red750

Democrat kicked out of Trump speech for screaming at the president Democratic Rep. Al Green indignantly challenged Trump about Medicaid, waving his cane at the president, shouting and interrupting the 78-year-old's remarks shortly after they began. Initially, Trump began speaking over Green and did not let off as the Democrat yelled. 'You have no mandate to cut healthcare,' Green said. He was not the only Democrat interrupting, however. A large cohort of over 30 Democrats held signs with phrases like 'false' and 'Musk steals.' Speaker Mike Johnson eventually banged his gavel to restore order after Green's accosting went unabated. Johnson then threatened Green that he would have the security kick him out if the Democrat did not stop his protest. But that did not sway Green, who continued to yell at the president, who at this point had ceased talking. 'He has no mandate to cut Medicaid,' Green yelled again. Then, following Johnson's orders, the security came over to the lawmaker and told him to leave.

Australia’s largest sheep station snapped up by foreign buyer The country’s largest sheep station, the 1.046 million-hectare Rawlinna Station has been sold by Jumbuck Pastoral to a UK-based investor. Details on Weekly Times website, behind a paywall. (Sorry).

If you don't like the way we feel about the orange scourge, no one is forcing you to stay. Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out.

A woman gives birth to a healthy baby. She and her husband are delighted and thank the doctor, The husband takes the doctor aside, and says, "How soon can we have sex?" The doctor says, "I knock off in 10 minutes. Meet you in the carpark."

Always thinking of yourself.

That would make me 113. Doubt I'll live that long.

Today is the eleventh anniversary of my cancer operation. 04/03/2014.

America is doomed.

Dolly Parton's husband, Carl Thomas Dean, has died at the age of 82. The country music icon, 79, announced the death of her famously reclusive spouse on Monday, after nearly 60 years of marriage. In an Instagram statement, the Jolene singer revealed that Carl passed away in Nashville on March 3rd. In her heartbreaking tribute, Dolly reflected on the 'many wonderful years' the pair spent together as she expressed her deep love for Dean and thanked fans for their prayers.

The orange arsehole has halted military support for Ukraine.

You are right. My stuffup. I often get you two confused,

https://au.yahoo.com/news/wants-aussies-warned-musk-121633951.html

`I just thought you may have more details than we had here on the east coast, knowing how members here are always complaining about her, her Trump affiliations, and the sign she was holding saying Dig, Baby Dig,

Octave is not on line. This is what I found. Premier Roger Cook slams singer Peter Garrett for sowing ‘seeds of hatred’ with Gina Rinehart rant Roger Cook has lashed rock musician Peter Garrett for sowing “seeds of hatred” with a “completely inappropriate” taunt aimed at WA mining magnate Gina Rinehart during his Perth concert. The Premier labelled the singer, activist and former Federal politician “disrespectful” for urging his audience to “pretend they’re dancing on Gina Rinehart’s grave” during the Perth Festival show at East Perth Power Station on Friday night. As well as sledging Australia’s richest person, the 71-year-old Midnight Oil frontman who was performing with his other band, The Alter Egos, also criticised gas giant Woodside and US President Donald Trump between songs. Perth Festival has defended Garrett’s right to personal artistic expression. But Mr Cook said even though the arts were meant to “challenge” audiences, Garrett had gone too far. “He should know that sort of language is completely inappropriate,” he said. The State Government contributed $9.5 million to this year’s Perth Festival — through Lotterywest — but Mr Cook would not say whether that funding would be reviewed. “We obviously want them to be careful that they comply with the standard of continuing to make WA a rich and desirable place to live,” Mr Cook said. “Talking about people’s graves, talking about well known Western Australians in that way is not part of it.” Asked for his advice to Perth Festival organisers, Mr Cook called for “a bit of kindness” to be put back into the system. “The arts has an important opportunity and an obligation to do that,” he said. “The arts are also there to challenge us and perhaps Peter Garrett thought that he was challenging the people of WA when he made his inappropriate comments. “He wasn’t, quite frankly, he was being disrespectful and sowing the sort of seeds of hatred that we do see around the place, so he’s got to stop.” Liberal leader Libby Mettam also condemned the remarks as “utterly appalling”, especially coming from someone “with such a public profile”. “Such offensive comments have no place in our society,” she said. “It would not matter which individual these comments are directed to, but a clear message certainly does need to be sent in relation to those comments.” Perth Festival has said it does not support censorship, and is committed to providing a platform for “diverse voices”. “Perth Festival recognises that people will have many different perspectives, experiences and opinions that reflect the complexity and rich diversity of our community,” a spokesperson said. “Artistic expression is personal and views shared by artists are their own.” Major festival sponsors who responded to queries from The West Australian on Sunday did not take issue with Garrett’s comments. Lewis Paton-Ryan, general manager for long-term festival partner Audio Technik, said it fully supported its commitment to “artistic integrity and freedom of expression”. “To platform diverse voices is central to the mandate of the festival — the promotion of ‘a rich and diverse cultural and artistic life as a central characteristic of Western Australia’,” a spokesperson said. “And that cannot be achieved without an acceptance of diverse viewpoints, regardless of how they may challenge us.” A spokesperson for Lotterywest said the curation and management of the festival’s program and artists was Perth Festival’s responsibility.

