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There’s something curious about the proposed merger between Chemist Warehouse and Sigma Healthcare. Chemist Warehouse has about 550 retail pharmacies. Sigma has another 400. Yet the law limits owners to just a handful of pharmacies per state. Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria allow just five, Western Australia and Tasmania allow four, and South Australia allows six. The two Continue reading »

As the Australian opposition leader’s rhetoric softens dramatically, the days of turning China into an election wedge appear over. China hawks predictably attacked the Albanese government for being too soft on Beijing during Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Australia last week. After reiterating a commitment to ‘‘stabilising’’ ties, Li and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Continue reading »

Hamas’s assault of October 7 can be likened to an earthquake that strikes an old building. The cracks were already beginning to show, but they are now visible in its very foundations. More than 120 years since its inception, could the Zionist project in Palestine – the idea of imposing a Jewish state on an Continue reading »

Democratic leaders did not tell members to vote against an amendment to block the State Department from citing the Gaza Health Ministry’s statistics.

The post 62 Democrats Join 207 Republicans in Vote to Conceal Gaza Death Toll appeared first on The Intercept.

From 2015: Donald Trump’s plans to make America great again are going to include a lot of whining. Trump on Tuesday morning in an interview on CNN’s “New Day” proclaimed that he is “the most fabulous whiner” when confronted with an opinion piece that criticized him using the same label. “I do whine because I want to win and I’m not happy about not winning and I am a whiner and I keep whining and whining until I win,” Trump told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday. This is what four year olds do before they learn that they can’t have everything they want when they want it. Trump never learned that lesson.

Today is a precious gift. Even if I do not walk out of this Target with a single, solitary Minecraft-themed item.

I am a confident and unique being who can pick up a Tech Deck mini skateboard, stare directly at the label ULTRA RARE, and feel absolutely no urge to beg or whine.

I admit that I am powerless against the words “collect them all” and will seek the support of my sponsor, Mom, when needed.

I accept that a BOGO deal on Nerf Dart Blasters is but an illusion of self-actualization.

I will choose to be happy. I recognize that I have been made to feel that I NEED that five-pack of Power Rangers Beast Morphers underwear, but I DO NOT NEED Power Rangers Beast Morphers underwear to be happy.

I believe in myself and my ability to pick out a remote-controlled Hot Wheels car for Jaxson’s birthday party without commentary on the subject of I, Too, Want One, because it is, in fact, NOT MY birthday.

Sources close to the ousted prime minister say Khan also accuses Gen. Asim Munir for assassination attempt and cover-ups.

The post From Prison, Imran Khan Says Top Pakistani General Betrayed Secret Deal to Stay Out of Politics appeared first on The Intercept.

Regular readers will have noted that for the past few years I’ve been writing far more about China than I used to.

Why?

The primary purpose of this blog is to explain the world: how it works, how it has worked, and how it will work.

China is probably the most important nation in the world right now: it has the most manufacturing, is about tied for population, is the largest trade partner of the greatest number of nations and leads in most scientific and technological fields.

He knows he no longer has to legitimately win anything Propaganda uber alles: Donald Trump in recent days gave speeches in Washington and Philadelphia and greeted supporters at a cheesesteak restaurant in Pennsylvania. He flew to New Orleans for a fundraiser Monday, and called in to a roundtable with Black leaders on Wednesday in Atlanta. Ahead of what could be the most consequential political event of the cycle, Trump has continued campaigning and has eschewed intense debate preparations, even as Joe Biden has remained hidden away at Camp David to get ready. That’s made easier by the fact that he’s already declared the debate is essentially rigged. Trump and his team have worked to undermine, undercut and cast doubt on the historic debate before it’s started: They’ve questioned the fairness of CNN moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. Trump and his allies have criticized the format of the debate. They’ve repeatedly asked President Joe Biden to take a drug test. It’s a playbook Trump has followed for years, most notably ahead of the 2020 election and his criminal trial this spring in Manhattan.

