Musical interlude

Nine Inch Nails - As Alive As You Need Me To Be

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Toby Buckle writes about the role of reactionary centrists in greasing the skids toward fascism, while Owen Jones discusses how that process is playing out in the UK as a nominally centre-left government uses every available opportunity to spread reactionary themes and talking points. And the Canadian Anti-Hate Network points out how white supremacist demands around "remigration" are being smuggled into Canada's political conversation. 

- Meanwhile, Scott Martin rightly questions why Mark Carney appears eager to give the architects of Donald Trump's regime direct access to his government. And Christopher Holcroft argues that Canadians should have a say in any major deal with the U.S. - assuming Carney is foolish enough to think such a thing is worth negotiating.  

- Matthew Hughes is rightly exasperated by the absence of consequences for tech giants' gross abuses of law and public trust. And David Dayen discusses the glaring gap between a court's findings of illegal monopoly activity by Google, and its failure to so much as require it to stop. 

- Daniel Eisenkraft Klein and Arianna Schouten discuss how Canada's position on access to medicine has tended to use the language of equity as a means of allowing big pharma to profiteer off of vital medications. 

- Finally, Bethany Hastie and Keegan Nicol write about the Libs' arbitrary nullification of the right to strike. Isaac Phan Nay reports on the NDP's work to stop the suppression of collective action through ministerial order, while Marina von Stackelberg reports on the determination of unions and workers to fight for their rights. And Saumya Kalia discusses how the gig economy has largely suppressed organizational activity. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Nils Gilman discusses how a transition to a clean and sustainable economy will require a fundamental change in existing power dynamics - meaning that any attempt to accomodate entrenched fossil interests is futire. 

- Dan Kraker reports on Minnesota's approval of a large-scale battery system which will enable the clean energy transition. Mitchell Beer talks to Seth Klein about the potential for a Youth Climate Corps to fill gaps in service and employment opportunities for young workers. And Nick Logan points out the potential of balcony-based solar power - but also notes that Canada has placed needless barriers in its way. 

- But Murad Hemmadi reports on the UCP's regressive plans to push for massive data centre development coupled with incentives to use dirty fossil gas as a primary power source. Wendi Thomas discusses how Elon Musk's plan for AI servers depends on a corporate push to shred environmental regulations and endanger the lives of people already facing health risks from highly polluted neighbourhoods. And Bryan McMahon highlights why the apparent corporatist plan of assuming an all-powerful AI which can solve all of our problems (shared by the Trump regime and Carney government alike along with their tech industry buddies) is likely doomed to failure. 

- Finally, Barry Saxifrage charts the realities of Canada's wildfire crisis, while Michelle Gamage offers some reminders about smoke protection as the 2025 wildfire season looks to extend into the fall. And Alex Boyd discusses how the anti-social mindset stoked to end public health protections against COVID-19 is now being converted into violent hostility toward basic fire safety. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Lurie writes about the Trump regime's Potemkin populism - as well as the increasing speed with which his fabrications are coming undone. Sarah Kendzior discusses the importance of finding meaning and purpose in ways that can't be undermined by a mafia state. And Sam Bagenstos highlights the importance of a plan for what comes after the civil service has been destroyed.

- Meanwhile, George Monbiot points out the continued failure of centrist parties and politicians to offer any hope when that's exactly what stands to motivate citizens who don't see anybody working toward anything better. And Andrea Houston talks to Linda McQuaig about Mark Carney's betrayal of voters who expected a defence of progressive Canadian values rather than a collaborationist Conservative government in Lib clothing. 

- Oliver Milman and Dharna Noor report on the work done by dozens of top climate scientists to refute the denialist propaganda of the Trump regime. And Alexandra Keeler warns that while our research system may not have been wholly hijacked for political purposes, it's still under threat from fake science. 

- Kevin Anderson, Chris Jones and Gaurav Gharde discuss the deep failures of climate policy in the UK which are only being exacerbated by a spate of dirty energy-based policies. Jonathan Watts highlights Tzeporah Berman's work on a fossil fuel phaseout treaty to stop every dirty energy producer from insisting it will be the last to stop. Russel Norman writes about the rise of insurance costs in New Zealand due to the ongoing climate breakdown. And Nina Lakhani reports on the rise of indoor heat deaths in Arizona as a result of extreme heat, while Marc Fawcett-Atkinson notes that tree-planting efforts which are pitched as emission mitigation measures haven't been able to keep up with the effects of wildfires.

- Josh Robertson, Michael Slezak, Jack Fisher and Mark Doman report on the decades-long cover-up of a massive methane leak from a major Australian gas project. And Martha Pskowski and Mark Olalde report on Texas' reflexive approval of greenhouse gas releases. 

