Reading

“The simple fact is that the housing crisis lies squarely at the feet of the malevolence of developers just like Donald Trump himself.”

The post J.D. Vance Blamed Immigrants for the Housing Crisis. Corporate Greed Is the Real Culprit. appeared first on The Intercept.

1. Open the event with some pleasantries, perhaps a quick lighting of the holiday candles. Feel free to say a few blessings. A quick note: This will be the only time you should NOT bring up 1999’s soup-to-nuts, flawless film Blue Streak, starring Martin Lawrence at the absolute pinnacle of his movie stardom.

2. Despite the joyous get-together, it’s now time for one of your relatives to discuss the most morbid event of the past year. Stay poised as it is nearly the moment to lament how so few films nowadays can duplicate Blue Streak’s brisk but enjoyable ninety-three-minute run time.

3. Just as Uncle Kenny says, “Speaking of anniversaries,” you interrupt, marveling at how it’s been twenty-five years since you first saw a certain two-hander starring Martin Lawrence and Luke Wilson at the White Flint Mall Cineplex in Bethesda, Maryland.

I just wanted to check in to give people an update from Tom Sullivan. He’s doing fine. He’s staying at a friend’s house and power came on last night. His own house is still out. They still have no water and are having to bring it in from a creek nearby for flushing and bathing. WiFi is sporadic. However, there does seem to be a lot of services flowing and local businesses are coming to the rescue with free water and supplies to keep things going. Some grocery stores are open and Jose Andres is in town, so the townsfolk even have some good eats. The airport is letting in some flights but it’s erratic. Lots of helicopters, fire trucks and other rescue vehicles have been going night and day. Lots of people are still missing. I haven’t had the heart to even ask him about the prospects for the election in his area. I’m not all that hopeful, I’m sorry to say. Asheville is one of the blue cities the Democrats were depending on… But we’ll see. You can be sure if there’s a way to get people out to vote, Tom will be there working to see that it gets done.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged to borrow to invest amid claims that billions of pounds in cuts to investment is planned

The army is set to launch an inquiry into the behaviour of British troops posted to the British Army Training Unit Kenya where Agnes Wanjiru was found dead in 2012

Writing about a debate on the morning after always feels more like theater criticism than political analysis. How did they look, how did they sound, did they come off as authentic and real or were they phony and glib? Were they believable to the faceless Real Americans watching who were being asked to decide which of them to vote for? But that’s what these televised debates really are. The substance is usually secondary because they’ve practiced their lines and have a specific message they want to impart regardless of the topic they’re being asked to address. They’re political rituals which we use to decide if the person appears to be someone we want to watch perform the role of whatever office they are seeking. The worst debate ritual we’ve all ever witnessed happened last June when President Joe Biden was seen to be doddering and incompetent. It wasn’t that most Democrats disagreed with his policies to the extent that he articulated them or were unhappy with his record, quite the opposite. It was his performance and it resulted in him having to withdraw from the race.

After facing threats from the Israeli military following a TalkTV interview, Palestinian journalist Wafa Al-Udaini was killed in a targeted airstrike. Her death exposes the dehumanizing role of Western media in perpetuating violence against Gaza's truth-tellers.

The post Wafa Al-Udaini: How Dehumanizing Western Media Coverage Led to a Journalist’s Murder appeared first on MintPress News.

The Conservative leadership candidates are embracing the freedom of losing all power and responsibility, with inevitable consequences

Has the world’s richest man simply lost his marbles or been ‘radicalised’ by his own platform? David Troy traces his beliefs and behaviour to paint an altogether more concerning picture of the X owner’s political and cultural journey

It is difficult to overstate the centrality of shipping to contemporary capitalism. Indeed, without shipping, it is difficult to imagine the birth of capitalism at…

2024 Vice Presidential Debate
New York, NY
October 1st, 2024

9:00 PM: Opening what seems likely to be the last debate of this election, CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan welcome candidates Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and review the rules the campaigns agreed to. Brennan reminds the candidates that they will be fact-checking each other as the press must fill the vital civic role of solemnly nodding.

9:01 PM: For the opening question in the United States vice presidential debate where the candidates, moderators, and primary audience are Americans, Brennan addresses Walz, asking if he would support a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran. Walz responds by coughing in an “aw shucks” sort of way, stating that everyone who has known and advised Donald Trump has said he’s unfit and only steady, trusted leaders should be able to enable and encourage murder. Brennan poses the same question to Senator Vance, who licks his lips and reminds everyone that he wrote a book about what a regular guy he is.

A tiny island in the Canaries is at the centre of the migration debate in Spain. It doesn't have enough housing, hospital beds or space in its cemeteries to cope

A walk through the English countryside reveals tangible yet long-overlooked traces of a nomadic culture’s long presence

- by Aeon Video

Watch at Aeon

As a high achiever, your problem-solving skills can backfire at night. You need a different way to beat insomnia

- by Nick Wignall

Read at Psyche

The Conservative leadership frontrunner has caused widespread outrage after claiming that Human Rights laws are forcing British special forces to kill rather than detain suspected terrorists