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Monday, October 31, 2022

The Trump Tapes: 20 interviews that show why he is an unparalleled danger

 Policing, not crime is behind swelling prisons – and it’s costing billions: MP


Facebook used to be a Big Tech giant — now Meta isn’t even in the top 20 most valuable U.S. companies CNBC. That’s a damn shame.


Wile E. Coyote Moment as Tech Goes Off the CliffJohn Authers, Bloomberg

The Trump Tapes: 20 interviews that show why he is an unparalleled danger

Washington Post – Bob Woodward: “…In the “The Trump Tapes,” I share my personal reporting journey through the eight hours of interviews. I provide commentary at more than 200 points in the audiobook, explicitly offering my own reactions, hesitations, conclusions, and explanations of my method of gathering and confirming information. When Trump came on the political scene in 2015, he was immediately a big presence, regularly making outrageous statements. He seized the attention of the media and gave regular interviews before and after he was elected president. But for someone who talked so much, he insulated himself from long and sustained questioning. In our extended conversations, I was able to press him for prolonged periods and with dozens of follow-up questions. Trump agreed that all of our interviews were on the record and could be recorded. “When did it become yes?” I asked about his decision to run for president. On his handling of the coronavirus, “What grade would you give yourself?” And about the presidency, “What have you learned about yourself?” In all, I asked him more than 600 questions.




I am also releasing “The Trump Tapes” for the historical archive. The content of the interviews was comprehensively quoted in my 2020 book, “Rage,” and some of the audio of the most dramatic news released. But the full exchange amplifies an understanding of Trump and the unique concentration of power in the presidency…”

 

 


COVID-19 ORIGINS: Investigating a “Complex and Grave Situation” Inside a Wuhan Lab.

Vanity Fair and ProPublica downloaded more than 500 documents from the WIV website, including party branch dispatches from 2017 to the present. To assess Reid’s interpretation, we sent key documents to experts on CCP communications. They told us that the WIV dispatches did indeed signal that the institute faced an acute safety emergency in November 2019; that officials at the highest levels of the Chinese government weighed in; and that urgent action was taken in an effort to address ongoing safety issues. The documents do not make clear who was responsible for the crisis, which laboratory it affected specifically or what the exact nature of the biosafety emergency was….

 More on that “Acute Safety Emergency in November 2019” from Jim Geraghty:

Separately, ProPublica and Vanity Fairquestion how Yusen Zhou could have applied for a patent for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on February 24, 2020. Yusen Zhou is the director of the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, in Beijing. The top experts in vaccine development conclude that it is impossible to start from scratch and have a vaccine ready in three months. A South China Morning News report said that the Chinese government traced the first case of Covid-19 back to November 17, but other reports said that Chinese doctors only came to realize that they were dealing with a new and serious virus in late December; the first public statement about a “cluster of pneumonia cases with an unknown cause” from Chinese health authorities was dated to December 21, 2019. Yet the evidence suggests that the Chinese military and medical authorities would’ve had to have started the research on their vaccine before the first cases emerged:

Vanity Fair and ProPublica consulted two independent experts and one expert adviser to the interim report to get their assessment of when Zhou’s research was likely to have begun. Two of the three said that he had to have started no later than November 2019, in order to complete the mouse research spelled out in his patent and subsequent papers.

Larry Kerr, who advised on the interim report, called the timeline laid out in Zhou’s patent and research papers “scientifically, technically not possible.” He added, “I don’t think any molecular biology lab in the world, no matter how sophisticated, could pull that off.”

Rick Bright, the former HHS official who helped oversee vaccine development for the U.S. government, told Vanity Fair and ProPublica that even a four-month timetable would be “aggressive,” especially when the virus in question is new. “Things aren’t usually that perfect,” he said.

You wanted a smoking gun? I smell smoke, and that gun barrel feels awfully warm.

As David Strom of Hot Air adds: The COVID coverup begins to unravel. “It was remarkable how quickly the Narrative™ settled on the zoonotic origin of the virus, since warning signs that the virus didn’t originate naturally were everywhere. Even scientists who confidently declared in private their belief that the virus was engineered publicly stated the opposite–after having been directed to by Anthony Fauci, the keeper of the keys to the kingdom’s treasury when it comes to research dollars. Fauci in recent months has been backtracking on whether or not the virus could have been engineered, but he sure expended enormous effort maintaining the fiction that an animal origin was certain. 

There is a simple reason for Fauci’s reluctance to consider a lab leak hypothesis–if it came from the Wuhan Institute for Virology, the US government likely funded the research. Obviously nobody wants that on their record, and Fauci has quite the pension to protect, as well as an unearned reputation as The Science™.”

Wedding Dress: Orwell uncut

 Your guide to the dark web and how to safely access .onion websites


Orwell uncut: New Substack will serialize Orwell's writings | AP News



The Deal Is Done: Elon Musk Finally Owns Twitter

Several top executives, including the CEO, reportedly have been fired.


