Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Couched cat.

On humanitarian concerns

Jagmeet Singh has taken comfortably to the task to dealing with the economic aspects of the new Trump administration - both in pressing other leaders on their determination to respond in kind to any Trump tariffs, and in highlighting the potential to focus on critical minerals as a form of pressure. (That latter prospect appears particularly important for a couple of reasons: it signals that Canada won't willingly feed crucial resources into a manufacturing supply chain which is being manipulated to otherwise cut us out, and helps to ensure that resources which may be critical to clean energy development aren't diverted to an administration determined to squelch anything of the sort.)

But it's worth a reminder that the issues arising out of Trump's presidency go well beyond bilateral economic policy. And there may be even more important work to be done in the areas which are thus far being neglected in favour of the economy.

Even before Trump takes office, there are protests developing in the U.S. to oppose the prospect of mass deportations - even as one of his most appalling cabinet nominees leaves open the option of ordering American troops to shoot peaceful protesters in the streets. 

Whether or not Pete Hegseth is ultimately confirmed, there can't be much doubt that Trump's plans include atrocities against vulnerable groups and anybody who would seek to protect them. And it's doubtful that the consensus on responding to tariffs will hold up when the damage caused by his administration is measured in human rights rather than corporate profits. 

With that in mind, a defence of Canada and its values will ultimately need to extend beyond the pocketbook issues which are generally given a place of prominence in political messaging. And in the absence of reason to think any other party is interested in doing that work, there will be both an opportunity and a moral imperative for Singh to lead the cause. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Eric Holthaus warns that the escalation of temperatures in 2024 threatens to lay the groundwork for much worse to come. And Virgina Iglesias discusses why the the more intense wildfires we're seeing now are harder to contain than the ones our current firefighting systems were designed for. 

- Nitish Pahwa calls out the right-wing propaganda machine for its conspiracy theories about the source of the ongoing fires in Los Angeles, while Seth Abramson points out Elon Musk's reality-averse attacks on Gavin Newson (coupled with proposterous attempts to change the subject from the actual fires). And Margaret Klein Salamon points out how the corporate media is conspicuously omitting the climate link to the fires and other extreme weather. 

- Carole Cadwalladr warns of the potential for total information collapse based on the combination of increasing concentration of weaponized social media ownership, and its integration with the power of governments. Roy Edroso offers a reminder that the scumbaggery is the point of the alt-right cabal. And Christy Somos discusses how Canada's media is ill equipped to dig into the forces which are actually shaping people's lives due to the constant demand to produce cheap and easy content rather than challenging power. 

- But on a hopeful note, Aisha Malik points out the Free our Feeds initiative working both to protect Bluesky's underlying technology and put it past the reach of would-be manipulators and saboteurs.

- Finally, Owen Jones discusses the despair faced by young voters, while pointing out the need to provide alternatives other than fascist dictatorship. Jonathan Chait comments on the reality that a focus on corporate-friendly economic development did nothing to win over the U.S. working-class voters. And The Guardian's editorial board points out the importance of focusing on social and climate priorities rather than treating markets as the sole interest to be pursued. 

Monday Morning Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- John Vaillant discusses how California's wildfires are just the most prominent recent example of how we're getting burned by relying on fossil fuels, while Francine Prose writes that what's happening in Los Angeles now is what people everywhere can expect as our climate breaks down. Elad Nehorai writes that oil companies and their leaders bear direct responsibility for people dying or losing their homes, while Tzeporah Berman calls out fossil fuel promoters as arsonists. And David Sirota discusses what we can do to change a bleak-looking outcome to our ongoing disaster movie. But it should go without saying that minimizing the danger and telling people nothing should change isn't the way to improve the situation - making this just one more area where Keir Starmer's Labour government is making matters worse. 

- The Guardian points out how Donald Trump's denial and division have also been used to avoid halting the damage. Jonathan Katz identifies the attack on climate action as one of the most devastating elements of the alt-right's war on social trust. Anne Applebaum discusses how authoritarians and anti-science cranks have made common cause against evidence-based policy. And Emily Bell writes about the urgency of fighting back on the side of facts and truth, while Rex Huppke calls for a war on stupidity and shamelessness to frame the actions of Trump's new regime in particular.

