Wednesday Morning Links

This and that for your Canada Day reading.

- George Monbiot points out that the determination by petropoliticians to deny climate change and the heat stress it causes is a threat to everybody, while George Tsakraklides notes that far too much of the general public has taken to accepting and even embracing the boiling of our shared planet. And Jason Hickel discusses how the problems with fossil fuel politics are inherent to capitalism - making climate socialism the only effective response to both economic and environmental ills. 

- Meanwhile, Victor Tangermann notes that the capital class is primarily opposed to solar energy because it's too affordable for the masses, rather than offering the windfall profits and monopolies of dirty fossil fuels and similar extractive energy sources. And Maddie Stone, Amy Westervelt and Katie Worth expose how the main authority cited for the viability of carbon capture and storage was developed and marketed at the direction of British Petroleum. 

- Ed Zitron examines how the AI industry's combined hype machine and lobbying effort is falling short of reality by a sufficient margin to make its failure seem highly likely. And Joseph Cox points out the fairly hilarious direction that AI bots talk like cavemen to avoid having to pay for more common language. 

- Wyatte Grantham-Phillips reports on the revelation that U.S. egg producers colluded to drive up the exact prices that helped Donald Trump campaign on affordability - and have been handed a sweetheart deal by the Trump regime rather than facing meaningful consequences. 

- Finally, Saul Austerlitz writes about the necessity of rebuilding community as a response and counterweight to the isolation that's allowed for our exploitation. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- Alistair Alexander discusses how AI has been turned into a multi-trillion-dollar collapse machine, while Benjamin Lopez Steven and Kate McKenna report on the Carney Libs' plans to tie Canada's economy and public service into that collapse as it happens. And Jason Koebler reports on the latest comical failure of AI to handle even menial chatbot functions, as hackers were able to take over major Instagram accounts just by asking Meta AI to let them do so. 

- Bill McKibben points out that the Trump regime's attacks on climate scientists are entirely in keeping with decades of Republican anti-fact policy. And Steve Akehurst discusses how the oil industry's investment in climate denialism has undercut what was previously a policy consensus in the UK.   

- Stephan Bisaha reports on new research from the Brookings Institution showing that American workers are falling further behind in covering basic expenses. And Sebastien Martinez Hickey offers an FAQ about the effects of increasing the minimum wage - highlighting how improved wage floors produce immense social benefits at no real cost. 

- Finally, Courtney Martin writes about the need to treat care for aging residents as a social priority and program, rather than forcing individual families to bear unmanageable costs on their own. But of course, there's always somebody - most recently Grady Munro and Jake Fuss - ready to send seniors off on ice floes in order to leave more fiscal capacity for top-end wealth hoarding. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Brian Platt and Christine Dobby discuss the corporate ethos shared by Mark Carney and the business elites benefiting from his actions in power. The CCPA examines how the Carney Libs are at best repackaging old ideas as new initiatives, and at worst planning to spend massive amounts of public money to further exacerbate inequality. Akash Ramaswamy points out that the Libs' plan to give preferred corporations a get-out-of-regulation-free card only serves to create unfairness and uncertainty. And Gabriela Calugay-Casuga reports on the Libs' attempt to overturn a human rights ruling aimed at remedying racial discrimination in the federal public service. 

- Meanwhile, David Macdonald laments how Carney's cuts to foreign aid are ending any pretense that Canada is a "helpful fixer" on the international scene rather than a cynical opportunist. 

- David Climenhaga points out how Danielle Smith is planning to use public funds to propagandize against reality. And Joel Dryden's look at the predictors of support for Alberta separatism reveals the fact that the few people wanting to separate are disproportionately those who have high incomes they can't manage responsibly. 

- Finally, Ed Zitron confirms that the economics of AI remain laughable at best, as some of its most central actors start to acknowledge they have no realistic path to make money (or serve any useful purpose). And angryea notes that the ultimate motivation behind AI is contempt for users and the general public. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Paul Krugman writes that the U.S. is now the world's foremost petrostate - with disastrous results for it and for the world at large (with the exception of the group of countries including China who are leading the charge toward electrification). 

- Mary Stuart and Geoff Dembicki map out Gwyn Morgan's multimillion-dollar fossil fuel propaganda empire. And Amanda Bryant points out how the UCP has made a mockery of yet another supposed agreement with the Carney government by taking federal forbearance as an invitation toward unregulation methane pollution. 

