The failure to provide meaningful work to the vast majority of the population is a powerful indictment of our economic system — one more promise capitalism makes but can’t keep.
Capitalism Can’t Give Us Meaningful Work
Author: peterimrich
https://player.fm/series/the-lincoln-project/donald-trumps-last-debate-ever
Essential listening Republicans against Trump and Trumpism
She said other countries paled by comparison. “In other countries they only get to spend five or ten minutes voting – they’re not engaged in the process at all”.
Man Lines Up For 11 Hours For Chance To Vote In Greatest Democracy On Earth | The Shovel
Iran, Russia and electoral interference. It is all part of the delicious mess that any observer of US politics has come to expect. Were the US body politic capable of being examined on the clinician’s couch, historical fears, psychic disturbances, and a range of unsettling syndromes would be identified. The issue of electoral interference would certainly be at the fore; it would also be fitting that a state so indifferent to the electoral sovereignty of others would now find itself constantly fearing large return servings.
Trusted Demonologies: US Electoral Interference, the Proud Boys and Iran – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Federal agents employed “a vast arsenal of weapons,” including toxic smoke grenades, against protesters in Portland. Sharon Lerner
Environmentalists Sue Homeland Security for Chemical Weapons Use
The arms company at the centre of a deadly criminal saga and numerous global corruption scandals, Naval Group, was selected by the Australian government to build our new fleet of submarines – a deal heralded as ‘one of the world’s most lucrative defence contracts‘. How did this happen? In this special investigation Michelle Fahy discovers significant gaps in anti-bribery and corruption measures on this massive procurement project. The message communicated far and wide is that our standards are lax; grey areas are tolerated; and we’ll bend the rules and look the other way.
Murder, corruption, bombings – the company at centre of Australia’s submarine deal – Michael West
Between 200,000 to 300,000 US citizens live in Australia, where interest in the upcoming election has soared
‘I can’t stand it’: American expats in Australia on the agony of watching the US election campaign | Australia news | The Guardian
In the recent few days, there’s the Cartier watches; the ABC paying Foxtel so that they can cover women’s soccer after Foxtel was given government money to cover women’s sport; the disappearance of all documents relating to the “grants” in NSW; the realisation that even if Trump is voted out, some people still think that Donald Trump is a reasonable pick for President; the confusion that, four years after Trump’s surprise win, the best the Democrats could come up with was Joe Biden; the media’s presentation of the Melbourne lockdown protests and the fact that many people are tipping Richmond to win the AFL flag by more points than they’re likely to kick for the whole game… Strangely that last one is the least of my concerns! Ok, let me take them one at a time:
2020: It Doesn’t Exist And I Have Entered A Parallel Universe! – » The Australian Independent Media Network
My thought for the day This Governments performance over its time in office has been like a daily shower of uncouthness raining down on society. Surely performance or lack of it must mean something.
Federal Integrity Commission: Yes, no, maybe, too busy – » The Australian Independent Media Network
I will update my regular sign off! What do we want? ICAC!! How do we want it! With real teeth! When do we want it? NOW!!
Integrity, transparency, honesty – and ethics – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Bigotry is bad and no one form of bigotry is any worse or more justified than another. This attitude should taken by all levels of government. To treat one form of bigotry as more important than another is, in itself, a form of bigotry.
Bigotry, racism and the power of the Israel lobby
The combination of Trump’s attacks on the institutions and the principles of democracy and the Republican Party’s repressive methods means that democracy itself is on the ballot.
The end of democracy? If Trump loses, Trumpism still wins
A report released on Wednesday by Columbia University estimated that between 130,000 and 210,000 COVID-19 deaths could have been avoided in the US, calling the federal government’s response to the pandemic an “enormous failure”. “The weight of this enormous failure ultimately falls to the leadership at the White House – and among a number of state governments – which consistently undercut the efforts of top officials at the CDC and HHS,” the report said, referring to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Coronavirus: US COVID-19 single-day deaths top 1200 for first time since August
The world’s most advanced Democracy prevents Voting
CNN cited a source as saying Melania has no upcoming appearances, nor does she have any campaign-related travel plans with the President. “She does what she wants, when she wants … She can be a contrarian,” one former White House staffer told the news outlet.
