Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

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

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

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

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

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Inae Oh weighs in on the neo-royalism fueling Trump's sense of divine right. Seva Grunitsky points out that a hubristic belief that might makes right has caused the downfall of empires before as it likely will for the U.S. And Ryan Cooper discusses the prospect of countering the Trump regime by punishing the uber-rich who have lent their wealth and power to him - though the difficulty in trying to do so speaks to the dangers of their accumulated wealth.

- Owen Jones calls out Trump's "Board of Peace" as combining rank neocolonialism with yet another grift. Daniel Beland and Klaus Petersen discuss why the people of Greenland (like those virtually everywhere) want nothing to do with Trump's rule. And Luke O'Neil notes that the fear of Trump arises precisely from his refusal to recognize anybody but his immediate circle as human and deserving of any respect or consideration. 

- Reuters reports on new U.N. research showing that most of humanity is already facing dangerous water supply limitations - with much worse to come. And David Thurton reports on Environment Canada's warning that 2026 is likely to be yet another of the hottest years on record. 

- Finally, Matt Simmons and Lauren Walsh report on LNG Canada's excessive flaring which has made an already-polluting operation into far more of a climate bomb than promised. And Maxine Joselow discusses the Trump administration's choice to value human lives at zero in order to facilitate industrial pollution. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Chin-up cat.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Gaby Hinsliff highlights the need for the UK (and the rest of the world) to cut ties with an entirely unerliable U.S., while John Crace discusses the futility of any action based on Keir Starmer's apparent assumption that Trump is sufficiently sentient to be calmed down and reasoned with. And Paul Krugman implores American businesses to end their Faustian bargains with the Trump regime. 

- Kaamil Ahmed reports on Oxfam's latest research on the continued concentration of global wealth in the hands of a few billionaires - and how that's both a cause and effect of policy skewed to further enrich the wealthy. Harold Meyerson examines how the labour share of U.S. income is at an all-time low. And Julian Hinz et al. confirm (PDF) that the working class is bearing the brunt of Trump's tariffs out of its declining resources. 

- Lest anybody wrongly assume that Trump is the only North American leader looking to eliminate any consequences for corporate malfeasance (particularly for preferred donors and cronies), Sophie Elias-Pinsonnault and Silas Xuereb examine Mark Carney's plan to make the application of nearly all laws to corporations a matter of ministerial discretion. 

- Finally, Charles Ferguson warns that artificial intelligence is on the verge of taking over media as we know it. 

On high-level tracking

With the January 28th membership deadline approaching for voters in the NDP's federal leadership campaign, I'll offer a brief high-level look at the campaign so far - and how it fits into the wider political scene. 

For the most part (other than the exceptions I'll get to shortly), the campaign seems to be best explained as reflecting a party recognizing the need to build itself up in generally rather than fighting for existing territory. Litmus tests which would have been applied in previous races (including bilingualism and experience in office) have largely fallen by the wayside in light of the actual candidate pool, while the interactions between the lower-ranking candidates in particular have been marked by regular cooperation to keep people in the race rather than any sense of competition. 

The result has been the presence of candidates to meet most target NDP voters, without a great deal of clash between them. And the stature of the approved candidates has generally fit the relative strength of their prototype within the party.

The two most prominent candidates have been Heather McPherson, following the urban prairie model whose success at the provincial level has made it the default for the party as it stands, and Avi Lewis running as an urban environmentalist and champion of economic equality. Both have some measure of national profile (McPherson as a sitting and well-respected MP, Lewis based on his media experience and personal ties), and would have fit comfortably among the class of contenders in previous leadership campaigns. 

As for the rest of the candidate, Rob Ashton has been a consensus choice for much of the labour movement and seems to have gained the most profile from the campaign to date. And his challenge to Lewis seems to have been treated as the first major oppositional moment of the campaign - though I'm not sure the end result is a bad one for Lewis, as a willingness to challenge rip-and-ship resource extraction and the toxic politics it's funded would seem to be a mantle that will serve him well in the leadership campaign. 

Tanille Johnston has reflected both Indigenous inclusion and municipal political experience, and Tony McQuail has offered a rural-agricultural perspective. But each would figure to have been a distant also-ran in any other leadership campaign in recent memory, and it's difficult to see a path to victory for either of them absent some serious negative impressions around the front-runners. 

