Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Jim Stanford points out that tariff threats shouldn't be an especially daunting prospect for a Canadian economy which already consists primarily of the production of goods for domestic use. But Melissa Gismondi argues that we need a far more substantive response to Donald Trump's obsession with annexation, rather than assuming everything will go back to normal if the business class is assuaged. And Mike Brock writes that Danielle Smith's constant sucking up to Trump and concurrent normalization of the prospect of a U.S. takeover can't be considered anything less than traitorous.

- Alex Himelfarb discusses how to build a Canada which is more resilient against both the Trump regime, and the concentration of wealth and power which has enabled his like to emerge. Silas Xuereb offers a reminder as to how the affordability crisis for more and more Canadians tracks the rise of extreme top-end wealth. And George Monbiot warns that UK Labour is following the same path as other neoliberal governments whose disregard for both people's well-being and the prospect of democratic change for the better has laid the groundwork for fascists to emerge.

- Jason McBride discusses the widespread use of plastics in medical supplies - and how both patients and the environment would benefit from a transition to less toxic alternatives. Inigo Alexander reports on waste management company Veolia's dumping of toxic waste in protected areas in Colombia. And Alix Breeden discusses how the Trump administration is making it easy for polluters to poison the people around them through gutted regulatory processes, while Stuart Thomson and Antoine Trepanier report on Pierre Poilievre's plans to similarly eliminate any environmental protection in Canada in favour of blanket approvals. 

- Finally, Fiona Harvey reports on a new OECD study finding that action to deal with the climate crisis will lead to better economic results than trying to operate in denial of the threat.

Musical interlude

Lonely Computer feat. Montgomery - Blindfold

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Leggy cat.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Moira Doneghan discusses what the leaked Signal war crime planning among several top Trump regime officials says about how decisions are being made within the administration. And Alexander Hurst reports on the efforts by universities around the world to offer homes to leading thinkers fleeing the U.S., while Jacek Debiec notes that two prominent experts on tyranny and fascism have accepted Canadian appointments. 

- Justin Ling discusses how to approach the task of decoupling from the U.S., while Jeet Heer writes that the fight against fascism requires far more than the warm-and-fuzzy nostalgia on offer from the Libs. And Jason Markusoff writes that Danielle Smith's message that the Poilievre Cons are fully in sync with Trump has been heard loud and clear in Canada. 

- Code Black offers a comparison of medical practice in the U.S. and Canada, noting in particular how universal medicare ensures care decisions aren't constantly overridden in the name of extracting profit. But Duff Sprague points out that Ontario's health care system (like many others) is falling far short of what it could accomplish due to insufficient funding.  

- Ryan Cooper writes about the existential threat to society posed by the concentration of wealth and power in a few ultra-rich hands. And Owen Jones notes that the demand that the general public accept austerity and decline as the price of catering to the wealthy isn't any more palatable coming from UK Labour than from any other party in power. 

- Finally, Claude Lavoie argues that we won't make needed headway against the housing crisis until we start treating land as a necessary element of the right to housing, rather than a store of value to be walled off for private gain. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Steven Greenhouse discusses how Donald Trump's obsession with tariffs is ultimately harmful to everyone affected. But Jonathan Freedland writes that Trump's addiction to his own supply of fake news ensure that he doesn't see the damage he causes, while Jason Linkins notes that even the mainstream American media is minimizing and normalizing even the most authoritarian of his actions.  

- Jonathan Last discusses the importance of approaching Trump's regime with a dissident perspective. Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the need for descriptors that honesty and fully account for a revolution against democracy. And John Restakic describes the new administration as a pathocracy, while discussing how large numbers of voters contributed their support to its abuses. 

- Arwa Mahdawi makes the case for people from around the world to avoid the risks associated with visiting the U.S. And Americans for Tax Fairness points out how undocumented workers have contributed substantial tax revenue without receiving any services - only to be rewarded for their work with the threat of rendition. 

