Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Leana Hosea and Sarij Pathirana report on new data showing that tens of thousands of oil slicks every year are going unreported and doing immense damage to the oceans. And Abrahm Lustgarten discusses new research showing how the climate breakdown and poorly-regulated resource extraction are destroying vital groundwater reserves. 

- Fiona Harvey reports on Antonio Gutierres' pointed observation that renewable energy is vastly (and increasingly) more affordable than fossil fuel energy even without accounting for the environmental harms of the latter. Adrienne Tanner weighs in on China's leading role in transitioning to clean energy - and the choice facing Canada and other countries as to whether to cling to the past or build for the future. 

- Meanwhile, Natasha Bulowski reports on new research showing that electric vehicles have substantial public health benefits even beyond their reduction of carbon pollution compared to dirty energy alternatives. Bill McKibben examines how the Trump regime is trying to stifle the development of renewable energy, while also discussing the options to counter that thumb on the scale. Drew Anderson compiles a thorough list of the subsidies currently keeping Canada addicted to fossil fuels both for our own energy use, and for export purposes. And Mitch Anderson points out that production increases in the Alberta tar sands haven't done anything to help either workers or the province's finances. 

- Greg Sargent talks to Paul Krugman about the reality that the Trump regime's trade deal announcements bear very little resemblance to the reality - as they make everybody worse off, but particularly his own base. And Nathaniel Denaro calls for Canada to approach any negotiations of its own based on the reality that the U.S. is an entirely unreliable trading partner. 

- Andrew Coyne discusses how the Cons' tough-on-crime posturing has given way to advocating for crime without punishment in the case of the Flu Trux Klan. Betsy Powell reports on the response of the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association calling out the demand that prosecutorial discretion in the public interest give way to naked political bias. And Fakiha Baig reports that the UCP is fueling violent racism with its attacks on immigrants.  

- Finally, Kelly Hayes writes that the long-overdue revelations about Donald Trump's close connections to Jeffrey Epstein are crucial in examining the U.S.' culture of elite impunity. And Kate Manne points out the implausibility that dozens of similar but distinct reports of sexual abuse are somehow all to be disbelieved as compared to Trump's ever-changing and farcical denials and evasions.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Handy cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Robert Reich discusses the challenge of trying to live ethically and morally under circumstances where bullying and cruelty are being systematically normalized. And V discusses some of the options available to resist the tide and strengthen a sense of purpose. 

- Shawn Donnan writes that Donald Trump's erratic tariffs are causing real damage to the global economy while being shrugged off by markets. And Alan Beattie is rightly perplexed at the EU's willingness to sign off on a worthless deal at the expense of validating Trump's tariff policy. 

- Paris Marx comments on Mark Carney's choice to give the U.S. tech giants who have bent the knee to Trump everything they want in deciding not to regulate artificial intelligence. And Joe Mullin discusses how Carney's surveillance legislation is everything the Trump regime could have asked for in allowing people's online activity to be monitored and used against them. 

- Stephen Magusiak reports on the direct connections between the Trump regime and the Alberta separatist being promoted by Danielle Smith and the UCP.

- Finaly, Carbon Brief looks in detail at the significance of the International Court of Justice's decision holding that governments can be held responsible for climate damage, while Michael Byers highlights how the ICJ's conclusion is incompatible with Canada's insistence on subsidizing the extraction of dirty fossil fuels (including Alberta's choice to stick the public with cost of reclamation to make sure oil operators don't pay for the messes they've made). Zoe Daniel writes about the "intergenerational bastardry" involved in pushing for continued carbon pollution at the expense of the future of humanity. And Tim Sahay and Kate McKenzie note that China is well on its way to fostering a transition to clean energy - meaning that the countries who drag their heels figure to be left behind in short order. 

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. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Charlie Angus discusses how MAGA is recognizing the effects of Canada's resistance - so long as our leaders don't sell us out. 

