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With the midterm elections just around the corner, Americans are gearing up to vote on an entirely different set of issues than in the 2024 general election. Rather than weighing the merits of a potential Kamala Harris administration, voters are now assessing the record of a second Trump term, defined by the rise of AI and military operations in Iran.

Around three weeks before the midterms, AP-NORC queried potential voters’ issue saliency. Economic concerns led at 85%, followed closely by cost-of-living concerns at 84%. Then came the Iran War at 64%, which ranked ahead of immigration and crime, the very issues that carried Donald Trump back to the White House in 2024.

Kalshi election bettors are in mourning after Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva won an unprecedented fourth term on Sunday, beating Flávio Bolsonaro 52% to 48%, a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes—a 10 million-vote increase for Lula from the first round. The Bolsonaro family and its allies have called for the result to be annulled. Flávio and his family fled the country for the United States after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes demanded he turn over his passport after the loss.

Let’s start with the obvious: Lula’s victory is bad for the United States. Brazil remains a pillar of BRICS, and Lula has championed alternatives to the dollar. China bought $69 billion in Brazilian goods between January and July (the U.S. bought $21 billion). In July, Lula made Brazil a founding signatory of the China-led World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. And in August, Brasília announced a supercomputing project with Chinese companies Huawei and iFlytek worth about $250 million.

Lula refused to join Western sanctions on Russia, declared that the United States “crossed an unacceptable line” in capturing Maduro, and rejected American terrorist designations for two Brazilian gangs, Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, in May. Four more years of this will undoubtedly cause continued headaches for the U.S.

20 October 2026 – Rainbow Futures WA and Equality Australia have welcomed the announcement of a Bill in Western Australia that is expected to modernise the state’s anti-discrimination laws and deliver long-overdue protections against vilification. 

The Bill, which will be introduced to parliament on Wednesday, follows a Law Reform Commission review in 2022 which found the 42-year-old Equal Opportunity Act required substantial reform. 

Rainbow Futures CEO Misty Farquhar: 

“The Bill announced by Attorney General Buti represents a significant step forward for all Western Australians, including LGBTQIA+ people. 

“For decades, Western Australians have faced gaps and inconsistencies in the legal protections of their rights, while our anti-discrimination laws have fallen well behind other Australian jurisdictions. 

“LGBTIQA+ Western Australians have waited long enough for something most people take for granted: safety from vilification, protection from discrimination, and equal treatment under the law.” 

Equality Australia Legal Director Heather Corkhill: 

“No teacher should lose their job because they are gay, get divorced or fall pregnant outside marriage, and no student should fear being expelled or denied leadership opportunities because of who they are. 

27 October 2026 – Women’s groups, legal experts and community leaders have written to the Prime Minister, calling for the urgent removal of “outdated and unfair” exemptions that allow religious schools to discriminate.

The letter follows the introduction of a Bill by Independent MP Allegra Spender to strengthen protections against discrimination in religious schools.

“It is unacceptable that in 2026, it is still legal for a woman employed by a religious school or a faith-based service provider to be dismissed, demoted or denied employment solely on the basis of her marital status, pregnancy or personal relationships,” the letter says.

“We hear countless troubling stories of women losing their careers simply because they wanted to start a family using IVF, entered a new relationship, or became single during their employment – even after leaving a violent relationship.”

The letter says the existing exemptions “continue to undermine the fundamental rights of women and LGBTQ+ people”.

“These exemptions elevate institutional religious doctrines above the basic human right to live and work free from discrimination. This imbalance is both unjust and incompatible with modern democratic values.”

Helen Dalley Fisher AM, Executive Director, National Foundation for Australian Women:  

Editor's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for bearing with us as we have developed this open-ended OMB research project. This series took a two month hiatus for the incidental reason of my family emergency and deeper reasons of scope and research. So many complicated and fundamental issues of government come with using the OMB as a research method; that is in part why I chose it. Over the course of our research on Trump’s OMB memos we came across a few topics which we came to the conclusion required deeper treatment than memo summaries could offer. 

The result is the series we are undertaking today about the meaning, use and history of “Cost-Benefit Analysis” in the United States Federal Government.

The “Census Bureau” is currently seeking comments to a proposed new set of residence rules for the 2030 census. Comments are due on November 2, 2026. In reality, the actual proposal is a tirade written by the current administration pretending to be in compliance with the rules governing agencies like the Census Bureau. Over 100,000 people have submitted comments so far because the changes are monstrous. If implemented, the Census Bureau would not collect data about race/ethnicity (thereby undermining current laws), would not collect data about certain categories of non-citizens (thereby undermining the Constitution), and would be forced to do a whole host of other weird untested things that would utterly destroy the quality of the data. Needless to say, this is not a proposal from the experts at the Census Bureau who are devoted to ensuring that everyone counts once, and only once, and in the right location.