- Bruce Arthur writes about the dangers of Danielle Smith's choice to take Trump's side over Canada (and seek to influence the federal election accordingly). And Eve Gaumond notes that the Canada Elections Act offers theoretical protection against undue foreign influence - but that it's unclear how that principle will be applied when major social media and press outlets are controlled by courtiers of a hostile foreign power. 

- Finally, DT Cochrane examines how federal spending can and should be an engine for economic development - both generally, and particularly in response to the need to route our activity away from the U.S. And David Edward Tabachnick discusses how the U.S.' threats may be raising the prospect of national sovereignty which had largely been declared obsolete over a half-century ago. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Ali Bustamente rightly challenges Donald Trump's claim that people should be happy to endure a regime-induced recession as an economic purge by pointing out how many people will suffer incalculable damage as a result of it. Paul Krugman calls out the attempt to conjure up a reasonable or coherent economic theory behind Trump's damage. And Melinda Cooper notes that while telling people to accept the loss of market income, Trump is also slashing both public supports and the civil service needed to make them available. 

- Robert Reich rightly warns that Trump's position that he can declare anybody a foreign enemy and disappear them without any due process means that nobody is safe. Melissa Ryan calls out the political class for merely standing aside and watching as democracy and human rights go up in flames. And Steven Beschloss writes that the American people can make the choice to hold onto what makes them human rather than going along with the regime's abuses, while Troy Nahumko discusses the importance of empathy as the basis of civilization. 

- David Moscrop writes about the need for Canada's next Prime Minister to work on breaking free from the U.S., while Thomas Homer-Dixon argues that we're at the stage of needing to prepare for war in order to preserve any prospect of peace. Megan Gordon writes about the need to protect workers as the key goal of our immediate response to a trade war, while Angella MacEwen points out the need to invest in an economy that serves both workers' interests and the national interest in the long term. And Tom Parkin notes that the unfocused tax slashing and capital gains giveaways on offer from the Libs as well as the Cons serve mostly as an upward transfer of wealth and an attack on our ability to invest in actual priorities.  

- Finally, Jessica Glenza reports on the expert warnings against vaccine denialism, while Natasha May reports that people around the globe are at risk from the measles outbreaks caused by anti-vaxxers. And Beth Mole discusses how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s crusade against vaccinations is threatening to derail breakthroughs to fight other diseases which are otherwise within reach. 

Sunday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Rebecca Solnit highlights how the reality of Cybertrucks coming unglued upon the slightest exposure to reality represents an apt metaphor for Elon Musk and the regime he's controlling. Ian Welsh writes that the main impact of the second Trump regime is to speed-run an American collapse already in progress. And David Smith traces the U.S.' descent into authoritarianism as the whims of a madman are given precedence over all rights and laws, while Dan Gardner discusses how there's no escaping the conclusion that the Trump regime's actions fall squarely into the definition of fascism.

- Evan Dyer comments on the Trump regime's use of disinformation against Canada generally. And Allan Woods discusses the need to be on guard against it in the course of Canada's election campaign in particular. But thwap rightly argues that we also shouldn't treat the threat from abroad as reason to lionize (and further enrich) Canada's ruling class in the name of patriotism, while David Moscrop and Jeet Heer examine some of the constructive opportunities arising from a heightened sense of pride.

- Xiaoying You discusses how China is building renewable infrastructure around the globe based on the recognition that it's far cheaper and more efficient than reliance on fossil fuels. And Bill McKibben notes that rapid advancements in charging technology look to make both combustion engines and Tesla-generation electric vehicles obsolete, while Jim Stanford examines how consumers will benefit from an energy transition which ends our vulnerability to oil price shocks.

- Finally, Bob McDonald talks to David Putrino about the long-term effects of COVID - which may include cumulative organ damage along with the respiratory and neurological issues which have long since been recognized.

Musical interlude

Against The Current - Strangers Again

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jason Sattler examines how a corporatist SCOTUS laid the groundwork for the fascist takeover of the U.S. by prioritizing money over people. Brian Tyler Cohen discusses the absurdity of Elon Musk demanding to be treated as a victim while declaring everybody but himself to be subhuman (with gross contempt for people's lives and well-being serving as the common theme of all of his business and government actions). And Amanda Marcotte discusses Musk's disdain for retirees and benefit recipients as he looks to strip them of their Social Security income. 

