything.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Fiona Harvey and Jonathan Watts report on Antonio Guterres' warning at the start of the COP30 climate conference that we can't afford more delays and distractions. Zali Steggall writes about the need for our conversations to include serious talk about how to survive the breakdown we can no longer avoid (while also doing everything in our power not to make matters worse). Harvey also reports on André Corrêa do Lago's rightful objection to the by inaction of the countries most able to afford to contribute. And Kathy Mulvey discusses what a climate summit would look like absent the constant obstruction from dirty energy interests that have regularly blocked any progress.  

- Ember Futures examines the consistent trend of clean energy becoming more affordable and more secure than reliance on fossil fuels. Julian Beaulieu, Wren Montgomery and Jennifer Quaid argue against Mark Carney's choice to enable greenwashing by the oil sector. And The Juice Media offers up an honest ad about the latest LNG monstrosity intended to lock us into several more decades of fossil fuel dependence:

 

- Ang Li writes about the effect of the climate breakdown on our homes and health - including the need for housing to take into account extreme weather and increased threats of disasters. Leora Smith discusses how Doug Ford's housing policy is predictably aimed at handing even more wealth and power to landlords at the expense of people's access to a basic human right. And John Lorinc points out that the federal Libs have chosen to ignore the rental construction incentives which actually spurred the development of new units in the 1970s. 

-  Finally, Jesse Drucker discusses how the Trump regime (without following any valid process to change tax laws) is handing out immense of amounts of free money to the uber-rich. And Mark Niquette and Lauren Dezenski highlight how the Trump economy consists of utterly undermining working people, while hoping for multiple precarious assumptions to goose the value of stocks and capital interests. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- David Coletto discusses how Canadians from across the political spectrum want to see the Carney Libs prioritize housing construction and economic independence, rather than chasing the false promise of short-term growth. And Tonda MacCharles reports on new polling showing clear opposition to any austerity campaign. But Stewart Prest warns that Mark Carney seems bent on kow-towing to established wealth and power (including the Trump regime) no matter how much the Canadian public disagrees. 

- Kathy Chow writes about the dangers to humanity if Elon Musk (or another similarly megalomaniacal tycoon) manages to amass wealth of another order of magnitude. Darryl Coote reports on a new Oxfam study finding that just ten U.S. billionaires hoarded nearly $700 billion in additional wealth over the last year. And Robert Reich notes that it's open to states to move toward taxing extreme wealth rather than letting Trump impose extreme and worsening inequality on the entire country. 

- Meanwhile, Elizabeth Dwoskin reports on the tech bros trying to use their wealth to eliminate both large-D and small-d democratic governance in the U.S. And Brian Phillips examines the reality of the AI bubble as a sector built on contempt for human creativity is itself entirely reliant on fiction as its product. 

- Christina Figueres writes about the need for climate action focused on clean development. Dharna Noor reports that even the limited amount of climate funding that's been deployed has been ineffective due to an appalling lack of support for a just transition. And Jake Evans points out that Australia's investment in solar energy has proven so successful that people are being gifted free power. 

- Robert Reich writes about Donald Trump's deliberate cultivation of chaos - and the need to build stronger communities in response. Jonathan Last discusses how Trumpism is utterly incompatible with democracy. And Tom Nichols rightly characterizes the Trump regime as having the mindset of toddlers, while Edward Harrington points out its performative irrationality. 

- Finally, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network offers a warning about the spread of white nationalism in Canada. And Mark Chadbourn discusses how the Dutch electorate's rejection of Geert Wilders shows that it's possible to counter fascist politics. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Cole Nowicki and Casey Michel each review Jacob Silverman's Gilded Rage as a chronicle of how tech giants and their uber-wealthy principals have fallen in line behind fascism. 

- Max Wyman writes that a day's use of ChatGPT has resulted in his questioning whether a major artificial intelligence model serves any useful purpose. And Ed Zitron examines the impossible promises behind the AI hype, while Joe Wilkins notes that what already looked like a grim prospect for AI generating any return on an irrational amount of investment is all the worse given that it doesn't take into account the rapid obsolescence of computer equipment. 

