The Mike Hosking Breakfast

President Donald Trump turned a surprise opening-day appearance at his party’s scaled-down national convention into an opportunity to question the integrity of the fall election, even as his aides promised a diverse and uplifting message once the evening program shifted back to Washington, D.C. for prime time.
Trump, who was not scheduled to deliver his keynote convention address until later in the week, nevertheless made multiple public appearances throughout the first day of the four-day convention. And while the evening programming was carefully scripted, Trump was not.
“The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election,” Trump told hundreds of Republican delegates gathered in North Carolina, raising anew his unsupported concerns about Americans’ expected reliance on mail voting during the pandemic. Experts say mail voting has proven remarkably secure.
The GOP convention marks a crucial moment for Trump, a first-term Republican president tasked with reshaping a campaign he is losing by all accounts, at least for now.
A deep sense of pessimism has settled over the electorate 10 weeks before Election Day. Just 23% of Americans think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The evening program highlighted the tension within Trump's Republican Party. His harsh attacks against Democrats who are trying to expand mail voting and demonstrators protesting deaths in police custody, for example, often delight his die-hard loyalists. Yet convention organizers are also featuring a diverse lineup with a more inclusive message designed to expand Trump's political coalition beyond his white, working-class base.
Two of the three coveted final speaking slots Monday night went to people of color who have been openly critical of Trump in the past, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The lineup also featured Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple arrested after pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching past their home.
“Democrats no longer view the government’s job as protecting honest citizens from criminals, but rather protecting criminals from honest citizens," the McCloskeys said in prepared remarks that broke from the optimistic vision for America organizers promised.
They added: “Make no mistake: No matter where you live, your family will not be safe in the radical Democrats’ America."
The program also included a collection of average Americans praising Trump's leadership: a public school teacher from California, a small business owner from Montana and a nurse practitioner from Virginia.
One of several African Americans on the schedule, former football star Herschel Walker, defended the president against those who call him a racist.
“It hurts my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald," Walker said in prepared remarks. "The worst one is ‘racist.’ I take it as a personal insult that people would think I would have a 37-year friendship with a racist.”
Some of the planned remarks for the evening program were prerecorded, while others were to be delivered live from a Washington auditorium.
The fact that the Republicans gathered at all stood in contrast to the Democrats, who held an all-virtual convention last week. The Democratic programming included a well-received roll call video montage featuring diverse officials from across the nation. The Republicans spoke from the ballroom in Charlotte and were overwhelmingly white.
Trump said he had made the trip to North Carolina to contrast himself with his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, who never traveled to Wisconsin, the state where the Democratic convention was originally supposed to be held.
The president has sought to minimize the toll of the coronavirus pandemic and he barely...

If the government hadn't lost last week in the Borrowdale case, I wouldn't be paying the attention I am to Greymouth Gas taking Megan Woods and the government to court.
The clue in the Borrowdale case, which seemed a great deal more complex than the gas case, was that after nine days they changed the bit of writing on the paper. In other words, someone, somewhere worked out they might be in trouble so put a bit of ink in place to seemingly patch up the gaps.
We now know that was because the opening stanza was unlawful. It's a shame, in many respects, the case didn’t get the coverage it deserved. And it failed to do so because,  we were preoccupied with a border cock up and a decent chunk of the country locked down due to a government that couldn’t deliver a pizza, far less a pandemic plan. And sadly, the media don’t have a large number of senior practitioners any more than understand law as well as they should …having been in court a few times over the years very little is as it seems
The simple gets quickly complicated and the slam dunk argument often has a nuance mainly missed by those merely seeking a headline grab. And, as such, often the decisions aren't actually all that cut and dry as well.
In the Borrowdale case, for example, yes, the government acted unlawfully but in the end, what tangible outworkings were there? None, apart from humiliation.
The gas case, on its first flush, seems very simple indeed.
Can you make an announcement to ban something and then enact that decision without actually changing the law? The answer would seem to be, no.
And pretending to enact it, as is the claim, for a full seven months until the law is changed seems a fairly open and shut case. If it does play out this way, if in fact Greymouth are right and the government lose again, what does that say about the government? Is it inept? Or so arrogant they didn’t think they needed to change laws because they were above the law? Did they never consider their actions might lead to harm for business and therefore they would be surprised if anyone questioned their stance?
Can a government think they can simply go about making any old decisions they want, hurting whoever they want, without any due regard for what parliament is actually there for? That's making laws.
The devil will be in the detail. But losing once is bad enough, losing twice would surely give even the most ardent supporter pause for thought. Can a single government really be that bad at the basics, twice?

