Rupert Murdoch’s Foxtel is under attack on many fronts, from specialist sports streaming services, Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime to Kevin Rudd’s cancel News Corp petition. A new tie-up between Fetch TV and a cloud application platform ratchet’s up the pressure. Anthony Eales reports on Foxtel’s battle for survival.
Australian TV Survivor: does Foxtel face elimination as streaming giants gang up? – Michael West
You’ve been in or around politics for more than 50 years. How are you feeling about Tuesday’s election? I’m more frightened for my country than I’ve ever been. Another four years of Donald Trump would be devastating. Nonetheless, I suspect Biden will win.
FAQs About What’s Ahead | The Smirking Chimp
This year has seen more than 8 million more gun purchases than 2019, and scholars warn of increasing militia activity. Trump has publicly praised supporters who commit violence, including the Kenosha shooter. International allies are also concerned. After Trump used armed guards to teargas peaceful protestors in Washington DC (which Australia watched live as its reporters were bashed on air), the Scottish Parliament voted to suspend exports of riot shields, tear gas and rubber bullets to the United States. Australia recently updated its “do not travel” advisory to the US, citing civil unrest around the election. Regardless of the outcome of the election, some of the trends may continue beyond Inauguration Day on January 21, 2021, affecting not just the US but its relationships with allies and adversaries alike. Australia would do well to watch carefully and wait for the final results.
As US election day nears, the outcome won’t be simply a matter of political will
Rupert Murdoch may be ‘resigned’ to a Trump loss, but his news outlets are doubling down.
2020 US election: how Murdoch media is repositioning for a Trump loss
The message from Fox is quite clear: Trump is going to win, and if he doesn’t, the reason is because of voter fraud by Democrats.
Fox is playing a key role in Trump’s plan to steal the election | Media Matters for America
Trump’s America: poor targeted, red carpet for wealthiest tax avoiders – Michael West
While Trump’s tax affairs have been widely reported, statistics show that US authorities are going after the poorest families. Just seven of the 23,400 households earning on average $30 million were audited (0.03%). Yet more than a third of households earning an average $12,600 were audited – nine times the rate for the richest. David Cay Johnston reports.
Trump’s America: poor targeted, red carpet for wealthiest tax avoiders – Michael West
There is no need to inform the conscious world that the United States is applying all its power and influence to extradite Julian Assange from England in order to put him on trial in America. The case against him is based on his having committed journalism in publishing leaked secret government information on Wikileaks. While it is comprised of multiple charges, crafted with cynicism and malice in order to convict and imprison him for life, not one of them has any legal merit.
Assange And The Empire | The Smirking Chimp
Mr Incredibility, Clive, did promise, last year, he’d pay 800 former workers at Queensland Nickel’s Townsville Refinery. Three years late. Yet it was the Commonwealth which had to stump up $66m in unpaid entitlements.
“It is the core that is lunatic, not the fringe.” – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Hundreds of communities across Australia are hurtling towards the coal and gas cliff as politicians obsess over Cartier watches and pandemic politics. Michael West reports on the spectre of plunging demand for fossil fuels and the savage effects it will reap on regional communities.
Asleep at the Wheel: why Australia’s emissions policy debacle puts hundreds of communities at risk – Michael West
I think the Democratic nominee will win the White House on Tuesday. Here’s how and why – and what the president will do
USA OK? My FAQs about Trump, Biden, the election and what happens next | Robert Reich | Opinion | The Guardian
At a rally in September, he told supporters the only presidential election he would accept as legitimate would be the one he wins. “We do want a very friendly transition,” he told the crowd. “But we don’t want to be cheated, and be stupid, and say, ‘Oh, let’s transit.’
Trump Reportedly ‘Plans To Declare Victory Before Election Is Called’ | HuffPost Australia
We’ve taken a look at the countries he’s mentioned most on Twitter to pick out his most notable statements and give an overview of where US relations stand as we approach the election on 3 November.
US election 2020: What has Trump said about your country? – BBC News
If the state polls were underestimating Trump’s support by the same amount as 2016, Biden would still be far enough ahead to win the required 270 Electoral College votes on November 3. The President would require a bigger polling miss than four years ago in order to win a second term.
US election 2020: Joe Biden leads Donald Trump in final polls
More than $US50 million ($71 million) has been ploughed into the Democratic challenger’s campaign coffers by the finance industry with executives from the likes of Blackstone, Bain Capital and Soros Fund Management among those donating to Biden’s party, according to the non-partisan Centre for Responsive Politics. By comparison, the US finance industry has raised just under $US30 million for Donald Trump, marking only the second time during an election or midterm year since 1992 that Democrats have gained more donations from the executives.
