Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australia’s top diplomat, Frances Adamson, have both set out a vision for Australia that accepts the old order is changing.
Scott Morrison’s new vision for Australia accepts the old global order is changing – ABC News
Host Ron Steslow sits down with fellow Lincoln Project co-founders George Conway and Jennifer Horn, and Lincoln Project senior advisor John Sipher to discuss the top news stories of the week: Trump’s pardoning of Michael Flynn, the Trump legal team’s failures to win court cases, the announcement of Biden’s top national security team, and the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
57 min
What to do about Trump’s crimes
The only Perfect Call was Mary Trump’s and nobody seemed to meaningfully listen (ODT)
Donald Trump is personally liable for over $400 million in loans, much of it coming due within a year of leaving office. When combined with debts held by the Trump Organisation, he may be over a billion dollars in the red. Trump faces State-level prosecution and the likely exposure of many more federal crimes when he no longer controls America’s government. This may explain Trump’s refusal to concede the result of the Election and puts Trump on a collision course with the democratic reality of peacefully leaving office. The lame duck period of presidential transition, finally now in motion, is normally an uneventful period of political stagnation. Not with this president. Trump has decapitated the civilian leadership of the Pentagon, withdrawn America from the Open Skies Treaty (designed to avoid accidental military escalation) and appears to be deliberately sabotaging Joe Biden’s ability to manage the economy. Perhaps Trump’s ultimate crime will be to burn it all down as he heads for the door. With two months until inauguration, this story may be far from over.
What to do about Trump’s crimes
Homers may have shunned masks because Trump told them too. But if Marges wear them, Homers can too. Homers may parrot “hoax” and “fake news” but if Marges pay attention to facts and science, Homers can be convinced to do the same. Homers may back the blue, but if Marges can weep for George Floyd, Homers can understand that recognising black lives matter is simple human decency. Marge might also help Homer realise that many who claim to represent him are frauds. Those who he has been listening to — Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh — make more money in a day than Homers make in a year. These Sideshow Bobs are the true elites. Do Rupert Murdoch and his fellow Mr Burns billionaires give a damn about Homers? When was the last time a Homer was spotted at Mar-a-Lago? Still, most Homers will continue to vote Republican. That’s who they are. But they are not immoral and they have not been lost to Trump’s cult. They backed Trump because he was their candidate. Now the Trump show has been canceled. Sooner or later the repeats will fade away. And the Homers will move on. Many Homers don’t know it yet, but Joe Biden cares more about them than Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz ever will. Some have figured this out already. In time it might dawn on the rest. And when that day comes, they may quote their cartoon namesake: “D’oh!”
Homers of the heartland: why 73 million voters stuck with Trump
Is Donald Trump still attempting a coup with the intention of remaining in power indefinitely? Yes. “I quit” is a phrase that does not appear in the authoritarian’s handbook. Trump has announced his coup in public, which is a major reason why most people are not taking it seriously.
Take Trump’s coup seriously. It’s no joke — and Biden’s win was just a sugar high | Salon.com
Deaths Rate has increased by 68%
The number of COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals across the United States has reached 90,000 after nearly doubling in the past month, just as holiday gatherings are expected to propel the next wave of infections.
Coronavirus: Hospitalised COVID-19 patients hit record 90,000 in US ahead of expected surge
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on climate change, Trump and the Murdoch media
Malcolm Turnbull on climate change, Trump and the Murdoch media
Former WA Liberal MPs Nigel Hallett, Brian Ellis misused electoral allowances, CCC inquiry finds – ABC News
The CCC alleges Nigel Hallett and Brian Ellis engaged in serious misconduct Mr Hallett allegedly paid his lover a taxpayer-funded wage for a “sham” job Mr Ellis spent thousands of dollars of his electoral allowance at a strip club
Former WA Liberal MPs Nigel Hallett, Brian Ellis misused electoral allowances, CCC inquiry finds – ABC News
Australian-British academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert’s release from an Iranian prison after more than two years’ detention is certainly a welcome development. However, the circumstances raise some uncomfortable questions for Australian and Western diplomats related to Iran’s penchant for using hostage-taking as a bargaining chip for the release of its own citizens detained abroad for suspected or proven crimes, including terrorism.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been released. But will a prisoner swap with Australia encourage more hostage-taking by Iran?
