Hold the North

This Kash Patel Photo Raises Some VERY Awkward Questions

Michael Weiss and Marc Polymeropoulos discuss allegations of corruption and counterintelligence concerns involving the Trump administration, including Alina Habba’s wedding and FBI Director Kash Patel’s appearance with a former informant suspected of being a double agent.

Important Saturday Night Update

Aaron Parnas reports that Trump lashed out over coverage of Byron Donalds removing Trump references from his campaign, while three ranching groups warned ICE enforcement is disrupting livestock operations and could raise beef prices.

Important Update: MAGA Coalition Fractures, Trump Misuses Taxpayer Dollars, Press Access Restored, Texas Error Threatens Voters

Aaron Parnas says Trump’s coalition is fracturing publicly, with a taxpayer-funded “America will never be a communist country” ad drawing ethics complaints and allies upset over his welcome for Xi Jinping. He also says press access has been restored and a Texas voter registration mess is unfolding before the midterms.

Breaking Free of Neoliberalism in Trump Times

Lloyd Axworthy says NAFTA brought Reagan’s neoliberalism into Canada and argues Carney’s rejection of Trump’s attack on sovereignty could open a reset toward a less dependent Canada. He also warns that a deal with Trump’s US would carry unsupportable costs to sovereignty, democracy and shared values.

Mother Nature Is Getting Even – chapter 3

Lloyd Axworthy argues that climate change is driving more smoke, flooding and extreme weather across Canada, while major oil companies report substantial profits and governments keep subsidizing fossil fuels. He says a targeted levy on excess fossil-fuel profits should help fund climate adaptation and disaster recovery.

Canada Must Reclaim its Nuclear Judgement

Lloyd Axworthy argues that Canada should reclaim its nuclear judgement and apply the same rules to civilian nuclear cooperation everywhere. He says Canada has grown too quiet on nuclear proliferation and should launch a new parliamentary inquiry into nuclear policy.

Missed Opprtunity

Lloyd Axworthy says NATO’s Ankara summit missed a chance to treat energy as a central front against Russia, arguing the alliance settled for incrementalism. He says tighter sanctions enforcement, a faster phase-out of Russian LNG and efforts to block Russia’s refining rebuild were left on the table.

Mother Nature Gets Even

Lloyd Axworthy writes that a violent Canada Day storm in Ottawa cancelled celebrations, while the Prime Minister said Canada will not meet its emissions commitments. He argues climate disasters are already raising costs and that renewable energy in Alberta has stalled amid regulatory uncertainty.