- CUPE highlights Tim Caulfield's warning of a knowledge crisis in the face of the systematic attacks on science and trust underlying the alt-right. And Bruce Arthur points out how the same battle between the public interest and the MAGA movement's anti-socialism is behind the obsession with a B.C. ostrich farm's insistence on putting others at risk with diseased birds.

- Gabriela Calugay-Casuga discusses how the NDP is advancing legislation to remove the power to interfere with bargaining and strike activity which the Libs have taken to abusing as a matter of course.

- Finally, Leigh Beadon warns that Carney's supposed plan to invest in public housing construction actually involves little but repackaging existing functions of the CMHC.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Andrew Phillips discusses how the Trump administration is looking to rewrite history in dealing with North American trade. And Thor Benson interviews David Roberts about the absolute nonsense being relied upon as the U.S.' excuse for scrapping any climate policy, while Paris Marx points out the haze of misinformation obstructing Canada's ability to respond to wildfires. 

- Alexander Kaufman highlights how Trump's edict that nobody transition away from dirty power will cost the U.S. immense amounts of money in addition to leaving it as a technological laggard, while Rachel Melta notes that an investment in energy storage alongside a push toward renewables would save consumers billions in the central U.S. alone. And Katye Altieri and Dave Jones discuss why it's important that far too many governments are refusing to commit to developing clean energy, while Jo Lauder notes that China is one of the few major countries on track to become an electrostate in the near future. 

- Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood discusses how drought is becoming an increasingly regular and severe problem in Canada, with both the climate crisis and an obsession with data centres looming as obvious causes. And Ben Martynoga reports on new research showing that microbes being released by melting ice can exacerbate the effects of climate change in polar regions. 

- Finally, the Canadian Press reports on a new survey showing that over a third of Canadian renters are having to spend over half of their income on housing. And Simon Enoch calls out Scott Moe for his ideological refusal to consider rent controls as the Sask Party looks to serve landlords rather than workers. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Hamilton Nolan discusses how the Trump regime is going far out of its way to build the U.S.' economy on scams and corruption. And Lisa Needham discusses how the deployment of military troops to cities is plainly based at intimidating minorities rather than public safety (particularly as mass shootings and serial assassination attempts directed at public servants have been ignored), while Bill Kristol writes about Trump's pattern of giving the worst people the most power. And Lawrence Lessig highlights the dangers of complicity in the face of extortion. 

- On that front, Charlie Angus rightly warns Mark Carney not to play along with Trump's "golden shield" plans to tether us (at massive expense) to the U.S.' military even more tightly. And David Zipper discusses resesrch showing that Canada and the U.S. are headed in starkly opposed directions when it comes to traffic safety. 

- Damian Carrington reports on the record heat wave which hit Nordic countries in July as an example of the inability of anybody to escape the costs of a climate breakdown. And Alexandra Mae Jones reports on what continues to be the second-worst wildfire season on record in Canada - even as Kent Mundle points out the need for us to be prepared to take in climate refugees facing even worse around the globe. 

- Isaac Phan Nay interviews Jasmine Ramze Rezaee about the well-established flaws in Mark Carney's trickle-down theory. 

- Finally, Brian Shearer reports on Washington, D.C.'s success building large amounts of housing through direct public investment - in contrast to the Carney strategy of trying (at the behest of greedy developers) to hand freebies and concessions to rich people in the hope that they'll meet social needs rather than merely extracting more wealth for themselves. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Max Fawcett discusses how renewable energy will power the future despite the attempts of oil tycoons and their pet politicians to keep us addicted to dirty fossil fuels.

- Ned Resnikoff writes about the reality that contests within centre-left parties and structures are limited to fights to "rule the void", with the lack of any connection to mass membership limiting the prospect of achieving any real change. And Matt Huber, Leigh Phillips and Fred Stafford's review of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's Abundance highlights the need for democratic control both to achieve actual abundance, and ensure that its benefits aren't captured by the wealthy.

- Meanwhile, Damian Carrington writes about Luke Kemp's new book on societal collapse as regularly reflecting the imposition of hierarchy. And Jason Sattler notes that the second Trump regime can be summarized as engaging in the controlled demolition of every advantage the U.S. once held in order to enable a speed-run of looting.