- But Martin Lukacs and Nikolas Barry-Shaw warn that there's little reason for confidence Mark Carney plans to treat the U.S.' threats as anything but an excuse to impose a corporate agenda. And David Macdonald predicts the scale of public-sector job cuts we can anticipate based on Carney's plans to waste any available fiscal capacity on military spending and tax cuts.

- Scott Forbes discusses how Canada has become a petrocracy, where the plans of oil barons to extract resources and leave the public with the bill are consistently put first over social well-being. And Chris Severson-Baker highlights how the UCP's obsession with dirty energy pipelines which will never be economically viable is resulting in Alberta missing out on far better opportunities. 

- Finally, Adam Barnett reports on a new study showing how Alex Jones and other denialists are drowning out needed information about climate catastrophes as they occur. And Brian Beutler highlights the dangers of allowing fascists to exploit liberal principles to demand the respect they deny to their perceived out-groups while disseminating their propaganda.

Musical interlude

Rainshow - Aurora

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. 

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Blanketed cat.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Blayne Haggart and Eric Duchesne point out that Mark Carney's idea of nation-building reflects little more than barely warmed-over 1980s neoliberalism - making for a particularly inapt response to a reality in which the corporations who stand to dominate us are themselves under the thumb of the Trump regime. Jim Stanford discusses how Canada is far better off avoiding a new trade deal with the U.S. rather than signing over our sovereignty to a bad-faith actor who will never respect any theoretical gains. 

- Janelle Lapointe writes that the "fast-track" laws pushed by Carney and conservative premiers are designed primarily to bulldoze Indigenous rights for corporate benefit. Abigail Jackson, Rachel Samson, and Ricardo Chejfec note that rural and remote communities and local workers stand to lose out if the push for major projects doesn't include a plan to build a local workforce. And Angella MacEwen discusses how workers stand to lose out from Carney's austerity. 

- Carol Schwartz writes that there's no excuse not to be setting - and reaching - net-zero carbon emission targets. Kate Aronoff discusses how climate neglect is driving up grocery prices among other costs of living. 

- Meanwhile, Saul Griffith highlights the ready availability of affordable electricity - particular if we focus on cheap solar and improved storage and distribution rather than allowing fossil fuel interests to dictate that we keep lining their pockets. And Arthur Zhang discusses how a zero-emission vehicle target is still well within reach (and worth pursuing). 

- Finally, Cathy Bussewitz reports on the Trump regime's declaration that protections for workers are obsolete, with Trump's supposed concern for the masses now resulting in attacks on minimum wages, overtime pay and protection from hazardous substances. And George Monbiot rightly calls out the Starmer government for facilitating the importation and use of toxic chemicals without meaningful controls or assessments based solely on the say-so of a single other jurisdiction. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tom Nichols discusses how the only discernible values behind the Trump regime are those of corruption and retribution. And Toby Buckle writes about the right's choice to prioritize humiliation for perceived others over benefits for anybody. 

- Meanwhile, Lauren Egan writes that U.S. Democrats are only now understanding the importance of competing in the attention economy - but are doing so just in time for the corporate media to use its full reach to serve Trump. 

- Piers Forster and Debbie Rosen discuss the recognition by climate scientists that we have only a few years left to avoid the worst impacts of a climate breakdown. Andrew Freedman writes that 2025 is shaping up to be a summer of flooding in the U.S. among other catastrophic impacts. And Emma Court reports on the connection between climate change and increased food prices. 

- Mark Hertsgaard writes that most Americans are at least concerned about climate change, but don't understand the scope of the danger - while Ketan Joshi notes that Australia's media (like that in many other countries) is grossly failing to keep people informed about the dangers of carbon pollution. And Fiona Harvey reports on Antonio Guterres' message that a transition to clean energy is in sight. 

- Lisa McKenzie and Nicole Deziel discuss how children near fossil fuel installations face a higher risk of acute lymphocytic leukemia (among other health harms). And Tom Perkins reports on new research showing the dangers of exposure to a combination of pesticides in the course of pregnancy. 

