ICYMI: Aug. 25 - Sept. 1
I was sick this week with a Covid-like infection, so I rescheduled my planned podcast interview for next week. Here’s another free roundup of articles I enjoyed reading this week.
Big things coming this September. I’ll be covering the Carbon Capture Canada conference here in Edmonton on Sept. 10 and 11. I’ll be doing some straight reporting on it for Canada’s National Observer, and then writing about it in my more freewheeling way for the Orchard.
Ditto for the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Red Deer on Sept. 21, which features a keynote address from U.S.-based far-right troll Christopher Rufo.
If you value my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber so I can continue doing journalism you’re unlikely to see in the mainstream Canadian media.
What I’ve Been Reading
Story of the Week
How Israel's Elite Intelligence Unit Targets Queer Palestinians in the West Bank, Theia Chatelle, Drop Site News (Aug. 30)
Alberta
Alberta premier reveals plans to transfer hospitals away from AHS, Brett McKay, St. Albert Gazette (Aug. 26)
Why Was Premier Smith’s Husband in a Secret Megaproject Meeting? Charles Rusnell, The Tyee (Aug. 28)
Face of Coutts border blockade joins United Conservative Party’s board in Calgary riding, Carrie Tait, Globe and Mail (Aug. 28)
Why Danielle Smith might move Alberta ministries from Edmonton to UCP-friendly places, Jason Markusoff, CBC News (Aug. 29)
RCMP officers fatally shot Indigenous teen during 'confrontation' south of Edmonton, police say, Nicholas Frew, CBC News (Aug. 30)
Canada
Read about why JNF Canada lost charitable status after a decade of problems, Ellin Bessner and Jonathan Rothman, Canadian Jewish News (Aug. 26)
Canada’s Wildfires Were a Top Global Emitter Last Year, Study Says, Manuela Andreoni, New York Times (Aug. 28)
Kevin Falcon attempting to suspend BC United’s campaign in fall election, Amy Judd, Global News (Aug. 28)
Liberal staffers pull support for party in Montreal byelection, citing government's stance on Gaza, Evan Dyer and Raffy Boudjikanianm, CBC News (Aug. 28)
Why Did Canada’s Top Art Gallery Push Out a Visionary Curator? Jason McBride, The Walrus (Aug. 28)
A Canadian Twitter User Was Arrested for Posting Videos Harassing South Asians. Experts Say Canada’s Justice System is Not Equipped to Stop This Problem. Rumneek Johal, PressProgress (Aug. 29)
Canada’s schools enter silent mode, Caroline Alphonso, Globe and Mail (Aug. 29)
U.S.
Kamala Harris’s Gamble, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, New Yorker (Aug. 29)
Washington requests trade dispute talks under USMCA over Canada’s digital services tax, Bill Curry, Globe and Mail (Aug. 30)
Oil, gas allies welcome Harris fracking stance — with an asterisk, Timothy Cama, Politico (Aug. 30)
World
Venezuelan opposition leader says Maduro’s crackdown is unsustainable, Joe Daniels, Financial Times (Aug. 25)
Top defence contractors set to rake in record cash after orders soar, Sylvia Pfeifer, Patrick Mathurin and Patricia Nilsson, Financial Times (Aug. 25)
How the Russian Establishment Really Sees the War Ending, Anatol Lieven, Foreign Policy (Aug. 27)
Free speech and ‘homeland’: Moscow's ‘opportunistic’ response to Telegram boss Durov’s arrest, Sébastian Seibt, France 24 (Aug. 27)
Honduras promises to end extradition treaty with US after ambassador comments, Orfa Mejia and Brendan O'Boyle, Reuters (Aug. 28)
No Vaccines, Tests or Treatments: Congo Lacks Tools to Confront Mpox, Stephanie Nolen, New York Times (Aug. 29)
Leaked Chats Reveal a U.S.-Linked Prosecutor Is Behind the Assault on Ecuador’s Social Democratic Movement, José Olivares and Ryan Grim, Drop Site News (Aug. 29)
How to Make SpaghettiNazi, Moss Robeson, Ukes, Kooks & Spooks (Aug. 30)
Middle East
Israel’s Hunt for the Elusive Leader of Hamas, Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman, Julian E. Barnes and Adam Goldman, New York Times (Aug. 25)
A 10-month-old Palestinian baby suddenly stopped crawling. Polio had struck Gaza, Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Associated Press (Aug. 27)
The Haditha Massacre Photos That the U.S. Military Didn’t Want the World to See, Madeleine Baron, New Yorker (Aug. 27)
Israel has launched a massive assault on the West Bank. Why and why now? Justin Salhani, Al Jazeera (Aug. 28)
An Israeli freed from Gaza returns to a village where 70% of homes are targeted for demolition, Melanie Lidman, Associated Press (Aug. 28)
Israel agrees to pauses in fighting in Gaza for polio vaccination, Tara John, Jennifer Hauser, Abeer Salman, Eugenia Yosef and Larry Register, CNN (Aug. 29)
World Food Program Halts Gaza Aid Deliveries After Workers Are Attacked, Lara Jakes, New York Times (Aug. 29)
Israeli military launches fatal airstrike on humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza, Julian Borger, The Guardian (Aug. 30)
A Palestinian TikTok star who shared details of Gaza life under siege is killed by Israeli airstrike, Isabel Debre and Fatma Khaled, Associated Press (Aug. 30)
Renowned Surgeon and Lead Author of New Lancet Study Tortured by Israeli Military, Ryan Grim, Drop Site News (Aug. 31)
Tech
Elon Musk’s Hard Turn to Politics, in 300,000 of His Own Words, Andrea Fuller, Alexa Corse, John West and Kara Dapena, Wall Street Journal (Aug. 25)
How Israel Is Exploiting Google Ads to Discredit a UN Aid Agency, Paresh Dave, Wired (Aug. 26)
Brazil Blocks X After Musk Ignores Court Orders, Jack Nicas and Kate Conger, New York Times (Aug. 30)
Pop Culture
1999: The Year Tom Cruise Gave Not One but Two Dangerously Vulnerable Performances, Amy Nicholson, New York Times (Aug. 27)
Deaths of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew prompt outpouring of grief, Paul Attfield, Globe and Mail (Aug. 30)