Assessing The News With Binoy Kampmark
Frequent contributor to Life Elsewhere, Dr. Binoy Kampmark shares his well-considered assessments of the following news items:
Haiti’s President Assassinated
A group of gunmen allegedly posing as agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency forcibly entered President Jovenel Moïse’s private residence and assassinated him in the early hours of Wednesday. The macabre act will prolong the uncertainty as Haiti tries to avert pandemonium.
Lockdown in Sydney
Australian authorities on Friday pleaded with Sydney’s five million residents to stay home, warning a three-week lockdown may be extended as they struggle to control a COVID-19 outbreak, with the city reporting the biggest rise in local cases in 2021.
Extreme Heat In US
Last week, a “thousand-year” heatwave baked the Pacific Northwest and adjacent British Columbia with widespread highs topping 100 degrees, resulting in a death toll in the hundreds. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday that the heatwave helped the United States clinch its hottest June on record. Eight states had their hottest Junes, including Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.
Taliban Advance In Western Afghanistan
The latest part of Afghanistan to collapse in the face of a rapid militant advance, during which they have taken control of areas far beyond their original southern strongholds. Their speed has fuelled fears the government in Kabul could fall within months. Joe Biden confirmed a 31 August deadline for the final departure of American troops.
Russian-Linked Group Hacks 200 Businesses With Ransomware
Cybersecurity teams are working feverishly to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang behind it breached the company whose software was the conduit.
Donald Rumsfeld Known Unknowns
The architect of the Iraq war and a master Washington power player, dead at 88.
Dr. Binoy Kampmark is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Show 431
Sinclair’s close associations to Trump have allowed the company to skirt market regulations. Already the biggest broadcaster in the country, Sinclair is poised to make its biggest move yet. If the FCC approves Sinclair’s $3.9bn purchase of additional 42 stations, it would reach into the homes of almost three-quarters of Americans. Sinclair forces its local stations to run pro-Trump “news” segments. In April, they hired Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump campaign spokesman and member of the White House press office, as its chief political analyst. His “must-run” 10-minute political commentary segments unsurprisingly hewed closely to the Trump administration’s message. “As far as propaganda goes, this is pure, industrial-strength stuff.” Says the news and analysis website Slate, referring to Epshteyn’s contributions. 
