Tim Stephens

Travelers visiting the United States from countries like Britain, France, Germany and South Korea could soon have to undergo a review of up to five years of their social media history, according to a proposal filed on Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The change would affect visitors eligible for the visa waiver program, which allows people from 42 countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa as long as they first obtain electronic travel authorization. In a document filed on Tuesday in the Federal Register, C.B.P. said it plans to ask applicants for a long list of personal data including social media, email addresses from the last decade, and the names, birth dates, places of residence and birthplaces of parents, spouses, siblings and children. Under the current system, applicants from visa waiver countries must enroll in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization program. They pay $40 and submit an email address, home address, phone number and emergency contact information. The authorization is good for two years.

This is INSANE www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/t...

and these are our closest allies!

Letting you know in advance that our final #SundayShot for 2025 is a ripper! One of our most popular guests @dncameron.bsky.social returns & we're thrilled to have @zoedaniel.bsky.social with us. Plus cameos from some of our favourite contributors across the year...and Xmas MERCH!! Not to be missed.

Niki Savva’s book Earthquake is a cracker read.

I particularly loved this para . 😊😊😊😊

If the Liberals are so incensed by the parliamentary entitlements rules, why didn’t they change them in the ten years they were in power? Maybe after Bronnie took the chopper ride, or Susssan charged the taxpayer her flights to buy a Gold Coast apartment?

Given that the Russians quite literally drafted our capitulation plan for Ukraine one has to wonder about whether there wasn’t at least a bit of cutting and pasting here.

#Resolve ALP 35 L-NP 26 Grn 11 ON 14 IND 8 other 6
2PP 55-45 (+2) to ALP by respondent prefs
My last election estimate 56.3 to ALP (+1.7)

SA Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia says he is 'not bitter' as he steps down from leadership South Australian Liberal leader Vincent Tarzia will step down from the leadership, just three months out from the next state election. He told a press conference he made the decision on Friday morning...

And another one gone and another one gone ... the 4th leader of the golden age of bad oppositions to depart in four weeks! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

What our missing ocean float revealed about Antartica’s melting glaciers Our ocean float spent years adrift in the Antarctic ocean and beneath massive ice shelves. What it found will help us estimate global sea-level rise.

🌊 Serendipity often drives science forward.

A “lost” Argo float drifted under Antarctica’s ice shelves and resurfaced with a warning: warm water is creeping under major glaciers like Denman and Totten.

What’s at risk? Up to 5 m of global sea-level rise.

theconversation.com/what-our-mis...

And the winner should be Australia.

The Nobel Prize committee should announce the World Cup winner tomorrow

The Trump Trabant

SCOTUS Ruling on Texas Gerrymander Could Be Good News for California’s New Map Read more here.

In a surprising twist, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to let Texas use its mid-decade gerrymander for the 2026 midterm elections may end up strengthening California’s defense of its voter-approved map. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

97 ahead of me!

YouTube video by Mothership Taiwanese ambassador to Finland rocks the stage with his metal band at Formosa Finland Fest

#Taiwan’s representative in #Finland has just performed on stage in a bit of metal diplomacy. Apparently his wife was on bass. All other diplomats watch and learn. ;-)

m.youtube.com/shorts/rADk5...

like romeo, the liberal party has taken its own political life after believing a fatal lie — that net zero policies have driven up power prices.

a once-serious party undone by reckless ignorance.

Talk grows about new movement to replace ‘irretrievable’ Liberals With the Liberal Party at one of its lowest ebbs with voters, some disaffected members are starting to think a new political movement might be the answer.

"The electoral wipeout of Liberal moderates by Simon Holmes à Court’s Climate 200 movement meant the Liberal Party could no longer win the seats necessary to form government."

Blaming @simonahac.bsky.social is a cop out. The Libs did this to themselves.

#auspol

www.afr.com/politics/fed...

I think national security is serious business, and life or death decisions should be taken seriously, rather than treated as entertainment for anti-speech activists on social media.
I also know that, for the regime and its fans, people like me objecting to gleeful war crimes adds to their enjoyment.

Kevin would get a photo with anyone.

And Peter Dutton tried this in 2025, with the nuclear policy and his culture wars, and he took the Coalition to its worst ever loss, and he lost his seat. So much winning.

#auspol

“The best way to succeed as a centre-right party is to have strong and distinct policies.” - Abbott

By this Abbott means run hard on climate denial and anti immigration policies.

Well he tried that in 2013, won an election, was then dumped by his own party, then lost his own seat.

#auspol

It’s your own fault you are losing, Abbott tells world’s conservatives The former prime minister also met privately with US Vice President J.D. Vance during his trip to Washington.

“In his speech Tony Abbott said conservative parties should adopt the Trump position that “there is no climate crisis” and abandon the pursuit of net zero emissions.”

It’s 2025 and Abbott, Australia’s worst ever PM,
is still waging a culture war against physics.

www.smh.com.au/world/north-...

The Roberts court just helped Trump rig the midterms The Supreme Court reinstated the Trump-inspired congressional map in Texas.

The Supreme Court has reinstated the Trump-inspired gerrymandered congressional map in Texas after it was blocked by a lower court, with the Roberts court once again putting its thumb on the scale to weaken protections for minority voters and entrench GOP political power.

Matt Canavan asks Treasury’s Dr Alex Heath what their modeling says on NetZero but keeps barging in as it’s not what he wants to hear
Heath “An orderly transition is going to be more economically beneficial”
Canavan “But that’s not relevant to my question!”
Yes it is you idiot🙄 #Estimates

Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business Alex Karp vows to use his "whole influence" on immigration and defense policy.

Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business

Britain becomes world’s largest economy to end new oil and gas exploration - Greenpeace UK Commenting on the government’s North Sea Future Plan, in which it has confirmed that no more licences for new oil and gas will be issued, Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, Areeba Hamid, said:  “B...

'Britain becomes world’s largest economy to end new oil and gas exploration'

Feels like this should have been bigger news...
www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/britain...

If you can’t back Australia you shouldn’t ask Australia to back you

SSECRETARY OF WAR

Pete Hegseth's nameplate during today's cabinet meeting featured an unfortunate error.

(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty)

Datacentres demand huge amounts of electricity. Could they derail Australia’s net zero ambitions? Banks of servers operating 24/7 generate massive amounts of heat, requiring power to run and cool them

"Datacentre power demand in Australia could triple in five years and is forecast to exceed by 2030 the energy used by electric vehicles."

Another reason to detest AI. It gobbles up power and water, and pushes up power prices for everyone.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

The two core parties for a new Dutch government coalition @cda.nl and @d66.nl have agreed on an agenda; they will now invite other parties to join in.
Some of their points on energy and climate in this thread!
1/n