- Tom Phillips and Clavel Rangel report on how the U.S. rendition of hundreds of people to be used for prison slave labour in El Salvador is based solely on tattoos which demonstrably establish nothing about any wrongdoing. And Shirin Ali and Mark Joseph Stern focus on soccer player and Venezuelan refugee Jerce Reyes Barrios in particular as someone who was rendered in the absence of any explanation.  

- Charlie Angus offers some hopeful dispatches from his Elbows Up Resistance tour. Iglika Ivanova points out how the policy response to the U.S.' hostility can also improve the quality of life for Canadians in general, while Shauna MacKinnon, Catherine Lussier and Mark Hancock focus on the value of social housing in particular in improving people's well-being. And in case there was any doubt how much need there is for improvement on that front, Natalie Stechyson reports on our decline in glboal happiness rankings even before the second Trump regime took power. 

- David Macdonald and Sonja Macdonald study the spread of news deprivation in Canada. Linda McQuaig calls for an end to control of media by foreign capital interests who are motivated both to slash reporting and impose corporatist editorial lines. Crawford Kilian writes about the need for Canada to fight back against the U.S.' information warfare. And Cole Bennett calls out Pierre Poilievre's war against the truth, while Luke LeBrun exposes Canada Proud's big-money attempt to spam Canadians with QAnon-esque disinformation. 

- Finally, Erin Blondeau examines how Poilievre's "anti-woke" messaging is copied directly from the U.S.' dangerous white nationalist scene. But Sarah Sahagian notes that Mark Carney isn't helping matters any by eliminating ministries with responsibilities for diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Kenneth Vogel and Shane Goldmacher discuss how the Trump regime is using the power of the state to attack any opposition voices and actors. Madeline Sherratt reports that the Republicans' shredding of the U.S. constitution includes trying to keep Trump in power past the maximum of two terms. Josh Marshall reports on DOGE's use of federal contracting power to coerce a private security firm into helping it break into the U.S. Institute of Peace. And Paris Marx highlights how techbros are seeking to unleash DOGE-style assaults on public services in Canada and around the globe - even as the U.S. experiences the grim consequences of a government being in the hands of vandals determined to destroy it beyond repair. 

- Meanwhile, Mike Konczal reviews two books touching on the ability of progressive parties and leaders to get things done. 

- Evan Dyer discusses how Canada and Europe can help meet each others' defence needs as the U.S. turns into a hostile actor. 

- Matt Bruenig examines how to measure the number of people who live paycheque to paycheque in the U.S., finding that an estimate of up to 60% referenced by Bernie Sanders is entirely plausible. And Jason Linkins discusses the strong public response to Sanders' anti-oligarchy tour. 

- Finally, John Calvert discusses why we shouldn't accept a race to the bottom when it comes to regulating in the public interest - particularly as a supposed response to the corporatism of the Trump administration. And Michael Gorman reports on the rapid backtrack after Nova Scotia's Cons passed legislation which would have effectively eliminated professional regulation. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Coated cat.

Sunday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Randi Weingarten calls out Elon Musk for robbing workers to pay for tax giveaways to the billionaire class. And Sharon Kelly traces the Trump EPA's plan to use environmental policy to force the public to pay for dirty AI development. 

- Doug Saunders writes that we can't presume Trump's threats are merely a means of trying to pressure us into a better deal for resource access. And Dave Vetter points out that the Trump regime's eugenic policy is inextricably linked to a long line of neoliberal propaganda seeking to devalue human life where it doesn't suit the interests of capital. 

- Alisa Yurchenko reports on the supply chains which are keeping Russia stocked with supposedly-banned microchips which can then be used to attack Ukraine. And the Canadian Press reports on the federal government's review of its options to avoid relying on F-35s and other U.S.-controlled defence equipment. 