@octave, as Johnny on the spot, maybe you can fill us in on the strife Peter Garrett got himself into in Perth.

Donald Trump has signaled both publicly and privately that he no longer considers Russia a major cyber threat to US national security and critical infrastructure. The shift, which starkly contradicts years of warnings from intelligence officials, has raised alarm among cybersecurity experts who fear that the United States is leaving itself exposed to Russian cyberattacks just as global tensions reach boiling point. On Sunday night, it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered US Cyber Command to cease all offensive cyberoperations against Russia. Critics warn the policy reversal appears to be driven by the administration's warming relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Trump moves to realign U.S. foreign policy in a way that increasingly mirrors Moscow's interests. 'Russia and China are our biggest adversaries. With all the cuts being made to different agencies, a lot of cybersecurity personnel have been fired. Our systems are not going to be protected and our adversaries know this,' a person familiar with the shift told The Guardian. 'People are saying Russia is winning. Putin is on the inside now,' they added. According to a current official and two former officials briefed on the classified directive, the abrupt halt is reportedly part of a broader strategic effort to lure Putin into negotiations over Ukraine and reset relations with the US. The decision marks a significant shift in the US cyber posture against an adversary known for its aggressive digital warfare, election interference, and relentless hacking campaigns. While some insiders argue the move is a necessary step in diplomacy, critics warn that it represents a dangerous retreat that could embolden Moscow to escalate its cyberattacks on the US and its allies. 'It's incomprehensible to give a speech about threats in cyberspace and not mention Russia and it's delusional to think this will turn Russia and the FSB [the Russian security agency] into our friends,' James Lewis, a veteran cyber expert, told The Guardian. 'They hate the US and are still mad about losing the cold war. Pretending otherwise won't change this.' Hegseth's directive, which is part of a broader reassessment of all U.S. military operations against Russia, has yet to be publicly explained. However, the timing of the order which was given before President Trump's Oval Office blowup with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are apparently part of an effort to draw Russia into talks on the war. The precise scope and duration of the directive by the Pentagon directive remains murky, particularly given the blurred lines between offensive and defensive cyberoperations. Traditionally, offensive cyber warfare involves actively disrupting enemy networks, planting malicious software, or launching cyber strikes on critical infrastructure. Defensive cyberoperations, on the other hand, aim to thwart incoming cyber threats, though often they require maintaining covert access to enemy networks for intelligence gathering. For the US, retaining access to Russia's digital infrastructure is crucial for monitoring Putin's war strategy and internal political calculations as he enters negotiations. Without such cyber tools, the US could be left flying blind in diplomatic talks where deception and manipulation are second nature to the Kremlin. Former officials acknowledge that it is common for civilian leaders to pause military operations during sensitive diplomatic negotiations to avoid derailing delicate discussions. However, for President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth, the decision to halt cyber operations against Russia is something of a gamble. By unilaterally pulling back from the 'shadow war' in cyberspace, the administration is effectively betting that Putin will respond in kind - dialing down Russia's relentless cyber intrusions into U.S. networks, election interference, and digital sabotage across Europe. Russia has consistently leveraged cyber warfare as a tool of statecraft, targeting American institutions, hospitals, infrastructure, and corporations with sophisticated ransomware and espionage operations. Intelligence officials have repeatedly warned that such attacks are not merely criminal acts but are sanctioned, or at the very least tolerated, by Russian intelligence agencies. In a United Nations cybersecurity working group last week, Liesyl Franz, deputy assistant secretary for international cybersecurity at the State Department, outlined US concerns about cyber threats - but conspicuously failed to mention Russia. Instead, her