Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

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

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

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

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

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Angular cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

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

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

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

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

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Naomi Klein discusses how Canada is failing the basic test of resistance to a fascist regime. 

 

- Meanwhile, Linda McQuaig recognizes that Canadians have every reason to be disappointed in Mark Carney's choice to veer to the right and into the U.S.' corporate orbit, rather than governing based on the "elbows up" message at the core of his campaign. And Dale Smith writes that it's long past time to stop pretending that there's any point in negotiating with Donald Trump.

- Mike Allen reports on the corporate loyalty ratings which have been developed to ensure that political favouritism is the defining principle in the Trump White House's decision-making. And Maximillian Alvarez warns that Trump and his corporate backers are turning the entire U.S. into a giant environmental sacrifice zone.

- Tammy Robert discusses how the Sask Party's standard operating procedure in dealing with agricultural approvals (among other choices) is similarly to hand favours out to cronies with no regard for the public interest.

- Finally, Steven Lewis notes that the choice to build the medical system around private physician practices has long limited the effectiveness of social-level health planning - and is at the heart of a failing primary care system today. And Kevin Jiang discusses how people facing long COVID rightly feel like they've been forgotten by the health care system (and by governments generally).

Musical interlude

Bob Moses - I Ain't Gonna Be The First To Cry

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

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

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

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

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

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Nick Turse highlights how Donald Trump's use of military force to control domestic civilians is unprecedented, while Asawin Suebsaeng and Ryan Bort warn that it stands to get far worse as it gets normalized. And Jamelle Bouie discusses why Trump wants to keep the U.S. in a state of perpetual crisis, while Marcy Wheeler points out that the basis for claiming the authority to rule by fiat is based on little more than blackmail and hostage-taking. 

- Meanwhile, Kelly Hayes discusses what needs to be included in the movement opposing to Trump's fascism - including the commitment to support and care for all of his victims. And Choose Democracy offers some suggestions for activists demonstrating their resistance based on Free DC's example. 

- John Michael McGrath discusses how even the most rabid anti-democratic zealots are having trouble pretending it's possible to get by without state capacity. And Jessie Blaeser examines the growing body of evidence that DOGE (which remains an example for Canada's right-wing politicians) has left a trail of destruction while utterly failing to save money. 

- The Guardian's editorial board writes that Mark Carney's attempt to tie climate progress to voluntary financial commitments has proven an utter failure, while Gillian Steward warns that Carney looks to be abandoning any interest in meaningful climate policy now that he holds power. And while Tim Palmer writes about the importance of basic research in responding the the climate crisi, Ryan Cropp reports that Australia's government is suppressing a study showing the dire consequences of the climate breakdown. 

- But Kristian Knibutat points out that for those willing to look at real data, clean technology has turned into both the safest and highest-upside investment. And David Fenton offers the framing of a "pollution blanket" as indicating both the reality of carbon pollution, and the possibilities for amelioration.

- Eric Wilkerson discusses the futility of trying to negotiate trade deals with a Trump regime which will neither bargain in good faith nor respect any outcomes. 

- Finally, Fred Wilson writes about the need for the Canadian labour movement to engage in mass organizing and systemic opposition to the capital class. And Emma Arkell highlights how legislative victories in British Columbia are translating into the ability to organize precarious workers. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Curled-up cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Chance Phillips is rightly outraged that the corporate media is letting the Trump regime hand immense power to white supremacists without even calling attention to that fact. And Paul Waldman highlights how Trump's systematic misogyny is exacerbating rather than remedying the sense of dissatisfaction which has been cultivated by the right. 

- Jessica Wildfire discusses how to approach the recognition of imminent social collapse. Brian Beutler points out the importance of fighting against injustice even where victory is far from assured - both due to the possibility of succeeding, and the need to build capacity for ongoing conflicts. Jonathan Last offers his take on how to make good trouble, while pointing out how it's succeeded in reversing some of the Trump regime's abuses. And Hamilton Nolan worries that the American labour movement is crumbling due to a failure to organize broadly.  

- Cory Doctorow highlights how it's impossible to fight enshittification at the individual level, but entirely possible to do so through collective policy choices. And Brian Merchant notes that GPT-5 (among other much-hyped AI releases) is purely bait for investors rather than anything which could possibly hold value for users. 

- Garrett Graff writes that Trump's anti-science bent is destroying a multi-generation culture of research that formed the basis for the U.S.' economic success. And Arcella Martin reports on the reuse of electric vehicle batteries for grid stabilization as an example of the type of innovation and responsible resource use that's possible when governments aren't actively obstructing progress.  