- Finally, Emily Atkin discusses how Microsoft's AI, developed in part based on the promise of helping the climate, is instead being used to increase fossil fuel production. And Faine Greenwood writes about the need to stop relying on platforms which are designed to maximize corporate control rather than recency and accuracy for emergency warnings. 

Musical interlude

Deftones - My Mind Is A Mountain

Hiatus

There will be little or no posting from this corner until next week. Hope everybody's enjoying their summer...

Musical interlude

Tori Amos - Lovesong (Aching Heart Mix)

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- George Monbiot discusses how fascist concepts of "joking" are used to normalize the dehumanization of the targets of a regime's abuses. And Greg Sargent talks to Todd Schulte about the gap between ICE agents coming face to face with public opprobrium, and the Trump regime which wants footage of cruelty for entertainment and propaganda value. 

- Sidney Blumenthal highlights how Trump's budget thoroughly betrays his political base. And Paul Krugman offers a warning as to the dangers of allowing Trump to seize control of the Federal Reserve Board and turn monetary policy into an instrument of political convenience and corruption. 

- Dean Blundell reports on one insider's account that Trump's announced tariffs are all "fake" - though that hardly represents any reason to treat him as a rational or good faith actor. And Jim Stanford points out that Canada has room to respond to the latest announcement of arbitrary tariffs by applying far more justified taxes on the U.S.' corporate services surplus. 

- Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer write about the growing risk of floods across the U.S., while Emily Sanders offers a reminder that the reflexive denialism of Greg Abbott and other Republicans isn't shared by their fossil fuel funders. But then, Kate Aronoff notes that the Republicans are also using the chaos they've caused through environmental negligence and gutted disaster response mechanisms to sow fear and confusion. 

- Hiroko Tabuchi reports on Trump's plans to slash a chemical safety investigator even over the objections of the businesses it oversees. And Leah Borts-Kuperman reports on the newly-recognized health effects of chemical contamination at CFB Moose Jaw.

- Finally, Tess Collier reports on the UK's longstanding failure to respond to the use of toxic sludge as a fertilizer. And Rachel Salvidge follows by reporting on both the cover-up between government and corporate forces, and the widespread contamination of waterways by PFAs. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Qasim Rashid offers a reminder that the U.S.' deficit and debt are the result of a political system controlled by and for the oligarch class. Paul Krugman writes that Donald Trump's use of punitive tariffs to try to interfere in the Brazilian criminal justice system for the benefit of his crony Jair Bolsonaro represents a new level of abuse of power. Brian Beutler rightly argues that an essential element of any Democratic plans for a post-Trump government will need to include a plan to hold people accountable for their criminal activity. And Toby Buckle warns that moderation and conflict aversion in the face of fascism serves only to exacerbate the danger. 

- Antonia Juhasz reports on Trump's giveaways to dirty energy - which are even larger than generally assumed. Seth Klein questions why governments can always find immense amounts of money for military spending, but won't invest anything close to what's needed to deal with the imminent security threat of climate change. And Sophie Hurwitz writes about the widespread support for carbon prices in affluent countries even as their governments shy away from defending anything of the sort. 

- Bill McKibben writes about the ongoing transformation of energy systems as solar power proves itself to be far more affordable and more stable than fossil-fuel based energy. And Zachary Shahan writes that past projections for oil production and use are grossly outdated as a result, while Max Fawcett points out that Alberta's insistence on trying to vastly increase production lacks any grounding in reality. 

- Carlo Dade writes about the folly of rushing into a trade agreement with a Trump regime which couldn't care less about holding up its end of any bargain, while Sophia Harris reports that Canadian consumers are still eager to boycott U.S. products (but are facing increased difficulty as the corporate class tries to normalize Trump's abuses). 