- Finally, Shameka Parrish-Wright points out the cruelty and futility of using incarceration as the only tool to deal with homelessness. And Kelsey Rolfe discusses the Canadian federal government's focus on prefabricated housing as a means to ensure that needed homes are built and made available at affordable cost levels.

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.

- Harj Narulla weighs in on the effects of the International Court of JUstice's determination that countries can be held liable for contribution to a cliamte breakdown, while Stella Levantesi reports on an Italian court decision allowing for a lawsuit against an oil giant for its own climate damage. And Somini Segupta reports on the joint effort being made by China and the E.U. to keep the Paris Agreement in play - making for a stark choice between working with the world's leading economic powers, or signing on to Donald Trump's denial agenda. 

- Meanwhile, Harrison Mooney interviews Stephen Marche about the need for Canada to be willing to drop the gloves with the Trump regime rather than looking for every possible opportunity to accommodate it. 

- Luke Savage comments on the reality that the AI revolution is nothing but a theft of the information which already exists online and is being turned into word slurry - though I'd think there are arguments to be made that there are equally important heists from investors, and from the people who will face adverse decisions based on artificial non-intelligence. And Paris Marx notes that Mark Carney is fully on board with the use of AI as a means to further enrich the existing tech oligopoly. 

- Finally, Samuel Girard discusses how "build more" is an overly simplistic answer to a housing crisis which is rooted in the use of existing units for investment and profit at the expense of people whose right to a home isn't sufficiently profitable. Jill Atkey highlights the absurdity of prioritizing parking requirements over the availability of accessible homes. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board weighs in on the need for cities to reverse their past car-centric policies which have made communities less walkable and liveable. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Isabella Kaminski reports on the International Court of Justice's advisory ruling that climate destruction can be a source of state liability for reparations, while John Woodside discusses the particular impact on Canada as our governments continue to lavish money on the sources of carbon pollution. Steven Wilhelm reports on Alberta's choice to discriminate against clean energy by setting far higher reclamation standards for an industry which doesn't pollute than for the fossil fuel sector which consistently leaves a toxic mess behind. And Lorne Fitch points out that anti-regulatory rhetoric about "red tape" is absolutely incompatible with environmental protection. 

- Paul Krugman writes about the general theory of enshittification and its effect on us as citizens and consumers. Emanuel Maiberg discusses how Google's AI overview is trashing both the Internet and the brains of users, while Jonathan Durand Falco comments on the role of Elon Musk's Grok in precipitating an era of techno-fascism. And Timothy Caulfield offers a warning about the spread of health misinformation  - as well as suggestions to avoid propagating it. 

- Jared Walker and Silas Xuereb make the case for Canada to crack down on the stashing of wealth in tax havens. And Linda McQuaig rightly argues that if Canada is going to get roped into inflated military costs, we should expect the wealthiest few to foot the bill. 

- Kim Siever writes that handouts to for-profit developers will do little to ameliorate a housing crisis based on inequality and a lack of affordable units. And Jonathan English and Stephen Jacob Smith note that our continued attachment to U.S.-based elevator rules represent a barrier to the construction of more affordable rental housing. 

- Finally, Sophia Harris exposes how corporate grocery giants are using false country of origin information to get shoppers to buy U.S.-based products. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Alex Morrison reports on the call from climate experts for immediate action to avoid careening past imminent climate tipping points. BNE reports on the unprecedented reversal of of the Deep Western Boundary Current as yet another example of the damage already done. And Aliyah Marko-Omene reports on the drought emergency facing southwestern Saskatchewan - even as the Moe government continues in its nihilistic determination to exacerbate the climate breakdown. 

- Jim Stanford points out that the digital services tax which Mark Carney sacrificed just to sit down with a manifestly untrustworthy counterparty has been was itself far from sufficient to account for the rents being extracted by U.S. tech giants.  

- Meanwhile, Stuart Trew and Marc Lee highlight how the business lobby's knee-jerk demand to eliminate regulations and development strategies in the guise of "trade barriers" will do little to boost anybody's economy, but create immense risks for democratic decision-making. 

- Finally, Tim White discusses the EU's experience - paralleled across North America as well - showing that the financialization of housing ensures that people's human rights aren't met. And Aishwarya Dudha reports on the rise of mortgage delinquencies across Canada - with Saskatchewan once again ranking worst among the provinces. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Kelsey Ables reports on the latest Oxfam study showing that the world's wealthiest few could end poverty dozens of times over by paying their fair share in taxes, while Avi Bryant implores Canada to apply higher tax rates to himself and other people who can afford them. 

