Breaking Down: Collapse

Taking a short break from the podcast to deal with some family matters - I will be back!In the meantime, here's a story highlighting institutional catabolic collapse from the perspective of the IRS.The IRS Is Imploding – Mother Jones

The coming demographics shift is a catch-22. Having fewer young people means a sever imbalance in care of increasing number of elderly (among many other wide-reaching economic impacts) but adding more people means quicker destruction of the biosphere. The Demographic Challenge | IESE InsightU.S. Population Growth Slows Due to Historic Decline in Net International MigrationAmericans should work past 65 to avoid ‘retirement crisis,’ says BlackRock CEO. What to do if that doesn’t work for you

A replay of Kellan and I's interview with Richard Heinberg 4 years ago, on news of his passing this week.

Sources:Appeals Court Rules USPS Will Suffer 'Irreparable Harm' if Prevented From Blocking Ballots | IBTimes UKICE to Pay Thomson Reuters $125 Million to Find ‘Voter Fraud’Trump setting stage to declare emergency around midterms, former White House attorney says | PBS NewsFederal Agents Were Told FBI Will No Longer Investigate ICE Confrontations - The New York TimesICE's Largest Detention Centre Described as 'Graveyard for Living People' in New Human Rights Report | IBTimes UK'Many More Coming': Trump's DOJ Begins Quietly Stripping Citizenship from Naturalised Americans | IBTimes UKWhite House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump's speeches: Sources - ABC NewsBeshear says McConnell health updates needed as questions continue over senator’s communication | whas11.comTrump Pauses $1 Billion in Medicaid Funds From Two States (3)

A research paper projects nearly 2 million deaths by 2055 in the US directly from wildfire smoke, and that it will be more costly than all other climate change consequences. US raises wildfire preparedness to highest level as fires strain national resourcesEthical and safety concerns abound as wildfire prediction betting heats up - OPBWildfire Smoke Alert Over Canada, U.S. – "Doomsday Skies"Wildfire smoke exposure and mortality burden in the USA under climate change | Nature

The kids are becoming doomers, and it's no surprise with weekly articles coming out like this:Overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about climate crisis | Climate crisis | The GuardianShocking Revelations Out of West Antarctica | CountercurrentsMassive chunk of sea ice has not refrozen in West Antarctica, satellite images show - ABC NewsFor 37 years researchers heated a patch of forest floor to see what climate change would do to the soil — and the carbon everyone assumed was locked away started leaking out on schedule - ScienceBlog.comEU proposes slowing down cuts to carbon emissions for businesses

So sorry about the audio - this happens time-to-time and maybe one day I'll afford a producer... (probably not)There's been a lot of talk recently about the potential for food shocks. Are we on the verge of empty grocery stores?The US Grocery Slowdown Is Real | Get Ready — Get ReadyThe US Grocery Slowdown Is Real | Bain & CompanyThe Global Food Crisis - CounterPunch.org‘Super’ El Niño could cause global food price shock lasting into 2028, analysts say | Global economy | The GuardianWhy insect pollinators are vanishing worldwide | Psyll

The world looks a little closer to 1984 every day. Marco Rubio is trying to speed run it.Leak: Rubio’s WMD Scandal Is “Far-Left Terrorism”

Sources:ICE Targeted Wrong Person in Fatal Maine Shooting | The New RepublicEvery Witness to ICE Killing in Houston Says the Same Thing: ICE Lied | The New RepublicTexas ICE Killing Takes Damning Turn as Even MAGA Judges Abandon Trump | The New RepublicAfter Pushing Anti-Trans Laws to ‘Protect Women’s Sports’, Project 2025’s Heritage Foundation Now Wants Women’s Sports Gone to ‘Assist Fertility’Trump Allows Habitat Destruction in Endangered Species RollbackPentagon to keep National Guard activated in D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029Marco Rubio vows diplomatic campaign to 'dismantle' ICC in escalating row