Malcolm Turnbull was no doubt relieved when the prime ministerial jet lifted off from Australian soil yesterday, bound for the United States and his first formal round of discussions in Washington with an American president. In Turnbull’s own words – applied to Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s domestic troubles – he will be hoping to leave behind a “world of woe”. After a steadier start to the new year, the Joyce scandal, involving an affair with a political staffer, has cut the ground from under those improved prospects. This has been reflected in the latest round of polling, which shows the Coalition slipping back against the Labor opposition. Turnbull’s own approval rating has taken a hit. For these and other reasons, not least the need to establish a sound working relationship with a new administration, the prime minister will be looking to a circuit-breaker. Whether Turnbull’s “first 100 years of mateship” visit to … [Read more...] about China, North Korea and trade will likely be the key talking points when Malcolm Turnbull meets Donald Trump this week
Donald trump
The Four Irreconcilable Foreign Policies Of Donald Trump
Under Donald Trump, trying to predict, dissect and understand the U.S.’s attitude to the world has become almost impossible–not that plenty of observers aren’t giving it a go. Tellingly, they’re all coming to different conclusions. Some see a spiral into outright chaos, citing the strain on crucial alliances, Trump’s strange embrace of Vladimir Putin, and his reckless rhetoric, which sometimes gets to the point of implicitly threatening nuclear war. Other analysts claim to identify some semblance of order, but they disagree profoundly on what that order is. To some, Trump’s “America First” theme is an isolationist rallying cry, with its implications of economic protectionism and rejection of international agreements; others see an administration even more committed to military intervention than its predecessors. And still others say that for all Trump’s sound and fury, not much has … [Read more...] about The Four Irreconcilable Foreign Policies Of Donald Trump
It looks like Melania Trump’s parents relied on the same immigration process that Donald Trump desperately wants to end
Amalija and Viktor Knavs, the parents of first lady Melania Trump, are reportedly legal permanent residents in the US. It’s likely that the Knavs used America’s family-based immigration system to obtain their green cards, putting them on a path to citizenship. The Trump administration is pushing Congress to enact major cuts to family-based immigration, which they call “chain migration.” First lady Melania Trump’s parents reportedly obtained green cards and are on track to become US citizens, raising speculation over whether they took advantage of an immigration process that President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate. The Washington Post on Wednesday reported that Amalija and Viktor Knavs have become legal permanent residents, according to people familiar with their status. But their attorney declined to explain how or when the Knavs immigrated. It’s likely that the Knavs, … [Read more...] about It looks like Melania Trump’s parents relied on the same immigration process that Donald Trump desperately wants to end
President Donald Trump’s oldest son admitted a decade ago that a lot of the family’s assets come from Russia
A decade-old quote by Donald Trump, Jr. resurfaced in a New York Times column over the weekend. “In terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” President Donald Trump’s eldest son said during a conference in New York in 2008. The comment has taken on new meaning since Trump’s election. During a New York real estate conference in 2008, President Donald Trump’s eldest son admitted that a lot of the family’s assets come from Russia. “And in terms of high-end product influx into the US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” Donald Trump, Jr. said while speaking at a New York real estate conference in 2008. “Say in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo, and anywhere in New York. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.” Amid special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, … [Read more...] about President Donald Trump’s oldest son admitted a decade ago that a lot of the family’s assets come from Russia
Here’s what Donald Trump and the NRA get about humans that you don’t
Most of the time we operate under the assumption humans will act in their own best interest. President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association have staked their success on the idea that they don’t. Instead, humans want to feel like good people who understand their world and have control over it. If you create a reality in which humans can have that, no matter how dark it is, they will cling to it. It’s uncomfortable and hard, but sometimes those realities must be broken. President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association get something about people that you probably don’t, and it’s what allows them to manipulate their supporters into hurting themselves and their communities. What they understand is that above all else, humans want to feel like they’re good people who understand the world they live in and have some control over it. This feature of humanity is the perfect prey for demagogues. In order to feel good, aware, and in … [Read more...] about Here’s what Donald Trump and the NRA get about humans that you don’t