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Labor True Believers, Political Analysis and Satire, Albury (2025)

30/10/2025

This Puppy Was Going To Be Put To Sleep With Brain Damage…Until We Stepped In

We thought he was never going to make it...

After being hit by a car, this tiny puppy suffered severe brain damage. He couldn’t stand, move, or even lift his head. Everyone thought it was the end, but our vet told us to give him just a few more days.

So we waited… and then something incredible happened.

https://youtu.be/kdUvT3oRy-g?si=46VztttAQiHJzMsj

Giving Niall a little kiss https://x.com/niallharbison/status/1983473282444837352?s=46&t=jJQFFJeWmLuACAccK1SybA

30/10/2025

🎶 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐊𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐗 🎶

𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗜𝗡

1982 - Men At Work

https://youtu.be/SECVGN4Bsgg

30 October - Australian band Men At Work went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Who Can It Be Now'' the group's first US No.1, a No.45 hit in the UK.

Source - This Day In Music

30/10/2025

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

POLITICS

Trump appears to suggest the US will resume testing nuclear weapons for first time in 30 years

President Donald Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. will resume testing nuclear weapons, saying it would be on an “equal basis” with Russia and China.

Why this matters:

“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “That process will begin immediately.” The White House did not immediately respond to questions seeking more details.

There was no indication the U.S. would start detonating warheads, but the president offered few details about what seemed to be a significant shift in U.S. policy. The U.S. military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992 because of a test ban.

Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, quickly criticized the president’s announcement and said Trump was “misinformed and out of touch.”

WORLD NEWS

Trump cuts tariffs on China after meeting Xi in South Korea

President Donald Trump described his face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday as a roaring success, saying he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans.

Why this matters:

The president told reporters aboard Air Force One that the U.S. would lower tariffs implemented earlier this year as punishment on China for its selling of chemicals used to make fentanyl from 20% to 10%. That brings the total combined tariff rate on China down from 57% to 47%

“I guess on the scale from 0 to 10, with ten being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12,” Trump said. “I think it was a 12.” Trump said that he would go to China in April and Xi would come to the U.S. “some time after that.” The president said they also discussed the export of more advanced computer chips to China, saying that Nvidia would be in talks with Chinese officials.

Xi said Washington and Beijing would work to finalize their agreements to provide “peace of mind” to both countries and the rest of the world, according to a report on the meeting distributed by state media.

WORLD NEWS

The US draws down troops on NATO’s eastern flank as Europe frets about a security vacuum

The U.S. confirmed on Wednesday that it will reduce its troop presence on NATO’s borders with Ukraine but shed no light on any future cuts, as its allies worry about a security gap being created at a time when Russia is increasingly confrontational.

Why this matters:

The U.S. armed forces denied it was a sign of lessened commitment to NATO. NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration might leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia. Analysts say it might tempt Russia to test the military alliance.

Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. The administration has been reviewing its military “posture” in Europe and elsewhere, but U.S. officials have said that the findings of the review were not expected to be known before early next year.

30/10/2025

ON THIS DAY

30 October 1485.
Coronation of Henry VII, the 1st Tudor monarch, took place at Westminster Abbey. Henry wanted to be crowned king before the next sitting of Parliament which took place on 7 November in order avoid the need of Parliament declaring him the rightful king.

30 October 1923.
Conservative politician Andrew Bonar Law, died (aged 65). He’s the shortest serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century (211 days). Bonar Law and Boris Johnson are the only two UK PM’s born outside the UK and Ireland.

30 October 1938.
A play of War of the Worlds by HG Wells, starring Orson Welles, was broadcast on US-CBS radio. Some listeners mistook the radio bulletins of an invasion from Mars as the real thing. On the next day, the scare was on the front pages of newspapers coast-to-coast.

30 October 1944.
Anne Frank and her sister Margot (left) were moved from the German Auschwitz- Birkenau concentration camp to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. They would both die there of typhus in early 1945.

30 October 1945.
Henry Winkler was born in New York City. He’s best known as Arthur (“Fonzie") Fonzarelli in the American TV series Happy Days. In 1999 TV Guide ranked “The Fonz" 4th on its list of the “50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time".

30 October 1960.
Michael Woodruff performed Britain’s 1st successful kidney transplant, at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. From then on, until his retirement in 1976, he performed 127 kidney transplants. Also in 1960 he published his book The Transplantation of Tissues and Organs.

30 October 1960.
Argentinian football star Diego Maradona was born in Buenos Aires. He’s regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. He was one of the 2 joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award (along with Pele).

