Trump sees the republic smell a lot like banana

The Advertiser

4 days ago

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
It's hard to decide what's more shocking.
Is it the footage clearly showing the officer raise his weapon, aim and shoot, hitting Australian TV reporter Lauren Tomasi in the calf? The unmistakable intent is chilling.
Is it California Governor Gavin Newsom's accusation that President Trump is trying to start a civil war?
The deployment of US Marines on home soil?
Or the dystopian imagery of federal agents, militarised in battle fatigues, racing into Los Angeles aboard armoured vehicles on their way to raid homewares stores and schools?
All that is bad enough but the characterisation by Donald Trump's inner circle of the unrest in LA as "insurrection" would be laughable in its absurdity if it wasn't so frightening.
Wind the clock back four-and-a-half years and you'll get an idea of what insurrection looks like. It's when a mob storms the Capitol, the seat of government, and threatens to lynch the vice-president and house speaker - egged on by the man who now sits in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump pardoned even the worst offenders in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Now, in the name of law and order, he's calling out the military to put down protests against the militarised conduct of his immigration policies. The hypocrisy isn't lost on anyone. Nor the brute calculus of distraction.
Trump has endured a torrid few weeks.
There was the downgrade to the US credit rating, triggered by the president's reckless tax and spending bill.
Trump's suffered the slings and arrows of a stock market which has coined the term TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out - to explain its apparent resilience in the face of the tariff turmoil.
The very public rift with Elon Musk has made visible the cracks in the MAGA movement. Musk's post supporting impeachment and the accession of JD Vance possibly chilled Trump even more than the billionaire's since deleted claim the president featured in the Epstein files.
And then there was the stumble. A true Biden movement as the president tripped on the stairs while boarding Air Force One after taking questions from the media about the unfolding unrest in LA. The strong man, who mocked his predecessor for his frailty, went viral in a split second of his own enfeeblement.
No wonder he ratcheted up the threats after that. Hurt pride will do that when it involves a man with a brittle ego.
Nursing an unholy bruise, Lauren Tomasi said she didn't want to become the story but there's no escaping that she is. Not only did she make international headlines but the PM, describing the footage as horrific, revealed he'd raised her treatment with the US Administration.
The imagery of a police officer shooting a reporter - all caught in minute detail - will continue to define perceptions of the United States long after the unrest dies down. It will only add to the reasons travellers are avoiding the country, costing the US economy almost $17 billion in lost business this year alone.
The shooting of Tomasi adds to the growing odour of banana about the republic.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you changed plans to travel to the US? Should the PM raise the Tomasi shooting when he meets Donald Trump? Is the talk of civil war in the US overblown or is it a real risk if Trump continues down the path of authoritarianism? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Air Force personnel will soon be required to wear green camouflage instead of their blue-hued uniforms during front-line operations and training activities, a change that Defence claims will better prepare aviators for wartime conflicts.
- An economic summit will bring together business, union and other leaders in a bid to lift Australia's lagging productivity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a productivity roundtable would be held in August to shape ways to grow the economy during his second term in office.
- In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages.
THEY SAID IT: "Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states." - Demosthenes
YOU SAID IT: We each waste over 300 kilograms of food a year. Confusion over use-by and best-before labelling accounts for a lot of it.
"My motto: If it looks OK and smells OK, it is OK," writes Elaine. "I look out for markdowns in the supermarkets that are approaching their use-by dates. I often wonder whether those labels are designed to make us throw perfectly good food away so as to encourage us to buy more."
Paul worked in the waste industry for 20 years and was heavily involved in finding ways to reduce the burden on landfill. "I always said we are what we waste, our attitude to waste reflecting our lifestyle. For instance, the amount of food waste generated per household in, say, Vaucluse, was significantly higher than in the outer suburbs. Generally, the higher the income level, the greater the waste."
Henry writes: "I'm of an age where use-by dates didn't exist. When they finally arrived my grandmother gave a derisive snort and said, 'It's a bit pointless putting them on Vegemite and honey.'
"How is the date derived?" asks Michael. "My sodium bicarbonate from Aldi has a best before date: precisely 7:05pm on 9/11/2025. Amazing precision."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
It's hard to decide what's more shocking.