A popular Auckland bar is frustrated by Cabinet's decision to keep Alert Level Three restrictions for another four days.
The region is remaining at Level Three until midnight Sunday, before joining the rest of the country at Level Two.
Ponsonby's Longroom co-owner Richard Bagnall told Mike Hosking coming in and out of different Alert Levels isn't sustainable for the hospitality industry.
He says paying rent during this time is tough - and something has to give.
‘We either decide whether to stop the business, or to work with Government and landlords to somehow ease the pain.
Bagnall says it's frustrating to stay at Level Three, because almost 80 percent of hospitality businesses' turnover occurs from Wednesday through to Sunday.
He says his business will miss out on more than 90-thousand dollars in turnover.
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Who to believe over the Government keeping National abreast of Covid-19 decisions.
Cabinet decided yesterday that Auckland would move to alert level two from midnight on Sunday - and the rest of the country will remain at level two.
National leader Judith Collins told Mike Hosking that her health spokesman, Dr Shane Reti, had not been consulted about yesterday's decision after Ardern suggested Health Minister Chris Hipkins had been having "good, solid, frequent engagement" with the Opposition.
"The Prime Minister may wish a lot of things to happen but delivery is not a strong point."
She said the National Party had received no briefing.
"We didn't have any of the health information. She needs to front up with that information and allow the public to see on what basis she's made that decision."
She said there was no way the border wasn't going to leak after the "absolute mess" of testing disorganisation was revealed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended her Government's extension of the Auckland lockdown to protect people's health, as the business sector warns of closures and job losses.
Ardern's comments come as the National Party say they and the public are being left in the dark over specific health information that formed the basis for the lockdown extension.
The hospitality sector say many bars and restaurants won't reopen as they struggle to cope with the four-day extension to the Auckland level-3 lockdown.
A reprieve from level 3 won't come for Aucklanders until 11.59pm Sunday, and they will then have to wait another week before they can have social gatherings of more than 10 people.
Ardern said more time was needed at alert level 3 to have greater confidence about the perimeter of the current outbreak, which now includes New Zealand's largest cluster.
"It's all on Covid," Ardern told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking today, when he asked if it was fair to suggest the extended lockdown was all on her and the Government.
"When I look around the world, every other country is having similar experiences, battling Covid or dealing with a resurgence. We are not alone in that."
Asked whether decision-making needed to be more apolitical, she said the independent health advice was comprehensive. "We have the job of making sure we constantly weigh up the economic impact. Our view is a strong scientific, health view is the best way to support our economy."
When asked by Hosking whether the border had leaked, she said authorities were still hunting what had caused the Auckland cluster outbreak, including comprehensive testing of people at the border.


She was not going to make the assumption it came through the border.
"We will keep hunting. You are probably better to ask scientists for their reckons rather than mine.
"We have tested almost all our border workers and have not found it. We have tested our quarantine workers and have not found it. We have even done the genome sequencing of people who have been positive in our facilities and as yet have not been able to match it to what we have seen in this cluster. We have tested our ports and not been able to find it."
She acknowledged workers at the border were previously not being as comprehensively tested as the Government had wanted.
She said there was no push-back in Cabinet to the lockdown decision yesterday. "There was a little bit of discussion around what we might learn in the coming week, but no. There was a consensus view on what we wanted to do. What we have all agreed is our constant approach needs to be to manage and stamp out cases with as few restrictions as we can. That needs to be our ongoing goal."
She was not embarrassed about the recent High Court decision which found the first nine days of the first lockdown were unlawful. She said the court had found the Government had good grounds to protect Kiwis' health. "I found it a balanced judgment in the end."

