This and that for your Sunday reading.

– Seva Gunitsky writes about the connection between cultivated toxic masculinity and the rise of Donald Trump and other authoritarian politicians. And Greg Sargent discusses how Trump’s regime is cracking up as even the most debased toadies he can find are unable to meet the mad king’s requirements for sycophancy. 

– Justin Mikulka discusses how fossil gas (and other dirty fuels) are absolutely doomed from an economic standpoint compared to cheaper, cleaner alternatives. And Scott Forbes weighs in on the folly of Canada in particular continually obsessing over (and publicly subsidizing) fossil fuel expansion. 

– Paula Simons is rightly worried by the particularly damaging combination of fossil fuel power being used to run AI disinformation factories. But Ed Zitron points out that we’re far from there being any plausible argument that AI is too big to fail. And Joe Wilkins reports that nearly half of the data centres announced within the U.S. in 2026 have already been cancelled or delayed – offering reason for hope that economic realities and community organization can halt their spread. 

– Finally, Maia Silber discusses how the U.S.’ welfare state is impossible to navigate legally and honestly – making it all too easy for governments to withhold benefits and point fingers at recipients. But Lex McMenamin reports on the movement to properly tax billionaires’ wealth, as a growing number of Americans come to realize their economic system is designed for the benefit of those who already have too much