- Finally, Richard Larouche discusses how the safety and freedom of children has been sacrificed in the name of prioritizing cars over bike lanes. Trevor Goodyear points out the UCP's attacks on the safety of LGBTQ+ children and other marginalized youth based on the theory that kids are nothing more than parents' property. And Dave Cournoyer writes that Alberta's teachers are standing up for children's well-being and education as the Smith government looks to undermine their classroom conditions and access to books.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Couched cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Dan Kennedy weighs in on the effect of two-tiered pricing which effectively freezes the working class out of mass culture. Vass Bednar discusses how microloans have layered more debt onto consumers in order to make even minor purchases, while Alexandra Petri comments on the end of the U.S.' free trial period. And Lindsay Ellis and Aaron Zitner report on polling showing deep pessimism about both the state of the U.S.' economy generally, and the prospect of improving one's position within it. 

- Mark Kreidler reports that California has been able to buck the trend of declining rates of unionization through both more favourable public policy and determined organizing efforts. And Jon Milton notes that while the cabinet-driven mechanism habitually relied on by the Libs is a new one, the history of Canadian federal governments breaking strikes is long and galling - but also points out the importance of defiance in response. 

- Meanwhile, Edward Keenan highlights how Mark Carney is similarly following in a shameful tradition of slashing resources for immigration and refugee settlement. Mark Bourrie offers a look at Carney's imposition of corporate culture on federal governance - even as his own track record trying to achieve positive social outcomes by playing along with business is one of abject failure. And Justin Ling implores Carney to stop playing nice with the Trump regime. 

- Finally, Sophia Harris reports on the lack of consequences for grocery giants who have been falsely applying Canadian branding to food imported from the U.S. And Frances Willick examines the prospect of a national co-operative alternative. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Labour Day reading.

- Alec Rhodes studies the immense lifetime returns on a unionized career. David Dayen exposes how anti-union firms are encouraging unscrupulous employers to engage in illegal union-busting to avoid having to bargain on even terms with their employees. And Erik Loomis rightly questions why many unions are themselves being alarmingly quiet in the face of concerted political and legal attacks from the Trump regime.

- Meanwhile, Andrea Hill discusses how AI is replacing entry-level jobs - resulting in both reduced opportunities for younger workers, and a more fragile economy. And Craig Spencer reports on the virtual certainty that increased use of automation will entrench inequities in health care (and other service areas).

- Nesrine Malik writes that there's nothing to be gained by giving in to exclusion and bigotry, as demagogues will always find some new group to target. But Nora Loreto warns that the Carney Libs are buying in to the U.S.' anti-immigration mindset rather than respecting the human rights and well-being of immigrants.

- Finally, Jason Abbruzzese reports on new studies showing that the choice of online platforms to promote hatred is allowing its perpetrators to monetize their prejudice.

Musical interlude

TWO LANES - No Feeling Is Final

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Daniel Ziblatt writes about the dismal history of past efforts to collaborate and negotiate with authoritarians. And Stuart Benson discusses how Mark Carney's lack of respect for workers at home has combined with his appeasance of Donald Trump to undermine public confidence. 

- Paris Marx warns against giving in to Trump's demands to allow tech giants to run roughshod over people's privacy and civil rights. And David Reevely examines how the AI being presented by the Carney Libs as a substitute for actual economc strategy is unfit for purpose, while Chris Lang discusses how former Microsoft employees are calling out the use of AI to exacerbate climate damage. 

- Calvin Trottier points out how stronger climate policy would allow Canada to better engage with countries around the world aside from Trump's band of environmental vandals. But Carl Meyer reports on the lobbying being carried out by oil insiders to undermine what little climate plan we still have on the books. 

- Meanwhile, Max Fawcett discusses how any increased oil sands production is being designed to avoid any benefit to workers. And Kyle Bakx reports on the skyrocketing orphan well liabilities being dumped on the Alberta public by oil barons who have extracted their profits and fled the scene. 

- Dean Blundell responds to the news of the U.S.' covert influence in Greenland by noting that its efforts to poison Canadian politics to have been far less subtle. 

- Finally, Daniel Currell discusses how worsening inequality and concentration of wealth have made the financial well-being of working-class Americans irrelevant to many major industries. Isaac Phan Nay reports on Statistics Canada's latest data showing Canada's wealth gap getting worse. Hana Kiros reports on the destruction of value and rank profiteering flowing from the Trump regime's gutting of USAID. And Gareth Hughes questions whether our current economic edifice can remain standing while insurance becomes unaffordable or unavailable due to the climate crisis. 

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. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. 

- Freddy Brewster reports on a new study finding that the corporate media has refused to mention the business class' greed and profit-taking as a major cause of increased consumer prices. And Sam Freedman discusses how many of the disastrous decisions of the past decade can be traced back to the 2008 financial crash caused by deregulation and financialization. 