CHINA: Markets Are Finally Grasping That China Is A Marxist State.

In China, stocks slumped, and Hong Kong stocks collapsed the most following a CCP Congress since 1994: the US Nasdaq Golden Dragon market went up in a puff of smoke. “Stocks are disconnected to fundamentals,” as Bloomberg quotes somebody who did not see this coming on Friday. But which fundamentals?


CHANGE: Vietnam coming for China’s electronics supply chain.

Related: The end of Apple’s affair with China.


Dozens of ancient viruses are ‘switched on’ in healthy cells throughout our bodies Live Science



Have Smart People Stopped Writing Books? The Honest Broker. No. I highly recommend the “New Books Network” family of podcasts, where authors are interviewed about their books (for example, on Clausewitz). There is still a lot of good books being written out there, and despite academia’s deep dysfunction, real scholarship.


Organized crime-linked group of 100 brawl at Tokyo skyscraper restaurant Japan Times


Terrified judge in Waukesha massacre case calls recess after Darrell Brooks stares her down: “I need to take a break,” Judge Dorow said, “this man right now is having a staredown with me. It’s very disrespectful, he pounded his fist, frankly, it makes me scared and we’re taking a break.”


US companies rework bonus plans to protect executive pay FT

 

A Psychological Theory of the Culture WarRichard Hanania

 

What Did Mary Know? Philosophy Now

Agent X reporting for duty

Eight new assumed identity authorisations were granted and 50 cancelled during the 2021-22 financial year, according to an annual report on how many secret identities were being used for undercover operations. 



War Games: What would conflict with China mean for Australia?


Spy chiefs may be reluctant to share sensitive information with Suella Braverman, warns Lord Blunkett Evening Standard


Tory war over Suella Braverman as ‘MI5 probe’ sparks new calls for investigation The Mirror


COLLUSION:  Democratic Staffer Fired After Covertly Working With Chinese Embassy.


UNEXPECTEDLY! German inflation unexpectedly accelerated this month.

German inflation unexpectedly accelerated this month, following a trend already seen in France and Italy that will increase pressure on the European Central Bank to raise interest rates even as a recession looms.


ncrease pressure on the European Central Bank to raise interest rates even as a recession looms.


TikTok Parent ByteDance Planned To Use TikTok To Monitor The Physical Location Of Specific American Citizens Forbes


Texas sues Google for allegedly capturing biometric data of millions without consentReuters


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists go on strike but some refuse to join the picket line The Inquirer and Dozens of Post-Gazette workers cross picket line as newsroom strike enters Day 2 Trib Live


 Spain could be the latest to offer digital nomad visas: What you need to know about this growing trend World Economic Forum. Of course, a “nomad” is still tethered to their country of citizenship in many ways: Passport, banking, etc. Still waiting for “Mr. Lee’s Greater Hong Kong” to emerge!

 

Inside Wealth-Conference Con Man Anthony Ritossa’s Wild Web of Lies Vanity Fair (Furzy Mouse). Fun stuff!

 

“I was never on a quest for sex itself, I was always on a quest for rock ’n’ roll.” It’s time to reconsider the groupie »

 

Officials: Hadley woman uses bees to attack deputies during eviction Western Mass Live. On behalf of someone else, interestingly.

 

New Study Explains Why Some People Attract Mosquitoes More Than Others NDTV


Why wasn’t the Steam Engine Invented Earlier? Part III Age of Invention


Adrian Kwiatkowski, a hacker from Ipswich in England who stole two unreleased songs by Ed Sheeran, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to the BBC. Kwiatkowski sold Sheeran's tracks, along with 12 other songs by American rapper Lil Uzi Vert, for cryptocurrency worth £131,000 (US$148,000) on the dark web. UK prosecutors said Kwiatkowski got his hands on the unreleased tracks by hacking into their cloud-based accounts. 

They didn't specify which cloud services those were, but he stole from a lot more artists, because authorities found 1,263 unreleased songs in his possession. 


Bernie is right: Extreme wealth concentration has turned America into an oligarchy. Jacobin 


This chart shows just how out-of-control rent has gotten: The typical person has to work 64.2 hours just to pay rent — up from 56 hours just two years ago Business Insider 


Amazon Driver Found Dead on Front Lawn After Being Attacked by Dogs Vice 


New Zealand Uber Drivers Win Landmark Case Declaring Them Employees Guardian


Sunday, October 30, 2022

Listening tour the government’s first step towards republic referendum

My mother has never done what other people wanted her to. Now that she is 91, her refusal to behave as others think old ladies should is as strong as ever.

Sometimes she has regretted her natural contrariness. Her headmistress pooh-poohed her desire to be a speech therapist and tried to persuade her to attend university. Her teacher believed she had what it took to succeed academically – and for a girl from Manchester in the 1940s, that was a rare compliment – but she took offence and dug her heels in.

