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.

Musical interlude

Lest anybody worry there wouldn't be a definitive song of summer 2025...

Tame Impala - End Of Summer

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Ed Burmilla highlights Donald Trump's appeal to bored and self-indulgent people who are prepared to change their identities and voting patterns based on the pettiest grievances possible. And Paul Krugman discusses how Trump's attempt to control the global economy through tariffs and threats is doomed to fail (even if he may never realize that fact), while Ian Welsh notes that Canada is as well equipped as nearly anybody to stand up to Trump's bluster. 

- Jonathan Last writes about the moral monstrosity involved in DOGE's responsibility for tens of millions of deaths, while Stephen Brager points out a U.S. Senate report confirming that Elon Musk's chainsaw brigade failed even on its own blinkered mandate of austerity.  

- Felipe de la Hoz highlights how Trump has normalized and expanded the concept of indefinite detention without cause. And Nicole For and McKenzie Funk report on his implementation of smash-and-grab immigration policy. 

- Simon Evans discusses the IEA's new forecasts showing that renewable energy will overtake coal power to become the world's foremost source of electricity by next year at the latest. And Jeet Heer discusses how Trump's dirty fossil fuel obsession is ceding the future to China, while Gerald Butts, Peter Nicholson and Rick Smith point out Canada's golden opportunity to become North America's economic leader as a result. 

- Amanda Seitz reports on the Trump regime's plans to centralize personal health information in the hands of tech giants (where it will then be available for the use of the surveillance state). And Alison Northcott reports on the risk of Canadian data being commandeered through U.S. service providers - offering yet another reason to avoid letting any corporation under Trump's thumb have any ability to undermine the interests of Canadians. 

- Finally, Katherine Scott offers a reminder of the devastating long-term effects of the Chretien Libs' choice to impose austerity rather than investing in Canadian society. And Kim Siever makes the case for free public transit as a means of ensuring everybody has access to a crucial public service.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thusday reading.

- Ross Andersen discusses how the Trump regime's combination of funding cuts and anti-knowledge ideology is destroying the U.S.' position as a scientific and technological power. Heather Cox Richardson points out how Trump is implementing Project 2025 (or worse) to use every possible form of power for political purposes after feigning offense at the prospect he planned to follow it. Paul Krugman notes the media's unwillingness to treat Trump's regime as the bad faith actor it's proven to be at every turn. And Bill McKibben discusses how Trump's claims of gains for his fossil fuel donors surrounding the U.S.-EU trade deal aren't much more credible than any of his other promises. 

- Meanwhile, Julie Buckner Armstrong and Thomas Hallock write about the undiluted evil of Trump's concentration camps. And Juliana Vandermark reports on the combination of cruelty and corruption as a company without so much as an office has been handed over a billion dollars to slap up a detention centre. 

- CBC reports on the stark reality that Miner's Marsh in Nove Scotia is now a patch of parched dirt. And Jody MacPherson discusses the absurdity of the Alberta district of Greenview pushing plans for a water-guzzling data centre project even as it's already declared a state of agricultural disaster due to drought. 

- Finally, Natalie Stechyson reports on the increasing cost of food in restaurants. And Marc Fawcett-Atkinson discusses how the federal Libs are allowing agricultural employers to brutally exploit workers.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Leana Hosea and Sarij Pathirana report on new data showing that tens of thousands of oil slicks every year are going unreported and doing immense damage to the oceans. And Abrahm Lustgarten discusses new research showing how the climate breakdown and poorly-regulated resource extraction are destroying vital groundwater reserves. 

- Fiona Harvey reports on Antonio Gutierres' pointed observation that renewable energy is vastly (and increasingly) more affordable than fossil fuel energy even without accounting for the environmental harms of the latter. Adrienne Tanner weighs in on China's leading role in transitioning to clean energy - and the choice facing Canada and other countries as to whether to cling to the past or build for the future. 

