Reading

At first sight there might not seem to be much connection between health and the AUKUS military alliance. But the threats posed by AUKUS to health are multiple and strong, at local, national, regional and global levels. A serious examination of those threats should form an important part of preventive healthcare. The AUKUS agreement between Continue reading »

The quick count of Indonesia’s recent elections indicates the winner is previously disgraced Prabowo. Accusations abound of voting fraud, vote buying, court-rigging, and corruption within the electoral commission, and many friends are despairing of Indonesia’s retreating democracy. I share that concern, but I can see a potential different interpretation of the facts. My prayer, and Continue reading »

Recently, Freedom House, a non-profit organisation that assesses democracy freedom, and human rights, reported that globally democracy has been in decline for the past 18 years. Moreover, this has been most evident in the West. According to a study published by Rand Corporation, a U.S. government supported think tank, Asia is the only place in Continue reading »

The ideas of Peter Dutton and Jürgen Habermas, the government shifts ground on intergenerational politics, a fact check on law’n’order fearmongers, and How the American left is becoming more stupid. Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, podcasts, reports and other media on current economic and political issues. Economics Even the IMF Continue reading »

Australia’s system of GST distribution — despite some serious mutilation by WA — remains one of the most effective and fairest in the world. That’s why the NSW government wants to blow it up. The way the states and territories are supported by the GST is founded on the notion that every Australian deserves access Continue reading »

Grenville Cross says new legislation incorporates guarantees lacking in other common-law jurisdictions’ similar laws. Although it was inevitable the West’s anti-China forces would criticise Hong Kong’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (the Ordinance), which was passed by the Legislative Council on March 19, its shameless myth-making exceeded expectations. Regardless of its content, they viewed it as Continue reading »

Israel’s lawlessness has a history that those in the West share with the apartheid state. It is remarked often enough, including in this space, that Israel’s savagery in its determination to exterminate the Palestinians of Gaza — and we had better brace for what is next on the West Bank of the Jordan — marks Continue reading »

Read Act I

“Good Thing Going” (Merrily We Roll Along): You’re a hugger, and you look at everyone’s Instagram stories no matter how long it’s been since you last spoke. You can name all five original members of the Rat Pack.

“Liaisons” (A Little Night Music): You have a close relationship with your grandmother. You love drag queens and your favorite on season sixteen of RuPaul’s Drag Race is Sapphira Cristál.

“Gee, Officer Krupke” (West Side Story): You’re the first person on the dance floor at weddings, and your dance moves are heavy on the elbows. You have a criminology degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

“Marry Me a Little” (Company): Your thumbs are sore from swiping. You have an anxious-avoidant attachment style. You read about attachment styles instead of going to therapy.

Reform-minded district attorneys like Minnesota’s Mary Moriarty are facing backlash for prosecuting police shootings and misconduct.

The post Prosecute a Cop? You’ll Face Removal From Office appeared first on The Intercept.

I would not characterize Brian Beutler as a super optimistic fellow and certainly not one to blow smoke about the Democrats. But in today’s newsletter he shares a little bit of good news which, coming from him, is reassuring. The short version is that over the past couple weeks President Biden has caught up with Donald Trump, as depicted in the Economist’s polling average above.   Now that’s not the whole story, or even an entirely good story, as I’ll detail momentarily. But deeper in the tea leaves, most recent developments are also pretty favorable to Biden and (thus) bad for Trump.  Consistent with the head-to-head polls, Biden’s approval ratings have ticked up (or, for copium abstainers, his disapproval rating has ticked down) while Trump, who has been more popular of late than in many years, has seen his numbers fall. But to me, the best case for optimism lies outside the realm of survey data. It’s better for Biden to be slightly ahead than slightly behind, but what he needs more than anything is upside potential to open a large lead.

Returning on May 10/11, here's the official Season 1 trailer for Showrunner Russell T. Davies and Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson's Doctor Who.

Ansar Allah's diplomatic moves reshape regional dynamics, as Yemen aligns with Russia and China to counter Western aggression and protect its interests.

The post New Alliances and Military Strength Surge Amid Yemen’s Unwavering Support for Gaza appeared first on MintPress News.

The Pentagon’s own program to minimize civilian harm is stalled, the Government Accountability Office’s audit says.

The post Biden Decries Civilian Deaths in Gaza as Pentagon Fails With Its Own Safeguards appeared first on The Intercept.

He’s following the Goebbels playbook to the T You get the feeling that among the jaded beltway establishment there is a belief that the horrified reaction against Trump’s Hitler analogies is just a bit overwrought. Sure it’s discussed and analysed but there’s a perfunctory vibe about it that makes it seem as if it’s just another of those “Trump says the darnedest stuff” things. And sure, the idea that he’s been studying Hitler’s speeches because he once had a book of them is a stretch (and even though he has said that Hitler “did some good things”) because Trump doesn’t study anything. But he is an instinctive autocrat and he’s got a few people around him who do understand the power of fascist imagery. Contrary to popular belief, much of the most outrageous rhetoric he spews at his rallies isn’t off the cuff. It’s scripted.

Lowkey interviews Dalloul Neder from Gaza, who lost five members of his family, including his mother and brother, when Israel bombed them. Dalloul attempted to bring the case to the attention of his MP, Angela Rayner of the Labour Party, but was assaulted and beaten by police.

The post Israel Killed My Mother! Lowkey interviews Dalloul Neder from Gaza appeared first on MintPress News.

What we’ve got here is failure to legislate “Morning Joe” Scarborough today gave Donald “91 Counts” Trump exactly what he asked for: blame for chaos at the southern border. Trump demanded Republicans in Congress kill the bipartisan border bill. He owns this morning’s New York Post headline. Remember (Washington Post, January 28): Republican front-runner Donald Trump said he wants to be held responsible for blocking a bipartisan border security billin the works in the Senateas President Biden seeks emergency authority to rein in a record surge of unauthorized border crossings. Trump told a Las Vegas rally, “I’ll fight it all the way. A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they’re blaming it on me. I say, that’s okay. Please blame it on me. Please.” American Bridge issued this video and statement on February 5: As president, Trump publicly urged Congress to send him a comprehensive, bipartisan bill to address immigration reform and border security.

I veckans avsnitt av Starta Pressarna intervjuas Clara E. Mattei — författare till boken Kapitalets ordning: Hur ekonomer skapade åtstramningsdoktrinen och banade väg för fascismen  (Verbal förlag, 2023) — och diskuteras hennes tes om att den ekonomiska åtstramningspolitiken historiskt växt fram som ett sätt att hålla tillbaka arbetarklassen. Som alltid på den här podden — […]