speech only singled out China and Iran, omitting any reference to Moscow’s history of cyber warfare, including its well-documented attacks on US infrastructure and ongoing cyber operations in Ukraine. Even more striking, Franz did not mention LockBit, the Russia-based ransomware group the US government has previously identified as the world’s most prolific. The Treasury Department had previously warned that LockBit operates under a ransomware-as-a-service model, licensing its technology to criminals in exchange for a share of the profits. Yet now, as the U.S. faces an unprecedented rise in ransomware attacks, the administration is choosing to look the other way. Until now, U.S Cyber Command has played a leading role in countering Russia's cyber aggression, often working in covert cooperation with Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). While Britain and Canada may continue cyber operations against Russian targets, the Pentagon's shift in focus could leave European allies exposed to unchecked Russian cyberattacks. The decision to halt cyber operations comes amid broader concerns that the Trump administration is softening its stance toward Moscow. In a striking diplomatic break, last week the US voted against a United Nations resolution that described Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine, instead siding with Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Belarus. This move alarmed US allies, who fear that Washington is inching toward appeasement at a time when Moscow remains committed to its military ambitions in Ukraine. Even within the administration, tensions over the shift in strategy are evident. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the urgency of bringing Russia to the negotiating table but dismissed concerns that the administration is being too lenient on Putin. 'You're not going to bring them to the table if you're calling them names, if you're being antagonistic,' Rubio said on ABC's This Week. 'That's just the president's instincts from years and years and years of putting together deals as someone who's in business.' Rubio was not directly questioned about the decision to halt cyber operations, but when pressed about why the US was easing pressure on Moscow, he bristled, insisting that the administration's goal is peace. 'If this was a Democrat that was doing this, everyone would be saying, well, he's on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize,' Rubio scoffed. 'This is absurd. We are trying to end a war.' Not everyone is convinced that de-escalating cyber warfare is the right move. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the administration's decision, arguing that the Pentagon's retreat from offensive cyber operations effectively hands Putin a free pass. 'Russia continues to launch cyberoperations and ransomware attacks against critical American infrastructure, and the Trump administration is rewarding them by backing off,' Schumer warned. 'This is a critical strategic mistake.' The concerns are shared by national security veterans who have spent years monitoring Russia's cyber playbook. Under the Biden administration, US intelligence agencies had warned that Russia's ultimate goal was to undermine US security, disrupt American infrastructure, and spread political chaos. Those warnings led to the creation of specialized cyber task forces within the National Security Agency and Cyber Command, designed to counter Russian cyberattacks in real-time. But under Hegseth's new directive, the efforts seems likely to be scaled back leaving America more vulnerable.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski called herself 'sick to my stomach' over what she called a Trump administration turn toward Russia as the explosive Oval Office meeting shocked allies and raised fears Moscow would double down on its tactics. Murkowski, a centrist Republican who voted to impeach Trump, condemned the angry clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on X, even as fellow Republicans like Secretary of State Marco Rubio heaped praise on Trump for upholding his 'America First' policy. European allies were huddling this weekend, amid fears that Trump's angry statement could trigger a withholding of $4 billion security funding for Ukraine that Trump could freeze. 'This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine. It ends with a tense, shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine,' wrote Murkowski, in some of the most critical comments of Trump from any prominent elected Republican over the war. 'I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now, I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world,' she added.