The archaic, undemocratic electoral college stakes are very high Josh Marshall notes that 538 has finally put up their polling average and then takes a look at the state of the electoral college strategy: The headline here is Trump and Biden tied at the national level and Trump holding what they call a “tenuous” lead in the swing states. But the breakdown of their averages shows something more specific. The two candidates also basically tied in the Blue Wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The precise averages are actually Trump +1.1 (Michigan), Biden +.1 (Wisconsin) and Trump +0.9 (Pennsylvania). But those datasets are still weighted toward GOP-leaning polls at the moment. In any case, those are basically ties and I’m fairly confident Biden wins those. It’s the Southern-tier states of Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Arizona which each have Trump leads of around 5 points, give or take. Here’s the key. If Biden holds the Blue Wall states and wins that single electoral vote in Nebraska he gets to 270 votes. Literally the absolute minimum to win. That’s if he loses Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada. So 270 to 268.
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China knows that, if it has to, it can stand alone and that it can defend itself. It knows, too, that most nations of the world, other than America (which is, despite itself, somewhat conflicted), want to do business with it; to connect with its growing confidence and with its strengthening brand of non-threatening, non-coercive, Continue reading »
“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune” The tide – or maybe call it “the vibe” – is running in the direction of the Albanese government being pushed into changing its timid stance on negative gearing. Just as the eventual change to the stage-three Continue reading »
As a China-watching think tank winds up after Morrison-era cuts, a respected analyst reviews government funding for security-related research and education. One Sunday morning nearly four years ago Kevin McCann was surprised to learn that an organisation he chaired was being hounded in the News Corp tabloids for being in “China’s grip” and “lobbying against Continue reading »
As a gentile with an historical association with Israel, I must admit to being greatly puzzled by the double standard that is evident in the destruction of Gaza. In 1971-2 I spent five months at Kibbutz Misgav-am in northern Israel, situated right on the Lebanese border. I had earlier spent a year in Africa, and Continue reading »
As predicted in Pearls & Irritations earlier this month, an appeal by the two losing candidates in the 14 February Indonesian presidential election has been trounced this week by the Constitutional Court. Challenges to the result came from two former provincial governors: Dr Anies Baswedan (25 per cent), and Ganjar Pranowo, (16 per cent). The Continue reading »
Lies and impunity paved the way for the worst time in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hanan Ashrawi says Gaza is “worse than even the Nakba, because it is a wilful, deliberate, total genocide”. Continue reading »
“Hospitals are entitled to very special protection under international humanitarian law,” said Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. The United Nations’ human rights chief on Tuesday called for an international investigation into mass graves discovered at two Gaza hospitals that Israeli forces recently assailed and destroyed, further imperilling the enclave’s barely Continue reading »
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CITY of Coffs Harbour Council resolved on April 11 to grant General Manager Natalia Cowley the right to negotiate directly with interested parties for a restaurant lease on the top floor of the new community building on the Jetty Foreshores. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us....
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THE FRIENDS of Pine Creek (FOPC) group has been holding regular vigils in an attempt to protect certain compartments of Pine Creek State Forest from imminent logging operations. The group says these compartments are home to healthy koala populations. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone...
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Evidence points to Absolute Standards as the source of a lethal drug the Trump administration used to restart federal executions after 17 years.
The post “Little Home Market”: The Connecticut Company Accused of Fueling an Execution Spree appeared first on The Intercept.
THE entertainment pavilion at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour is turning 20, leaving many locals wondering where the time has gone. “In the blink of an eye it has been 20 years since the entertainment pavilion in our beautiful North Coast Regional Botanic Garden was built,” is a sentiment echoing amongst...
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EMPLOYING his specialist’s eye to a pile of 193 discarded bicycles, Cameron Bate from Recycle Bicycle decreed more than half of them to be repairable, and a further 23 percent of them could be salvaged for parts, leaving only 21 percent on a one-way trip to landfill. Cameron’s assessments were part of MidWaste’s deep dive...
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“There is no failsafe system of government, meaning, we have a judicial system that has layers and layers of protection for the accused in the hopes that the innocent will go free. We fail. Routinely. But we succeed more often than not. In the vast majority of cases, the innocent do go free. But we still fail. We’ve executed innocent people. Having said that, Alito went through a step by step of all the mechanisms that could potentially fail. In the end, if it fails completely, it’s because we’ve destroyed our democracy on our own. The argument today was depressing. It seems clear that the cult of Unitary Executive is very intrigued by the idea of granting full immunity to a president. That cult is a majority of the court. He seriously said that. This was a terrifying Supreme Court argument. It’s clear that the majority actually favors Trump’s argument that a president must have immunity. Whether they are willing to go that far remains to be seen but it’s almost certain now that the J6 trial will likely not likely see the light of day before the election. We are in big trouble, people. Big. Trouble.
“The Supreme Court hears Trump’s claim to ‘absolute immunity.’ The justices are considering whether the former president must face trial on charges that he tried to subvert the 2020 election.” — New York Times, 4/25/24
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Hwaet! It has been over three years since Grendel smashed into our Capitol, rampaged through our Great Hall, and killed our heroes who bravely stood against him. At the time, Beowulf proposed to slay Grendel forthwith, but our wiser angels of paralysis prevailed. We have spent these three years asking witnesses what happened here in front of our very eyes, while Grendel has stalked the country groaning at high volume, mounting a plan to return to the Capitol and demolish our institutions for good.
ABUSE or aggression towards its workers is being tackled by Bellingen Shire Council with a campaign around respect. Nearly 200 council employees live, work and engage in and around Bellingen. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au...
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This conversation was posted on January 17th 2020,It remains one of the best discussions I’ve come across on this subject: After a harrowing discussion about humanity’s undeniable march towards a dystopian future, world-renowned thinker Noam Chomsky and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer move on to other pressing topics related to current events. Beginning with the issue that inspired the two-part interview, Scheer explains that an episode of his podcast “Scheer Intelligence” which featured Susie Linfield discussing her book “The Lions’ Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky” led to an ongoing exchange with Chomsky.
A measure passed by the House seeks to block Americans from traveling to Iran on U.S. passports.
The post House Responds to Israeli-Iranian Missile Exchange by Taking Rights Away From Americans appeared first on The Intercept.