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What does Donald Trump’s win mean for his brand of populist authoritarianism?

<h1 class="theconversation-article-title">What does Donald Trump’s win mean for his brand of populist authoritarianism?</h1> <div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-drache-1409730">Daniel Drache</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/york-university-canada-1610">York University, Canada</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marc-d-froese-1411858">Marc D. Froese</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/burman-university-5814">Burman University</a></em></p> <p><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/10/total-2024-election-spending-projected-to-exceed-previous-record/">In the most expensive election in American history</a>, Republicans flipped the Senate, likely tightened their grip on the House of Representatives and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/06/donald-trump-wins-presidential-election/">returned Donald Trump to the White House</a>.</p> <p>The so-called <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/09/abortion-votes-2022-election-results-00065983">“red wave” predicted for the 2022 mid-term elections</a> rolled in two years later, and the MAGA movement is now the dominant force in American politics.</p> <p>Trump has an unprecedented mandate to reshape American life and politics, and is the first Republican to win the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/4976301-when-was-the-last-time-the-republican-party-won-the-popular-vote/">popular vote</a> since 2004. He intends to be an activist and transformative president. Now Americans and the rest of the world must brace for the global fallout in Ukraine, Russia, China, Israel and Iran.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cj3ergr8209t">latest tabulations</a>, more than 71 million of Trump’s followers stayed loyal to the MAGA movement despite <a href="https://theconversation.com/trump-found-guilty-5-key-aspects-of-the-trial-explained-by-a-law-professor-231236">his criminal convictions and indictments</a>, <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/09/trump-hate-speech-migrants-campaign-rallies-incitement/">hate speech</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-fact-checker-tracked-trump-claims/2021/01/23/ad04b69a-5c1d-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html">fire hose of lies</a>.</p> <p>Trump won the presidency with the help of blue-collar, middle-class voters in the vital centre of the political spectrum, and in open defiance of the political establishment and most political power brokers.</p> <h2>Weak centre</h2> <p>What does Trump’s comeback mean for his unique brand of nationalist authoritarianism?</p> <p>Trump’s victory shows just how weak and lacklustre the centre has become in comparison to surging extremism. The silent majority that once rallied to support Ronald Reagan’s popular agenda, for example, is now a seemingly amoral majority indifferent to Trump’s felonies and his apocalyptic vision for the country.</p> <p>It’s now clear that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/opinion/election-polls-results-trump-harris.html">undecided centre</a> is smaller than ever. Voters on the left were dismayed about Kamala Harris’s support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel. Some planned not to vote or <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenpastis/2024/11/04/will-third-party-candidates-be-2024-spoilers-heres-the-latest-data-as-trump-harris-race-nearly-tied/">to vote for third-party</a> candidates.</p> <p>What’s more, Republicans have been courting working class and racialized voters for years, and their messaging is paying off. Chipping away small numbers of <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/10/key-facts-about-black-eligible-voters-in-2024/">Black</a> and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/19/how-latino-voters-view-the-2024-presidential-election/">Latino</a> voters is adding up to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4975849-trump-harris-2024-presidential-run/?ipid=promo-link-block1">real gains</a>.</p> <h2>‘Make extremism great again’</h2> <p>The Republican machine has grasped an essential truth: parties must redefine their centre of gravity with the shifting of the <a href="https://www.mackinac.org/OvertonWindow">Overton window</a> of political acceptability, which holds that the centre is not fixed forever; it is simply a gauge of the new extremes.</p> <p>After a decade of the upheaval Trump has fuelled, mainstreaming extremism has become a proven formula for winning elections. The most basic question emphasized by the Trump-Harris showdown was: Can <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/myth-cheney-democrats-harris-walz-campaign/">cautious centrism</a> defeat <a href="https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/survival-online/2021/01/trump-politics-of-paranoia/">paranoid populism</a>?</p> <p>In America in 2024, it could not.</p> <p>After 1945, the centre referred to the vast number of voters who rejected <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-09-13/on-freedom-timothy-snyder-erasing-history-jason-stanley-book-review">communism and fascism</a> while embracing the welfare state and full-employment capitalism.</p> <figure class="align-left zoomable"></figure> <p>This middle “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/feb/10/labour.uk1">or third way</a>” — sought by politicians from Tony Blair to Barack Obama — won repeated elections. But today, the centre has been eclipsed by loyalty to a charismatic leader.</p> <p>When the extremes cease to be red lines, reasonable parties can only intermittently eke out a win. That means extremist movements grow ever stronger. What will happen in four years is anyone’s guess. But even after Trump is gone, he will live on atop the conservative pantheon, having risen to even greater esteem among his supporters than Reagan or <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/barry-goldwater-lasting-legacy-112210/">Barry Goldwater</a>, the Republican senator who became a conservative standard-bearer for a generation.</p> <h2>Negative voting</h2> <p>The American election turned on negative voting. The only real question was whose fear would carry the day?</p> <p>Democrats feared the loss of <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/freedom-harriss-message-to-america/">reproductive freedoms</a> for women. Republicans feared immigration conspiracy theories such as “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/17/1099223012/how-the-replacement-theory-went-mainstream-on-the-political-right">the great replacement</a>” theory.</p> <p>Republicans made border security a successful culture war issue, and it will unquestionably loom even larger in future elections. Gallup has shown that 55 per cent of Americans now want immigration levels <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/647123/sharply-americans-curb-immigration.aspx">drastically reduced</a>, a significant rise from 41 per cent just last year.</p> <p>The United States is not alone. What began as anger over Syrian refugees in Germany has metastasized into an enormous <a href="https://www.fosterglobal.com/blog/its-not-just-the-u-s-europes-growing-anti-immigration-backlash/">anti-immigrant backlash across Europe</a>. Anti-immigration sentiment is on the rise <a href="https://immigration.ca/canada-rated-best-country-in-world-for-welcoming-immigrants/">in Canada too despite it being one of the most welcoming nations in terms of immigration</a>.</p> <h2>The rise of anti-immigration sentiment</h2> <p>Future Republican contenders will almost certainly be avowed opponents of immigration given Trump’s stunning comeback. He leveraged the issue at a time when immigrants and border security have become powerful symbols of the enormous changes brought about by globalization.</p> <p>Zygmunt Bauman, the late eminent Polish sociologist, has described the technological advancement that defines global capitalism as “<a href="https://www.theoryculturesociety.org/blog/review-ali-rattansi-bauman-and-contemporary-sociology">liquid modernity</a>.”</p> <p>He argues that constant change <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40672">rewards the wealthy and the hyper-mobile</a>. The blue-collar middle class is not worse off in absolute terms, but they’re <a href="https://reviewcanada.ca/magazine/2023/01/the-shill-of-the-people/">falling behind</a> as the billionaire class surges ahead and governments fail to protect the traditional institutions of the welfare state.</p> <p>For Trump voters, the “<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/trump-doubles-down-on-enemy-within-rhetoric-in-final-campaign-push-222300229921">enemy within</a>” was the most potent narrative for the MAGA coalition. Xenophobia was on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/28/opinion/trump-rally-msg-racism.html">full display</a> during the closing days of the campaign when a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally referred to Puerto Rico as an “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9jj2g75q4o">island of garbage</a>.”</p> <p>The full force of liquid modernity continues to degrade the institutions of advanced societies and to reward rule-breakers. It’s not hyperbole to suggest this election could transform both America and the post-war <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/how-trump-will-change-world">liberal international order</a>.</p> <h2>A dark MAGA future</h2> <p>One primary takeaway from this election is that an even darker, more apocalyptic form of the MAGA movement has taken hold. At a recent rally, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/elon-musk-donald-trump-dark-maga-twitter">joined Trump on stage in a black MAGA cap, declaring</a>: “I’m not just MAGA, I’m dark MAGA.”</p> <p>In Trump’s warped view, an electoral loss would have been proof of cheating, but a win is a triumph of the will. In America today, conspiracy theories seemingly attract votes.</p> <p>It’s hard to underestimate the impact of Trump’s toxicity on American civic life. With his new mandate, Trump has a green light to implement most, if not all, of his most extreme policies, from tariffs to cementing an absolutist approach to presidential power.</p> <p>Trump has already promised to prosecute “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/08/politics/trump-threatens-prosecution-2024-election-officials/index.html">to the fullest extent of the law</a>” his political enemies. He has threatened to use American troops to round up 15 million undocumented immigrants. It is his stated intent to exercise enormous presidential privilege by pardoning the “patriots” who stormed the capital in January 2021 “<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/trump-jan-6-pardons-day-one-2024-election-rcna170194">on Day One</a>.”</p> <p>It is far from certain that the American constitutional order will survive intact.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/242867/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-drache-1409730"><em>Daniel Drache</em></a><em>, Professor Emeritus, Department of Politics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/york-university-canada-1610">York University, Canada</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marc-d-froese-1411858">Marc D. Froese</a>, Professor of Political Science and Founding Director, International Studies Program, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/burman-university-5814">Burman University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-donald-trumps-win-mean-for-his-brand-of-populist-authoritarianism-242867">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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World reacts as Donald Trump wins US election

