Porsche is claiming the Nurburgring lap record for an electric production car after undercutting the previous benchmark set by Tesla.
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Porsche is back on top at the Nurburgring after its Taycan Turbo S re-set the record for a production electric car at seven minutes 33.350 seconds, more than two seconds faster than the previous benchmark set by a Tesla Model S Plaid.
The Tesla’s record time, clocked in September 2021, stood at seven minutes and 35.579 seconds, around the full 20.832km layout of the track.
Porsche originally set the electric benchmark time on a slightly shorter 20.6km layout of the circuit in 2019 with a pre-production version of the Taycan Turbo – the model grade below the Turbo S – at 7:42.30.
The 20.832km layout – which includes an addition section of the final straight for a complete lap, rather than the 20.6km layout, which excludes this 232m stretch – is what has been used for official Nurburgring lap record keeping since the end of 2019.
Vehicles of similar pace to the Taycan and Tesla typically require an additional five seconds to cover the additional 232m – so the 2019 Taycan Turbo’s time around the 20.832km layout would be closer to seven minutes and 47 seconds.
Porsche factory development driver, Lars Kern, was at the wheel for the new record and — after disputes about the specification of vehicles claiming record times at the Nurburgring, with fewer interior panels than production versions — the German sports-car company went into detail on the specification of its Turbo S.
“The sports sedan was equipped with the new performance kit and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control [i.e. active anti-roll bars] and – aside from the required roll cage and racing seats – was an entirely standard production vehicle,” said Porsche.
“It weighed the same as the series production car. A notary was on hand to verify the new record time on the 20.8-kilometre circuit in Germany’s Eifel region, while TÜV Rheinland [an independent inspection expert] confirmed that the record-breaking road car was a standard production model.”
“The performance kit includes 21-inch RS Spyder Design wheels with road-approved, Pirelli P Zero Corsa sports tires that are now available for the Taycan. Their tire compound is similar to that of racing tyres,” said Porsche.
“Another element of the performance kit is a software update to the Porsche 4D Chassis Control so that it works in harmony with the sports tires. The system analyzes and synchronizes all the chassis systems of the Taycan in real time.”
Kern was also driving the record-setting Taycan in 2019, and reported a big difference in the 2022 record run.
“With the new performance kit I was able to push even harder, and the car was even more precise and agile to boot,” he said.
The performance kit is sold through Porsche Tequipment and is currently only available in Germany for the 2023 model-year Taycan Turbo S.
“We’re delighted that the Nürburgring record for electric cars is back in Porsche hands,” says Kevin Giek, vice-president for the Taycan model line.
“This lap time not only shows how much potential lies in our new performance kit, but also confirms once again the sports car genes of the Taycan.”
Paul Gover has been a motoring journalist for more than 40 years, working on newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television. A qualified general news journalist and sports reporter, his passion for motoring led him to Wheels, Motor, Car Australia, Which Car and Auto Action magazines. He is a champion racing driver as well as a World Car of the Year judge.
Gotham Knights developer WB Games Montreal has released the fourth and final character trailer for the title revealing new gameplay footage of Red Hood. In all, Gotham Knights features four different playable protagonists in the form of Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. While certainly not the first time we have seen Red Hood in action, it does mark the first time a trailer has focusee explicitly on him and him alone.
As previously revealed, Red Hood being brought back to life through the use of the Lazarus Pit has left the character with strange mystical powers. While the previously released gameplay footage indicated that this explained his unique traversal mechanics, the latest trailer seems to imply that his combat abilities have also been affected by his resurrection. You can check out the new Gotham Knights trailer for yourself embedded below:
“Gotham Knights is a brand-new open-world, third-person action RPG featuring the Batman Family as players step into the roles of Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin, a new guard of trained DC Super Heroes who must rise up as the protectors of Gotham City in the wake of Batman’s death,” the official description of the upcoming video game reads. “An expansive, criminal underworld has swept through the streets of Gotham, and it is now up to these new heroes to protect the city, bring hope to its citizens, discipline its cops and fear its criminals. Players must save Gotham from descent into chaos and reinvent themselves into their own version of the Dark Knight.”
