David Merner

Jan 16, 2025 | nationalobserver.com | Matt Simon |Max Fawcett |David Merner

This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaborationThe Simpsons did nuclear power dirty. With towers looming over Springfield, three-eyed fish swimming the lake, and an inept Homer running things, the show’s nuclear power plant is a perpetual existential risk. It’s a reliable running gag to be sure, but also a reflection of a society that’s soured on what used to be the bountiful energy of the future.

Jan 15, 2025 | nationalobserver.com | Laurie Adkin |Max Fawcett |Ross Belot |David Merner

In “How Justin Trudeau lost Canada,” Max Fawcett argues that the Liberals wasted many opportunities to implement consistent policies, and one can hardly disagree. I and others on the left have not held back our criticism of the Liberals’ failings. Crucially, the Liberals failed to implement democratizing political reforms and allocate resources to communicate the need for such reforms and their benefits, as well as citizen engagement in policymaking.

Jan 14, 2025 | nationalobserver.com | Kyle Duggan |Mia Rabson |Émilie Bergeron |David Merner

Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland will announce her intention to run for the Liberal party leadership just before the U.S. presidential inauguration, a source close to her campaign team said Monday. The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement, also said Freeland's first policy promise will be to impose dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports to match the tariffs U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has vowed to impose on Canada.

Jan 14, 2025 | nationalobserver.com | Nitish Pahwa |Max Fawcett |David Merner

This story was originally published by Slate and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaborationThe firestorms that have been ravaging Los Angeles and Southern California since Tuesday afternoon are nothing short of calamitous. Thanks to dry weather and a burst of high-speed Santa Ana winds—some billowing in at —brush fires began flaring up across Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu, spreading rapidly and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.

Jan 13, 2025 | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett |Christopher Weber |Holly Ramer |David Merner

After a weekend spent blocking the explosive growth of fires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters got a slight break with calmer weather but cast a wary eye on a forecast for yet more wind. Should that happen, already burned homes and valleys could flare anew, sending embers to unburned territory miles downwind. New fires could add to the complication.