Here is the tough truth: modern countries have pretty similar family policy profiles. Marriage is weakened everywhere. Most countries allow obscenity and divorce. Contraception is legal, as is abortion in the majority of countries. Many have same-sex marriage and anti-sex discrimination laws. Nearly all have family subsidies of one kind or another, and most subsidize care outside the home.

The differences that do exist do not always support social conservative expectations. What modern country has the lowest out-of-wedlock birth rate? Here’s a hint: it also has no same-sex marriage and arguably the tightest regulation of obscenity. This country has a strong family culture in a sense. But that country is South Korea, which features the world’s lowest birth rate and is the only country where fewer than 50% of adults are married. The institution of marriage is strong in South Korea; it’s just that relatively few enter it. The industrial-scale familial indifference makes South Korea the basement for family life in the modern world.

When: Tuesday 3 November, 12:00-1:30pm

Where: Room 441, Social Sciences Building (A02), University of Sydney

Speaker: Phil Toner

Abstract:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer marks its 150th anniversary this year. It was first published in 1876, the centennial year of the American Founding. The novel itself marked its own kind of founding moment for American literature, which had been laboring—to borrow a phrase from The Federalist—under the “arrogant pretensions of the European.” America may have broken free of Great Britain in 1776, but we remained enthralled to Europe culturally for much longer. In his 1837 essay “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson lamented that American writers had “listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe” and scraped by on the “sere remains of foreign harvests.”

Emerson then issued what Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. dubbed an “Intellectual Declaration of Independence.” For Emerson, “genius looks forward.” He wanted to find, as he put it in his 1844 essay “The Poet,” the Homer of America—a bard “with a tyrannous eye” who “knew the value of our incomparable materials, and saw, in the barbarism and materialism of the times, another carnival of the same gods whose picture [one] so much admires in Homer.” In much the same spirit, Walt Whitman longed for a “democratic literature” filled with “archetypal poems” that could thicken America’s cultural “marrow.”

When: Tuesday 10 November, 2:00-3:30pm

Where: Room 441, Social Sciences Building (A02), University of Sydney

Speaker: Professor Mathieu Dufour

Abstract:

The current context poses a variety of environmental and social challenges. Can these be addressed satisfactorily under capitalism? In this presentation, I will argue that they cannot and that the situation therefore calls for both an ecological and systemic transition. Using the Québec economy as a case study, I will outline a research programme aimed at defining some possible contours for such a transition. This will be done through three related levels of analysis: a study of the current political economic structure in Québec intended to identify some of the transformative possibilities and constraints it offers; a description of an alternative systemic arrangement that could be put in place based on the existing economy and institutions; and finally prospective modular research in postcapitalist political economy.

Biographical statement:

Hello subscribers! Thank you for your thoughtful questions. I left the Q & A submission window open for 24 hours and got a LOT of responses, so this will be a two-parter. If you don’t see your question answered here, look for it in the next article.

If you’d like to support my work — and ask a question next time! — you can do it by becoming a paying subscriber:

The Right’s Fascistic Fever Dreams Are a Sign of Weakness

 — Author: Thomas Zimmer — Sunday 25th October 2026

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Just Answering Questions: Amnesia Special

 — Author: Sarah Kendzior — Friday 23rd October 2026

UPDATE, OCT 24: Thank you for your questions! I’m turning off submissions now because there are 100! I will read them over the next few days and answer them in a new article. Then I’ll turn the comments back on for those of you having discussions. See you then!

Hello readers! It’s time for another reader Q & A. But first — thank you.

October marks the third anniversary of this newsletter. Its success is a miracle: I run it like a blog from 2005. No paywalls: only volunteer paying subscribers. No AI – ever! Original research, writing, and photography. No ads. No limits: you can read about anything from transnational organized crime to Beverly Hills, 90210. And your great contribution: an open comments section full of thoughtful people!

If you liked the internet the way it used to be, my newsletter is the place for you.

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Taxes Fund Public Healthcare. Why is this Considered a Problem in the BC Election?

 — Publication: Perspectives Journal — Friday 23rd October 2026

Too often, campaigns that touch the third-rail topics of taxes and healthcare talk about tax cuts while making vague promises of more doctors. Amid the flurry of democratic activity across Canada this Fall, a refreshingly frank commitment in British Columbia’s provincial election stands-out. The incumbent BC NDP is proposing to pay for specific healthcare reforms, by raising taxes on those most able to afford them.

