Monday Morning Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- Trenz Pruca examines how tax policy biased toward the wealthy has exacerbated the U.S.' already-toxic economic inequality. And Dean Baker interviews Joseph Stiglitz about the other policy levers, including bankruptcy and intellectual property, which have also been torqued to benefit the rich in the name of the freedom of the few to exploit the many:

- The Economist offers a warning about the U.S.' acceptance (and the Trump regime's encouragement) of corruption. Paul Krugman examines how institutional forces are making money off cryptocurrency while consumers see their assets drained by a deflating bubble. And Anand Giridharadas discusses the revelations in the Epstein e-mails as an example of general elite impunity. 

- Peter Brannen warns that existing climate policies have humanity on track for a calamitous 3 degrees of global warming, with a real risk that deliberate climate obstruction and subsidies for dirty fossil fuels will send us careening past even that level. Royce Kurmelovs and Fiona Harvey et al. each highlight the failures of the COP30 climate conference as oil lobbyists blocked any agreement on a transition to clean energy. And both David Roberts' interview with Kingsmill Bond and David Suzuki's commentary discuss how a few more decades of avoidable carbon dumping won't stop the ultimate trend toward clean electrification. 

- Jonathan Vanian reports on new court filings showing how Meta cancelled and cloesd its eyes to internal research demonstrating the harmful effects of social media. But Craig Lord reports that Mark Carney's attitude toward megalomaniacal techbros is to let them dictate policy, rather than allowing for any question as to whether their interests are the same as the public's. 

- Finally, Raywat Deonandan discusses how the resurgence of measles in Canada reflects a deeper social illness. 

Musical interlude

Deftones - Infinite Source

 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Lane Brown examines how key elements of cognitive ability may be degrading - including due to constant exposure to personalities selected for their vociferous ignorance. Bruce Bartlett writes about his experience at the Heritage Foundation as it learned to exploit the news cycle to plant conservative propaganda in opposition to actual research. Nicholas Hune-Brown investigates how AI is being used to generate scam articles for major publications. And Carl Meyer reports on the Carney Libs' plans to facilitate misinformation from fossil fuel purveyors. 

- Shannon Gibson discusses how past "climate finance" commitments have ranged from the frivolous to the thoroughly counterproductive - making it all the more worrisome that the apparent reality is that the COP30 climate summit is operating with wording that allows petrostates to provide equally toothless commitments in exchange for a lack of any agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. 

- Kathryn Harrison and Simon Donner highlight how Mark Carney's plans for increased reliance on dirty energy are as senseless economically as they are environmentally. And Gerald Butts, Peter Nicholson and Rick Smith warn against locking ourselves into a dying fossil fuel economy, while Sam Butler-Sloss and Kingsmill Bond discuss how solar power in particular is set to dominate global energy production over fossil gas. 

- Cara Buckley reports on the massive success of Iowa City's decision to make public transit free. And Jake Thomas reports on the drastic decline in homelessness (and ultimate cost savings) from an Oregon pilot program to give unhoused youths a small secure income. 

- Finally, Julian Richer discusses how we'd all be better off if people with privilege acknowledged our own good fortune, rather than presuming any advantages to be the result of merit (and demanding all the more special treatment as a result). 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- G. Elliott Morris examines what voters want out of a political party independent of the platforms being presented to them - and finds both that there's reason to apply an affordability/ideology axis, and that the general preference is for left-leaning policies to the extent the traditional ideological spectrum is taken into account. And Paul Krugman discusses how Americans are recognizing how the Trump regime is hurting their material interests. 

- Meanwhile, Clement Nocos and Nathan Prier point out how the Carney Libs' cuts to public services are both unnecessary and dangerous. And Angella MacEwen highlights why we should be embracing and benefiting from public ownership and investment, rather than engaging in the right-wing impulse to put everything in corporate hands:

- Carole Cadwalldr writes that some of the most prominent techbro billionaires are signaling their own recognition that AI is a bubble rather than a sustainable focus for economic activity, while Nicole Einbender reports on the extreme exploitation of labour being pushed at another of Sam Altman's corporations. Bryce Elder rightly draws a distinction between past tech successes which became more efficient at scale, and AI which has seen nothing of the sort. Peter Rudegeair, Nate Rattner and Sebastian Herrera report on Oracle's fall from AI darling status to failed business. 

- Anne Plourde discusses new research showing how health care privatization leads to worse mortality rates. And David Climenhaga calls out Danielle Smith for looking to sacrifice Albertans' health in the name of imposing two-tier care.  

- Mel Woods offers a fact check against the excuses the UCP is peddling for going nuclear against trans people and their Charter freedoms. And Dale Smith warns against normalizing the use of the notwithstanding clause as a matter of convenience and avoiding evidentiary justification for policies which attack rights. 

- Finally, Tanayott Thaweethai et al. study the trajectory of long COVID in Americans, including a large number of people with persistently high or continuing symptoms. And Malin Spetz et al. examine the connective between COVID-19 severity and cardiovascular risks.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Marisa Kabas discusses the moral rot in corporate, access-based media - which in turn looks to be a contributor to the decline of human decency in the political and social realms. And Perry Bacon talks to Adam Bonica about the obvious opportunity for leaders and movements who pick up on the public demand to combat corruption.