- Finally, Christo Aivalis calls out Mark Carney's plans to bring DOGE to Canada by another name. And Nora Loreto writes that Carney is following the Chretien-era Libs' legacy of austerity for its own sake even after we've seen the consequences of defunding necessary services. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Paul Krugman discusses how toxic masculinity is being used by the oil and gas sector to keep people addicted to dirty fossil fuels. And Cathy Orlando highlights the need for Canada's energy policy to be based on the recognition that renewables are cheaper, cleaner and more secure, rather than letting the burn-it-all fantasies of oil tycoons dictate our plans. 

- Joseph Gedeon reports on the latest U.S. court decision decreeing that the most basic consumer protections (in this case the requirement for providers to offer a mechanism to cancel services) offend the overriding principle that corporations have a right to avoid restrictions on their extraction of wealth from the public. And Paul Glastris and Kainoa Lowman report on the problems with the U.S.' rural broadband strategy created by incumbent providers and their Republican spokesflacks which are now being trumpeted as reason to avoid public action altogether.  

- Meanwhile, Paris Marx discusses the need to build our own digital infrastructure rather than being subject to the whims of either corporate monoliths or the Trump regime. And Joseph Stiglitz warns that Mark Carney's capitulation to Donald Trump on the digital services tax is threatening the global discussions which were supposed to offer an alternative. 

- More broadly, Blayne Haggart questions how Carney can pretend to be so clueless about the constant bad faith action of the Trump administration. Neil Moss points out that even former Lib cabinet ministers are sounding the alarm that their party's new leader is selling us out. Christopher Holcroft points out the lack of any defensible rationale for increased military spending (especially where it serves to tie us even more tightly to the U.S.), while William Eltherington reports on the damage Carney's planned austerity will do to our civil service capacity. And Tom Goldsmith writes that the problem is Carney's determination to follow a corporate playbook rather than having any vision for Canada as a country. 

- Finally, David Macdonald and Martha Friendly write that there's a long way to go for the promise of $10 per day child care to be fulfilled at the national level - even as Scott Moe and other right-wing premiers look to reverse the progress that's been made by refusing to sign on to an extension of funding. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Reaching cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Julia Steinberger writes about the necropolitics surrounding the climate breakdown - as fossil fuel interests have declared our lives forfeit, and our scope for decision-making is limited to trying to salvage what we can around that assumption. Ellen Ormesher and Rebecca John discuss the UK's parliamentary debate on fossil fuel ads with reference to the increasingly sophisticated and manipulative techniques used to keep people addicted to dirty energy. Michael Bloomberg notes that the recent Texas floods are just the latest example of disasters made worse by climate denial. And Erin Sagen highlights how the childhood experience of gaining independence and bolstering health through cycling is being taken away by car-centric transportation choices. 

- Ezra Levin notes that the firehose of money being spewed at ICE will represent the most obvious direct effect of the Trump budget. And Greg Sargent talks to Garrett Graff about the reasons to anticipate that an immense flow of money into a secret police apparatus will lead to massive corruption. 

- Alexander Hill and Paul Robinson each highlight why Canada shouldn't accept sleepwalking into its own wasteful funding of a militarized state. And Kate McKenna reports on a new procurement process set up to favour an American supplier rather than doing anything to support Canadian sovereignty and independence from the would-be conqueror to our south. . 

- Meanwhile, Christo Aivalis discusses how Mark Carney's promise of resistance has generally given way to absolute capitulation to Trump - making the latest round of calls for "strategic voting" the most destructive one yet. 

- Finally, Hamilton Nolan writes about the blinkered vision of billionaires who can't imagine politics or social structures serving any goal other than to shower them with still more unnecessary wealth. 

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. 

Musical interlude

The XX - Intro

Friday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to end your week.

- Greg Sargent highlights how Donald Trump's pretense of concern for working-class people has given way to the largest transfer of wealth to plutocrats in U.S. history. Harold Meyerson discusses how Trump's repressive police state is keeping communities from celebrating the Fourth of July or otherwise participating in public life. Jeremy Brecher writes about the importance of ensuring that people with the means and privilege to engage in protest make sure Trump knows there's widespread opposition. And Yanis Varoufakis writes about the lessons from Karl Marx which are as vital to today's populist movements as those of the 1800s. 