- Niigaan Sinclair writes that spying on Indigenous peoples (invariably in the service of resource extraction) represents an intolerable threat to everybody's civil rights. 

- Katie Jagielnicka examines the misogyny behind the alt-right's relentless attacks on intellectualism. And Hanna Horvath writes that ubiquitous gambling is a demonstrable source of both intimate partner violence and social breakdown.  

- Finally, Victor Tangarmann examines the dangers of cognitive surrender in the face of authoritative-sounding-but-wrong directions from artificial intelligence. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Oliver Milman reports on a new study showing that the U.S. has inflicted $10 trillion in climate damage  just since 1990, with China ranking just behind. Emily Atkin writes that the true cost of oil far exceeds what people pay as a retail price. And Laura Paddison and Ella Nilsen report that the combination of the climate breakdown and rapacious corporations are producing a critical water shortage in Corpus Christi, TX.

- Ben Cooke discusses a report showing that Britain's food supply is in danger of collapsing by 2030. And George Monbiot writes about the broader risks to the global food system which are materializing before our eyes.

- Carol Leonnig and Jacqueline Alemany report on new revelations that secret information stolen by Trump after he lost the 2020 election wound up being sold off. And Anne-Marie Mediwake interviews Jeff Rubin about the oil market manipulations caused by the Trump regime's actions and messages surrounding the Iran war.

- Meanwhile, Joe Glanton reports on the Pentagon's orders to satellite firms to conceal the realities of the war, particularly where the U.S. has taken damage.

- Finally, Jaigris Hodson et al. examine the toxic misinformation which Pierre Poilievre disseminated during his appearance with Joe Rogan. And Max Fawcett weighs in on the reality that Poilievre insists on putting faith in the Trump U.S. which is both wholly undeserved, and contrary to the position of the Canadian public. 

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 Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Yanis Varoufakis rightly argues that the EU (and the international community generally) should be treating the U.S.' draconian sanctions against ICC judges as fully disqualifying it from being treated as anything but a bad actor. And James Ball writes about the challenges facing the war on disinformation as the few people who once worked on countering propaganda are likewise being treated as persona non grata, while Charles Ornstein discusses the Trump regime's intimidation tactics toward working reporters (including treating basic requests for comment as evidence of hostility). 

- Connie Loizis reports on the development of a private security state under the not-at-all-telling branding of Sauron. And Arian Campo-Flores discusses how the wealthy are buying privacy which has been made unavailable to anybody else. 

- Elizabeth Todd-Breland opines that there's no room for dispute that corporations need to pay more taxes to support a functional society. And Richard Partington writes about the need for UK Labour (and other governments) to recognize the human toll of increased automation. 

- Finally, Tina Swanson offers a handy categorization of climate policies based on their level of utility - with the corporate right's preferred delay tactics of nuclear reactors and carbon capture and storage serving as representative examples of what not to bank on. Marc Lee discusses what we've learned about Mark Carney's agenda, including his his prioritizing dirty energy over any considerations of well-being or long-term prosperity. And David Roberts interviews Saul Griffith about the success of Australia's rooftop solar program. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

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

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

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

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

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Joyce Vance writes about the purge of any trace of decency in the U.S. right which has found its ultimate expressio in Donald Trump. And Christopher Guly reports on the reaction to the U.S.' plans to dominate Canada from people who have been responsible for managing Canadian foreign affairs.  

- Dana Drugmand discusses a new Center for Climate Integrity report on the constant barrage of false advertising by the fossil fuel industry. And Chris Rossdale et al. study how petropoliticians are repressing and criminalizing peaceful protest to try to ensure oil barons can keep extracting profits unchallenged. 

- Michael Sainato reports on the Trump regime's attacks on the labour movement and the public bodies responsible for regulating and remedying employer abuses. And Emma Arkell discusses the pattern of interference by Canadian governments to prevent workers from making gains through collective action. 

- Gillian Petit documents the reality of the working poor in Canada, while pointing out that readily affordable supports could provide the dignity and stability needed to improve their circumstances. And Mike Moffatt points out the plummeting incomes of young middle-class males (paired with an increase in income for those over 65), while the Canadian Press reports on the World Happiness Report's observation that Canadians under 30 are now the unhappiest generation in the country. 