- Jonathan Cohn interviews Atul Gawande about the cruelty of the Trump regime's obliteration of foreign aid programs which kept hundreds of thousands of people alive. Nat Lash reports on the potential for a bird flu pandemic as a result of the Republicans' anti-vaccine ideology and destruction of the U.S. public health system. Freddy Brewster and Luke Goldstein report on the U.S. Senate's gutting of regulations around food contamination as part of the price of reopening government is to ensure it doesn't protect people from corporate damage. 

- Meanwhile, both Andrew Gregory and Amina Zafar report on new studies showing the harm that ultra-processed food can do to the human body. 

- Lest anybody think Mark Carney isn't fully onside with destructive deregulation and corporate control, Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports on the Libs' choice to eliminate protections around pesticides. Marc Lee discusses how the Libs' economic plans are limited to corporate handouts rather than any vision for future development. And Jim Thomas implores Carney not to let an already-worrisome obsession with artificial intelligence as a panacea turn into a bailout for tech sector tycoons. 

- Finally, Shanna Hanbury reports on Colombia's warning that corporate-biased trade agreements act as a dangerous barrier to needed climate action. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Insider cat.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Moira Doneghan writes that the Jeffrey Epstein e-mails released over the past week provide a window into the anti-morality of the wealthy and powerful few who think the world exists solely to serve their whims. And Timothy Snyder discusses how the Trump regime's grift bubble looks to be a major contributor to the ultimate collapse of the U.S. 

- Robert Reich documents the failing Trump economy and the first steps needed to reverse the damage, while A.J. Schumann discusses how mass deportations are contributing to the economic collapse. Beth Mole traces the fallout from the Republicans' attacks on health, as over 74,000 participants in 383 clinical trials immediately lost access to treatment while countless more people will lose the benefits of study data. And Lesley Blume and Chloe Shrager discuss how the deregulation of nuclear radiation exposure may be catastrophic. 

- Rosie Hampton writes about the need to develop new physical spaces which allow for organizing within - and particularly between - progressive causes. Amanda Marcotte rightly notes that to the extent there is a crisis of men's loneliness, it can be traced directly to capitalist exploitation and isolation (which only stands to be exacerbated by the replacement of human interaction with manipulative AI). Jessica Winter discusses Scott Galloway's hope to develop an aspirational version of masculinity. Schuyler MItchell points out how the bigoted right is using the language of "gender ideology" to blame trans people for everything. And Adam Bonica and Jake Grumbach note that contrary to lazy pundit assumptions, Gen Z is far less inclined toward racial resentment and other forms of prejudice than earlier generations. 

- Finally, Aaron Richterman et al. study the effects of cash transfers and add to the pile of research showing how a social income makes people healthier. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Connie Loizos warns that the growth of "buy now, pay later" financing for the essentials of life parallels the wider use of unsustainable debt as a substitute for improvements in standards of living. And Umair Irfan discusses how the Trump regime's hostility to electric vehicles is making all kinds of car ownership even more expensive. 

- Carole Cadwalladr weighs in on the glaringly obvious artificial intelligence bubble, while Ketan Joshi discusses how Meta is polluting our physical and information environments alike with its AI garbage. And Laura Rodriguez Salamanca points out how Microsoft and Google data centre projects (which normally proceed only due to massive public subsidies) predictably produce far fewer jobs than promised.  

- Geoffrey Johnston highlights the urgent need to rein in a worsening climate crisis, while Donna Lu reports on a new simulation suggesting that the damage carbon pollution has already done to our planet  in the form of extreme heat waves will be felt for a millenium. Anupreeta Das reports on the devastating general effects of heat stress on women in India, while Anuradha Nagaraj tells the story of one worker in particular about the realities of living in temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius. Andn John Harris discusses how the UK is building large amounts of new housing in areas which will soon be flooded due to the climate breakdown. 

- Harrison Samphir discusses how Canada's civil service is bracing for the effects of a Carney austerity budget, while Nancy Wilson points out that one of the anticipated effects of slashing public jobs is to prevent women from receiving pay equity payments. And Aaron Wherry notes that Carney's choices can plausibly be seen as those of a small-c progressive conservative. 

- Finally, Charles Rusnell examines how Alberta's obsession with privatized surgery continues to enrich donors while underming the public health care system and its patients. And Eva Uguen-Csenge, Shelley Ayres and Steven D'Souza report on Health Canada's rejection of expert advice about the effectiveness of safe supply programs (and the carnage which is resulting from their elimination). 

Musical interlude

Grum feat. Natalie Shay - Stay

 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Oliver Milman and Damian Carrington report on Climate Action Tracker's recognition that we're headed toward 2.6 degrees of global warming without major policy changes - and that dirty fossil fuel emissions are continuing to increase. Nina Lakhani reports on a study showing that fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber every non-host delegation at the COP30 conference. And Ian Urquhart notes that the Mark Carney Libs are are among far too many governments serving as fossil fuel lobbyists rather than good faith actors - meaning that there's little reason for hope that Carney will take up the mantle of climate leadership as pitched by Shawn McCarthy. 

