Behind Prime Minister Mark Carney and EU President Ursula von der Leyen’s joint announcement to make Canada an “associate member” of the 27-nation bloc by next June, there looms CBAM, a ‘carbon tax’ that could make it very expensive for Canadian companies shipping to Europe. Analysts say the solution lies at home.

Decades of environmental assessments and contemporary earthquake hazard mapping warn of severe risks posed to the environment if oil is allowed to ship out of Roberts Bank, undermining government claims the site is well suited for development.

The Israeli government has said repeatedly that it wants to lessen its reliance on the U.S. for military funding

WASHINGTON — The Democratic flip of the Senate is expected to put two Democrats who support “Medicare for All” in charge of key committees.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is expected to lead the Finance Committee, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the presumptive next chair of the health committee. 

The wins that Democrats amassed on Tuesday night could breathe life into efforts to create some type of a single-payer system. While Sanders has long been a vocal advocate of Medicare for All, Wyden has only recently voiced support for the policy. 

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

The federal government has a contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for Starlink satellite internet which has increased by more than 10 times since it was first awarded two and a half years ago. And it's sticking with it. 

The multi-year contract — which is posted on the federal government's procurement website and shared on the IJF’s Paper Trail database — buys satellite connectivity for federal organizations through Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service. It was initially for around $2.3 million when it was awarded in Feb. 2024, but with amendments it has increased to nearly $29 million. 

Not surprising:

These results are from about five AM. They will change, but the overall results are firm.

The first thing to watch for, though it’s a way out, will be what the Senate rules are, in particular, the filibuster rules. If the filibuster is kept, Democrats aren’t serious about challenging Trump or changing anything.

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The second question is whether “designated villain” where just enough Dems vote with Republicans to stall anything popular but against the elite consensus is used. I’d be very surprised if it isn’t, but I’d be happy to be wrong.

The election result is primarily about cost of living and the Iran war, which are mostly the same thing to Americans. I have a hard time imaging Democrats actually Congressional power over war making or the purse to stop Trump’s war. They certainly won’t do a damn thing about Israel and its genocide.

I don’t actually think this election matters very much. Most of what Trump does that is objectionable is based on Presidential powers, either innate or which were delegated to the Presidency by various Congresses. Again, if Democrats start taking back the powers that were delegated, you’ll know they’re serious, if not, they aren’t. It’s that simple.

I’ve seen some people suggest that if the Dems don’t do anything significant, it might lead to a third party. I doubt it: Americans have been sheep for generations. Again, happy to be wrong, and hope I am.

We can expect a fair bit of screaming at Trump and meaningless votes. He might get impeached in the House, but I doubt the Senate will actually remove him even if so.

America is determined to go down, to lose what remains of its hegemony, except over Latin America (that’ll take another 20 years or so), and to continue impoverishing the mass of citizens so it can mint more billionaires.

Everything else is, sadly, noise, which is why I don’t cover US politics much these days.