Is it the footage clearly showing the officer raise his weapon, aim and shoot, hitting Australian TV reporter Lauren Tomasi in the calf? The unmistakable intent is chilling.
Is it California Governor Gavin Newsom's accusation that President Trump is trying to start a civil war?
The deployment of US Marines on home soil?
Or the dystopian imagery of federal agents, militarised in battle fatigues, racing into Los Angeles aboard armoured vehicles on their way to raid homewares stores and schools?
All that is bad enough but the characterisation by Donald Trump's inner circle of the unrest in LA as "insurrection" would be laughable in its absurdity if it wasn't so frightening.
Wind the clock back four-and-a-half years and you'll get an idea of what insurrection looks like. It's when a mob storms the Capitol, the seat of government, and threatens to lynch the vice-president and house speaker - egged on by the man who now sits in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump pardoned even the worst offenders in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Now, in the name of law and order, he's calling out the military to put down protests against the militarised conduct of his immigration policies. The hypocrisy isn't lost on anyone. Nor the brute calculus of distraction.
Trump has endured a torrid few weeks.
There was the downgrade to the US credit rating, triggered by the president's reckless tax and spending bill.
Trump's suffered the slings and arrows of a stock market which has coined the term TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out - to explain its apparent resilience in the face of the tariff turmoil.
The very public rift with Elon Musk has made visible the cracks in the MAGA movement. Musk's post supporting impeachment and the accession of JD Vance possibly chilled Trump even more than the billionaire's since deleted claim the president featured in the Epstein files.
And then there was the stumble. A true Biden movement as the president tripped on the stairs while boarding Air Force One after taking questions from the media about the unfolding unrest in LA. The strong man, who mocked his predecessor for his frailty, went viral in a split second of his own enfeeblement.
No wonder he ratcheted up the threats after that. Hurt pride will do that when it involves a man with a brittle ego.
Nursing an unholy bruise, Lauren Tomasi said she didn't want to become the story but there's no escaping that she is. Not only did she make international headlines but the PM, describing the footage as horrific, revealed he'd raised her treatment with the US Administration.
The imagery of a police officer shooting a reporter - all caught in minute detail - will continue to define perceptions of the United States long after the unrest dies down. It will only add to the reasons travellers are avoiding the country, costing the US economy almost $17 billion in lost business this year alone.
The shooting of Tomasi adds to the growing odour of banana about the republic.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you changed plans to travel to the US? Should the PM raise the Tomasi shooting when he meets Donald Trump? Is the talk of civil war in the US overblown or is it a real risk if Trump continues down the path of authoritarianism? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Air Force personnel will soon be required to wear green camouflage instead of their blue-hued uniforms during front-line operations and training activities, a change that Defence claims will better prepare aviators for wartime conflicts.
- An economic summit will bring together business, union and other leaders in a bid to lift Australia's lagging productivity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a productivity roundtable would be held in August to shape ways to grow the economy during his second term in office.
- In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages.
THEY SAID IT: "Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states." - Demosthenes
YOU SAID IT: We each waste over 300 kilograms of food a year. Confusion over use-by and best-before labelling accounts for a lot of it.
"My motto: If it looks OK and smells OK, it is OK," writes Elaine. "I look out for markdowns in the supermarkets that are approaching their use-by dates. I often wonder whether those labels are designed to make us throw perfectly good food away so as to encourage us to buy more."
Paul worked in the waste industry for 20 years and was heavily involved in finding ways to reduce the burden on landfill. "I always said we are what we waste, our attitude to waste reflecting our lifestyle. For instance, the amount of food waste generated per household in, say, Vaucluse, was significantly higher than in the outer suburbs. Generally, the higher the income level, the greater the waste."
Henry writes: "I'm of an age where use-by dates didn't exist. When they finally arrived my grandmother gave a derisive snort and said, 'It's a bit pointless putting them on Vegemite and honey.'
"How is the date derived?" asks Michael. "My sodium bicarbonate from Aldi has a best before date: precisely 7:05pm on 9/11/2025. Amazing precision."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
It's hard to decide what's more shocking.