- Kate Allen notes that one of the primary effects of arbitrary back-to-office mandates is to cause a spike in preventable air pollution. And Gary Fuller reports on new research showing that air passengers are exposed to extreme amounts of particulate pollution during boarding and taxiing. 

- Finally, Jared Wesley offers his take on what Albertans can do in response to the UCP's attacks on anything resembling democratic governance. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Lane Brown examines how key elements of cognitive ability may be degrading - including due to constant exposure to personalities selected for their vociferous ignorance. Bruce Bartlett writes about his experience at the Heritage Foundation as it learned to exploit the news cycle to plant conservative propaganda in opposition to actual research. Nicholas Hune-Brown investigates how AI is being used to generate scam articles for major publications. And Carl Meyer reports on the Carney Libs' plans to facilitate misinformation from fossil fuel purveyors. 

- Shannon Gibson discusses how past "climate finance" commitments have ranged from the frivolous to the thoroughly counterproductive - making it all the more worrisome that the apparent reality is that the COP30 climate summit is operating with wording that allows petrostates to provide equally toothless commitments in exchange for a lack of any agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. 

- Kathryn Harrison and Simon Donner highlight how Mark Carney's plans for increased reliance on dirty energy are as senseless economically as they are environmentally. And Gerald Butts, Peter Nicholson and Rick Smith warn against locking ourselves into a dying fossil fuel economy, while Sam Butler-Sloss and Kingsmill Bond discuss how solar power in particular is set to dominate global energy production over fossil gas. 

- Cara Buckley reports on the massive success of Iowa City's decision to make public transit free. And Jake Thomas reports on the drastic decline in homelessness (and ultimate cost savings) from an Oregon pilot program to give unhoused youths a small secure income. 

- Finally, Julian Richer discusses how we'd all be better off if people with privilege acknowledged our own good fortune, rather than presuming any advantages to be the result of merit (and demanding all the more special treatment as a result). 

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. 

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.

- Paul Krugman writes about the dangers of a mad king taking more and more extreme steps to insulate himself from any trace of inconvenient reality, while Sarah Kendzior notes that the Trump regime is developing a pattern of inventing enemies out of whole cloth in order to excuse rights violations up to and including summary executions. And Joe Wilkins and Jon Christian highlight a similar issue with Peter Thiel’s rapid journey down an apocalyptic rabbit hole. 

- Meanwhile, Charlie Warzel discusses how AI is an invasive species which is rapidly taking over our information ecosystem. 

- Adam Serwer writes about the anti-woke taxes Americans (among others) are paying in the form of environmental destruction and associated health consequences. And Julia Shaw examines the prospect of treating environmental crime as seriously as other direct threats to life and health. 

- Finally, Julia Doubleday highlights the folly of treating masking and other basic disease control steps as unreasonable. The University of Florida studies the effects of COVID-19 vaccines in helping to shield against liver cancer. And Ben Clark discusses the converse effect, that COVID itself can both stimulate and exacerbate the growth of cancer cells. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The Associated Press reports on the World Meteorological Organization's latest bulletin finding that atmospheric carbon dioxide has reached a concentration not seen in hundreds of thousands of years. 

- Ketan Joshi discusses the willingness of people to believe - and corporate propaganda mills to provide - disinformation to obstruct climate progress. Aidan Hughes and Martha Pskowski report on a new study tracing the dozens of fossil fuel insiders placed in key positions in the Trump regima. And while Matt Simon discusses a new Redstone Strategy Group report showing the effectiveness of local grassroots organizing in reducing carbon pollution, Amy Green reports on legislation passed by Florida Republicans to prevent communities from implementing responsible environmental choices. 

- Ames Alexander points out that Trump's reality-adverse administration has stopped the U.S. military from planning for existing climate threats. Andrew Freedman reports on the connection between Trump's attacks on the National Weather Service and the damage done by Typhoon Halong in Alaska. And Charlie Angus calls out Mark Carney for joining in Trump's dirty energy derangement. 

- Chris Hatch writes about the reality that renewables can handle all new energy demand and are beginning to cut into fossil fuels' share of the power supply. Sarah Shemkus reports on the shuttering of New Hampshire's last coal plant due purely to its being uneconomic compared to solar power with battery storage. And Ron Johnson discusses why governments should invest in encouraging people to bike to work, while Simon and Sophie Hurwitz examine the particular advantages of e-bikes. 