Broadly speaking, Gotham Knights is set to release for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC on October 25th. In case you missed it, the title is no longer set to release for Xbox One or PlayStation 4. There are several different versions available to pre-order from $69.99 to $299.99 wherever such things are sold. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the upcoming DC video game right here.
What do you think about the new Gotham Knights trailer featuring Red Hood? Do you already have an idea as to which of the four playable characters you are most interested in playing when the game releases? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop in order to talk about all things DC and gaming!
Hawthorn has ruled out Changkuoth Jiath and Mitch Lewis for the remainder of the season, with the important pair to turn their focus to recovering from their respective injuries.
Electric defender Jiath has been struck down by a wrist complaint, which will see him sidelined for the final two games.
Lewis, who has booted 37 goals this year, will take the time to get on top of a minor knee issue that has caused him discomfort at different stages throughout the season.
Head of Football Rob McCartney said the decision to sideline the duo was squarely focused on the future.
“Unfortunately, Changkuoth has sprained his wrist. This will settle non-operatively, but in order for this to occur he has been placed in a wrist splint and he will be unavailable for the rest of the season,” McCartney said.
“Mitch continues to have some ongoing swelling in his knee, and we think that will be irritated more by continuing to play games so we’ve taken a conservative option for him not to play for the rest of the season.
“This approach with both players allows them to be able to complete their off-season programs in readiness for the start of pre-season.”
Jiath and Lewis join a long list of Hawks sidelined for the year through injury, with Lachlan Bramble (back), Sam Frost (knee), James Worpel (shoulder), Chad Wingard (hamstring/finger), Ned Reeves (shoulder), Tom Phillips (knee), Josh Morris (shoulder), Connor Downie (hamstring), Seamus Mitchell (ankle) and Tyler Brockman (shoulder) making up the rehab group.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Three people were killed Wednesday when a house exploded in the southern Indiana city of Evansville, authorities said.
David Anson, chief deputy coroner for Vanderburgh County, told The Associated Press that the identities of the people who died would not be released until the next of kin has been notified.
Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said at least one other injury was reported and that the victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said a total of 39 houses were damaged by the explosion at around 1 pm He said the department has not confirmed how many of the houses were occupied when the explosion happened because “some were too unstable to enter.”
At least 11 of the 39 homes damaged are “uninhabitable,” Connelly told the Evansville Courier & Press.
The cause of the explosion has not been determined, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating. A phone message seeking comment was left at the Evansville field office of the ATF.
“Debris is strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius,” including “typical construction materials” such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation, Connelly said.
Aerial video posted on social media shows damage in a residential neighborhood with police and fire vehicles on the scene in Evansville, on the Kentucky border.
CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018, Connelly said. CenterPoint issued a statement saying it “worked with first responders to secure the area.”
“CenterPoint Energy is working closely with the Evansville Fire Department, State Fire Marshal and other agencies as the investigation of this incident continues,” the utility said.
Jacki Baumgart, an office manager at Award World Trophies about two and a half blocks from the site of the explosion, said she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the loud blast and saw smoke.
“We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place,” Baumgart said. “Debris from the ceiling came down.”
She continued: “Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down.”
It was the second house explosion in the area in just over five years. A house explosion on June 27, 2017, killed two people and injured three others.
Wednesday’s explosion also brought to mind a massive blast in 2012 that destroyed or damaged more than 80 homes on Indianapolis’ south side and killed two people. A man was convicted of tampering with a natural gas line at his then-girlfriend’s home in an attempt to commit insurance fraud, with the explosion killing two next-door neighbors. That man, his half-brother and girlfriend of him all received long prison sentences.
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This story has been corrected to show the first name of the chief deputy coroner in Vanderburgh County is David.
Gas producer Senex, which is jointly owned by South Korea’s steel giant Posco and Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, has planned a more than $1bn expansion to its Queensland gasfields with the bulk of the extra fuel apparently to be earmarked for domestic use.
The company, which is seeking federal and state approval for two sites adjacent to its Atlas and Roma North projects in the Surat Basin, made the announcement ahead of a speech by the resources minister, Madeleine King. It still has to clear some state regulatory hurdles, Senex said.