The most obvious exclusion from the current mix has been any Quebecois or other francophone candidate. Yves Engler and then Bianca Mugyenyi have lurked around the race as informal candidates, and on paper would appear to add to the inclusiveness of the campaign as a whole. But unfortunately their efforts seem to have been aimed more at sniping from the sidelines than participating in the actual campaign - and while I would have preferred to see Engler's candidacy approved, there's significant reason to doubt the campaign is much worse off for his being rejected. 

For now, there's plenty of reason for people interested in the future of the NDP to at least ensure they're able to vote, while planning to take a critical look at the candidates as the campaign progresses. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray discuss the need to go beyond merely calling to abolish ICE and other human rights abuses, and instead center the humanity of the people being singled out for collective punishment. Theresa MacPhail writes about the need to maintain hope and community to counter the dark times we're facing. And Charlie Angus calls for us to stop the spread of hate now, rather than hoping for future generations to clean up our messes. 

- James Plunkett highlights how it's possible to restore power to the people, while noting the dangers of instead hoping for a technocratic state to defend itself against populist threats. And The Citizens point out the need to stop relying on monopolistic corporate platforms for our information and communication as part of the effort to regain control. 

- David French identifies the "dual state" in which Donald Trump and his cronies are able to act with impunity - while most people continue on with business as usual until state overreach affects them directly. And Sarah Kendzior discusses what Minnesota is facing as Trump invades it with agents of violence and chaos, while Don Moynihan offers his take as a resident of occupied territory. 

- Kathryn Jezer-Morton comments on the need to create friction against bad actors who are counting on silent compliance to avoid answering for a lack of strength or justification. And Robert Rubin calls out business "leaders" for meekly and knowingly falling in line behind Trump's abuses. 

- Finally, Moul Dey reports on the connection between ultraprocessed foods and exacerbated aging processes. 

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- George Monbiot recognizes that all of the major problems now confronting us derive from the political class' willing subservience to the filthy rich. And Casey Michel notes that the Trump regime's obsession with Greenland reflects the world domination plans of particularly anti-social plutocrats. 

- Paris Marx discusses the need to decouple Canada from any dependence on U.S. tech giants - due to both their own destructive practices, and their fealty to Donald Trump. Timothy Garton Ash writes that Trump's threats to NATO allies will inevitably force the development of a new international order. And Stuart Trew points out the limitations on a strategy of merely replacing the U.S. with China as a dominant source of capital and export market. 

- Ambrosia Wohjan reports on new research showing that the microplastics released from synthetic fabrics may post a particular risk to agriculture. 

- Finally, Jamelle Bouie writes that one of the most important points of distinction between Trump and previous presidents is his mindset that the U.S. exists only as his property and for his benefit. And Doug Firby discusses how the UCP has made dirty politics the norm in Alberta in an effort to lock in permanent power for itself - and how only public rejection can reverse the tide. 

Musical interlude

French 79 - Hometown

 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Matt Simon writes that Donald Trump's plans to kill off clean energy are futile in the face of its inexorable progress in price and reliability compared to reliance on fossil fuels. And Mark Gongloff likewise notes that the smart money is on investment in renewable power. 

- The CP's report on Canada's lifting of some tariffs on electric vehicles from China offers a rare indication that Mark Carney isn't entirely averse to being on the right side of the divide. But Maxwell Cameron argues that we have much further to go in opposing Trump's regime as it claims the entitlement to exercise complete and arbitrary control over the Western hemisphere.

- Meanwhile, Sammy Roth discusses how precarious manhood plays a role in fueling opposition to responsible climate policy (among other obviously desirable policy choices).  

- Davis Legree highlights Cory Doctorow's warning that Canada should be protecting itself against the impending collapse of the AI bubble rather than buying into implausible hype. 

- Finally, Eric Dolan reports on new research showing that the lasting effects of COVID-19 may include brain microstructure alterations even in people who otherwise appear to have fully recovered. And Massimo Nunes et al. examine how long COVID and other post-virus diseases may result from endothelial cell dysfunction.