- Roy Edroso explains and calls out the right's war on cities as reflecting their distate for diversity and inclusion. And Bill Fulton points out that most households could thrive with one less vehicle than they're currently paying to operate and maintain. 

- Finally, Megan Rose and Debbie Cenziper report on both the U.S.' general acquiescence in the importing of medications from banned facilities, and the process resulting in its accepting drugs from one Indian supplier with a grim safety record.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Stephen Marche writes that Canada is finding its voice in response to the U.S.' threats and bad faith under the Trump regime - at least as long as our corporate overlords don't insist on acquiescing. And Katia Dmitrieva and Philip Heijmans discuss how Donald Trump is making pay-to-play his government's standard modus operandi even where it's flagrantly illegal. 

- Devi Sridhar notes that the U.S.' elimination of vaccine research poses immense risks for people around the globe. And Robinson Meyer highlights how Trump's favouritism toward dirty energy donors is effectively handing the future of energy development to China.

- Campbell Clark discusses how the Libs are letting their promise of a foreign interference registry lapse even as our largest trading partner is operating as a protection racket. And John Woodside reports on their concurrent failure to appoint a Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise to deal with abuses by resource companies operating internationally. 

- Finally, Steven Henke reports on yet another basic income pilot project showing how recipients benefit in terms of housing stability, mental health, education and overall well-being. But Georgie Smith reports that instead of acting on the overwhelming body of research showing that a basic income produces benefits far beyond its costs, we're continuing to force people to fend for themselves - including by sorting trash in order to scrape by. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Doug Cuthand writes about the desperate need to rein in the climate breakdown due to its impact in causing wildfires among other environmental catastrophes. And Zoe Schlanger warns that the U.S. is now living in an entirely different world from the rest of the planet as the Trump regime censors any mention of climate change or the science behind it.

- Dave Holmes notes that the Trump regime is generally ushering the age of "big stupid", as selective attacks on particular types of intellectualism give way to a general war against knowledge. Dorothy Woodend discusses how Trump is using culture to entrench social and political control, while noting that Canada can play a crucial role in ensuring people can access alternatives to his propaganda. And Gabriel Rojas Hruska points out the importance of maintaining our cultural sovereignty as a matter of policy, rather than signing onto trade agreements which make it subject to the whims of the same corporations who are bending the knee to Trump.

- Garrett Graff writes about the people fleeing the U.S. to get ahead of the tide of rapidly encroaching fascism. Cassandra Burke Robertson points out the elimination of any safeguards in an immigration system where both enforcement agents and state attorneys are operating in secret. And Rachel Gilmore reports on the role a Canadian company is playing in staffing the Trump regime's concentration camps (while also being on contract to perform work for Canada's federal government). 

- Finally, Victor Tangerman notes the manipulative use of artificial intelligence by realtors to present homes as being different than they actually are. And the Center for Countering Digital Hate warns that AI is providing dangerous advice to teens who are particularly vulnerable to suggestion by fake friends.

Musical interlude

Boy Harsher - Burn It Down

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Alexis Okeowo reports on the plight of women who bravely spoke out in the course of the #metoo movement, only to be shunned as misogyny has been embraced as deliberate policy by the Trump regime and its media sycophants. And Cara Daggett studies the connection between petropolitics, climate denialism and the fostering of toxic masculinity. 

- Jennifer Gray reports on the reality that Phoenix is seeing unprecedented heat and drought. Sarah Shemkus notes that contrary to the spin of the fossil fuel sector, all-electric neighbourhoods are proving to be a boon to housing construction. And Rob Davis reports on the denialist backlash which pushed Oregon to stop mapping out the areas facing the most risk from wildfires, while Kate Yoder discusses the Trump regime's purge of climate data generally.  

- Justin Ling rightly argues that the worst thing Mark Carney could do would be to further tie Canada to the U.S. through a Trump-driven trade agreement. But Luke Savage notes that Carney is already betraying the Canadian public which elected him to stand up to Trump prioritizing corporate ties to the U.S. over human rights and well-being. And David Pugliese reports on Carney's apparent decision to put us even more at the U.S.' mercy by capitulating to its demand to participate in a "golden dome" scheme. 

- Kevin Thomas examines at the problem with a capitalist system based on free capital and trade combined with severe restrictions on people. 

- Finally, Julia Metraux reports on needed steps to ensure that wheelchair users (and other people who necessarily depend on external supports) have a right of repair, rather than seeing their ability to function treated as secondary to the profit motive of corporate monopolies.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Sonya Angell examines the connection between extreme weather events caused by the climate breakdown and adverse health effects, while noting that there's a need for far more attention to the health effects of the climate crisis. And Anelyse Weiler and Susanna Klassen make the case for improved heat protection for farm workers. 