Affecting the top 4 percent of incomes, the proposal will raise income tax rates for the top two tax brackets and introduce a new bracket on income over $1 million. This will help pay for the NDP’s platform commitments to expand access to homecare, long-term care and surgical care, among other proposals.

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France’s Riots Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Europe’s Right

 — Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Friday 23rd October 2026

Over the last decade, Europe’s political establishment has pursued an agenda of mass immigration while neglecting the welfare of its own citizens. The European Right has either contributed to this failure or warned, with varying degrees of success, against unchecked migration and the erosion of national sovereignty. In recent weeks, the consequences of these policies have been on display in the streets of Paris, Milan, and other cities across Europe.

Though the unrest in France emerged largely amid grievances over the rising cost of living, deteriorating public services, and underfunded schools, the demonstrations quickly gave way to violence. Immigrants, Islamists, and organized radical-left activists are committing arson, looting, attacking the police, and breaking into buildings. This domestic terrorism, which is occurring in some of Europe’s most beautiful cities, is a unique evil, perpetrated by those united in hatred of their neighbors and their countries’ heritage. These revolutionary movements are not seeking to reform policy or institutions, but to delegitimize the very civilization those institutions embody.

For years, European political elites have welcomed unchecked immigration and social disorder. Young Europeans, particularly those in Western Europe, have come of age living under institutions that repeatedly fail to provide the security, opportunity, and public services they were promised.

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How the GOP Is Working to Steal the Midterms (w/ Joel McCleary and Mark Medish) | TCHR

 — Author: Chris Hedges — Thursday 22nd October 2026

This interview is also available on podcast platforms and Rumble.

Midterm elections in the United States are scheduled for November 3. Concerns that the elections might be canceled, coerced or subverted at any stage of the process are becoming increasingly valid as the Trump administration takes steps to possibly disenfranchise voters or otherwise control the outcome to prevent a Democratic Party majority in Congress.

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Our Post-Western Future

 — Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Thursday 22nd October 2026

Generals always fight the last war. The media theorist Marshall McLuhan made a similar point when he argued that we understand the effects of new technologies in terms of past ones. He called this rear-view mirror thinking. Right now, Western countries are suffering from a collective exercise in rear-view thinking about the effects of digital technology on mass migration. Rather than seeing the unique functions of digital technology, we have assumed it has the same homogenizing effects as prior information technologies. That exercise of rear-view thinking is accelerating cultural replacement.

Let’s take stock of where we are. Since the 2010s, it has become clear that we are living in the end of the end of history. Having studied the West for decades, China and Russia decided not to imitate it but to pursue their own civilizational paths. Islamic civilization had long been pursuing its own. As the geostrategic ambitions of those three civilizations became clear, the concept of “the West” gained fresh life.

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Perceived Monetary Policy Rules: Evidence From Professional Forecasters in Australia

 — Organisation: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) — Thursday 22nd October 2026

We study how professional forecasters perceive a central bank's reaction function, and how those perceptions evolve over time, using survey data from Australia between 2015 and 2025. Adapting recent survey-based approaches, we recover time-varying perceived policy rules that map expected macroeconomic conditions into expected policy rates. We find that perceived responsiveness to inflation was modest prior to the pandemic, reflecting views that rates would not be cut to tackle low inflation. The perceived responsiveness then rose sharply after sustained policy tightening began in 2022. Central bank communication about labour market conditions and financial stability shaped perceptions of the reaction function over these periods. However, during the elevated period of uncertainty following COVID, beliefs about the importance of inflation adjusted only after forecasters observed realised policy actions, highlighting the limits of communication alone. We also show that heterogeneity in long-run beliefs, including views about long-run inflation, plays an important role in shaping interest rate expectations, but can be parsimoniously captured using forecaster fixed effects.

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Anti-Fascist Economics

 — Publication: Perspectives Journal — Thursday 22nd October 2026

Listen to the full conversation on the Perspectives Journal podcast, available to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all other major podcast platforms.

On October 20, the Broadbent Institute hosted NDP Leader Avi Lewis in conversation with economist Isabella Weber on a democratic socialist vision for Canada’s economy.

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Why gender norms and care systems must change together

 — Publication: Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms (ALIGN) — Wednesday 7th October 2026

Why gender norms and care systems must change together ESubden Wed, 10/07/2026 - 12:36 7 October 2026 Blog Kim Patria, Maesy Angelina ALIGN South-East Asia 1771, 350

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Submission to the Inquiry into AI and Data Centres

 — Organisation: Prosper Australia — Wednesday 30th September 2026

Capturing publicly created land value while supporting investment in Australian AI infrastructure September 2026 Dr. Michael D’Rosario Director of Research and Policy Prosper Australia 1. Executive summary Australia is entering a phase that will determine the success of the national sovereign AI strategy and have major ramifications for international competitiveness, as it decides how to […]

The post Submission to the Inquiry into AI and Data Centres first appeared on Prosper Australia.