When he lost the recent election, yet insisted that he had won it, his followers came out on the streets in droves echoing his accusation that the election had been ‘stolen’ from him. The thieves were not identified. How they could mastermind such a complex coup involving thousands of players scattered across a vast nation of over 330 million was never explained. Yet that did not concern Trump’s followers;
Trump is a cult leader – » The Australian Independent Media Network
What Trump’s claim of a ‘stolen election’ means for activists today
So what are we to make of the Trump campaign’s lawsuits, Republicans refusing to honor the election results and the Department of Justice looking into “allegations” of supposed voter fraud? If this isn’t a coup, then what is it?
What Trump’s claim of a ‘stolen election’ means for activists today
If the Australian ADF were the sole arbiters on the war crimes of the SAS all crimes would have been found unproved. The IDF’s self -investigation is the States great denier (ODT)
Only one Israeli soldier has been indicted over the use of live fire against unarmed protesters during the Great March of Return demonstrations held along Gaza’s eastern boundary. Israeli forces killed more than 215 Palestinians during those protests, which began in late March 2018 and were suspended last December.
Israel’s self-investigation shields its soldiers | The Electronic Intifada
Why is the Coalition trying to abolish a valuable safeguard for consumers? | Australian economy | The Guardian
The LNP is the jettisoning of responsible lending obligations (RLOs). The proposal to remove RLOs for much of consumer lending from the relevant legislation, under the guise of supporting economic recovery, and unsurprisingly supported by the banks, has provoked widespread opposition.
Why is the Coalition trying to abolish a valuable safeguard for consumers? | Australian economy | The Guardian
On October 6, Lidia Thorpe was sworn in as the first Aboriginal woman to represent Victoria in Australia’s parliament. Thorpe spoke to Jacobin about a centuries-long struggle for justice.
Victoria’s First Aboriginal Senator, Lidia Thorpe, Speaks to Jacobin
Australia will be paying nearly $1 billion to a privatised company providing pharmaceutical products that were developed when we owned it, writes Professor John Quiggin.
Paying for what we used to own: The strange case of CSL
Yes, I’ve noticed over the years that the Liberals often have excellent solutions to problems that would be the perfect answer except for the fact that there’s no explanation about the steps to get to the actual solution. In much the same way that we were told that the answer to unemployment was to create jobs and growth, Joe Hockey told people that the way to buy a house was to get a better job, and that the best form of welfare was a job, we now have Timmy Wilson telling us that it’s better to buy a house than to increase your superannuation. Of course, how people on lower incomes manage to buy a house when they’re getting enough for an extra cup of coffee, well, that’s not really addressed.
Beggars, Choosers And Tim Wilson! – » The Australian Independent Media Network
The Morrison government has big plans to channel huge amounts of money to News Corp.
Coalition has an impressive array of programs to fund News Corp
“He was just a good kid. He had a genius IQ, just smart, nice to everybody; loves old people, dogs, the whole thing,” she said. “And then he just got weird.”
How the Justice System Fails People With Mental Illness
Julian Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, has tweeted President Donald Trump on Thanksgiving, appealing to him to pardon the WikiLeaks founder. Moris posted a photo of their two young children on Twitter on Thursday, local time, and wrote: “These are Julian’s sons Max and Gabriel. They need their father. Our family needs to be whole again. “I beg you, please bring him home for Christmas.”
Julian Assange’s partner appeals to Trump to pardon him
The reality is that the Trump obsession isn’t really about Trump himself anyway. It’s about his followers. Advertisement:
Trump isn’t the reason we can’t quit Trump — the obsession is really about his followers | Salon.com
Steve Bannon’s deranged election conspiracy theories, ranked | Media Matters for America
Media Matters has compiled a non-exhaustive list of his various deranged election conspiracy theories and has ranked them from “extraordinarily” to “completely.”
Steve Bannon’s deranged election conspiracy theories, ranked | Media Matters for America
“Lock her up! Lock her up!” The crowd said their prayer, their mantra at the Republican National Convention in 2016, and Lt. General Michael Flynn (Ret.) went right along with them from the podium. Even Trump has never gone quite that far. .”Lock her up. That’s right… I have called on Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race,” Flynn told the crowd. “If I did a tenth, a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today.” O Sweet Gods of Irony, thank you. Flynn won’t be going to jail now that the president has pardoned him for lying to the FBI. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted, “It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon. Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family. I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!”