- Allan Smith and Peter Nicholas report on the development of Donald Trump's obsession with taking over Canada. Armine Yalnizyan offers her plan to build resilience and strengthen our national position in response to the threat. Janet Bufton writes about the significance of being able to say "no" as a matter of national sovereignty. And Gil McGowan discusses why Danielle Smith should side with Team Canada over the Trump regime - though there's little reason for confidence she'll make that choice.  

- Finally, Bee Wilson writes about the risks of loading young children full of ultra-processed snacks. And George Monbiot points out the need for localized food solutions as global supply chains break down. 

Musical interlude

Reyin - Lost In Motion

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Nathan Tankus examines the risk that the Trump regime can arbitrarily steal money from American bank accounts. Roy Edroso discusses how Republicans are pushing new limits of anti-empathy as a denial of a hallmark of humanity. But if there was any doubt how the nonsensical is being normalized, Kayla Gogarty examines how MAGA voices are increasingly dominating a range of media in the U.S. - including nominally non-political spaces. 

- Makena Kelly et al. look in detail at DOGE's infiltration of the U.S. public service - as well as the expected push to put experimental AI in charge once the first wave of vandals has done its work. Chris Stokel-Walker points out how the the actual use of AI UK's minister responsible signals a complete lack of thought as to whether it's necessary or viable. And David Dayen discusses how the combination of return-to-the-office orders and cuts to custodial and support staff was designed to make workplaces intolerable. 

- Frank Koller discusses the serious questions about Trump's apparent plans to take Canada by force. Nora Loreto writes about the dangers of counting on a Captain Canada to save us, while Emmett Macfarlane highlights how Doug Ford is particularly ill-suited to handle our response to the treat posed by his American political cousins. 

- Angella MacEwen offers her take on some of the options available to deal with Trump's trade war, and particularly the need to build economic infrastructure for the future rather than hoping that temporary supports and regulatory tinkering will be sufficient. And Destiny Meilleur reports on the developing efforts to grow warm-weather crops in Canada to substitute for reliance on imports. 

- Finally, Taya Graham and Stephen Janis talk to Bill McKibben about the longstanding billionaire conspiracy to kill green energy. Brett McKay reports on one tar sands operator's plan to dump dirty effluent in underground reservoirs rather than doing anything to clean up its messes. Jens Terhaar et al. examine the record sea surface temperature jump in 2024. And Nancy Lapald reports on new research showing that the harms of microplastics may include contributing to drug-resistant bacteria.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Michael Harriot writes that the U.S. is past the point of being able to talk about mere threats to democracy, and needs instead to start from the reality that it's operating under a fascist regime. Hamilton Nolan warns that the most comfortable and privileged people aren't about to lead the resistance. Jill Lawrence talks to Phil Satre about the long-standing recognition among his business and social peers that Donald Trump is incapable of dealing with people in good faith. And Daniel Schuman discusses the Trump regime's plans to effectively eliminate the legislative branch of government, while Bo Erickson reports on the choice of compliant Republicans to eliminate their own authority to reverse Trump's tariff madness. 

- Courtney Kube, Gordon Lubold and Carol Lee report on Trump's steps to take military control of the Panama Canal, while Robald Diebert writes that Justin Trudeau's initial attempt at accommodation is giving Trump what he wants in putting Canada under the control of a police state. And the National Review weighs on why Trump's attempts to take Canada by force are utterly reckless, while David Moscrop discusses why that doesn't mean he'll abandon them anytime soon. 

- Robert Reich writes about the need for a renewed free speech movement which takes up the mantle of civil rights. And Christopher Holcroft writes about the need to push back against the Trump regime's propaganda machine machine in Canada, while the Canadian Press reports on new Manitoba legislation aimed at holding parties responsible for election disinformation. 

- Finally, Steve Lambert reports on another new Manitoba bill to treat people with communicable diseases as patients rather than prisoners. And in a particularly noteworthy advancement worth emulating elsewhere, Carol Sanders reports on the Kinew government's introduction of legislation ensuring an active focus on the psychological well-being of workers. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jamelle Bouie discusses the rot within the U.S.' political system which is raising the prospect of imminent constitutional collapse. Malcolm Nance points out how the Trump regime is giving every indication of an intention to take Canada and Greenland by force - though there's reason to doubt that plan is any better thought-out than the rest of Trump's lurches and reversals. Evan Dyer notes that there's no subtlety at all to an ongoing destabilization campaign. And Dustin Fergusson-Vaux points out the folly of Trump's demand that we expose our banking system to increased U.S. control and higher levels of risk.