 - Joan Donovan writes that Meta's decision to institutionalize bigotry merely reflects its general preference for unaccountable oligarchy, while David Adam weighs in on the effectiveness of fact-checking where selfish tycoons aren't determined to squelch it. And Nick Robins-Early calls out Elon Musk's interference in Canadian politics. 

- Amy Maxmen discusses how the U.S. has lost control of the avian flu which is now becoming another source of imminent risk, while Katherine Wu notes that it should be an embarrassment that it wasn't contained nearly a year ago. And Hiroko Tabuchi reports on new research showing that forever chemicals are ending up in tap water through treated sewage.

- Roge Karma writes about two new studies documenting the Walmart effect in which the construction of a store systematically results in lower wages and higher unemployment in a community. 

- Finally, Dan Gardner takes a look at the history of the U.S.' attempts to take over Canada. And Jim Stanford examines (PDF) the actual flows of wealth between the two - showing that the U.S. is already being subsidized by favourable access to resources, markets and capital. 

Musical interlude

Farley Venn - Nothing Seems To Last

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Joe Lo reports on Oxfam's researching that the global 1% have already burned through more than their fair share of a sustainable carbon budget for the year. And Peter Kalmus both points out how we need to fight the billionaire class in order to limit the damage from the climate breakdown, and discusses how the disasters which are becoming all the more frequent and severe are exactly the ones long forecast by climate experts. 

- Amanda Marcotte discusses the absolute nonsense from the fascist right seeking to blame a nonexistent lack of gender discrimination for the Los Angeles wildfires. Jack Peat reports that Elon Musk's violent conspiracism is well within the definition of terrorism - and that only his obscene wealth is shielding him from consequences. Polly Toynbee weighs in on the UK Cons' choice to echo that same madness in the hope of out-extreming Nigel Farage. And Martin Kettle discusses the response needed to ensure the joint bullying by Musk and Donald Trump doesn't win out. 

- Patrick McCurdy, Kaitlin Clarke and Bart Cammaerts study the weaponization of anti-woke discourse by Pierre Poilievre - and the lack of an effective counter-frame so far. And Dale Smith notes that Libs seem to be looking for ways to concede vulnerable people's rights to escape the criticism - even though the main reason they've struggled to win support for their version of wokeness is that they haven't matched inclusive language with commensurate policy. 

- Andre Picard writes about the need to recognize and combat the casual violence of car culture. And David Zipper notes that large SUVs in particulare are a public health threat and need to be treated as such. 

- Finally, Dhruv Khullar points out the multiple interrelated factors which have made the standard U.S. diet into an incubator for health issues. And Tom Perkins reports on new research showing that early exposure to forever chemicals has long-term effects on health and well-being. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Rebecca Solnit writes about the many warnings and precedents which foretold California's current wildfires - and the importance of recognizing the cost of forgetting. Freddy Brewster and Lucy Dean Stockton point out the massive subsidies to the fossil fuel sector which have left California with limited resources for firefighting and public safety. And Greg Sargent discusses how Donald Trump is using the wildfires to attack public services, while Nitish Pahwa writes that the immediate flurry of fascist conspiracy theories spread using the most concentrated wealth on the planet seems to be baked in as an inevitable response to any public emergency. 

- Hamilton Nolan highlights the choice between a response to climate change which values and account for all people's well-being, and one which merely allows a few rich people to profit from the carnage and seek to escape the destruction imposed on everybody else. And George Monbiot discusses the oligarchy which is at the heart of current politics and which is driving us toward the latter path.

- Nora Loreto discusses how Justin Trudeau's effort to attach himself to progressive vibes bore no resemblance to his actual policy choices which favoured corporations. David Moscrop points out that it was a lack of political viability rather than any ideological orientation which resulted in his caucus rebelling against him. And Jeremy Appel writes that while there's reason for suspicion that the next Lib leader will be inclined to run to the right, there's no basis to think that strategy will be successful. 

