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A day after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. agreed to a public discussion with Max Blumenthal on Israel-Palestine, his campaign walked back his words. RFK Jr. has pledged “unconditional support” to Israel while spouting vitriolic anti-Palestinian rhetoric. One day after Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. agreed to comedian and podcaster Jimmy Dore’s proposal that he engage with The Grayzone’s editor-in-chief, Max Blumenthal, in a public dialogue on Israel-Palestine, Kennedy’s campaign nixed the discussion. During an August 1 phone call […]

The post RFK Jr staff block Israel-Palestine dialogue after the candidate agreed first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post RFK Jr staff block Israel-Palestine dialogue after the candidate agreed appeared first on The Grayzone.

As one twitter wag quipped: “Less than a year ago reporters were gushing over how ‘savvy’ DeSantis is.” DeSantis just wrapped up a three-day trip to New Hampshire, his first since downsizing his campaign due to financial problems. On the ground, it was clear the challenges he faces here remain significant, even as his chief rival confronts major legal problems. But on paper, Desantis’s path to winning the GOP nomination is clear, said Scott Maltzie, a Republican activist and DeSantis supporter from Concord. “We’ve got to convince the soft Trump voters not to vote for Trump,” he said, after DeSantis spoke in Rochester Monday. “And we’ve got to convince the people currently supporting the others that they have no chance in hell.” […] Throughout his trip to New Hampshire, he appeared bent on demonstrating that no candidate talks tougher.

Desperate to present a united front at the forthcoming Labor conference in Brisbane, the Albanese government looks to prevent delegates voting on the merits of the AUKUS alliance and for recognition of Palestine as a state. On two crucial issues, dissent is feared. An opportunity for informed debate will be lost. Toeing a party line Continue reading »

Did colonialism ever die? Distant major powers are making life-and-death decisions that will impact Indonesia, ironically on the eve of the Republic’s 17 August national day celebrating Soekarno’s 1945 proclamation of independence from three centuries of Dutch rule. The pith helmets have gone, but the baseball caps are ever-present along with a few slouch hats. Continue reading »

There has been much research and speculation about whether the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC, or more popularly the Gulf Stream) may collapse and what the consequences might be. Now there is new 2023 research which firms up predictions as to when it might happen. The bad news – it might be earlier than previously Continue reading »

Last week the Productivity Commission released its draft Review of the National Closing the Gap Agreement. The National Agreement on Closing the Gap was launched with a lot of fanfare in July 2020, promising a new era of reform and a ‘genuine’ commitment of governments to work in partnership with First Nations peak organisations. Rather Continue reading »

The 3 August Vietnam Veterans’  Vigil (VVV) is separate from the 18 August government-sponsored Commemorative Service on Vietnam Veterans’ Day. The 18 August Service officially marks the fiftieth anniversary of Australia’s withdrawal from the Vietnam War (1962-72). The 3 August Vigil falls after the sixtieth anniversary of the Australian Army Training Team’s arrival in Vietnam Continue reading »

It’s been devastating, even if no one’s paying attention. Three months of fighting in Sudan between the army and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Force (RSF) has left at least 3,000 people dead and wounded at least 6,000 more. Over two million people have been displaced within the country, while another 700,000 have fled to neighbouring Continue reading »

Instead of serving markets, we should have markets serving our needs for a fairer, greener world. Enter social stock exchanges – the institutionalisation of doing good. The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates again, but the mood in the stock markets suggests that, after a mild recession, it may be time again for wine Continue reading »

In recent weeks, school boards across the country have become sites of conflict as organized...

This piece in the Bulwark takes a look at the two main defenses that Trump’s lawyers are likely to employ when it comes to a trial. (If it comes to a trial.) I don'[t know if this is correct but it’s interesting.

The oil company whose vinyl chloride poisoned East Palestine gave $2 million to the Senate GOP as lawmakers watered down and stalled proposed reforms.