"We’ve heard a lot in the campaign about D-Day. If ever there was a time to fight them on the beaches, then this is it."

by Gary Gardner

Mention the steady state economy at a gathering of friends and a predictable concern is sure to arise. “I couldn’t possibly manage on a flat income, much less a reduced one. I can barely make ends meet now!” Heads will nod all around. The idea of a nongrowing economy—not to mention degrowth—quickly sours the party mood.

The objection is understandable from people long accustomed to ever-greater levels of consumption.

The post Rendering the Economic Fat for a Steady State Economy appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

Rick Wilson counts ’em down Rick Wilson via FKA Twitter: For the debate tonight, not only for the spin before and after, but for every Trump utterance on stage, remember the Rules of MAGA: Every accusation is a confession. Every denial is a full confession of guilt. Every claim of evil is projection. Every boast of strength is an admission of failure. Every fact is subject to Trump’s sole interpretation. Every law is a conspiracy against Trump. Every anecdote is pure fiction. Every casual cruelty and crazed conspiracy leads deeper into more cruelty and conspiracy. Every word is a lie, every lie is a promise of betrayal. Every person or group Trump claims to stand for, he loathes. Finally, Everything Trump Touches Dies. That sums it up neatly. But ICYMI, I’d add this about MAGA, Christian nationalists, or financial or tech oligarchs, or all of the above (it’s a type): They don’t want to govern. They want to rule. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● For The Win, 5th Edition is ready for download. Request a copy of my free countywide GOTV planning guide at ForTheWin.us.

Officials and election experts are now struggling in a big-time way. How, they wonder, can they effectively address mounting threats — of violence, election denialism, foreign influence, and voter discrimination? Do they run the risk of alarming the public to the point of reducing voter turnout? Are there reasons to assuage fears about either election disinformation or possible election interference in 2024? Standing in Pointe du Hoc, France, to mark the anniversary of D-Day, President Biden told the world that those who fought in that pivotal battle are “asking us to do our job: to protect freedom in our time, to defend democracy.” Election security would be a good place to start. Perhaps one way to assess the question of election... Read more

Source: An Election in Danger? appeared first on TomDispatch.com.

On Tuesday 23 April, far-right groups descended on the capital to attend a St. George’s Day rally led by former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox. The day itself would quickly descend into chaos, with the Met commenting that groups of men wielding flags had been ‘violently forcing their way through’ police cordons an […]

Kenya protests turn deadly with 23 killed in clashes over tax hikes. IMF's influence on Nairobi’s budget ignites public fury and violent police crackdown.

The post IMF-Driven Policies Spark Deadly Protests in Kenya appeared first on MintPress News.

'Netanyahu is really the biggest danger to the state of Israel'

A 2023 Column Contest grand-prize winner, Laurence Pevsner’s Sorry Not Sorry investigates why we’re sick of everyone apologizing all the time—and how the collapse of the public apology leaves little room for forgiveness and grace in our politics and culture.

Last week, Boeing Airlines CEO Dave Calhoun testified before Congress. The title the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations gave the session was “Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture,” but it might as well have been “PLEASE, for the Love of GOD, Why Did That Door YEET ITSELF Off Your Plane 16,000 Feet in the AIR!?!”

Rules. Yeah rules ought to hold him. So CNN believes it can keep Donald John Trump under control during tonight’s debate. They have rules. Rules will tame him. And no live audience to mug for. They’ll mute the candidates’ mics when their answer periods are up. Slate’s Molly Olmstead wonders: Will all those rules keep this exercise on the rails? CNN has said that moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash “will use all tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion” (emphasis mine). But it remains to be seen what that means. If Trump begins stalking the stage menacingly or either candidate starts interrupting (or even yelling), will Tapper and Bash open up a trapdoor? Whip out a lasso or old-timey shepherd’s crook to yank the candidates offstage? Pull a fire alarm? And there’s no plan for live fact-checking. How will any falsehoods be curtailed? They won’t be. Trump is a firehose of falsehoods.

For the fixers, enablers, and vassals who surround Donald Trump, the rewards of his friendship are not worth the risks.

The post Like ‘Being Friends with a Hurricane’ appeared first on The New York Review of Books.