The hospitality industry is hopeful for a move in alert levels today.
The Auckland Business Chamber has conducted a survey of the economic health of 1000 businesses during the city's current Level 3 restrictions which relegates retail stores and hospitality establishments to delivery and pickup trade only.
The survey revealed 18 per cent of businesses indicated they could not survive a further lockdown, 28 per cent said they could manage just one more, and 24 per cent indicated two more.
Hospitality New Zealand CEO Julie White told Mike Hosking that the industry is split between two different alert levels, and those outside of Auckland want to go down.
"We need them to make some sensible decisions and get the rest of the country to level one. 
"It just doesn't make any sense to lock everyone down under level two because of Auckland."
She says that she has had members ringing her with horror stories - including one cafe in Wellington that took just $14 during the weekend. 
If the alert levels don't change, White says that the Government will need to support the industry.

The entire cast of hit reality show The Masked Singer Australia has been shut down with stars having to self isolate after an outbreak of coronavirus on set.
A Network 10 spokesman said: “Production of The Masked Singer has been immediately suspended as a result of several crew members receiving a positive test result for COVID-19.
“The health and safety of the community, and our staff and production partners is our number one priority.
“The entire production team, including the masked singers, the host and panellists are now in self-isolation. They are all being monitored closely and are in constant contact with medical authorities.
“Network 10 is working closely with the Victorian Government and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. Network 10 is providing all crew with all the support and assistance possible.”
Dannii Minogue, radio host Jackie O, and comedians Dave Hughes and Urzila Carlson appear on the show. It is hosted by Osher Gunsberg, who also hosts The Bachelor.
A Network Ten spokesman said the news won’t affect filming of The Bachelor.
The Herald Sun reported seven dancers on the show have tested positive to COVID-19 after one reported feeling ill on Friday and was told to go home and get tested. Close contacts also tested positive to COVID-19.
Greater Melbourne has been subject to a harsh stage four lockdown and curfew in order to get a second wave of coronavirus under control, with residents told not to leave their homes after 8pm.
The show has already been filmed this year without a studio audience under COVID-19 guidelines.
It is filmed in a Docklands studio and was supposed to be used by Channel 9 for a booking this week, however that has been cancelled, the Herald Sun reports.
The show has been a ratings hit, with over 823,000 viewers since it launched on August 10.
Big Brother Australia has already been rocked by coronavirus with contestants told a “crew member has come into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case” in the diary room of the show.
It saw the house placed into lockdown and the game suspended.

The deadly California wildfires have burned over 1 million acres -- and there's no end in sight as thousands of firefighters struggle to contain the blazes and more emerge.
Hundreds of fires were started by lightning, Cal Fire spokesman Steve Kaufmann said. There were approximately 12,000 lightning strikes that started 585 fires in the state over the past week. A total of 1.1 million have burned in the state with more than 13,000 firefighters working the fires, he said.
Firefighters have been struggling to contain the massive blazes that have killed at least four people. Two fires -- the 341,243-acre LNU Lightning Complex Fire in the northern Bay Area and Central Valley, and the 339,968 acre-acre SCU Lightning Complex Fire largely east of San Jose -- are among the state's three largest wildfires in recorded history.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Saturday the state has received a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration due to the fires burning in the Northern part of the state. This means President Donald Trump released federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in areas affected by the wildfires.
Those areas include Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties, according to a White House statement. The SCU fire is now the 2nd biggest fire in state history while the LNU is the third.
Some firefighters are working 24-hour shifts
Though more than 13,000 firefighters are battling the flames -- some on 24-hour shifts -- there are too many fires and not enough resources to prevent more homes from being torched, Cal Fire officials have said.
One of the reasons for a resource shortage: Fewer prison inmates than usual are helping, because of early releases during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inmate firefighters "are an integral part of our firefighting operations," Cal Fire spokeswoman Christine McMorrow said. The early releases have meant 600 fewer inmate firefighters are available this fire season compared to last year.
Firefighters are worried about forecasts that say dry thunderstorms -- featuring lightning but little rain -- could spark more fires and spread existing ones Sunday through Tuesday.
At a media conference Sunday, Incident Commander Sean Kavanaugh said the LNU Lightning Complex Fire and SCU Lightning Complex Fire had burned roughly 680,000 acres.
"Right now, both of these fires are sitting at number two and number three as the largest incident in the state. To have both of those going off at the same time is saying something ... it gives us the magnitude of what has happened here in the last week here in the state."
Kavanaugh said that 96% of Cal Fire's engines were engaged in fighting fires, with additional resources coming in from outside agencies, including fire engines from Washington state and Oregon.
But he said resources would be redirected for new fires: "If we do get a new start, we have to pull resources. That is very difficult to do but we do have to do it. We have to make sure we do not get new starts up and running on us."
At the same briefing, Fire Unit Chief Shana Jones warned residents to be ready for possible evacuation.
"Tonight, or today, a weather red flag warning was issued which encompasses pretty much the entire northern half of the state of California and central coastal areas for lightning and erratic winds," she said. "So, what I'm asking from all of you is -- with the weather predicted, the red flag warning issued -- I can't stress enough the importance of being prepared to leave."
Fires cause more death and destruction than all 2019
California wildfires have caused more deaths and destruction so far this year than in all of 2019. Last year, wildfires charred a total of 260,000 acres and killed three people, according to Cal Fire.
The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts for parts of at least six states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and New...

