Adam Federman

fresh audio product:

• David Harvey @davidharvey.org on his new book, The Story of Capital
• excerpt from Mark Carney’s Davos speech
• Adam Federman on Trump’s Greenland obsession

www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#S...

ConocoPhillips execs call Doyon oil rig destruction a ‘sad day,’ but no major impacts expected Around 4,600 combined gallons of diesel and hydraulic oil appear to have spilled in the Jan. 23 fall, officials say

"A very sad day."

ConocoPhillips executives grapple with loss of drilling rig.

www.alaskasnewssource.com/video/2026/0...

Don't expect the Doyon rig accident that took place Friday evening to slow Conoco down. In an email obtained by enviro groups seeking an injunction on winter activity, Conoco's lawyers say, "Exploration activities are continuing & the seismic program is proceeding as planned."

According to preliminary reports, unusually warm temperatures on the North Slope in the days leading up to the accident appear to have played a role in what happened.
alaskalandmine.com/landmines/do...

As permafrost thaws, a Biden-supported drilling plan is on unstable ground ConocoPhillips' Willow project would emit 284 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over its 30-year lifetime.

Fwiw, I wrote about the impacts of thawing permafrost on oil/gas infrastructure on the North Slope for @grist.org and @typeinvestigations.org in 2022.
grist.org/energy/perma...

If you look at the photos, Doyon and Conoco are extremely lucky that the rig tipped in the direction it did, away from the staging pad and what appears to be worker housing.
dec.alaska.gov/spar/ppr/spi...

First report from Alaska DEC regarding the Doyon rig accident. Evidence of a diesel spill has been confirmed--approx 4,000 gallons were on board--some 500 feet from a tributary of the Colville River & in critical habitat for polar bears, caribou, arctic fox, ptarmigan, & muskox.

If I was based in Alaska I'd be on the next flight to Nuiqsut. ConocoPhillips, the North Slope Borough, & BLM under Trump will do everything they can to suppress information about the drilling rig accident that took place on Friday. Same thing happened with the gas leak in 2022.

As permafrost thaws, a Biden-supported drilling plan is on unstable ground ConocoPhillips' Willow project would emit 284 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over its 30-year lifetime.

I wrote about this very problem--how warming temps and thawing permafrost may impact oil/gas infrastructure--for @grist.org four years ago. @typeinvestigations.org
grist.org/energy/perma...

Doyon 26, largest land drilling rig in North America, tipped over and caught fire on North Slope Doyon 26, known as the Beast, tipped over and caught fire later Friday afternoon as it was being moved on Alaska's North Slope. Sources say the incident...… Read More

"Several people with North Slope experience have said the rig likely tipped due to being moved in warm 30 degree weather, which would have caused the road to be softer. Once it went off the shoulder on the soft ground, tipping over was probably inevitable."

alaskalandmine.com/landmines/do....

Officials report no major injuries as massive drilling rig topples over on Alaska’s North Slope The Doyon 26 rig, which is nicknamed “The Beast,” set a long-distance drilling record in Alaska in 2022 and was hailed as the largest mobile land rig in North America.

Another serious ConocoPhillips accident on Alaska’s North Slope, not far from the village of Nuiqsut. In 2022 the company had a major gas leak at its Alpine field, which required the evacuation of 400 workers.
www.adn.com/business-eco...

Trump admin openly admitted that it had little if any legal justification for rounding up and trying to deport student activists involved in protests against the war in Gaza. Absolutely shameful.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...

YouTube video by The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder World Leaves US Behind; Greenland, Minnesota Fights Back w/ Adam Federman, Rep Aisha Gomez | MR Live

Reporting fellow @adamfederman.bsky.social joined @majorityreport.bsky.social to discuss the Trump admin's push to annex Greenland: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYQx...

