Morning from Québec, our reaction (among friends and family) so far seems to be 'huh, look at that, the US doing US things. Meanwhile, did you see the world cup / municipal politics / the latest federal announcement?' I'm personally looking forward to our next defence announcement, the JAS Gripen fleet from SAAB should be coming soon, maybe after finalizing a partnership with Ukraine to manufacture drones. It's exciting days here on the national unity front.
Greetings from the US! Maybe your PM could pull out the 1980s sound bite where Canada was complaining about acid rain (resulting from US pollution) and Ronald Regan essentially said ‘sucks to be you’.
Glad you have Carney running the show. We only have a carny barker.
Early this July a Canadian firefighter volunteering in the fight vs. the Colorado wildfire died in the line of duty. Cdn crews have volunteered for decades to fight fires throughout the US. We here (& you in the US) have in recent years suffered 'poison' air filled with smoke from escalating wildfires on both sides of the border. Climate change, aggravated by inaction from the US in particular, has aggravated incidences of super-fires internationally. What does T do? Denial & cutting expertise & budgets dedicated to addressing these problems. What hypocrisy to 'blame Canada' for the recent smoke crisis. What a feeble distraction from his own deadly policies.
What is more disgusting than Trump is that Trump's approval rating is still 35%. The rating means about 60 million people, who are registered voters, approve of Trump despite the blatant corruption and violations of law, the lying, the attacks on Canada and other NATO allies, the attacks on democracy and elections, the rejection of environmental protection, the lack of affordability, the ICE raids on immigrants including the murders of American citizens and the illegal war with Iran. The 60 million includes MAGA with white male supremacists who hate women, blacks and immigrants.
However, the problem in America isn't just Trump and the 60 million who still approve of Trump. The problem is the lawless fascist autocracy which is being installed with an insurrection totally supported by Republicans in Congress, six justices on the Supreme Court and billionaire oligarchs. Trump's insurrection began on January 6, 2021, but the insurrection continued into 2025 and 2026. Trump, members of his administration, Republicans in Congress, six justices on the Supreme Court and billionaire oligarchs are violating federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383). According to the federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383), a felony crime is committed by “Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office”.
Remember in 2024 SCOTUS refused to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that permanently bars individuals from holding state or federal office if they previously swore and oath to the U.S. Constitution and later engaged in insurrection or rebellion. Therefore, Trump was allowed to be on the ballot and get elected.
The core problem in America is a corrupt legal and political system that refuses to enforce equal justice under the law.
If a new Democratic controlled Congress and a Democratic president are elected in 2028 because they adopt PROJECT 2029 that solves affordability, they will have a sworn obligation to enforce the federal law against insurrection and the Constitution to prosecute, convict, imprison, Trump, members of his administration, Republicans in Congress, six justices on the Supreme Court and billionaire oligarchs.
It's what Fascism is. Lean on wedge issues, division, demonize the 'others' and lying is justified. Trump wants us to believe we're under threat from communists, immigrants and anyone opposing them..
Besides guns, the other major issue that unites MAGA and Christian right is abortion. There's the 35% that knows he lies but supports Trump no matter what.
One issue voters. I know because I have an extended family member who is one of them - and admits it. Abortion! that was the one and only issue and to hell with all the other red flags in 2016. That is one part of the Republican voters. The other is "I have always voted Republican" without a hint of doing any due diligence. And then there are the cult members that will believe anything this idiot says and vote for/with him. Independents, Democrats and (I wish) even some sane Republicans must turn out in droves in 2026 and 2028. Otherwise, we are going down the tubes.
About that 35% approval rating. Read something recently breaking the numbers down more. That 35% includes strongly approves and somewhat approves. The strongly approves has dropped to 15%. It used to be at 30%. Trump is losing support even among his most die hard supporters. Even if the media isn't reporting it.
The approvals indicate to me that some people don’t like everything Trump does but would still vote for him if he were on the ballot and would always vote for almost all Republicans
Democrats would need some spine and aggressiveness to go after these crooks they haven't hitherto shown. You certainly don't want a Merrick Garland as AG
Totally agree and hope that everyone on Substack agrees but apparently there may be people who want to not enforce the law or interpret enforcement as stupid or unnecessary.
Anything to distract from the Epstein files - and it works. Trump knows this will get his political opponents upset (and yelling). He knows that when liberals get angry MAGAs get happy. This has nothing to do with the actual action or postulated goals/rationales (he knows it will never be implemented; or reversed). It's all about manipulating public attention and making his base happy.
We had a thread here last week on the items from the Persian Gulf that are also running short (fertilizer, LNG, petrochemicals for plastic, helium, investment capital, and aluminum) aside from oil. The USA gets 62% of its aluminum imports from Canada and 20% from the Emirates. Canadian aluminum accounts for about half of USA consumption.
I pointed out that more than ever, the USA should not piss off Canada. George Patterson replied that Canada is already reorienting its aluminum sales to Europe.
I still have, down in the cold storage, the "camping" food we stocked up on in spring of COVID, when no-one knew if there was going to be food in the stores that winter.
Aside from that, pissing off the Orange Cancer must be done with caution, I believe, because someone as evil as he is can't be predictable... I'm so grateful for our new-ish Prime Minister--not because I support every decision, but because that means that there's at least one sane adult in the room when he & the Deviant get together.....
This is what really cheeses my crackers. The blatant hypocrisy that his supporters lap right up.
1) Wildfires, extreme weather, pests, disease, etc are exponentially worse because of clime change. Not only has the US been slow, but, more often than not, we’ve refused to change. Trump has not just voided the little progress made but is actively trying to take us backwards and increase our negative contributions again.
2) We have our own fires raging, yearly, because of climate change, mismanagement, dilapidated infrastructure, poor funding, idiots doing gender reveal smoke, etc. Trump is doing nothing to address issues surrounding US wildfires. He is making it worse, including the aftermath with cuts to FEMA budgets and personnel.
3) Air quality!? As he wants to increase fossil fuel usage, roll back emission standards from a to z, guts monitoring and research funding and personnel. He would love to shutter the EPA, NOAA, NWS, NPS, and any other agency that conducts that monitoring and research in order to make recommendations or enact regulatory standards that protect the very Americans he claims to care about.
He is such a blatant liar and criminal. I wish the rest of the world’s leaders would completely, COMPLETELY stop engaging with him and anyone in this administration. Zero tolerance. Shut them all out.
Amen to that! We should all totally shut him out. He should never be trusted and it’s not worth our time to listen to him. I hope our new prime minister—AND the king—refuse to have anything more to do with him. If that means we have to do without some American stuff, so be it.🇬🇧
There is no relenting when upon his inauguration he killed virtually all efforts to quell any form of reducing greenhouse gasses and proclaimed ONLY COAL( WONDERFUL “CLEAN” COAL) AND PETROLEUM!
But Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and President George H. W. Bush came to an agreement about acid rain, acting with good intention and on behalf of their nations. In 1991, they signed the Acid Rain treaty. It was a wonderful success, and many lakes and forests were saved from the scourge of acid rain. This was a fine example of the mutual respect and cooperation practiced between our countries. We can do this together again. ♥️
When the orange menace is gone, hopefully soon as his mental condition is rapidly deteriorating, my country will began the long road back to join civilized nations. Justifiably, the road back will be long as we have demonstrated our capacity for incredible stupidity by electing a clearly unqualified mentally defective criminal twice. If the first mistake can be excused as ignorance there can be no excuse for doing it a second time other than we are clearly not who we constantly tell the world are. Canadians should feel fortunate to have Mark Carney in charge.
It's not just Trump. It's the entire republican party that has become unhinged. 30 years of Fox propaganda has poisoned 30% of the country. With lies and hate. When Trump is gone. They will still be here.
re your first sentence, correct me if I'm wrong please, but if the Orange Cancer were to be declared non compos, or die, in office, wouldn't that mean that Vance would step into the same nasty shoes?
I don't think he's as adept at evil as his boss is, but.....
Well, unfortunately that is true but it is also true JD apparently doesn’t have the same appeal to the MAGA base and he seems to be very politically inept. As soon as he cannot demonstrate political support he will be abandoned.
Not until Trump is in charge. He’s a madman. Two and a half years of this buffoon is a bit too long. With an impotent Congress the future of Canadian American relationship does not look rosy.
I hope you’re right about being able to “do this again”. But the rest of the world has lost trust in us. Even if we get a Blue Wave they fear that we’ll elect another trump-type government in 4 or 8 years. And we just might given the stupidity and disengagement of so many voters. The people who didn’t vote in this last election or voted for third party candidates and consequently allowed this nightmare have done such damage. If we somehow manage to throw out Republicans in November and trump later we need to be relentless with investigations and consequences for those who participated in the administration’s lawlessness; relentless in changing strengthening the rule of law and political practices that have helped get us here; relentless in changing things like term limits SCOTUS and law makers. And we need to do it with the understanding that it will take more than one or two election cycles to undo the damage.
It's the left that will screw it up for us AGAIN. James Talarico was confronted by a Crockett supporter recently. They didn't their preferred candidate so they threatening to sit it out. Not vote or vote 3rd party. Helping to elect Paxton. Just like Bernie Bros did in 2016. Because it's all about them and not the country. It's the left in this country. That are the republicans best friends. Helping them win election after election. Because they didn't get their perfect candidate to vote for. All or nothing gets us republican rule. The left does it over and over must be what they want to happen. Better a republican in power than an imperfect democrat. This is how the left thinks. ALL OR NOTHING. Why we usually end up getting nothing.
Unfortunately, not with the current clown "in charge" in the US. Some day we'll have a real president whose first priority has to be restoring US - Canada relations.
Good heavens, my deepest sympathies go out to whoever is able to step into the chasm Trump and his puppeteers have created. Long and arduous do not even begin to touch on the work that will need to be done. I suppose the Germans and Japanese did it. We can, too, if we can cut the rot out.
The only relations Canada will have with the U.S. going forward will be 'frosty.' We are beyond expecting anything but more of the same from your corrupt government and judicial system, populated by criminals and perverts. You'll be the neighbour next door who we don't do more than nod to as we pass, all the while muttering under our breath, 'What an asshole.' The U.S. has become a 'confederacy of dunces' who remain oblivious to the pot of boiling water they are floating in, as Trump puts the burner on high and cooks you all. With Canada, the U.S. has betrayed a trust and that will never be forgotten. At first you had our sympathy; this 2nd go round is quickly turning that sympathy to contempt. I see schadenfreude on the horizon.