- Meanwhile, Natasha Bulowski reports on new research showing that electric vehicles have substantial public health benefits even beyond their reduction of carbon pollution compared to dirty energy alternatives. Bill McKibben examines how the Trump regime is trying to stifle the development of renewable energy, while also discussing the options to counter that thumb on the scale. Drew Anderson compiles a thorough list of the subsidies currently keeping Canada addicted to fossil fuels both for our own energy use, and for export purposes. And Mitch Anderson points out that production increases in the Alberta tar sands haven't done anything to help either workers or the province's finances. 

- Greg Sargent talks to Paul Krugman about the reality that the Trump regime's trade deal announcements bear very little resemblance to the reality - as they make everybody worse off, but particularly his own base. And Nathaniel Denaro calls for Canada to approach any negotiations of its own based on the reality that the U.S. is an entirely unreliable trading partner. 

- Andrew Coyne discusses how the Cons' tough-on-crime posturing has given way to advocating for crime without punishment in the case of the Flu Trux Klan. Betsy Powell reports on the response of the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association calling out the demand that prosecutorial discretion in the public interest give way to naked political bias. And Fakiha Baig reports that the UCP is fueling violent racism with its attacks on immigrants.  

- Finally, Kelly Hayes writes that the long-overdue revelations about Donald Trump's close connections to Jeffrey Epstein are crucial in examining the U.S.' culture of elite impunity. And Kate Manne points out the implausibility that dozens of similar but distinct reports of sexual abuse are somehow all to be disbelieved as compared to Trump's ever-changing and farcical denials and evasions.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Handy cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Robert Reich discusses the challenge of trying to live ethically and morally under circumstances where bullying and cruelty are being systematically normalized. And V discusses some of the options available to resist the tide and strengthen a sense of purpose. 

- Shawn Donnan writes that Donald Trump's erratic tariffs are causing real damage to the global economy while being shrugged off by markets. And Alan Beattie is rightly perplexed at the EU's willingness to sign off on a worthless deal at the expense of validating Trump's tariff policy. 

- Paris Marx comments on Mark Carney's choice to give the U.S. tech giants who have bent the knee to Trump everything they want in deciding not to regulate artificial intelligence. And Joe Mullin discusses how Carney's surveillance legislation is everything the Trump regime could have asked for in allowing people's online activity to be monitored and used against them. 

- Stephen Magusiak reports on the direct connections between the Trump regime and the Alberta separatist being promoted by Danielle Smith and the UCP.

- Finaly, Carbon Brief looks in detail at the significance of the International Court of Justice's decision holding that governments can be held responsible for climate damage, while Michael Byers highlights how the ICJ's conclusion is incompatible with Canada's insistence on subsidizing the extraction of dirty fossil fuels (including Alberta's choice to stick the public with cost of reclamation to make sure oil operators don't pay for the messes they've made). Zoe Daniel writes about the "intergenerational bastardry" involved in pushing for continued carbon pollution at the expense of the future of humanity. And Tim Sahay and Kate McKenzie note that China is well on its way to fostering a transition to clean energy - meaning that the countries who drag their heels figure to be left behind in short order. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Adam King discusses how the income gap in Canada has reached more extreme levels than ever before. And Henry Farrell writes about the reality that the uber-rich live in an entirely different world than most of humanity - including in their ability to have their worst and most ill-informed whims turned into government policy through compliant politicians. 

- On that front, Adam Gabbatt reports on the Trump regime's plan to let a glorified chatbot destroy the U.S.' regulatory state - even though it's already well known that AI isn't suited to making government decisions. John Cole's review of Sam Freedman's Failed State discusses how the UK's privatization has proven disastrous - even as the Labour government elected due to public dissatisfaction follows in the footsteps of its Conservative predecessor.

- Doug Saunders highlights how complaints about political polarization inevitably ignore the reality that it's only the right that's veered far outside of reality. Judd Legum notes that Axios is among the media outlets that has exacerbated the problem by treating conservative spin as objective truth. David Pressman discusses how the Trump regime is following Viktor Orban's playbook in entrenching power at the expense of any rational view of the puoblic interest. And Joan Smith points out the connection between domestic abuse and public violence - which unfortunately is more relevant for its explanatory power than any sense that the powers that be will act in response to the former for the purpose of averting the latter. 