Wall Street opens its wallets for Biden
Trump administration Covid-19 adviser Scott Atlas ripped public-health officials for “egregious” policy failures – only to be forced to apologize after mainstream media deflected his points by attacking him for appearing on RT.
‘Lockdowns KILL’: Trump Covid adviser Atlas forced to APOLOGIZE for RT interview as media uproar deflects to ‘Russian propaganda’ — RT USA News
The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy. By Hadas Thier As COVID-19 cases skyrocket again, hospitals remain understaffed and PPE and ventilators are still in short supply. We can’t leave people’s basic needs up to the whims of profit-seeking actors — we need democratic planning.
The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy.
My thought for the day An artist creates a sculpture alone; a painter uses a brush in isolation. But music forms a community, where the spirit of life can be felt. ( John Lord )
“It’s a lifestyle choice,” (so it’s not work) said Simon Birmingham – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Scott Morrison played on the general ignorance, as regards politics, of many members of the public, when he performed a one-man-band election campaign in 2019. A closer inspection of his message would have revealed no policy promises, except for cutting taxes. For the unthinking, that sounds like a good idea.
Without transparency, corruption flourishes – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Let’s run through the three scenarios that could happen on election day, and what would happen in the days after each.
What if Donald Trump wins the US election? What if Joe Biden wins and Trump won’t go? Here’s what could happen on election day – ABC News
The upward trend started with Obama/Biden and lasted 7 years Trump piggy backed on 4. (ODT)
The economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic brought an abrupt end to the longest economic expansion in US history – 128 months of growth, eight more than the previous record, between the Cold War and 9/11. If the recovery is slow and uneven – and data indicate that that may well be the case – it could profoundly damage the president’s chances of reelection.
Fact check US: Is the US economy recovering, as Donald Trump claims?
Savannah Bergquist, Thomas Otten, Marcello Antonini and Professor Francesco Paolucci look closely at the U.S.’ troubled COVID-19 response strategy.
Why the U.S. is number one for COVID-19-related deaths
The high number of early voters, about 65 per cent of the total turnout in 2016, reflects intense interest in the contest, with three days of campaigning left.
More than 90 million Americans have now cast their votes | The New Daily
Exclusive: Almost half of all staff absence linked to coronavirus in parts of northern England
Tens of thousands of NHS staff off sick because of Covid-19, data reveals | The Independent
Israel regularly plays the “Fake News Card” to hide what they criminally do. They aren’t even shy about it when caught. (ODT)
The Israeli military claims that it is not responsible for the death of Amer Snobar, 16, in the central West Bank on Saturday night, claiming that the teen fell. Doctors say he died after being beaten and asphyxiated by soldiers.
Israel lies after soldiers choke and kill Palestinian boy | The Electronic Intifada
The normalization of relations between Israel and Sudan, publicly announced on Oct. 23, has been on the horizon for several years now. News reports from the past weeks have consistently portrayed the normalization deal as a story about a staunch enemy of Israel abandoning its old ways and turning into a friend. The Khartoum Summit of 1967, in which Arab leaders called for “no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiation with Israel,” has been repeatedly invoked by commentators to support this narrative.
Not a new dawn: Why the Israel-Sudan deal was a long time coming
Some simple checks can help separate an honest statistic from a falsehood
Without learning to think statistically, we’ll never know when people are bending the truth | Paul Goodwin | Opinion | The Guardian
Border Force is Peter Dutton’s responsibility as he was appointed Minister for Home Affairs in December 2017 which also has oversight for Border Force. Prior to that Peter Dutton was Minister for Immigration and Border Protection from 23.12.2014 to 28.8.2018 which covers the period when the $39 fraud and theft took place.
Federal MP Peter Dutton covers up $39 million fraud and theft at the Australian Border Force – Kangaroo Court of Australia
And Liverpool. The only city in the world to drive one of Rupert Murdoch’s gutter rags back into the gutter for good.