Pardon Me: Michael Flynn’s Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card Lands Face Up | Washington Monthly
Looking back on my writing for 2020 and what has motivated it the most common ingredient has been a sense of frustration that I’m not having the impact I once did. By that I mean my readership has dropped a little. I want more people to know the truth. Perhaps I have become too repetitive and people are bored by it. Or as my son suggests, l’m a bit too lengthy. That’s not my fault of course, it’s the government’s. They have been so consistently horrific in yet another year of awfulness that one feels compelled to regularly convey it to the AIMN readers.
This government isn’t fit for purpose – » The Australian Independent Media Network
In its gormless retaliation to Kevin Rudd’s petition asking for a Royal Commission into the Murdoch media, News Corp has unwittingly confirmed why such an inquiry is so utterly essential. Founder and director Dave Donovan and managing editor Michelle Pini report.
Rudd’s News Corp petition pushes Murdoch’s minions into meltdown
Ammonia does not produce greenhouse gas emissions when burned. Engineers are working on ensuring that it also does not produce nitrogen oxides, which are a pollutant that contributes to ozone. Ammonia can be used in coal-fired electricity plants instead of coal. It is also suitable as a fuel for, e.g., large ships.
Australia’s Massive Solar Energy Hub in Outback to produce coal-killer Green Ammonia
Kylie Moore-Gilbert was detained in Iran for more than two years She had been serving 10 years on espionage charges Video aired on state TV showing her sitting in what appeared to be greeting room in Tehran’s airport
Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert released from Iran jail as part of an exchange for three Iranian prisoners – ABC News
The incoming administration has its job cut out restoring faith in the process and in the nation`s leader to repair the damage reaped by four years of inglorious damnable conduct. The Republican Party also has some fence-building to do. The lights in the party room need to be burning late into many nights analysing the last four years; what worked, what didn’t and what needs to happen to ensure the Democrats only get one term (when Biden is likely to hand the baton on to his Vice President for 2024). Should their outgoing fellow decide he wants another tilt, do they support him or send him on gardening leave, or do they quietly hope that the agony of loss will fry his addled brain completely? Time will tell. Maybe he will retire to his golf courses, sorry, country clubs. Memo to anyone competing with the club owner; let him win, he doesn’t like losing … in case that fact eluded you.
Opportunity lost: Trump’s presidency – » The Australian Independent Media Network
On top of failing to mention that broader and more instructive economic context, Trump—who repeatedly claimed prior to the November election that the stock market would crash if Joe Biden won—also omitted the fact that the market soared in part because of news that the General Services Administration allowed the transition to the Biden administration to begin after weeks of delay. “Investors are cheering signs that a protracted fight over control of the White House is potentially drawing to a close, reducing political risks over the winter months,” the Wall Street Journal reported. Following his attempt to take credit for the stock market surge, Trump left the briefing room without taking any questions from reporters:
‘Well That Was Weird as Sh*t’: As More States Certify His Defeat, Trump Holds 60-Second Briefing to Brag About Stock Market | Common Dreams News
But when the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed 30,000 for the first time on Tuesday, Trump emerged to take a victory lap.
Trump pops into White House briefing room for one-minute impromptu speech – POLITICO
A trillion dollars could maintain wages at pre-crisis levels for all workers in America, enabling people to stay home and stop the spread of the virus, for four months. Instead, it’s gone into the personal piggy banks of a handful of billionaire owners and investors.
US Billionaires Have Increased Their Riches By $1 Trillion During the Pandemic
Winning by failing has been Donald Trump’s signature business strategy, and now it is his political strategy. Since he couldn’t force the Justice Department to arrest Biden or coerce the courts to overturn the election results, he is left to enrich himself and maintain his influence with his fans and GOP elected officials. Thankfully for democracy, Americans now face not a coup d’état but yet another scam from Donald Trump – and probably not his last.
No, It Wasn’t a Coup Attempt. It Was Another Trump Money Scam. | Washington Monthly
Well, that’s one of the benefits you get when you install a Russian asset in the Oval Office, amirite?
Maddow: To Kneecap Biden, Trump Ordered Destruction Of Spy Planes Used To Monitor Russia | Crooks and Liars
I live in a democracy. But as Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself longing for the type of freedom I am seeing in China. People in China are able to move around freely right now. Many Americans may believe that the Chinese are able to enjoy this freedom because of China’s authoritarian regime. As a scholar of public health in China, I think the answers go beyond that.
