Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Cole Nowicki and Casey Michel each review Jacob Silverman's Gilded Rage as a chronicle of how tech giants and their uber-wealthy principals have fallen in line behind fascism. 

- Max Wyman writes that a day's use of ChatGPT has resulted in his questioning whether a major artificial intelligence model serves any useful purpose. And Ed Zitron examines the impossible promises behind the AI hype, while Joe Wilkins notes that what already looked like a grim prospect for AI generating any return on an irrational amount of investment is all the worse given that it doesn't take into account the rapid obsolescence of computer equipment. 

- CUPE highlights Tim Caulfield's warning of a knowledge crisis in the face of the systematic attacks on science and trust underlying the alt-right. And Bruce Arthur points out how the same battle between the public interest and the MAGA movement's anti-socialism is behind the obsession with a B.C. ostrich farm's insistence on putting others at risk with diseased birds.

- Gabriela Calugay-Casuga discusses how the NDP is advancing legislation to remove the power to interfere with bargaining and strike activity which the Libs have taken to abusing as a matter of course.

- Finally, Leigh Beadon warns that Carney's supposed plan to invest in public housing construction actually involves little but repackaging existing functions of the CMHC.

Musical interlude

Tony Igy - Perfect World (Esix Chillout Mix)

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Liz Dye writes that the only insurrection occurring in the U.S. is the Trump regime's attempt to overthrow democracy. Jeremy Berg highlights the need for a united resistance to that seizure of power, as anybody attempting to stay silent is sure to end up in the administration's crosshairs. And Brian Beutler discusses what people can do to contribute to collective action. 

- Paul Krugman examines how Trump's tariffs have already led to both higher prices and a distorted economy. And Tammy Ibrahimpoor reports on new polling showing a massive supermajority of Canadians still supporting boycotts against the U.S., while Curtis Fric likewise points out overwhelming opposition to Trump's continued threats of annexation. 

- David Eliot discusses the risk that tech giants peddling AI will hijack the concept of nation-building for their own corrupt ends just like 19th-century rail barons, while David Sirota notes that anti-corruption is a winning message for anybody who dares to challenge the greedy. And Ari Rabinovitch reports on new Statistics Canada data showing record levels of income inequality. 

- Kimberly Molina reports on the vital services beyond mail delivery which are current provided by Canada Post - but which stand to be cut as the Carney Libs look to hand new profit streams to private actors. And Aaron Vansintjan discusses the prospect of publicly owned grocery stores as a means of ensuring healthy food is accessible and affordable:

- Finally, Isaac Phan Nay discusses the potential for sectoral bargaining to give a voice to vulnerable workers who are far too easily exploited on their own. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Simone Zhenting Mao discusses how inequality and concentration of wealth are at the root of Canada's economic stagnation. And Robert P. Beschel Jr. highlights how the Trump regime's slashing of government funding is only making the U.S.' public finances worse as it eliminates resources from revenue collection as well as the prevention of and response to predictable disasters. 

- Jonathan Last rightly notes that the only emergency in U.S. national security is Trump's war on his own population based on false pretenses. And Nina Jankowicz offers some advice for those who haven't yet figured out that there's nothing to be gained by capitulating to Trump's threats.

- Bruce Campbell writes that Mark Carney's constant undermining of already-weak climate policy is utterly contrary to his one-time claim to understanding the climate crisis. Zoya Teirstein notes that the Trump regime's obsession with extracting and burning more fossil fuels - which Carney appears to have adopted as his own - runs contrary to the global shift toward more affordable and cleaner renewable energy. Malcolm Moore and Jamie Smyth's report on the futility of pushing fossil gas exports includes some rare but needed acknowledgment that pouring resources into fossil fuel production tends to increase demand. And Gregor Semieniuk et al. study some of the options available to ensure purveyors of dirty energy don't do substantially more damage while leaving the public to clean up their messes. 

- The Lancet offers a warning that the alt-right's threats to public health and safety include its attacks on diversity and inclusion. 

- Finally, the University of Cambridge is studying the observable effects of severe COVID-19 - including long-term damage to the brain stem. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Kelly Hayes writes that the only emergency that's developed under the Trump regime is the atmosphere of fear being imposed by a gratuitously violent police state. And Henry Farrell notes that solidarity is the only viable response to an authoritarian regime determined to divide and conquer. 