Missing Melania: The First Lady still MIA as US election looms
Brazilian health authority Anvisa says a volunteer in a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has died but adds that the trial will continue.
Volunteer in AstraZeneca vaccine trial dies
Most media coverage of the Queensland Election campaign has been well behaved, except for newspaper journalists campaigning against Labor and a few others who would fancy joining them. Most media coverage of the Queensland Election campaign has been well behaved, except for newspaper journalists campaigning against Labor and a few others who would fancy joining them.
How the media will affect the Queensland Election outcome
The Victorian Premier has become the biggest challenger to Morrison’s agenda in a national debate over the pandemic. While Andrews puts a priority on shutdowns in the name of saving lives, Morrison puts a premium on opening up the economy.
Daniel Andrews is now Scott Morrison’s biggest threat
The hypocrisy is extraordinary. On the one hand the Coalition Government reluctantly concedes that climate change exists at all and does little of substance to try to counteract it . Yet on the other hand it is dedicating substantial resources to establish a wide-ranging and powerful authority to tackle what it sees as the perceived threats of disaster from climate change. A bill being rushed through parliament – the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020 – is raising concerns that the Government is preparing for a militarised response to climate breakdown. Freedom of Information requests show that Defence is already planning towards extreme climate change impacts. References are made in the document of the need to “prepare for significantly more disaster support operations and potentially operations involving support to the civil power such as policing the population under exaggerated stresses such as food and water security”.
Government wants military response to climate change breakdown – Michael West
With just 11 days left until election day, US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden faced off in Nashville, Tennessee, for the final presidential debate. The debate was divided into six 15-minute segments: fighting COVID-19; American families; race in America; climate change; national security; and leadership. It was moderated by NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker. Welker was the first black woman to serve as the moderator of a presidential debate since Carole Simpson in 1992. The election will be held on November 3 but early postal voting has already begun in some states. Voter turnout is expected to reach record levels year, with some experts predicting that the number of people voting either in person or by mail could exceed 145 million.
Presidential debate as it happened: Trump, Joe Biden clash over North Korea, Amy Coney Barrett and coronavirus
A poll of debate watchers by CNN showed that 53 per cent of viewers believed Biden won the debate compared to 39 per cent for Trump. That compared to 60 per cent for Biden and 28 per cent for Trump after the first debate.
Presidential Debate: Trump, Joe Biden clash for final time before 2020 US election
The president, appearing to be in a foul mood during the interview, repeatedly complains that he faces “tough questions” while his Democratic rival Joe Biden gets “softball” questions.
Donald Trump airs 60 Minutes interview, decries ‘bias’
God is more cunning than a sewer rat while he says Biden will win his only son Lachlan keeps boosting Trump. But Trump has now started boosting OANN. It’s crazy shit in America bet Borat and Giuliani don’t make it to Murdoch News (ODT
Media organisations shouldn’t publish allegations unless they believe them to be true, after making appropriate checks. This is a normally uncontroversial principle of journalistic practice, reflected in media law. It forms the underpinnings for the social licence to operate that allows journalists access to the powerful and the freedom to deal with confidential sources and leaked information. Now, that idea is in play on the international stage in a stoush between News Corp and the tech platforms Twitter and Facebook. It’s a crucial moment in modern media, mainly because the tech platforms seem to be trying to heed the traditional responsibility of publishers, while the world’s most powerful traditional media organisation, News Corp, seems willing to overlook it. The battleground is a story published in Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, the essence of which is an allegation that presidential candidate Joe Biden used his previous position as US vice-president to benefit the Ukraine business interests of his son, Hunter.