- Maalvika writes about the dangers of "compression culture" which imposes uniformity, oversimplification and brittleness in the name of efficiency. And Andrew Nikiforuk laments the triumph of stupidity in the face of the apt warnings of Kurt Vonnegut and others. 

- John Michael McGrath highlights CivicAction's new report on how workers are being priced out of Toronto. Cy Neff reports on the rise of investor-owned homes as an element of the housing crisis in California and elsewhere. And Lauren Scott reports on the status of Manitoba's work to find homes for unhoused people - along with the reality that private market-rate units in particular haven't proven to be part of the solution. 

- Finally, Jeet Heer writes about Zohran Mamdani's success offering hope-based politics in the face of a system set up ito deny anything of the sort, while Greg Sargent points out that Mamdani has also succeeded with outreach that actually earns voters' attention rather than serving merely as placeholding pablum. And David Gulliver discusses some of the lessons the NDP and its leadership contestants can draw from Mamdani's campaign. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Charlie Angus discusses how MAGA is recognizing the effects of Canada's resistance - so long as our leaders don't sell us out. 

- But Martin Lukacs and Nikolas Barry-Shaw warn that there's little reason for confidence Mark Carney plans to treat the U.S.' threats as anything but an excuse to impose a corporate agenda. And David Macdonald predicts the scale of public-sector job cuts we can anticipate based on Carney's plans to waste any available fiscal capacity on military spending and tax cuts.

- Scott Forbes discusses how Canada has become a petrocracy, where the plans of oil barons to extract resources and leave the public with the bill are consistently put first over social well-being. And Chris Severson-Baker highlights how the UCP's obsession with dirty energy pipelines which will never be economically viable is resulting in Alberta missing out on far better opportunities. 

- Finally, Adam Barnett reports on a new study showing how Alex Jones and other denialists are drowning out needed information about climate catastrophes as they occur. And Brian Beutler highlights the dangers of allowing fascists to exploit liberal principles to demand the respect they deny to their perceived out-groups while disseminating their propaganda.

Musical interlude

Rainshow - Aurora

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Harj Narulla weighs in on the effects of the International Court of JUstice's determination that countries can be held liable for contribution to a cliamte breakdown, while Stella Levantesi reports on an Italian court decision allowing for a lawsuit against an oil giant for its own climate damage. And Somini Segupta reports on the joint effort being made by China and the E.U. to keep the Paris Agreement in play - making for a stark choice between working with the world's leading economic powers, or signing on to Donald Trump's denial agenda. 

- Meanwhile, Harrison Mooney interviews Stephen Marche about the need for Canada to be willing to drop the gloves with the Trump regime rather than looking for every possible opportunity to accommodate it. 

- Luke Savage comments on the reality that the AI revolution is nothing but a theft of the information which already exists online and is being turned into word slurry - though I'd think there are arguments to be made that there are equally important heists from investors, and from the people who will face adverse decisions based on artificial non-intelligence. And Paris Marx notes that Mark Carney is fully on board with the use of AI as a means to further enrich the existing tech oligopoly. 

- Finally, Samuel Girard discusses how "build more" is an overly simplistic answer to a housing crisis which is rooted in the use of existing units for investment and profit at the expense of people whose right to a home isn't sufficiently profitable. Jill Atkey highlights the absurdity of prioritizing parking requirements over the availability of accessible homes. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board weighs in on the need for cities to reverse their past car-centric policies which have made communities less walkable and liveable. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Isabella Kaminski reports on the International Court of Justice's advisory ruling that climate destruction can be a source of state liability for reparations, while John Woodside discusses the particular impact on Canada as our governments continue to lavish money on the sources of carbon pollution. Steven Wilhelm reports on Alberta's choice to discriminate against clean energy by setting far higher reclamation standards for an industry which doesn't pollute than for the fossil fuel sector which consistently leaves a toxic mess behind. And Lorne Fitch points out that anti-regulatory rhetoric about "red tape" is absolutely incompatible with environmental protection. 