-  Andrea Pitzer discusses the need to work on building a post-Trump world rather than focusing solely on reacting to the fire hose of immediate abuses. And Gina McCarthy implores us not to let Trump and other petropoliticians undermine the work of building a clean energy future. 

- Bloomberg notes that the U.S.' screeching halt to renewable development hasn't come close to turning the tide globally. And CBC News reports on the work being done to replace dirty and unreliable diesel fuel with solar energy in Canada's Arctic region. 

- Jonathan Watts reports on research showing that deforestation and associated temperature increases have been responsible for half a million deaths just over the past 20 years. And Freda Kreier examines how repeated exposure to heat waves can do as much damage to one's health as smoking or drinking, while Andre Picard writes that access to air conditioning may need to be treated as an essential medical intervention. 

- Finally, Taylor Noakes calls out Mark Carney for his appeasement toward the Trump regime. And Davis Legree reports on the work being done by progressive activists to build a movement to step in where Carney's promise of resistance has proven false.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Beached cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Garrett Graff writes that the U.S. has fully tipped over into authoritarianism, even as far too many media and political voices cling to the pretense of normality. Robert Reich discusses how Donald Trump's invariable promotion of incompetent sycophants fits into the fascist project, while Arthur Delaney reports on a warning from remaining FEMA staff that the U.S. will be unable to respond to disasters as a result of its focus on politics over the public interest. And Paul Krugman writes that Trump's illegal pretense of firing Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook represents a crucial test of one of the few limits on arbitrary and unauthorized presidential power that hasn't been bulldozed by John Roberts. 

- James Pethokoukis notes that Trump's latest gambit of demanding corporate stock in exchange for policy action is one without any natural endpoint. And Oliver Darcy interviews Katie Drummond about the choice of tech giants to tie their future to the manipulation of government regulation and procurement rather than offering any services to the public. 

- But then, Henry Larweh, Rachana Pradhan and Rae Ellen Bichell examine how the red states which have rolled over in the face of Trump's manipulations have ended up worse off than blue states who have fought back. And Nia Law and Lindsay Owens note that there's no reason to buy the threat that wealthy people and corporations will follow through on threats to leave if they have to pay a fair share of taxes. 

- David Moscrop notes that while Canadian people are ready to fight for our identity and sovereignty, those in charge of our capital are still throwing money at the U.S. under Trump. And Tom Parkin points out that Mark Carney is letting Trump get away with violating terms of the CUSMA with auto, steel, aluminum and copper tariffs - even as the result is direct damage to Canada's auto industry. 

- Finally, Emma Graney reports on the fully captured Alberta Energy Regulator's decision to cancel public hearings if they could possibly result in anything but a cheerleading session for dirty coal, while the Energy Mix points out that the oil industry's increasing automation is ensuring that workers don't share in any further fossil fuel development. Andn Ian Verrender writes that Australia too faces a revolving door of fossil fuel lobbyists dictating policy. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jason Sattler writes about the importance of working together to oppose fascism rather than acquiescing to its ends. Juse Joffe-Block and Shannon Bond examine the racist roots of the Trump regime's anti-immigrant memes. And Hamilton Nolan notes that Trump's imposition of white supremacy at the government level has turned commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion into a crucial indicator as to businesses' loyalties.  

- Tom McDowell discusses how Canada's federal and provincial governments alike are using the threat of U.S. fascism to eliminate consultation and democratic decision-making in favour of top-down corporate service. David Pugliese reports on the imposition of new secrecy rules against Canadian defence workers. And Juan Sebastian Pinto discusses how Palantir - which is being welcomed into Canada by Mark Carney while collaborating with the Trump regime - poses broad-based dangers to human rights around the globe. 

- University College London finds that air pollution caused by oil and gas is responsible for 91,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. Mitch Anderson points out that any assessment not funded shows that dirty energy is headed for a decline within the next few years at the latest, even as our petropoliticians insist on perpetual expansion with no regard for either economic viability or environmental consequences. And Isobel Farquharson reports on the work by private actors to build an EV charging network in Canada. 

- Finally, Ken Chapman writes about the goals of the Forever Canadian movement which is providing a needed response to the UCP's separatist posturing.

Musical interlude

Garbage - Drive You Home

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- John Harwood discusses how Donald Trump's second term in office has been more harmful than even the most dire predictions anticipated. Donald Gutstein calls out Danielle Smith for promoting the twin U.S. interests of dirty energy and Alberta separation as her primary areas of activity. And Peter Zimonjic reports that Mark Carney is joining the corporate elites working on normalizing Trump's abuses, as he's removing a number of the targeted tariffs which had served as important pressure points against Trump's arbitrary actions.