But acid rain was a result of deliberate policy to burn highly polluting coal. It wasn't an act of god. And as was pointed out, the wildfires are a consequence of global warming, for which we bear a great deal of responsibility. In effect we are exporting disasters to other countries, and then blaming them when the effects come home to us.
Yeah.... acid rain did a number in the Adirondacks, which is the area I love most in the world (and live very close to!). I am really worried about what's going to happen after four years of Trump
We will lose most of the National Forests to logging and significant portions of our National Parks and Monuments to development. Bison will be nearly exterminated to satisfy cattle interests. The introduction of wolves to Yellowstone will be reversed to satisfy the elk hunters. I've read that they've already started mining in the Grand Canyon.
Carney is clearly better than Trump, but he's planning to construct a second oil pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to British Columbia. This will aggravate climate change and increase the likelihood of more fires in Canada. The mining of tar sands in Alberta is itself an environmental disaster.
The pipeline goes through BC to reach the sea. The plan is to sell oil to China and quit selling oil to the U.S. (or at least force the U.S. to pay full price). If this is not done, there is a good chance that Alberta will secede (and the U.S. administration is agitating for that secession).
We will still be selling oil to the US through the existing pipeline as well as the new one Trump has approved, as long as the next president doesn't cancel it.
Speaking of acid rain, I'm sure that Trump's announcement of Welcome to the Golden Age is an example of his confusion with his love of "golden showers".
Oh I hope Carney does not make more concession, and sees this as a ploy to extract concession. Carney appeases Trump as much as he can; Canadians do not like it when he does. Where has "Elbow's up" gone? Conservatives are lambasting Carney for getting Canada into this position.
Yes, but those who do not placate him are punished severely. Carney is in a difficult position. He has to be careful. But every time he gives in, like with digital services tax, Canada gets nothing back.
I hope so. But our automotive industry is dying. Tens of thousand of jobs. Trump is intransigent on bring back the automotive industry back to the USA.
Ha ha!😅 I didn’t know it . From Canada: yes definitely “suck to be you and to be us “ living so close to your deranged president . He’s ruining the whole world not only us. If you all stop working and paying taxes you will put your country against him and his goons .
Are you sure two more years like now will be possible?!
Anyway thanks so much to Paul Krugman for his great service in writing these important articles that give us hope and good musical codes 🥰
I just wake up saying "huh, look at that, Congress and SCOTUS, letting Trump do Trump things..." I feel like I'm in an endless nightmare of Thanksgiving dinner with a crazy uncle and I can't wake up."
What you said right there is what pisses me off the most. The whole apparatus encouraging this bullshit. And notice it keeps sliding beyond belief. That’s not good. And we citizens know it.
We profusely apologize for having let this loathsome cement head within a thousand miles of the lowest public service job in the least populated district in the most backward fever swamp of Deliverance Country. Unfortunately we seem to have elected him president twice, so we got what we deserved. You didn't.
By which you mean to say that unfortunately US voters won't elect a woman, not no way, not no how, no matter how qualified she is, no matter how vile, puerile and purblind her (male) opponent is.
Robert Heinlein proposed a possible government for the U.S. in which no man could vote, work in any part of the legal profession (except possibly as a file clerk), or serve in government (except possibly as a file clerk). He pointed out that that is exactly the position women were in for the first 150 years of our country. In many parts of the country, women couldn't even own property.
Yes, the only way we'll elect a woman President is if both parties run women in the same election. For a better analysis of how women would do things differently read "Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?"
Musk did not win it. He bought it. The rest is less certain. What is clear is that the Trump campaign was not based on anything other than hate and lies and fear. Nobody was eating the cats and dogs. “Transgender for everyone” is a hideous bit of bigotry that makes no sense whatsoever. And the economy was recovering nicely.
While if we continue to build defence to fight the last war Gripen only choice for us in Canada. However, after buying the 18 f35 we contractually agreed to, (we comply with our legal obligations unlike Trump) we should allocate the fighter jet funds to massive drone force
The Americans are not capable of delivering the F35 or the Patriot. China will not let them manufacture them. The Japanese have been waiting for 8 years for the delivery of billions of USD of weaponry which the Japanese paid for years ago. The World is learning just how dishonest and untrustworthy Americans are. Trump is just the scab on top of the putrid pus. It was always thus ... we were all just too polite.
Patriot system production stands at 600 missiles per year. We blew off nearly two years' production in the first month of the Iran war. It will be a very long time before we send more to other countries.
We know George. It is one of two main reasons the rest of NATO are looking elsewhere to more honest, honourable and frankly capable prime defence contractors. BTW we who have served in the North Atlantic are waiting with bated breath to watch how you guys are going to invade Greenland without arctic trained forces, no logistics and no ice breakers. Better take a lot of KFC nuggets for those long winters. A lot of us reckon your invasion will turn into a search and rescue mission and we won't be too willing to lend a hand. At least we won't have to shoot you; the climate and your own incompotence will do the job for the rest of NATO.
I expect the plan is to set up at least two more military bases there (Vance was there a while back trying to set that up). Once done, the troops would be flown in. I read some time back that an international military force had moved in on Greenland with the explicit objective of demolishing runways in the event.
I've not heard how successful Vance was. There's an old treaty that allows the U.S. to set up additional bases in Greenland, but Denmark could certainly refuse to adhere to it. If my flying monkeys were calling the shots, I'd tell Vance to put it where the sun don't shine.
pal you are not looking around: flying stuff are for randomly dropping bombs ..for Canada, where will that be? For the US--any black/brown populated country is good enough, for zionists, any arab country...as it is written in their books.
On the other hand, methinks, defensive actions will come out of EW technology with msec rate of detection that trump bomb is coming Shoot that down.
IE, without ultrafast ultra modern detection of incoming flying objects--at any height , is dumb " defense" policy.
Pas deux sans trois! Hello Québec here also. Maybe we should order some pizza and poutine since we’ve gathered together but otherwise , yeah I ‘m all in with Quebec 1. Would love to hear more from Là Belle Province! Until then a là prochaine.
Hey, if you don't take the communications from President Chump more seriously, he's gonna hold his breath until he turns blue! And then you'll be sorry!
You're lucky to have normal people in charge where you are, as opposed to here, the land of the 77 million. I have fond memories of time I spent in Montreal years ago. My choice for exile is still Tuscany, but if global warming makes Montreal a bit warmer, I'll start polishing my French.
Good to know. We only saw what was visible on the cab ride from the docks to the train station (Montreal was the last stop on our cruise and we took Amtrak home).
I hope it will come, but a Gripen deal has not been confirmed yet, so the "fleet" will take a long time to materialize. A big dilemma for Carney is the optimal timing for such an announcement. I would not expect it until after January 2027, when Trump will be hopefully somewhat more constrained by Congress. Anyway, the first four Canadian F35's will be available before the end of this year for pilot training. How that goes should inform the decision on the Gripens.
I, for one, (a EU citizen), am boycotting all US goods and services, as much as possible, until further notice. I would urge non-US citizens around the world to do the same, until the US rejoins the ranks of civilized nations.
Count this American Citizen in Don B. Doing what I can, moving my Tech footprint to Europe, when I can buy Canadian I do. Being retired I have time to research before I buy :)
Spread your work! If you have any readily available and/or everyday-ish brands or products, please share. It would be greatly appreciated by those who may not have that time.
So, I shouldn't go to local US restaurants, or shop in US stores? Trashing our communities businesses isn't going to make Trump go away, it's only going to make us all more miserable. (US citizen here) By all means boycott Trumps comrades in arms...tech bros, oil, big ag and crypto, but go to Costco who treat their employees well.
Costco is one of the good guys. Whole Foods is not nor is Amazon. It is possible to shop selectively and still support local businesses and even chains that do the right thing.
There are some very nice NY State wines if you can not find the really excellent Canadian wines.
US citizens can support our neighbors until this regime is out of power by boycotting as many US goods and some services as possible. Here’s a list of the corporations bankrolling the biggest supporters of ICE. And let’s not forget WaPo not endorsing VP Harris. We cancelled prime video and stopped buying from Amazon the same day, as did many others. Turns out we don’t need to be able to buy anything we want and have it delivered in two days. In fact, our lives are more serene without all the stuff and there’s more money to donate to reconstruction 2.0 organizations.
I have a problem today. I sold a vintage outfit I once wore to a woman in Canada for $370. The item is held up by customs. They want $150! Outrageous! How in the world do I deal with this? I lowered my price already. I suppose she may have to send it back. This asshole is crazy!
In the meantime, if the AGs of the six states with misprision laws on the books issue warrants, DC metro police will round up them up. They can be detained in gritty city jails for up to 30 days pending extradition to the respective states. Looking at you, CA, IL, VT, VA, DE, and RI.
I hope that means you are writing from a Linux computer! If not it is much easier than it seems, providing you get your local store to install it for you.
Please see Prof. Krugman's Substack on digital currency. As an EU citizen, push them to adapting digital currency as a means of payment rather than having to use VISA and Mastercard. If EU adopted it, UK would follow, then Canada could. Please, please.
That won't happen until 2029 and there is a 50/50 chance the American electorate is dumb -with a b- enough to put another Republican in charge. After all they voted for Trump 2.0.
And they voted for a Republican controlled House in 2010, only two years after the financial crisis. They also voted for Republican control at the state level, which was part of the strategy to get the USA to Project 2025. Again, only two years after the financial crisis and all the other Bush II disasters.
Yeah, like JD Vance, described in, I believe the New Yorker, as an “opportunistically malleable demagogic provocateur.” Given that description, he is likely to win.
From US: We've taken our recent vacations in Canada. Hope you're OK with us spending our dollars there, nice place! and also a statement of support against this craziness.
I would appreciate suggestions of EU or Canadian substitutes for US goods and services so I can also participate from US. I don’t think people in the U.S. know different alternatives that are just as good if not better.
Just in case you weren’t paying attention America - YOU pay the tariffs! Also, even if the provincial ban on U.S. alcohol gets lifted to soothe your thin-skinned gov’t do you really think Canadians will resume buying your alcohol like before as long as your “leaders keeps threatening us and his signature isn’t worth snot??
"But these policies were themselves a response to the tariffs on Canadian goods Trump had previously imposed, without justification. Canadians were also reacting to Trump’s repeated demands that Canada surrender its independence and become the 51st state."
As childish as it sounds, "TRUMP STARTED IT".
He starts fights and then revels in malicious escalation till everyone is covered in the shit he's throwing around.