- Paul Krugman writes about the general theory of enshittification and its effect on us as citizens and consumers. Emanuel Maiberg discusses how Google's AI overview is trashing both the Internet and the brains of users, while Jonathan Durand Falco comments on the role of Elon Musk's Grok in precipitating an era of techno-fascism. And Timothy Caulfield offers a warning about the spread of health misinformation  - as well as suggestions to avoid propagating it. 

- Jared Walker and Silas Xuereb make the case for Canada to crack down on the stashing of wealth in tax havens. And Linda McQuaig rightly argues that if Canada is going to get roped into inflated military costs, we should expect the wealthiest few to foot the bill. 

- Kim Siever writes that handouts to for-profit developers will do little to ameliorate a housing crisis based on inequality and a lack of affordable units. And Jonathan English and Stephen Jacob Smith note that our continued attachment to U.S.-based elevator rules represent a barrier to the construction of more affordable rental housing. 

- Finally, Sophia Harris exposes how corporate grocery giants are using false country of origin information to get shoppers to buy U.S.-based products. 

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Blanketed cat.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Blayne Haggart and Eric Duchesne point out that Mark Carney's idea of nation-building reflects little more than barely warmed-over 1980s neoliberalism - making for a particularly inapt response to a reality in which the corporations who stand to dominate us are themselves under the thumb of the Trump regime. Jim Stanford discusses how Canada is far better off avoiding a new trade deal with the U.S. rather than signing over our sovereignty to a bad-faith actor who will never respect any theoretical gains. 

- Janelle Lapointe writes that the "fast-track" laws pushed by Carney and conservative premiers are designed primarily to bulldoze Indigenous rights for corporate benefit. Abigail Jackson, Rachel Samson, and Ricardo Chejfec note that rural and remote communities and local workers stand to lose out if the push for major projects doesn't include a plan to build a local workforce. And Angella MacEwen discusses how workers stand to lose out from Carney's austerity. 

- Carol Schwartz writes that there's no excuse not to be setting - and reaching - net-zero carbon emission targets. Kate Aronoff discusses how climate neglect is driving up grocery prices among other costs of living. 

- Meanwhile, Saul Griffith highlights the ready availability of affordable electricity - particular if we focus on cheap solar and improved storage and distribution rather than allowing fossil fuel interests to dictate that we keep lining their pockets. And Arthur Zhang discusses how a zero-emission vehicle target is still well within reach (and worth pursuing). 

- Finally, Cathy Bussewitz reports on the Trump regime's declaration that protections for workers are obsolete, with Trump's supposed concern for the masses now resulting in attacks on minimum wages, overtime pay and protection from hazardous substances. And George Monbiot rightly calls out the Starmer government for facilitating the importation and use of toxic chemicals without meaningful controls or assessments based solely on the say-so of a single other jurisdiction. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tom Nichols discusses how the only discernible values behind the Trump regime are those of corruption and retribution. And Toby Buckle writes about the right's choice to prioritize humiliation for perceived others over benefits for anybody. 

- Meanwhile, Lauren Egan writes that U.S. Democrats are only now understanding the importance of competing in the attention economy - but are doing so just in time for the corporate media to use its full reach to serve Trump. 

- Piers Forster and Debbie Rosen discuss the recognition by climate scientists that we have only a few years left to avoid the worst impacts of a climate breakdown. Andrew Freedman writes that 2025 is shaping up to be a summer of flooding in the U.S. among other catastrophic impacts. And Emma Court reports on the connection between climate change and increased food prices. 

- Mark Hertsgaard writes that most Americans are at least concerned about climate change, but don't understand the scope of the danger - while Ketan Joshi notes that Australia's media (like that in many other countries) is grossly failing to keep people informed about the dangers of carbon pollution. And Fiona Harvey reports on Antonio Guterres' message that a transition to clean energy is in sight. 