- Garrett Graff is the latest to point out that it's impossible for the Democrats to make a meaningful budget deal with an administration which claims the authority to negate any law or agreement. And Michael Harris notes the similar problem facing Mark Carney - though he's not helping matters by accepting the frame that he needs to reach an agreement anyway. 

- Murad Hemmadi reports on OpenAI's attempts to make itself too big to fail in Canada just like in the U.S. And Savannah Ridley examines the dangers of betting the economy on massive data centres which support few jobs, serve no real purpose and impose environmental destruction. 

- Meanwhile, Carl Meyer discusses how Carney has been rolling back what little progress Canada had made on climate policy in a futile effort to appease petropoliticians - even as Manitoba is showing (PDF) how net zero is well within reach. 

- Arshy Mann interviews Nora Loreto about the deliberate destruction of state capacity in Canada. But in case anybody was under the impression that privatization and outsourcing were based on any reasonable expectation as to efficiency and productivity, Joe Wilkins reports on new research showing that NASA's use of private spacecraft has resulted in no overall savings (and glaring inefficiency on more complex projects). 

- Finally, Lauren Aratani reviews Chuck Collins' Burned By Billionaires, with particular emphasis on the structural forces which have been put in place to exacerbate inequalities of wealth and power. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Pillowy cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tom Engelhardt notes that Donald Trump's approach to the world at large has turned into one of seeking to exercise arbitrary power abroad as well as at home, while Anna Merlan writes about the danger of the U.S.' descent into authoritarianism proving contagious. And Thomas Geoghegan discusses how states can use their collective resources to set up a functional country even as the Trump regime looks to foment civil war. 

- Meanwhile, Francis Wilkinson wonders whether Canada in particular can survive the Trump regime. And Charles Rusnell highlights how Danielle Smith and the UCP have copy-and-pasted Trump's anti-immigrant bigotry into Alberta. 

- Janetta McKenzie discusses how Mark Carney's insistence on pushing fossil gas (and spending billions of public dollars to move it) is absolutely contrary to any meaningful climate policy. And Isaac Callan and Colin D'Mello report on new documents showing that the dirty power preferred by Doug Ford is torpedoing Ontario's prospects of living up to its climate commitments - even as Jillian Ambrose reports on the rise of renewable energy ahead of coal power as a global energy souce, while Julian Spector reports on Australia's clear path toward 100% renewables. 

- Finally, Inayat Singh points out that this year's fall heat wave can readily be traced to an overheated Pacific Ocean. And Luca Ittimani reports on new research showing that the cost of extreme weather in Australia has tripled in the past few decades. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Thomas Zimmer writes about the importance of drawing principled lines as to what's compatible with democracy rather than presuming that whatever's currently happening must be within bounds. A.R. Moxon discusses the glaring contrast between minority groups being told they need to be respectful toward their oppressors, and the legitimacy being conferred on those oppressors to engage in violent eradication. Dharna Noor reports that U.S. climate activists are engaging in the fight against authoritarianism based on their recognition that it's not going to be possible to agitate for change in a system that eliminates any responsiveness to public demands. And David Dayen highlights the futility of any U.S. budget deal that doesn't rein in Trump's arbitrary exercise of power, while theorizing there may be some opportunity to win meaningful restraints as part of a deal to fund farm bailouts.

- Chuck Collins and Omar Ocampo discuss how the concentration of wealth and power over the past few decades has been even worse than we generally assume. Rachel Funk Fordham highlights the impact of Citizens United on American politics, while Dean Baker explains why CEOs have been entirely willing to play along with the Trump regime. And William Murphy writes about the combination of debt and financialization that prevents people from fighting back against a rigged system. 

- Meanwhile, Melissa Naschek interviews Vivek Chibber about the continued importance of class politics. And Helen Quinn reports on new research showing both that a growing number of UK children are growing up in poverty, and that the cost of that deprivation manifests itself in all kinds of health and social outcomes. 

- Finally, Michael Barnard discusses why small modular reactors do nothing to avoid the problems of cost and waste that make nuclear power a poor option compared to readily-available renewable alternatives. And Drew Anderson examines a new report showing that the UCP's hostility to clean energy has driven away investment which would otherwise have resulted in substantial developent. 