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The Kobe Automated Metro #daypass

 — Publication: Not Just Bikes — Wednesday 21st October 2026

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Athens, Jerusalem, and the Western Soul

 — Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Wednesday 21st October 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s thoughtful and inspiring speech delivered at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, deserves to be remembered for a long time to come, especially in an age increasingly dominated by ideological slogans and short attention spans. The speech combines impressive erudition and soaring rhetoric with an astute, if inevitably controversial, analysis of the contemporary international scene. More fundamentally, it seeks to come to terms with the foundational virtues and principles that have defined Western civilization since its origins in Greek antiquity.

The Athens speech only indirectly addresses the biblical pole that has also profoundly informed and shaped the Western heart, mind, and soul. Given the immediate purposes of Rubio’s speech, it is somewhat understandable that his remarks seemingly set aside the invigorating tensions—but not irreconcilable differences—between Athens and Jerusalem, and between magnanimity and humility, that have given life and purpose to the Western adventure. But a careful reading of his October 7 address suggests that Rubio is fully aware that one foundational pole cannot thrive today without the other.

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Day Pass Season 2 — Official Trailer

 — Publication: Not Just Bikes — Wednesday 21st October 2026

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How Does Philadelphia Even Exist

 — Publication: CityNerd — Wednesday 21st October 2026

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Turmoil in France and South Africa – Can the Right Recover the West? | The American Mind Podcast

 — Organisation: The Claremont Institute — Wednesday 21st October 2026

The American Mind’s podcast is a weekly conversation with Ryan Williams, Spencer Klavan, and Mike Sabo devoted to uncovering the ideas and principles that drive American political life. Stream here or download from your favorite podcast host.

Turmoil in France and South Africa – Can the Right Recover the West? | The American Mind Podcast

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Victoria’s 25,000-home pledge risks missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity, Prosper warns

 — Organisation: Prosper Australia — Wednesday 21st October 2026

Premier Ben Carroll’s announcement to build more than 25,000 homes for first-home buyers is a welcome step towards tackling Victoria’s housing crisis. However, Prosper Australia has expressed major disappointment that homes built on public land, with public money, could be sold straight back into the private property market. Prosper Australia Executive Director Rayna Fahey said […]

The post Victoria’s 25,000-home pledge risks missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity, Prosper warns first appeared on Prosper Australia.

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No place for violence in Australian democracy

 — Organisation: The Australia Institute — Wednesday 21st October 2026

On this episode of Follow the Money, Amy Remeikis, Greg Jericho and Ebony Bennett discuss violence, decency and dissent in Australia’s democracy following the alleged violent attack on Dr Helen Haines MP, who remains in critical condition in hospital.

This episode was recorded on Wednesday 21 October.

1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. Call 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, chat online or video call via their website.

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or online at www.lifeline.org.au.

Guest: Amy Remeikis, Chief Political Analyst, the Australia Institute // @amyremeikis

Guest: Greg Jericho, Chief Economist, the Australia Institute // @grogsgamut

Host: Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director, the Australia Institute // @ebonybennett

Show notes:

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Woodside records mega war profits while Australians pay through the nose

 — Organisation: The Australia Institute — Wednesday 21st October 2026

Woodside’s third quarter update, released today, reveals it charged 40% more for its products, predominantly liquified natural gas (LNG), over the past year.

The giant polluter has been branded “one of Australia’s biggest winners” from the war in the Middle East and today’s result proves that while ordinary Australians are struggling, Woodside is profiting handsomely from the US military action against Iran.

Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute, says the obvious answer to ensuring Australians get a fair share for their resources is to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports.

Australia Institute research shows the tax, initially proposed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, could raise $17 billion a year.

“Huge profits yet again for Woodside, while governments tell Australians that they can’t have the health care that they want,” he said.

“Woodside gets huge amounts of Australia’s gas for free, while disabled Australians get their NDIS supports cut.

“A 25% gas export tax would give Australians a fair return on their gas, while also reducing Australia’s gas prices.”

Polling conducted by the RedBridge Group shows support for taxing gas export extends across party lines, including among voters often seen at opposite ends of the political spectrum, such as the Greens and One Nation.

“The government’s gas reservation scheme will not raise a cent for the Australia public and will barely affect Woodside,” Dr Jericho said.

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Chris Hedges & Joe Sacco On Their New Book — ‘Requiem for Gaza’

 — Author: Chris Hedges — Wednesday 21st October 2026

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My book 'Requiem for Gaza' is out NOW!

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