“As Pete Hegseth reshapes the US military into a hyper-masculine zone of ‘warfighters’, we should ask if this is really who we want to be ‘good friends’ with,” writes @emmashortis.bsky.social, Director of the International & Security Affairs Program. Read the full article ➡️ https://bit.ly/4vmUycx

"Biological sex" is not always binary, and sometimes bodies need improving to allow a happy life. cheekmedia.substack.com/p/calls-to-r...

Truth...

He's a master of distracting us from crimes he's already committed by continuously committing new crimes. 5 months until the Midterms. #AccountabilityIsComing

Privileging antisemitism above other forms of racism undermines freedom of expression and weakens social cohesion. pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/06...

Total genocide in Gaza, as the world looks on, ...and quietly profits from military-industrial sales. pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/06...

In almost every case, prison leads to increased criminality, and costs more than all alternatives. theconversation.com/it-costs-a-m...

The rise of right-wing, science denialism is a consequence of the systemic failure of education policies and funding. theconversation.com/hansons-gas-...

As Trump gets more worried he becomes more unpredictable, with his "Hey! Look over there" distractions. theconversation.com/could-the-de...

Bring it on! Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil fame), and crossbenchers have joined a call for the government to be “transparent with the Australian people about the risks to the delivery of the AUKUS submarine program and how they will effectively manage those risks”. theconversation.com/view-from-th...

Clearly a good idea worth supporting: The Australian Public Inquiry into AUKUS. chuffed.org/project/1730...

So, Australian troops can refuse to shoot despite being ordered to fire by their US Commander, because they decide it is not a defensive action? That should go down well.

Rep. Madeleine Dean: "What is true is that the president has lied about being on Epstein's plane, and the unredacted files prove that. There's a lot in here. It's all covered up."

Time to get real about the AUKUS fantasy? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

How effective is International Law? Current criminal wars include Trump on Iran, Netanyahu on Gaza and Lebanon, and Putin on Ukraine. www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/926923...

Australians lose $32 billion to gambling every year. "We are the biggest losers in the world per capita when it comes to gambling," says Martin Thomas, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform. "It's reshaping a whole generation." 🎧 bit.ly/4nXsbPW @ebonybennett.bsky.social #auspol

The first step in reducing corruption in Australia is... pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/05...

Greed and ignorance? Why, why, why are we still logging native forests? pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/06...

A short message: critique of Israeli state actions is not a rejection of Jewish identity but reflects a deep commitment to Jewish ethical teachings, human rights and solidarity with oppressed peoples. pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/06...

Will there be a divorce? www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2...

Japanese companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi are in the sites of Sydney's Knitting Nannas for investing in the massive Browse gas project off the coast of Western Australia, near Scott Reef. Meanwhile, new analysis shows the gas is not needed. www.boilingcold.com.au/federal-plan...

Australia's High Court is considering a verdict in its first ever climate case with real implications for fossil fuel producers across the country. theconversation.com/should-emiss...

Keep your cat inside, always. npansw.org.au/2026/06/01/p...

Australia's "Environment Minister" Murray Watt has refused to assess the impacts of bulldozing 3000 hectares of native habitat on Wagiman Country, a place of land, culture, knowledge and connection, cared for by Wagiman Traditional Owners for many thousands of years. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...

How billionaires diminish democracy. theconversation.com/gina-rinehar...

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment will join the ACF case in the Federal Court of Australia seeking to stop the extension of Woodside’s climate-killing North West Shelf gas mine. www.acf.org.au/news/un-spec...

Rising Tide's 2027 non-violent blockade of the world's largest coal port in Newcastle Australia will be bigger, better and more effective that the very-successful action last year. Volunteers are invited now to start preparing. www.risingtide.org.au

Sanders: What Mamdani is doing is showing that you can have a democratic socialist, progressive ideology and run a city.

Bring it on! pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/05...

Can Australia look forward to the end of corruption in the anti-corruption system? pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/05...

NSW Full Court of Appeal slaps down Minns anti-protest laws saying our democracy "entails acceptance of the potential for disharmony, incivility and disruption (and) the longstanding recognition that the protection of dissent is at the heart of the implied freedom.” www.crikey.com.au/2026/04/17/c...

The US sanctions the ICC judges, as Israel tries to intimidate them individually to stop investigating war crimes leading to arrest warrants on Israel cabinet members. www.middleeasteye.net/news/former-...

$693 million wasted,.. completely. www.crikey.com.au/2026/05/27/d...

Trauma-informed; really? Getting precise about trauma improves the effectiveness of our responses. theconversation.com/what-is-trau...

Grifting the nation? “First and foremost, Congress needs to do its job as the first branch of government and a check on the President.” www.newyorker.com/news/the-fin...

I just signed @australiainstitute.org.au's petition: Make fossil fuel exporters pay for the damage they are causing, not ordinary Australians! Will you join me? nb.australiainstitute.org.au/climatedisas...

“You can only insure against unlikely events . . . The insurance industry will not help people in 20 years’ time with their flooded houses.” – Dr Richard Denniss, co-CEO ✍️ Add your name to the call for a climate disaster levy! https://theaus.in/3S1clYh

From Els de Bruijn.

Springsteen gives a masterclass in resistance; how to speak out powerfully against Trump without alienating, lecturing, or losing his audience. www.rawstory.com/bruce-spring...

AI impacts on Australian science. theconversation.com/csiro-is-cut...

Jamie Raskin is visibly shaken after reading the unredacted. EpsteinFiles "Donald Trump's name is all over these files...I saw a reference today to a 9yr old girl". Don't ever stop talking about them !

A reminder that gas is not a vital industry to Australia. As Polly Hemming explains, if anything, it costs the Australian economy. Some more gas myths debunked here: https://thepoint.com.au/factchecks/251111-does-the-gas-industry-really-support-215000-jobs

News Analysis: Pope Leo has a message for Silicon Valley as it races to build God-like A.I. tools: Elevate the human. Machines are not gods.

Trump is wedged between his Jewish-American financial and political backers who would not countenance peace with Iran, and his personal investments that would suffer with an economic downturn. pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/05...

Voting on emotion, not facts, just to send a message? One Nation takes huge donations from billionaires with vested interests, borrows Donald Trump’s politics of division and then markets itself as a voice for battlers. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/poli...

Australia is "deeply alarmed" but will continue supporting including selling arms to Israel. www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...

A form of extortion? www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Cowardly? It could have made a "world" of difference. BHP, the world's largest coal miner, secretly shut down its extensive climate friendly initiatives. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Interesting evidence? Just resigned and confidential chief of the National Corruption Commission will give evidence at the Senate estimates committee today, forced by a successful Greens motion. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Good News Dept. Independent MPs have mounted a push for a Human Rights Act in Federal Plt. The Bill was introduced to the House of Reps by Andrew Wilkie MP and seconded by Dr Helen Haines MP, and supported by more than 170 organisations. Here is a chance to show your support. lnkd.in/gG4n7UQx