Toddler tactics.
No one is surprised, and only the MAGA faithful are fooled (again).
We in the US pay the tariffs. 1. I don't think the new tariffs will actually happen. 2. The tariffs mostly hurt US citizens its a sales tax that hits to lowest incomes the hardest.
I'm with you Paula. Although Milton has a point in that being forced to be quiet (it would involve having to literally stuff something in his mouth) would probably be one of the worst tortures you could inflict on him.
I mostly blame Republicans in Congress…Trump has always been a narcissistic carnival barker. He sold his goods to a population of greed or ignorance. Our 3 branches of government should be protecting democracy…they are NOT!
You know, here in Canada, except for a few idiot Alberta separatists who are a teeny tiny minority in that province, Canadians are not polarized the way the US is and has been for decades. And I believe if we saw that kind of division developing, we would do something about it. Unfortunately, your much vaunted "checks and balances" have proven to be a mirage when faced with idealogues permeating the GOP. We may look boring to much of the world, but we have an extremely safe and sane country, and we're all pretty happy with our lot. But someone like Trump comes along and threatens us? Oops. Watch out.
Being an admirer of many Buddhists I can only hope that Trump be lost should he decide to find a path leading to a monastery. This is my attempt at writing a koan:
Is there a difference between a Trump way and trumping ways?
It could be suggested to Trump that he could do a lot himself to curb the US contribution to Canadian forest fires, by accelerating US adoption of clean sustainable energy--wind and solar.
Plus accelerated shutting down of US oil and gas burning and production, as fast as possible: to slow down the rate of global heating, to which the US is such a great contributor--causing Canadian forest fires.
But it would be a waste of time.
Trump repeatedly states that climate change is a "hoax" and a "con"--but it hasn't stopped him allegedly raising the height of sea walls at Mar-a-Lago, against rising sea level.
No "probably " about it. A windmill might obstruct his view. Solar doesn't pay enough graft. If oil companies were smart, they would become energy companies and invest in their own futures.
It's the rational answer for oil companies to invest in clean energy production to secure their own futures, but Trump is putting every obstacle in their way by trying to block clean energy projects at the planning stage, eg by appointing a climate change denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Because its wind turbines spoilt the view from his golf course, Trump even stopped a large offshore wind farm halfway through construction: paying the developer $billions in compensation from taxpayers money.
Clean energy projects are going ahead in many states because Trump can't stop them, but only California seems to have thoroughly resisted Trump's dead hand stopping an inevitable energy transition.
His actions also mean the USA will fall behind the rest of the world in the inevitable transition to clean energy. Unfortunately this also means Americans will not share in the financial benefits that accrue those leading the way to the future. All because we elected a petty vindictive old man who is easily purchased with money, shiny objects and flattery.
Yes: why Trump makes absurd claims about China "not itself using wind turbines it sells to the world"--part of his grievance / being ripped off / tariff war spiel.
While China has actually made and uses more wind turbines itself, than the rest of the world put together. And China is leading the clean energy revolution that Trump is trying so hard to stop.
Cannot remember who referred to the economic "resource curse": where a country's wealth has been built on extractive industry which has become damaging in some way, but cannot tear itself away from continued dependence on this resource, to develop an alternative.
Well his solution is to drive nuclear, but the nuclear industry says none of his nuclear policies actually make sense, and they don't believe he can actually deliver competent leadership before his term runs out. I wonder what gave them that idea?
This is part of his motivation to shrink the two National Monuments in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante (both created by Democrats). They're in the way of uranium mining (and coal, oil, and gas 'development'). Talk about killing the Golden Goose!
I actually meant his uranium generation plans. Uranium mining in the US is just brain-achingly silly, like so much related to Trump. The absurdity of destroying the natural habitat of the US for small low grade uranium deposits, when Canada has vast high grade uranium deposits in swamp-like areas devoid of life is amazing. But then Trump would have to stop making enemies of friends.
I actually didn't know about the link to Bear Ears, which I see is only "potentially interesting" from a miners perspective.
Nukes are a very expensive way to make steam and, as France worried the cooling waters from rivers may be too hot, due to climate change, to adequately cool the reactors.
If green energy supporters could exceed the contributions of the fossil fuel industry that support his politics and personal enrichment he would immediately become a green energy supporter. Also must overcome his anger that he can see wind turbines from his golf course in Scotland. With tRump all one must do is follow the money and as long as it ends up in his pocket he will support whatever is being paid for.
Yes, "Drill baby drill" is basically all about money: and the value of investments in fossil fuels depends on proved reserves--which requires continued exploration drilling.
And to recover the costs of exploration, naturally fossil fuel outfits want to exploit reserves to sell too--which requires further exploration to maintain reserves to maintain gas & oil value for investors.
So of course it's easiest for Trump to dismiss climate science as a con and climate change as a hoax. Until clean energy becomes abundant and SO much cheaper than fossil fuels, that all those investors suddenly find themselves with stranded assets--what they're currently trying to avoid, or at least stave off the collapse for as long as possible.
And given the sudden arrival of AI on the scene, with giant datacentres guzzling huge amounts of energy and water for cooling, that gives oil and gas a new lease of life, especially if clean energy projects can be strangled at or before birth.
His feeling on wind power won't change. He's not angry at the windmills per se; he's angry that he couldn't bully the Scottish government into cancelling the program. He vents that anger at the entire industry.
I tend to think he IS angry at "windmills" (wind turbines) per se: because they symbolise his defeat by the Scottish government--the outrageous, unreasonable, unforgiveable defeat of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States! the most powerful man in the world!
And NO narcissist can tolerate being a loser. Or being seen as a loser.
So those windmills had better watch out: because he's not having them--to remind the world that he, Donald J. Trump, is a loser.
So yes, he vents his anger at the whole industry.
Of course there is also Trump's "Drill, baby, drill" policy--and no way he's going to let windmills threaten that. Fossil fuel money is far too important for the Republican party to risk losing any of its huge fossil fuel donations / bribes.
I was pretty sure this was true, but can you address the point that Gabriel made, the small percentage of their investment in clean energy as opposed to oil production, refinement and distribution?
What you are suggesting is a rational, data-based approach to climate change. And with Trump, the republicans, the Supreme Court, and most oligarchs, it will not happen.
Clearly Canada didn't follow trump's advice to rake their 2 million acres of forest.
While visiting wildfire damage in Paradise, California, in November 2018, Trump claimed he spoke with Finland's president about how they "spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things" to avoid fires.
I blocked all my MAGA contacts, but every now and then I want to have one so I can say "surely by now you have come to your senses"? Realistically, I am better off imagining they have, than checking and being disappointed.
They’re as delusional as Trump himself. I know one Trump supporter. Last time I talked to her was the week after July 4th and she told me how she’d watched Trump’s July 4th celebration with tears in her eyes: 🤯. How??? Idk how to begin to talk to her about Trump anymore. She used to be eager to engage me in discussions about politics so I’d hoped that meant some doubt was creeping in. Maybe that’s why she was so eager to discuss July 4th? She could paint over any misgivings with a coat of patriotism. That sounds like grasping at straws and I probably am.
That reminds me of a coworker who was enthralled with Sarah Palin back in 2008. Never mind the financial crisis, a recession, and two quagmire wars that resulted from Republican policies. After talking with her a while I realized her perspective started in childhood when she was bullied and taught to be subservient to men, and her husband was a Tea Party/MAGA type who listened to Fox incessantly. It made me think part of the USA’s political problem is the disinvestment in psychological counseling since the early 1970s in favor of pharmaceuticals. There seems to be a lot of people who never overcame their childhoods.
I think she is genuinely frightened by change and has convinced herself that a changed world is a worse world. Me saying that humans have always felt that way, going back to Ancient Greece, just didn’t pack any punch that I could see. The only conversation I ever had with her that seemed to have gotten her thinking was once when she was ranting about “trans” people and how the whole idea was wrong- normal MAGA take on the topic. She’s a hair stylist and was mentored by a gay male hair stylist whose business she eventually took over and with whom she still is in regular contact 20 years later. I asked if she wanted him to have to go back in the closet and hide who he was. I was heartened by how quickly she said “no.” I then asked if her parents would have felt that way and she said “no.” Seeing an example of change in her own close circle did seem to make her consider how she came to her vehemently expressed opinion on trans people and she did say the concept was just too alien and new for her to feel comfortable with it. I was amazed. She’s so adamant in drawing lines. So one day one success vs. 30-40 rants straight from Fox News.
That in turn reminds me of someone who was denying the Rohingya genocide based on what his position was on the Gaza-Israel situation. He just made up his facts for the Burmese genocide out of thin air, by analogy.
True. Maybe she talked about the July 4th festivities because she felt she now had something Trump-related she _could_ talk about without any doubt creeping in.
I am so sick of all his crap!! Like a petulant child, he has not gotten enough attention from them and is being outshined by their Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who the rest of the world greatly respects and admires!
tRump also got seriously outbooed at the world cup final, he has to be truly demented to subject himself to such noisy humiliation, and if he doesn't know what to expect, he truly ignores his advisors, who I am sure wish he would just stay home for the rest of his term. The WNBA all star game is coming up, I wonder if he will try to insert himself into the glory same as at Argentina v Spain. BTW, kudos both to the Spanish team both for winning and putting even more egg/huevo on his face. Reminder that tRump is seriously pissed off at the Spanish PM.......
Commenters here will protest that it is not them, but Trump and Maga. However, Trump does this in the name of the country, and the results are catastrophic to the international system, and one of the oldest, most peaceful alliances in history. You've burned this alliance for generations, and you're just sitting there waiting for the midterms, as if that will change anything. You are a damaged country, and like most damaged humans, you won't admit how far down the road you have gone to destruction. You can't, or won't, see and act.
Exactly right. This Montrealer used to love weekend and holiday biking in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Never shall I cross into the USA again, never. No trust left.
I haven't crossed the border since his first admin. When I was threatened in Newark Airport for carrying two passports (Irish and Canadian) and held in Homeland Security for 3 hours. Nearly missed my connecting flight. I was terrifiied.
Thank you. I remember this wonderful US woman hugging me when I finally got to the waiting room and whispering: "Don't ever travel alone anymore; I never do." Talk of prescient!
In NJ we benefitted from lots of visitors from Canada to our sandy beaches. But no more, Canadian business is way down. (Our is the most northern state to have the Atlantic Coastal Plain). So an easy drive down from Quebec.