- But BIpasha Dey, Harshita Meenaktshi and Promit Mukherjee report on the G7's choice to grant preferential treatment to U.S. corporations. Lloyd Axworthy rightly laments the cringeworthy concessions numerous countries are offering to Donald Trump in the theoretical pursuit of agreements which he'll never consider enforceable. And Emmett MacFarlane writes that Mark Carney's decision to capitulate to Trump on the digital services tax passed years ago represents the end of any hope that he'll stand up for Canada, while Arlene Dickinson highlights how a small amount of tax on tech giants' digital rents is entirely needed as a matter of public policy. 

- Serah Louis reports on the Competition Bureau's needed warning about collusion among landlords to goose rental prices at the expense of people's ability to find housing. 

- Jeremy Appeal reports on the UCP's choice to turn mental health and addictions services into a cash cow Shoppers Drug Mart rather than a source of care for people who need it. 

- Finally, Margot Sanger-Katz and Emily Badger report that the Trump Republicans' plans to rob from the poor to give to the rich include imposing the type of red tape they'd decry in business regulation for the sole purpose of making sure people can't collect benefits which they'd otherwise qualify to receive. And Robert Reich discusses how Zohran Mamdani's genuine desire to ensure people's basic needs are met makes him a threat to corporate interests in both U.S. parties. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Shiri Pasternak and Dayna Nadine Scott discuss how Canada's elite consensus toward the Trump regime has turned to one of deference (particularly for the benefit of the corporate interests), while Lloyd Axworthy wonders what happened to the elbows which were supposed to be up in defence of Canadian values and interests. And Michael Harris notes that the need to resist Trump's government extends to leaders around the globe.

- Trevor Herriot writes about the justified anxiety people are feeling about an ongoing climate breakdown - and the need for moral courage to ameliorate the ongoing damage we're doing to our living environment. Heather Stewart discusses the need to incorporate the reality of climate change into economic policymaking, while Ryan Cooper discusses how climate change will soon be bankrupting governments if it isn't reined in. And Deborah de Lange calls out Mark Carney for turning his back on climate action, rather than meeting even a bare minimum of consideration for an ongoing crisis.  

- Ryan Ness responds to a cynical attempt to pit planning for climate disasters against the need for housing by pointing out the futility of building homes which we know will become unliveable due to foreseeable disasters. And Tim Aubry and Jino Distasio point out the tens of thousands of homeless Canadians who need immediate support through Housing First programs (rather than being able to wait for trickle-down development).

- Finally, Karen Weise and Cade Metz report on the mammoth environmental harm being inflicted by AI data centres. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Robert Reich warns that the Trump regime's use of extreme military force to suppress peaceful protest is just the first step toward a police state. And Zoe Williams writes about the importance of people nonetheless standing up against the dehumanization of immigrants, rather than acquiescing in both nativist policy and the authoritarian state being used to impose it. 

- Yessenia Funes reports on the fossil fuel industry's bankrolling of anti-trans and other discriminatory causes with the expectation that recruits eager to hurt people based on gender discrimination will be equally callous when it comes to climate harms. And Chris Mooney reports that Canada is looking at wildfire greenhouse gas emissions which far surpass those from any other year on record other than 2023, while Ian Livingston reports that before summer even starts we've already surpassed a normal yearly amount of burned land.  

- Lana Payne writes about the dangers of treating expansion of internal and international trade as an excuse to attack protections for workers. Bushra Asghar, Erin Blondeau, Juan Vargas Alba and Lea Mary Movelle make the case for a Youth Climate Corps as a means of building a sustainable and prosperous future. And John Harris notes that the Starmer government is undermining itself by prioritizing austerity after being elected on promises to ensure people have access to affordable housing. 

- Finally, Curtis Fric reports on Canada's strong public appetite to develop closer ties to the EU. But Katie Simpson, Louis Blouin and Fannie Olivier report that Mark Carney is instead swapping terms for a trade deal with the U.S., with no apparent recognition that any agreement on paper is absolutely worthless as long as Donald Trump is in power.