"48-Hour Rollercoaster": Video Shows Ship Crossing Notorious Drake Passage

04/04/25 12:30 PM

An Antarctica cruise voyage became what one traveller called a "48-hour rollercoaster", navigating the notorious Drake Passage - a famously dangerous waterway connecting Antarctica and South America.

"Heartbroken, Was Unable To Meet Expectations": South Korea's Yoon Apologies

04/04/25 3:26 PM

South Korea's ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol apologised Friday after the country's Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment over a botched martial law declaration, immediately stripping him of office.

$500,000 stolen in Australian super fund data breach

04/04/25 8:25 AM

Super industry’s peak body says majority of hacking attempts stopped but money lost by a small number of customersElection 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaignGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastHackers have targeted Australian superannuation funds this week, with a small number of customers losing a combined half a million dollars, and compromising some members’ data, the industry’s peak body says.The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) said in a statement on Friday that hackers attempted to breach the cyber defences of a number of superannuation funds last weekend. While the majority of attempts were stopped, several companies were affected, it said.Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

'Bright side': Ex-GOP lawmaker says Trump's tariffs could be 'large awakening' to his base

04/03/25 2:54 PM

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) released an "Emergency Video" to his Substack readers Thursday about President Donald Trump's wide-ranging tariffs that he claimed could finally wake up even Trump's most ardent supporters."This will show the American people that his ideas and his thoughts on this are insane, and also his thoughts on other things are insane," Kinzinger said. "So, if there is a bright side, it's that this could be the beginning of a large awakening of his base, and generally, the American people."On Wednesday, after the markets closed, Trump held a "liberation day" celebration in the Rose Garden to announce he was signing a “historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world.” During his speech, Trump falsely claimed that a lack of tariffs directly led to the Great Depression in 1929."It would have never happened if they had stayed with the tariff policy; it would have been a much different story," Trump claimed. "They tried to bring back tariffs to save our country, but it was gone. It was gone. It was too late. Nothing could have been done."ALSO READ: 'Not much I can do': GOP senator gives up fight against Trump's tariffsKinzinger called Trump's action, "one of the dumbest self-owns that this country has done in a very long time.""But here's the thing," Kinzinger said, "He's been talking about this forever. Now, MAGA gets to see. Maybe it does work. Maybe this goes against everything, any economics system, economics professor, or theorist, or anybody that's ever studied economies, or, frankly, any past history of economies. Smoot-Hawley. Maybe this goes against that, and maybe this is a miracle. That would be great! All of a sudden, everybody gets a great, high-paying job at a factory if they want it."Kinzinger then issued a warning: "But, if it's not — if this is going to damage the economy — MAGA now owns this. Donald Trump now owns this. And the damage that's going to be done is on his hands, and we can never forget that. We can never forgive that."Kinzinger predicted that once it appears his plans have irrevocably soured and the U.S. has plunged into a recession, "Trump's going to find some made-up reason why he's changed his mind on tariffs, and he's going to play like that was his five-dimensional chess game he's been playing all along. But it's not true. He thinks this is going to work. He really thinks...the economy's going to shine."Watch Kinzinger's Substack video.

'Conservatives just embarrassed Mike Johnson': MAGA lawmaker lauded after GOP 'mutiny'

04/01/25 7:58 PM

In a major defeat for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) led the effort to advance remote voting for members of Congress who are new parents.Nine Republicans joined all House Democrats to advance the measure that would allow the new parents to designate a colleague to vote for them for 12 weeks after they or their spouse welcome a new child.The measure was introduced by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) in January and gained bipartisan support. The fight against Johnson's attempts to undermine the measure caused Luna to leave the conservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members backed Johnson.Johnson and other Republicans have called proxy voting unconstitutional and rife for abuse.Political writer @Monaheart1229 posted to social media, "Johnson's attempt to block MAGA House Rep Anna Paulina Luna's DP giving proxy voting rights to new parents has FAILED 206-222 Nine MAGA 'no' votes Luna: 'Never bet against the Luna.” House Dem Rep Brittany Pettersen’s message to Johnson: “Don’t f--- with moms.”ALSO READ: 'The Hard Reset': Here's how the U.S. is exporting terrorism around the worldReporter Melanie Zanona wrote, "An effort by GOP leadership to kill @realannapaulina’s proxy voting push for new parents just failed on the House floor. Remote voting will still need to come to the floor & pass, but this is a big win for Luna — & big defeat for Speaker Johnson. 8 Rs sided w/ Luna."Luna, no liberal squish, did a brave thing by trying to enact a simple pro-family policy in a bipartisan manner. Mike Johnson tried to punish her for it and failed," wrote The Bulwark's Joe Perticone.Columnist Eric Michael Garcia posted, "Goodness gracious! EIGHT Republicans opposing this rule that would have killed Anna Paulina Luna's discharge petition! Mike Johnson is facing a mutiny!" Garcia added, "Conservatives just embarrassed Mike Johnson on a level I haven't seen since the McCarthy days. Johnson USED proxy voting regularly during the 117th Congress, but he needed to keep Chip Roy happy so he sided with her instead of Luna and got a jailbreak."Congressional correspondent Julie Tsirkin called it a "HUGE win for @realannapaulina… who moments before the vote expressed her disappointment with House GOP leadership’s efforts to kill her proxy voting push for new parents 8 Republicans joined Luna in defeating Speaker Johnson."And PatriotTakes wrote, "Anna Paulina Luna attacks Speaker Mike Johnson’s hypocrisy over proxy voting," along with photo evidence of Johnson having voted by proxy as late as 2022.Luna posted before the vote, "Here are some documents showing [Johnson] voting by proxy in the 117th Congress, as late as December 2022. He argues it's 'unconstitutional' but has done it several times! Since the case is being made to the public via press, I'm doing the same."