This British Columbian, who LOVED the US, loved Washington DC New York Des Moines Palm Springs Phoenix and everywhere else she visited, will not be back. Heck, we used to do weekly trips across the border to Seattle back in the day.
It's a good thing you don't set foreign policy for Canada. In the second world war, Canada's enemies were Germany, Italy, and Japan. Now Canada is a fellow G7 country and maintains excellent diplomatic and trade relations with all three. Yeah, Canada-US relations are probably at a relative low right now (Trudeau Sr and Nixon also comes to mind). But things will get better. Thank goodness our PM is a pragmatist.
Your analogy would only work if Trump and the GOP are not only deposed, but he, his cabinet, and a number of GOP leaders are tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as for treason; the worst of them executed, the rest imprisoned for the rest of their lives. After that, the GOP and its signature ideologies and policies are declared illegal and the party and its symbols forbidden.
That is what happened in the three countries you mentioned, before they were allowed to rejoin the community of civilized nations. It is also what should have happened to the Confederacy after 1865, and the fact that it didn’t has a lot to do with how the US got to this point.
Spot on. I have long maintained that much that is currently wrong with this country would not have happened if the confederacy had been treated differently after the civil war. Any other country would have either executed or imprisoned for life the confederate leaders. I also believe their states should have been dissolved and their capital buildings razed. New states should have been formed with new capital cities. Military occupation should have continued for a generation to make it fairly certain their attitudes had mostly changed. Instead reconstruction was allowed to fail so, while they had a military defeat, they ultimately won a culture war that largely persists today. The modern GOP has given permission for the worst aspects of the culture war win to emerge from under their various rocks and become mainstream.
Act how? Please answer that question. I doubt you have an actual realistic answer.
Conviction and removal by the Senate requires 67 votes. That is a political impossibility. To suggest otherwise ignores reality.
An armed uprising? Did you not pay attention to the pro-Trump insurrection? Trump controls multiple law enforcement agencies, the DC National Guard and the US military. Furthermore, he has legions of armed white supremacist gangs that would gladly act to keep him in power.
So, got any actual answers, or are you just as much of an empty blowhard as Trump?
There’s an option between violence and sitting on our hands while waiting for the election. The US economy is largely based on consumer spending. The action that hasn’t seriously been tried is mass boycotts; domestically and internationally concurrent. When unnecessary spending stops, the oligarchy buckles. They are the load bearing wall for this regime. Only being in it for the money, if you take that away ideologies quickly change, then there’s not a whole lot left. The wall crumbles.
We can literally quit buying into this system, all we need is the will. There’s no cost. No one can make you spend on unnecessary stuff, it would actually put money into your savings. Win-win!
Well if we all stopped spending the economy would collapse and people would lose their jobs. Not saying it isn’t worth trying but you are wrong that there’s no cost. Poor and working people would be hit the hardest.
I doubt that the economy would collapse. Profits taking a hit of a few percentage points would be a wake up call for most of the broligarchs, a few more points and they would be squealing like little piggies. Seems to me that the danger of a collapse is inevitable if we continue on the current path. I also question whether corporations would let go of their cheap labor without the usual fallback of migrant labor. Attracting and retaining people can get expensive. There was a mass exodus in the labor market during Covid. Those laid off used the opportunity to pivot. They people did not return to the jobs they hated.
You certainly would object to a foreigner telling you what to do. But what you have to do is civil disobedience, consumer boycotts, even a general strike, mass demonstrations (not picnics). But even though they have in the past been the most effective methods for change, Americans increasingly find excuses not to do anything. And while I'm at it, where are the people under 30? Remember Vietnam? They were the drivers of resistance; now they're invisible to everyone but their tiktok audience. Your citizens are being murdered in the street: where are the demonstrations?
More times than not, large scale demonstrations and civil disobediance do damage to to the cause.
They become rallying material that sways the election. BLM and Occupy protests are still used to claim that the Republicans are the only option for "law and order" voters.
The anti-Vietnam protests helped give us Reagan in the '66 election and Nixon in '68.
I remember four dead in Ohio. There are demonstrations, but they aren’t given much attention by the corporate media. Demonstrations are risky, and often organized by unserious people, picnics, as you say; but most of the protesters are quite serious.
Strikes are most costly to the people who can least afford them; the minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour. But, if we stop spending, especially at places with low pay and no benefits, at least those workers are still getting a paycheck. If more people knew about how general strikes work they might get behind one.The U.S. hasn’t had one in my memory.
Consumer spending accounts for approximately 2/3 of the economy. In my opinion that’s where the most leverage is. We are the ones with the real power of the purse, much larger than that of the congress.
Looks to me like the youth are busy organizing and voting for progressive candidates. Instead of democratic “leadership“ freaking out about this, they could pause and reflect on their weaknesses and failures and adjust to their constituency accordingly.
Gotta agree with you. I work with a group that’s organized protests in NJ. They draw meager crowds of people, mostly 60 or older, and some honking horns of cars driving by. Democratic politicians send out emails about a vile action the Trump Administration has done then ask for money; never a call to a rally or some other type of protest. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if Democrats win the House in November, because they’ve offered no positive reason to vote for them. Then I’ll be disappointed, because apart from some hearings they’ll just sit in their offices on Capitol Hill sending out more emails asking for money.
"Whatever the real motivation for these new tariffs, they are almost surely illegal."
Only on paper. We no longer have laws in this country, because the congressional Republicans have effectively repealed them by allowing Trump to violate them with impunity, and the Republican politicians on the Supreme Court have made him immune from prosecution. Not only have the laws limiting tariffs been repealed, the laws against murder have been.
Yet Trump has invented his own laws, allowing the prosecution of peaceful protesters for things they don't do, such as assaulting ICE criminals.
JL West - If only. I keep looking through the videos for some indication that there are more republicans that can put aside whatever ....dump is threatening them with, to do it.
How is impeaching him for a third time the answer?
The House impeaching Trump is meaningless. He doesn't care, and neither do his voters. It takes 67 votes in the Senate to convict and remove, and that's never going to happen.
Chris Martin, I wish there was some way for there to be a referendum, so we the people could all vote to get rid of …..dump and his cronies….all of them!.
Morning from Québec, our reaction (among friends and family) so far seems to be 'huh, look at that, the US doing US things. Meanwhile, did you see the world cup / municipal politics / the latest federal announcement?' I'm personally looking forward to our next defence announcement, the JAS Gripen fleet from SAAB should be coming soon, maybe after finalizing a partnership with Ukraine to manufacture drones. It's exciting days here on the national unity front.
Greetings from the US! Maybe your PM could pull out the 1980s sound bite where Canada was complaining about acid rain (resulting from US pollution) and Ronald Regan essentially said ‘sucks to be you’.
Glad you have Carney running the show. We only have a carny barker.
Early this July a Canadian firefighter volunteering in the fight vs. the Colorado wildfire died in the line of duty. Cdn crews have volunteered for decades to fight fires throughout the US. We here (& you in the US) have in recent years suffered 'poison' air filled with smoke from escalating wildfires on both sides of the border. Climate change, aggravated by inaction from the US in particular, has aggravated incidences of super-fires internationally. What does T do? Denial & cutting expertise & budgets dedicated to addressing these problems. What hypocrisy to 'blame Canada' for the recent smoke crisis. What a feeble distraction from his own deadly policies.
Meanwhile, the hypocrisy rears its ugly head as trump threatens Canada while simultaneously gutting the Clear Air Act. Thanks, buddy!
David
What is more disgusting than Trump is that Trump's approval rating is still 35%. The rating means about 60 million people, who are registered voters, approve of Trump despite the blatant corruption and violations of law, the lying, the attacks on Canada and other NATO allies, the attacks on democracy and elections, the rejection of environmental protection, the lack of affordability, the ICE raids on immigrants including the murders of American citizens and the illegal war with Iran. The 60 million includes MAGA with white male supremacists who hate women, blacks and immigrants.
However, the problem in America isn't just Trump and the 60 million who still approve of Trump. The problem is the lawless fascist autocracy which is being installed with an insurrection totally supported by Republicans in Congress, six justices on the Supreme Court and billionaire oligarchs. Trump's insurrection began on January 6, 2021, but the insurrection continued into 2025 and 2026. Trump, members of his administration, Republicans in Congress, six justices on the Supreme Court and billionaire oligarchs are violating federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383). According to the federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383), a felony crime is committed by “Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office”.
Remember in 2024 SCOTUS refused to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that permanently bars individuals from holding state or federal office if they previously swore and oath to the U.S. Constitution and later engaged in insurrection or rebellion. Therefore, Trump was allowed to be on the ballot and get elected.
The core problem in America is a corrupt legal and political system that refuses to enforce equal justice under the law.
If a new Democratic controlled Congress and a Democratic president are elected in 2028 because they adopt PROJECT 2029 that solves affordability, they will have a sworn obligation to enforce the federal law against insurrection and the Constitution to prosecute, convict, imprison, Trump, members of his administration, Republicans in Congress, six justices on the Supreme Court and billionaire oligarchs.
It's what Fascism is. Lean on wedge issues, division, demonize the 'others' and lying is justified. Trump wants us to believe we're under threat from communists, immigrants and anyone opposing them..
Besides guns, the other major issue that unites MAGA and Christian right is abortion. There's the 35% that knows he lies but supports Trump no matter what.
One issue voters. I know because I have an extended family member who is one of them - and admits it. Abortion! that was the one and only issue and to hell with all the other red flags in 2016. That is one part of the Republican voters. The other is "I have always voted Republican" without a hint of doing any due diligence. And then there are the cult members that will believe anything this idiot says and vote for/with him. Independents, Democrats and (I wish) even some sane Republicans must turn out in droves in 2026 and 2028. Otherwise, we are going down the tubes.
Bingo! Give that man a cigar! The roots of Trumpism run deep, don't they.
About that 35% approval rating. Read something recently breaking the numbers down more. That 35% includes strongly approves and somewhat approves. The strongly approves has dropped to 15%. It used to be at 30%. Trump is losing support even among his most die hard supporters. Even if the media isn't reporting it.
The approvals indicate to me that some people don’t like everything Trump does but would still vote for him if he were on the ballot and would always vote for almost all Republicans
Huzza huzza!! Incredibly well said. Nooow, where are the Dem Pols shouting this into every microphone?
Democrats would need some spine and aggressiveness to go after these crooks they haven't hitherto shown. You certainly don't want a Merrick Garland as AG
Totally agree and hope that everyone on Substack agrees but apparently there may be people who want to not enforce the law or interpret enforcement as stupid or unnecessary.