Hunter Biden: do digital platforms care more than News Corp about likely misinformation? | News Corporation | The Guardian
In the US election next month, record-breaking numbers of voters will cast their ballots by mail for the first time. Millions of these ballots will be processed by local election administrations inexperienced with large numbers of mail-in votes.
Over 1 million mail-in ballots could be rejected in the US election — and the rules are changing by the day
As Donald Trump sees it, “We are leading the World in Economic Recovery.” Yet, less than two weeks before election day, the economy is weaker than he will ever acknowledge. The number of employed Americans in September was still 7 percent below the levels in February: Eight months into the pandemic, 10.7 million fewer people have jobs than before COVID-19. Those job losses are more than twice as great as those seen eight months into the Great Recession. And ominously for the president’s political fortunes, the recovery has not reached millions of Americans whose votes he most needs to win. Jobs issues could well imperil Trump’s reelection hopes, especially in critical swing states.
The Economy Is Weakest with the Groups Trump Most Needs | Washington Monthly
Iran and Russia have sought to influence the US election by obtaining voter registration data in a bid to spread false information. With less than two weeks before the November poll, US officials today revealed the two countries had tried to target voters with a disinformation campaign designed to undermine the integrity of the election.
US election 2020: Russia, Iran aim to interfere, FBI says
Know Your Enemy is a podcast about conservatism that takes analyzing its ideas and actions seriously. As we approach the end of Trump’s presidential term, we talked to its hosts about the state of the Republican Party and the Right after nearly four years of President Trump.
Labor raises alarm after findings of three-month project that cost $541,750 sent ‘straight to the prime minister’s office’
‘Thinly disguised political research’ paid for by taxpayers shared with Morrison’s office | Australian politics | The Guardian
Ben breaks down the Morrison government’s failure to create jobs while more jobs are destroyed but billions are go out the door in tax cuts… Van explores ugly attacks on Australians of Chinese heritage in a senate committee… and – after 100 days of lockdown – it turns out Victoria is a better place to be than Paris!Also, our dog Germanicus bumps into stuff. A lot.
To anyone who looks for consistency, political commentary can be confusing. You know the sort of thing, Brett Sutton is meant to be in trouble because he claims that he didn’t remember something in one of the thousands of emails he received, but Gladys is ok because she can’t be expected to remember that her boyfriend had to stand down because he was dodgy.
Forget Kevin Rudd’s Petition, I Have A Much Better Idea… – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Trucking magnate Lindsay Fox urged the business community to find solutions and work together to fight the deadly virus that has wreaked devastation across Victoria
Trucking boss Lindsay Fox urges support for Premier’s ‘tough decisions’
On October 14, Donald Trump held a rally attended by several thousand in Iowa, despite White House guidelines that gatherings in the state should be limited to 25. Trump visited Iowa numerous times in 2016, a political outsider promising he would “give working people a voice for the first time in a very, very long time”. He won the state by nine points.
Trump has changed America by making everything about politics, and politics all about himself
What motivates Trump followers? Racism? Conservatism? Cruelty? Part of it may be simple disruption. A historian explains.
The Chaos Is The Point | Washington Monthly
The email correspondence had been purportedly obtained from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, though the owner of the computer repair store who passed on the material to the FBI and one Rudy Giuliani was unsure if Hunter had left the computer with him. Thin stuff to go on. Father Biden repeatedly claims to have never discussed his son’s “overseas business dealings” with him. The Biden election campaign has also denied that the meeting ever took place. “We have reviewed Joe Biden’s official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place.” At another time, the move by the platform might have caused a shrug of indifference. But Biden is leading in the polls. Every anti-Trump agitator is concerned to ease the pathway for the president’s defeat. Every advocate for Trump is keen to ensure that flames are lit under his opponent.
Sloppy Methodology: Social Media, Censorship and New York Post’s Hunter Biden Story – » The Australian Independent Media Network
As Republicans ram through a Supreme Court nominee appointed by a president who lost the popular vote, the anti-democratic rule of the judiciary is on full display.