'Dangerously naive': Lawmaker flags Trump's ulterior motive for 'new super dangerous tool'

04/03/25 10:52 AM

Donald Trump has an ulterior motive for enacting his controversial tariff policy, but there is a way that opponents can fight back, according to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Murphy, who represents Connecticut, said in the wake of Trump's major trade war escalation that "those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive." "No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief," the lawmaker wrote late Wednesday night on his social media. ALSO READ: 'Came as a surprise to me': Senators 'troubled' by one aspect of government funding bill He noted, "This week you will read many confused economists and political pundits who won’t understand how the tariffs make economic sense. That’s because they don’t. They aren’t designed as economic policy. The tariffs are simply a new, super dangerous political tool." The Senator added that "our founders created a President with limited and checked powers." "They specifically put the power of spending and taxation in the hands of the legislature. Why? Because they watched how kings and despots used spending and taxes to control their subjects," he added. "British kings used taxation to reward loyalty and punish dissent. Our own revolution was spurred by the King’s use of heavy taxation of the colonies to punish our push for self governance. The King’s message was simple: stop protesting and I’ll stop taxing." This, Murphy claims, is Trump's big tariff plan. "Trump knows that he can weaken (and maybe destroy) democracy by using spending and taxation in the same way. He is using access to government funds to bully universities, law firms and state and local governments into loyalty pledges," he wrote. "Healthy democracies rely on an independent legal profession to maintain the rule of law, independent universities to guard objective truth and provide forums for dissent to authority, and independent state/local government to counterbalance a powerful federal government." But, according to the lawmaker, "the private sector also plays a rule to protect democracy. Independent industry has power. The tariffs are Trump’s tool to erode that independence. Now, one by one, every industry or company will need to pledge loyalty to Trump in order to get sanctions relief." As far as what businesses might offer Trump, Murphy cites, "Public shows of support from executives for all his economic policy. Contributions to his political efforts. Promises to police employees’ support for his political opposition." Going even further, Murphy says that "the tariffs are DESIGNED to create economic hardship. Why? So that Trump has a straight face rationale for releasing them, business by business or industry by industry. As he adjusts or grants relief, it’s a win-win: the economy improves and dissent disappears." "And once Trump has the lawyers, colleges and industry under his thumb, it becomes very hard for the opposition to have any viable space to maneuver. Trump didn’t invent this strategy. It’s the playbook for democratically elected leaders who want to stay in power forever," Murphy then concludes. "The tariffs aren’t economic policy. They are political weapons. But as long as we see this clearly, we can stop him. Public mobilization is working. Today, a few Republicans joined Democrats to vote against one set of tariffs. The people still have the power." Those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive.No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief.1/ A

'Did you have a lobotomy?': Conservative slams 'free-trader' Rubio for kissing up to Trump

04/03/25 4:12 PM

Conservative commentator and MAGA critic Ana Navarro-Cárdenas had some sharp words for Secretary of State Marco Rubio's praise of the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs that may well spark a global trade war.Navarro-Cárdenas claimed she has known Rubio for 30 years, from their early days in Miami, FL, politics. She has been highly critical of Rubio's descent into MAGA policies, where he once called Donald Trump a "con artist" who "hijacked the conservative movement."Rubio was present in the Rose Garden Wednesday when Trump declared "liberation day" and signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs affecting some 65 countries.Shortly after the event, Rubio posted on X, "Thank you, @POTUS! 'Made in America' is not just a tagline — it’s an economic and national security priority."ALSO READ: 'The Hard Reset': Here's how the U.S. is exporting terrorism around the worldNavarro-Cárdenas immediately jumped on the tweet, writing, "Marco, you are a free-trader. You argued against tariffs until like 5 minutes ago. Did you have a lobotomy, or does your servility just have no limits?"A search of Rubio's past stance on free trade showed that he challenged Trump's desire to start a punitive trade war against countries he believed treated the United States unfairly. During a 2016 Republican debate, Rubio said, "About the trade war — I don't understand, because your ties and the clothes are made in Mexico and in China. You're going to start a trade war against your own ties and suits. Why don't you make them in America?" Also, in 2016, when Trump argued for 45% tariffs on Chinese goods, Rubio retorted, "I think we need to be very careful with tariffs, and here's why. China doesn't pay the tariff, the buyer pays the tariff: it gets passed on in the price to the consumer. So I think the better approach, the best thing we can do to protect ourselves against China economically is to make our economy stronger. It begins with tax reform. It continues with regulatory reform."Another person who questioned Rubio for going all-in on tariffs was Kyle Matthews, with the Montreal Institute for Global Security. He posted under Rubio's tweet, "Best of luck in your diplomacy. You are going to need it."