Is it the footage clearly showing the officer raise his weapon, aim and shoot, hitting Australian TV reporter Lauren Tomasi in the calf? The unmistakable intent is chilling.
Is it California Governor Gavin Newsom's accusation that President Trump is trying to start a civil war?
The deployment of US Marines on home soil?
Or the dystopian imagery of federal agents, militarised in battle fatigues, racing into Los Angeles aboard armoured vehicles on their way to raid homewares stores and schools?
All that is bad enough but the characterisation by Donald Trump's inner circle of the unrest in LA as "insurrection" would be laughable in its absurdity if it wasn't so frightening.
Wind the clock back four-and-a-half years and you'll get an idea of what insurrection looks like. It's when a mob storms the Capitol, the seat of government, and threatens to lynch the vice-president and house speaker - egged on by the man who now sits in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump pardoned even the worst offenders in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Now, in the name of law and order, he's calling out the military to put down protests against the militarised conduct of his immigration policies. The hypocrisy isn't lost on anyone. Nor the brute calculus of distraction.
Trump has endured a torrid few weeks.
There was the downgrade to the US credit rating, triggered by the president's reckless tax and spending bill.
Trump's suffered the slings and arrows of a stock market which has coined the term TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out - to explain its apparent resilience in the face of the tariff turmoil.
The very public rift with Elon Musk has made visible the cracks in the MAGA movement. Musk's post supporting impeachment and the accession of JD Vance possibly chilled Trump even more than the billionaire's since deleted claim the president featured in the Epstein files.
And then there was the stumble. A true Biden movement as the president tripped on the stairs while boarding Air Force One after taking questions from the media about the unfolding unrest in LA. The strong man, who mocked his predecessor for his frailty, went viral in a split second of his own enfeeblement.
No wonder he ratcheted up the threats after that. Hurt pride will do that when it involves a man with a brittle ego.
Nursing an unholy bruise, Lauren Tomasi said she didn't want to become the story but there's no escaping that she is. Not only did she make international headlines but the PM, describing the footage as horrific, revealed he'd raised her treatment with the US Administration.
The imagery of a police officer shooting a reporter - all caught in minute detail - will continue to define perceptions of the United States long after the unrest dies down. It will only add to the reasons travellers are avoiding the country, costing the US economy almost $17 billion in lost business this year alone.
The shooting of Tomasi adds to the growing odour of banana about the republic.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you changed plans to travel to the US? Should the PM raise the Tomasi shooting when he meets Donald Trump? Is the talk of civil war in the US overblown or is it a real risk if Trump continues down the path of authoritarianism? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Air Force personnel will soon be required to wear green camouflage instead of their blue-hued uniforms during front-line operations and training activities, a change that Defence claims will better prepare aviators for wartime conflicts.
- An economic summit will bring together business, union and other leaders in a bid to lift Australia's lagging productivity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a productivity roundtable would be held in August to shape ways to grow the economy during his second term in office.
- In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages.
THEY SAID IT: "Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states." - Demosthenes
YOU SAID IT: We each waste over 300 kilograms of food a year. Confusion over use-by and best-before labelling accounts for a lot of it.
"My motto: If it looks OK and smells OK, it is OK," writes Elaine. "I look out for markdowns in the supermarkets that are approaching their use-by dates. I often wonder whether those labels are designed to make us throw perfectly good food away so as to encourage us to buy more."
Paul worked in the waste industry for 20 years and was heavily involved in finding ways to reduce the burden on landfill. "I always said we are what we waste, our attitude to waste reflecting our lifestyle. For instance, the amount of food waste generated per household in, say, Vaucluse, was significantly higher than in the outer suburbs. Generally, the higher the income level, the greater the waste."
Henry writes: "I'm of an age where use-by dates didn't exist. When they finally arrived my grandmother gave a derisive snort and said, 'It's a bit pointless putting them on Vegemite and honey.'
"How is the date derived?" asks Michael. "My sodium bicarbonate from Aldi has a best before date: precisely 7:05pm on 9/11/2025. Amazing precision."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
It's hard to decide what's more shocking.