- Stewart Prest writes about the need to be ready for the Trump administration's planned attacks on Canada. And Linda McQuaig discusses how Pierre Poilievre is entirely playing into Trump's hands by attacking Canadian institutions. 

- Finally, Tom Parkin is somewhat optimistic that Canadian voters will rightly reject a Con party which is happy to amplify the idiocy of the likes of Jordan Peterson and Elon Musk. But Bruce Arthur warns that Facebook's elimination of fact-checking will make it easier for bad actors to control the flow of information. And Brian Beutler writes that the U.S. election offers a damning refutation of the hope that people will make political choices based on facts rather than widespread disinformation.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your mid-week reading.

- Jeremy Corbyn writes about the denialism involved in refusing to deal with the climate crisis with language and action proportionate to its dangers. Zoe Schlanger discusses how the breakdown we're experiencing goes far beyond what was projected even by the models which have told us we should be doing far more. Bill McKibben points out the stark difference between Jimmy Carter's leadership and forward thinking as to the value of renewable energy, and the oil-fueled anti-science of Ronald Reagan which shut down any prospect of cleaner energy which wouldn't serve to enrich a small set of oil tycoons. David Roberts discusses the work of Greenlight America in seeking to organize people to support renewable projects. And Andrew Lam reports on new research showing a correlation between proximity to Alberta oil and gas infrastructure and respiratory and cardiovascular difficulties - while noting that the province has gone far out of its way to avoid accurately assessing the harms of fossil fuels.

- Peter Bloom examines the growing body of evidence showing that neoliberal "saviors" can't protect against the spread of authoritarianism - particularly as they seek to exacerbate the concentration of wealth and power. And Matthew Green and Joseph Gubbels discuss how Justin Trudeau's abandonment of electoral reform reflects his blinkered view of democracy as entitling people only to select which representatives of the elite will control them, while Christo Aivilis rightly argues that the NDP should be loudly committing to follow through where Trudeau broke his promise. 

- Nora Loreto writes about the concerted effort to infantilize younger adults in order to prevent the exercise of collective action. Miles Klee highlights how slurs which had long been treated as unacceptable are being revived as part of the alt-right's assault on human decency. And Rafael Behr writes that Kemi Badenoch is continuing the UK Cons' descent into conspiracy theory and fascist rhetoric.

- Finally, Katie Surma and Nicholas Kusnetz discuss Bolivia's long road to extricating itself from ISDS  corporate control agreements. 

On immediacy

It didn't take long for the opportunities I'd mused about to emerge in Canadian politics. But while the Libs haven't yet decided on a structure for their leadership campaign, we can see what the NDP is doing to ensure voters have an option to resist a Trump takeover.

And that now includes Jagmeet Singh taking on a lead role in fostering both resistance and hope (if only after Charlie Angus had shown how readily a leader can win support just by standing up to Trump):

But I would note there's room for further work in indicating not only a willingness to fight against Trump and his Con allies, but also the determination to build the alternate structures needed to support people caught in the violence in time to help them. And that's where I'd argue there's still room for a change in mindset.

Over the past few years, the main indicator for the federal NDP's success has been one of incremental progress. The achievements most valued by the party have involved negotiating the partial implementation of much larger ideas including dental care and pharmacare. And with the Libs holding power, the manner and pace of implementation has been almost entirely out of the NDP's hands - resulting in the habit of treating any step forward as a win, full stop.

But the reality is that there's still ample work to be done in developing what those programs can and should be. Plenty of people will have reason to ask why their needs haven't yet been addressed - and what an NDP government plans to do differently. 

And that question will become all the more important when the humanitarian crisis blows up later this month, creating imminent and severe risks to all kinds of people facing a hateful and emboldened Trump administration. I've already noted what the policy response might look like - but it's worth also pairing the "what" with attention to the "when" and "how".

Fortunately, there's a compelling example to point out thanks to Wab Kinew. His Manitoba NDP government is combining clear timelines for larger goals with a commitment to dealing with urgent circumstances as soon as possible - addressing immediate homelessness through proactive outreach in a matter of weeks, while working on a longer-term plan to ensure everybody has housing. 