If it proceeds, the investment would triple Senex’s annual output of about 20PJ of gas in 2021 to 60PJ, a spokesperson said. Senex’s current output is split roughly evenly between export and domestic, but “the vast majority of the additional production will be diverted” to local customers, they said.
The company, which was taken over last December and delisted from the ASX in April, said the recent energy crisis in eastern Australia highlighted the need for more supply.
“The recent electricity crisis provided natural gas is critical to providing secure and reliable energy for Australians and is needed to underpin renewables and replace aging coal generation,” Senex’s chief executive, Ian Davies, said. Without extra gas “electricity costs will further rise”, he said.
Two-thirds of the planned investment would be spent in the next two years, creating more than 200 jobs during construction and another 50 permanent roles, the company said.
“We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Australian and Queensland governments to finalize the necessary regulatory approvals for this investment, and supplying more gas to market as soon as possible,” Davies said.
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The announcement follows a report released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission last week that warned of a potential shortfall of 56PJ of gas next year unless LNG exports spare some of the uncontracted gas for local use. Gas availability and soaring energy prices will be a subject of Friday’s gathering of energy ministers in Canberra.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea), the gas industry’s peak body, welcomed Senex’s investment. “This is a massive investment to help secure Australia’s energy future and ensure local natural gas keeps flowing to manufacturers, homes and businesses,” the acting Appea chief executive, Damian Dwyer, said.
Senex said it had signed long-term agreements for 90PJ, including 43PJ in the past 12 months. Local customers include Visy, CSR, Orora, Adbri, Southern Oil Refining and CleanCo, and it supplies gas to GLNG for export.
Resources minister King said “more supply from more sources and more proponents, more vendors… is definitely part of the solution”.
“Making more gas available to more people is important to end that ongoing shortage that has been predicted,” she said. “So, I’m fully supportive of Senex’s announcement today.”
King said she had “every confidence” that the company would follow the rules required for it to win approval from environment minister Tanya Plibersek. The previous owner of the two expansion sites, APLNG, had secured the environmental approvals for the area, and Senex is seeking to have the approval extended to them, the company said.
The expansion plan will also need to gain approval from Queensland’s Department of Environment and meet the conditions set out under the Science and the Regional Planning Interests Act.
“Queensland continues to do the heavy lifting on domestic gas to ensure energy security,” resources minister Scott Stewart said. “Any resources projects must stack up environmentally, socially and financially.”
Dorinda Cox, Greens spokesperson for mining and resources, saidthe government was heading the wrong way by creating a vision for Australia’s future resources industry that was backed in by coal and gas.
“It should be focused on investing in green resources and creating a clean energy export industry, including renewables-generated fuels such as green hydrogen,” Cox said.
Google launched new lawsuits against Sonos, claiming the company violated several of its smart speaker patents in the latest bout of a long-running legal spat.
So far, Sonos has sued Google multiple times, and Google has sued Sonos once in return — this marks the second suit from Google. Moreover, one ruling has been handed down so far in favor of Sonos, which led to Google removing the ability for users to simultaneously control the volume of a group of Google speakers with their phones.
According to TheVerge, the latest lawsuits from Google allege Sonos infringed on seven additional patents. One of the lawsuits focuses on hotword detection and wireless charging — hotword detection refers to a speaker’s ability to wake up and respond to a user query after they say a specific word or phrase. The other lawsuit is about how a group of speakers determines which one should respond to a voice input.
Google filed both lawsuits this morning in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Moreover, the search giant plans to launch similar lawsuits with the US International Trade Commission — the lawsuits will seek a ban on imports of Sonos products that allegedly infringe on the patents.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda told TheVerge that Google filed the lawsuits to “defend [its] technology and challenge Sonos’s clear, continued infringement of [its] patents.” Moreover, Castañeda accused Sonos of starting an “aggressive and misleading campaign” against Google products.
However, Sonos fired back in its own statement to TheVergecalling the lawsuits an “intimidation tactic” and accusing Google of suing in retaliation against Sonos “for speaking out against Google’s monopolistic practices.”