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- George Monbiot highlights how his own experience being injured as a result of an unrepaired pothole demonstrates the cost of austerity for everybody. And Simon Enoch and Jon Milton write about the importance of defending Canada Post - particularly as communities which are already isolated and lacking other social infrastructure will bear the largest burden from any loss of services.

- Katherine Kruger discusses how the Trump regime is systematically handing the most possible power to the most pitiful losers it can find. David Dayen points out the utter farce of Russ Vought claiming that he's being reluctantly forced to carry out the type of traumatic cuts he's gleefully proclaimed his intention to inflict. And Melody Schreiber reports on Debra Houry's warning about the damage being done by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s takeover of U.S. federal public health.

- Samantha Hancox-Li writes about the need for Democrats to take on a war mindset to counter a fascist regime dedicated to their eradication. And Doug Saunders notes that Canada's choices in dealing with the U.S. will also include deciding who to side with as between the Trump regime and an opposing group of jurisdictions and entities.

- Finally, Jen Gerson discusses how the UCP's stoking of separatist anger serves mostly as a distraction from its own unwillingness to govern - and ultimately only proves that it can't be trusted to responsibly exercise the added power it wants to claim.

Musical interlude

Tomcraft - Loneliness (StereoUnderground Remix)

On changed realities

Readers may have noted that I've set up a reference page for the 2026 NDP leadership election, which will be updated with both reference information and my own posts on the race. (And yes, you can expect more new content here than I've posted recently.)

Before delving into the candidates individually, though, I'll take a moment to note what I'll be looking for throughout the campaign which will differ from past leadership races.

There has been plenty of acknowledgement that the NDP's dismal election result reflects both the change in political reality created by the Trump regime in the U.S., and the federal party's failure to respond to it with a campaign that took heed of a radically changed public mood. But with that in mind, one of the crucial tests I'll be applying to the leadership candidates is whether they're accounting for the Trump reality in their plans.

That doesn't mean that any particular leadership candidate, or the NDP as a party, can merely hope to step into the shoes of the Carney Libs as the main beneficiary of the public's general backlash against Trump. Instead, it means:

- organizing in ways which assist in developing a broader resistance movement on both sides of the border;

- identifying areas where the NDP can present a distinct and principled message, including by serving as the primary opposition to Trump's actions in areas where the Libs and Cons aren't prepared to do so; and

- pointing out the connections between Trump and his Canadian sympathizers and collaborators, while developing policies which help break the connection between concentrated wealth, corporate cronyism and government corruption.

While other issues will of course  be discussed as well, it's as much the case in Canada as in the U.S. that the other challenges of the time can't be met without a plan to counter or work around the abuses of the Trump regime. And any candidate who plans to use an outdated playbook can expect to fare little better than the party's national campaign.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- William Davies writes about the systematic stupidity being imposed by the Trump regime, while Noah Berlatsky notes that it's a feature rather than a bug for a fascist government seeking to keep the populace uninformed. And Aditya Chakrabortty discusses how Javier Milei is yet another right-wing darling whose government has proven an utter disaster. 

- Toby Buckle writes about the role of reactionary centrists in clearing the way for fascism. Waleed Shahid offers a reminder that bending over backward to appear "moderate" has done nothing to help U.S. Democrats win elections (and everything to cede political territory to increasingly radical Republicans). And A.R. Moxon warns against allowing the Trump regime to define political choices as a series of trolley problems where other people's agency is limited to making deliberately cruel decisions. 

- N+1's Editors discuss the best-case scenario for commercial-scale artificial intelligence as involving the generation of junk to further enrich the wealthy few. Edward Zitron points out the laughable improbability of AI living up to its hype based on obvious and inescapable resource limitations. And MacKenzie Sigalos reports on the disproportionate effect of crypto money on the 2024 U.S. elections. 

- Bill McGuire laments that politicians are responding to a worsening climate crisis by pouring perpetually more resources into dirtier activities. Niklas Boers et al. discuss the connection between key climate components which are all destabilizing. And Damian Carrington reports on a new study showing a dramatic increase in extremely hot days in the world's major cities. 

- Finally, Ratina Omidvar and Sabina Vohra-Miller discuss the need for a tax system that ensure the wealthy contribute to the well-being of Canadians. And Dru Oja Jay discusses the stark choice of directions for Canada Post - which can either be shrunk into uselessness to allow corporate raiders to take over profitable operations, or treated as nation-building infrastructure to support communities and services. 