When Murdoch’s tabloid failed Liverpool the people kicked it out of town for good. What’s stopping Melbourne? | The Shot
Pennsylvania, however, remains tighter – somewhere between 5 and 7 points for Biden. And “tighter” is not just about the poll numbers. It’s about what’s at stake: Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, is seen as a virtual must-win state for both candidates, the state most likely to decide who wins the Electoral College and, therefore, the election. It’s so important that Trump, who won the state by 45,000 votes, planned on making four stops there on Saturday. Biden, meanwhile, planned a major speech for Sunday in Philadelphia—the city where 55 prominent men gathered in the summer of 1787 to argue, drink and bargain over what became the U.S. Constitution. Be certain Biden will make a connection between those days and what’s at stake now.
Joe Biden’s election hopes hinge on this key swing state
We now know that before he was President, Donald Trump was not making very much money as a businessman. On the campaign trail, he styled himself as a successful titan of industry who would sort out America’s problems with the same approach that had made him a winner in the corporate world. But in reality, Mr Trump’s businesses were floundering just before he decided to run for the presidency.
Under Donald Trump, the presidency became a business like never before – ABC News
Bloomberg’s advertising blitz was announced shortly after word had spread that Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris would be touring suburbs across Houston, Fort Worth and McAllen today, to shore up more support from voters.
Could Texas flip? Why the GOP stronghold is worth watching on election night
Dr John Jiggens gives an outsider-insider view of a journalist running as an independent candidate of the South Brisbane electorate.
Queensland Election: South Brisbane and the Murdoch influence
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has won her third state election for Labor in a stunning endorsement of her tough border policy after an election campaign dominated by the state’s response to the COVID crisis.
Labor claims victory to win third term in Queensland
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has paid back $173 million to more than 4000 victims of endemic wage theft at its franchise network, but former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission boss Allan Fels said that amount represented only a fraction of the chain’s unpaid wages.
Allan Fels says 7-Eleven’s $173m wage theft bill should have been higher
Prime Minister Scott Morrison swung the spotlight away from the mounting evidence of the misuse of taxpayer funds and on to AusPost’s CEO Christine Holgate. The media was only too happy to oblige. Michael Tanner reports.
Tamed estate: Scott Morrison, the master magician – Michael West
The elder Murdoch has stopped speaking as frequently as he once did with Trump, but his associates say that those conversations probably will pick up again after November 3, when Trump will either be a second-term president or a free agent on the media circuit. “Maybe Rupert can just back the truck up and pay Trump to appear on Fox’s air at will,” Klein said. “Trump might prefer that to the rigours of having to actually run an actual business.”
US election 2020: What happens to Fox News if Trump loses? Rupert Murdoch is prepared
Bruce Y. Lee of Forbes reports that a couple of days ago, the Trump White House put out a press release listing the administration’s scientific achievements. Number one on the list was “Ending the Pandemic.” The Nazi genocidal maniac Adolf Hitler said, “Die Breite masse eines volkes fällt einer grosse lüge leichter zum opfer als einer kleinen” (“The broad mass of a people falls victim to a big lie more easily than a small one.”)
Trump Touts “Ending the Pandemic” as 1 American Dies every 107 Seconds and Stock Market Nosedives
Source: CNN: New rise in coronavirus cases in counties that held Trump rallies
The fact is the LNP has increasingly modelled itself on the GOP and its transactional politics. It threw Democratic values out the door long ago (ODT)
On paper, America’s process for selecting judges is proofed against partisanship and corruption, while ours is open to all kinds of malfeasance. Yet in practice it’s a different story altogether.
The US Supreme Court is broken. Could it happen in Australia?
Some Hong Kong and Taiwan people support the Trump administration’s China policy But experts caution that it’s Congress, not Mr Trump, that is pressuring China Experts say Joe Biden is not expected to present a stark change in US foreign policy on China
Australia’s Taiwan and Hong Kong diaspora ‘conflicted’ about whether they want Donald Trump to win the US election – ABC News
Just as Trump has a rusted on ‘base’, which lets him feel he is universally worshipped – except by the foolish few who believe ‘fake’ news – so, too, has the Coalition enabled Morrison to believe he is doing a good job of managing the economy, the country and our place in the world
A Dangerous, Devious, Deluded, Disastrous, Domineering Dunderhead – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Four years into a constant stream of misconduct allegations, it’s hard to know how to process the latest revelations about the actions of Australia’s special forces in Afghanistan.
The reputation of Australia’s special forces is beyond repair — it’s time for them to be disbanded
My thought for the day The danger in looking back to often is that we lose the will to go forward. (John Lord)
The ATM governments and the death of the common good – » The Australian Independent Media Network
olddogthoughts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.