- Meanwhile, Jillian Ambrose and Fiona Harvey report on the IEA's recognition that a clean energy transition is inevitable - meaning that the people shilling for fossil fuel interests are only exacerbating both the climate breakdown, and the severity of an eventual economic crash. And Jameson Dow discusses how a corporate media narrative of electric vehicle denialism bears no relationship to reality. 

- George Monbiot discusses how the control of media by the ultra-rich is fueling an epistemic crisis. Timothy Caulfield notes that the normalizing of anti-vaccine ideology (which is resulting in the reemergence of diseases like measles which had previously been contained) is a direct result of political calculation by right-wing actors looking to undermine the concept of the public good at every turn. Jon Cohen examines how the Trump regime is actively destroying humanity's capacity to respond to the next pandemic. And Grey Moran exposes how Tyson Foods used Palantir surveillance to develop plans for the known results of the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 - but not to actually lift a finger to keep its workers healthy. 

- Cora Lewis writes about the spread of online sports betting, as well as the obvious risks which have been foisted on the people least capable of managing them. And John Herrman points out how both gambling and resulting patterns of media coverage are spreading into the political sphere.

- John Stapleton points out the absurdity of the Libs trying to claim "inefficiency" as a reason for ending taxes on the wealthy while it pursues grossly disproportionate litigation to recover tiny amounts of social benefits. 

- Finally, David Moscrop joins the group of voices recognizing that it's absolutely futile for Canada to pursue a trade deal with a U.S. which is utterly incapable of being trusted either to accurately portray what's being negotiated, or to honour any deal which might be announced. And Dan Gardner writes that it's long past time for Canada to move past the "safe" position of deferring to the U.S., and instead take a leadership role in shaping the world we want. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Prem Sikka discusses how any prospect of meaningful change for the better depends on prying power out of the hands of the wealthiest few, while David Wallace-Wells writes about the first signs of progress on the part of the working class. And Sam Ellefson talks to Herbert Chang about the systematic abuse of offshore tax havens as one of the mechanisms the ultra-wealthy are using to avoid making any fair contribution to the countries that have made them rich.

- Jennifer Ludden notes that the Trump regime's choice to abandon people to go hungry figures to cause lasting anger and anxiety among the people deemed unworthy of even the most minimal standard of living. Benedict Vigers and Julie Ray report on new polling showing that 40% of younger women in the U.S. would understandably be happy to leave permanently. And Greg Sargent discusses how the U.S. general public has no interest in Republican cruelty when it's inflicted for its own sake rather than being attached to false promises of material gains. 

- Nina Lakhani reports on a new Amnesty International study showing that even setting aside the climate crisis, two billion people have their health threatened by pollution emanating from fossil fuel projects. And Dan Collyns reports on new archeological research documenting a coordinated effort to escape severe drought in Peru thousands of years ago - including warnings left behind for future generations. 

- Bob Berwyn discusses how UN climate talks are now designed to obstruct progress rather than to achieve it. Olivia Rudgard reports that the scientists who have done the most work on carbon capture are now warning against unduly relying on it as a substitute for effective climate action. And Rick Smith writes that the best-case scenario for Mark Carney's narrow climate plan is to see a meaningful industrial carbon price implemented quickly and effectively.

- Finally, Pippa Norman reports that Carney's plans to tie Canada even more tightly to the corporate elite includes pouring resources into a defence bank to finance military spending. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Daniel Drache and Marc Froese offer a reminder that we know all too well what a Donald Trump "trade deal" looks like - making the continued Lib/Con obsession with a new one into an exercise in either self-destruction or self-delusion. And Peter Zimonjic reports on Mark Carney's decision to follow the U.S. in prioritizing cryptocurrency schemes over actual economic development. 

- Curtis Fric discusses new polling showing that the U.S.' polarization doesn't extend to public views of control by the wealthy, as a massive supermajority recognizes that billionaires pay too little tax and have too much power. Will Bunch writes about the painful contrast between a public that's emerging to take action against the abuses of the Trump regime and wealthy Democratic Senators who see fascism as presenting new opportunities for supplication, while Adam Bonica notes that the Republicans have repeatedly gotten their way by making laughable appeals to comity and compassion in order to better entrench their arbitrary cruelty. David Sirota and David Resnikoff each discuss how Zohran Mamdani's successful mayoral campaign offers a template for what an opposition party should be doing. 

- Michael Copley et al. examine how home insurance is becoming unaffordable (or outright unavailable)  in the U.S. as the most sophisticated risk managers around decide it's not worth carrying the losses from a climate breakdown. 

- Katharine Hayhoe offers her tips for dealing with climate dismissives on social media. And G. Elliott Morris makes the case to quit social media (particularly on the platforms whose content is determined by top-down algorithms).

- Finally, Susan Helper et al. study the effects of the U.S.' modern slavery in the form of prison labour, and find that it systematically undermines wages and working conditions for workers generally. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Helpful cat.

 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Fiona Harvey and Jonathan Watts report on Antonio Guterres' warning at the start of the COP30 climate conference that we can't afford more delays and distractions. Zali Steggall writes about the need for our conversations to include serious talk about how to survive the breakdown we can no longer avoid (while also doing everything in our power not to make matters worse). Harvey also reports on André Corrêa do Lago's rightful objection to the by inaction of the countries most able to afford to contribute. And Kathy Mulvey discusses what a climate summit would look like absent the constant obstruction from dirty energy interests that have regularly blocked any progress.  