Roberts
court:
Eat our
Despotism
Losers
Someone should point that out to Trump!
He won't listen, not sure he reads, and convinced his brain is gone
Anything to distract from the Epstein files - and it works. Trump knows this will get his political opponents upset (and yelling). He knows that when liberals get angry MAGAs get happy. This has nothing to do with the actual action or postulated goals/rationales (he knows it will never be implemented; or reversed). It's all about manipulating public attention and making his base happy.
That is very sad that your definition of happiness is someone else being sad. Sadistic really
We had a thread here last week on the items from the Persian Gulf that are also running short (fertilizer, LNG, petrochemicals for plastic, helium, investment capital, and aluminum) aside from oil. The USA gets 62% of its aluminum imports from Canada and 20% from the Emirates. Canadian aluminum accounts for about half of USA consumption.
https://www.tendata.com/blogs/import/10794.html
I pointed out that more than ever, the USA should not piss off Canada. George Patterson replied that Canada is already reorienting its aluminum sales to Europe.
Confirmation:
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/international/2026/05/27/canada-turns-from-us-to-europe-as-iran-war-propels-aluminum-higher/
I'm stocking up on canned cat food.
I still have, down in the cold storage, the "camping" food we stocked up on in spring of COVID, when no-one knew if there was going to be food in the stores that winter.
Aside from that, pissing off the Orange Cancer must be done with caution, I believe, because someone as evil as he is can't be predictable... I'm so grateful for our new-ish Prime Minister--not because I support every decision, but because that means that there's at least one sane adult in the room when he & the Deviant get together.....
I totally agree. I am trying to do what I can to help get rid of this mad buffoon occupying the White House. (I am a US citizen)
This is what really cheeses my crackers. The blatant hypocrisy that his supporters lap right up.
1) Wildfires, extreme weather, pests, disease, etc are exponentially worse because of clime change. Not only has the US been slow, but, more often than not, we’ve refused to change. Trump has not just voided the little progress made but is actively trying to take us backwards and increase our negative contributions again.
2) We have our own fires raging, yearly, because of climate change, mismanagement, dilapidated infrastructure, poor funding, idiots doing gender reveal smoke, etc. Trump is doing nothing to address issues surrounding US wildfires. He is making it worse, including the aftermath with cuts to FEMA budgets and personnel.
3) Air quality!? As he wants to increase fossil fuel usage, roll back emission standards from a to z, guts monitoring and research funding and personnel. He would love to shutter the EPA, NOAA, NWS, NPS, and any other agency that conducts that monitoring and research in order to make recommendations or enact regulatory standards that protect the very Americans he claims to care about.
He is such a blatant liar and criminal. I wish the rest of the world’s leaders would completely, COMPLETELY stop engaging with him and anyone in this administration. Zero tolerance. Shut them all out.
Amen to that! We should all totally shut him out. He should never be trusted and it’s not worth our time to listen to him. I hope our new prime minister—AND the king—refuse to have anything more to do with him. If that means we have to do without some American stuff, so be it.🇬🇧
Not to mention yet another distraction from The Epstein Files.
"We here (& you in the US) have in recent years suffered 'poison' air "
----
In the Trump/MAGA universe, nothing is ever our fault, and we are totally being victimized by you stoopid meanyheads and we'll make you pay!
There is no relenting when upon his inauguration he killed virtually all efforts to quell any form of reducing greenhouse gasses and proclaimed ONLY COAL( WONDERFUL “CLEAN” COAL) AND PETROLEUM!
With Trump you get no gratitude or credit for anything you do for him or the US. That is his enormous sense of entitlement.
Hypocrisy is completely lost (along with irony!) amongst the MAGA cult
But Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and President George H. W. Bush came to an agreement about acid rain, acting with good intention and on behalf of their nations. In 1991, they signed the Acid Rain treaty. It was a wonderful success, and many lakes and forests were saved from the scourge of acid rain. This was a fine example of the mutual respect and cooperation practiced between our countries. We can do this together again. ♥️
When the orange menace is gone, hopefully soon as his mental condition is rapidly deteriorating, my country will began the long road back to join civilized nations. Justifiably, the road back will be long as we have demonstrated our capacity for incredible stupidity by electing a clearly unqualified mentally defective criminal twice. If the first mistake can be excused as ignorance there can be no excuse for doing it a second time other than we are clearly not who we constantly tell the world are. Canadians should feel fortunate to have Mark Carney in charge.
It's not just Trump. It's the entire republican party that has become unhinged. 30 years of Fox propaganda has poisoned 30% of the country. With lies and hate. When Trump is gone. They will still be here.
re your first sentence, correct me if I'm wrong please, but if the Orange Cancer were to be declared non compos, or die, in office, wouldn't that mean that Vance would step into the same nasty shoes?
I don't think he's as adept at evil as his boss is, but.....
Well, unfortunately that is true but it is also true JD apparently doesn’t have the same appeal to the MAGA base and he seems to be very politically inept. As soon as he cannot demonstrate political support he will be abandoned.
Not until Trump is in charge. He’s a madman. Two and a half years of this buffoon is a bit too long. With an impotent Congress the future of Canadian American relationship does not look rosy.
I hope you’re right about being able to “do this again”. But the rest of the world has lost trust in us. Even if we get a Blue Wave they fear that we’ll elect another trump-type government in 4 or 8 years. And we just might given the stupidity and disengagement of so many voters. The people who didn’t vote in this last election or voted for third party candidates and consequently allowed this nightmare have done such damage. If we somehow manage to throw out Republicans in November and trump later we need to be relentless with investigations and consequences for those who participated in the administration’s lawlessness; relentless in changing strengthening the rule of law and political practices that have helped get us here; relentless in changing things like term limits SCOTUS and law makers. And we need to do it with the understanding that it will take more than one or two election cycles to undo the damage.
It's the left that will screw it up for us AGAIN. James Talarico was confronted by a Crockett supporter recently. They didn't their preferred candidate so they threatening to sit it out. Not vote or vote 3rd party. Helping to elect Paxton. Just like Bernie Bros did in 2016. Because it's all about them and not the country. It's the left in this country. That are the republicans best friends. Helping them win election after election. Because they didn't get their perfect candidate to vote for. All or nothing gets us republican rule. The left does it over and over must be what they want to happen. Better a republican in power than an imperfect democrat. This is how the left thinks. ALL OR NOTHING. Why we usually end up getting nothing.
I agree Red Oct Blue. But the future is as CAM says, “we can do this together again”. - thanks Paul.
As a European, I listen your California's governator and I think he talks like a Maga. Same shit.
A democratic president will never acts to fix the problems, just pretends to be loved like new Obama. Change my mind.
Thanks for correcting my omission; I oversimplified.
Unfortunately, not with the current clown "in charge" in the US. Some day we'll have a real president whose first priority has to be restoring US - Canada relations.
Good heavens, my deepest sympathies go out to whoever is able to step into the chasm Trump and his puppeteers have created. Long and arduous do not even begin to touch on the work that will need to be done. I suppose the Germans and Japanese did it. We can, too, if we can cut the rot out.
The only relations Canada will have with the U.S. going forward will be 'frosty.' We are beyond expecting anything but more of the same from your corrupt government and judicial system, populated by criminals and perverts. You'll be the neighbour next door who we don't do more than nod to as we pass, all the while muttering under our breath, 'What an asshole.' The U.S. has become a 'confederacy of dunces' who remain oblivious to the pot of boiling water they are floating in, as Trump puts the burner on high and cooks you all. With Canada, the U.S. has betrayed a trust and that will never be forgotten. At first you had our sympathy; this 2nd go round is quickly turning that sympathy to contempt. I see schadenfreude on the horizon.
But acid rain was a result of deliberate policy to burn highly polluting coal. It wasn't an act of god. And as was pointed out, the wildfires are a consequence of global warming, for which we bear a great deal of responsibility. In effect we are exporting disasters to other countries, and then blaming them when the effects come home to us.
I’ve always loved “America borders on the magnificent: Canada” promos from the 80s.
https://canadianculturething.com/america-borders-on-the-magnificent/
That's an insult to Carney barkers. We have a senile narcissist who has lost the little impulse control he ever had.
NJ and NY also complained about acid rain.
Yeah.... acid rain did a number in the Adirondacks, which is the area I love most in the world (and live very close to!). I am really worried about what's going to happen after four years of Trump
We will lose most of the National Forests to logging and significant portions of our National Parks and Monuments to development. Bison will be nearly exterminated to satisfy cattle interests. The introduction of wolves to Yellowstone will be reversed to satisfy the elk hunters. I've read that they've already started mining in the Grand Canyon.
Carney is clearly better than Trump, but he's planning to construct a second oil pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to British Columbia. This will aggravate climate change and increase the likelihood of more fires in Canada. The mining of tar sands in Alberta is itself an environmental disaster.
The pipeline goes through BC to reach the sea. The plan is to sell oil to China and quit selling oil to the U.S. (or at least force the U.S. to pay full price). If this is not done, there is a good chance that Alberta will secede (and the U.S. administration is agitating for that secession).
We will still be selling oil to the US through the existing pipeline as well as the new one Trump has approved, as long as the next president doesn't cancel it.
There is clearly a down side to Carney. But he was the best option in dealing with Trump.
Speaking of acid rain, I'm sure that Trump's announcement of Welcome to the Golden Age is an example of his confusion with his love of "golden showers".
Oh I hope Carney does not make more concession, and sees this as a ploy to extract concession. Carney appeases Trump as much as he can; Canadians do not like it when he does. Where has "Elbow's up" gone? Conservatives are lambasting Carney for getting Canada into this position.
He placates a baby…
Yes, but those who do not placate him are punished severely. Carney is in a difficult position. He has to be careful. But every time he gives in, like with digital services tax, Canada gets nothing back.
nope : call T bluff. It will slither away...
I hope so. But our automotive industry is dying. Tens of thousand of jobs. Trump is intransigent on bring back the automotive industry back to the USA.
Ha ha!😅 I didn’t know it . From Canada: yes definitely “suck to be you and to be us “ living so close to your deranged president . He’s ruining the whole world not only us. If you all stop working and paying taxes you will put your country against him and his goons .
Are you sure two more years like now will be possible?!