At 91, my mother refuses to behave as others think old ladies should

By Paul Sakkal

The Albanese government will take its first steps towards holding a republic referendum by undertaking a national consultation tour to shape a future campaign to cut ties with the monarchy.

Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite said a successful independence push would not pit Australians who have affection for the royal family against those who don’t, or monarchists against republicans. Rather, it should embody shared aspirations for a prosperous and mature nation.

Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite (left) is sworn-in by Governor-General David Hurley in June.

Assistant Minister for the Republic Matt Thistlethwaite (left) is sworn-in by Governor-General David Hurley in June.CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN

To do so, Thistlethwaite said it was crucial to speak to as many people as possible – particularly younger Australians and immigrants, and those who voted no at the 1999 republic referendum – about why many were unenthusiastic or opposed the change.

“We’re on a journey to maturing and becoming independent. The first step is a Voice to Parliament ... and the second is an Australian head of state. I’m doing the legwork and work behind the scenes to make sure that second step is a success,” he said.


“This consultation is part of that.

“I don’t want to hear from people who are republicans. I want to hear from Australians who are undecided or voted no in 1999, and I want to hear the reason they voted no and what arguments will help them get them across the line.”

Then-prince Charles meets wellwishers during a visit to Sydney in 2015.

Then-prince Charles meets wellwishers during a visit to Sydney in 2015.CREDIT:NEWS CORP

The round of talks will occur over the first half of 2023 and be run by the Attorney-General’s Department. Key findings and trends will be collated to help inform the government’s approach to holding a referendum, which it has flagged for a second term should it win the next election.

Australia’s republican movement is at perhaps its most dynamic moment since the failed 1999 referendum. Queen Elizabeth II’s death spurred renewed debate about Australia’s attachment to Britain, the peak body for republicans is welcoming a new generation of leaders, and the new federal government has appointed Thistlethwaite as the first assistant minister to advance the republic.

Despite attitudes shifting rapidly on controversial issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, support for a republic remains relatively weak. Thistlethwaite said people who were too young to have engaged with the 1999 debate and new migrants were the key to future success.

“My focus will be trying to work out what went wrong in 1999, how we can avoid those mistakes again and how we get closer to sorting out a model that will ultimately be successful,” he said.

The Australian Republic Movement’s outgoing chair, Peter FitzSimons, also a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, said it was “wonderful to have, for the first time in over a quarter of a century, the government of the day pushing for this most basic of all causes”.

“And it is not just their enormous resources that will make the difference, but that they are indeed the government – not speaking from opposition, but saying this is what isgoing to happen,” he said.

But Australian Monarchist League chairman Eric Abetz, the former Liberal senator, said it was wrong for the government to fund what he viewed as a “propagandising” exercise.

“It’s unacceptable the government goes and uses taxpayer money in what is clearly a partisan campaign and does not provide equal support and funding for, if opinion polls are anything to go by, the majority who oppose any proposed change,” he said.

Malcolm Turnbull, the then chair of the Australian Republic Movement, and former prime minister Bob Hawke digest the 1999 referendum result.

Malcolm Turnbull, the then chair of the Australian Republic Movement, and former prime minister Bob Hawke digest the 1999 referendum result.CREDIT:STEVE LUNAM

The 1999 referendum was crippled by a fissure between republicans who favoured a head of state elected by voters, and those who preferred the leader to be elected by Parliament. Thistlethwaite said he was open-minded about the model proposed at the next referendum.

The Sydney MP said he was considering establishing so-called citizens’ assemblies to decide on the best election model. These would comprise randomly selected large groups of Australians debating expert research, hearing different views and, over the course of weeks or months, making a non-binding recommendation to the government. Thistlethwaite said similar forums had been used in Ireland to debate vexed policies like abortion.

Thistlethwaite anticipated the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023 would highlight to Australians the reality of the country’s head of state being chosen by birthright.

However, in comments that set him apart from republicans with a more muscular stance towards the royal family, Thistlethwaite said a referendum campaign would not win by attacking royals.

Governor-General David Hurley and wife Linda with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at King Charles III’s proclamation in September.

Governor-General David Hurley and wife Linda with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at King Charles III’s proclamation in September.CREDIT:AAP

“I appreciate the deep affection people had for Queen Elizabeth. For many Australians, the royal family is something dear to their hearts,” he said.

“I don’t want this to be a campaign that divides Australians around the royal family. I want this to be one that unites us around a shared future.

The assistant minister said he had spent a lot of time thinking about how an Australian head of state would be relevant to people’s everyday lives. He argued the actions of Governor-General David Hurley – who did not inform the public about then-prime minister Scott Morrison’s secret swearing-in to several ministries during the pandemic – illustrated the practical effect of the problem.

“The governor-general is accountable to the queen or king, not the Australian people. That is the crux of the problem,” he said.