- Ember Futures examines the consistent trend of clean energy becoming more affordable and more secure than reliance on fossil fuels. Julian Beaulieu, Wren Montgomery and Jennifer Quaid argue against Mark Carney's choice to enable greenwashing by the oil sector. And The Juice Media offers up an honest ad about the latest LNG monstrosity intended to lock us into several more decades of fossil fuel dependence:

 

- Ang Li writes about the effect of the climate breakdown on our homes and health - including the need for housing to take into account extreme weather and increased threats of disasters. Leora Smith discusses how Doug Ford's housing policy is predictably aimed at handing even more wealth and power to landlords at the expense of people's access to a basic human right. And John Lorinc points out that the federal Libs have chosen to ignore the rental construction incentives which actually spurred the development of new units in the 1970s. 

-  Finally, Jesse Drucker discusses how the Trump regime (without following any valid process to change tax laws) is handing out immense of amounts of free money to the uber-rich. And Mark Niquette and Lauren Dezenski highlight how the Trump economy consists of utterly undermining working people, while hoping for multiple precarious assumptions to goose the value of stocks and capital interests. 

Monday Morning Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- Tim Wu discusses how the richest few have come to dominate our politics (with our health and well-being paying the price), while Ian Welsh examines the obscene concentration of wealth in the U.S. Jeff Horwitz exposes how Meta's business model includes the deliberate facilitation of scams as a major revenue source, while Harrison Mooney interviews Gil Duran about the rise of techno-fascism. And Jared Yates Sexton writes that oligarchic buyup of politicians and ad blitzes hasn't succeeded in winning over the public.

- Carl Beuer writes that the devastating results of Trump regime's withholding of food stamps demonstrate the need for effective government to provide social supports, while Kristen Crowell offers a reminder that the long-time plan of the Republicans and their anti-social cronies has been to eliminate anything of the sort. Marisa Kabas talks to SNAP recipients about their experience having minimal supports stripped away. And Rene Sylvestre-Williams discusses how there's more governments can do to ensure necessities are affordable, including by directly providing basic needs so people aren't stuck paying corporate markups for everything. 

- Luke Savage discusses the stark difference between a future where people have an option of pluralistic social democracy, and one where neoliberal acquiescence is the only perceived alternative to fascism.  And Jason Sattler comments on the importance of a politics based on people taking action rather than merely being acted upon, while Taylor Noakes highlights how Canadians can draw inspiration from Zohran Mamdani's mayoral victory. 

- George Goehl writes about the need to give people clear calls to action at a time when they're eager to make a difference. And Katherine Wu discusses the large number of scientists stepping up to run for office as their life's work has been negated by ignorant political choices. 

- Finally, Karl Nerenberg comments on Mark Carney's choice to focus the federal investments on militarism and little else. Alex Hemingway points out a few of the most glaring missed opportunities,  while Emmett MacFarlane notes that the budget misses the real causes of Canada's problems. And Rachel Samson points out the mismatch between Carney's supposed goals and the level of resources provided, while Carl Meyer examines the particular reduction in both rules and funding for environmental priorities. 

Musical interlude

Matthew Good Band - Going All The Way

 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Kaitlin Tosh and Michelle Inez Simon examine how Elon Musk's takeover of X has led to the systematic pushing of right-wing propaganda on users whether they have any interest in receiving it or not. And Mickey Djuric discusses the farce of the Trump regime and its Canadian puppets becoming more interested in preventing the culling of ostriches being raised for meat than in people's well-being, while Angela Rasmussen notes that even the end of the matter in substance will do nothing to stop the concerted spread of anti-science crankery.

- Meanwhile, Samantha Hancox-Li discusses the need for a determined, war-time mindset in responding to the right's wanton attacks on reason. And Jael Holzman points out the potential to form alliances in pushing back against the tethering of social and economic development to corporate-controlled AI. 

- Stuart Braun comments on the fossil fuelk propaganda mill and its disinformation surrounding the COP30 climate talks, while Emily Atkin examines Bari Weiss' pattern of denialism now being imposed on CBS News. Joelle Gergis writes about the need to move past nebulous "net zero" promises and actually use affordable clean energy to cut down on carbon pollution. And the Economist discusses how China is doing just that by focusing on clean energy development while the U.S. pins its hopes on ever-more-implausible snake oil schemes. 

- Finally, Ricardo Tranjan writes that Ontario's fall economic statement is predictably loaded with freebies for the corporate class but devoid of supports for people. And Katherine Scott notes that Mark Carney's first federal budget follows a similar path (even after he was elected based largely on a margin of progressive votes). 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Catarina Saraiva and Jaewon Kang warn that the U.S. economy is a Jenga tower in which pieces needed to support the middle class are being systematically removed. Bloomberg's editorial board examines the national scope of the U.S.' gambling problem - with sports betting as just part of the drain on workers. And Public Citizen traces the connections between Donald Trump's ballroom bribe solicitation and hundreds of billions of dollars in federal contract awards. 