30 October 1961.
The Soviet government announced Stalin’s embalmed co**se would be removed from its place next to Lenin’s tomb and buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis outside the walls of the Kremlin. It was due to Stalin’s “violations of Vladimir Lenin’s precepts”.

30 October 1965.
Supermodel Jean Shrimpton caused a fashion sensation on Derby Day at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne by wearing a dress called “The Mini”. The dress was made by Shrimpton’s dressmaker Colin Rolfe and its hem was only 4 inches above the knee.

30 October 1974.
Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman by a knockout in the 8th Round to regain the World Heavyweight Championship, in the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire. Before the fight Foreman was seen as unbeatable. It was Ali’s greatest triumph.

30 October 1975.
Prince Juan Carlos became Spain’s acting Head of State, taking over from the ailing right wing nationalist leader General Francisco Franco. Juan Carlos is remembered as the Head of State who drove the transition to democracy in Spain after Franco’s dictatorship.

30 October 1979.
Scientist, engineer and inventor Barnes Wallis died (aged 92). He invented the “bouncing bomb” used by RAF in the famous Dambuster Raids over Germany in 1943. In the 1955 film, The Dam Busters, Wallis was played by Michael Redgrave.

30 October 2005.
The completely rebuilt, Dresden Frauenkirche (destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden in February 1945), was fully reconsecrated after a 13 year building project.

30 October 2020.
Nobby Stiles died (aged 78). He played 311 league games for Man Utd from 1960 to 1971 and 28 times for England. He was a member of the 1966 England World Cup winning team, playing in every England game during the tournament.

PHOTO OF THE DAY.
Ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev’s legs (1961) 📷 Richard Avedon

— on Twitter

30/10/2025

Mossad Claims Iranian Guards Behind Bondi Deli Attack, Despite NSW Police Refuting This

(Paul Gregoire, Sydney Criminal Lawyers)

Mossad has just identified an Iranian man it considers was the individual behind one of the so-called antisemitic incidents in New South Wales over the summer. Such incidents involved a series of firebombings and other criminal offences that together formed the NSW “antisemitism” crimewave of the summer of 2024/25, even though the NSW Police Force just confirmed it found no Iranian interference at all.

The “antisemitic” crimewave took place on Gadigal and Dharug land across Greater Sydney over October 2024 to February 2025. It occurred during a moral panic around rising antisemitic crime. The Australian federal police and NSW police announced on 3 March that their inquires had found the series of serious crimes had been orchestrated by a local crime figure to convey a hate crime crisis.

The understanding that the crimewave was entirely fabricated by organised crime remained until ASIO director Mike Burges and PM Anthony Albanese announced on 26 August that two incidents in Australia, one that was included in the Sydney crimewave and the firebombing of a synagogue in Naarm-Melbourne, were actually the work of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

However, NSW police minister Yasmin Catley issued responses to questions on notice last week and she revealed that of the 14 high-end offending incidents that Strike Force Pearl had investigated as part of the so-called antisemitic crimewave, no related evidence suggests that “Iran or agents of the Iranian regime” were involved in any of these incidents.

Indeed, ASIO’s foreign interference assertion appeared out of nowhere, and it further came soon after the massive outpouring of civil society support for Palestine that was the 3 August march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The idea that this intel was supplied to ASIO by Israeli intelligence was initially flagged by the Israeli press, however Mossad is now speaking up and taking credit.

A questioned assertion

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released a statement from Mossad on Sunday, which claims that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps senior commander Sardar Amar is behind a string of antisemitic attacks in Australia, Greece and Germany. The statement further explains that Amar “heads Corps 11,000 under the command of Ismail Qa’ani, commander of the Quds Force”.

“Under Amar’s command, a significant mechanism was established to promote attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets both in Israel and abroad,” Mossad asserts in its statement. “This mechanism is directly responsible for the attempted attacks exposed in Greece, Australia and Germany in the past year alone, and its numerous failures led to the wave of arrests and its exposure.”

Whilst standing beside the PM, ASIO head Burgess told the press in late August that one of the antisemitic attacks in Sydney, the 20 October 2024 arson attack on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney’s Bondi, along with the 6 December firebombing of the Addas Israel Synagogue of Melbourne were the work of Iranian masterminds who’d hired local gig criminals to perpetrate these crimes.

The assertion that Iran was behind one of the 14 antisemitic attacks hasn’t sat right with much of the constituency, however, especially after it was told that the series of crimes was orchestrated by an Australian crime figure overseas, who was seeking to exchange tipoffs relating to the crimewave for a sentencing discount in an unrelated criminal matter.