- Linda McQuaig writes about the need for Canada to mobilize in response to the Trump threat, while Rob Gillies reports on the latest set of targeted tariffs in response to the U.S.' arbitrary duties on steel and aluminum. Curtis Fric discusses the soaring public popularity of EU membership. And Kristy Kirkup reports that British Columbia is taking up the opportunity to recruit health care workers who want a better living environment than they can anticipate south of the border. 

- Scott Waldman reports that the Trump regime's campaign of destruction on behalf of the fossil fuel sector includes a new propaganda effort to paint the climate breakdown as a positive. Damian Carrington points out the latest examples of climate "weirding" resulting in new and extreme phenomena hitting major cities. And Ajit Niranjan reports on a new analysis showing that nearly every country on the planet has dirtier air than the recommended level for breathing.

- Finally, Natalie Stechyson examines the increasing demands on parents, while noting that it's difficult to separate the requirements arising from parenting in particular with the general environment of stress facing everybody. But either way, Aishwarya Dudha reports on Scott Moe's continued determination not to be part of any solution as he refuses to sign a new child-care agreement. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Blanketed cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jill Lawrence discusses how the U.S.' current kleptocracy was caused directly by the dangerous conflation of concentrated wealth with free speech. Luke Goldstein reports that in his efforts to extract $56 billion in insider bonuses from Tesla even as he torpedoes its market value, Elon Musk is attempting to virtually obliterate any corporate regulation at the state level. Marcy Wheeler surveys some of the less-recognized actions of the Trump regime, including its mass "corporate clemency" to ensure that corporate criminality goes unpunished. And Oliver Laughland reports on its decision to drop oan environmental case against a petrochemical company contributing to the plight of Louisiana's Cancer Alley. 

- Meanwhile, Nora Loreto writes that Mark Carney's own corporate track record involves extensive use of whatever loopholes, leverage and political favours have been available to extract public money while avoiding contributing to the public good. 

- Thom Hartmann and Robert Kuttner each weigh in on the imminent Musk-led attack on Social Security and any other social programs which keep people alive and healthy at the expense of maximizing the amount of money available to be shoveled into profiteers' offshore accounts. And Abby Vesoulis' report on the illegal elimination of USAID adds "severely malnourished children" to the list of people who are being told by the world's wealthiest man that they need to fend for themselves. 

- Cathie from Canada weighs in on the need to take Trump's threats against Canada seriously. And Joseph Brean reports on new Leger polling showing that nearly two-thirds of the country has gotten the message. 

- Damian Carrington reports on new research showing how microplastics are causing dangerous levels of crop losses as well as harm to other food sources. And Sanjana Gajbhiye reports on a new study finding that proximity to major roads increases the risk of dementia.  

- Finally, Craig Spencer examines how the U.S.' destruction of global public health capacity will allow communicable diseases to run wild. Blake Murdoch discusses how the unsupported denial of airborne COVID-19 transmission has undercut both the response to the pandemic in progress, and the precautionary principle in general. Rachel Obordo writes about the continud human toll of COVID-19. And Jessica Wildfire warns that even people who have been vaccinated face severe risks as measles spread across North America thanks to denialists and anti-social cranks.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- The Guardian discusses how Canada is on the frontline of Donald Trump's attacks on any concept of a rules-based international order. Franklin Foer writes about how Trump is operating entirely according to Vladimir Putin's worldview, while Anna Betts reports on the U.S.' place in the list of countries seeing a rapid decline in civic freedoms. Rana Foroohar writes that Trump is proving to be a disaster even in terms of the accumulation of wealth, while Umair Haque warns that our economic system is entirely unfit to assess and manage the risks we're now facing. And Isaac Stanley-Becker warns that air safety is under even more threat than one would think from Elon Musk's well-publicized mass layoffs (and the spate of plane crashes that has followed). 

