There’s no mention of their duty to the people in the oath of office that members of the U.S. Congress take. It says they will support and defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. 

Maybe, in some regard defending the Constitution would mean doing their job: representing the people that elected them. But on Wednesday, the architect of the genocide against the Palestinian people walked in and out of the “people’s house” to a standing ovation. 

By Danaka Katovich
Substack

Media heir Lachlan Murdoch hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and several Australian billionaires on Thursday evening, less than 24 hours after it emerged that his father, Rupert Murdoch, had moved to cement his media empire’s conservative edge beyond the grave.

Albanese was expected to make a speech to one of the richest rooms Australia has ever assembled, during The Australian newspaper’s 60th birthday celebration at the Australian Museum in Sydney’s Darlinghurst.

Other invitees included Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, newly appointed Governor-General Sam Mostyn and NSW Premier Chris Minns.

Kenya’s Leadership has bred Poverty since 1963, and is reaping Riots

Kenya’s antigovernment protests continues into the second month and are similar to Ghana’s in 2022, as both started from over taxation and worsening living standard, problems absent in South East Asia (e.g. Vietnam), which was also colonized. Kenya, Ghana, and Zambia have attempted development for 6 decades but lag behind Vietnam, which started developing under 4 decades ago. Clearly, Kenya and African countries need to change their development model from the World Bank/IMF’s neoliberal Ponzi for enriching western corporations. 

The United States of America, my beloved homeland, has been taken over by an elite mafia capable of anything and everything. I do not think many of my countrymen would disagree, given the events of the past couple of decades. Today, it seems as if killing has become the key to our leadership’s domestic and foreign policy. 

The recent attempt on Donald Trump’s life, and accusations the U.S. is backing attempts to kill Russia’s Vladimir Putin, are two prime examples of someone, or a group of someone(s) who have sanctioned murdering any opposition.

    BY Phil Butler

The Deep State of Fumbling Idiots

DEAL

According to comments reported by Chinese diplomacy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba declared during his meeting with Wang Yi that kyiv was ready to negotiate with Moscow, adding to demand “sensible and substantial” negotiations. For its part, Ukraine says it is ready to involve Moscow “at a certain stage”.

«Ukraine is willing and ready to engage in dialogue and negotiations with Russia", Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba declared in Beijing on July 24, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, according to the communicated published by the Chinese side.

A former financial planner who stole millions from his clients to fund his sports betting addiction has written to the Prime Minister from his prison cell.

He's urging the government to immediately implement a raft of recommendations made last year to reduce the harm caused by online gambling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0xGvWCO6Dw

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Carolyn Crawford was 64 when she was sent to prison.  Before that, she had never even had a parking fine.

President Joe Biden appeared before Americans Wednesday night to elaborate on the decision announced last week that he would not be seeking reelection for a second term. Commenting on political and historical backdrop to Biden’s remarks, observers John Varoli and Peter Kuznick said they clearly point to a nation and a world in crisis.

Trump shooter studied JFK assassination – FBI
Thomas Michael Crooks also managed to fly a drone around the rally site without being detected, Christopher Wray told Congress

Would-be assassin Thomas Michael Crooks researched the assassination of John F Kennedy before opening fire on former President Donald Trump earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Crooks shot Trump in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Firing from a rooftop that Trump’s Secret Service detail had inexplicably left unguarded, the 20-year-old gunman killed one person in the audience and injured two others before Secret Service snipers shot him dead.

The collapse of Bonza Aviation was sudden but not unexpected. While most start-up airlines in Australia fail, Bonza’s demise raises questions about why and who was behind it. Matt Prescott with the story.

The collapse of Bonza raises, yet again, the question of how to make the Australian Aviation industry more competitive. Can the cosy duopoly of Qantas and Virgin on major routes ever be challenged without giving more landing slots to international airlines at our capital city airports? Is the regulatory regime fit for purpose? Should we put limitations on who can own an Airline operating in the local market? Are the capital requirements for airline licenses adequate?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qpDINQOORc

GEORGE GALLOWAY INTERVIEWS SCOTT RITTER....

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by Thierry Bertrand

For the first time in the history of the United States, the head of state withdrew from the electoral race for a second term in the middle of the electoral campaign. This decision confronts both US authorities and US allies in Europe with several very difficult decisions.

With AUKUS, the pride of politicians has become an obstacle to reaching the best solution to the ‘national security’ conundrum. In the end, it could be that ego-driven reluctance to shift from entrenched positions results in the Australian people being delivered a disaster.

For my own purposes, I have been keeping a record of articles I have read under the topic ‘AUKUS’. There are now some 300 such items on my spreadsheet – nearly all of them finding fault of one kind or another with this extraordinary project.

The four-day, twice-a-decade plenum of the Communist Party of China that took place last week in Beijing, designing an economic road map all the way to 2029, was a stunning affair in more ways than one.

Let’s start with continuity – and stability. There’s no question after the plenum that Xi Dada, or The Big Panda, will stay on the helm until 2029 – the end of the current five-year economic drive.

China has achieved escape velocity: it is now unstoppable

BY PEPE ESCOBAR

A few days ago, candidate Trump was riding an incredible campaign dynamic, following the attempted attack of which he had been the victim, his image had improved in the minds of Americans outside his traditional electoral base. His coronation during the Republican convention in Milwaukee in mid-July and the “ticket” that he now embodies with the very conservative JD Vance ensures him a plebiscite among right-wing voters.

NATO’s plans to establish a foothold in Asia to counter China better is nothing more than a sure recipe for disaster. Coming to Asia and beating war drums against a country that has not attacked anyone is akin to pushing it to take any and all necessary steps to protect its interests. NATO, thus, is pushing China to shun its regionally focused pacificism in favour of a more belligerent stance.

Salman Rafi Sheikh

A more aggressive China will, in NATO’s calculation, push Asian countries to move more towards the US out of their common fear of Beijing as the hegemon. However, Asian countries are not readily buying the US narrative. They remain sceptical, even as they are still committed to maintaining a balance between China and the US to avoid getting trapped in the ‘Cold War 2.0’.

A high-level EU foreign affairs summit scheduled for August will be moved from Hungary to Brussels, the bloc’ top diplomat, Josep Borrell, confirmed on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in the Belgian capital, Borrell said the bloc must “send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal,” to punish Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his Ukraine “peace mission,” which brought him to Moscow, Kiev and Beijing. EU officials have condemned Orban's initiative as contrary to the bloc’s policies.

Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and the bloc’s foreign and defense ministers were due to gather in Budapest late next month. Politico earlier reported that EU officials were planning to boycott the meeting in the Hungarian capital.