Carlton has omitted Tom De Koning, Will Setterfield and Paddy Dow for Saturday’s must-win game against Melbourne.
The Blues bring Marc Pittonet back into the side along with Liam Stocker, while they’ve named Patrick Cripps in the center as he awaits his fate at the AFL Appeals Board.
The Western Bulldogs have omitted Alex Keath for a second time this season, with Ryan Gardner coming into the side in his stead, while Lachie Hunter and Stefan Martin return.
Key forward Josh Bruce has been managed.
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Meanwhile, North Melbourne has made a couple of selection statements, with Hugh Greenwood, Jason Horne-Francis and Josh Walker omitted from the side that will take on Adelaide on Saturday.
As confirmed on Wednesday, veteran midfielder Ben Cunnington will play his first AFL game in 13 months, with Ben McKay and Jackson Archer also returning.
Dangerfield likely to face Suns | 01:17
Geelong has been boosted by the return of quartet Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Mark Blicavs and Gary Rohan to face the Suns. But they’ve managed Mitch Duncan, Isaac Smith and Mark O’Connor, while Luke Dahlhaus (omitted) and Jon Ceglar (medi-sub) also haven’t been named.
Brisbane has turned to a pair of Jack’s — Jaxon Prior and Jackson Payne — to replace injured duo Marcus Adams and Callum Ah Chee for their primetime match-up against the Saints.
St Kilda veteran Dan Hannebery has been ‘managed’ for Friday night’s clash against the Lions after suffering an ankle injury last round.
Fremantle has opted to bring Sam Switkowski straight into its senior team, with the small pressure forward to play his first AFL match since Round 13.
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Bomber Dylan Shiel, as well as Power forward duo Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiades have been named for Sunday’s Essendon-Port Adelaide clash, but star veteran Robbie Gray has been managed.
Shane Edwards (Richmond), Liam Shiels (Hawthorn), Peter Ladhams (Sydney) and Ollie Henry (Collingwood) have all been named on the extended benches for their respective Sunday matches.
Community childcare center director Rebecca Stiles is close to breaking point.
Key points:
Childcare centers around Australia are experiencing high turnovers in staff
Low wages have been recognized as a problem in the sector
There are also calls for the government to restructure the sector, as more than 70 per cent of service providers are for-profit operations
After 27 years in the industry, she’s now contemplating what was once unthinkable – joining the exodus from childcare and education.
“That’s actually heartbreaking, to think that crosses my mind, to move on to somewhere else,” she told 7.30.
The reason for her growing stress is staff shortages at her community center at Hillbank, in Adelaide.
“Sometimes I wonder how I cope,” she said.
“I do find I spend most of my time staring at my roster at my desk, wondering what I’m going to do for that afternoon or the next day.”
It’s a similar story across the country.
“It was critical before COVID,” said Elizabeth Death, the chief executive of the industry body Early Learning and Child Care Australia (ELACCA).
“It’s now even more dire.”
There is broad agreement about the root cause of the problem – wages in the sector are just too low.
Working in the sector requires at least a diploma qualification or a bachelor’s degree, but many early childcare educators receive little more than the minimum wage of around $24 an hour.
Helen Gibbons says early educators have “voted with their feet”, leading to huge vacancies in centers across the country.(ABCNews/7.30)
“You can have a degree and work in an early education setting, and exactly the same degree will allow you to earn at least 30 per cent more if you worked in a school,” said Helen Gibbons, the director of early education at the United Workers Union (UWU).
“It’s just obscene.
“They’ve [early educators] really voted with their feet over the past six months.
“I don’t think there’s a center in the country that is not currently advertising for an early educator.”
Brisbane early childhood teacher Samira Shire said she felt undervalued.
Brisbane early childhood teacher Samira Shire has been working in the industry since 2014.(ABC News: Chris Gillette)
“Our wages are one of the lowest in the country — I can’t say it’s the lowest, but it’s really quite close,” she said.
“The bit that bugs me when I read comments from the community is always how people think that we are not qualified, how people think that only a percentage of a center is working as qualified educators and the rest are working without qualification — that’s not the case.”
