The Question
Does Lachlan Murdoch care?
Talking Points
- China locked down the world's largest iPhone factory
- A bridge collapse in India claimed 135 lives
- The murder of Cassius Turvey shocked Australia
- Germany moved to cap energy prices in 2023
- The first ever mass naval drone attack occurred in Crimea
- The Bank of England warned of a two-year recession
- Elon Musk fired half the staff at Twitter
- Jerome Powell gave Wall Street the heebie jeebies
- A US judge blocked the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger
- Klaxons went off ahead of COP27 over the 1.5°C target
Deep Dive
Let's check in on our cousins in the United States in the dying days of the 2022 midterm campaign. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate sit uncomfortably on a knife's edge.
The issues at hand
"But there's something else at stake, democracy itself. I'm not the only one who sees it. Recent polls have shown an overwhelming majority of Americans believe our democracy is at risk, that our democracy is under threat. They too see that democracy is on the ballot this year, and they're deeply concerned about it."
US President Joe Biden made a significant speech this week. In it, he implored his countryfolk to rise up against the threat of political violence and autocracy. With Nancy Pelosi's husband still recovering after a politically-motivated attack, Biden's message was timely. A nd his words were strong. It is true that many Americans believe their democracy is being eroded before their very eyes. Unfortunately for Biden, about half of them believe it is his administration that is doing the damage. Even worse, under America's non-compulsory voting system, midterm elections bottom out in terms of voter participation. And the primary motivation for voters is always a reflexive vote against the incumbent team. So how are Biden's Democrats (and their Republican rivals) trying to invigorate the otherwise unperturbed?
Messaging varies widely from race to race, but the Democrats have largely gathered around two focal points: January 6, and abortion. Neither the threat of another Trump presidency, nor his impunity in the shocking Capital riot, will swing many midterm voters. But the latter may just get softer Democrats to line up and vote. Earlier in the year, when the conservative supermajority on the US Supreme Court tossed out Roe v Wade, it looked as though Democrats would snatch midterm wins against the grain. At the time, it was a white-hot issue. A Wall Street Journal poll found that suburban white women were leaning heavily towards the Democrats. But time has passed, and the issue has lost electoral potency: the same poll this week found a massive swing in that segment towards the Republicans . Why? It's the economy, stupid.
Republicans, meanwhile, are running on platforms as broad as the day is long. But the smart ones are hammering home one simple message: inflation, inflation, inflation. The rise in America's Consumer Price Index is still running at more than 8%. Inflation is biting into American's hip-pocket with every trip to the supermarket or gas station. In a further blow this week, the US Federal Reserve once again raised interest rates by 75 basis points. Not only that, Jerome Powell also turned hope to despair with a further threat to push interest rates higher than previously forecast. The other hot-button talking point for the GOP is personal safety and crime . No surprises here: the "defund the police" crowd have made Democrats an easy target.
The two parties have pumped $10bn into ads to date. Again, this is an election being decided by activist billionaires on either side.
The races to watch
By now you must be well-acquainted with faded TV C-grader Dr Oz (Republican) and his surprisingly successful tilt at Pennsylvania's senate seat . Oz holds a two-point lead over his Democrat rival, John Fetterman. Fetterman has simply not regained his standing since he was laid low by a stroke during the primary. He is still clearly dealing with auditory processing issues: during the televised debate he struggled on some questions. If we take the polls as they are, the Democrats will still take the governors residence in Harrisburg. In the other race in that state, Democrat Josh Shapiro boasts a commanding 9 point lead over a flailing Doug Mastriano .
In Georgia, there's a rematch between the incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp, and Democrat Stacey Abrams. Abrams ran unsuccessfully in 2018 and had good reason to be hopeful after the state narrowly went for Biden in 2020. But current polling has her miles behind Kemp . Despite her notable work as a community organiser, Abrams is fast developing a reputation as being one of the Democrats 'superstar losers' - the other notable example being Beto O'Rourke who is currently getting smoked by Greg Abbott in Texas. Things are tighter in the Georgia senate race between the pastor Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and an undeniably addled former NFL star, Herschel Walker.
The Arizona senate race between Republican Blake Masters and Democrat Mike Kelly has been a fascinating one. Despite a Trump endorsement and millions from Peter Thiel, Masters is losing ground to the former astronaut. But it's not the only flashpoint in the Grand Canyon State. Former local news anchor and Trump acolyte Kari Lake is gradually nudging her lead over the Democrat Katie Hobbs, beyond the margin of error. Republicans also believe their guy, Mark Finchem, could be the next secretary of state in Arizona. While that won't be of much use this cycle, having a pair of Big Lie promoters as governor and chief election officer in a swing-state could certainly cause havoc in 2024. At a rally in Phoenix this week, Barack Obama thundered that "democracy as we know it may not survive in Arizona".
Florida remains a fascinating place, just because its Florida. A Trump supporter was charged in Miami this week for shooting at two men during an argument over a jetski sporting a Biden flag .
Worldlywise
Guess who's back
If it's not too navel gaze-y let's start with this paragraph from the Weekly Wrap dated June 5 2021...
There's a trope in action and horror films that you'll be familiar with. The exhausted hero turns their back on the vanquished antagonist, only for the slumped baddie to rear up one last time and create havoc. It's a reliable fixture, but easily overdone. How many times has Benjamin Netanyahu performed this exact feat? Seemingly down and out, deserted by his allies, facing electoral oblivion – only to lurch back into contention with some combination of charisma, fear, and institutional inertia.