- Ryan Meili discusses the importance of building connections around the globe to fill the void left by a decaying American empire - rather than retreating into an insular mindset which leaves us more isolated and vulnerable. David Olive adds a few more suggestions to Canada's list of options in responding to the trade component of the U.S. threat. And Nick Tsergas highlights why it's long past time for anybody who cares about their own credibility to ditch the morass that is X. 

- Taylor Noakes calls out the dark money being used to propagandize for continued reliance on dirty energy. And Heather Stewart talks to Yolanda Diaz Perez about the success of Spain's left-wing government - including the need to push back as to the terms of political debate rather than accepting right-wing framing. 

- Finally, James Tapper, Anna Fazackerley and Vanessa Thorpe discuss how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in the UK. And Laura Spinney laments that right-wing, anti-social narratives have come to dominate any discussion of a disease which still serves as a compelling demonstration of the need to take care of each other. 

On open lanes

Mark Carney's ascent to the Liberal leadership has locked in a change in Canadian politics as compared to the period before Justin Trudeau's resignation announcement. But as the inevitable response to any glimmer of hope for the Libs is to turn it into a "this is bad news for the NDP!" story, let's take a look at how there's still room for the NDP to find its footing in advance of an election campaign. 

First, recognizing that the Trump regime will continue to make it difficult for parties to centre a campaign on anything else, there remains plenty of space for a distinct voice as to the appropriate response.

On that front, the most telling part of Carney's inaugural speech dealing with Trump was this:

“The Canadian government is rightly retaliating with our own tariffs,” Carney said during his victory speech Sunday. “My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect — and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade.”

Now, that message makes plenty of sense from the Libs' perspective. It plays to both a simplistic patriotism and Carney's international profile in making a demand for "respect", while also allowing corporate Libs the hint of an easy return to business as usual based on entirely subjective criteria.  

But there are limitations on that position in terms of both principle and credibility. 

As a matter of principle, the concept of "respect" looks profoundly tepid compared to what's playing out in real time. As stories and pictures emerge about the real human costs of Trump's authoritarianism, there's a desperate need for somebody in the campaign to highlight the fact there's more at stake than national pride.

And I'd also expect plenty of voters to recognize the folly in crediting Trump as being able to offer credible, reliable commitments on anything. (Insert "if you'd been around for Trump's first term, maybe you'd understand!" as appropriate - and Carney's credulousness in the face of nakedly self-serving actors is a point with broader application as his green banking alliance has crumbled.)

To be clear, I don't think there's likely a path to a 2015-style three-way race at this stage. But there are multiple potential responses to the Trump regime - and one focused on how it threatens human rights and workers' interests on both sides of the border should offer a distinct and important message which will appeal to both longtime supporters and new potential activists. 

Which brings us to the question of how popular support levels will translate into seats - and there, it's worth noting some of the limitations in assuming a uniform swing in votes which doesn't reflect local and party factors. 

On that front, there's a well-established NDP practice of "beachhead" organizing - with an intensive focus on winning a single seat to provide a local presence, then a plan to leverage incumbency advantages and spillover awareness of one established MP into neighbouring seats. 

As Allan Gregg acknowledged after Ontario's provincial election this year, that model allowed Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP to hold nearly all of their seats (contrary to what pollsters presumed) and remain the Official Opposition despite losing ground in the popular vote. Trevor Corkum notes that there's precedent for a localized focus to bring Atlantic seats into the fold even in the face of a Liberal turn elsewhere, with strong challengers in place to challenge for seats the NDP has held in the recent past. And I'd point out the additional example of the Vancouver Island stronghold which has stayed primarily with the NDP since 2015 even as provincial and national numbers have fluctuated. 

If I have any general concern about that model, it's that it tends to result in dedicating the resources of a national campaign to a relatively small number of seats - which may limit the NDP's ability to expand the electoral map. But the flip side is that it provides reason to think the NDP can hold hold strong on the ground regardless of where the Lib-Con air war ends up.