- Finally, David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher point out how decades of corporate hostility toward democracy have laid the groundwork for an anti-social media environment. And Alex Harring discusses the glaring differences in mood and substance between high- and low-income Americans - though of course only the former are treated as carrying any weight in the Trump regime's policy choices. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Thanksgiving reading.

- David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher write about the 1970s propaganda campaign used to normalize capitalist control in the U.S. And Luke Savage discusses how the neoliberal obsession with means-testing public services serves only to undermine the sense of community and solidarity needed to make the case for a functional society. 

- Andre Frappier highlights how corporate machinations - including ones involving prominent Lib insiders - are at the root of all the problems being used an excuse to slash and privatize Canada Post. And Joel Lexchin debunks neoliberal myths about pharmacare even as Mark Carney stops any further progress toward a promised national system of prescription drug coverage dead in its tracks.  

- Vipal Monga discusses Carney's transformation into a cheerleader and enabler for dirty fossil fuels, while Yrjo Koskinen writes that even a strictly economic analysis on a time frame beyond the expected receipt of an oil baron's political contribution would reach the conclusion that we need to be transitioning to clean energy now. And Nerilie Abram et al. examine how the oil and gas sector has been getting away with falsely claiming that individual fossil fuel projects shouldn't be treated as mattering in the fight against a climate breakdown.  

- Graham Redfearn reports on another new study showing that coral reefs and other crucial elements of our natural environment are in danger of succumbing to the climate collapse. And Nina Lakhani examines the reality that an already-alarming death toll from extreme heat in the U.S. likely represents a significant undercount of the cost of global warming. 

- Finally, Linda Geddes reports on new research showing that the dangers of microplastics include interference with our digestive systems. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Zoe Williams reviews Nick Lowles' How to Defeat the Far Right (even while noting that the victories of Hope Not Hate have been limited in scope). And Stuart Turnbull-Degarte et al. examine how social democratic parties who have echoed anti-immigration rhetoric have done nothing but harm to themselves and their countries in the process.

- Meanwhile, Brian Beutler discusses how the Trump regime is focused solely on abusing its power, including by using state authority to generate propaganda while stifling accurate information. And Michael Mann and Peter Hotez weigh in on the existential threat posed by anti-science being peddled by both right-wing governments and corporate predators. 

- Adam Morton writes that Australia's Labour government has at least identified the threat posed by the climate crisis, but wonders whether it will match that recognition with commensurate action. And CBC News reports on the Outaouais Integrated Health and Social Services Centre's study identifying the climate breakdown as the most important public health threat of this century, while Agnes Black, Kaitlin Bloemberg and Caroline Murphy highlight how health care workers see the impacts of climate neglect. 

- Colin Carlson et al. examine the progress being made in attributing climate effects to specific sources. On that front, Damian Carrington reports on the direct blame borne by fossil fuel giants for deadly heat waves around the globe, while Ajit Niranjan reports on research showing that two-thirds of heat deaths in Europe this summer are attributable to manmade climate damage. And Simon Evans reports on the International Energy Agency's recognition that no new fossil fuel projects can be justified if we're going to have any hope of limiting global warming to the current 1.5C target. 

- But the Canadian Press reports on the UCP's predictable plan to facilitate carbon pollution, both by double-counting any emission reduction projects which are carried out, and by letting many businesses off the hook entirely for existing emission mitigation obligations. 

- Finally, Monique Kasonga discusses the extensive U.S. ownership of Canadian data centre infrastructure and the danger that poses to our sovereignty. And Don Lenihan makes the case for a sovereign cloud as one of the most important nation-building possibilities available to us.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood writes about Mark Carney's disappointing list of priority "major projects" which reflect little apparent plan other than to serve capital at the expense of our climate. And in case there was any doubt whose influence pushing the Libs in that direction, Carly Penrose reports on the corporate money behind Canada 2020.

- Meanwhile, Willliam Bredderman and Aneela Mirchandani report on the Informing America Foundation as yet another shadowy source of reactionary propaganda. And Rachel Savage reports on new research from Outright International showing how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has been taken up on dozens of countries. 

- Paul Brown reports on new research showing how even the best-case scenarios for carbon capture and storage show it having little impact on the climate breakdown, while Mingyu Li et al. point out the dangers of relying on hypothetical future carbon removal as an excuse to keep spewing carbon pollution today. 