Home affairs minister Tony Burke denied Mossad’s claims that it was behind the supply of the intelligence to ASIO, which asserted Iranian Guard interference and further led to the Iranian ambassador being expelled. ASIO did say in August that it has received “credible intelligence” on making the announcement, and it suggested more of the crimes may be the work of Iran.

No foreign interference whatsoever

Disgraced NSW MLC Mark Latham initially quizzed NSW police minister Yasmin Catley, during 3 September 2025 budget estimates, as to which of the 700-odd antisemitic incidents that she was in the habit of citing have occurred in NSW since 7 October 2023, were the most serious ones that made up the series of crimes that comprised the so-called antisemitism crimewave of 2024/25.

Catley was unable to identify any of these crimes as being more significant than others, as she considers they’re all significant. The 700-odd antisemitic incidents that the minister was in the habit of citing has since been shown to be exaggerated. Latham further described the manner in which the minister had been dealing with these crimes as “creating fear in NSW”, of which she denied.

Acting commissioner Thurtell then took a question on notice regarding how many of the incidents formed the high-end offences making up the 2024/25 crimewave, to which he answered 14. Latham then put further queries to the NSW police minister on 1 October, which included a question relating to how many of the incidents translated to charges pressed, to which she answered all of them.

Catley further responded on 23 October 2025, that NSW police investigation Strike Force Pearl had found none of the “attacks on synagogues, graffiti, firebombings, attacks on cars and attacks on houses” were linked to Iranian agents or any other foreign agents. As to the final query as to which crimes were perpetrated by people paid by organised crime, she answered 13 of them.

Former leader of the NSW One Nation Party, Latham further asked the police minister whether any of the 14 major antisemitic incidents weren’t perpetrated as a result of foreign or organised criminal influence, with the answer being that one incident, which had involved two Bankstown nurses making threatening comments about Jewish patients online, was not orchestrated by others.

Questionable intel

The reassertion from Mossad that antisemitic incidents in Sydney and Melbourne were linked to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came just days after the NSW Police Force continued to deny any foreign interference, via the questions answered by Catley.

ASIO and the Australian prime minister suggested that the Addas Israel Synagogue and Bondi’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen were both burnt down by local criminals working for Uran, who were located via a chain of cutouts, or intermediaries. However, both the incidents that Australian intelligence has linked to the Iranian Islamic Guards casts doubt once the suggestion once further scrutinised.

Two individuals have been arrested in relation to the firebombing of the Melbourne synagogue, who fit the criminal-for-hire scenario that most of the incidents in Sydney are attributed to, while the AFP and Victoria police have further found the vehicle involved in the attack was a “communal crime car” that was also involved in an unrelated shooting and another arson attack on a nightclub.

As for the assertion that Iran was behind the attack on Bondi’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in October last year, this is made all the more questionable, when it is taken into account that the arsonists first accidentally torched nearby Curly Lewis Brewery in Bondi, prior to having returned to hit the correct property three nights later.

30/10/2025

Snowy Monaro councillor Andrew Thaler disqualified after third misconduct suspension

(By Isla Evans, ABC)

A Snowy Monaro councillor is set to be disqualified from holding civic office for five-years, after being handed a third consecutive period of suspension from local government.

The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure handed Andrew Thaler his third three-month ban from his Snowy Monaro Regional Council role on Wednesday, over breaches of conduct.

The report by Department Secretary Kiersten Fishburn referred to "misconduct" in the form of publicly available comments Cr Thaler made on social media and in videos published between May 8 and August 30.

According to the Local Government Act 1993, a councillor is to be disqualified from holding civic office for five years if they are handed three suspension orders.

"Pending the finalisation of any legal appeals he might take, Councillor Thaler will be disqualified from holding civic office for a period of five years," a spokesperson for the Office of Local Government said in a statement.

"Those elected to serve as councillors have a responsibility to conduct themselves appropriately, in accordance with the expectations of the community."

The report noted Cr Thaler still has a pending appeal from his second suspension before the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

"His second suspension remains before the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal," Ms Fishburn said.

"Disqualification from public office is a possible consequence that I have taken into account."
Social media misconduct

The report detailed Cr Thaler's 15 breaches of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council's code of conduct and a breach of the Local Government Act.

They relate to comments Cr Thaler made on social media and in videos between May 8 and August 30, including about current and former politicians, council staff and members of the public.