- Meanwhile, Rebecca Schneid discusses how Zohran Mamdani has offered a vitally important reminder that oligarchs can't buy elections in the face of public organization. Emma Goldberg and Benjamin Oreskes highlight how Mamdani recognized and responded to the young voters who have been facing a loneliness crisis. Ian Welsh views Mamdani's focus on affordability - coupled with positive solutions  based on collective power rather than mere finger-pointing - as the model Democrats need to seize upon. And Moustafa Bayoumi writes that Mamdani was rewarded for defending his values, while Moira Donegan implores the rest of the Democratic Party to learn from his success. 

- Climate Action Tracker's latest evaluation of Canada's climate policy finds that we're headed in the wrong direction under the Carney Libs even as the cost of inaction becomes ever more stark. Markham Hislop discusses the dangers of letting the oil industry's false assumptions and empty promises take precedence over planning for an affordable and sustainable future. And Bob Weber examines how the UCP has set out to stick the public with perpetually more cleanup costs in order to ensure oil companies  operating in Alberta can escape responsibility for the messes they're making. 

- Finally, Katie Kavanagh offers a reminder that COVID-19 is still around even as basic measures to track and control it have long since been abandoned. And Michael Le Page reports on a new study showing that exposure to COVID raises the risk of heart issues in children - in contrast to the protective effects of vaccination. 

Wednesday Night Cat Blogging

Slushy cat.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- The UN Environmental Programme's Emissions Gap Report examines the painfully slow progress toward reining in global warming even as the technology to eliminate emissions has become cheaper than dirty energy. And Nick Hedley notes that over a dozen countries are on a path toward 100% renewable electricity even as our petropoliticians insist such a thing isn't possible. 

- Caroline Preston discusses the gains made by U.S. teachers' unions to show how it's possible to use collective bargaining as a means to secure climate action. Adam King calls out Danielle Smith for summarily obliterating the Charter rights of Alberta teachers to bargain for the best interests of their students. And Sanya Burgess' investigation into massive numbers of injuries at UK Amazon warehouses offers a reminder as to how workers suffer when employers are able to impose their disregard for health and safety without collective pushback.  

- Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood and Davis Legree each note that Mark Carney has chosen to go in exactly the wrong direction in his first federal budget, underming already-insufficient climate plans while catering to oil tycoons. Marc Fawcett-Atkinson notes that Carney's decision to facilitate oil companies' climate denial and false greenwashing is as unpopular as it is indefensible. And David Macdonald and Mertins-Kirkwood rightly question more generally why any opposition party would support the Libs' corporatist budget. 

- Anita Balakrishnan reports on the push from university leaders for support to find places for the scientists who are being driven out of the U.S. by the Trump regime. 

- Finally, Jason Linkins calls out the U.S. media for sanitizing Donald Trump's shredding of the rule of law as well as individual rights - making for a particularly galling contrast compared to Hamilton Nolan's observation that the corporate media has treated Zohran Mamdani's simple suggestion of helping people as grounds to declare him unfit for office. But the repudiation of that party line by voters offers reason for hope that the oligarchy isn't going to go unopposed. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- David Coletto discusses how Canadians from across the political spectrum want to see the Carney Libs prioritize housing construction and economic independence, rather than chasing the false promise of short-term growth. And Tonda MacCharles reports on new polling showing clear opposition to any austerity campaign. But Stewart Prest warns that Mark Carney seems bent on kow-towing to established wealth and power (including the Trump regime) no matter how much the Canadian public disagrees. 

- Kathy Chow writes about the dangers to humanity if Elon Musk (or another similarly megalomaniacal tycoon) manages to amass wealth of another order of magnitude. Darryl Coote reports on a new Oxfam study finding that just ten U.S. billionaires hoarded nearly $700 billion in additional wealth over the last year. And Robert Reich notes that it's open to states to move toward taxing extreme wealth rather than letting Trump impose extreme and worsening inequality on the entire country. 

- Meanwhile, Elizabeth Dwoskin reports on the tech bros trying to use their wealth to eliminate both large-D and small-d democratic governance in the U.S. And Brian Phillips examines the reality of the AI bubble as a sector built on contempt for human creativity is itself entirely reliant on fiction as its product. 

- Christina Figueres writes about the need for climate action focused on clean development. Dharna Noor reports that even the limited amount of climate funding that's been deployed has been ineffective due to an appalling lack of support for a just transition. And Jake Evans points out that Australia's investment in solar energy has proven so successful that people are being gifted free power. 

- Robert Reich writes about Donald Trump's deliberate cultivation of chaos - and the need to build stronger communities in response. Jonathan Last discusses how Trumpism is utterly incompatible with democracy. And Tom Nichols rightly characterizes the Trump regime as having the mindset of toddlers, while Edward Harrington points out its performative irrationality. 

- Finally, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network offers a warning about the spread of white nationalism in Canada. And Mark Chadbourn discusses how the Dutch electorate's rejection of Geert Wilders shows that it's possible to counter fascist politics. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- A.R. Moxon writes about the need to restore the capacity for shame as a precondition to reversing the decline of the U.S. Noah Berlatsky notes that it's particularly damning when both major parties are willing to agree to kick down at marginalized people. And Kyla Scanlon writes about the massive number of losing bets at the heart of Trump's economy, while Justin Ling points out that the only guaranteed winners from the Trump regime are the insiders being allowed to loot the public purse. 

