Reading

Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 23:00
A tough week for the narcissistic autocrats That’s both here and abroad. Is this a game-changing week for Ukraine? Associated Press: Ukraine’s air force claimed Saturday to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot defense systems, the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most modern missiles. Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a Telegram post that the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile had been intercepted in an overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital earlier in the week. It was also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defense systems. “Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Kinzhal,” Oleshchuk wrote. “It happened during the night time attack on May 4 in the skies of the Kyiv region.” Oleshchuk said the Kh-47 missile was launched by a MiG-31K aircraft from the Russian territory and was shot down with a Patriot missile. Then there was the unidentified drone exploding this week over the Kremlin.
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 19:11

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which took place in June 1953, was an occasion like never before. The first British coronation to be fully televised, with cameras being allowed inside Westminster Abbey for the ceremony itself, it was a fully public event that sought to construct a particular type of royal identity for the […]

Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 08:30
Here it is: During the October deposition, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan showed Trump a late-1980s photo of him with his then-wife Ivana, Carroll and her then-husband John Johnson. Referring to Carroll, Trump said, “It’s Marla,” referring to his second wife, Marla Maples. “That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” he said, before being corrected, and told it was Carroll. The writer sued Trump for defamation and battery after he said she “made up” allegations that he raped her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has adamantly denied the allegations and claimed Carroll “is not my type.” The picture is not blurry: The court released his deposition today and there will be more excerpts released throughout the day. That one is a doozy. So are these: We all know he’s a disgusting pig. But it still has the power to shock to see just how much of a pig he is.
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 08:30
He already did Bill and you helped. For four long years we put up with his antics and he’s trying for another four (or more.) And Bill Barr as much as anyone in the whole GOP establishment helped him do it. The way he handled the Mueller Report and the various cases against Trump associates showed him to be a top henchman and accomplice. He’s right, of course. But most of us have known that from the beginning. Barr thought he could use him to advance his own pet causes so he was willing to put with it. Then he lost and staged a coup and Barr said to himself, “Huh, maybe I should desert this sinking ship before I go down with it.” He has a whole lot to answer for and just stating the obvious isn’t going to do it.
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 08:08

BEN NORTON: Hi, everyone. I’m Ben Norton, and this is the Geopolitical Economy Report. Today, I have the pleasure of being joined by Michael Hudson, the brilliant economist and author of many books. Michael is also the co-host of a program here, Geopolitical Economy Hour, that he does every two weeks with friend of the Continue Reading

The post The Hard Iron Financial Fist first appeared on Michael Hudson.
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 07:00
That should be the headline. But it isn’t: There is also no reason that the following piece does not explain that Democrats have never held the debt ceiling hostage and voted to extend it without any drama in the Bush and Trump years. This kind of coverage without the context to understand the dynamic means those Independents who blame both parties probably don’t understand what really going on. A Washington Post-ABC News poll finds Americans divided on who they would blame if the nation’s debt ceiling is not raised and the government goes into default, a potentially devastating outcome that could happen as soon as June 1. The poll finds 39 percent of Americans say they would blame Republicans in Congress if the government goes into default, while 36 percent say they would blame President Biden and 16 percent volunteer that they would blame both equally. (That dynamic is similar to the 2011 debt limit showdown, when 42 percent said they would blame congressional Republicans and 36 percent said they would blame President Obama.
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 04:57
Or will it  fiddle around the edges like the Rudd/Gillard Governments? After seven years of struggle against the AMA and others ,Gough Whitlam and Bill Hayden launched Medibank/Medicare in 1975. Bob Hawke and Neal Blewett then put Medicare back in place after Fraser tried to destroy it. Despite a lot of good intentions and bold Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 04:56
Bipartisan secrecy and Defence’s poor record with Indigenous groups at Woomera are red flags for consultations over an AUKUS nuclear waste dump. Human rights experts say government must establish an Indigenous veto right. Part one of a two-part series The federal government had no public mandate for any of the AUKUS decisions: no mandate to Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 04:55
It is about being subjects rather than citizens. It is about ancient oaths of loyalty and fealty. It is about pomp and ceremony paid for by the state. The coronation of King Charles III is a further step towards an Australian Republic. That may seem counter-intuitive because a coronation is an unrivalled opportunity for any Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 04:54
In Asian Media this week: South Korea nuclear guarantee ‘better than NATO’. Plus: Thaksin party just hangs on to poll lead; Asia tops world growth, with China the driver; Indian court’s progressive sex-gender rulings; Russia sees AUKUS as NATO-style alliance; Asian war ‘far worse than Ukraine’; woman arrested over Thailand serial killings As the 70th Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 06/05/2023 - 04:53
Calling for a Menzies to rescue the Liberal Party from Dutton; The Reserve Bank: was it economic malice, enslavement to a simple formula, or a misreading of inflation?; and, National Cabinet: is it the best way to handle federal matters?  Read on for the Weekly Roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media Continue reading »