- Lisa McKenzie and Nicole Deziel discuss how children near fossil fuel installations face a higher risk of acute lymphocytic leukemia (among other health harms). And Tom Perkins reports on new research showing the dangers of exposure to a combination of pesticides in the course of pregnancy. 

- Finally, Emily Atkin discusses how Microsoft's AI, developed in part based on the promise of helping the climate, is instead being used to increase fossil fuel production. And Faine Greenwood writes about the need to stop relying on platforms which are designed to maximize corporate control rather than recency and accuracy for emergency warnings. 

Musical interlude

Deftones - My Mind Is A Mountain

Hiatus

There will be little or no posting from this corner until next week. Hope everybody's enjoying their summer...

Musical interlude

Tori Amos - Lovesong (Aching Heart Mix)

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- George Monbiot discusses how fascist concepts of "joking" are used to normalize the dehumanization of the targets of a regime's abuses. And Greg Sargent talks to Todd Schulte about the gap between ICE agents coming face to face with public opprobrium, and the Trump regime which wants footage of cruelty for entertainment and propaganda value. 

- Sidney Blumenthal highlights how Trump's budget thoroughly betrays his political base. And Paul Krugman offers a warning as to the dangers of allowing Trump to seize control of the Federal Reserve Board and turn monetary policy into an instrument of political convenience and corruption. 

- Dean Blundell reports on one insider's account that Trump's announced tariffs are all "fake" - though that hardly represents any reason to treat him as a rational or good faith actor. And Jim Stanford points out that Canada has room to respond to the latest announcement of arbitrary tariffs by applying far more justified taxes on the U.S.' corporate services surplus. 

- Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer write about the growing risk of floods across the U.S., while Emily Sanders offers a reminder that the reflexive denialism of Greg Abbott and other Republicans isn't shared by their fossil fuel funders. But then, Kate Aronoff notes that the Republicans are also using the chaos they've caused through environmental negligence and gutted disaster response mechanisms to sow fear and confusion. 

- Hiroko Tabuchi reports on Trump's plans to slash a chemical safety investigator even over the objections of the businesses it oversees. And Leah Borts-Kuperman reports on the newly-recognized health effects of chemical contamination at CFB Moose Jaw.

- Finally, Tess Collier reports on the UK's longstanding failure to respond to the use of toxic sludge as a fertilizer. And Rachel Salvidge follows by reporting on both the cover-up between government and corporate forces, and the widespread contamination of waterways by PFAs. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Qasim Rashid offers a reminder that the U.S.' deficit and debt are the result of a political system controlled by and for the oligarch class. Paul Krugman writes that Donald Trump's use of punitive tariffs to try to interfere in the Brazilian criminal justice system for the benefit of his crony Jair Bolsonaro represents a new level of abuse of power. Brian Beutler rightly argues that an essential element of any Democratic plans for a post-Trump government will need to include a plan to hold people accountable for their criminal activity. And Toby Buckle warns that moderation and conflict aversion in the face of fascism serves only to exacerbate the danger. 

- Antonia Juhasz reports on Trump's giveaways to dirty energy - which are even larger than generally assumed. Seth Klein questions why governments can always find immense amounts of money for military spending, but won't invest anything close to what's needed to deal with the imminent security threat of climate change. And Sophie Hurwitz writes about the widespread support for carbon prices in affluent countries even as their governments shy away from defending anything of the sort. 

- Bill McKibben writes about the ongoing transformation of energy systems as solar power proves itself to be far more affordable and more stable than fossil-fuel based energy. And Zachary Shahan writes that past projections for oil production and use are grossly outdated as a result, while Max Fawcett points out that Alberta's insistence on trying to vastly increase production lacks any grounding in reality. 

- Carlo Dade writes about the folly of rushing into a trade agreement with a Trump regime which couldn't care less about holding up its end of any bargain, while Sophia Harris reports that Canadian consumers are still eager to boycott U.S. products (but are facing increased difficulty as the corporate class tries to normalize Trump's abuses). 