Impact on children
The high turnover of staff can have a devastating effect on the quality of care and education, according to developmental psychologist Karen Thorpe from the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute.
“Some of our research that we’ve recently reported shows that emotional attachment, and that emotional support and emotional quality of care, has effects on children’s language development, but also we’ve done some data linkage to show it has effects right through to secondary education,” she said.
Karen Thorpe says early educators are “seriously important” in a child’s development. (ABC News: Michael Lloyd)
Professor Thorpe said there was an overwhelmingly strong case for the federal government to invest more money into early childhood care and learning in order to improve wages and conditions.
“We need to more strongly advocate that these are not just childcare workers,” she said.
“They are seriously important educators at the most serious point in human development.”
Measures to improve pay
Apart from providing more federal funds, one of the obstacles to improving pay rates in the sector is the present structure of Australia’s industrial relations system, according to gender pay expert Meg Smith from the University of Western Sydney.
“There’s only been one successful equal remuneration order in the past 20 years, and I think that speaks to some of the challenges,” she said.
However, Dr Smith said she was encouraged by the Albanese government’s pledge to strengthen the gender equity section of the Fair Work Commission and supporting legislation.
“I am optimistic if those changes are to be implemented and to have applications across multiple paths of the Fair Work Act, I would be optimistic that there’s a capacity for change,” she said.
The Albanian government has pledged $5.4 billion to make childcare more accessible. (ABC North Queensland: Nathalie Fernbach)
The UWU has organized a national shutdown of the early childhood education and care sector on September 7 to highlight these wage issues and is also calling for a more substantial restructuring of the industry.
A recent Australia Institute report found 77 per cent of service providers are private, for-profit operators — one of the highest rates among OECD countries.
“To achieve the aim that ECEC [Early Childhood Education and Care] in Australia becomes an essential service, like Medicare, it has to be delivered more on a basis of public need than private profit,” Andrew Scott of Deakin University and convenor of the Australia Institute’s Nordic Policy Center said.
“To sustain adequate public expenditure on childcare, and to avoid further escalating fees for parents in Australia, there will need to be less reliance in future on paying subsidies to private, for-profit operators.”
The UWU’s Helen Gibbons said there was a “creeping commercialization” in the sector.
Australia has one of the highest rates of for-profit early education operators among OECD countries.(ABC News: Chris Gillette)
“We have seen an increasing number of for-profit providers – private companies and private equity – making a lot of money off taxpayers,” she said.
“And it’s going to profit, it’s not going to little children … [it’s] certainly not going to early educators.
“It’s a crazy system.”
ELACCA’s Elizabeth Death disagrees.
She said Australia had strict quality controls that allowed a mixed market to operate effectively, and the government’s immediate focus should be on fixing the staffing crisis.
“I think the most important factor here is not trying to turn the sector upside down at a time we have a workforce crisis, [and] at a time our children need the best, most consistent education care.”
Eric Trump blames Biden administration after FBI raid on Mar-A-Lago
FBI chief Christopher Wray has criticized “deplorable” and “dangerous” threats circulating online against federal agents and the Justice Department after the agency’s raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
“I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement,” Mr Wray said. “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”
As the fallout from the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago continues with rumors of a Trumpworld informant tipping off authorities, Mr Trump yesterday pleaded the fifth amendment in his sworn deposition to the long-running New York State probe into his real estate dealings.
Mr Trump has repeatedly condemned the investigation as a politically motivated “witch hunt”. His children Ivanka and Donald Jr both recently gave depositions in the civil investigation after months fighting against subpoenas for their testimony.
Meanwhile, reports have revealed that before its raid on Monday, the FBI had already obtained surveillance tapes from Mar-a-Lago via a subpoena to the Trump Organization. The former president has claimed without providing proof that agents may have planted evidence at his home.
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Has someone in Trump’s inner circle flipped?
With each passing day, it becomes harder for a casual observer to distinguish between the post-presidential life of Donald Trump and that of late-season Tony Soprano.
In the past week alone, Mr Trump’s home has been searched by the FBI as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents, he has pleaded the Fifth in a separate case into his business dealings in New York, and now, according to several reports, he is trying to flush out a rat in his orbit.