Anyway thanks so much to Paul Krugman for his great service in writing these important articles that give us hope and good musical codes 🥰
Bcarny arker is damning with faint praise
I just wake up saying "huh, look at that, Congress and SCOTUS, letting Trump do Trump things..." I feel like I'm in an endless nightmare of Thanksgiving dinner with a crazy uncle and I can't wake up."
And the uncle is being given free rein not just to holler and throw things, but to burn down the house....
What you said right there is what pisses me off the most. The whole apparatus encouraging this bullshit. And notice it keeps sliding beyond belief. That’s not good. And we citizens know it.
We profusely apologize for having let this loathsome cement head within a thousand miles of the lowest public service job in the least populated district in the most backward fever swamp of Deliverance Country. Unfortunately we seem to have elected him president twice, so we got what we deserved. You didn't.
By which you mean to say that unfortunately US voters won't elect a woman, not no way, not no how, no matter how qualified she is, no matter how vile, puerile and purblind her (male) opponent is.
Robert Heinlein proposed a possible government for the U.S. in which no man could vote, work in any part of the legal profession (except possibly as a file clerk), or serve in government (except possibly as a file clerk). He pointed out that that is exactly the position women were in for the first 150 years of our country. In many parts of the country, women couldn't even own property.
Myopia is a harsh mistress eh
Perfect.
We have already proven that twice. At the rate we are going, we might elect a woman in the 2090s.
Biden 2020 was -13% in the men over 50 demo.
Harris was -20%, Hillary was -18%
That is about a 5th of the voting population. If they had received Biden's share, Hillary gets an easy win and Harris ties the popular vote.
Life expectancy of a 50 year old man in the US is about 28 years, but let's round that down to 25 for MAGA health practices.
And divide that by 2 because there are more open minded younger voters each year.
So, 2036 looks like a viable target, assuming an exceptionally qualified woman and an obviously incompetent man are the options for President.
Yes, the only way we'll elect a woman President is if both parties run women in the same election. For a better analysis of how women would do things differently read "Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?"
This!!!☝️
Musk won the last election, not Trump.
Musk did not win it. He bought it. The rest is less certain. What is clear is that the Trump campaign was not based on anything other than hate and lies and fear. Nobody was eating the cats and dogs. “Transgender for everyone” is a hideous bit of bigotry that makes no sense whatsoever. And the economy was recovering nicely.
Thank you
But we have it pummeled in our face.
While if we continue to build defence to fight the last war Gripen only choice for us in Canada. However, after buying the 18 f35 we contractually agreed to, (we comply with our legal obligations unlike Trump) we should allocate the fighter jet funds to massive drone force
The Americans are not capable of delivering the F35 or the Patriot. China will not let them manufacture them. The Japanese have been waiting for 8 years for the delivery of billions of USD of weaponry which the Japanese paid for years ago. The World is learning just how dishonest and untrustworthy Americans are. Trump is just the scab on top of the putrid pus. It was always thus ... we were all just too polite.
I haven't been proud to be an American for quite some time.
Patriot system production stands at 600 missiles per year. We blew off nearly two years' production in the first month of the Iran war. It will be a very long time before we send more to other countries.
We know George. It is one of two main reasons the rest of NATO are looking elsewhere to more honest, honourable and frankly capable prime defence contractors. BTW we who have served in the North Atlantic are waiting with bated breath to watch how you guys are going to invade Greenland without arctic trained forces, no logistics and no ice breakers. Better take a lot of KFC nuggets for those long winters. A lot of us reckon your invasion will turn into a search and rescue mission and we won't be too willing to lend a hand. At least we won't have to shoot you; the climate and your own incompotence will do the job for the rest of NATO.
I expect the plan is to set up at least two more military bases there (Vance was there a while back trying to set that up). Once done, the troops would be flown in. I read some time back that an international military force had moved in on Greenland with the explicit objective of demolishing runways in the event.
I've not heard how successful Vance was. There's an old treaty that allows the U.S. to set up additional bases in Greenland, but Denmark could certainly refuse to adhere to it. If my flying monkeys were calling the shots, I'd tell Vance to put it where the sun don't shine.
Norway?
BTW the $$$$ to be returned to Iran is for jets they paid for but were not delivered
pal you are not looking around: flying stuff are for randomly dropping bombs ..for Canada, where will that be? For the US--any black/brown populated country is good enough, for zionists, any arab country...as it is written in their books.
On the other hand, methinks, defensive actions will come out of EW technology with msec rate of detection that trump bomb is coming Shoot that down.
IE, without ultrafast ultra modern detection of incoming flying objects--at any height , is dumb " defense" policy.
Hi Quebec- more Quebec here. You are right on….
Pas deux sans trois! Hello Québec here also. Maybe we should order some pizza and poutine since we’ve gathered together but otherwise , yeah I ‘m all in with Quebec 1. Would love to hear more from Là Belle Province! Until then a là prochaine.
Hey, if you don't take the communications from President Chump more seriously, he's gonna hold his breath until he turns blue! And then you'll be sorry!
We might be, when Vance takes over, but I'll chance it.
Orange and blue is a bad look.
Just ask any Mets fan.
Andy Borowitz for the win today: https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/canadian-prime-minister-tells-trump
His sense of humor is excellent.
You're lucky to have normal people in charge where you are, as opposed to here, the land of the 77 million. I have fond memories of time I spent in Montreal years ago. My choice for exile is still Tuscany, but if global warming makes Montreal a bit warmer, I'll start polishing my French.
We loved what we saw of Quebec City.
Haven't been but I've heard it's nice. Montreal has better night life, though.
Good to know. We only saw what was visible on the cab ride from the docks to the train station (Montreal was the last stop on our cruise and we took Amtrak home).
I hope it will come, but a Gripen deal has not been confirmed yet, so the "fleet" will take a long time to materialize. A big dilemma for Carney is the optimal timing for such an announcement. I would not expect it until after January 2027, when Trump will be hopefully somewhat more constrained by Congress. Anyway, the first four Canadian F35's will be available before the end of this year for pilot training. How that goes should inform the decision on the Gripens.
Nothing like having the Republican Party wreck the us defense industry. I mean, well done Republicans!
Thanks! What is the process for us to become a Province of Canada?
Seeing someone from Quebec use the phrase “exciting days on the national unity front” brings tears of joy to my eyes. ❤️ Quebec ❤️🇨🇦
Go Canada!
Please adopt me.
I, for one, (a EU citizen), am boycotting all US goods and services, as much as possible, until further notice. I would urge non-US citizens around the world to do the same, until the US rejoins the ranks of civilized nations.
Add US citizens in boycotting US products. Many of us are as disgusted as you regarding the state of this country.
💯
Count this American Citizen in Don B. Doing what I can, moving my Tech footprint to Europe, when I can buy Canadian I do. Being retired I have time to research before I buy :)
Spread your work! If you have any readily available and/or everyday-ish brands or products, please share. It would be greatly appreciated by those who may not have that time.
I’m with you, David!
So, I shouldn't go to local US restaurants, or shop in US stores? Trashing our communities businesses isn't going to make Trump go away, it's only going to make us all more miserable. (US citizen here) By all means boycott Trumps comrades in arms...tech bros, oil, big ag and crypto, but go to Costco who treat their employees well.
Yes, good point. I should have been more specific regarding targeting select businesses in the US that support Trump.
Costco is one of the good guys. Whole Foods is not nor is Amazon. It is possible to shop selectively and still support local businesses and even chains that do the right thing.
There are some very nice NY State wines if you can not find the really excellent Canadian wines.
US citizens can support our neighbors until this regime is out of power by boycotting as many US goods and some services as possible. Here’s a list of the corporations bankrolling the biggest supporters of ICE. And let’s not forget WaPo not endorsing VP Harris. We cancelled prime video and stopped buying from Amazon the same day, as did many others. Turns out we don’t need to be able to buy anything we want and have it delivered in two days. In fact, our lives are more serene without all the stuff and there’s more money to donate to reconstruction 2.0 organizations.
https://popular.info/p/these-consumer-brands-are-bankrolling?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=26o631&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I’m in total agreement! Boycott our own companies that aid and abet Trump!
I have a problem today. I sold a vintage outfit I once wore to a woman in Canada for $370. The item is held up by customs. They want $150! Outrageous! How in the world do I deal with this? I lowered my price already. I suppose she may have to send it back. This asshole is crazy!
As a U.S. citizen I say please do boycott us! Don’t give in to Trump! Help us get rid of him!
We will as soon as Donald is in prison
In the meantime, if the AGs of the six states with misprision laws on the books issue warrants, DC metro police will round up them up. They can be detained in gritty city jails for up to 30 days pending extradition to the respective states. Looking at you, CA, IL, VT, VA, DE, and RI.
united states citizen here.
thank you
I hope that means you are writing from a Linux computer! If not it is much easier than it seems, providing you get your local store to install it for you.
I am! Linux ever since Slackware 0.9
Please see Prof. Krugman's Substack on digital currency. As an EU citizen, push them to adapting digital currency as a means of payment rather than having to use VISA and Mastercard. If EU adopted it, UK would follow, then Canada could. Please, please.
And I, a US citizen, am buying primarily Canadian products, tariffs be damned.
I wish we didn't have to say we are citizens of a nation-state and instead could say we are citizens of a given moral framework.
As a US citizen, I thank you. Maybe you will be able to hurt the oligarchs who have captured our country.
That won't happen until 2029 and there is a 50/50 chance the American electorate is dumb -with a b- enough to put another Republican in charge. After all they voted for Trump 2.0.
And they voted for a Republican controlled House in 2010, only two years after the financial crisis. They also voted for Republican control at the state level, which was part of the strategy to get the USA to Project 2025. Again, only two years after the financial crisis and all the other Bush II disasters.
Yeah, like JD Vance, described in, I believe the New Yorker, as an “opportunistically malleable demagogic provocateur.” Given that description, he is likely to win.
I am a US citizen in the EU doing the same.
Thank you from canada
I too am boycotting spending except for food, medicine and other necessities. I call it "saving 100%".
From US: We've taken our recent vacations in Canada. Hope you're OK with us spending our dollars there, nice place! and also a statement of support against this craziness.
👍And I’m a U.S. citizen. Shame we have to rely on the rest of the word to beat some sense into my fellow citizens.
I would appreciate suggestions of EU or Canadian substitutes for US goods and services so I can also participate from US. I don’t think people in the U.S. know different alternatives that are just as good if not better.
Just in case you weren’t paying attention America - YOU pay the tariffs! Also, even if the provincial ban on U.S. alcohol gets lifted to soothe your thin-skinned gov’t do you really think Canadians will resume buying your alcohol like before as long as your “leaders keeps threatening us and his signature isn’t worth snot??