- Meanwhile, Tatiana Homonoff, Min Lee and Katherine Mechel study the effects of Trump's theft of SNAP benefits, finding that process-related loss of benefits leads to even more precarious financial situations among other harms. 

- Peter Foster, Attracta Mooney and Kaye Wiggins report on the Trump regime's hostage-taking tactics to prevent even a first step toward establishing emission rules on global shipping. And while each of Rick Smith and Rachel Doran, Vittoria Bellissimo and Peter McArthur make compelling cases for viable clean economy transition strategies, it's worth noting that a willingness to push back against Trump and his Canadian puppets is a necessary precondition to the development of any alternative.  

- On that front, Christopher Holcroft is rightly concerned by Mark Carney's willingness to give the techbros behind the Trump regime everything they want rather than standing up for Canadians' privacy and security. And Linda McQuaig highlights how the U.S.' "golden dome" provides nothing but an illusion of safety - both in terms of its dubious prospects of ever functioning as promised, and in the dangers of being more closely tied to an impetuous regime even if it does. 

- Finally, Andrew Nikiforuk writes about Yaneer Bar-Yam's warning that we're falling far short of taking the continuing risks of COVID-19 seriously. 

Musical interlude

Vok - Waterfall

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Erica Frantz, Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Joseph Wright comment on the global tilt toward strongman government as the U.S. abandons any pretense of being a democracy rather than a fiefdom. And Jonathan Last discusses the Trump regime's prioritization of performative violence over substantive action. 

- Justin Ling weighs in on the reality that we're best off not locking ourselves into new deals with the U.S. which result only in our making concessions for no enforceable gains, while Doug Nesbitt writes that our past EV strategy has been based mostly on corporate giveaways rather than real industrial development. And Lois Ross notes that Claudia Sheinbaum's Plan Mexico offers a needed blueprint to develop a sustainable economy and society which doesn't depend either on a capricious U.S. regime or on constant submission to capital. 

- Phoebe Weston writes about the parallels between the inner and outer layers of biodiversity which are both being undremined by corporate forces. James Dyke writes about the imminent derailment risk as cascading climate feedback loops eliminate our ability to adapt. And Andrew Wilkin highlights how COVID-19 minimization and other attacks on public health have maximized the social harm arising from preventable diseases. 

- Finally, Alex Caputo-Pearl and Jackson Potter discuss the need for the labour movement to unify to oppose the Trump regime, while Adam King notes that Alberta workers (along with students) are doing just that in response to Danielle Smith's negation of teachers' Charter rights. And Leah Gazan makes the case to rein in the federal Libs' reflexive anti-strike decrees. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Andrew Coyne recognizes that there's no point in pretending that trade negotiations with the U.S. under the control of a mad king can be expected to produce any meaningful results. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has plenty of proposals to build our economy away from dependence on the U.S. - both through the results of its Elbows Up Economic Summit, and through its Alternative Federal Budget. And Jeremy Appel discusses how tax loopholes for billionaires are both a fuel for inequality, and a revenue sink keeping us from investing in our own future. 

- John Ganz discusses how the Trump regime is actively staffing up with the worst possible thugs to beat the U.S. into submission, while Zach Everson points out the blatant corruption involved in the shoveling of public money to unqualified contractors who have handed no-work positions to Trump's sons. And Liz Dye highlights how Republicans are not only taking Trump's nonsensical ramblings as gospel in setting policy, but expecting courts to treat them as evidence as well. 

- Ian James reports on a new warning from scientists that we're headed for climate ruin - and need to work together to the extent possible even as the likes of Trump and his Canadian puppets stand in the way. Lisa Song reports that U.S. air pollution is far worse that previously acknowledged, and will only be exacerbated by Trump's interference with any regulation. And Nick Bowlin reports on Oklahoma's acceptance of the flow of toxic wastewater from oil fields, while Brandi Morin highlights the efforts of Alberta First Nations to avoid having tar sands tailings being released into water sources. 

- Finally, Samatha Edwards reports on new polling showing that Canadians are highly dubious about AI - confirming that it's only business elites hoping to profit from it at the expense of labour and consumers who have any interest in keeping its bubble inflated. And Rank and File examines how the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has amassed surpluses by under-compensating injured workers, with the benefits denied to workers then being gifted to corporate employers instead by the Ford PCs.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Donal Gill and Isaac Peltz discuss the need to strengthen Canada's democracy against a descent into nihilistic populism like the one looming in the UK. And Kelly Hayes emphasizes the particular need to maintain - and act on - a sense of decency when institutional forces are actively looking to destroy anything of the sort. 

- On that front, Sarah Kendzior discusses how the Republican government shutdown fits perfectly with their view that power exists only for self-dealing and vengeance. Mari Eccles reports on a new European Ombudsman investigation into secret meetings leading to regulatory giveaways to corporate interests. And Christopher White interviews Tzeporah Berman about the fossil fuel industry's hijacking of climate change policymaking. 

