Another one bites the dust Remember this? “That is a war that’s dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president,” the Republican said during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. If I win, when I’m president-elect and what I’ll do is I’ll speak to one, I’ll speak to the other, I’ll get them together.” “I know Zelenskyy very well and I know Putin very well. I have a good relationship and they respect your president, O.K., they respect me, they don’t respect Biden.” He said it over and over again: At a CNN town hall in May 2023, Trump said: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” We knew it was bullshit and his voters didn’t care. They’re fine with whatever Russia wants to do because he’s a strong white Christian man who makes them swoon. In any case, Trump will just say he actually did it and his followers will believe it so whatever. Back here on planet Earth: Shamelessness is such a powerful political tool.
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As Donald Trump is inaugurated as a second-term president, readers may recall the infamous expression “alternative facts” used by Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s senior counsellor, to defend the false statements of Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary. At the time, the media mocked Conway for describing Spicer’s falsehoods about attendance numbers at Trump’s 2017 inauguration Continue reading »
A week out from the presidential inauguration in Washington and what stands out is the sheer mischief and wildness of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, like two schoolboys running amok in the tuckshop of world politics. With it comes a wide range of reactions to Trump, from the cheerleaders to those who fear Trump’s words Continue reading »
Donald Trump is still to be sworn in for his second term, but is already confirming that he remains a menace to world peace, security and stability. He has already announced hostile trade measures – mostly in the form of tariffs, against America’s two immediate neighbours, Canada and Mexico. He has effectively announced new tariffs Continue reading »
Peter Dutton’s hopes for Australia to be the first nation in the Southern Hemisphere to pioneer the use of small-to-medium nuclear reactors seem dashed. Not because of ALP hostility, doomscrolling by economists, a twitchy electorate, forests of greenies and swags of sceptics – but because we could be overtaken by Indonesia hurtling down the fast Continue reading »
Rupert Murdoch relies on political threats for commercial benefit Foxtel was formed in 1995 through a Joint Venture between News Corp (Fox) and Telstra. News Corp has now sold its interest in Foxtel for $3.4 billion. From the beginning in 1995 News Corp went on to establish a controlling interest in Foxtel. News Corp effectively Continue reading »
“Apathy isn’t just a lack of care – it’s a failure of connection. It happens when people stop believing their voices matter, their efforts count, or that change is possible. Apathy is the silent enemy, replacing passion and engagement with indifference.” – Manu Sharma, The Silent Enemy In 1948, the world took a bold step Continue reading »
John Frew’ s recent essay asserts that public schools are increasingly burdened with students facing complex challenges while private schools lure more desirable students with questionable claims of better academic outcomes and stricter discipline. As a principal of 20 years, I must disagree with Frew’s depiction of public schools as a “toxic environment in which Continue reading »
Former prime minister Tony Abbott claims “unelected and unaccountable” public servants stymied his government. History records a long running battle between our governments and the so-called ‘mandarins’ who are supposedly there to serve them Politicians come from varied backgrounds and bring with them a range of skills and experiences. But ultimately it’s often the actions Continue reading »
Figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk are not anomalies but symptoms of a system in decay. The phrase, “there will come a time where there is no shame, and leaders will act like dogs” has its roots in various traditions, including ancient wisdom and cultural proverbs, often warning of societal decay when leaders abandon Continue reading »
After nine years of legal battles, a British judge has finally challenged the wall of secrecy erected by British and Swedish authorities around the legal abuse of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Judge Foss, sitting at the London First-Tier Tribunal, has ruled that the Crown Prosecution Service must explain how it came to destroy key files Continue reading »
I live in Santa Monica, California and as you can imagine, the last few days have been traumatic. We are lucky to live a couple of miles from the fire zone and are not currently in any danger. But I know many people who were evacuated and some are still waiting to go back to their homes because the danger is still acute. Everyone I know knows someone whose house has burned; one of my closest friends lost everything and literally escaped with just the clothes on his back. We’re all still on alert here waiting to see if the winds pick up as predicted next week, praying that the worst is behind us. All natural disasters are frightening. I’ve been through a few earthquakes and one big hurricane. But I have to say that watching a firestorm threaten America’s second largest city right on my own doorstep is a particularly terrifying experience.
The union believes it "may have been a targeted break-in, possibly linked to corporate espionage"
What-iffing Trump troops in the streets Donald Trump talks tough about deploying troops in the streets. Why? For the same reason he muses about “acquiring” Greenland and the Panama Canal. Trump, Alex Shepard believes, “is driven almost entirely by his desire to appear strong—or, more to the point, his fear of looking weak. This is why he picks senseless fights with smaller allies while avoiding brawls with the strongmen he so greatly admires.” Yes, Greenland may have significant resources, but as we pointed out last week, that’s not really why Trump wants it. That’s about Trump’s obsession with size (The New Republic): As is almost always the case with Trump, though, the cleanest and perhaps most persuasive explanation is the simplest and dumbest: The territory, like Canada, looks really, really big on the commonly used (and widely distorted) Mercator projection. Adding it would be a huge ego boost for a man who, hours after planes hit the Twin Towers, boasted that he now owned the tallest building in New York City.
The dead and missing aren’t all counted CNN’s landing page this morning blares: LA fires at critical stage as winds to return and death toll rises. The Washington Post: Death toll rises to 24 as region braces for return of dangerous winds The New York Times is more specific about the death toll: The Eaton fire has killed 16 people, making it one of the deadliest in California’s history, and at least eight people have died in the Palisades blaze. Another 16 people have been reported missing in the areas of the two fires, and officials have warned the number of fatalities is likely to rise. CNN has already begun profiling the lives lost: An amputee and his son with cerebral palsy were among the 24 deaths in the fires raging around Los Angeles. The father was found at his son’s bedside. One victim told a relative that he did not want to evacuate. He died trying to fight the blaze that consumed his home of more than 50 years. Another victim, an 85-year-old woman, refused to leave her home as the fast-moving Palisades Fire approached, preferring instead to stay behind with her beloved pets.
Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) shines in Gatsby in Harlem, BBC Radio 3's socially-charged adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
If you’re reading this, you purchased a Snapple manufactured in July of last year. During that time, our computers were down. Since we’re not Dr. Pepper (or Diet Dr. Pepper), we have to rely on fun facts on the undersides of our bottle caps to get people to buy our products. And without computers, our writers had to come up with facts they knew to be true without the ability to fact-check them.
While all the facts printed were true, we must retract the following Snapple Facts as they are not quite interesting enough to live up to the standard we set for ourselves:
So, Trump has threatened, most of the world, including most Germany and much of Europe, with 25% tariff rates. Under Biden, with the destruction of three of the four underseas pipelines from Russia to Europe, along with sanctions, Germany in particular and Europe in general have been losing energy-price sensitive industry to America. They close down in Europe, they open up in the US. Natural gas from America is much more expensive than Russian gas.
- by Aeon Video
- by Cynda Hylton Rushton
- by Christoph Heine