"But these policies were themselves a response to the tariffs on Canadian goods Trump had previously imposed, without justification. Canadians were also reacting to Trump’s repeated demands that Canada surrender its independence and become the 51st state."
As childish as it sounds, "TRUMP STARTED IT".
He starts fights and then revels in malicious escalation till everyone is covered in the shit he's throwing around.
Toddler tactics.
No one is surprised, and only the MAGA faithful are fooled (again).
The main reason he keeps attacking Canada is that his bullying didn't work. Ditto for NATO.
Yup, we are pissed.
Better pissed off than pissed on.
We in the US pay the tariffs. 1. I don't think the new tariffs will actually happen. 2. The tariffs mostly hurt US citizens its a sales tax that hits to lowest incomes the hardest.
Being Buddhist, I do not wish him ill but I do think everyone would be happier if he would join a monastery and take a vow of silence.
Not being a buddhist, I wish all the evils of the world to pour out on his head and the heads of his family, his acolytes and MAGA idiots.
I'm with you Paula. Although Milton has a point in that being forced to be quiet (it would involve having to literally stuff something in his mouth) would probably be one of the worst tortures you could inflict on him.
And monastic life means no pirouetting before TV cameras. He’d shrivel up and die without the attention.
Perfect!
Perhaps, but I think you also have to cut off his hands (or at least remove his access to (anti)social media.
I mostly blame Republicans in Congress…Trump has always been a narcissistic carnival barker. He sold his goods to a population of greed or ignorance. Our 3 branches of government should be protecting democracy…they are NOT!
I blame them !
It takes more than your government to protect democracy - it takes you, and tens of millions of Americans, in the street, demanding better.
You know, here in Canada, except for a few idiot Alberta separatists who are a teeny tiny minority in that province, Canadians are not polarized the way the US is and has been for decades. And I believe if we saw that kind of division developing, we would do something about it. Unfortunately, your much vaunted "checks and balances" have proven to be a mirage when faced with idealogues permeating the GOP. We may look boring to much of the world, but we have an extremely safe and sane country, and we're all pretty happy with our lot. But someone like Trump comes along and threatens us? Oops. Watch out.
Let's find that monastery! I could add quite a few more who should follow Trump there. They could silently look at each other.
I think Gitmo would make a fine monastery.
Alligator Alcatraz.
Looking at each other would be like looking in the mirror and scowling. Say, why not cover the walls with mirrors?
Being an admirer of many Buddhists I can only hope that Trump be lost should he decide to find a path leading to a monastery. This is my attempt at writing a koan:
Is there a difference between a Trump way and trumping ways?
That's so perfect. I agree wholeheartedly
I would be happier were he to live in a single wide in Florida, ride a scooter to work at the Dollar store.
I'd settle for the vow of silence…
Making Herbert Hoover great again.
Hoover was actually a humanitarian who ended up out of his depth as president.
It could be suggested to Trump that he could do a lot himself to curb the US contribution to Canadian forest fires, by accelerating US adoption of clean sustainable energy--wind and solar.
Plus accelerated shutting down of US oil and gas burning and production, as fast as possible: to slow down the rate of global heating, to which the US is such a great contributor--causing Canadian forest fires.
But it would be a waste of time.
Trump repeatedly states that climate change is a "hoax" and a "con"--but it hasn't stopped him allegedly raising the height of sea walls at Mar-a-Lago, against rising sea level.
No "probably " about it. A windmill might obstruct his view. Solar doesn't pay enough graft. If oil companies were smart, they would become energy companies and invest in their own futures.
It's the rational answer for oil companies to invest in clean energy production to secure their own futures, but Trump is putting every obstacle in their way by trying to block clean energy projects at the planning stage, eg by appointing a climate change denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Because its wind turbines spoilt the view from his golf course, Trump even stopped a large offshore wind farm halfway through construction: paying the developer $billions in compensation from taxpayers money.
Clean energy projects are going ahead in many states because Trump can't stop them, but only California seems to have thoroughly resisted Trump's dead hand stopping an inevitable energy transition.
His actions also mean the USA will fall behind the rest of the world in the inevitable transition to clean energy. Unfortunately this also means Americans will not share in the financial benefits that accrue those leading the way to the future. All because we elected a petty vindictive old man who is easily purchased with money, shiny objects and flattery.
Yes: why Trump makes absurd claims about China "not itself using wind turbines it sells to the world"--part of his grievance / being ripped off / tariff war spiel.
While China has actually made and uses more wind turbines itself, than the rest of the world put together. And China is leading the clean energy revolution that Trump is trying so hard to stop.
Cannot remember who referred to the economic "resource curse": where a country's wealth has been built on extractive industry which has become damaging in some way, but cannot tear itself away from continued dependence on this resource, to develop an alternative.
And Trump believes climate change is a "hoax" and a "con"--so the redundant "probably" has gone
Well his solution is to drive nuclear, but the nuclear industry says none of his nuclear policies actually make sense, and they don't believe he can actually deliver competent leadership before his term runs out. I wonder what gave them that idea?
This is part of his motivation to shrink the two National Monuments in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante (both created by Democrats). They're in the way of uranium mining (and coal, oil, and gas 'development'). Talk about killing the Golden Goose!
I actually meant his uranium generation plans. Uranium mining in the US is just brain-achingly silly, like so much related to Trump. The absurdity of destroying the natural habitat of the US for small low grade uranium deposits, when Canada has vast high grade uranium deposits in swamp-like areas devoid of life is amazing. But then Trump would have to stop making enemies of friends.
I actually didn't know about the link to Bear Ears, which I see is only "potentially interesting" from a miners perspective.
Nukes are a very expensive way to make steam and, as France worried the cooling waters from rivers may be too hot, due to climate change, to adequately cool the reactors.
Smart.
If green energy supporters could exceed the contributions of the fossil fuel industry that support his politics and personal enrichment he would immediately become a green energy supporter. Also must overcome his anger that he can see wind turbines from his golf course in Scotland. With tRump all one must do is follow the money and as long as it ends up in his pocket he will support whatever is being paid for.
Yes, "Drill baby drill" is basically all about money: and the value of investments in fossil fuels depends on proved reserves--which requires continued exploration drilling.
And to recover the costs of exploration, naturally fossil fuel outfits want to exploit reserves to sell too--which requires further exploration to maintain reserves to maintain gas & oil value for investors.
So of course it's easiest for Trump to dismiss climate science as a con and climate change as a hoax. Until clean energy becomes abundant and SO much cheaper than fossil fuels, that all those investors suddenly find themselves with stranded assets--what they're currently trying to avoid, or at least stave off the collapse for as long as possible.
And given the sudden arrival of AI on the scene, with giant datacentres guzzling huge amounts of energy and water for cooling, that gives oil and gas a new lease of life, especially if clean energy projects can be strangled at or before birth.
It is about grift. Clean energy doesn't need to pay grift, so Trump is not interested.
His feeling on wind power won't change. He's not angry at the windmills per se; he's angry that he couldn't bully the Scottish government into cancelling the program. He vents that anger at the entire industry.
I tend to think he IS angry at "windmills" (wind turbines) per se: because they symbolise his defeat by the Scottish government--the outrageous, unreasonable, unforgiveable defeat of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States! the most powerful man in the world!
And NO narcissist can tolerate being a loser. Or being seen as a loser.
So those windmills had better watch out: because he's not having them--to remind the world that he, Donald J. Trump, is a loser.
So yes, he vents his anger at the whole industry.
Of course there is also Trump's "Drill, baby, drill" policy--and no way he's going to let windmills threaten that. Fossil fuel money is far too important for the Republican party to risk losing any of its huge fossil fuel donations / bribes.
Many oil giants have invested in renewables, I used to work for BP Wind Energy, yes, that BP
I was pretty sure this was true, but can you address the point that Gabriel made, the small percentage of their investment in clean energy as opposed to oil production, refinement and distribution?
Yes but unfortunately (so far as I know) their investment in developing renewables has never exceeded 1% of investment in their core business.
What you are suggesting is a rational, data-based approach to climate change. And with Trump, the republicans, the Supreme Court, and most oligarchs, it will not happen.
Of course it won't
Pathetic, isn’t it? I want to scream!
No probably about it.
True: comment edited accordingly
Clearly Canada didn't follow trump's advice to rake their 2 million acres of forest.
While visiting wildfire damage in Paradise, California, in November 2018, Trump claimed he spoke with Finland's president about how they "spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things" to avoid fires.
Trump will use any possible excuse to support whatever unreasonable argument he can come up with.
He's so disgusting, putrid and awful, and I'm so tired of all this.
I blocked all my MAGA contacts, but every now and then I want to have one so I can say "surely by now you have come to your senses"? Realistically, I am better off imagining they have, than checking and being disappointed.
They’re as delusional as Trump himself. I know one Trump supporter. Last time I talked to her was the week after July 4th and she told me how she’d watched Trump’s July 4th celebration with tears in her eyes: 🤯. How??? Idk how to begin to talk to her about Trump anymore. She used to be eager to engage me in discussions about politics so I’d hoped that meant some doubt was creeping in. Maybe that’s why she was so eager to discuss July 4th? She could paint over any misgivings with a coat of patriotism. That sounds like grasping at straws and I probably am.
That reminds me of a coworker who was enthralled with Sarah Palin back in 2008. Never mind the financial crisis, a recession, and two quagmire wars that resulted from Republican policies. After talking with her a while I realized her perspective started in childhood when she was bullied and taught to be subservient to men, and her husband was a Tea Party/MAGA type who listened to Fox incessantly. It made me think part of the USA’s political problem is the disinvestment in psychological counseling since the early 1970s in favor of pharmaceuticals. There seems to be a lot of people who never overcame their childhoods.
I think she is genuinely frightened by change and has convinced herself that a changed world is a worse world. Me saying that humans have always felt that way, going back to Ancient Greece, just didn’t pack any punch that I could see. The only conversation I ever had with her that seemed to have gotten her thinking was once when she was ranting about “trans” people and how the whole idea was wrong- normal MAGA take on the topic. She’s a hair stylist and was mentored by a gay male hair stylist whose business she eventually took over and with whom she still is in regular contact 20 years later. I asked if she wanted him to have to go back in the closet and hide who he was. I was heartened by how quickly she said “no.” I then asked if her parents would have felt that way and she said “no.” Seeing an example of change in her own close circle did seem to make her consider how she came to her vehemently expressed opinion on trans people and she did say the concept was just too alien and new for her to feel comfortable with it. I was amazed. She’s so adamant in drawing lines. So one day one success vs. 30-40 rants straight from Fox News.
