Musical interlude

Tame Impala - My Old Ways

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Ryan Cooper and David Dayen discuss how Donald Trump is managing to combine the worst abuses of every British monarch who helped contribute to revolts up to and including the American Revolution. Andrew Egger highlights the Trump regime's assault on free speech from anybody who doesn't trumpet his agenda (coupled with its normalization of violence and bigotry from supporters). And Andy Kroll writes about Russell Vought's tenure as acting shadow president, both in consolidating power and destroying any functional government which remained. 

- Meanwhile, David Climenhaga reports on the latest politicized review which the UCP has used to inject MAGA talking points into Alberta politics. 

- Antoine Trepanier reports on Mark Carney's refusal to live up to his promise of "elbows up" even as Trump continues to impose arbitrary tariffs which undermine any reason to think any negotiated agreement will last longer than Trump's next social media outburst. John Michael McGrath rightly wonders what the plan is for an auto sector which the Libs seem content to leave at the U.S.' mercy. And Amanda Follett Hosgood discusses the potential dangers from a U.S. government takeover of critical mineral interests in Canada (even as the Libs cheerlead for it).

- Ayurella Horn-Miller writes about new research documenting a connection between global warming and increased sugar consumption, providing yet another instance of public health dangers amplifying each other. 

- Finally, Simon Enoch notes that Canada Post would have plenty of options to provide better service for less cost if it weren't shackled by rules designed to protect corporate interests. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Katelyn Burns notes that U.S. Republicans have made clear that they're far more aligned with hard-right parties abroad than the balance of their fellow Americans, while Jason Beeferman and Emily Ngo expose the rank bigotry which has been unleashed as the Trump precedent leads racists to think they'll never face consequences for their hatred. Rachel Gilmore and Susan Delacourt each discuss how Pierre Poilievre is acting even more like a mini-Trump as he seeks to ingratiate himself with the extreme right in advance of a leadership review. And Euan Thomson points out that the Moe government is funneling money toward private and puritanical Alberta-based "recovery centres" rather than investing in the well-being of patients. 

- Niall McGee reports on Tim Hodgson's declaration that the Carney Libs are just fine with the U.S. taking over critical mineral supplies in Canada even as the Trump regime threatens to annex us. Xavi Richer Vis reports on the priority access being granted to energy and mining lobbyists while everybody else is kept out of Carney's orbit. And Linda McQuaig writes that Carney's plan to prioritize military spending that ties us even more tightly to the U.S. will do nothing but leave us poorer and more divided.

- Dean Baker writes that the artificial intelligence bubble is only getting more dangerous as the U.S.' economy increasingly consists of little more than a bet on counterfeit value. And Joe Wilkins notes that scientists are finding AI to be less reliable the more they use it. 

- Finally, Bhavini Gohel discusses how wildfires and other climate disasters result in intolerable pressures on health care systems. And Julia Doubleday points out the ongoing risks and costs being imposed by the continued circulation of COVID-19 - even as the smallest mitigation measures are treated as being unacceptable. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The Associated Press reports on the World Meteorological Organization's latest bulletin finding that atmospheric carbon dioxide has reached a concentration not seen in hundreds of thousands of years. 

- Ketan Joshi discusses the willingness of people to believe - and corporate propaganda mills to provide - disinformation to obstruct climate progress. Aidan Hughes and Martha Pskowski report on a new study tracing the dozens of fossil fuel insiders placed in key positions in the Trump regima. And while Matt Simon discusses a new Redstone Strategy Group report showing the effectiveness of local grassroots organizing in reducing carbon pollution, Amy Green reports on legislation passed by Florida Republicans to prevent communities from implementing responsible environmental choices. 

- Ames Alexander points out that Trump's reality-adverse administration has stopped the U.S. military from planning for existing climate threats. Andrew Freedman reports on the connection between Trump's attacks on the National Weather Service and the damage done by Typhoon Halong in Alaska. And Charlie Angus calls out Mark Carney for joining in Trump's dirty energy derangement. 

- Chris Hatch writes about the reality that renewables can handle all new energy demand and are beginning to cut into fossil fuels' share of the power supply. Sarah Shemkus reports on the shuttering of New Hampshire's last coal plant due purely to its being uneconomic compared to solar power with battery storage. And Ron Johnson discusses why governments should invest in encouraging people to bike to work, while Simon and Sophie Hurwitz examine the particular advantages of e-bikes. 

- Finally, David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher point out how decades of corporate hostility toward democracy have laid the groundwork for an anti-social media environment. And Alex Harring discusses the glaring differences in mood and substance between high- and low-income Americans - though of course only the former are treated as carrying any weight in the Trump regime's policy choices. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cuddling cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Don Moynihan examines the Trump regime's steps to build a police state whose only loyalty is to their mad king, while Andrew Egger recognizes that guilt by association is the new standard being applied to anybody who doesn't have a personal in with the administration. Sarah Kendzior highlights the challenges of trying to achieve change through disruptive collection action against a president who's perfectly happy to see things destroyed if it helps cement his power. And David Falk reports on Danielle Smith's coziness with the Heritage Foundation and other authors of Trump's fascist plans. 

- Meanwhile, in case there were any doubt that the UCP is cribbing policy directly from the rankest Republican antisocialism, Ximena Gonzalez reports on its combination of free money for exclusive private education and hostility toward public schools. 

- Fatma Ozdogan notes that the risks and problems we choose to focus on have an inevitable impact on what we prepare for. Paige Bennett discusses the multi-trillion dollar costs of the climate crisis. And Alexander Villegas reports on a new study showing that deforestation is even worse than predicted due to both deliberate destruction and the spread of wildfires, while Matthew Taylor and Helena Horton report that the UK is facing the abandonment of entire towns due to regular flooding of areas which were previously safe. 

- Finally, Ole Hendrickson warns that Mark Carney's plan to build big with little regard for environmental impacts may serve only to make matters worse. And Emily Sanders reports on a new study confirming that fossil fuel operators aren't part of the solution in seeking a clean or prosperous future. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Thanksgiving reading.

- David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher write about the 1970s propaganda campaign used to normalize capitalist control in the U.S. And Luke Savage discusses how the neoliberal obsession with means-testing public services serves only to undermine the sense of community and solidarity needed to make the case for a functional society. 

- Andre Frappier highlights how corporate machinations - including ones involving prominent Lib insiders - are at the root of all the problems being used an excuse to slash and privatize Canada Post. And Joel Lexchin debunks neoliberal myths about pharmacare even as Mark Carney stops any further progress toward a promised national system of prescription drug coverage dead in its tracks.  

- Vipal Monga discusses Carney's transformation into a cheerleader and enabler for dirty fossil fuels, while Yrjo Koskinen writes that even a strictly economic analysis on a time frame beyond the expected receipt of an oil baron's political contribution would reach the conclusion that we need to be transitioning to clean energy now. And Nerilie Abram et al. examine how the oil and gas sector has been getting away with falsely claiming that individual fossil fuel projects shouldn't be treated as mattering in the fight against a climate breakdown.  

- Graham Redfearn reports on another new study showing that coral reefs and other crucial elements of our natural environment are in danger of succumbing to the climate collapse. And Nina Lakhani examines the reality that an already-alarming death toll from extreme heat in the U.S. likely represents a significant undercount of the cost of global warming. 

- Finally, Linda Geddes reports on new research showing that the dangers of microplastics include interference with our digestive systems.