NDP Leadership 2026 Reference Page

A one-stop source for general information about the NDP's 2026 leadership election. 

General Information
NDP Constitution (PDF)
Leadership Rules (PDF)
NDP Leadership 2026

Candidate Information

Candidate	Website	Bluesky	Profile	Prediction Ranking	Ballot Ranking
Rob Ashton	Rob Ashton - A Voice for Everyday People	@rob-for-ndp-leader.bsky.social	Here	3	4
Tanille Johnston	Tanille for NDP Leader	@votetanille.bsky.social	Here	4	3
Avi Lewis	Lewis for Leader - Avi Lewis for NDP Leader	@avilewis.ca	Here	1	1
Heather McPherson	Heather McPherson for Leader of Canada's NDP	@heathermcpherson.bsky.social	Here	2	2
Tony McQuail	Tony McQuail Green Progressive	@mcquail4ndp.bsky.social	Here	5	5

Posts
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Discussion
Bluesky: #ndp - #ndpldr

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jamelle Bouie offers a reminder that Donald Trump's assertion of the power of a dictator-for-life is based on his winning an election by electoral margins then embarking on a constant stream of reviled plans. Greg Sargent discusses polling showing that challenges to Trump's supposed economic prowess are proving particularly effective, while Gabe Ortiz points out that MAGA attacks on immigrants are a major cause of rising food prices. And Brian Beutler notes that for Democrats in the U.S. as for governments around the world, there's no point in trying to strike deals with a regime which considers itself entitled to thumb its nose at them. 

- James Hardwick highlights how financial speculators have set up a debt bomb which will eventually be blamed on (and directed toward) Canadian consumers. And John Anderson offers a reminder that postal banking has historically been a crucial part of the national infrastructure which has allowed Canada to develop - and is only being ruled out now due to the Libs' insistence that Canada Post not look for ways to better serve the public. 

- John Woodside writes that Mark Carney's attempt to address climate change through the morality and decency of the financial sector has proven as comically ineffective as one would expect, while Elizabeth May notes that Carney has abandoned climate policy altogether now that he holds power. Jocelyn Timperley discusses some of the most effective actions which are possible at the individual level, but Isaac Callan and Colin D'Mello report on on Doug Ford's dirty transportation policies as a prime example of governments sabotaging their already-insufficent climate plans. And Markham Hislop discusses yet another example of the oil sector slashing jobs while still demanding public policy concessions in order to extract massive profits: 

- Finally, Simon Enoch rightly calls out arsonists like Danielle Smith and Scott Moe for pushing separatism as a distraction from their working against their citizens. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Fall cat.

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Truth and Reconciliation Day reading.

- Doug Cuthand offers a reminder of the systematic harm done to Indigenous people by a settler state seeking to eradicate them. And Tanya Talaga writes about the need to protect today's Indigenous youth, while Eva Jewell points out the Indigenous women who are still largely ignored as they suffer violence and discrimination. 

- Jonathan Last discusses how the Trump regime's abuses have exceeded even the seeming worst-case scenarios from a year ago. And Andy Craig writes that the least U.S. Democrats can do is stop funding an authoritarian government - which should make for an important consideration for other actors deciding how to deal with the Trump administration as well. 

- Lisa Held reports on the Democrats' much-needed efforts to point out how corporate control and consolidation are making food less healthy and more expensive. Sara Connors reports on the Libs' choice to cut funding for a program to feed Indigenous children in the Yukon. And Prem Sikka discusses how direct government investment and ownership are a must to support economic growth that isn't directed entirely toward further enriching the wealthiest few. 

- Mitchell Beer reports on the call by Canadian municial leaders for Canada's nation-building projects to avoid exacerbating the climate crisis. Dean Baker discusses how action against the climate crisis also helps to ensure affordability for the general public. And Kyle Stock reports on the popularity of used electric vehicles in the U.S. as a demonstration of the demand for cleaner transportation as long as it isn't artifically overpriced, while Enrico Moretti and Harrison Wheeler examine the benefits of reduced traffic noise from EVs.

- Aaron Gell exposes a new report showing how the insurance industry is booking massive profits while refusing to cover the most important risks people face. 