The report noted some of the comments targeted "individuals' physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, or contain[ed] sexually suggestive remarks" and "were intended to offend".

This third strike comes after Cr Thaler was suspended without pay for three-months in May, and again for another period in July.

"They are incredibly invested in trying to get me out of this council, and so the question is why," Cr Thaler said.
"They're keeping me out because I tell the truth. That's what this is about."

The report stated Cr Thaler's submissions about his conduct "demonstrate an ongoing risk that [he] may continue to engage in such conduct... thereby posing a serious risk to the health and safety of those targeted".

"Cr Thaler has demonstrated a disregard for the consequences of his actions, and a focus on justifying his conduct rather than expressing any contrition or remorse," the report read.

In June, Cr Thaler failed in an attempt to appeal his first suspension in the NCAT, and the appeal for the second suspension is still before the courts.

Cr Thaler said he would lodge an appeal for this third suspension and was still working with the community regardless.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm banned or not," Cr Thaler said.

"I get more done outside of the council than I get done inside of the council because of all of the council's rules.

"If you kick me out of council, life's going to get a lot worse for a lot of people."
He was also ordered to apologise for his "ongoing pattern of inappropriate conduct", and it was noted he had not apologised as directed in his previous suspensions.

"I will not apologise to bullies and I will not apologise while matters are under appeal," Cr Thaler said.

Three-strike system

The NSW government amended the Local Government Act in 2015, and introduced a section that would automatically disqualify councillors from office once they receive three suspensions.

Lithgow City Council councillor Martin Ticehurst was disqualified under the provision in 2016, the only other instance of a councillor being dealt with under the provision.

The ABC understands that the vacancy filled by Cr Thaler's disqualification would need to be filled via a by-election.

The Office of Local Government confirmed Cr Thaler's suspension and disqualification are due to come into effect on November 6, pending other legal appeals.

30/10/2025

AUSTRALIAN ANNIVERSARIES - 30 OCTOBER

1920 – The Communist Party of Australia was formed.

1942 – Australian 9th Division reaches sea in Battle of El Alamein.

1965 – Jean Shrimpton bares her knees at the Victoria Derby race during Melbourne Cup week.

1969 – Death of Vic Richardson Australian cricketer and outstanding all-round sportsman, aged 75.

1988 – Expo '88 draws to a close after running for six months.

Image - Expo '88 on the banks of the Brisbane River The original uploader was Figaro at English Wikipedia. • Public domain

— Wikipedia

30/10/2025

White House Hides Truth on Trump’s Health After MRI Bombshell

(Farrah Tomazin, Daily Beast)

The results of Trump’s latest medical examination have renewed speculation about the president’s health.

The White House is refusing to say when Donald Trump had his most recent cognitive test after the results of his latest medical examination did not mention one.

And officials have also declined to comment further on the MRI scan the president revealed he’d undergone this month, which has reignited speculation about the 79-year-old’s health.

While Trump insists he is in excellent shape, renewed questions emerged on Monday after he let it slip that his latest check-up at Walter Reed Medical Center on October 10 included Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which can highlight symptoms associated with conditions such as strokes, brain issues, or tumors.

“I got an MRI. It was perfect,” Trump said in response to a question from reporters aboard Air Force One.

“I gave you the full results. We had an MRI, and the machine, you know, the whole thing, it was perfect,” he added.

But the report provided by White House physician Sean Barbabella simply said Trump underwent “advanced imaging” (which can also include CT scans and other tests) and did not, in fact, reveal that the president had an MRI, let alone why it was conducted or what it found.

In another glaring omission, there was also no mention of whether Trump took a cognitive test, which formed part of his first medical examination in April.

After the April check-up, Barbabella provided three pages of results, which detailed everything from Trump’s lab tests and the medicine he was taking to his vital statistics and all the physical examinations he’d had.

Among them was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a 30-point test that screens for cognitive impairment.

“A comprehensive neurological examination revealed no abnormalities in his mental status, cranial nerves, motor and sensory function, reflexes, gait, and balance,” the report said.

“Cognitive function, assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), was normal with a score of 30 out of 30.”

However, the report of Trump’s latest visit came in the form of a five-paragraph summary that did not make any reference to a cognitive test. When asked by the Daily Beast if Trump had one, the White House did not respond.

Trump referenced cognitive tests on Monday while criticizing Democratic Party congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett as “low IQ” people who wouldn’t do well on such assessments.

“The first couple of questions are easy: a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know,” he explained.
“When you get up to about five or six, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn’t come close to answering any of those questions.”