D-Day today, again.  It was going to be Friday, but in the Labour Party's over-promise and under-deliver way of running the country that got delayed.
Forgotten, sadly, these past couple of weeks is the bulk of the country, the vast swathes of this land who have had to endure repressed and constrained movement for lord only knows what reason.
In locking off Auckland, Timaru got caught up as well, as did Arrowtown, Westport, New Plymouth, Nelson; how long do you want the list to be?
And in that net were the bars and cafes that closed or got hammered in terms of turnover and customer numbers.
Level 2 isn't the end of the world, but that’s the reverse psychology of all of this, isn't it? The same way the doom merchants of Auckland freaked out about a level 4 lockdown and when they got 3 they, instead of seeing it for what it was, a massive over reaction, actually breathed a sigh of relief.
For the bulk of the country level 2 isn't as bad as level 3. But it's worse than level one, which is worse than zero, and one is where you should be, but you're not.
It's the Grant Robertson trick. Find someone, or something that is really bad or useless and go, "see look at that mess, we are nothing like that mess.” And instead of going, "no, why would we be?" We go, "oh yeah, so it's not so bad after all."
There is simply no reason for the South Island to have been inconvenienced in any way whatsoever. Queenstown, already in trouble because of the border, sits thousands of kilometres away from a South Auckland cluster, and is being hammered again by the removal of domestic tourists.
Sport has been hammered, pubs have been hammered, hospitality generally has been hammered.
You don’t have cases, haven't had cases, aren't within miles of any cases and yet you are paying the price. Why, and why if you're not, aren't you angry?
It is, yet again, a tangible outworking of why the panic this government operates under as a strategy, doesn't work because they don’t have the tools. Like contact tracing, testing and an app that has the uptake to actually be effective.
A cluster in a small area should not lockdown a whole city, far less inconvenience an entire country.
We have to learn to deal. If our border is going to continue to leak, and that’s another matter altogether, we have to learn to deal with an outbreak without taking a mallet to the whole nation. Yes, we are a small country, but the pub curtailed in Blenheim, because of a cool store in South Auckland is too high a price to pay.
And you will note there is no promise this won't be happening again, and again, and again.

Sport NZ is providing something to cheer about for sporting organisers and groups.
They have a new $68 million fund - Tu Manawa Active Aotearoa - which targets programmes for young people aged 5 to 16 to help them be more active, after we have all spent more time in our homes this year.
It's an upgrade on their regional partnership fund and now recreational sport, alongside organised sport, will be available for funding.
Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin told Mike Hosking that many kids are choosing not to do organised sport, so are now doing more activities like skateboarding and scouts. 
"Anything that provides opportunities for young children to be physically active today, we're interested."
Organised sport is defined as competitions, and Miskimmin wants to extend funding to include more "play" and recreational activities.