- Meanwhile, Rick Salutin points out that Mark Carney's caving to Trump on a digital services tax represents an absolute failure to understand what Canadians expect from him. 

- Greg Silsbe et al. study the decline in ocean nutrients and photosynthesis caused by a warming climate. Isabella Kaminski reports on the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that states have a legal duty to protect people from the effects of a climate breakdown. And Ayesha Tandon discusses a new analysis showing that the research we have into the effects of the climate crisis fails to take into account the particular impacts on fast-growing cities in developing countries. 

- Franziska Mager writes that there's no lack of resources available to fund a just transition if governments recognize and exercise their ability to tax extreme wealth. Reuters reports on new research showing that Germany could make substantial progress toward its carbon pollution targets just by cutting fossil fuel subsidies. And Juan Moreno-Cruz notes that methane mitigation can both create jobs and significantly cut harmful emissions - but that it won't work without effective emission regulation. 

- Simon Enoch discusses the importance of rural media outlets to build community connections on a foundation of facts and basic principles. And Gillian Steward calls out Danielle Smith for spending her summer on a separatist road show rather than anything that could actually help Albertans, while Leanna Sanders reports on the UCP's joint attempt with the Ford PCs to officially torpedo any commitment to clean drinking water for First Nations. 

- Finally, Bruce Campbell offers a reminder as to how corporate greed and deregulatory zeal led to the Lac-Megantic rail disaster - and how people are still suffering from its aftereffects. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Charlie Angus comments on the futility of giving up substantial interests in the hope that a new trade deal with the Trump regime will be the first one he ever sees fit to honour. And Dylan Robertson reports on Lloyd Axworthy's jusitifed criticism of Mark Carney's bootlicking. 

- Meanwhile, Stephen Marche discusses how Canada can go it alone from a national defence standpoint if the Libs stop operating in denial of the Trump threat. And Elizabeth Payne reports on the Canadian Medical Association Journal's call to build a stronger system to track and monitor communicable diseases to fill the void left by a U.S. regime that's happy to condemn people to avoidable deaths. 

- Davis Legree reports on David Suzuki's lamentation that it's too late to avoid a climate breakdown as opposed to mitigating and surviving it as best we can. But Oxfam notes that there's still widespread public support to hold dirty energy tycoons responsible for the damage they've inflicted on our living environment.

- Finally, David Climenhaga discusses how the UCP's latest surveys couldn't be more blatant as means of manufacturing consent for separatism and division. And Jeremy Appel offers an account of Canada Day in the realm of the Alberta separatists whose cause is being stoked by their provincial government. 

Wednesday Morning Links

 Assorted content for your Wednesday reading.

- Dharna Noor discusses how Zohran Mamdani is rightly connecting climate ambition to an affordability agenda. And Vass Bednar looks to Mamdani's push for public grocery stores as the type of government action which can provide tangible benefits to people who are chronically neglected by corporate forces.

- The Guardian's editorial board writes that leaders should be reminding the public why it's so important  to cut our carbon pollution (particularly as an extreme heat waves makes the stakes readily apparent) - though Sam Jones reports on Teresa Ribera's warning that political cowardice is already the primary barrier to climate action. And David Vetter reports on the call from U.K. ad agencies for a ban on fossil fuel advertising to stop the flood of propaganda for an immensely harmful industry. 

- Andrea Pitzer calls out the Republicans' plan to direct hundreds of billions of dollars toward ramping up a secret police and detention apparatus. And Robert Reich warns that Peter Thiel and other tycoons are looking to make an even more invasive surveillance state into a source of political control (as well as private wealth accumulation). 

- Paris Marx joins the many voices calling out Mark Carney's decision to rescind a digital services tax which would have set the slightest of limits on how big tech exploits Canadians. And Blaine Haggart writes that we now know enough to assess - and criticize - Carney's blinkered refusal to accept that the Trump regime will never enter into any trade agreement in good faith. 