<p>World leaders, celebrities and millions of Americans have shared their first reactions and messages of support - or messages of anger, upset and frustration - as Donald Trump claimed his victory in the US election. </p> <p>The Republican leader won both the electoral college vote and the popular vote, taking a hold of the majority of key swing states, as his victory just hours after the polls closed. </p> <p>The win will see Trump re-enter the White House in January as the 47th President, making him the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. </p> <p>Reactions to the unprecedented win flooded online spaces, with world leaders sending their congratulations. </p> <p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the election of the US president marked an important moment for Australia and the Asia Pacific region, and vowed to work closely with the Trump administration.</p> <p>“Australia and America are old allies and we are true friends,” he said. “Our nations are bound by a history of shared sacrifice, a commitment to common values and — above all — enduring respect and affection between our peoples."</p> <p>“I look forward to talking with President Trump and working with him in the best interests of both our nations.”</p> <p>Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also extended his congratulations to the Republican leader on behalf of the federal Coalition, describing the US as an “overwhelming force for good”.</p> <p>Unsurprisingly, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the first to speak to Trump, writing on X, “Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!”</p> <p>“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory! In true friendship.”</p> <p>Elon Musk, petulant billionaire and owner of Twitter, also shared a series of memes on X, after he publicly endorsed Trump throughout his campaign. </p> <p>Among the posts is an image of Musk holding a bathroom sink photoshopped into the Oval Office with the caption "Let that sink in", a reference to how he marked his controversial takeover of X when it was still known as Twitter.</p> <p>Musk also shared a photo of a conversation he was having with Trump as votes were being counted.</p> <p>"The future is gonna be so [fire]," Musk said with American flag emojis.</p> <p>"The future is gonna be fantastic," he said in a follow up post with a photo of his recent SpaceX rocket test that Trump discussed at length, for some reason, in his declaration speech.</p> <p>Despite the messages of well wishes from world leaders, social media has been awash with messages of disbelief and anger since the victory was announced, with many American citizens anxious and scared about the next four years under Trump's controversial <a href="https://www.project2025.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a>, which will see mass deportations of immigrants, more tax cuts to the rich, harsher penalties for those seeking abortions or reproductive care, and unprecedented power in the hands of a President with authoritarian aspirations. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Brian Prahl/Shutterstock </em></p>

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Trump escapes second assassination attempt

<p>Former president Donald Trump has escaped a second assassination attempt while playing golf at his private club in Florida. </p> <p>According to local authorities, a Secret Service agent was one hole ahead of Trump when he spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of the fence, which was later found to be an AK-47 with a scope, at the Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach on Sunday. </p> <p>The Secret Service opened fire on the suspect, who fled the scene only to later be pulled over on the highway and taken into custody. </p> <p>The FBI said Trump had been the subject of “an apparent assassination attempt” at his Florida golf club.</p> <p>Officials at a media briefing after the incident said a witness took a photo of the suspect's car as he fled the scene, helping authorities track him down. </p> <p>The Secret Service officer who was on the course and spotted the weapon was praised for doing a “fantastic job”.</p> <p>“What they do is they have an agent that jumps one hole ahead of time towards where the [former] president was at, and he was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engaged that individual, at which time the individual took off,” the Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.</p> <p>“In the bushes where this guy was is an AK-47 style rifle with a scope, two backpacks – which were hung on the fence that had ceramic tile in them and a GoPro, which he was going to take pictures with.” </p> <p>Trump posted an update on his social media platform to assure his supporters he was unharmed in the attempted assassination. </p> <p>“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumours start spiralling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” he wrote.</p> <p>“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.”</p> <p>The attempted shooting comes just months after Trump was injured during another assassination attempt in July while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial</em></p>

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"Hero" victim identified at Trump rally shooting

<p>A former Pennsylvania volunteer fire chief has been named as the man who got caught in the crossfire of an assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a campaign rally. </p> <p>While Trump was delivering a speech to supporters in a small town in the state of Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was stationed on a rooftop near the event armed with a sniper. </p> <p>Crooks  fired multiple rounds on the former president and spectators, missing Trump, before he was ultimately killed by a Secret Service sniper.</p> <p>Caught up in the crossfire was 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, who died at the rally while trying to protect his daughter from the shooting. </p> <p>Comperatore's sister Dawn Comperatore Schafer took to Facebook to pay tribute to her brother and praise his heroism in his final moments. </p> <p>“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most. He was a hero that shielded his daughters,” she wrote on Facebook.</p> <p>“His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable,” she added.</p> <p>Comperatore’s wife, Helen, said her husband was as a “real-life superhero” who protected them. </p> <p>“Yesterday, what [was meant to] be such an exciting day for my husband, especially, turned into a nightmare for our family,” Helen wrote on Facebook. </p> <p>“What my precious girls had to witness is unforgivable,” she added. “He died the hero he always was.”</p> <p>Comperatore’s daughter, Allyson, echoed her statement, calling her father “the best dad a girl could ever ask for” as she mourned his sudden death. </p> <p>Allyson said that when the gunshots rang out, Comperatore quickly threw her and her mother to the ground to try to protect them after Trump was shot.</p> <p>“He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us,” Allyson wrote on Facebook. </p> <p>“And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you.”</p> <p>Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also hailed Comperatore, who was an avid Trump supporter, as a local hero and has ordered flags to be flown half staff in his honour. </p> <p>“Corey died a hero,” Shapiro said. “Corey was the very best of us.”</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-allyson-after-tragic-loss??fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1AbXfAyX9lw5cZpb1v3op6jM42CFcYObgctlnjT0JokJZAkCMzXjREWkU_aem_e473Brl2b31I68lZxNcpIg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page to support Helen and Allyson has already raised more than $890,000. </p> <p><em>Image credits: GoFundMe/Xinhua News Agency/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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Hollywood legend Donald Sutherland dies at age 88

<p>Legendary Hollywood actor Donald Sutherland has died at the age of 88 after a battle with an ongoing illness. </p> <p>The actor, known for his roles in<em> M*A*S*H</em>, <em>Klute</em> and <em>The Hunger Games</em>, passed away on Thursday in Miami, his agency confirmed. </p> <p>Donald's actor son Kiefer announced his father's death in an emotional post on Instagram, reflecting on his illustrious career. </p> <p>“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” he began. </p> <p>“I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly."</p> <p>“He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cgckJJ548/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cgckJJ548/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kiefer Sutherland (@kiefersutherland)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Tributes from past colleagues have flooded social media, as director Ron Howard reflected on working with the iconic actor. </p> <p>"I was blessed to direct him in Backdraft. One of the most intelligent, interesting & engrossing film actors of all time," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).</p> <p>"Incredible range, creative courage & dedication to serving the story & the audience with supreme excellence."</p> <p>Helen Mirren, who co-starred with Sutherland in 2017's <em>The Leisure Seekers</em>, also paid tribute to her late friend, saying in a statement, "Donald Sutherland was one of the smartest actors I ever worked with. He had a wonderful enquiring brain, and a great knowledge on a wide variety of subjects."</p> <p>"He combined this great intelligence with a deep sensitivity, and with a seriousness about his profession as an actor. This all made him into the legend of film that he became."</p> <p>Sutherland’s career spanned more than 50 years and 140 film credits and earned an Emmy for his role as a Soviet official in the fact-based HBO movie<em> Citizen X</em>, as well as a pair of Golden Globes.</p> <p>Sutherland’s big break came when he was cast as one of <em>The Dirty Dozen</em> in the star-studded 1967 film, before landing a role in the movie version of<em> M*A*S*H,</em> and also playing alongside Jane Fonda in her Oscar-winning portrayal of a high-class “call girl” in the crime mystery <em>Klute</em>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Ace Pictures/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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Donald Trump facing jail after guilty verdict

<p>Former US president Donald Trump is facing the possibility of jail time after being found guilty on all 34 counts of a hush money trial in New York. </p> <p>Trump was found to be unanimously guilty by the jury on Thursday afternoon, making him the first former US President with a criminal conviction.</p> <p>In the New York courtroom, he was accused of 34 counts of fraud by falsifying business records to cover up payments of $200,000 ($US130,000) to adult star Stormy Daniels.</p> <p>It was reported that Mr Trump wanted to buy her silence about an alleged extramarital sexual encounter which was in danger of becoming public knowledge in the run up to the 2016 US Presidential election.</p> <p>While paying hush money to cover up a potentially damning story isn't illegal, Trump's falsifying of business records to bury the payments is a criminal offence in the state of New York. </p> <p>Mr Trump, 77, denied a sexual encounter with Ms Daniels took place and denied all the charges.</p> <p>After the guilty verdict was handed down, Trump spoke to reporters outside the courtroom, saying the trial was “rigged” and a “disgrace”.</p> <p>“This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt,” he said.</p> <p>“The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here.”</p> <p>He insisted “we didn’t do anything wrong”.</p> <p>“I’m a very innocent man and it’s OK, I’m fighting for our country, I’m fighting for our Constitution,” he said.</p> <p>A sentencing hearing has been set for July 11th, just four days before the Republican National Convention, when the party will officially nominate him for President ahead of the election in November.</p> <p>He faces a minimum of probation and a maximum of up to four years in prison.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-46607c99-7fff-4305-1a14-3fd4a2e9d2b3"><em>Image credits: Justin Lane/UPI/Shutterstock Editorial</em> </span></p>

Legal

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Why King Charles reacted with "torrents of profanity" to Donald Trump's comments

<p>A new book has claimed King Charles unleashed a "torrent of profanity" towards former US President Donald Trump after he made inappropriate comments about Kate Middleton. </p> <p>Earlier this week, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-kate-middleton-remark-profanity-prince-william-harry-1756283" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Newsweek </a>reported on excerpts obtained from Christopher Andersen’s upcoming royal biography, <em>The King: The Life of Charles III</em>. </p> <p>The book claims that the royal family was furious with the then-President after his distasteful tweets about the Princess of Wales came to light. </p> <p>In 2012, Mr Trump tweeted about the Princess of Wales after photographs of her sunbathing topless were published in the French publication Closer.</p> <p>“Kate Middleton is great – but she shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude – only herself to blame,” Mr Trump tweeted at the time. “Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!”</p> <p>Mr Andersen wrote in his book that, at the time, “Trump’s criticism of Kate resulted in what one Clarence House butler referred to as ‘torrents of profanity’ from both Prince Charles and his sons.”</p> <p>He also alleged that this wasn’t the first time the royals had openly expressed their disapproval of Mr Trump.</p> <p>Prior to the incident in 2012, Mr Andersen explained that Trump’s previous comments about Princess Diana were also not well-received by the royal family.</p> <p>“It didn’t help that Trump had aggressively pursued Princess Diana after her divorce—overtures that were rebuffed—and claimed later on a radio program that he could have ‘nailed her if I wanted to,’ but only if she passed an HIV test,” Mr Andersen wrote.</p> <p>After several instances of tension with the former President, the book claims that King Charles, when prompted by a former Washington official, referred to him as "a ghastly, awful man".</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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“Truly grotesque”: Ivana Trump’s golf course burial may help Trump get tax breaks

<p dir="ltr">Ivana Trump, who <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/ivana-trump-s-cause-of-death-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> aged 73 in her New York home in mid-July, has been buried on the grounds of her ex-husband Donald Trump’s golf club - and the choice of burial plot may grant the former US president some long-sought tax breaks.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ivana is the first person known to have been buried at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, a state where land taxes are notoriously high.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, cemetery land is exempt from all taxes, rates and assessments, with the <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/31/donald-ivana-trump-cemetery-golf-course-taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guardian</a></em> reporting that Ivana’s grave would therefore have “advantageous tax implications”.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/465718872" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documents</a> published by <em>ProPublica</em>, the Trump family trust has previously sought to classify a nearby property in Hackettstown, New Jersey, as a cemetery company.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3a591a41-7fff-0b6c-29fd-34b394d09e94"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Brooke Harrington, a professor of sociology at Dartmouth College, tweeted that she investigated claims that the placement of Ivana’s grave would benefit Trump.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">As a tax researcher, I was skeptical of rumors Trump buried his ex-wife in that sad little plot of dirt on his Bedminster, NJ golf course just for tax breaks. </p> <p>So I checked the NJ tax code &amp; folks...it's a trifecta of tax avoidance. Property, income &amp; sales tax, all eliminated. <a href="https://t.co/VDZBlDyuhQ">pic.twitter.com/VDZBlDyuhQ</a></p> <p>— Brooke Harrington (@EBHarrington) <a href="https://twitter.com/EBHarrington/status/1553533320469905409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“As a tax researcher, I was skeptical of rumors Trump buried his ex-wife in that sad little plot of dirt on his Bedminster, NJ golf course just for tax breaks,” she tweeted.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So I checked the NJ tax code &amp; folks...it's a trifecta of tax avoidance. Property, income &amp; sales tax, all eliminated.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2012, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2012/02/03/146342330/fairway-to-heaven-trump-eyes-a-golf-course-burial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US radio station NPR reported</a> that Trump planned to build a mausoleum on the property, with the proposal later expanding to potentially containing 1000 possible graves.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plan, which attracted local objections, was later dropped and replaced with a design for a 10-plot private family cemetery” in the same spot before changing again into a proposal for a commercial 284-plot cemetery.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c8759df-7fff-34dd-56ef-fe4b523fcfe9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Images of Ivana’s final resting place have begun circling online, with many calling out her family for its plain appearance in comparison to memorials to everything from Richard Nixon’s dog to Internet Explorer.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Internet Explorer got a nicer burial than Ivana Trump. <a href="https://t.co/tm5T1hX1bH">pic.twitter.com/tm5T1hX1bH</a></p> <p>— Thomas (@tarnished_usa) <a href="https://twitter.com/tarnished_usa/status/1553121815517601794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Top: Richard Nixon’s dog ‘Checkers’ grave. </p> <p>Donald Trump’s first wife Ivana’s on his golf course. <a href="https://t.co/Rh9q96B8H0">pic.twitter.com/Rh9q96B8H0</a></p> <p>— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotHoodlum/status/1553490177120681985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Not sure which is more shocking - - that Trump had Ivana buried on his golf course for a tax write-off or that her three kids thought this was okay,” investigative journalist Victoria Brownworth <a href="https://twitter.com/VABVOX/status/1554049715184062465" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t have to be an Ivana fan to find this truly grotesque.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“You should be ashamed of yourself. This is a public display of your complete disgrace towards your own mother,” another person <a href="https://twitter.com/keraz37/status/1553538090609827842">tweeted</a>, along with a photo of Ivana’s plot surrounded by patchy grass and a golf court in the background.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c61e6af8-7fff-4bdc-2cdb-ee33324c9653"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Money & Banking

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“I will miss her forever”: Ivanka Trump pays tribute to “wickedly funny” Ivana

<p dir="ltr">Ivanka Trump has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her mother, Ivana Trump, who <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/ivana-trump-s-cause-of-death-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away on Thursday</a> at the age of 73.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 40-year-old took to Instagram to share a gallery of photos of her mum, including several of them together, writing that she was “heartbroken” by the news and that she will “miss her forever”.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-93e9c925-7fff-aae6-f6d4-9b5d82fc42dd"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Heartbroken by the passing of my mother. Mum was brilliant, charming, passionate and wickedly funny,” she wrote.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgAl6HjuNTO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgAl6HjuNTO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“She modelled strength, tenacity and determination in her every action. She lived life to the fullest – never forgoing an opportunity to laugh and dance.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I will miss her forever and will keep her memory alive in our hearts always.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-11f40045-7fff-fe12-0e13-c78f5451c9a5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Along with shots of a young Ivanka with her mum, Ivanka shared a series of Ivana’s old modelling shots in her Instagram Stories.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/ivana-trump-ivanka.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Ivanka shared a series of throwback photos of her late mother Ivana on social media. Images: @ivankatrump (Instagram)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Ivana, who is believed to have died of a heart attack, is survived by Ivanka and her two siblings, Donald Jr, 44, and Eric, 38, who she shared with Donald Trump.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3d8284ea-7fff-1dfb-82c0-f479d7f1dd89"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @ivankatrump (Instagram)</em></p>

Caring

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Ivana Trump's cause of death revealed

<p dir="ltr">Ivana Trump, the first wife of Donald Trump, has died aged 73.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police sources told the <em><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/14/ivana-trump-ex-wife-of-former-president-trump-dead-at-73/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a></em> that Ivana was found at the bottom of a staircase in her Manhattan home at 12.40pm on Thursday after they were called to her home for a wellness check.</p> <p dir="ltr">Authorities believe she died as a result of suffering a cardiac arrest.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the official cause of death is yet to be determined.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her children, Donal Jr Trump and Eric Trump, shared the news on Thursday night (local time), describing their mother as a “survivor” and “an incredible woman”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our mother was an incredible woman – a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend,” a statement from the family read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled from communism and embraced this country. She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0646c7a6-7fff-1103-e0f9-ac4423e25bbd"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgATzaVLLw2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgATzaVLLw2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Eric Trump (@erictrump)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">A source close to Ivanka Trump told <em>The Post</em> she was in “shock” over her mother’s death, with Ivana spending her last few days with family in New York City.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They were super close,” the source said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Former US President Donald Trump shared a tribute to his ex-wife on his social network, Truth Social.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple were married for 15 years, with <em>The New York Times</em> reporting that the couple met at a “party in Montreal” and dated for nine months before tying the knot in 1977.</p> <p dir="ltr">Their marriage ended in 1992, following intense media speculation over Mr Trump’s affair with actor and model Marla Maples.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a 2017 interview with <em>CBS</em>, Ivana admitted that her ex-husband was still a big part of her life, adding that they spoke “maybe once a week”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He asks me for advice,” she said. “He asks me about, ‘Should I tweet, should I not tweet?’ I said, ‘I think you should tweet’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The former model went on to marry twice more, first to Italian entrepreneur Riccardo Mazzucchelli in 1995, then tomodel Rossano Rubicondi in 2008.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a336d432-7fff-3ca5-2eea-8a65c25bd654"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

News

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“Turn the cameras off!”: Trump storms out on Piers Morgan

<p>Former US President Donald Trump has erupted at Piers Morgan before storming off the set of an interview that touched on the “stolen” US presidential election.</p> <p>After Morgan lay the blame for last year’s deadly riots at the Capitol squarely at Trump’s feet – largely for his refusal to concede that he had lost the 2020 presidential election – Trump had had enough, and began screaming that Morgan was “dishonest” and “a fool”, before demanding that the shocked TV crew “turn the cameras off!”</p> <p>Trump appears to have been deeply angered by a slew of barbs that Morgan has directed towards him during his time at the White House, despite being friends for at least 15 years. But in this instance, the pair appeared to clash heavily even before the interview had gotten underway – but while the cameras were rolling. </p> <p>Morgan detailed the behind-the-scenes incident to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/donald-trump-piers-morgan-interview-former-president-explodes-at-disloyal-fool/news-story/35a81812a4d93cb3751a60957fcaa424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>, saying that Trump stared at him with “undisguised fury” and was “almost foaming at the mouth”.</p> <p>At one point, the Trump hissed at Morgan: “What the f**k is this?”</p> <p>You’re not real. You’re a fake.” To which Piers replied: “No, I’m just brutally honest.”</p> <p>Morgan revealed further details from the encounter:</p> <p>“Normally, he’d greet me with a cheery smile and the words ‘How’s my champ?’ because I was his first Celebrity Apprentice on the series that made him a TV superstar. But this time, there were no such welcoming niceties.</p> <p>“He was staring at me across his desk with undisguised fury, clutching the document entitled ‘Piers Morgan Comments About President Trump’. “What the f**k IS this?” he snarled. Then he began slowly reading out some of the quotes. “Trump’s a supreme narcissist….” Pause. “His pathetic antics in the past few weeks since losing the election in November have been utterly contemptible.” Pause. “Trump’s now too dangerous, he’s morphed into a monster that I no longer recognise as someone I considered to be a friend and thought I knew.”</p> <p>“Each time he paused, he peered over the document at me, with mounting rage in his eyes.</p> <p>“I’d never seen him so livid or felt so uncomfortable in his presence as I did right now in his office.</p> <p>“He was almost foaming at the mouth and kept shaking his head slowly and menacingly at me, like Don Corleone when he felt he’d been disrespected.”</p> <p>Morgan then went on to detail the moment Trump truly took issue with his questions: </p> <p>“Things took a dramatic downward turn when I finally brought up his refusal to accept defeat in 2020 and the appalling scenes on January 6.</p> <p>“I told him I believe he lost the supposedly “rigged, stolen” election, I repeatedly pointed out his failure to produce any evidence of the widespread voter fraud he insists occurred to rob him of his presidency, and I blamed his refusal to admit defeat for the deadly riots at the Capitol.</p> <p>“Then you’re a fool!” he sneered. “And you haven’t studied!...”</p> <p>“Now abandoning any pretence at cordiality, Trump ranted that he was far more honest than me, and again sneered that I wasn’t ‘real’ before haranguing me for exceeding our 20 minutes which was particularly disingenuous given that during all our previous interviews, he’d invariably decided exactly how long he wanted to keep talking.</p> <p>“Incensed Trump tried to end things by declaring “That’s it!” before I reminded him that we hadn’t discussed his hole-in-one, which he then sat down again and did – briefly – before abruptly jumping to his feet, looking hateful, and barking at the shocked crew: “Turn the cameras off!”</p> <p>“Then he turned on his heels, and sloped angrily off through a side door, loudly muttering “So dishonest…”</p> <p>The world exclusive interview is due to air as the launch piece for Morgan’s new show Piers Uncensored on Sky News on Tuesday night at 9pm AEST.</p> <p><em>Image: Piers Uncensored</em></p>

TV

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"That won't be happening": Why Clive Palmer refused ICU treatment

<p dir="ltr">Clive Palmer rejected ICU treatment when he contracted Covid and instead called specialists in the US who treated former President Donald Trump.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/clive-palmer-rushed-to-hospital" target="_blank" rel="noopener">billionaire was rushed</a> to Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast with breathing difficulties on February 27 after contracting the Delta variant of Covid.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 67-year-old mining magnate was also diagnosed with double pneumonia, but refused ICU treatment which was strongly suggested by doctors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Palmer instead left the hospital and returned to his mansion where he called the US specialists on Zoom, where he was fast-tracked into a drug trial where they pumped a cocktail of five antiviral drugs into him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two of the drugs included ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, which have not yet been approved by the Therapeutics Goods Association (TGA).</p> <p dir="ltr">Palmer’s senior management contacted American gastroenterologist and Ivermectin advocate Professor Thomas Borody along with a team of US specialists.</p> <p dir="ltr">The US doctors worked with Palmer’s doctors to monitor his treatment at home, including having an ambulance waiting outside in the event he needed to be rushed back to hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would have died otherwise, without doubt,’’ Palmer told <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/coronavirus/clive-palmer-refused-icu-treatment-while-battling-covid19-in-favour-of-taking-ivermectin-and-hydroxychloroquine/news-story/c6fc9735e2e93c2a2ebbc987198e2f9c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sky News</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I've been told that without the antiviral intervention on that Sunday night I would likely have been dead within five hours.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The US specialists, a couple of whom treated (Donald) Trump for Covid, were very strong about not going onto a ventilator.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I had faith in the US doctors. I'm not being critical of the Pindara people at all. They believed ventilation was necessary but I had alternative advice and I stuck with that.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said that won't be happening and I went home.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Palmer was also high risk because of his age, weight and being unvaccinated and confessed he was still not feeling the best.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I started to come good within 10 hours,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I'm still not 100 per cent. I get tired pretty easily but I'm not getting any younger I suppose.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: YouTube</em></p>

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Can an algorithm assess Trump’s control over discourse?

<div> <div class="copy"> <p>Controversial former US president Donald Trump will always be remembered for his prolific and volatile <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/in-disasters-twitter-influencers-are-out-tweeted/" target="_blank">twitter </a>presence, but it’s difficult to assess, on the basis of a social media site with billions of tweets and users, how much influence these messages have actually had on public opinion.</p> <p>To find out, researchers have conducted a computational analysis of the many phrases found in Trump’s tweets between 2016 and 2021, looking for answers about how powerful the former president’s influence was over public narratives at that time.</p> <p>The study, led by Peter Dodds of the University of Vermont, Burlington, US, is published today in <em>PLOS ONE.</em></p> <p>The researchers developed a novel computational method for analysing tweets in order to build timelines of stories on a given subject. They analysed all tweets related to Trump spanning the five-year study period, applying their algorithms to measure the temporal dynamics – the fluctuating relevance over time – of stories, as represented by words or short phrases, like “Hillary” and “travel ban”.</p> <p>They noted that the turbulence of a story – how quickly it declined in dominance as new stories arose – varied over time and by topic. Trump’s first year in office, 2017, was the most turbulent, with a myriad of dominant stories like “Russia” and “Comey”.</p> <p>Turbulence declined in 2018 onwards, with stories enduring for longer periods, including 2018’s “Mueller” and 2020’s “Covid-19”. Turbulence spiked with 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, the 2020 election and 2021’s Capitol riot.</p> <p>“In 2020, story turbulence around Trump exploded with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the presidential election,” the authors write, “but also ground to a halt as these stories dominated for long stretches.”</p> <p>So, what does this all mean? The persistence of some stories over others could suggest higher social relevance, and, crucially, the authors note their technique as a way of measuring the zeitgeist and its attitudes over time in a large-scale, systematic way, with implications for recorded history, journalism, economics and more.</p> <p>The researchers say their analysis was also able to measure how much Trump controlled the narrative of each story, based on how much his tweets were retweeted, with his tweets about “Fake news” and “Minneapolis” retweeted far more than those about “coronavirus” and “Jeffrey Epstein”, for example. However, retweets may not be a measure of influence so much as a measure of social relevance; people tend to share posts about issues they care about the most, and may still implicitly agree with Trump’s many other narratives.</p> <p>It’s also worth noting that <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/04/24/sizing-up-twitter-users/" target="_blank">twitter is not a microcosm of real life</a>; the site’s most vocal users are often particularly political and engaged either in very left-wing or right-wing narratives, and users are also of a narrower age bracket than the general public. </p> <em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/computing/can-an-algorithm-assess-trumps-control-over-discourse/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Cosmos. </em></p> </div> </div>

Technology

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Bizarre letter from mother of accused high school shooter emerges

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A bizarre open letter written by a US woman to former President Donald Trump has been uncovered after her son was accused of shooting up a Michigan high school.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jennifer Crawley posted the letter to her blog on November 11, 2016, and blamed illegal immigrants and Common Core educational standards for her son’s struggles with maths at school.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ethan, now 15, has been charged as an adult for a shooting at Oxford High School on November 30 which resulted in the deaths of four teenagers and many others injured.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In her five-year-old letter, Jennifer thanked the former president for “allowing my right to bear arms” and praised him for being “one of the most successful Business Men in my history”.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:411.123227917121px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846104/trump-letter.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/09cb9a252a964a6ebbdbc9ef8eb34001" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: web.archive.org</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She then asked the then president-elect to end Common Core, a set of educational standards for school students in English literacy and mathematics.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You see Mr Trump, I need you to stop common core,” she wrote. “My son struggles daily, and my teachers tell me they hate teaching it but they HAVE to. Their pay depends on these stupid f***ing test scores.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have to pay for a tutor, why?” she continued. “Because I can’t figure out 4th grade math.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jennifer added that she couldn’t afford a tutor for her son and “in fact, I sacrifice car insurance to make sure my son gets a good education and hopefully succeeds in life.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She went on to complain about “illegal immigrant parents” whose children attend school where her mother teaches.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Most of their parents are locked up. They don’t care about learning and threaten to kill my mom for caring about their grades.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Do you realize Mr Trump that they get free tutors, free tablets from our government so they can succeed? Why can’t my son get those things, do we as hard working Americans not deserve that too?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After detailing her family’s struggles accessing healthcare, Jennifer ended the letter by writing, “Mr Trump, this is why I voted for you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I see the change that we so desperately need. I see jobs coming back, people having to work for their handouts, money going to [those] who really deserve it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I believe YOU are the president who will make these things happen.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have NEVER had this much belief in one person, and you are it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She signed the lengthy letter as “A hardworking Middle Class Law Abiding Citizen who is sick of getting f***ed in the a** and would rather be grabbed by the p****,” in reference to Trump’s now infamous line about being famous.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The letter was later shared to Facebook by Jennifer’s husband, James, according to </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/4190727/ethan-crumbley-mom-letter-trump-school-shooting/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Sun</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, with the comment: “My wife can be spot on. Sometimes.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The blog has been deleted since the shooting. A copy of the blog post has been preserved on the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20211201040018/https://justagirlgoignthroughthisworld.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/dear-mr-trump/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wayback Machine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> website.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple have been silent as their son faces charges over the fatal shooting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After more than 100 calls were made to 911 on Tuesday, deputies rushed to the school and arrested the gunman within minutes of arriving.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Authorities claim Ethan fired 30 rounds at the school, emptying two 15-round magazines. A third was found at the scene, and he reportedly had more in his pockets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Videos posted to social media also appear to show the 15-year-old impersonating a police officer in order to convince students to emerge from hiding.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sheriff’s office,” the boy says in the clip. “You can come out.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The teacher responds saying: “We’re not taking that risk.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the gunman shouts back something inaudible, he called his classmates “bro”, in a moment that made the hidden students realise the person speaking had been the shooter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three students died during the shooting, and a fourth succumbed to his injuries the following morning.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846102/ethan-shooting1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5074787100c9424b9264f95b865b0a11" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Police parked outside Oxford High School following the shooting. Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prosecutors </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10268829/The-mom-accused-Oxford-High-School-shooter-penned-letter-revealing-sons-struggles.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">announced</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> they would charge him as an adult so he could be convicted and sentenced to life in prison, as Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said there was a “mountain” of evidence against him at a press conference.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was also revealed that the teen had detailed how he wanted to shoot students at the school in a journal found inside his backpack, and that he had recorded a video saying he was planning to attack the school the night before.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the days before the incident, Ethan posted about his father’s new Sig Sauer 9mm handgun on social media and pretended it was his.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Just got my new beauty today. SIG Sauer 9MM. Ask any questions and I will answer,” he wrote in a post last week.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Instagram account it appeared on has since been deleted, and fake accounts began circulating online while he was in police custody.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Former Trump staffer warned about playing Taylor Swift music

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A former advisor to previous vice president Mike Pence has claimed she was once warned about playing Taylor Swift in the White House. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Olivia Troye, a former homeland, counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser, sat down with MSNBC reporter Chris Hayes to chat about her time working as an aide within the controversial Trump administration. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Olivia explained that she was playing Taylor Swift’s music loudly in her office after losing an argument about something she disagreed with relating to the government’s handling of the pandemic. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shortly after she began playing the music, Olivia claims a colleague knocked on the door of her office and said, “Are you trying to get fired?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Olivia said she was “super confused” by the comment, and replied, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For being blunt in meetings, or for what?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her colleague then responded and said, “I don’t think [Swift] is a fan of Trump’s, so if somebody hears that you should really watch your back. You should be careful on that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taylor Swift famously showed her support for the Democratic party in 2018 when she weighed in on her home state’s election.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In early 2020, Taylor famously tweeted about the former controversial president, saying “we will vote you out in November”, before tagging Donald Trump in it. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tweet racked up millions of likes and responses, saying he had been “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism” throughout his presidency. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realdonaldtrump</a></p> — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1266392274549776387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Olivia told Chris Hayes that the whole situation was “so astonishing” and that she should have been able to “listen to whatever music I want”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taylor Swift recently made Spotify history with her re-recording of her album Red, which racked up the biggest number of first day streams by a female artist in history. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Shutterstock / Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Donald Trump Jr selling T-shirts mocking Alec Baldwin shooting

<p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p>Donald Trump Jr is using Alec Baldwin’s recent tragedy to mock the actor who skewered his father on<span> </span><em>Saturday Night Live</em>.</p> <p>Selling for $US27.99 is a T-shirt that reads “Guns Don’t Kill People, Alec Baldwin Kills People” on a merchandise site linked to the former US President’s son.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845083/new-project-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/0d810f5a26ac459a9c7d1b2e645fc2b4" /></p> <p><em>Image: Shopdonjr</em></p> <p>This was of course in reference to last week’s incident during which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was hit by discharge from a prop gun while working on the set of Baldwin’s new film<span> </span><em>Rust</em>.</p> <p>Baldwin, the film’s star, was handling the weapon from which the fatal shot was fired. The movie’s director was injured too.</p> <p>Trump Jr’s merchandise platform also sells shirts that read “My God, My Family, My Guns &amp; My Freedom.”</p> <p>The 43-year-old is a vocal gun advocate who frequently poses with firearms and posts photos of animals he’s killed. Last year, he hosted an Alaskan hunting trip to raise money for Safari Club International.</p> <p>Other right-wing pundits also teed up on the Baldwin hunt after Hutchin’s death. Commentator Candace Owens accused Baldwin of the “murder” of “innocent people”, which she later corrected.</p> <p>Republican lawmaker Lauren Boebert and Republican Senate Candidate JD Vance took to Twitter to mock Baldwin, with the latter asking that the former president be reinstated on Twitter so he could address his former tormentor.</p> <p>These comments drew fire from his Democratic rival in Ohio, Tim Ryan, who tweeted “Someone died, you a-hole.”</p> <p>Even Fox News host Janice Dean urged Vance to take down his tweet.</p> <p>Baldwin's impression of former president Donald Trump on SNL angered Trump, who questioned the long-running program's legality in a 2018 Twitter rant about "unfair news coverage".</p> <p>Trump and Baldwin feuded on Twitter in March of that year with the 45th president claiming the actor's "dying mediocre career" was revived by his impersonation of the commander in chief. Trump was banned from the platform following the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.</p> <p>Baldwin tweeted his feelings of "shock and sadness" following Thursday’s shooting and said he was cooperating with investigators. He had reportedly been told the firearms was "cold".</p> <p>According to a new affidavit, Baldwin was training his pistol on a camera when the shot was fired from his gun. Joel Souza, the<em><span> </span>Rust</em><span> </span>director, reportedly claimed Baldwin was rehearsing a "cross draw" at the time of the killing. The filmmaker said he was looking over Hutchins' shoulder and heard "a whip and then loud pop" before the two of them were struck.</p> <p>Hilaria Baldwin, the 63-year-old actor's wife, tweeted her sympathies for Hutchins, her family and her own husband as well.</p> <p>"My heart is with Halyna," she wrote Monday on Instagram.</p>

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Don Bradman's private retreat hits the market

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A home once owned by renowned cricketer Sir Donald Bradman is on the market following his daughter-in-law’s decision to sell.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property has been listed with a price guide of $1.95 million.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bradman first bought the home in Adelaide Hills 62 years ago with his son John, who changed his last name to Bradsen to avoid unwanted attention.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">John’s former wife, Judith, has lived there for the past 27 years.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844909/bradman9.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a91958992cda4f46a6b284d34226ed05" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original certificate of title signed by Sir Donald Bradman. Image: Raine &amp; Horne Strathalbyn</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The press were always interested in Don, so this place provided a space where he could enjoy his family life without being observed,” Ms Bradsen </span><a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/bradmans-hills-haven-at-117-sheoak-rd-crafers-west-set-to-bowl-market-over/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He could just be himself here because when we dined out people would always approach him. Nobody knew he owned it, nobody. Only very close family friends of Don and then John and mine enjoyed the property.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Bradsen said her father-in-law would often spend time at the property enjoying the outdoors and doing maintenance work.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In the early days, he would come up here often,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He spent a lot of time clearing the woody weeds and he enjoyed the odd bonfire.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He had a fire get away from him once in the valley. We would joke about it later, and I’m not sure if the CFS was called or not back in the day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property, known as Glenquarry Farm, sits on a whopping 8.893-hectare allotment, and is believed to have been built by a runaway from a British naval expedition in 1836.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A four-bedroom freestanding home sits on the property, as well as outbuildings, a cellar, a studio, and a stable.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property also features a decommissioned Mt Lofty freestone quarry, extensive gardens, and a stretch of lawn well-suited to a game of cricket.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natural stone, slatted timber, and open fires are found throughout the home, which also includes a separate wing for guests and an undercover, gabled courtyard.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The home has also seen several renovations over the years, with “The Don” playing his part.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Every time I paint I think of him telling me what to do because he was a keen painter,” Ms Bradsen said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The simplicity of the house really reflects his tastes - the modesty of the cottage, I think he enjoyed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He always had his own chair and he would sit on the verandah and watch everyone play, and our children climbed over him and loved him dearly.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Bradsen has said it was time to move on to a new home after living alone at the property for many years, and hopes a new family can enjoy it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m downsizing and I’d rather have this place enjoyed by more than just one person,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Paul Clifford of Raine &amp; Horne Strathalbyn is managing the sale of the home, which has been described as a “unique and historic hideaway” according to </span><a href="https://www.raineandhorne.com.au/strathalbyn/properties/117-sheoak-road-crafers-west-5152-south-australia"><span style="font-weight: 400;">the listing</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Getty Images, Raine &amp; Horne Strathalbyn</span></em></p>

Real Estate

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Chinese defector has new theory on COVID origins

<p>A Chinese defector has suggested the COVID-19 pandemic began after the virus was potentially leaked amongst participants of the military games in Wuhan in October 2019, months before the deadly outbreak was confirmed by China.</p> <p>Defector and democracy campaigner Wei Jingsheng was speaking with Sky News journalist Sharri Markson for her new book <em>What Really Happened in Wuhan</em>.</p> <p>He said thousands of athletes from around the world came to Wuhan for the Military World Games in October and this was likely the first superspreader event.</p> <p>Jingsheng said: “I thought that the Chinese government would take this opportunity to spread the virus during the Military Games, as many foreigners would show up there,” he said.</p> <p>He claims he was aware of Chinese authorities experimenting with "strange biological weapons", a tip off from a government source, and tried to warn the US but was unsuccessful.</p> <p><strong>Many athletes from different countries reported sickness</strong></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8fddf3839bed4bb6be443112db24b245" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.2971342383107px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844291/wei-military-games-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8fddf3839bed4bb6be443112db24b245" /></p> <p>Multiple athletes from around the world later reported sickness and symptoms consistent with COVID-19.</p> <p>Last month the US's Republican Foreign Affairs Committee released a report claiming Beijing was rushing to cover up the virus's spread around the time of the military games.</p> <p>Republican Representative Michael McCaul said: "When they realised what happened, Chinese Communist Party officials and scientists at the WIV began frantically covering up the leak.”</p> <p>"But their coverup was too late — the virus was already spreading throughout the megacity of Wuhan," he added.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4f8f86d22ea94363be718fe6352928ca" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.1804008908686px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844293/wei-jingshang-lab-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4f8f86d22ea94363be718fe6352928ca" /></p> <p><strong>China suggests other countries are responsible for COVID</strong></p> <p>China has pointed to overseas, including Italy, France and the US, where it says the virus was detected long before it reported its first official cases in December 2019 but Jingsheng’s theory provides an explanation for such cases.</p> <p>The Communist Party of China has become angry over what it claims is a concerted effort from the West to smear China when it comes to the investigation of the origins of COVID.</p> <p>Beijing has suggested it was the US who imported the virus to Wuhan during the military games, calling for investigations into its Fort Detrick facility.</p> <p><strong>Former US president Donald Trump suggest the evidence points to a lab leak</strong></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/687e3da31a264cff9642b3b46f5b8426" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.2018489984592px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844292/wei-trump-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/687e3da31a264cff9642b3b46f5b8426" /></p> <p>Former US president Donald Trump also spoke with Markson for her book and he claimed it’s “obvious” the virus had been leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.</p> <p>Trump made a point of saying he didn’t think the virus was “intentionally” spread but that it escaped via an accidental leak.</p> <p>“I don’t know if they had bad thoughts or whether it was gross incompetence, but one way or the other, it came out of Wuhan, and it came from the Wuhan lab,” Trump said.</p> <p>Trump added one indication was the early emergence of stories filtering into his office about body bags being piled up outside the lab.</p> <p>Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also talked with Markson and he said there was “enormous, albeit indirect, evidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the centrepoint for this.”</p> <p>“The cumulative evidence that one can see points singularly to the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” he said.</p> <p>Pompeo added the US has intelligence three scientists at the lab fell ill two months before the first cases of COVID were officially reported in December 2019.</p> <p>Former US director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe says these scientists are now missing.</p> <p>Another claim that was delivered to Trump was that a lab worker left for lunch and met his girlfriend, infecting her with the virus.</p> <p><strong>WHO chief calls for more investigation of the lab leak theory</strong></p> <p>Initially criticised for his soft approach with China, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus surprisingly questioned the findings of a joint mission into the origins of COVID earlier this year, calling for more to be done to investigate the lab leak theory.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images and Sky News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Uproar after Mel Gibson spotted saluting Donald Trump

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Footage of Mel Gibson saluting Donald Trump when they briefly crossed paths at Saturday’s MMA fight has emerged, causing the actor to trend on social media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gibson appeared to be a few metres away from the former president and gave a distinct salute as Trump walked by and waved at the crowd at UFC 24.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Lmao mel gibson saluted trump at ufc and got completely ignored <a href="https://t.co/VFf42FQJqb">pic.twitter.com/VFf42FQJqb</a></p> — Adam (@petsh0pboy) <a href="https://twitter.com/petsh0pboy/status/1414113562981715970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The moment occurred at Saturday’s UFC fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor which resulted in McGregor breaking his leg in the first round after his left leg buckled underneath him.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some praised Gibson for the act, dubbing him a “patriot”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Yoooooo!!! Is that Mel Gibson saluting President Trump?” one person tweeted.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The Patriot Saluting President Trump,” they later added, alongside a video of the interaction captured by another user.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gibson was videoed at other points during the fight.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hey, I want to see the rematch, you know best out of three,” Gibson said. “I don’t care who wins. I just want to see a good match, and I’m sure it will be.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other users criticised the interaction as another controversial move by the actor.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Mel Gibson is who we thought he was,” one person said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There is no such thing as cancel culture if Mel Gibson isn’t cancelled by now,” another added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The star of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lethal Weapon </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Braveheart</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has become controversial in Hollywood due to antisemitic comments he has made over several decades and allegations he was physically abusive to his former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @petsh0pboy / Twitter</span></em></p>

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Reporters’ book holds new insights on Trump

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new book penned by </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Washington Post </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta has become a source of </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/29/trump-white-house-covid-taskforce-fauci" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shocking revelations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the Trump administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Titled </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/nightmare-scenario-yasmeen-abutalebdamian-paletta" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nightmare Scenario</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic that Changed History</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the authors reported on Trump’s contempt for the COVID taskforce chaired by vice-president Mike Pence, which Trump took to referring as “that f****ing council that Mike has” as the pandemic worsened.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The authors wrote that his derisive term for the taskforce was “a signal that he wished it would go away” and “didn’t want anyone to exert leadership”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many on the taskforce didn’t want the responsibility either, fearful of the consequences.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The book also revealed that Trump wanted to send Americans infected with the virus to Guantanamo Bay and that he hoped his former aide John Bolton would be “taken out” by COVID-19.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The book also examined the influence of “outside consultants” on Trump that undermined the work of the president’s scientific advisors.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This included unofficial advisor Stephen Moore, who the authors said acted as Trump’s “emissary [from] the conservative establishment” and “strode into the Oval Office to convince the president” to end shutdowns and kickstart the economy as cases continued to spiral and the death toll in the US passed 1,000 people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moore is an economist who was nominated to the board of the Federal Reserve in 2019 by Trump, but withdrew after the Guardian and other outlets reported on controversies in his past.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moore told Abutaleb and Paletta that Trump’s promise to reopen the US economy by Easter 2020 was “the smart thing to do” because “the economic costs of this are mounting and there’s not a lot of evidence that lockdowns are working to stop the spread”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has also been quoted attacking Dr Anthony Fauci, a former member of the COVID taskforce and the current chief medical advisor to Joe Biden.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Fauci is the villain here,” Moore said. “He has the Napoleon complex, and he thinks he is the dictator who could decide how to run the country.”</span></p>

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