- You Xiaoying discusses how China has been able to set up a clean energy system in Antarctica - even as petropoliticans continue to pretend they're not feasible even in ideal environments. Claire Brown discusses how tech giants are falling far short of their climate commitments even without accounting for the fact that they're dedicating immense amounts of processing power to the extraction and burning of dirty fuels. And Barry Saxifrage warns that Canada is falling behind in the transition to electric vehicles due to a series of policy retreats, while Natasha Bulowski discusses the health costs of those choices. 

- Elizabeth Warren highlights why the rich and powerful are trying to stop Zohran Mamdani's to win election by prioritizing the many rather than the few. And Austin Jefferson discusses new polling showing that Mamdani's policy plans are wildly popular. 

- Meanwhile, Adrienne Tanner calls out the Canadian right's irrational hatred of bike lanes and other elements of a liveable community. And Euan Thomson report on the Calgary Police Service's continued insistence on scraping personal images from social media using facial recognition software as part of its public surveillance. 

- Finally, Rebecca Solnit writes that systemic misogyny and violence against women go far beyond the the Epstein files, making it dangerous to treat the most prominent examples as an aberration. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The University of Oxford has released new research showing that politicians underestimate the public's demand for climate action. Adam Morton discusses how Australia's Labor party has both an opportunity and a political incentive to break free from petropolitics, while Michael Barnard weighs in on how the ICJ's ruling on climate liability should spur Canada to stop subsidizing dirty energy. And Dharna Noor and Oliver Milman report on scientists' duly scathing response to denialist propaganda from the Trump regime. 

- Ben Shread-Hewitt notes that any plans to reach net zero in the distant future can be undermined by the effects of a climate breakdown today, including in wiping out the trees which are being counted on to offset carbon pollution. And Kiley Bense reports on research showing that children are far healthier after the closure of a nearby coal plant - even as the Trump regime and its Canadian cousins look to keep coal plants spewing out of spite. 

- Meanwhile, Matthew Scace reports on a new study showing that Alberta's coal mine reclamation standards fall far short of protecting affected water and fish - and it's again worth noting that the Moe government's response has uniformly been to criticize anybody seeking to preserve clean water rather than to object to poison being dumped into Saskatchewan's water sources. And Damien Gayle weighs in on Deep Science Ventures' research into the dangers of chemical pollution. 

- Julia Musto discusses a new report on the harms caused by plastic pollution. And the Guardian's editorial board implores world leaders to dedicate themselves to a treaty to stop the damage.

- Polly Toynbee rightly questions why Keir Starmer is obsessed with expanding the use of polluting air travel, rather than investing in rail and other clean transportation. And David Climenhaga calls out the UCP for declaring war on bike lanes to ensure nobody can get anywhere other than in a massive polluting SUV or truck. 

- Finally, Craig Lord reports on the resilience of Canada's economy in the face of the Trump regime's tariffs and threats - which makes for a particularly noteworthy contrast against Paul Wells' choice to declare the fight for sovereignty lost since a few corporate bigwigs might make more money in the short term through appeasement.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Fronting cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Noah Berlatsky discusses how Donald Trump is imposing a recession on America at large while dispensing obscene riches for his cronies, while Mona Charen highlights how Trump's wasteful, garish and damaging treatment of the White House parallels his administration in general. And Mary Whitfill Roeloffs reports on the recognition by the vast majority of consumers that they're facing soaring grocery bills, while Mike Crawley reports on the effect of Trump's tariffs on consumer costs. 

- Anne-Céline Guyon and Alice-Anne Simard urge Mark Carney to focus Canada's attention and resources on affordable, clean energy rather than continued carbon pollution. Matt Simon discusses how local climate work can lead to important achievements. And as important examples of that phenomenon, Alison Takemura reports on New York's move to all-electric new buildings, while Sarah Forster reports on the installation of a batter capable of powering over a million homes in New South Wales. 

- Meanwhile, Liza Featherstone reports on the effects of air pollution as one of the most immediate - if underreported - consequences of the climate breakdown. And Rebecca Hersher reports on the Trump regime's plans to destroy working NASA satellites in a futile attempt to eliminate the evidence of climate change. 

- Esme Stallard reports on the UN conference attempting to reach an agreement on plastic pollution, while Olivia Le Poidevin and Valerie Volcovici note that Trump and the oil industry are predictably trying to sabotage the effort. And Rebecca John reports that the plastics industry has known for half a century that its promise to use recycling as an alternative to the generation of plastic waste was utter bunk. 

- Finally, Andrew Nikiforuk calls out Danielle Smith's latest set of barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access. And Olafur Palsson et al. examine how gut-brain disorders have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

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

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

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

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