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

 Braced cat. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

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

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

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

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

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

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Miguel Xavier discusses the need for social democrats to stop limiting their goals to preserving the status quo, and instead make the case for transformative change of an unfair economic system. And Dale Smith comments on the need to build grassroots democracy as a necessary precondition to sustainable social and policy gains. 

- Patrick Lennox warns that the separatist movement being stoked by the UCP and the Sask Party represents a threat to Canada's national security. Matthew Mendelsohn writes about the changes Canada's public service needs to make to strengthen our defences against the U.S.' aggression, while Paris Marx highlights the need to ban X in particular as both a peddler of CSAM and a threat to democracy. And Paul Stewart points out how reliance on P3 schemes and outsourcing as a substitute for a dedicated civil service only makes the delivery of necessities more expensive and less effective. 

- IndustriALL examines how social dialogue mechanisms have led to improved wages and working conditions in Kyrgyzstan. 

- Finally, Laura Semenzato et al. study the effects of COVID-19 vaccines, and find a substantial reduction in COVID-related deaths without tradeoffs in all-cause mortality. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Paul Crider discusses how the Trump regime is setting up the U.S. for explosive internal violence - while planning to blame its victims in order to impose martial law. Ned Resnikoff observes that the devaluation of human life in the name of demanding obeisance to the exercise of arbitrary power is far from new - though some forms of privilege are no longer protecting people who once perceived themselves as immune. Jonathan Chait calls out the Republican dogma that the January 6 rioters were entitled to take over democratic institutions and defy police with as much violence and force as they wanted, while anybody not devoted to usurping power on Donald Trump's behalf is subject to summary murder for failing to defer to state actors. And Garrett Graff writes about the emotional weight imposed by Trumpism.

- Meanwhile, Jason Stanley highlights the need to recognize the threat posed by an aggressive expansionist U.S. rather than assuming we can operate based on business as usual. And John Woodside's report on the Trump cheerleading by Scotiabank's CEO should make clear that the corporate class is not on our side.  

- Lucy Dean Stockton and Helen Santoro note that the FDA's elimination of warnings against excessive alcohol consumption reflects just the latest example of the Trump regime letting destructive corporate interests dictate policy. But Cory Doctorow discusses how the connection between Trump and the U.S.' exploitative tech giants may actually offer a needed opportunity to disenshittify our economy. And Scharon Harding reports on the rare positive example of Bose making some of its systems open-source to allow consumers to continue using them after they're no longer directly supported.  

- Marc Lee points out the absurdity of treating the U.S.' coup in Venezuela as an excuse to push new oil pipelines in Canada. 

- Finally, Tom Sandborn writes that a rare example of a conviction against an employer for negligently causing a worker's death serves only to highlight how few consequences businesses face for endangering their own employees.

Musical interlude

TWO LANES feat. Kwesi - Another Time

 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Linda McQuaig writes about the need for international solidarity in responding to the corruption and aggression of Donald Trump. Stephen Maher notes that there are important lessons for Canada in Trump's Venezualan coup. And the Economist points out that Canada's military is necessarily planning to respond to U.S. hostility - even as the two largest parties in Parliament treat it as something to be minimized or welcomed. 

- Virginia Heffernan argues that the most important reality of the Epstein scandal is the culture of elite impunity which continues to mutate and spread. And Roger Hallam discusses how the capital class is choosing a death project over any sustainable alternative which might reduce its control over the general public. 

- Faine Greenwood discusses the increasing number of people who see reality itself as irrelevant compared to online slop and propaganda. And Peter Smith comments on the dangers of social isolation to health, well-being and community. 

- Finally, a new McGill study finds that any spin about crime being caused by supervised consumption sites is a myth - meaning that the attack against harm reduction has no effect other than to exacerbate the human toll of the drug crisis.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cat among the pigeons.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Robert Reich discusses how Donald Trump is a threat to civilization (in the form of any social order other than one based on brute force and coercion) around the globe. And Marisa Kabas warns that much of the media is playing into Trump's hands by normalizing - if not outright siding with - his violence and dishonesty.