- Finally, Christo Aivalis calls out Mark Carney's plans to bring DOGE to Canada by another name. And Nora Loreto writes that Carney is following the Chretien-era Libs' legacy of austerity for its own sake even after we've seen the consequences of defunding necessary services. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Paul Krugman discusses how toxic masculinity is being used by the oil and gas sector to keep people addicted to dirty fossil fuels. And Cathy Orlando highlights the need for Canada's energy policy to be based on the recognition that renewables are cheaper, cleaner and more secure, rather than letting the burn-it-all fantasies of oil tycoons dictate our plans. 

- Joseph Gedeon reports on the latest U.S. court decision decreeing that the most basic consumer protections (in this case the requirement for providers to offer a mechanism to cancel services) offend the overriding principle that corporations have a right to avoid restrictions on their extraction of wealth from the public. And Paul Glastris and Kainoa Lowman report on the problems with the U.S.' rural broadband strategy created by incumbent providers and their Republican spokesflacks which are now being trumpeted as reason to avoid public action altogether.  

- Meanwhile, Paris Marx discusses the need to build our own digital infrastructure rather than being subject to the whims of either corporate monoliths or the Trump regime. And Joseph Stiglitz warns that Mark Carney's capitulation to Donald Trump on the digital services tax is threatening the global discussions which were supposed to offer an alternative. 

- More broadly, Blayne Haggart questions how Carney can pretend to be so clueless about the constant bad faith action of the Trump administration. Neil Moss points out that even former Lib cabinet ministers are sounding the alarm that their party's new leader is selling us out. Christopher Holcroft points out the lack of any defensible rationale for increased military spending (especially where it serves to tie us even more tightly to the U.S.), while William Eltherington reports on the damage Carney's planned austerity will do to our civil service capacity. And Tom Goldsmith writes that the problem is Carney's determination to follow a corporate playbook rather than having any vision for Canada as a country. 

- Finally, David Macdonald and Martha Friendly write that there's a long way to go for the promise of $10 per day child care to be fulfilled at the national level - even as Scott Moe and other right-wing premiers look to reverse the progress that's been made by refusing to sign on to an extension of funding. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Reaching cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Julia Steinberger writes about the necropolitics surrounding the climate breakdown - as fossil fuel interests have declared our lives forfeit, and our scope for decision-making is limited to trying to salvage what we can around that assumption. Ellen Ormesher and Rebecca John discuss the UK's parliamentary debate on fossil fuel ads with reference to the increasingly sophisticated and manipulative techniques used to keep people addicted to dirty energy. Michael Bloomberg notes that the recent Texas floods are just the latest example of disasters made worse by climate denial. And Erin Sagen highlights how the childhood experience of gaining independence and bolstering health through cycling is being taken away by car-centric transportation choices. 

- Ezra Levin notes that the firehose of money being spewed at ICE will represent the most obvious direct effect of the Trump budget. And Greg Sargent talks to Garrett Graff about the reasons to anticipate that an immense flow of money into a secret police apparatus will lead to massive corruption. 

- Alexander Hill and Paul Robinson each highlight why Canada shouldn't accept sleepwalking into its own wasteful funding of a militarized state. And Kate McKenna reports on a new procurement process set up to favour an American supplier rather than doing anything to support Canadian sovereignty and independence from the would-be conqueror to our south. . 

- Meanwhile, Christo Aivalis discusses how Mark Carney's promise of resistance has generally given way to absolute capitulation to Trump - making the latest round of calls for "strategic voting" the most destructive one yet. 

- Finally, Hamilton Nolan writes about the blinkered vision of billionaires who can't imagine politics or social structures serving any goal other than to shower them with still more unnecessary wealth. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Alex Morrison reports on the call from climate experts for immediate action to avoid careening past imminent climate tipping points. BNE reports on the unprecedented reversal of of the Deep Western Boundary Current as yet another example of the damage already done. And Aliyah Marko-Omene reports on the drought emergency facing southwestern Saskatchewan - even as the Moe government continues in its nihilistic determination to exacerbate the climate breakdown. 