- Finally, Pamela Duncan et al. study how far-right Facebook groups have radicalized anti-immigrant bigotry in the UK. And Cory Doctorow discusses how the AI bubble is set to pop at any time now.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Chris Mowles discusses how growing uncertainty requires our public institutions to develop redundancies and alternate means of providing services, rather than focusing on the false "efficiency" of austerity. Emiliano Brancaccio reports on France's "block everything" movement against austerity as an example for citizens elsewhere. And Miiki Ilomaki notes that other countries should be following Finland's lead in ensuring stockpiles of food and needed supplies to deal with foreseeable geopolitical shocks.

- Maia Mindel discusses how the dangers of inequality are manifesting themselves as the greediest, most power-hungry few systematically take over more decision-making power. And Iglika Ivanova notes that British Columbia is yet another example of a jurisdiction where revenue giveaways to the wealthy few are being treated as an excuse to cut services for everybody else. 

- Nicholas Grossman points out that Ezra Klein offers a lamentable example of how the corporate media has greased the skids for Donald Trump's fascist regime by simultaneously normalizing its cruelty and tone-policing anybody who dares to engage in principled criticism. Adam Bonica writes that abandoning minority groups to the predations of the Trump regime is no way to build a resistance movement or opposition party, while Katelyn Burns discusses the parallels in the treatment of anti-trans and anti-science disinformation. And Brian Beutler laments the prominent Democrats who are refusing to engage with a system increasingly stacked against them. 

- Finally, Gilbert Gaul notes that the climate breakdown is making home insurance increasingly unaffordable (or just plain unavailable). And Paul Krugman discusses how the Trump regime is planning to send health care insurance costs into the stratosphere in order to partially pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest few. 

Musical interlude

Bryan Adams - We're Gonna Win

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Shiri Pasternak examines the history of enemies lists as a mechanism to oppress minority groups and stifle dissent. And Adam Serwer distinguishes between cowardice which is at least based on genuine fear, and the chickenshit elites who are eager to sell out to fascists to avoid the slightest inconvenience. 

- Rachel Abrams talks to Eric Lipton about the corruption involved in the Trump regime's sellout of U.S. tech policy. And Kate Niederhoffer et al. discuss how AI "workslop" is trashing productivity, while Victor Tangerman writes about new research showing that the excess power consumption from AI is even worse than anticipated as longer and more complex requests give rise to increased incremental energy usage.

- Julia Conley discusses a new report showing how a small group of fossil fuel producers (including Canada) are planning dirty energy expansion which on its own will place existing climate commitments out of reach. And John Woodside reports on Catherine McKenna's warning that we can't trust the oil industry to live up to its climate promises. 

- Finally, Arthur Bledson points out how remote communities are increasingly turning to renewable energy as both a more affordable and more secure option than clinging to a fossil fuel addiction. And Patrick Commins reports on a new study showing that Australia's power costs would be soaring if it had limited itself to dirty energy. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Noah Berlatsky discusses the Trump regime's policy of wanton violence and murder. And Choe Sang-Hun reports on the recognition by South Korean workers caught in a recent ICE raid that the U.S. is no safe place to work, while Wired tells the stories of federal workers who were caught in DOGE's purge of the public service. 

- Greg Sargent writes that ABC's about-face over Jimmy Kimmel has exposed the lack of public support for the Trump regime's culture war. And Paul Krugman expresses some hope that others facing similarly arbitary demands from the MAGA government will push back sooner and allow the U.S. to avoid the fate of states that lost all independent media to authoritarian regimes. 

- But then, Lord Foulkes notes that the UK's media is still treating its hard-right party with kid gloves and legitimizing its message of hate in the process. And Stephen Maher writes about the need for Canada to prevent alt-right grooming from turning into political violence. 

- Thor Benson discusses how China is taking what looks to be an insurmountable lead over the U.S. in developing and deploying clean energy. And Andrew Freedman reports on Climate TRACE's work allowing people to trace responsibility for air pollution (which confirms the disproportionate role of a few corporate super polluters in spewing harmful substances). 

- Finally, Melissa Heikkilä, Chris Cook and Clara Murray report on the glaring lack of substance behind most corporate spin about AI. But Anja Karadeglija reports that the Libs remain determined to bank on AI as a panacea.