Is it the footage clearly showing the officer raise his weapon, aim and shoot, hitting Australian TV reporter Lauren Tomasi in the calf? The unmistakable intent is chilling.
Is it California Governor Gavin Newsom's accusation that President Trump is trying to start a civil war?
The deployment of US Marines on home soil?
Or the dystopian imagery of federal agents, militarised in battle fatigues, racing into Los Angeles aboard armoured vehicles on their way to raid homewares stores and schools?
All that is bad enough but the characterisation by Donald Trump's inner circle of the unrest in LA as "insurrection" would be laughable in its absurdity if it wasn't so frightening.
Wind the clock back four-and-a-half years and you'll get an idea of what insurrection looks like. It's when a mob storms the Capitol, the seat of government, and threatens to lynch the vice-president and house speaker - egged on by the man who now sits in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump pardoned even the worst offenders in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Now, in the name of law and order, he's calling out the military to put down protests against the militarised conduct of his immigration policies. The hypocrisy isn't lost on anyone. Nor the brute calculus of distraction.
Trump has endured a torrid few weeks.
There was the downgrade to the US credit rating, triggered by the president's reckless tax and spending bill.
Trump's suffered the slings and arrows of a stock market which has coined the term TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out - to explain its apparent resilience in the face of the tariff turmoil.
The very public rift with Elon Musk has made visible the cracks in the MAGA movement. Musk's post supporting impeachment and the accession of JD Vance possibly chilled Trump even more than the billionaire's since deleted claim the president featured in the Epstein files.
And then there was the stumble. A true Biden movement as the president tripped on the stairs while boarding Air Force One after taking questions from the media about the unfolding unrest in LA. The strong man, who mocked his predecessor for his frailty, went viral in a split second of his own enfeeblement.
No wonder he ratcheted up the threats after that. Hurt pride will do that when it involves a man with a brittle ego.
Nursing an unholy bruise, Lauren Tomasi said she didn't want to become the story but there's no escaping that she is. Not only did she make international headlines but the PM, describing the footage as horrific, revealed he'd raised her treatment with the US Administration.
The imagery of a police officer shooting a reporter - all caught in minute detail - will continue to define perceptions of the United States long after the unrest dies down. It will only add to the reasons travellers are avoiding the country, costing the US economy almost $17 billion in lost business this year alone.
The shooting of Tomasi adds to the growing odour of banana about the republic.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you changed plans to travel to the US? Should the PM raise the Tomasi shooting when he meets Donald Trump? Is the talk of civil war in the US overblown or is it a real risk if Trump continues down the path of authoritarianism? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Air Force personnel will soon be required to wear green camouflage instead of their blue-hued uniforms during front-line operations and training activities, a change that Defence claims will better prepare aviators for wartime conflicts.
- An economic summit will bring together business, union and other leaders in a bid to lift Australia's lagging productivity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a productivity roundtable would be held in August to shape ways to grow the economy during his second term in office.
- In their first flex of group political muscle since the federal election, Australia's independent MPs have teamed up to call on the government to fund - within weeks - at least 20,000 extra aged care home support packages.
THEY SAID IT: "Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states." - Demosthenes
YOU SAID IT: We each waste over 300 kilograms of food a year. Confusion over use-by and best-before labelling accounts for a lot of it.
"My motto: If it looks OK and smells OK, it is OK," writes Elaine. "I look out for markdowns in the supermarkets that are approaching their use-by dates. I often wonder whether those labels are designed to make us throw perfectly good food away so as to encourage us to buy more."
Paul worked in the waste industry for 20 years and was heavily involved in finding ways to reduce the burden on landfill. "I always said we are what we waste, our attitude to waste reflecting our lifestyle. For instance, the amount of food waste generated per household in, say, Vaucluse, was significantly higher than in the outer suburbs. Generally, the higher the income level, the greater the waste."
Henry writes: "I'm of an age where use-by dates didn't exist. When they finally arrived my grandmother gave a derisive snort and said, 'It's a bit pointless putting them on Vegemite and honey.'
"How is the date derived?" asks Michael. "My sodium bicarbonate from Aldi has a best before date: precisely 7:05pm on 9/11/2025. Amazing precision."