This and that for your Tuesday reading.

– Kara Miller interviews Ray Madoff about the tax dodges that allow the richest Americans to hoard wealth without contributing to the society that makes it possible. And David Sirota is duly cynical about Mitt Romney and other plutocrats offering meaningless gestures toward tax fairness after they’ve forfeited the power to implement it. 

– Meanwhile, Thom Hartmann writes that plenty of Americans are eager to see a new New Deal to break up the concentration of wealth and power. And Rafael Behr discusses the prospect of people taking back control after the AI bubble bursts. 

– Allen Woods writes about Mark Carney’s decision to become a fossil fuel cheerleader rather than a responsible climate advocate, while Rick Smith laments the uncertainty and lack of ambition created by Carney’s climate policy reversals.  And the Guardian’s editorial board notes that the EU too looks to be undermining readily-achievable gains by shredding its previous electric vehicle targets. 

– Among the other harms caused by the climate breakdown, Damian Carrington reports on a new analysis showing that crop production is becoming more vulnerable to pests, while Senay Boztas reports that even the food which reaches our tables includes less nutrition and more filler as a result of rising CO2 levels. 

– Finally, Rachel Morgam reports on Ontario School Safety’s appeal for basic air quality improvements to limit the spread of cold and flu viruses. And Laine Bergeron discusses new research showing that workplace exposures in high-risk jobs (including teaching and health-care work) correlate to a higher risk of long COVID.