April 22, 2024 - 6:05pm

→ Liz Truss plays up the Donald Trump parallels

Noted political oracle Liz Truss has warned the US that she “fears the same forces that came for me will be coming for Trump, if he wins”. In a speech today to the Heritage Foundation, an American think tank, the 45-day PM cautioned that the nebulous global Left — which “wanted to see more big government” and derailed her time in office — still has an agenda to stop the international conservative movement.

No one is safe, Truss suggested, outlining how she tried to “battle the institutional mindset”, which she admitted “didn’t quite work out”. This institutional global elite allegedly involves, among other acronyms and initialisms, the WHO, IMF and COP summit. What’s more, there will be no economic success until we return to a Thatcherite economy. That worked out well before.

→ UCLA study: climate change is homophobic

One might have thought that climate change doesn’t discriminate, but a new UCLA study appears to have put paid to that myth. The report, from the Williams Institute at the university’s School of Law, argues that “same-sex couples are disproportionately located in coastal areas and cities” and “are more likely to reside in communities with poorer infrastructure and less access to resources”. It gets worse for gay citizens, though: according to the study, “LGBT populations face additional disparities in housing, health care, income, and access to food.”

There has been plenty of mirth online at the UCLA findings, with journalist Will Kingston remarking, “As I suspected, climate change is homophobic.” This climate-based discrimination extends to “wildfires, floods, smoke-filled skies, and drought”, according to the report. Washington DC has the highest proportion of gay couples of any county in the US, and is also vulnerable to heatwaves, floods and strong winds. Be careful out there.

→ Gavin Newsom issues pregnancy advice

Women beware: when crossing between blue and red states, a burly police officer may force you to pull over and take a pregnancy test.

So warns the latest TV ad from California Governor Gavin Newsom, airing in Alabama in response to legislation banning adults from helping minors cross state lines for abortions (though the women in the ad both appear to be adults).

Readers might be forgiven for wondering why Newsom is running ads in Alabama, but his choice of network offers some clues. The ad aired on MSNBC during a show hosted by former Joe Biden spox Jen Psaki, seemingly part of the governor’s long-running campaign to bolster his image among Democrats nationwide. Newsom 2028, anyone?