National have slammed the door shut on the parents of already settled migrants who wish to move to NZ to complete the family unit. Minister Michael Woodhouse accuses elderly Asians of bludging off the NZ taxpayer. You won’t believe the howls of outrage from the right!
Round 2 of the Presidential debates. Trump is on the ropes, can Clinton land the knockout blow? Certainly, there’s a lot of Republican Party grandees hoping Hillary puts them out of their misery. Seconds out at 2PM, NZ time.
UPDATE: Obama nailed Trump’s real issue a few minutes ago; it’s insecurity. Video in post.
UPDATE 2: LIVE STREAM now in post.
It looks all its over for Donald Trump. On the eve of the second Presidential debate, his polling has tanked, the Russians have come out in support of him and his team have run out of money for TV ads. Plus, truly awful video has emerged overnight of him admitting sexual assaults. Has there ever been a worse candidate? And will he still be the right’s candidate in a month’s time?
UPDATE: Trump says he will be a better man. Pearl Jam sue.
In which we learn that Colin Craig had already lost another case months before being done over in his defamation trial.
The downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 was a Russian sponsored war crime. When will Vladimir Putin be arrested?
UPDATE: Animation and actual photos and video of the BUK launcher added.
The first Presidential kicks off this arvo. Who will win? Do we care? Should we care? Stay tuned Standarnistas, it’ll be a doozy!
Did Lianne Dalziel just prove how economically challenged the National Party are? It appears Christchurch will be able to pay its quake bill without flogging off the family silver. Why are the right so wedded to asset sales when they make no financial sense?
The whitewash of the rugby players who assaulted a woman at a post season piss up has been released. A mightily relieved rugby boss Steve Tew can now go into the rest of the season knowing that the All Black squad will not be affected by the loss of any players to suspension. The only person to have lost their job over the incident is the victim. How cool is that?
Matt McCarten is to head a new Labour party office in Auckland. The party is going to take to fight to National in the city that decides the election. Yet another bold step from Andrew Little, who is looking more and more like the next PM.
The latest Roy Morgan is out. A solid 7% drop for National.
John Key has announced an inquiry into the Havelock North water crisis. But has it been set up to fail the residents of the Central Hawkes Bay?
Is it time for a referendum on marijuana? There is strong support for the use of medicinal marijuana. Should we just admit that Kiwis like smoking dope and simply legalise it?
The latest Reid Research poll is grim reading for the Nats. Labour and the Greens are closing fast.
The Waikato Chiefs rugby franchise have admitted two incidents of abuse at a drunken post season celebration. Their response to claims of sexual abuse? Blame the victim.
EDIT: The CEO accepts he got it wrong and has made a modern ‘if offence was taken’ style apology on Radio Sport. No direct apology to the woman concerned, however.
Housing NZ has admitted that it is evicting tenants when only tiny trace amounts of meth are found on the property. It further admits that the testing regime is not fit for purpose. But, hey, they have the power to make people homeless and they’re not going to let fairness or common sense get in the way of their moral panic.
When did the War on Drugs become the War on the Poor?
The last day of the DNC. Hillary Clinton will give her acceptance speech shortly. Donald Trump, having realised that inviting Russia to spy on the States is bordering on treason, is backpedalling furiously. He may have talked himself out of the White House.
Update: LIVE NOW: Chelsea Clinton
Update: LIVE NOW: Hillary Clinton
The Talley group want the courts to order a union to stop telling the truth about how they bully, maim and kill their workers. Will the Standard be next in the firing line?
Day 3 of the DNC. Biden and Obama to speak later, Trump wishes he hadn’t spoken earlier. In what looks to be an embarrassing gaffe, the candidate of the 1%ers has requested help from Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. In a normal election, that would be political suicide. This year, who knows?
UPDATE: Barack Obama LIVE STREAMING NOW.
The Democratic Party is holding their convention in Philadelphia. The day has started with an apology to Bernie Sanders and a poll boost for Donald Trump. Sanders speaks live at 2PM (approx).
UPDATE: Feel the BERN! Live NOW.
UPDATE: Video of Bernie Sanders’ speech now added.
Establishment candidate and billionaire Donald J Trump is delivering his acceptance speech at the RNC. It’s chockfulla cliches, but hey …
YOOO ESSS AYYYY, YOOO ESSS AYYYY!
God’s been a bit of a let down recently. Is it time for Him to retire?
Temuera Morrison has made a powerful video for the Women’s Refuge annual appeal. He’s making a difference. You can do something the Key Government won’t do. You can make a difference. You can stop keeping mum about domestic violence and you can help fund your local refuge.
5 law enforcement officers shot dead in Dallas. The city’s worst day in 5 decades.
The NZ Portrait Gallery’s latest work is of unionist Helen Kelly. It’s great.
The Ocker Election is coming down to the wire. The polls are neck and neck and the senate looks set to be a mess. Labor need 19 seats and the Liberal party needs a miracle in the upper house. C’mon, Aussie, C’mon!
Update: Early results have the coalition down, but not down enough. Currently 57-56 to the coalition. 76 needed.
Update 2: Labor doing unexpectedly well in Queensland, Nick Xenephon wins in SA.
Update 3: Lib deputy Julie Bishop is reduced to calling Labor “liars” over Medicare. The fear is showing.
Update 4: Coalition 62. Labor 60. West Australia about to start reporting.
Update 5: Coalition 69, Labor 62, Greens 1, Others 4.
Boris Johnson has sensationally quit the race to lead the UK Tory Party. And Jeremy Corbyn has had a worse day than usual. Where will it all end?
Jeremy Corbyn is fighting back against those plotting to force his resignation. But is it too little too late?
Top Tory David Cameron has resigned in the wake of the Brexit vote. The buffoon Boris Johnson is tipped to take over at No 10 Downing St.
The military mission to Iraq is to be extended by another 18 months, much to nobody’s surprise. John Key has put the creep into the mission.
Hone’s back! The leader of the Mana party has announced he’s re-forming the Mana Movement and will stand again in Te Tai Tokerau. Is there a chance of a deal with Labour to strengthen the next Government?
Guardian journalist Owen Jones nails the failure of many to call the Orlando killings what they are; homophobic terrorism. It’s not an excuse for anti-muslim hysteria, as Trump, Seymour and Peters would have it, it’s the worst single attack on LGBT people since the holocaust.
Epsom hologram David Seymour reckons we need to force refugees to pledge allegiance to what he calls ‘values’. Of course, ACT don’t know value, they only know price. And haven’t we heard this sort of thing from another party in years gone by?
In a few months, the two most important leadership roles on the planet could be held by women. How cool is that? We’ve come a long way, world!
Winston Peters has called for a slashing of migrant worker numbers and for screening of would be workers based on things like their attitude to women. Is it time for a taihoa on immigration or is Winston just doing a Trump?
Muhammad Ali, three times heavyweight boxing champion of the world, has died aged 74. Farewell, the Greatest.
A young Mexican scientist has compiled compelling evidence about the link between vaccines and autism. Not only does 12 year old Marco Arturo provide a comprehensive overview of the dangers, he also brilliantly channels Barack Obama. The best two minutes on the net today.