Republican Congressmen cut Greenland cake covered in U.S. flag at D.C. gala - ArcticToday Video from a Washington gala shows US lawmakers and foreign far-right figures cutting a Greenland-shaped cake covered in the US flag during an event marking Donald Trump’s first year in office.

these guys really know how to celebrate
www.arctictoday.com/republican-c...

Opinion | Russia Occupies American Land, Too The U.S. should reclaim Wrangel Island, which Lenin’s gunboat Red October seized in 1924.

He has also argued--in the pages of the WSJ--that the United States should reclaim Wrangel Island from the Russians.

www.wsj.com/articles/rus...

Dans has been a big booster of Trump's plans to acquire Greenland, has frequently appeared on Steve Bannon's podcast, and was involved in arranging both Don Jr.'s trip to Nuuk in Jan 2025 and the Vance's disastrous trip to Greenland later that same yr.
www.ft.com/content/b2aa...

PRESS RELEASE — President Trump Appoints Thomas Emanuel Dans to Lead U.S. Arctic Research Commission President Donald J. Trump has appointed Thomas Emanuel Dans of Sugar Land, Texas to lead the United States Arctic Research Commission (USARC), an independent federal agency that advises the President ...

This did not get much attn at the time but in early December Tom Dans--whose brother Paul was director of Project 2025--was appointed chair of the US Arctic Research Commission, an advisory board that determines scientific priorities in the region.
www.arctic.gov/news-12-10-25/

In 2023 I interviewed several of the children who were at the hunting camp with their parents when the B-52 bomber crashed.

Reporting for @inthesetimes.com and @typeinvestigations.org

inthesetimes.com/article/cold...

It would take decades for the full story to come to light, along with revelations that the U.S. had built a secret missile launch facility under the ice sheet (Camp Century), about 150 miles east of the military base. All of this activity was done without the knowledge of the Greenlandic people. 3/

Local hunters at a nearby camp were dispatched to help with search, rescue, and cleanup but were not informed of the risk they were taking. It was the middle of January. Bitterly cold. No daylight.

Years later, nearly all of these men died of cancer. 2/

inthesetimes.com/article/cold...

In 1968 a B-52 bomber carrying four thermonuclear weapons crashed on the ice just west of the US military base in Greenland. While the bombs did not detonate, they burned-- dispersing toxic and radioactive pollutants into the surrounding environment. 1/
inthesetimes.com/article/cold...

The Majority Report

Joined @samseder.bsky.social and @emmavigeland.bsky.social to talk about Trump's polar madness and the future of U.S.-Greenlandic relations. @majorityreport.bsky.social
majorityreportradio.com/2026/01/21/1...

confusing Greenland with Iceland--as Trump did repeatedly during his Davos speech--is not a good look

We make fun of Danish dogsled teams operating in Greenland--entirely appropriate given the terrain--and can't even feed our own troops in Alaska.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

We make fun of Danish dogsled teams operating in Greenland--entirely appropriate given the terrain--and can't even feed our own troops in Alaska.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Good to see the U.S. investing in its Arctic infrastructure & military assets
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Truth is, Russia has made deep incursions into Greenland. For example, here’s a Lada on the streets of Qaanaaq, no less owned and operated by the municipality!

Trump’s Greenland Threats and the Plunder of the Arctic The far north has long been a region of exceptional international cooperation. But Trump’s designs on Greenland come at a time of growing instability.

Soft power tools had been pretty effective at both keeping China out and advancing US interests. In a single year, the Trump administration has blown up whatever goodwill there was.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...

When I traveled to Greenland and Qaanaaq in 2023, I was genuinely surprised to learn that, despite everything mentioned above, there was a great deal of affection for the US. Denmark was often blamed for actions that we were responsible for. We were the good cop.
inthesetimes.com/article/cold...

and Denmark to deal with, along with all of the other waste from our military installations. In 1968 a B-52 bomber carrying 4 thermonuclear weapons crashed on the ice near Thule (now Pituffik) & local hunters were dispatched to search for survivors and help with cleanup. Many later died of cancer.