- Javier Carbajal reports on new research showing that extreme heat accelerates the aging of the human body. Jane Burston discusses the urgent need to rein in air pollution as a priority to save lives and improve people's health, while RNZ points out the immense costs of poor indoor air quality which could be easily improved through investments in ventilation and filtration.   

- David Wallace-Wells highlights the intractable conflict between the two types of people who have identified themselves with RFK Jr.'s idea of "healthy". And David Nield reports on new research showing that a new COVID-19 nasal spray can significantly cut viral spread - as long as people don't operate in denial of a continuing public health threat. 

- Finally, Justin Holz, Ricardo Perez-Truglia and Alejandro Zentner examine the effects of tax evasion by the wealthiest - finding that it thankfully doesn't lead to systematic non-compliance by others even as they recognize the unfairness in the system. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Don Moynihan concludes that the U.S. has lost any pretense to being a functioning democracy. And Zachary Beau discusses how Donald Trump is being allowed to undermine any institutions which would provide a check on an out-of-control executive. 

- David Dayen writes about the need to judge Trump based on his actual policies and their consequences rather than some convoluted effort to validate them, while Paul Krugman warns that the apparent willingness of markets to tolerate Trump's arbitrary actions in the short term doesn't mean the eventual consequences won't be dire. Jason Koebler examines the U.S. impact of Trump's attack on small international trade, while Campbell McDiarmid reports on the Canadian retailers looking to route their business elsewhere. And Jon Henley reports on the numerous postal services which have simply decided to stop making parcel shipments to the U.S. 

- Meghan Bartels discusses the limited availability of COVID-19 vaccines this fall even as a new wave is set to surge. And Charlie McGill points out that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s priority seems to be to turn all citizens into data collection devices for corporate use, rather than paying any attention to the policies which would keep people healthy. 

- Nitasha Tiku, Will Oremus, Elizabeth Dwoskin report on the nine-figure propaganda campaign being assembled to avoid any meaningful regulation of AI in the U.S. And Joey Grostern discusses how AI is contributing to the generation of climate denialist slop.  

- World Weather Attribution examines how the climate breakdown is exacerbating wildfires in Turkiye, Cyprus and Greece even in the face of mitigation measures, while Nicole Mortillaro reports on new research showing that wildfires are resulting in worsening air pollution in Canada. And Dale Smith notes that increased droughts represent another key reason to pursue immediate climate action, while Rosa Galvez points out that any government with an iota of respect for the rule of law may soon have little choice. 

- But needless to say, the Trump regime is no such government - and Lisa Friedman reports on its attempts to bully the rest of the world into extending the use of dirty fossil fuels. And while Linda McQuaig points out that reliance on market forces has been a major problem in our climate policy to date, Tom Parkin highlights the absurdity of talking about additional oil export pipelines when the previous emission-increasing boondoggle is still far from full capacity. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Amanda Marcotte examines the abusive father complex that somehow forms the basis for a large part of Donald Trump's support. Erica Green calls out Trump's highly selective view of criminal justice which includes absolute impunity for his cronies and arbitrary cruelty for everybody else. And Oliver Willis highlights how the right-wing information ecosystem has been trained to view cities as hellscapes (among other false and harmful assumptions). 

- Meanwhile, Don Slater warns that Alberta is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to the spread of the same disinformation and associated bigotry in Canada. And Prem Sikka discusses the need for the UK to fight back against the self-serving undermining of democracy by the corporate elite.

- Samantha Gross notes that Massachusetts' wealth tax proved even more lucrative than expected, showing that policies aimed at equality work. And Max Fawcett writes that an appeal to intergenerational fairness could make for a huge step in setting Canada up for the future.

- Jim Stanford offers a factbook on how Canada can build a soverign and sustainable economy if it focuses on the public interest rather than immediate corporate profits. And Arno Kopecky writes that the Trump regime's regressive energy policy offers a particularly promising opening to lead the way toward a clean economy. 

- But while it would be ideal to see Carney value the general public and the future over his own corporate buddies, his government's handling of Air Canada's labour dispute bodes poorly on that front - as Eric Wilkinson points out how it represents yet another attack on the concept of collective bargaining, while David Coletto notes that public opinion is very much on the side of the workers being ordered back to work. 

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.