- Jim Stanford points out that the digital services tax which Mark Carney sacrificed just to sit down with a manifestly untrustworthy counterparty has been was itself far from sufficient to account for the rents being extracted by U.S. tech giants.  

- Meanwhile, Stuart Trew and Marc Lee highlight how the business lobby's knee-jerk demand to eliminate regulations and development strategies in the guise of "trade barriers" will do little to boost anybody's economy, but create immense risks for democratic decision-making. 

- Finally, Tim White discusses the EU's experience - paralleled across North America as well - showing that the financialization of housing ensures that people's human rights aren't met. And Aishwarya Dudha reports on the rise of mortgage delinquencies across Canada - with Saskatchewan once again ranking worst among the provinces. 

Musical interlude

The XX - Intro

Friday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to end your week.

- Greg Sargent highlights how Donald Trump's pretense of concern for working-class people has given way to the largest transfer of wealth to plutocrats in U.S. history. Harold Meyerson discusses how Trump's repressive police state is keeping communities from celebrating the Fourth of July or otherwise participating in public life. Jeremy Brecher writes about the importance of ensuring that people with the means and privilege to engage in protest make sure Trump knows there's widespread opposition. And Yanis Varoufakis writes about the lessons from Karl Marx which are as vital to today's populist movements as those of the 1800s. 

- Meanwhile, Rick Salutin points out that Mark Carney's caving to Trump on a digital services tax represents an absolute failure to understand what Canadians expect from him. 

- Greg Silsbe et al. study the decline in ocean nutrients and photosynthesis caused by a warming climate. Isabella Kaminski reports on the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that states have a legal duty to protect people from the effects of a climate breakdown. And Ayesha Tandon discusses a new analysis showing that the research we have into the effects of the climate crisis fails to take into account the particular impacts on fast-growing cities in developing countries. 

- Franziska Mager writes that there's no lack of resources available to fund a just transition if governments recognize and exercise their ability to tax extreme wealth. Reuters reports on new research showing that Germany could make substantial progress toward its carbon pollution targets just by cutting fossil fuel subsidies. And Juan Moreno-Cruz notes that methane mitigation can both create jobs and significantly cut harmful emissions - but that it won't work without effective emission regulation. 

- Simon Enoch discusses the importance of rural media outlets to build community connections on a foundation of facts and basic principles. And Gillian Steward calls out Danielle Smith for spending her summer on a separatist road show rather than anything that could actually help Albertans, while Leanna Sanders reports on the UCP's joint attempt with the Ford PCs to officially torpedo any commitment to clean drinking water for First Nations. 

- Finally, Bruce Campbell offers a reminder as to how corporate greed and deregulatory zeal led to the Lac-Megantic rail disaster - and how people are still suffering from its aftereffects. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Charlie Angus comments on the futility of giving up substantial interests in the hope that a new trade deal with the Trump regime will be the first one he ever sees fit to honour. And Dylan Robertson reports on Lloyd Axworthy's jusitifed criticism of Mark Carney's bootlicking. 

- Meanwhile, Stephen Marche discusses how Canada can go it alone from a national defence standpoint if the Libs stop operating in denial of the Trump threat. And Elizabeth Payne reports on the Canadian Medical Association Journal's call to build a stronger system to track and monitor communicable diseases to fill the void left by a U.S. regime that's happy to condemn people to avoidable deaths. 

- Davis Legree reports on David Suzuki's lamentation that it's too late to avoid a climate breakdown as opposed to mitigating and surviving it as best we can. But Oxfam notes that there's still widespread public support to hold dirty energy tycoons responsible for the damage they've inflicted on our living environment.

- Finally, David Climenhaga discusses how the UCP's latest surveys couldn't be more blatant as means of manufacturing consent for separatism and division. And Jeremy Appel offers an account of Canada Day in the realm of the Alberta separatists whose cause is being stoked by their provincial government.