Everything old is new again. The wheel turns and still we remain the same. Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett's 'coalition of equals' was not equal to the task that is defeating Benjamin Netanyahu. This week, Israel went to the polls for an astonishing fifth time in four years. The country voted Likud and its allies back into power. The anti-Netanyahu coalition was always too broad — the tiny parties of the Knesset guaranteed ideological fragmentation. Even so, it was a close thing for Bibi: fewer than 10,000 votes swung it. The failure of several left-wing parties to unite sealed their fate; two of them failed to even draw the 3.25% required to enter parliament.
Forget the bribery and fraud cases against Netanyahu. Those will evaporate soon enough. In fact, the Supreme Court and Attorney General's department look set for "legal reforms" which may as well be delivered by a howitzer. Israel's incoming government has been described as the most right-wing in history. Minority rights are definitely on the chopping block. Indeed, Likud relies on the votes of a bloc comprising ultranationalists, violent settlers, and anti-LGBTQ religious extremists. Chief among them is a terrorist-sympathiser . The new kingmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir idolises a Jewish supremacist who massacred 29 Palestinians in 1994. Ben-Gvir and the rest of the Kahanist movement is on the record with the desire to complete the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
Who is gunning for Imran Khan?
From time to time, the latent powers in Pakistan, namely the Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), make their wishes explicit. In Imran Khan's case, that wish was expressed through political machination: a confidence vote toppled him as premier in April. He did not take the ouster well. In the months since, the former star cricketer has taken to the streets to highlight the enormous popular support he commands. Khan uses his stump speeches to hammer his shadowy political foes, and demand a new election . Now, you'll notice that we don't take every politician seriously when they talk about vast conspiracies against them. But the evidence in this case is persuasive: it hadn't even been a week since one of Khan's most prominent allies was assassinated in Kenya.
On Thursday afternoon, a gunman sprayed bullets at Khan's container truck during a rolling rally in Punjab province. The politician was struck in the shin — early reports noted multiple entry wounds. Several members of his Tehreek-e-Insaf party were struck, and at least one person in the crowd was killed. The assailant was bundled off into police custody and claimed to have had an odd motive: music played at the rally drowned out the adhan (call to prayer). Now, Pakistan is a deeply religious country, as a spate of violence directed at 'blasphemers' can attest. But this is a bit of a long-bow. It would be like arguing that JFK was bumped off because the assassins didn't like Irish people. Khan certainly doesn't believe it : from his hospital bed he laid the blame squarely on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major General Faisal Naseer of the ISI.
Regardless of motive, the attempt was the work of a rank amateur . The first, unsuccessful crack at former PM Benazir Bhutto in 2007 killed 150 with a pair of carbombs in Karachi. The second, this time successful, was intimate: a bullet in the head at close range, and a suicide vest. The chances of another attempt on Imran Khan's life are disturbingly high.
The Best Of Times
Nice to meet you
178 guys named Hirokazu Tanaka broke the world record for the largest namesake gathering in Tokyo this week. Each of them has a nickname for differentiation ('Hot Pot', 'Triathalon', 'Chewing Gum', etc). It was a peaceful and cordial event: clearly none of them had seen James Wong's The One (2002).
The mermaid's wineglass
These captivating algae, at home off the scenic Andaman and Nicobar islands, are among the world's largest single-cell organisms . A cell the size of a thumbnail.
The Worst Of Times
Turkeys voting for Christmas
Jair Bolsonaro is begrudgingly handing over the reins to president-elect Lula. But many of the former president's supporters are rallying outside military bases begging for a coup . This is what the kids would call weapons-grade cope.
The Africa Oil desk
British mining giant Glencore has been ordered to pay £281m in fines for its massive bribery operation in Africa. Employees loaded up private jets with cash and dispensed payments to corrupt officials in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and South Sudan. As the judge said, this is not the cost of doing business; it's "sustained criminality".
Highlights
The Image
A giant blue gum is discovered within the boundaries of a Tasmanian logging coupe. This specimen is 80 metres tall. For scale: there is an Anglican church nearby in the Huon Valley but this tree predates Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's annulment. Demolishing your natural heritage for cheap wood pulp is not a uniquely Australian pastime but it is done with great gusto down here. Photo supplied by ABC .
The Quote
6:34pm: This is getting really nervous with people coming up and down this alleyway. People can't walk down here but people keep coming up. I feel like people are going to get crushed to death. I barely got out of it. I think you need to control the situation.
– Calls to Seoul police were released this week in the wake of the Itaewon crowd crush. This was the first — in a few hours, 156 people would be dead.
The Number
10/10 tracks
- Taylor Swift is the first artist to claim the entire Top 10 chart of the Billboard Hot 100 which is faintly ludicrous. There are now just two opportunities for career progression. She can either swerve into K-Pop, or go for the entire chart by releasing an album with 100 songs.
2-minute showers
- Europe is muddling its way through a gas break-up with neighbourhood belligerent, Russia. Despite a frantic effort to fill storage tanks, wholesale prices are volatile. Slovakians will feel it in the bathroom this winter.
The Headlines
"Italian researchers find new recipe to extend life of fresh pasta by a month" — The Guardian . Italy's Einstein, Hawking, etc.
"Why are people weird about only children?"
— The Atlantic . We'd lop off the last three words for brevity.
The Special Mention
Former British Health Secretary Matt Hancock will appear on the next season of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. There is a good chance he will be filmed eating animal genitals (Nadine Dorries got ostrich anus back in 2012). He's getting paid £400,000 for the appearance so please don't extend any pity. Given the British press has a keen professional interest in crafting the most lewd headlines possible, we'd recommend steering clear of the UK for a few weeks.
The Best Long Reads
- Businessweek chokes on fast fashion waste
- The Atlantic tallies the murders in Memphis
- Inside Story takes a closer look at Meloni
The Answer...
You'll need a history, or at least a review , to decide.