That in turn reminds me of someone who was denying the Rohingya genocide based on what his position was on the Gaza-Israel situation. He just made up his facts for the Burmese genocide out of thin air, by analogy.
Even if one comes to his or her senses, it is not human nature to admit it to you.
True. Maybe she talked about the July 4th festivities because she felt she now had something Trump-related she _could_ talk about without any doubt creeping in.
Hello Paul,
Your final, summary, paragraph hits the nail on the head, “Well, I don’t see a golden age. ….”
Indeed, the 47th President of the USA really is a Caligula for the twenty-first century, with most harm accruing at home.
Anthony
We are the USA, with trump we have become the pariah
of the world.
I am so sick of all his crap!! Like a petulant child, he has not gotten enough attention from them and is being outshined by their Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who the rest of the world greatly respects and admires!
tRump also got seriously outbooed at the world cup final, he has to be truly demented to subject himself to such noisy humiliation, and if he doesn't know what to expect, he truly ignores his advisors, who I am sure wish he would just stay home for the rest of his term. The WNBA all star game is coming up, I wonder if he will try to insert himself into the glory same as at Argentina v Spain. BTW, kudos both to the Spanish team both for winning and putting even more egg/huevo on his face. Reminder that tRump is seriously pissed off at the Spanish PM.......
Commenters here will protest that it is not them, but Trump and Maga. However, Trump does this in the name of the country, and the results are catastrophic to the international system, and one of the oldest, most peaceful alliances in history. You've burned this alliance for generations, and you're just sitting there waiting for the midterms, as if that will change anything. You are a damaged country, and like most damaged humans, you won't admit how far down the road you have gone to destruction. You can't, or won't, see and act.
Exactly right. This Montrealer used to love weekend and holiday biking in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Never shall I cross into the USA again, never. No trust left.
I share your perspective. I maximize my economic leverage in the defence of our country. Seems like you do the same.
I haven't crossed the border since his first admin. When I was threatened in Newark Airport for carrying two passports (Irish and Canadian) and held in Homeland Security for 3 hours. Nearly missed my connecting flight. I was terrifiied.
Oh, FFS. I'm sorry that happened to you.
Thank you. I remember this wonderful US woman hugging me when I finally got to the waiting room and whispering: "Don't ever travel alone anymore; I never do." Talk of prescient!
In NJ we benefitted from lots of visitors from Canada to our sandy beaches. But no more, Canadian business is way down. (Our is the most northern state to have the Atlantic Coastal Plain). So an easy drive down from Quebec.
This British Columbian, who LOVED the US, loved Washington DC New York Des Moines Palm Springs Phoenix and everywhere else she visited, will not be back. Heck, we used to do weekly trips across the border to Seattle back in the day.
It is so sad.
In Toronto we all drove down to Buffalo on the weekends, just whizzed across the border with a "Welcome Canucks!" from the border people. No more.
It's a good thing you don't set foreign policy for Canada. In the second world war, Canada's enemies were Germany, Italy, and Japan. Now Canada is a fellow G7 country and maintains excellent diplomatic and trade relations with all three. Yeah, Canada-US relations are probably at a relative low right now (Trudeau Sr and Nixon also comes to mind). But things will get better. Thank goodness our PM is a pragmatist.
Your analogy would only work if Trump and the GOP are not only deposed, but he, his cabinet, and a number of GOP leaders are tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as for treason; the worst of them executed, the rest imprisoned for the rest of their lives. After that, the GOP and its signature ideologies and policies are declared illegal and the party and its symbols forbidden.
That is what happened in the three countries you mentioned, before they were allowed to rejoin the community of civilized nations. It is also what should have happened to the Confederacy after 1865, and the fact that it didn’t has a lot to do with how the US got to this point.
Spot on. I have long maintained that much that is currently wrong with this country would not have happened if the confederacy had been treated differently after the civil war. Any other country would have either executed or imprisoned for life the confederate leaders. I also believe their states should have been dissolved and their capital buildings razed. New states should have been formed with new capital cities. Military occupation should have continued for a generation to make it fairly certain their attitudes had mostly changed. Instead reconstruction was allowed to fail so, while they had a military defeat, they ultimately won a culture war that largely persists today. The modern GOP has given permission for the worst aspects of the culture war win to emerge from under their various rocks and become mainstream.
Act how? Please answer that question. I doubt you have an actual realistic answer.
Conviction and removal by the Senate requires 67 votes. That is a political impossibility. To suggest otherwise ignores reality.
An armed uprising? Did you not pay attention to the pro-Trump insurrection? Trump controls multiple law enforcement agencies, the DC National Guard and the US military. Furthermore, he has legions of armed white supremacist gangs that would gladly act to keep him in power.
So, got any actual answers, or are you just as much of an empty blowhard as Trump?
There’s an option between violence and sitting on our hands while waiting for the election. The US economy is largely based on consumer spending. The action that hasn’t seriously been tried is mass boycotts; domestically and internationally concurrent. When unnecessary spending stops, the oligarchy buckles. They are the load bearing wall for this regime. Only being in it for the money, if you take that away ideologies quickly change, then there’s not a whole lot left. The wall crumbles.
We can literally quit buying into this system, all we need is the will. There’s no cost. No one can make you spend on unnecessary stuff, it would actually put money into your savings. Win-win!
Well if we all stopped spending the economy would collapse and people would lose their jobs. Not saying it isn’t worth trying but you are wrong that there’s no cost. Poor and working people would be hit the hardest.
I doubt that the economy would collapse. Profits taking a hit of a few percentage points would be a wake up call for most of the broligarchs, a few more points and they would be squealing like little piggies. Seems to me that the danger of a collapse is inevitable if we continue on the current path. I also question whether corporations would let go of their cheap labor without the usual fallback of migrant labor. Attracting and retaining people can get expensive. There was a mass exodus in the labor market during Covid. Those laid off used the opportunity to pivot. They people did not return to the jobs they hated.
You certainly would object to a foreigner telling you what to do. But what you have to do is civil disobedience, consumer boycotts, even a general strike, mass demonstrations (not picnics). But even though they have in the past been the most effective methods for change, Americans increasingly find excuses not to do anything. And while I'm at it, where are the people under 30? Remember Vietnam? They were the drivers of resistance; now they're invisible to everyone but their tiktok audience. Your citizens are being murdered in the street: where are the demonstrations?
More times than not, large scale demonstrations and civil disobediance do damage to to the cause.
They become rallying material that sways the election. BLM and Occupy protests are still used to claim that the Republicans are the only option for "law and order" voters.
The anti-Vietnam protests helped give us Reagan in the '66 election and Nixon in '68.
I remember four dead in Ohio. There are demonstrations, but they aren’t given much attention by the corporate media. Demonstrations are risky, and often organized by unserious people, picnics, as you say; but most of the protesters are quite serious.
Strikes are most costly to the people who can least afford them; the minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour. But, if we stop spending, especially at places with low pay and no benefits, at least those workers are still getting a paycheck. If more people knew about how general strikes work they might get behind one.The U.S. hasn’t had one in my memory.
Consumer spending accounts for approximately 2/3 of the economy. In my opinion that’s where the most leverage is. We are the ones with the real power of the purse, much larger than that of the congress.
Looks to me like the youth are busy organizing and voting for progressive candidates. Instead of democratic “leadership“ freaking out about this, they could pause and reflect on their weaknesses and failures and adjust to their constituency accordingly.
https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/young-voters-power-mamdani-victory-shape-key-2025-elections
There are two possibilities for people like Terrance.
Either they are uninformed true believers who want to lash out at everyone including their allies.
Or they are intentionally trying to suppress and depress people who are working hard to build a viable recovery plan.
The US is not our ally.
And you are actively working to make it harder for people inside the US to fix that.
Have a Molson.
Gotta agree with you. I work with a group that’s organized protests in NJ. They draw meager crowds of people, mostly 60 or older, and some honking horns of cars driving by. Democratic politicians send out emails about a vile action the Trump Administration has done then ask for money; never a call to a rally or some other type of protest. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if Democrats win the House in November, because they’ve offered no positive reason to vote for them. Then I’ll be disappointed, because apart from some hearings they’ll just sit in their offices on Capitol Hill sending out more emails asking for money.
News flash - democracy doesn't work the way you seem to think.
Exactly what acts do you think we should be taking?
"Whatever the real motivation for these new tariffs, they are almost surely illegal."
Only on paper. We no longer have laws in this country, because the congressional Republicans have effectively repealed them by allowing Trump to violate them with impunity, and the Republican politicians on the Supreme Court have made him immune from prosecution. Not only have the laws limiting tariffs been repealed, the laws against murder have been.
Yet Trump has invented his own laws, allowing the prosecution of peaceful protesters for things they don't do, such as assaulting ICE criminals.
….dump’s warnings are setting us up for something WORSE THAN 6 JAN!
Why do we have to wait until 3 November for him to do it?
IMPEACH HIM NOW!
Do you see enough Republican votes for that somewhere?
JL West - If only. I keep looking through the videos for some indication that there are more republicans that can put aside whatever ....dump is threatening them with, to do it.
How is impeaching him for a third time the answer?
The House impeaching Trump is meaningless. He doesn't care, and neither do his voters. It takes 67 votes in the Senate to convict and remove, and that's never going to happen.
But an impeachment does get the evidence out there. Which is not a bad thing.
Never happening until it does........Just ask the last dozen or so true autocrats around the world
Chris Martin, I wish there was some way for there to be a referendum, so we the people could all vote to get rid of …..dump and his cronies….all of them!.
Have you given any thought to the 2026 and 2028 elections, these referenda are already scheduled. Let Don Lardo try to cancel them!
No, I didn't know. Oh Goody!
Congress, just stop this stupidity, now. The US will never recover from much more of this.
You are correct on that Paul!! And I'm not even sure that does credit to the degree the USA is truly despised in Canada right now.
Ahhhh ... how and when is all this going to end? Do you too cycle through exhaustion, dread, anger, despair, disgust, hopelessness, outrage, resignation, shame, fear, apathy? I discovered something helpful during the 4th of July celebrations in my hometown, though. Let me share. Maybe it will strengthen your resolve too. https://beacardea.substack.com/p/no-earthquake-is-coming-to-our-rescue?r=h0feb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true