The Supreme Court Is Smothering American Democracy
The most technically innovative country on the planet It’s easier to vote anywhere on the planet than it is in America why?
A fierce battle over who should vote and how has sparked hundreds of lawsuits and prompted accusations of voter suppression. So what are the barriers to voting and why do they exist?
US election 2020: Why it can be hard to vote in the US – BBC News
A US marine says Australians were known to leave “fire and bodies” in their wake in Afghanistan Australian soldiers from 2nd Commando Regiment told the ABC the US Drug Enforcement Administration refused to work with the November platoon in Afghanistan It is unclear if the alleged killing is covered in the Inspector-General of the Australian Defense Force’s inquiry US marine says Australian special forces soldiers made ‘deliberate decision to break the rules of war’ – ABC News
This past summer, an outbreak occurred as far north as Connecticut, where the state health department issued a rare alert after five residents contracted the deadly V. vulnificus bacteria. Meanwhile, in the Carolinas, rising seas and intensifying storms are washing the virulent strains further inland. Since 2007, when the CDC required states to report Vibrio cases, South Carolina has seen a three-fold increase in its incidence rate and North Carolina’s reported rate soared 1.6 times. By 2019, according to more recent state data, the bacteria had sickened at least 550 people in both states.
Deadly Bacteria in Coastal Waters Causes a Flesh-Eating Disease. Climate Change Is Making It Worse. – Mother Jones
Locking out visitors has made it difficult for staff to meet the daily care needs of residents. What an indictment on aged care providers. They receive billions a year in funding, yet rely on the unpaid work of family/friends and volunteers. Surely it is time for complete accountability for their government funding, writes Dr Sarah Russell.
No strings attached: aged care providers have the Coalition wrapped around their little fingers – Michael West
What is it in the hearts and minds of men (l declare women more honest than men, but they also indulge) that turns them into liars, robbers, cheats, people of ill repute, corrupt scoundrels who would take from the public purse – that which is not theirs – in order to feather their own nest?
How do you introduce a policy detrimental to your own integrity? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Perhaps though, what has annoyed the lynch mob most is that Andrews’ strategy for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in Victoria has worked. The number of cases has been falling steadily. This past weekend, record low figures were achieved. As a result, restrictions have been eased, as promised, with more to come next weekend. Whatever he does though, it will never be right, never enough for his detractors. The painful reality for the lynch mob though is that Andrews has stared them down, and they don’t like it. This daily inquisition is demeaning, unnecessary, unbecoming, and a pox on our politics. It must now stop.
Dan Andrews stares down the lynch mob – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Fighting Fake News with REAL 21/10/20; How Fake News Works; Kochs assure America; Excess Death are Stats X 285000 higher;
Michelle Obama has observed that being president does not change who you are. It reveals who you are. The same could be said of the nation: that its president does not change who we are but reveals who we are. And what Donald Trump has revealed about America has taught us sobering lessons about ourselves.
The Eight Things Trump Reveals About America | Washington Monthly
Martha MacCallum, Fox News executive editor and anchor of The Story with Martha MacCallum, pushes right-wing narratives, pro-Trump talking points, and Republican spin during her on air appearances on Fox News. Part of the so-called “straight news” division, MacCallum has featured heavily in the network’s election coverage, as well as its promotional material, alongside anchor Bret Baier. Network executives have relied on the “straight news” operation to deflect criticism of the extreme racism and propaganda spewed nightly by opinion hosts like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham in an effort to deter advertisers from fleeing their toxic programming.
117 times Fox’s “straight news” anchor Martha MacCallum pushed right-wing narratives over seven weeks | Media Matters for America
A 72-year-old voter in Dayton, Ohio, said, “I’m angry about everything.” A retired veterinary technician in Detroit said she voted for one reason only: “Donald Trump. To make sure he’s not reelected.” A federal employee who waited in line for 10 hours in suburban Atlanta explained simply: “I have three black sons.”
‘Black people are literally voting like their lives depend on it’
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