- Paris Marx discusses how the U.S.' tech giants serve its military ends - and how Canada and other countries are enabling their own domination by putting critical information in hostile hands. Kaylie Tiessen points out how trade deals have been used as an excuse to prevent Canada from exercising any digital sovereignty. And Heather Stewart notes that AI slop isn't worth the immense financial and environmental cost anywhere.

- Clare Fieseler comments on Trump's destruction of clean power development even as it becomes far more efficient and effective than the dirty energy sources that form his donor base. And Arnie Gundersen offers a reminder that spin about small nuclear reactors serves only as a delay tactic rather than a viable alternative to renewables.

-  Finally, Ed Cara reports on a new study showing that the ongoing toll of COVID-19 in the U.S. is in the range of a million hospitalizations and a hundred thousands deaths every year. And Maja Stojanovic et al. examine the vascular damage done by COVID-19.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Stephen Beschloss writes that while the specifics may be unpredictable, the broad strokes of the Trump regime are entirely in keeping with a U.S. political system gone mad. And Hamilton Nolan confronts the reality that the U.S. is unmistakably the bad guy in its treatment of the rest of the world, while Will Bunch properly characterizes it as a rogue state. And Carol Calwalladr discusses the danger as seen from abroad.  

- The Guardian's editorial board makes the case for Europe to present a strong and united front against the U.S.' imperialism. And Thomas Homer-Dixon and Alex Gordon rightly argue that Canada needs to be planning to respond to American aggression - not tying ourselves even more tightly to a hostile and impetuous power. 

- A.R. Moxon examines the significance of the unapologetic racism and bigotry of white supremacists. 

- And finally, Adam King reviews the state of Canadian labour in 2025 - with unions succeeding in achieving wage gains, but having to fight against adverse conditions in the broader economy. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Aquatic cat.

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 for your Monday reading.

- Seva Gunitsky discusses how the U.S. is committing hegemonic suicide. Simon Tisdall is about as optimistic as one can be about the Trump regime in arguing that it will represent little more than a blotch in on history in the long run, while Daniel Barkhuff writes that the U.S. resistance is winning by persevering. And Will Saletan et al. comment on Trump's plundering of all available sources of tribute. 

- Samuel Wynn Warde writes that Canada has been able to avoid the worst effects of Trump's capriciousness by (thus far) choosing not to supply the U.S.' war against it. And Cory Doctorow argues that countries can further remove themselves from the whims of the U.S. and its tech giants by repealing anti-circumvention laws which prioritize corporate rentiers over users and citizens. 

- Sam Sutton points out that the wealthiest few are predictably making a killing off of Trump's corruption without any benefit finding its way past the upper classes. And Curtis Fric comments on new polling showing that Canadians view the economic system as biased in favour of the rich.  

- Anna Isaac notes that tech billionaires have raked in half a trillion dollars in AI-based valuation based on little more than laughable spin. Aisha Down and Dan Milmo discuss Nvidia's attempts to avoid becoming the next Enron or Lucent, though the main difference seems to be that its need for constant expansion to support its business model is out in the open. And each of Emily Sanders and Morgan Bazalian and Brandon Owens highlight how AI's greenwashed messages and promises are utterly contrary to its reliance on dirty fossil fuels. 

- Oliver Milman reports on new polling showing that even a strong majority of U.S. voters see the climate crisis as affecting their food supply and cost of living. And Steven Morris reports on the National Trust's latest observations on the worsening of extreme weather. 

- Finally, University of California - Riverside examines the effects of microplastics in clogging arteries and fueling heart disease. Which makes Mark Carney's decision to enable single-use plastics exports look like nothing but a choice to sell out people's health in order to prop up the oil sector. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Sujeet Indap and Akila Quinio report on the accumulation of consumer debt by private credit groups, making people's inability to meet their needs into a factor being exploited by more and more capital interests. And Robert Reich highlights the need for a more fair distribution of wealth and income for the economy to be able to function:

   

- Meanwhile, Roshni Sahoo et al. model the cost of ending extreme poverty around the world, and find the price of ending severe deprivation would amount to a rounding error of .3% of global GDP. 