- Meanwhile, Matteo Cimellaro reports that Carney's plans for Canada's public sector include the worst cuts to service in recent history, while David Macdonald highlights how there's no way to inflict those cuts without causing severe harm. And Geoff Mulgan writes about the lack of interest in plumbing which has made it impossible to turn promises or expectations into reality. 

- Finally, Bob Lord writes that income tax rates alone won't rein in worsening inequality based primarily on gross disparities in wealth whose products are given favourable treatment. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Protruding cat.

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. 

Musical interlude

Kidnap Kid - Moments

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Claire Brown and Mira Rojanasakul report on new research showing that the climate breakdown is only accelerating as the powers that be look for excuses to avoid taking any action to slow it. And Steven Sherwood, Benoit Meyssignac and Thorsten Mauritsen examine the increased amount of heat being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. 

- Anna Robertson reports on the actors seeking to ensure their pension fund isn't used to exacerbate the climate crisis. But Drew Anderson contrasts the pleas of rural residents against the capture of power in Alberta (among other places) by a wealthy few willing to boil our planet in order to keep windfall profits rolling in. 

- Meanwhile, Reuters reports on the entrenchment of the reality that clean energy is the most affordable option as long as public policy isn't being used to block it. And Clean Energy Canada points out that a large majority of Canadians want access to wider range of electric vehicles, rather than being trapped in a U.S.-dominated market. 

- The Plastics Pollution Coalition examines how microplastics are contaminating the oceans. And Ayurella Horn-Muller discusses how arsenic is building up in rice supplies, while Colid Todhunter offers a reminder of how industrial agriculture has been sent up to maximize corporate rent-seeking rather than either the availability of food or a secure living for farmers. 

- Finally, Margaret Sullivan discusses how to stay informed without succumbing to constant doomscrolling. And Noah Berlatsky interviews Kat Abughazaleh about the importance of ensuring people see prospects to build a better world, rather than feeling helpless in the face of corporate and political forces aligned against anything of the sort. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Simon Tisdall discusses the fallout from the Trump regime's choice to launch a war in Iran - with its culture of denial doing nothing to mitigate the harm. And Anthony Fisher writes about the invariable stupidity and malignancy of the people chosen to surround Trump (for the sole purpose of insulating him from inconvenient realities). 

- Meanwhile, Kyla Scanlon highlights how Zohran Mamdani's inspiring victory in the New York mayoral primary offers an example of how progressive values can win out in the current information environment. And both Hamilton Nolan and Lex McMenamin are optimistic that Mamdani's campaign can be the start of a movement to replace a captured Democratic establishment with a new organization structure that is both answerable and appealing to the general public. 

- Tiffany Hsu discusses how countries around the world are stepping into the gap left by the U.S.' abandonment of international cooperation. But Doug Saunders' analysis of Mark Carney's strategy serves mostly to confirm that the Libs are wasting an immense amount of capacity (and pursuing counterproductive policies) trying to placate Trump rather than looking forward. 

- Cindy Cho points out the case for treating dirty energy purveyors as responsible for unnatural heat waves. And Kendra Jewell, Rowan Burdge and Liv Yoon offer a reminder that the people who suffer most in extreme heat are those already living in poverty or otherwise vulnerable. 

- Ian Urquhart discusses how Alberta is continuing to lie about its contribution to the climate breakdown while consistently increasing its carbon pollution. And Adrienne Tanner rightly questions how the oil industry and its fully-owned government subsidiaries consider themselves entitled to have the public fund the immense cost of carbon capture schemes. 

- Finally, Paris Marx discusses the dangers of allowing the U.S. to dictate both which technology will be used, and which countries have access to it. And Matthew Hughes writes about the tech industry's assumption over complete control of basic infrastructure with no regard for people's needs. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jonathan Watts talks to Genevieve Guenther about the need to keep talking about the many climate tipping points in front of us - along with the value of taking action to avoid crossing them. Sanjana Gajbhiye reports on the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and the resulting cool spot which portends increasing warming elsewhere. Andrew Szava-Kovats writes that we can't accept a prolonged wildfire and smoke season as a new normal. 