But the president didn’t offer specific details on when exactly he last took a cognitive test, or his most recent score.

The evasiveness surrounding Trump’s health is not unusual for presidents: Woodrow Wilson, for example, hid details about his strokes, John F Kennedy did not disclose his back problems and Joe Biden famously covered up the extent of his cognitive decline.

But Trump’s October 10 visit raised eyebrows at the time, as it was the second in six months and took place amid ongoing speculation over his deeply bruised hands and swollen ankles.

His latest revelation of an MRI has now sparked further questions, with prominent cardiologist Dr Jonathan Reiner saying he believes the president may have quietly had an MRI scan because he showed symptoms associated with a neurological issue.

“Typically, they’re prompted by symptoms,” Reiner told CNN.

“They can be neurologic symptoms that prompt an MRI. They could be back pain that prompts an MRI. There can be issues with the heart that would prompt an MRI. And for those reasons, the public should really be told, you know, why did the president undergo the test, what consultants he saw, and what was the result of the testing?”

Reiner also added that an MRI is “never part of a routine evaluation, whether you’re president of the United States or whether you’re just a civilian.”

Despite the speculation, the October 10 report of Trump’s visit to Walter Reed nonetheless stated he was in “excellent overall health,” that his cardiac age was 14 years younger than his 79 years, and that comprehensive lab studies performed as part of the visit were “exceptional.”

“Nobody has ever given you reports like I give you,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “The doctor said (they’re) some of the best reports, for the age, they’ve ever seen.”

30/10/2025

SATIRE from The Duffel Blog

Secretary is a lady job, says newly-minted CEO of War

Hegseth expected to ring Pentagon bell at close of every operation.

Bad Lawyer

THE PENTAGON — The Pentagon announced today that former Secretary of Defense/former Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will now hold the title CEO of War, following what officials described as a “full-blown tantrum” during a cabinet meeting.

“Secretary is a lady job!” Hegseth reportedly shouted, while the adults in the room continued their discussions on real issues and tried to ignore him. “I’m not a lady! I’m a big boy! I do push-ups and pull-ups!”

Rather than correct his form or explain the history of the title, defense officials opted to just give him what he wanted.

“We figured renaming the Department of Defense back to the Department of War would shut him up,” said Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “But no, turns out the problem was the word secretary. Which is ironic, considering the man has a makeup studio in the E-Ring.”

Following the announcement, a beaming Hegseth handed out hand-drawn “business cards” featuring his new title written in crayon. Each card came stapled with an invitation to his War CEO Masterclass, a 12-part course on leadership via mirror flexing and yelling “hooah” at interns.

When asked what “CEO” actually stands for, Hegseth replied, “I think it means Cool Exciting Officer”.

30/10/2025

THURSDAY EVENING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thursday, 30 October

Penry Buckley Guardian Live

The Albanese government introduced its bill for the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to the House of Representatives.

The shadow environment minister, Angie Bell, said it was “not our job to make a bad bill better” amid opposition to the changes. The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said “you could drive a mining truck” through loopholes in the reforms.

Anthony Albanese said a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping was a “positive development”.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, ruled out any further economic policies until the budget next year in May.

Barnaby Joyce denied allegations of a “verbal tirade” after a formal complaint by a Nationals staffer.

Former Adelaide MP Kate Ellis was elected ALP national president.

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, predicted lower electricity prices for consumers after wholesale prices fell nearly 40% from the previous quarter.

Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying laws passed through the lower house with the state government forced to reply on support from One Nation.

Prison guards across New South Wales declared a state-wide strike over the assault of four guards earlier this year.

The environmental group Rising Tide painted a large message on the side of a coal ship in Newcastle reading “TAX ME”.

30/10/2025

Women Who Changed/Influenced The World

Sarojini Naidu, 1879-1949, Political activist and poet

Sarojini Naidu, a freedom fighter and poet, was the first Indian woman to be president of the Indian National Congress and to be appointed an Indian state governor.

A close friend of Mohandas Gandhi, in 1917 Naidu helped found the Women’s India Association and later played a leading role in the civil disobedience movement in colonial India.

Two years before her death, India gained its independence as a sovereign nation, becoming the largest democracy in the world.

— History Extra

30/10/2025

The World should be worried

The very words that should get this idiot removed from Presidency.
He can’t be controlled and he has too many equally dumb potential protectors.

Making him far too close to those nuclear buttons.

"A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought"

- Ronald Reagan

Labor True Believers, Political Analysis and Satire

30/10/2025

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