Read more from The Independent‘s Richard Hall.
Trumpworld smells a rat. Has someone in his inner circle flipped?
Trumpworld is “abuzz” with rumors that a close aid to the former president has “flipped,” according to reports. Richard Hall looks at the possible candidates.
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2022 10:30
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‘Dark Brandon’ is reclaiming far-right memes, but experts have a warning…
After a string of “good news” for the Biden agenda, White House officials elevated a meme from terminally online obscurity, reclaiming ironic images of a tired and gaffe-prone president cast as a demi-god-like figure.
Alex Woodward reports on the “Dark Brandon” phenomenon.
‘Dark Brandon’ reclaims far-right memes. Extremism experts warn against normalization
The fascist ‘Dark MAGA’ aesthetic flourished in fringe online spaces with explicit calls for violence. Liberals embraced Joe Biden’s ironic transformation as a laser-eyed antidote, Alex Woodward reports
Andrew Naughty11 August 2022 10:05
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GOP congressman whose phone was seized by FBI goes silent on Fox News
Hardcore right-wing Arizona Congressman Scott Perry saw the FBI seize his cell phone on Tuesday, with the precise reason still unclear. However, it is reported to be in connection with the bureau’s probe into plans to overturn the 2020 election via the deployment of fake voters in Congress on 6 January 2021.
Mr Perry was outraged by the seizure of his phone, and appeared on Fox News last night to discuss it. But when asked whether the FBI has got his phone back, he went eerily silent:
Mr Perry’s name has come up in the 6 January hearings, where it was revealed that he sought a blanket pardon from the Trump White House after the Capitol attack – this having been an enthusiastic participant in efforts to subvert Joe Biden’s victory.
Graeme Massie has more on the still-mysterious phone incident.
Trump ally Scott Perry says FBI have seized his phone following Mar-a-Lago raid
Pennsylvania congressman a leading supporter of former president’s electoral fraud claims
Andrew Naughty11 August 2022 09:40
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Christopher Wray makes first public response to FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home
FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke publicly on Wednesday afternoon for the first time about his bureau’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. I couldn’t offer much.
FBI Director Wray makes first public comment on search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home
Mr Wray says he can’t talk about the raid as some Republicans decry his leadership
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2022 09:00
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FBI director calls online threats against federal agents and DOJ ‘deplorable’
FBI Director Christopher Wray called threats circulating online against federal agents and the Justice Department “deplorable and dangerous.”
“I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement,” Mr Wray said. “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”
Mr Wray spoke on Wednesday afternoon for the first time about the FBI’s search of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence – though he declined to go into details.
“As I’m sure you can appreciate, that’s not something I can talk about,” Mr Wray told reporters in Omaha, Nebraska.
Maroosha Muzaffar11 August 2022 08:45
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‘We owe you big’: Jon Stewart receives standing ovation at PACT Act signing
Comedian and activist Jon Stewart received a standing ovation as President Joe Biden signed into law the PACT Act, which will provide life-saving care to veterans who have been exposed to burn pits.
Mr Biden personally thanked Mr Stewart for his advocacy on the issue during Wednesday’s White House signing, saying: “What you have done, Jon, matters, and you know it does. You should know it really, really matters.
“You refused to let anybody forget, you refused to let them forget, and we owe you big man, we owe you big.”
Jon Stewart receives standing ovation at PACT Act signing
‘What you have done, Jon, matters,’ Biden tells Stewart
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2022 08:15
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Informant reportedly told FBI about classified docs at Mar-a-Lago
An insider with knowledge of what government records former president Donald Trump still possessed more than 18 months after he left the White House reportedly tipped off FBI officials to a cache of classified documents at the ex-president’s Palm Beach, Florida home and office.
According to Newsweek, two “senior government officials” have said the Monday search of Mr Trump’s rooms at Mar-a-Lago — the mansion turned private club where he spends most of his year — came after a confidential FBI source provided agents with information on “what classified documents [Mr Trump] was still hiding and… the location of those documents”.