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No thanks. I’m a big dumb dumb. I win the award for Biggest Dumb Dumb every single year. I have so many Biggest Dumb Dumb awards that the shelf I kept them on collapsed under the weight. People got hurt.

When I go out to eat at a restaurant, I spill my drink. I do it on purpose. I also text and drive. I’m texting and driving right now. I’m texting things like “Newsletters are stupid” to all my friends. They all reply, “Who is this?” because I don’t have any friends.

I am a human toilet. When I go into Home Depot, the employees say, “Excuse me, the toilet aisle is over there,” and “I don’t think we’ll ever sell this toilet because it is the worst toilet in the world,” and “Hey, why is this toilet just walking around? Somebody do something.”

In the seventh part of its three-year special investigation, Byline Times can reveal the internet data leaks that tie the TV presenter to the online aliases he has not denied being connected to

Sadly, he’s been proven right The NY Times used to keep a running tally of his lies but I think it just became too hard after a while, but there is still analysis: Running through the indictment charging former President Donald J. Trump with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election was a consistent theme: He is an inveterate and knowing liar. The indictment laid out how, in the two months after Election Day, Mr. Trump “spread lies” about widespread election fraud even though he “knew that they were false.” Mr. Trump “deliberately disregarded the truth” and relentlessly disseminated them anyway at a “prolific” pace, the indictment continued, “to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.” Of course, Mr. Trump has never been known for fealty to truth.

I’m a complete sucker for them. I don’t know why: you’d think twenty-odd years as an academic would have cured me of the idea there is anything romantic or glamorous about universities. But I keep going back to the trough. Some good recent ones: Julia May Jonas, Vladimir; R.O. Kwon, The Incendiaries; Rachel Henstra, The […]

by Brian Czech

When the name “Putin” is uttered—from now until the end of human utterance—the first thing that should come to mind is hundreds of thousands (and counting) of dead and wounded. Putin has turned a verdant, peace-seeking country into a hell-scape of suffering, including starvation. Let’s not overlook the Ukrainian casualties, now or ever.

Now, Putin is taking an even deeper stride into the annals of infamy by orchestrating one of the most despicable episodes of wanton waste in history: his attack on Ukrainian grain stocks and infrastructure.

The work of Palestinian journalists is frequently stifled by detentions, violence, and movement constraints, all stemming from the pervasive Israeli occupation. As Palestinian self-determination remains elusive, the prospect of an unfettered and equitable press becomes increasingly remote.

The post Palestinian Journalist’s Agonizing Detention Spotlights Israel’s Crackdown on Free Press appeared first on MintPress News.

“Hand-counting is typically expensive, inaccurate and impractical” NBC News: Some conservatives, including allies of former President Donald Trump, have pushed hand-counting ballots as a way to ensure the accuracy of election results. But Mohave County’s experience punctures that talking point, showing that hand-counting is typically expensive, inaccurate and impractical. In short, hand-counting ballots isn’t as easy as it sounds. Mohave County, home to an estimated 220,000 people in the northwestern corner of Arizona, is one of a handful of U.S. counties that has considered hand-counting ballots, thanks in part to election conspiracy theories that have driven distrust in ballot tabulators. After the 2020 election, the Arizona state Senate authorized a controversial hand-count audit of two races. The audit took months and cost millions, and — by its leadership’s own account in text messages obtained by The Arizona Republic — failed to result in an accurate count. Oh, right. Sure. That’s what the “experts” said, think MAGA conspiracy theorists.

Now embroiled in scandal, Leon Black made a safe bet on Sinema during her 2018 Senate campaign.

The post Private Equity Billionaire Tied to Jeffrey Epstein Led Industry Backing for Kyrsten Sinema appeared first on The Intercept.

Now embroiled in scandal, Leon Black made a safe bet on Sinema during her 2018 Senate campaign.

The post Private Equity Billionaire Tied to Jeffrey Epstein Led Industry Backing for Kyrsten Sinema appeared first on The Intercept.