Similarly, it's worth emphasizing the NDP's determination to identify the most significant needs where they exist, and commit the resources needed to deal with the full scope of a problem on a defined schedule.

That should make for a particularly compelling message on the housing front when compared to a Con position based on nothing more than meddling in municipal decision-making while actually reducing the federal government's resources applied to home construction. 

Among the other glaring problems with treating deregulation as a panacea, it involves precisely zero attention and focus toward people's immediate needs where they don't offer the largest opportunity for immediate profit. And that leaves an opening for the NDP to advance direct action to ensure the right to housing is met, rather than asking people to settle for the bare hope someone else (or a mythical invisible hand) will fix the problem at some point in the future.  

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Toasty cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jeremy Appel reports on a new study showing that Alberta has both avoided developing the capacity to manage tailings pond spills, and misinformed the public to minimize the harm from the oil and gas sector based on the data it actually has. And John Woodside notes that after over nine years in power, Justin Trudeau still hasn't bothered to set caps on fossil fuel extraction emissions. 

- Barb Mayes Boustead discusses what "normal" now means in the midst of a collapsing climate. Damian Carrington reports on a new study showing how the climate crisis is undermining the Earth's water cycle. Darrin Qualman warns that Canada's Prairies may face a grim future as hotter temperatures and increased drought exacerbate the already-volatile nature of agriculture. But Jeremiah Budin notes that agrivoltaic solar panels may help to make farming more productive in addition to generating clean energy, while Wade Thorhaug discusses how locally-supplied public markets can enhance food security. 

- Prem Sikka discusses how concentrated wealth and power are corrupting democracy in the UK and elsewhere. George Lakoff and Gil Duran offer their New Year's resolutions to respond to the second Trump administration and its corporate backers. And Gene Monin writes about the need for Canada to stand up to Trump rather than allowing itself to be bullied into acquiescence. 

- Finally, Taylor Lorenz exposes how Instagram has already gone out of its way to suppress LGBTQ-related content. And Robert Booth reports on Facebook's decision to eliminate fact-checkers while promoting (and lobbying to spread) hate speech. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Owen Schalk writes that there's no need for Canadian leaders to be doormats for the Trump administration. And A.R. Moxon offers some lessons as to how an opposition party and movement should respond in the face of rising fascism - with a willingness to fight being the first step to both achieving substantive results and earning trust. 

- Jonathan Weisman discusses how U.S. Democrats lost enthusiasm among the working class by hoping policy aimed at long-term stability would overcome an immediate sense of precarity and unfairness. Michael Podhorzer notes that the most important difference between the 2020 and 2024 U.S. elections was a collapse in interest among anti-Trump voters. Brian Beutler writes about the need for simple and repeated messages to reach voters - and the danger that corporatism and corruption will run rampant if opposition leaders don't focus attention on them. 

- Meanwhile, Charlie Warzel and Mike Caulfield write about the most important effect of the right-wing information ecosystem, as it serves to rationalize and excuse even what's obviously wrong. Brandi Buchman talks to Michael Fanone about the disillusionment of security officers seeing the leader of a  violent riot returned to office. 

- Amanda Marcotte writes about the role of toxic masculinity in fomenting terrorist violence against inclusivity and equality (currently framed in terms of "woke" culture). Yves Engler discusses how Pierre Poilievre is using the same themes, while at the same time planning to impose far more draconian restrictions on speech than anything he claims to be complaining about. And Olufemi Taiwo highlights the need for solidarity against the divide-and-conquer bullying from the right. 

- Finally, Amos Barshad discusses how buy now, pay later services are creating sustained precarity (particularly among those who are already the most financially vulnerable). Aballah Fayyad weighs in on the value of universal social programs which both reduce administration costs and ensure far greater income security for recipients. Ned Fresnikoff points out that modest income redistribution alone may do little if anything to reduce homelessness if it's not accompanied with action to make more affordable housing available. And Laura Dwyer-Lindgren et al. study the radically different life expectancies among ten distinct groups of Americans based on factors including race, geography and income.