- Nora Loreto calls out Mark Carney's choice to serve as Donald Trump's lap dog on Iran rather than opposing an unjustified attack, while Alex Cosh and Nur Dogan point out the impace on Iranian Canadians. And Christopher Holcroft discusses Carney's abandonment of "elbows up" in favour of making concessions to an unreliable authoritarian regime. 

- Meanwhile, Erica Ifill points out that Carney is making a corporate power grab - at the expense of Indigenous rights and environmental protection - in the name of national unity. And Adam King discusses how the Libs are putting a thumb on the scale for management against Canada Post workers, while Andre Frappier offers a reminder that the fight is ultimately one encompassing the entire working class. 

- Ryan Kiedrowski reports on the demands of Danielle Smith and Scott Moe that the federal government essentially trash all environmental and climate policy in order to deliver windfall returns to dirty energy operators. And Dale Smith highlights how Smith is importing the Republican war to dehumanize mmigrants into Alberta. 

- But on the bright side, Sean Boynton reports on polling showing that Canadians have maintained their support for LGBTQ2+ rights even as popular support has declined elsewhere in the face of calculated attacks. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Circular cat.

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. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Tressie McMillan Cottom calls out how the Trump regime is using political violence to eliminate any democratic forms of opposition and accountability. David Roth discusses how fascist regimes tend to provoke chaos in order to eliminate the sense that it's possible to build anything better. And Jeet Heer writes that there is a window for a popular backlash to stop a sustained war in Iran, but only if public outcry manages to drown out the warmongers pulling the strings around Trump. 

- Luke Goldstein reports that the Republicans' plan to rob from the poor to give to the rich includes tax breaks for private equity when it loads companies up with debt and slashes workforces. Jameson Berkow reports on a new finding that CEO pay is soaring in Canada while so many people continue to struggle. And Brendon Hadden examines some of the options to apply a fairer tax system. 

- The Guardian's editorial board writes about the inescapable choice between making investments in averting climate change and its effects, and facing perpetually more (and more severe) breakdowns of the systems that support life. And Andre Picard writes about how wildfire smoke is eliminating summer holidays we we know them. 

- Kostansa Rangelova and Dave Jones point out that solar power has reached the point of being the most affordable option even when adding in the need for battery storage - even with the cost of both still having plenty of room to fall. Rose Dixon write that renewable energy has reached the point of being given away in Spain and Germany. And Umair Irfan notes that there are cheap and effective options available to eliminate the vast majority of methane emissions - even as the fossil fuel sector fights against any effort to clean up its act. 

- Finally, Don Moynihan examines how Australia's experience with flawed algorithmic debt assessment and recovery shows the dangers of making access to the necessities of life reliant on automation and AI.

Musical interlude

CamelPhat & Rhodes - Healing

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Damian Carrington reports on a new warning from scientists that we're on pace to exhaust humanity's carbon budget in the next two years, while also pointing out a report on how misinformation is feeding into the climate catastrophe. Umair Irfan discusses how the climate breakdown stands to worsen hunger by reducing agricultural yields. And Laurence Tubiana writes about the desperate need for political leaders to respond to the climate crisis with ambition rather than denialism and excuses. 

- But sadly, Alexander Quon reports on Scott Moe's decision to keep spewing coal emissions for no apparent reason other than to stoke disputes with the federal government, while Adrienne Tanner discusses how Doug Ford is using distant and implausible promises of nuclear power as an excuse to avoid transitioning to cheaper, cleaner energy. David Dayen reports on Republicans' plans to shovel free money to big oil. Jillian Ambrose notes that Keir Starmer is doing the same for UK gas plants, while Sam Bright points out that UK Labour is also promising the oil industry that it alone will be granted an effective exemption from paying a windfall profits tax. And Mitch Anderson discusses how the UCP has failed to advance climate policy an inch even by its own hand-picked (and meaningless) "intensity" targets. 