The officials also said the search for the ex-president’s property was based on concerns that Mr Trump was unlawfully holding on to classified national defense information.
Trumpworld informant reportedly told FBI about classified docs at Mar-a-Lago
The search of Donald Trump’s Florida residence comes after an FBI source reportedly revealed that the ex-president was concealing classified national defense information from the government he once led
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2022 07:30
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Video juxtaposes Fox News coverage of Clinton’s email scandal with footage of Trump raid
Fox News has not been enamored of the FBI’s raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence as the former president’s legal troubles rapidly mount.
Fox News hosts and other leading figures in the Republican Party and conservative movement have decried the FBI’s raid on Mr Trump’s motivated residence as a politically overreach of government power. but as a DailyShow video juxtaposing Fox News commentary on the FBI investigation of the Hillary Clinton’s email scandal with footage of Mr Trump shows, the network’s hosts have not always been so opposed to FBI intervention.
Mashup video juxtaposes Fox News coverage of Clinton email scandal, Trump raid
The Daily Show reminds viewers that Fox News was all in favor of an FBI investigation when Mr Trump’s opponent was the one being investigated
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2022 06:45
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Meet the Florida blogger who broke the Trump Mar-a-Lago raid
Just after 6.30pm on Monday night, FloridaPolitics.com publisher Peter Schorsch landed the biggest news scoop of the year.
Bevan Hurley spoke to reporter Peter Schorsch on how he broke the biggest political story of the summer.
Meet the Florida blogger who broke the Trump Mar-a-Lago raid without even knowing it
Florida reporter Peter Schorsch speaks to Bevan Hurley about how he landed the scoop that the FBI was raiding Mar-a-Lago
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2022 06:00
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Biden heads to South Carolina to begin summer vacation with family
President Joe Biden left Washington on Wednesday to begin what is expected to be at least a seven-day vacation in South Carolina with members of his family.
Biden, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, departed the White House by motorcade to Joint Base Andrews outside the capital, where Air Force One was on hand to take them to Charleston. The first couple was planning to be in Kiawah Island, noted for its private beach and golf resort, through Tuesday, according to Federal Aviation Administration advisories.
Biden begins summer vacation with family in South Carolina
President Joe Biden left Washington on Wednesday to begin what is expected to be at least a seven-day vacation in South Carolina with members of his family
Nothing in the corporate world has seen-sawed quite like opinions on the performance of Telstra’s outgoing chief executive, Andy Penn. But on Thursday as he delivered his final result in the top job, he must be deeply satisfied he muscled through the detractors to leave the telco on an earnings high note.
His parting gift to Telstra – the first increase in its dividend in seven years – is particularly meaningful because it says everything about the Telstra board’s certainty about the company’s prospects to increase its earnings.
Aspirations and guidance from any corporation can be rubbery and subject to change, but the fact Telstra is paying out more in dividends than it makes in profit is a clear statement of confidence around the growth in future earnings, at least in the current year. Its guidance for the 2023 financial year for underlying earnings is $7.8 billion to $8 billion, up from the $7.3 billion it posted in 2022.
Telstra’s headline earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, and income, were down 5 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively, but the underlying earnings result was up 8 per cent. And it is the underlying measure, devoid of lots of distorting impacts including the NBN, which allows investors a closer look into the company’s ongoing performance.
This is particularly important from this point onwards because the last of Telstra’s customer migration to the NBN has been completed. This $3.6 billion earnings anchor has now been cut.
Penn has produced an impressive final act, but it’s been a roller-coaster performance marked by some stumbles and sideswiped by issues outside his control – most notably COVID-19 and more recently hyperinflation.
Outgoing Telstra chief Andy Penn is leaving on a high note.Credit:louis trerise
That said, this year also marks the completion of the T22 strategic overhaul of Telstra. This was a massive undertaking that included simplifying mobile plans, the roll-out of 5G, $2.7 billion in cost savings and the part coming out of the towers business, and injecting a new level of digitisation.
The cost-cutting and productivity gains added a bit of positive juice to the earnings of most of its divisions, even those that produced underwhelming performances.
In any year, Telstra produces a mixed bag of results from its business units and this year was true to form.
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