- Meanwhile, for those looking for construction actions which Canada could and should be taking, Jon Milton and Nathaniel Denaro make the case for a vehicle production Crown corporation to ensure our existing industrial base isn't subject to the whims of the Trump administration and the U.S. automakers collaborating with it. And Brendan Haley points out the value of energy efficiency as a nation-building project. 

- Karl Nerenberg writes about Carney's immediate shift toward austerity and tax-cutting after he won power as the defender of a progressive Canada. Grant Robertson and Kathryn Blaze Baum report on the results of a federal investigation showing that existing reliance on algorithms to govern regulatory activity was a major cause of a deadly listeria outbreak - even as Carney seeks to replace even more government functions with AI vaporware. And Sophia Harris reports on the CRA's woeful lack of resources to answer public inquiries as well as ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. 

- Finally, David Coletto and Eddie Sheppard discuss new polling showing that an increasing number of Canadians are slipping into exonomic anxiety and precarity. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Hamilton Nolan discusses the multiple crises facing labor in the U.S., as a failure to organize produces particularly catastrophic results in hostile political and legal environments.  The Star's editorial board calls out Mark Carney's attempt to nullify the labour rights of Air Canada workers contrary to overwhelming public opinion - though the ultimate result offers a lesson in the value of maintaining solidarity. And Nora Loreto points out that the systematic suppression of workers' bargaining power under a system intend to reflect a peaceful compromise of interests is virtually certain to lead to far stronger tactics. 

- Vitoria Barreto discusses Brazil's Pix instant payment system - which is naturally drawing fire from bankers and billionaires for providing people of all income levels with financial services without exploitation. 

- Will Noel details the immense amount of renewable energy which has been scrapped due to the UCP's attacks on wind and solar power. And Eugene Ellman reports that U.S. investors are recognizing there's no future in dirty energy despite the Trump regime's determination to try to keep extracting profits for his oil tycoon donors. 

- Finally, Euan Thomson reports on Alberta's sudden abandonment of a private mental health data harvesting app after news has started to emerge about its dangers. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The Lever examines new research showing how private equity is systematically funnelling risk and underperformance to less wealthy investors. And Charlie Warzel discusses how the AI investment fad is based on mass delusion, while Rick Morton notes that it's also predicated entirely on the retroactive validation of systematic illegality. 

- Ned Resnikoff discusses how the Trump regime is determined to turn American cities into war zones - even as they were previously safer than they'd been in decades - as a pretext for his plan to exert military control over them. Adam Tranter notes that anybody actually concerned with people's lives and well-being would be pushing for low traffic neighbourhoods and people-friendly communities. And Trevor Melanson discusses how Chinese EV imports could give Canadians far more and better options for cleaner and safer transportation. 

- William Foege discusses how public health needs to fight back against the cynical misinformation of antisocial populists and scammers. And Nick Tsergas studies the growing body of evidence that COVID-19 has long-term effects on people's bodies whether or not they've been diagnosed with long COVID - making any avoidable transmission a wilful choice to make people sicker. 

- Finally, Jeremy Appel highlights how Air Canada's flight attendants were able to fight back against the exploitation of unpaid labour. Dale Smith examines the rise of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code which the Libs have taken to using reflexively to squelch strikes and allow employers to run roughshod in collective bargaining, while Verity Stevenson points out how workers' determination to stand up for themselves in the face of that interference should lead to questions as to whether it should be allowed in the first place. And Kim Siever offers a warning that surface friendliness from an employer is no guarantee of respect or job security. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Angular cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tim Dickinson laments that so many corporations, universities and other entities with the resources to stand up to Donald Trump are instead choosing to enable his authoritarianism. And David Dayen offers a look at the U.S.' crumbling economy even as the Trump regime tries to destroy all the data sources which would allow people to recognize it, while Evan Williams notes that Canada has made substantial progress in rerouting its car purchases to avoid both tariffs and U.S. suppliers. 

- But lest anybody think all is hunky-dory in Canada, the Canadian Press reports on new Statistics Canada data showing that income inequality continues to get worse by the year. Jonathan Lambert highlights how cash support is among the most effective interventions to improve the health of infants. And Cat Hobbs discusses how public ownership could make rail and other transportation more affordable. 

- Trevor McFadyen writes that the Carney Libs' heavy-handed intervention against Air Canada workers shows their disdain for collective bargaining. And Peggy Nash's view that the flight attendant strike could be a turning point in defending the right to strike in Canada will hopefully prove prescient - as the workers' refusal to back down has led to bargaining wins which were supposed to have been ruled out by an employer-biased government. 

- Finally, Peter Brannen warns of the potential that the climate breakdown will lead to the Earth's sixth major mass extinction. Geoffrey Johnston writes that this has been a summer of the climate emergency (though surely only one among many to come). Sonal Gupta reports on the large number of First Nations affected by wildfires. And Ajit Niranjan reports on new research showing that the harms caused by wildfire smoke are far worse than previously known.