- Meanwhile, the newest Lancet Countdown report documents how millions of people are dying each year due to the fossil fuel dependence being forced on us by the people whose obscene wealth is tied to continued carbon pollution. 

- Rebecca Graff-McRae discusses how the Smith UCP has abandoned preventative public health to cater to conspiracy theorists. And Crawford Kilian rightly argues that vaccinations should be free to all Canadians - not restricted by geography, age, profession or other barriers which serve only to facilitate the spread of preventable disease. 

- Finally, Danyaal Raza makes the case for universal pharmacare as a nation-building project.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Keen cat.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Krugman writes about the Trump Republicans' decision to impose hunger on tens of millions of Americans - with lasting consequences on people's health and development - in defence of pedophilia and arbitrary rule. John Collins offers a grim narrative as to the path of American collapse under a regime with no interest in governing. And Hamilton Nolan discusses the importance of solidarity as the alternative to oligarchy. 

- Ben Brubaker points out new research finding that algorithm-based pricing can be expected to force consumers to pay more. Lousie Matsakic reports on the likelihood that large numbers of AI users are seeing mental health crises exacerbated by the tendency to provide desired responses. And Joel Morris laments the loss of social media as a social hub rather than an exploitation device. 

- Jonathan Watts and Waja Xipai reports on Antonio Guterres' warning that we've likely missed the chance to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, but still have a desperate need to limit the damage to our living environment. And Dharna Noor reports on ExxonMobil's cynical efforts to avoid having to report on its massive contribution to carbon pollution, while Sylvain Amoros and Sylvain Senecal examine how Canada's banks are likewise trying to avoid answering for funding the climate breakdown (including by terminating their involvement in Mark Carney's voluntary reporting scheme). 

- Finally, Laura Doering discusses how mandatory return-to-office policies are likely to exacerbate gender discrimination. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jonn Elledge discusses how the right in the UK (like in the U.S. and Canada) is building its public messaging around explicit racism and bigotry. Progressive Magazine laments that U.S. Democrats are trying to appease Trump sycophants and attacking anybody who speaks up for human rights, rather than serving as an opposing force against the movement toward authoritarianism. And Brian Beutler points out what the Democrats could advocate for as part of a "No Kings" agenda, while John Nichols discusses how cities can Trump-proof themselves as much as possible. 

- Eva Roytburg reports on Diane Swonk's warning that the uber-rich are the only people benefiting in a U.S. economy that's otherwise on the precipice of disaster. 

- Andrew Macintosh et al. discuss (PDF) the fundamental flaws with carbon credits as a central climate policy. Jessica Green highlights the particular futility of trying to build "net zero" policies around the interests of oil barons who are structurally committed to continued carbon pollution, while Daisy Dunne examines how only a minority of countries' climate plans involve any transition away from dirty energy. Naveena Sadasivam reports on the Trump regime's intimidation tactics to prevent even a slight step forward in accounting for shipping emissions. And Tik Root examines how drought may overtake all other effects of the climate breakdown in its effect on local resources. 

- Meanwhile, Dana Drugmand reports on a new French court decision finding a major oil company to have misled the public about its climate policies as a matter of consumer protection. And Kristian Nielsen et al. study the factors which serve to influence consumer choices, with both accessibility and influence on well-being serving as important determinants based on the actions involved. 

- Finally, Jonathan Cohn writes about the CDC alumni who are working to stand up for public health even as the Trump regime undermines it at every available opportunity. And Charles Rusnell discusses how Alberta's health care system is overwhelmed, with the UCP's anti-vax policy choices serving as one of the three main factors in the developing crisis. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Thomas Zimmer sorts through the significance of a particularly arbitrary week from the Trump regime. Lauren Gambino reports on an assessment by former U.S. national security officials documenting the country's slide into authoritarianism. Will Bunch discusses the common through line of enforced conformity in the Trump administration's systematic dehumanization and abuse of out-groups. And Edward Luce writes about the cowardice of the wealthy and powerful who have chosen to bend the knee to a mad king. 

- Meanwhile, Harold Meyerson discusses a California ballot initiative to apply a wealth tax in order to fund health care - allowing for direct public choice as to whether people actually prioritize billionaires' offshore accounts over their own lives. 

- Joe Wilkins warns that Sam Altman has joined the list of capricious billionaires who has positioned himself to be able to crash the global economy. And Dan Gearino and Charles Paulin report on the citizen-driven effort to stop shoveling public money into resource-sucking data centres in Virginia. 

- Finally, Saima Desai points out how Doug Ford's attacks on cyclists and clean transportation fit into a corporatist mindset. And Shawn Micallef writes that any Ontario municipal leader interested in being able to serve their constituents should be planning to run against Ford's interference. 

Musical interlude

deadmau5 - Ameonna

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Noah Berlatsky writes about the dangers of treating the existence of marginalized groups - rather than the bigots seeking to dehumanize them - as the primary barrier to solidarity and unity. Ashifa Kassam reports on Olivier De Schutter's warning that a shredded social safety net has fuelled the rise of right-wing hate. And Geoffrey Johnston discusses how a deliberately-constructed manosphere has caused misogyny to spread, while Stacey Abrams and Esosa Osa call out the Trump regime's targeting of Black history for erasure.  

