Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Tyler McBrien writes about the U.S.' state capture which makes it impossible to know who's making decisions which can have catastrophic effects (let alone allow for any democratic accountability). Gil Duran examines the techbro plan to install a CEO-dictator to control the U.S. in place of any responsive government, while Brian Merchant discusses the attempt to build an AI-based permission structure to allow that state of affairs to continue. Adam Gurri argues that Elon Musk is a greater threat to the U.S. public than Donald Trump. Jonathan Last notes that in addition to historic dictators, the apparent models for Musk's takeover of the U.S. include Batman villains. Mike Brock points out Musk's obvious conflicts of interest (and the utter impossibility of his being able to avoid them even if he wanted to). 

- Robert Reich details the coup in progress against the U.S. government. Don Moynihan discusses why Musk's takeover and manipulation of data is no less important than his seizure of the public purse. Mike Masnick points out the obvious risks of allowing a takeover of - and backdoor into - the U.S.' public payments system. 

- Frank Miroslav offers the hopeful view that Trump may be stupid enough to fall short of the damage he intends to inflict, while Hamilton Nolan notes that the corporate sector had also proven its own idiocy by supporting a chaotic regime which makes any predictable development impossible. Robert Kuttner writes that the U.S. needs a more effective opposition than a Democratic Party which is utterly supine in the face of corporate corruption, while Les Leopold points out the need for a political movement for working people. And Blair Fix highlights how Republicans have used populist messaging to further concentrate the wealth and power of plutocrats. 

- Marv Shaffer warns against limiting Canada's response to the protection of our own corporate class against tariffs when there's a need for massive international cooperation to fill a vacuum of influence and support, while Simon Enoch likewise notes that we shouldn't allow business lobby groups to turn our response into a profit centre and source of leverage against the public. Heather Mallick discusses the need for a wartime footing which includes focusing on necessities rather than conspicuous consumption. And Nora Loreto writes that one of the major challenges in assembling a principled response in the face of a threat is the dismantling of Canadian culture at the behest of corporate forces.

- Eric Wickham talks to experts about the need to become less dependent on the U.S. And the National Farmers Union highlights how to protect food sovereignty in the face of a hostile neighbour, while Charles Conten and Tia Hentra discuss how the electric vehicle industry can thrive regardless of what Trump does.  

- Finally, David Moscrop points out how Doug Ford's continued attachment to both Trump and Musk shows him to be absolutely unfit to hold power. And Shellene Drakes-Tull writes about the level of contrived naivete needed for Ford to express surprise that Trump would follow through on his threats toward Canada.