- Huilin Luo et al. examine (PDF) the effect of different greenhouse gas emission policies, and find that it's impossible to subsidize our way out of a climate breakdown without also regulating carbon pollution. Umair Irfan writes that we can't afford to give up the climate fight even as fossil fuel forces are already pushing us past dangerous thresholds. And Cloe Logan reports on Laura Tozer's lament that Mark Carney is doing nothing but undermining an already-insufficient set of federal climate policies. 

- Finally, Emma Graney reports that Carney is also laying the groundwork to open up the export of single-use plastics as another means of favouring the oil sector at the expense of public and environmental health. And Juno Rylee Schultz discusses how laissez-faire theory which lets businesses decide how much pollution to emit has consistently led to people being poisoned and exploited. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Decorated cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Kara Miller interviews Ray Madoff about the tax dodges that allow the richest Americans to hoard wealth without contributing to the society that makes it possible. And David Sirota is duly cynical about Mitt Romney and other plutocrats offering meaningless gestures toward tax fairness after they've forfeited the power to implement it. 

- Meanwhile, Thom Hartmann writes that plenty of Americans are eager to see a new New Deal to break up the concentration of wealth and power. And Rafael Behr discusses the prospect of people taking back control after the AI bubble bursts. 

- Allen Woods writes about Mark Carney's decision to become a fossil fuel cheerleader rather than a responsible climate advocate, while Rick Smith laments the uncertainty and lack of ambition created by Carney's climate policy reversals.  And the Guardian's editorial board notes that the EU too looks to be undermining readily-achievable gains by shredding its previous electric vehicle targets. 

- Among the other harms caused by the climate breakdown, Damian Carrington reports on a new analysis showing that crop production is becoming more vulnerable to pests, while Senay Boztas reports that even the food which reaches our tables includes less nutrition and more filler as a result of rising CO2 levels. 

- Finally, Rachel Morgam reports on Ontario School Safety's appeal for basic air quality improvements to limit the spread of cold and flu viruses. And Laine Bergeron discusses new research showing that workplace exposures in high-risk jobs (including teaching and health-care work) correlate to a higher risk of long COVID. 

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. 

Musical interlude

deadmau5 - Luxuria (Tinlicker Remix)

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

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

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

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

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

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Paul Krugman discusses Donald Trump's mission of making cruelty and bigotry into default positions in American culture. And Jamelle Bouie comments on the absurdity of concentrating power in a dictator who has no interest in bothering to govern. 

- Eleni Courea and Lisa O'Carroll report on the rightful recognition by UK MPs that there's no point in trying to negotiate agreements with Trump when he's proven utterly incapable of holding up his end of any bargain. But naturally, the Cons (and particularly Jamil Jivani) would like nothing more than to shackle Canada to a deal that ties us more tightly to Trump. 

- Andy Ober discusses how the costs of the climate breakdown can already be seen in substantially reduced income. And Frederick O'Brien, Pablo Gutierrez and Ashley Kirk examine how climate change is degrading food production around the globe.

- The Canadian Climate Institute weighs in on the federal government's latest progress report showing us already off track to miss our 2030 and 2035 commitments even before Mark Carney eviscerates the emission reduction policies previously on the books.

- Finally, Darius Snieckus and Rory White report on the reality that while the massive carbon capture project being pushed by Carney may not be certain to capture the promissed emissions, we can rest assured it will exhaust much of Alberta's already-dwindling water supply. And Chris Varcoe's discussion of how Carney is also enabling indiscriminate data centre construction only raises the prospect that AI might bleed Alberta dry before the oil industry does. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jonathan Last discusses how many of the harms being inflicted by the Trump regime can never fully be repaired, while Anne Applebaum writes about Trump's determination to undermine liberal democracy anywhere it hasn't yet fully given way to authoritarian kleptocracy. Anika Jane Beamer reports on the disastrous state of FEMA as the concept of providing assistance to people in case of emergency is purged from the U.S.' federal government. And G. Elliott Morris examines Keir Starmer's example as evidence of the need to fight back against race-baiting and immigrant-bashing, rather than triangulating away people's humanity. 

- The Yale School of the Environment finds that climate change is responsible for two-thirds of the emissions from wildfires in the western U.S. And Kevin Morrison reports that the world's largest carbon capture and storage project is becoming less effective by the year - while Uma Gupta writes that in contrast, solar energy backed by battery storage is becoming readily available and affordable while slashing carbon pollution. 