- Blayne Haggart discusses how Mark Carney is failing to recognize the threat posed by the Trump regime even if one (questionably) gives him the benefit of the doubt as to who he's trying to serve. And Karyn Pugliese writes about Carney's thoroughly scripted plan to inflict austerity on everybody other than capitalists, who are being singled out for preferential treatment. 

- Fiona Harvey reports on the recommendation from a group of retired military leaders that investment in renewable energy should be treated as defence funding - offering an interesting opportunity to meet otherwise arbitrary defence spending targets in a way which actually results in long-term security. Isaac Phan Nay talks to Lin Al-Akkad about the options available to help workers through a green transition.  And Silas Xuereb examines how the current practice of shovelling public money toward dirty energy is doing nothing but exporting profits from Canadian resources to U.S. owners. 

- Finally, Peter MacLeod argues that the most important nation-building project Canada can pursue is the renewal of democratic engagement as a substitute for insider politics. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Don Moynihan discusses how the systematic erosion of American democracy includes the elimination of the belief among Republicans that the public service should be qualified and non-partisan rather than controlled from on high for political purposes. And Jonathan Last writes about the needed response to a ruling party which has jettisoned morality and ethics in favour of an unfettered will to power. 

- Zain Haq argues that the climate crisis is also a product of moral corruption (encouraged by the people whose wealth and power derives from harming others). Paul Palmer and Liang Feng discuss the record-breaking carbon dioxide readings being delivered by a NASA satellite which may soon succumb to the Trump war on reality. Oliver Milman reports on a new study finding the U.S. suffered record climate damage this year. And James Murray weighs in on the latest State of Climate Action report which shows humanity falling short of combating a climte breakdown by every possible standard. 

- Meanwhile, the State of Global Air 2025 report finds that the death toll from air pollution continues to be in the high seven figures, while over a third of the world's population is exposed to excessive pollution levels. 

- Paul Mozur, Adam Satariano and Emiliano Rodríguez Mega report on the justified public backlash against AI data facilities which are gobbling up desperately-needed water and power supplies at the expense of public health and well-being. And Caroline Haskins reports on some of the complaints people have made to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission about the direct harms caused by AI.

- Finally, Julia Lurie reports on the latest examples of Amazon's abuse of employees - including its driving a pregnant worker to homelessness by refusing to accommodate her with a place to sit. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Garrett Graff writes about the importance of good character as the ultimate check on the abuse of power - even as the Trump regime looks to purge anything of the sort. And Bruce Arthur notes that Pierre Poilievre's inability to act as anything but an arsonist is starting (at long last) to be seen as a liability both within his party and in the broader political scene. 

- Simon Nixon highlights how China is taking control over global supplies of critical minerals - with a boost from Trump's flailing trade policies. Steff Chavez and Antoine Gara report that the regime's response has been to try to cut shady deals with big capital. Jon Shell warns that the Carney Libs' approval of the debt-financed U.S. takeover of a major refiner and gas supplier signals that they're entirely willing to play along. And Tammy Robert writes about the capital takeover of Saskatchewan farmland - and the Saskatchewan Party's role in undermining any attempt to monitor, let alone manage, foreign and private ownership. 

- Ben Casselman and Colby Smith report on the chasm between higher-income Americans with absurd amounts of money to spend, and an increasingly desperate working class. Matt Egan and Chris Isidore report on new data showing a surge in defaults on subprime car loans as a leading indicator of an economy about to collapse. 

- Meanwhile, Greg Ryan reports that Massachusetts' wealth tax continues to bring in even more revenue than projected - confirming that more progressive tax policy can produce far more fair outcomes. And  in another example of the options to align revenue generation with intrinsically desirable policy, Graham Redfearn notes that Australia is looking at ensuring that companies can't profit from breaking environmental laws. 

- Systems Change Lab examines the state of climate action - finding that while there's been some work done with measurable impacts, the overall picture is one of a grossly insufficient response to a well-known crisis. 

- Finally, the University of Leeds discusses new research showing how UK children are dying as a result of poverty. And Zoe Grunewald rightly calls for the Labour government to prioritize children's well-being over an ideological commitment to austerity. 

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Comfy cat. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Krugman writes about the dangers of a mad king taking more and more extreme steps to insulate himself from any trace of inconvenient reality, while Sarah Kendzior notes that the Trump regime is developing a pattern of inventing enemies out of whole cloth in order to excuse rights violations up to and including summary executions. And Joe Wilkins and Jon Christian highlight a similar issue with Peter Thiel’s rapid journey down an apocalyptic rabbit hole. 

- Meanwhile, Charlie Warzel discusses how AI is an invasive species which is rapidly taking over our information ecosystem. 

- Adam Serwer writes about the anti-woke taxes Americans (among others) are paying in the form of environmental destruction and associated health consequences. And Julia Shaw examines the prospect of treating environmental crime as seriously as other direct threats to life and health. 

- Finally, Julia Doubleday highlights the folly of treating masking and other basic disease control steps as unreasonable. The University of Florida studies the effects of COVID-19 vaccines in helping to shield against liver cancer. And Ben Clark discusses the converse effect, that COVID itself can both stimulate and exacerbate the growth of cancer cells.