- Joshua Dean and Robert Hilton discuss how rivers are releasing large amounts of previously-stored carbon dioxide. And Inayat Singh and Tess He report on new estimates indicating that inactive wells produce seven times more methane pollution than previously assumed. 

- Molly Taft reports on the refusal of AI companies to provide any accounting for the energy they plan to burn through. And Andrew Chow reports on a new study showing how the substitution of ChatGPT for actual research and writing results in the erosion of critical thinking skills. 

- Finally, Charlie Angus calls out the social and environmental destruction being pushed by Mark Carney, while Alex Himelfarb and Craig Scott write about the joint effort by the Libs and Cons to ensure a lack of scrutiny into legislation designed to disempower the public. And Randy Thanthong-Knight reports that the Libs' cuts to immigration have resulted in a zero population growth rate for Canada, serving to marginalize us rather than allowing us to stand up for our country on a global scale.

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Reaching cat.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Owen Jones discusses how the new outbreak of war-mongering toward Iran is indistinguishable - both in its insistence and its utter lack of connection to reality - from that which led to disastrous results in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

- Stephen Maher writes about the new nationalism which reflects Canada's public mood in the wake of the threats and abuses of the Trump regime. And Justin Ling writes about the folly of trying to make deals with a wholly irrational actor who has proven he has no interest in living up to his agreements - though sadly that recognition doesn't seem to be stopping Mark Carney from wagering Canada's future on tying us even more tightly to the U.S.' economy and defence apparatus. 

- On that front, Benjamin Muller warns that Carney's Bill C-2 sets us up to be used as an extension of the U.S.' anti-immigrant policies. And Kate Robertson examines how it also creates a mechanism for Canadians' sensitive personal data to be shared with the Trump regime - despite the virtual certainty it will then be misused, both through government action and through theft by the Republicans' techbro cronies. 

- Joel Morris writes about the parasite economy turning other people's work in creating content into a source of constant rent. Helena Horton reports on the reality that England is facing foreseeable water shortfalls as data centres plan to soak up massive amounts of water without having to account for it. And Benji Edwards notes that there's now an active movement to try to preserve pre-AI content before all publicly-accessible material turns to artificial slop. 

- Finally, Jim Stanford highlights an expert letter on the value of Canada's public health care system - and the need to strengthen it, rather than accepting the argument of profiteers that we have no choice but to replace it with pay-for-play medicine. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Niko Block writes about the desperate need for Canada to devote resources to income supports and industrial strategy, rather than hoping that corporate tax giveaways will do anything other than further enrich those who already have the most. And David Moscrop interviews Laurent Carbonneau about our long history of corporate welfare bums who have consistently turned access into wealth without holding up their end of any bargain to pursue economic development. 

- Curtis Fric reports on the rightful skepticism Canadians thus have about corporate and media elites - with the problem being that the outrage is then often being directed toward the least powerful. And Emma Paling discusses how Mark Carney is only sowing further distrust by utterly capitulating to Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda after campaigning on the promise of standing up to him. 

- Meanwhile, Marcy Wheeler points out how the Trump regime's belief in white supremacy can't survive contact with reality - as epitomized by Pete Hegseth's absolute incompetence. 

- Michael Mann et al. study how the climate breakdown is contributing to extreme weather events. Brendan Haley points out how energy efficiency should be a critical resource in both reducing Canada's carbon pollution, and offering us a more secure energy foundation. And Emily Chung reports on the role electric vehicles can play in reducing emissions from at least some (largely suburban) demographics - even if they're far from a cure-all. 

- Finally, Agam Shah reports that if we didn't have enough tech giants seeking to turn themselves into omnipresent surveillance mechanisms, Grammarly is seeking to elbow its way into the picture.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

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

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

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

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

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

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