- But the absolute lack of any rational basis to cheerlead for dirty energy hasn't stopped Mark Carney from making that his government's top priority - much to the frustration of both Richard Brooks, and the experts and leaders consulted by Ilya Gridneff and Kenza Bryan. And Adam Ramsay discusses how corporate trade deals are being unsed to allow oil companies to dictate British trade and climate policy. 

- Lloyd Alter comments that for all the complaints about young people's screen time, the most glaring increase in time and dependency can be found among older adults. 

- Finally, Ryan Romard examines how Canada Post compares to its international counterparts - and finds that we currently have a highly effective postal system which will only deliver less value for money if the Libs follow through on their plans to gut it. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Perky cat.

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. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Thomas Zimmer discusses how the Trump regime is attacking concept of treating people as equals, while Greg Sargent highlights Stephen Miller's role in trying to connect white nationalism to an oppressive police state. Jojo points out the importance of continuing to call out bigotry even as it's implemented as policy. And Garrett Graff offers reason for hope that Donald Trump is losing in his attempt to consolidate power. 

- Jake Johnson reports on the World Inequality Lab's latest study on the extreme concentration of wealth in the top .001% of wealth hoarders. And Michael Hirschorn writes that their ability to buy sycophancy is leading the uber-rich to Louis XV levels of hubris. 

- Jim Stanford writes that the only genuine risk to jobs from AI is the danger of a stock market crash as increasingly implausible valuations are based on little but hype and wishful thinking. M.J. Crockett discusses the crucial distinction between the "thick empathy" possible between people, and the pale imitation served up by performative artifical intelligence. And Derek Kravitz reports on the use of AI by unscrupulous business to extract higher prices from consumers. 

- Zion Lights discusses Finland's work in teaching students how to think critically as an antidote to disinformation. But Arwa Mahdawi laments how the corporate media has embraced being a tool of the rich, famous and connected rather than a counterbalance against elite abuses. 

- Finally, Adam King reports on another area where the Carney Libs seem determined to emulate the Trump regime, as they've removed publicly available labour relations data with no apparent explanation. And Mary Chevreau reports on yet another nasty surprise in the Libs' budget, as its cuts to Canada Post operations include the elimination of a library postage rate which allows for the exchange of library materials. 

Musical interlude

Lavaros - Afternoon Memories

 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Bill McKibben writes that Donald Trump's level of impunity now includes blatant piracy as the U.S. steals oil to try to lay the groundwork to invade Venezuela. And Stephen Marche discusses the need for Canada to defend itself against the increasing threat the U.S. poses to itself and other countries.  

- But then, Dale Smith warns about the democratic backsliding Canada has experienced in 2025 (but largely glossed over based on a typical tendency to compare to the U.S. rather than to any other measuring stick). Nayeli Jiminez calls out the Carney Libs for pushing Trump-style surveillance and anti-immigrant legislation. Brandi Martin notes that Mark Carney's trampling of Indigenous rights and environmental preservation in the name of resource extraction is pulled directly from the colonial playbook. 

- Geoff Dembicki reports on the connection between oil barons looking to force increased energy use and the hype around artificial intelligence. And Sharon Zhang notes that one of the current use cases for AI is to allow businesses to extract higher prices from consumers, while Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh discusses the foreseeable catastrophic outcomes of giving AI control over critical systems. 

- Finally, Damien Gayle reports on new research into the multi-trillion dollar cost of allowing synthetic chemicals into human food supplies - even as corporate forces push to avoid complying with even the minimal protections that already exist. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Dean Blundell discusses how the U.S. has been downgraded to an "obstructed" state in terms of civic freedoms by CIVICUS due to its use of arbitrary power both to suppress dissent and to generally terrorize vulnerable populations. Lawrence Freedman offers his take on how Europe should respond to the explicit adoption of white nationalism as the basis for the Trump regime's foreign policy, while Wesley Wark comments on the U.S.' concurrent treatment of Canada as a target. And Jillian Kestler-D'Amours writes about the necessary pushback against Mark Carney's choice to arm U.S.-allied perpetrators of genocide.  