China beat the coronavirus with science and strong public health measures, not just with authoritarianism
Australia, with its “gas-led recovery”, corrupted political process and continuing reliance on fossil fuels for exports and energy, is moving from climate laggard to climate criminal as we head for another record warm year — possibly the warmest ever. Global sanctions in the form of tariffs on every Australian export — not just the limited range of energy-intensive products identified by the EU — to make up for our lack of action is economically justified and morally compelling.
Global tariffs the only way to end Australia’s climate criminality
Scott Morrison says Australia’s position has been wrongly interpreted as siding with the US over China. Yet two of the main funders of the Federal Government-owned think-tank ASPI, a constant critic of China, are the US State Department, whose secretary Mike Pompeo has led the charge of global anti-China sentiment, and foreign weapons makers. Marcus Reubenstein investigates.
Revealed: radical escalation in US war machine funding for Australian Government “think tank” ASPI – Michael West
Record fiscal stimulus of $25 billion over four years will capture the headlines. But what the Victorian government has done with it is perhaps the bigger story. Education jobs, a massive social housing build, support for the tourism sector – it’s by and large the right package for this recession.
Victoria budget: Victorian government steps in where federal government did not
Either there is some perverse, self-destructive reverse psychology driving Trumpian Republicans, or politicians in this party are the greatest con artists on earth.
The Republican conmen
Among television news sources, Fox News holds outsize influence, particularly among Republicans. Currently, 15% of Americans cite Fox News as the television news source they trust the most to provide accurate information about politics and current events, which is roughly equal to the combined influence of broadcast networks like NBC, ABC, and CBS (16%), and larger than that of local television news (12%) and CNN (11%). Fox News is by far the most trusted outlet among Republicans (40%), with the next most trusted source, local news, trailing distantly (14%). Just eight percent of independents and four percent of Democrats most trust Fox News. Among religious groups, Fox News is most trusted by white evangelical Protestants (36%), by nearly twice the proportion of all other religious groups. Continue reading by clicking the name of the source below.
Trumpism After Trump? How Fox News Structures Republican Attitudes | Richard Dawkins Foundation
Is Trump’s truculence an attempted coup or the last-ditch efforts of a man whose star is fading?
Is Trump’s truculence an attempted coup or the last-ditch efforts of a man whose star is fading?
Alright Orange Man, we are in quite the predicament and there is not time to mince words.
Memo To Trump: There is not time to mince words
Now America is being subject to a stress test to see if it has enough strength to withstand Trump’s treacherous campaign to discredit the 2020 presidential election. Trump will lose because there’s no evidence of fraud. But the integrity of thousands of people responsible for maintaining American democracy is being tested as never before.
Profiles in Cowardice | The Smirking Chimp
During his four-year tenure in the White House, President Donald Trump packed powerful federal regulatory agencies with dozens of right-wing loyalists who are well-placed to stall or undermine the agenda of President-elect Joe Biden from the moment he takes office.
To Prevent ‘Active Sabotage’ of His Agenda, Biden Urged to Clean House of Trump Loyalists on Day One | Common Dreams News
Repeatedly, professionals in the intelligence agencies, the Office of Management and Budget, and more recently election officials, have fought to hold the line. Just this week, 16 assistant US attorneys wrote a letter reported in The Washington Post, challenging Attorney General William Barr’s attempt to thrust “career prosecutors into partisan politics” so as to buttress the president’s fantasies. Trump seems to grasp that it’s the career administrators he needs to worry about. Maybe that is why his administration is frantically replacing professionals with loyal yes-men and Trump donors. Recent purges include a senior climate scientist, two top Homeland Security officials and a senior cybersecurity official whose agency refuted Trump’s claims of election fraud. If he continues in this vein, he will have compromised the last, and most effective check we have, bringing us that much closer to the 17th century.
Presidents are Paid Public Servants, Not Aristocrats above the Law: Lessons from Rousseau, Jefferson and Tang China
“People are seeing that there’s a fundamental disconnect between what the electorate wants and what their representative is doing in parliament,” she said. “It’s not enough to look at what they do in the electorate — Tony Abbott was a volunteer at the local surf club. We think that it’s the MP’s voting record that they need to be judged on.” And how will these electorates fare at the next federal election? As retired independent politician Tony Windsor is fond of saying, “the world is run by the people who turn up”. All across the country, Australians who have never been part of a political party are turning up, and finding their voice.
Climate 200: inside the fight to control climate agenda in parliament
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