'Disturbing': Once-skeptical analyst now fears Trump's Greenland vow is more than threat

04/02/25 6:23 PM

MSNBC columnist Michael A. Cohen once believed that President Donald Trump's stated desire to take over Greenland was all hot air — but now he's not so sure.In his latest column, Cohen — who is of no relation to the former Trump attorney of the same name — points to new evidence that the president is deadly serious about acquiring the large island nation, which would possibly require him to invade a NATO ally to get the job done.Cohen believes that Vice President J.D. Vance's recent trip to Greenland was an indication that the United States really is making plans to launch a war of aggression for Greenland, which is currently owned by longtime American ally Denmark.What particularly disturbed Cohen is that Vance didn't meet with any government officials in Greenland and only delivered a bellicose speech that baselessly accused the Danish government of doing a poor job of defending the territory.ALSO READ: Elon Musk 'being driven visibly insane' by anti-Tesla protests: analysis"The vice president’s menacing rhetoric follows a familiar and disturbing pattern," Cohen observes. "In January, before taking office, Trump refused to rule out economic or military coercion to take over the island. 'It might be that you’ll have to do something,' he said at the time in reference to Greenland and the Panama Canal. In his address to a joint session of Congress last month, he said, 'One way or another, we’re gonna get it.'"What makes this most unnerving, adds Cohen, is there truly does not appear to be any strategic rationale for snatching Greenland."Why does Trump want Greenland so badly? I suspect it’s the same reason he wants to annex Canada and reclaim the Panama Canal," he warns. "It’s consistent with his propensity for slapping his name (always in giant letters) on garish, self-aggrandizing, yet oddly boring architectural monstrosities around the globe. It’s all about Trump’s ego."

'Frightening': US Restaurants, Producers Face Trump Tariff Whiplash

04/04/25 1:44 PM

From European wines to industrial tools, global tariffs launched by US President Donald Trump this week promise to sweep through the world's biggest economy, impacting everyone from restaurant owners to industrial manufacturers.

'He needs to listen': GOP pollster urges Trump to stop blowing off warnings

04/02/25 6:29 PM

Republican pollster Frank Luntz issued a warning to Donald Trump just hours before the president was set to announce his "liberation day" tariffs that experts say threaten to drain Americans' bank accounts as they shop for everyday items. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, told CNBC Wednesday that Trump's sweeping tariffs "will throw the global economy into turmoil and leave Americans holding the bag." But Trump appeared to be plowing full steam ahead. Luntz, who spoke with CNN's Boris Sanchez Wednesday, called the United States a "polarized and angry country" that's only going to get more unstable as the Trump tariffs drag on. ALSO READ: 'The Hard Reset': Here's how the U.S. is exporting terrorism around the world "The reason why I appreciate this discussion is that it's a chance to say precisely, the agenda and the policies have support, the communication and the execution do not," Luntz said. "So, I don't know if you're Democrat or Republican, you're going to be mad at this analysis, but this is the way things are, and we should start to pursue the truth rather than pursue some sort of partisan gain." Sanchez asked, "How do you take that sentiment and apply it to...this announcement on tariffs?" "It's going to freak the world out, and some Americans don't care," Luntz answered. He claimed that Trump chose 4 p.m. for his announcement "because the markets are closed at that point." Luntz continued, "You could see an explosion on Wall Street, and Donald Trump has always used the stock market as a measurement of his success. Well, he can't ignore it now. And if the markets are saying this is not the right way to do it, he needs to listen." Luntz admitted that Americans "are tired of being treated as second class citizens. They're tired of countries like China taking advantage of our markets, selling their products and blocking our products," he said."But they don't want to pay more, and the tariffs are like a tax. And, so, we've got once again, a mixed message. I hope Americans respond slowly to this because in the end, our businesses are at stake. Our economic system is at stake. Capitalism is at stake. And how we handle this will determine how the rest of the world is going to see us, trade with us, negotiate with us, and treat us in the months and years to follow." Watch the video below or at this link.