- Zeke Hausfather examines the causes of the acceleration in global warming. And Tom Harris points out how melting permafrost looks likely to exacerbate the problem, while Kira Taylor warns that the takeover of EU environmental policy by climate denialists risks adding yet another blast of carbon pollution. And Inayat Singh discusses how petrostates are falling behind China and developing countries in adopting the energy sources of the future. 

- Andy Boneau laments the dedication of increasing amounts of land and resources to asphalt based on the unquestioned dominance of car culture. Timothy Fraser et al. find (PDF) that even the mild shift away from vehicular supremacy arising from New York City's congestion pricing is producing broad environmental and health benefits. 

- Finally, Rebecca Burns and Thomas Burningham report that the positive impact of tenant organizing is now being met with a predictable union-busting response by landlords. And the Council of Canadians calls out the corporate lobbying offensive which has stopped any progress on pharmacare in Canada. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Festive cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading. 

- Jonathan Last discusses how the Trump regime is carrying out campaigns of murder based on known lies with both the purpose and effect of destroying any social order, while Matt Gurney writes about the participants at the Halifax International Security Forum who have quite rightly concluded the U.S. can never be trusted again. Daniele Renwick talks to activists from authoritarian regimes about the lessons they've learned, while Kimberly Prost discusses the effects of the U.S.' imposition of sanctions against people who dare to enforce international criminal and humanitarian law. And Charlie Angus writes about Trump's gangster regime, while Richard Goode discusses the alt-right forces seeking to impose similar lawless violence in Canada. 

- Hannah Murphy writes about the development of privately-owned cities to further entrench the power of the wealthy. And Alan MacLeod writes about the obvious distortion of our information environment when then most obscenely wealthy tycoons on the planet are all taking over major media outlets to turn them into personal megaphones, while Alexander Smith et al. study the dangers posed by politicised threats to science. 

- Taylor Noakes points out that Mark Carney is dutifully parroting fossil fuel billionaires' talking points rather than working on any climate policy, while Tzeporah Berman discusses how utter capitulation is being framed as "realism". And Jim Stanford and Kathy Bennett examine (PDF) how a just transition remains entirely possible as long as government isn't beholden to the oil sector. 

- Finally, Tianyuan Huang et al. study how inequalities are exacerbated by environmental disasters as rebuilding is carried out to suit those who have more resources to pay for it. And Lara Jauregui et al. find that price shocks similarly have a disparate impact on the people who can least afford to absorb them. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jonathan Freedland discusses how the Trump regime is systematically corrupting law, government and morality alike, while A.R. Moxon discusses the challenges of trying to end a culture (and cult) of abuse.  Rebecca Solnit writes about Trump's intention to recreate a fictitious white America at the expense of anything that ever counted as a success. And Joe Wilkins reports on the techbros looking to legalize war crimes to line their own pockets. 

- Charlie Angus points out how the conservative multiverse - including allied elements among the Repulicans, Cons and their allies - is bent on destroying Canada. Allan Woods reports on the Trump regime's admission that it's determined to turn Canada into a vassal state, while Nathalie Tocci discusses how Europe is also coming to terms with the fact that the U.S. is an adversary. But Alex Cosh reports that Mark Carney is refusing to apply basic human rights law to military exports which may be used by the U.S. or its axis of authoritarians to commit humanitarian atrocities. 

- Seth Sandronsky writes that the real source of the U.S.' affordability is the suppression of wages. And Josh Gerstein discusses how the Trump regime plans to exacerbate that by eliminating any remaining protections for workers. 

- But in case anybody was under the misapprehension that Carney is appreciably more concerned with workers' well-being, Natasha Bulowski reports on his slashing of any federal capacity to track climate disasters, while Josh Pringle reports on yet another back-to-office mandate which will serve only to make work more costly and less efficient (while driving away some public servants). And Althia Raj reports on the Libs' plan to make every single federal regulation subject to being instantly nullified for the benefit of any pet project. 

- Finally, Ella Nilsen and Samuel Hart write about the rapid transitions to clean energy which are possible when a country focuses on investing in sustainable energy technology, rather than fixating on dirty fossil fuels. And Markham Hislop comments on the distinction between renewable tech and commodity extraction: