Life's a breech
Janice Creenaune of Austinmer is well aware of the politician/pet dynamic (C8): 'My youngest son, living in Brooklyn during Trump's initial term, owned a small stuffed Trump doll. Unfortunately, his rescue dog (a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever called Murray) nearly destroyed it. While visiting, I dutifully and carefully sewed up the doll and continued to stuff it. It was the only toy Murray 'went for' but it kept me busy while visiting (over and over again). I'm not sure of its status during the current presidential term.'
'With the federal government now having an anti-Islamophobia envoy and an anti-Semitic envoy, is it time we also had an anti-Septic envoy?' asks Mark Pearce of Springwood. 'As I have noticed an increasing dislike of Yanks since Donald Trump started attacking the rest of the world.'
Noted sideshow tragic, David Prest of Thrumster, feels the need to correct fellow salt, Andrew McCarthy (C8): 'To redress and end the misconceptions by 'sprog' McCarthy (1973 entry into HMAS Nirimba) about my 'rat-like' ability to climb drainpipes and to maintain the dubious honour of those fellow climbers from the Nirimba, I was a late developer in that 'gymnastic' ability.'
James White of Beveridge thinks the phrase requires more of a nautical vibe: 'Like a rat up a hawser more precisely, or a rat up a backspring?'
More on the folly of the European car (C8), this time, from Kerrie Wehbe of Blacktown. 'Last week, while driving our old Toyota to drop it off for repairs, I followed my husband, who drove ahead in our new MG so he could bring me home. I didn't know the route, but I knew when he was going to turn, as the wipers came on every time. He reported later that the sight of me laughing in his rearview mirror didn't help matters.'
'My late father also confused Aldi and Audi,' says William Galton of Hurstville Grove. 'He would also enjoy a roast of the day at his club's Calvary and when my daughter completed Year 12, asked her how she went in her HCF.'
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7NEWS
4 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Donald Trump calls Jeffrey Epstein controversy ‘bulls--t,' calls supporters who care about it ‘weaklings'
US President Donald Trump is accusing some of his onetime supporters of being 'weaklings' who are falling prey to Democratic 'bulls--t' about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — concluding that he no longer wants their support. Declaring that Democrats had struck 'pay dirt' in the Epstein scandal, Trump said his political opponents were using the issue to attack him. 'Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker,' Trump wrote in a missive on Truth Social. 'They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.' Trump said the Epstein controversy — roiling now for more than a week after his Justice Department announced in a memo that there was no Epstein 'client list' and it didn't plan to release any more documents in the investigation — was distracting from the successes of his presidency. 'I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country's history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,' he wrote. 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' The angry message was Trump's strongest rebuke of his own supporters, many of whom have been vocally furious about his administration's handling of the Epstein matter. While Trump has dismissed the controversy as sordid and uninteresting, before his post on Tuesday he hadn't gone as far as disavowing some of his staunchest allies who continue to press for more information.
Daily Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
‘He didn't fool me': Four words from Donald Trump that say so, so much
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Comment Three quotes here, all uttered by Donald Trump after he took office in January, and all referring to Vladimir Putin. 'I believe he wants peace. I mean, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn't.' 'I think he'll keep his word. I've spoken to him, I've known him for a long time now, you know? I don't believe he is going to violate his word.' 'I believe him. I think we're doing very well with Russia, and right now they're bombing the hell out of Ukraine. I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine.' And here is another, from this week, which came as Mr Trump finally lost patience with Putin's doublespeak. 'He's fooled a lot of people. He fooled Bush, he fooled a lot of people. He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden. He didn't fool me.' Donald Trump. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP A bit shameless, isn't it? This man's capacity to revise history so blatantly, and to expect everyone to accept it, as though we have neither eyes, nor ears, nor functioning brains. Putin did fool George W. Bush, who after meeting the Russian leader, claimed to have gotten 'a sense of his soul' and said he was 'very trustworthy'. He did at least somewhat fool Barack Obama, who got then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton to pose for a stunt with an obnoxious red 'reset button', representing the relationship between America and Russia. That predictably doomed move fell over when Crimea happened. Joe Biden? Hmm. He did agree to attend a summit with Putin during his presidency, which felt naive at the time. But the Biden administration was unequivocal about Russia's intentions in the lead-up to its invasion of Ukraine. So there is plenty to criticise in other US presidents' approaches to the Putin regime. But that last part, the 'he didn't fool me', takes some goddamn cheek. Nothing any of the presidents above said or did comes close to rivalling the credulousness with which Mr Trump has approached Putin, one of the most nakedly malicious leaders on the planet, since he first took power in 2017. Vladimir Putin. Picture: Maxim Shemetov/AFP And this goes right to the heart of the eternal, perhaps unanswerable question about Donald Trump: Does he actually believe his own rhetoric? When he says something brazenly false, as is his habit, is he doing it cynically, with the knowledge that enough people will believe him anyway? Or has he convinced himself it's the truth? Put in context: does Mr Trump genuinely think Putin did not outfox him, did not string him along with fake talk of peace for months? Or is the American President saying such nonsense with full self-awareness, to cover up his own embarrassment? The shift in stance from the Trump administration this week is an improvement. It's a recognition, seven years after Mr Trump met Putin in Helsinki and took his word over that of his own country's intelligence agencies, that the murderous Russian dictator with a record of breaking nearly every pledge he makes might not be trustworthy. So in relative terms, OK. Good, even. If American policy towards Russia is on a spectrum, with exploitable innocence on one end and cynicism on the other, we are at least heading in the right direction. In absolute terms though? Pissweak. A 50-day deadline, after which new sanctions might be imposed unless Putin agrees to a peace deal. Why not impose those sanctions now? The man has lied to you for months, Donald. At no point has he displayed anything resembling good faith. Why give him the leeway of a delay? Do it now. We've already seen Putin bomb Ukraine again since Mr Trump's announcement. He hardly seems worried. And honestly, why should he be? He's dealing with a serial flip-flopper, whose record indicates he'll sooner push back a deadline than enforce it. Genuine shoutout to George Bush though for his naivety. I mean come on, you can judge that guy from his skin alone, never mind his soul. And he's dealing with an American President who seeks to project strength, but even in his own telling comes off as credulous and manipulable. 'I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done,' he said of Putin, and a peace deal, while speaking to reporters after completing the flip-flop. 'And I always hang up and say, 'Well, that was a nice phone call.' And then missiles are launched into Kyiv, or some other (Ukrainian) city. And I say, 'Strange.' 'And after that happens three or four times, you say the talk doesn't mean anything.' No s***. He has retold a version of that anecdote several times, with First Lady Melania Trump usually serving as the unlikely snap back to reality. 'We thought we had a deal. Numerous times. I'd get home, I'd say, 'First Lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished.'' As in, finished hammering out a viable path to peace between Russia and Ukraine. 'And then I'll turn on the television. Or she'll say to me one time, 'Wow, that's strange, because they just bombed a nursing home.' I said, 'What?'' What's the fictional equivalent here? Mon Mothma gets off the holo-phone with Emperor Palpatine. 'That was a really wonderful talk I had with Palpatine,' she tells some other rebel bigwig. 'Wow, that's strange, because he just blew up Alderaan,' her colleague replies. To which Mothma, would-be leader of the free worlds, offers an impotent: 'What!?' Before proceeding to publicly insist she was the only rebel leader to never be fooled by Palpatine. (Do watch Andor. Wonderfully written show, regardless of your politics. No I will not stop sneaking TV recommendations into serious rants about serious politics.) Apparently Melania Trump is more abreast of international war news than her husband, who has the entire US national security apparatus at his beck and call. But that's a discussion for another day. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP Look, there are two elements here. One is US policy towards Russia, which has improved a bit. Second is Mr Trump's personality, which at the age of 79 is probably set in carbonite. The man's hatred of his political opponents, or for anyone who dares to criticise him, is one thing. Plenty to dissect there. But the shamelessness with which he can lie through his teeth to his own supporters, and mock the intelligence of the people who gave him the power he now wields? That, more than anything he could ever say or do to the Democrats or the media, speaks to his character. Twice this week, we have seen it in action, once with the Putin backflip, and again with his attitude towards the Jeffrey Epstein case. 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' Mr Trump said today when asked about the backlash against his sudden indifference within MAGA. 'It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring. And I don't understand why it keeps going. I think, really, only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.' Jeffrey Epstein. Picture: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department Boring, is it? The years-long, unchecked, unprosecuted sex trafficking of minors to the rich and powerful? You find that boring? Only Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were charged. All their clients are free without consequence. An election campaign last year in which Mr Trump and his associates eagerly fed the conspiracy theories. And now Mr Trump cannot comprehend why people still talk about it. Nor can he understand the dissatisfaction of those who were promised a reckoning by his own confidants – Vice President J.D. Vance, Attorney-General Pam Bondi, head honchos of the FBI Kash Patel and Dan Bongino – only to be told to 'move on' without any result. The blow-up over Epstein, this past fortnight, is of Mr Trump's making. His handpicked officials said they were practically drowning in Epstein-related material never before seen by the public. His officials released what they called 'phase one' of documents to selected right-wing influencers, implying more phases were coming. His Attorney-General said the Epstein 'client list', long sought by the cranks, was on her desk for review. Now they say there never was any client list, and no more material will be released, and no third parties will be pursued, and Mr Trump's contemptuous reaction boils down to: 'Why do you even care?' It's insulting. Donald Trump. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP And so is his rhetoric concerning Putin. Mr Trump told his supporters he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, if not before. He has since sought to brush that off as a joke, as though we all have the memory of a goldfish, and cannot recall the dozens – no, sorry, hundreds – of times he said it without a hint of humour. It's the Trump playbook now, apparently. Say something ridiculous. Have it blow up in your face. Pretend it never happened. Assume your followers will accept it unquestioningly. 'Look, it's clear from what the President himself has said – although he wouldn't put it this way – that he got played by Putin, and dragged on for months,' the longtime chief political analyst for Fox News, Brit Hume, said this week. 'And he was being jollied along under the impression, that Putin had obviously given him, that Putin wanted to end the war, and was prepared to negotiate from where we are. 'And it's pretty clear now that Putin didn't want to end the war where we are. He had more conquests in mind, and perhaps wanted his whole original purpose of taking Ukraine.' We all bloody knew it, the whole time. Hume knew it, I knew it, you probably knew it. Putin certainly knew it. The only man in the dark, the only man of actual consequence fooled, was the one with genuine power to act. Originally published as 'He didn't fool me': Four words from Donald Trump that say so, so much
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why is bitcoin soaring? And is it time to invest?
Despite Nakamoto's original vision of bitcoin replacing cash, these days the cryptocurrency is much more akin to a digital version of gold, as the network is far too expensive and slow to be able to use it as a legitimate cash replacement. Indeed, central banks around the world have said cryptocurrencies are unfit for everyday use, with RBA governor Michele Bullock saying it has 'no role' in the Australian economy. Investors originally saw bitcoin as a 'safe haven' asset separated from the fluctuation of markets. However, recently, institutional investors have flocked to the asset class, with about 6 per cent of bitcoin being held in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Why is it rallying? Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are notoriously volatile, with their valuation regularly dropping or rising by thousands of dollars in mere minutes. However, the recent rally has been more sustained, thanks largely to the influence of Trump. During his campaign, Trump made no secret of his support for cryptocurrencies, promising to make the US the 'crypto capital of the world'. Once elected, he then enacted several policies to promote crypto, including establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve within US Treasury, and holding a crypto summit at the White House. Loading He also released his own Trump-branded cryptocurrency, which has a market capitalisation of $US1.9 billion. Republicans are now attempting to pass three more crypto-friendly bills – The GENIUS Act, The Clarity Act and The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act – all of which will create a friendlier regulatory environment for crypto traders and companies, including clarifying when digital assets like crypto tokens are considered securities or commodities. Crypto advocates view these bills as the US government's effective endorsement of the sector and a further legitimisation of bitcoin, despite widespread crime in the industry and real-world use cases for cryptocurrencies still few and far between. How much has the price risen? After bitcoin's creation in 2008, you could buy one for just a few cents, with 10,000 bitcoin famously being used to buy two pizzas in early 2010. As of Wednesday afternoon, one bitcoin was worth about $185,000. Since Trump's election, the asset's price has risen by almost $80,000, or 76 per cent. Should you invest? Obviously, the best time to have bought bitcoin was 2009 – and even then, you would have needed to conveniently forget about it until now. But is it still worth buying even with its heady valuation? 'Yes, we think so,' says Justin Lin, investment strategist at ETF provider Global X. '2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year for bitcoin adoption. This year we've seen some serious signs that investors are starting to value the asset for its fundamental strengths rather simply speculating on its price. Loading 'We think bitcoin is on its way to becoming a portfolio staple across the world, and as adoption grows, price discovery will follow.' Global X believes bitcoin will reach a valuation of $US200,000 by midway through next year. Much of this, Lin says, will be driven by traditional investors through bitcoin ETFs, with the current crop of crypto investors mainly consisting of younger, tech-savvy investors. 'By our calculations, only about 20,000 Australians have invested in ASX-listed bitcoin ETFs. That's shockingly low compared to the US. We take it as a sign that our older investment community still has a lot of catching up to do,' he says. How can you invest? There are a number of online bitcoin exchanges that operate both internationally and in Australia. You can sign up to one and buy bitcoin or other crypto. Keep in mind you don't have to purchase a whole one – you can just buy a fraction of a coin. These exchanges allow you to buy, sell, and store your bitcoin, much like an online stockbroker such as CommSec. The bitcoin ETFs are becoming increasingly popular as a way for traditional investors to purchase the digital asset without having to make an exchange account, with the ETFs available to purchase the same way as any other ASX stock. However, chief executive of investment firm VanEck Asia Pacific Arian Neiron said Australian investors seem to be less willing to invest in crypto than their US counterparts. '[Australian] investors are more cautious about bitcoin exposure, particularly when there is price momentum based on sentiment,' he says.
