6 NOVEMBER

Beto out, Buttigieg and Warren surge

Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke has dropped out of the presidential race, ending a campaign that struggled to recapture the energy of his insurgent 2018 Senate candidacy.

O'Rourke made the decision to quit on the eve of a gathering of Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa, and is not expected to run for the Senate in 2020 despite efforts by party leaders to encourage him to launch another Senate bid.

Meanwhile, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has made significant gains in the crucial state of Iowa, as former Vice President Joe Biden slipped to fourth place in a New York Times/Siena College poll of voters likely to attend the state's caucuses. Buttigieg is within one percentage point of Senator Bernie Sanders in the poll. Senator Elizabeth Warren currently leads the pack.

NEWS WRAP

"I really needed to watch my back"

The impeachment inquiry has released testimony from former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who says she was the target of a smear campaign by President Trump's allies. She also told the inquiry that a Ukrainian official "told me I really needed to watch my back". Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe spoke to RN Drive's Patricia Karvelas about the latest from the inquiry. LISTEN HERE.
Elections are underway in three US states. Kentucky and Mississippi will elect governors, with Democrats looking for upset victories in those two solidly Republican states. In Virginia, voters will decide control of the state legislature, where Republicans have slim majorities in each chamber. If the GOP loses, the Virginia state government will be under full Democratic control. READ MORE HERE.
Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds told an audience in Washington DC earlier this week that the Indo-Pacific region’s future stability and prosperity “hinge on sustaining and deepening US engagement”. Reynolds used her speech to the Hudson Institute to commit Australia to working with the United States to ensure “a credible hard power deterrent” in the region. READ MORE HERE.
The US Federal Reserve is currently conducting a major public review of its monetary policy strategy. By contrast, Australia has given its framework little independent scrutiny. Director of the USSC's Trade and Investment program, Stephen Kirchner, writes in The Australian Financial Review today about the inadequate public deliberation on the framework for monetary policy in Australia. READ MORE HERE.
There are concerns Chile’s decision to cancel next month's APEC summit may have implications for the phase one trade deal between the United States and China. President Trump said he hoped to sign the deal with Xi Jinping during the summit, but Chilean officials have cancelled it due to violent protests. Senior Advisor Jared Mondschein spoke to Sky News about the impact of the decision. WATCH HERE.
President Trump's tweeting was once considered a sideshow, but it has ended up reshaping the US presidency. The New York Times has taken a look at how a barrage of personal attacks, outrage and boasting, in a near-constant stream of more than 11,000 tweets over 33 months, has changed the White House forever. READ MORE HERE.

A large segment of society that fears and hates powerful women have combined to push a young woman out of power. Yet a man who brags about his sexual predation, who has had dozens of women come forward to accuse him of sexual assault... sits in the highest office of the land.

Rep. Katie Hill speaks after resigning over allegations of a sexual relationship between her a staffer, and private photos of her were disseminated without consent.
(31 October 2019)

DIARY

The week ahead

Wednesday, 6 November: President Trump is scheduled to attend a rally in Louisiana.
Saturday, 9 November: 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Monday, 11 November: Veterans Day in the United States.
Monday, 11 November: Australian Senate returns for a week in Canberra.
Tuesday, 12 November: A Warning, a book written by an anonymous senior Trump administration official, will be published in the United States.

EVENT

#MeToo's champions in conversation

The MeToo Movement – recipient of the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize – has changed the way we understand and talk about sexual harassment and violence around the world, in homes, public spaces, and workplaces.

Tarana Burke began building the movement in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly black women and girls, connect to resources for healing, and to build a survivor-led community of advocates against sexual violence. Tracey Spicer AM spearheaded the movement in Australia, producing award-winning investigations into sexual harassment in media workplaces.

The United States Studies Centre will host both Burke and Spicer in conversation with journalist and presenter Jan Fran, to discuss the founding and future of the movement.

This event is presented in partnership with the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Sydney Peace Foundation.

DATE & TIME
Tuesday, 12 November 2019
6pm–7.30pm

LOCATION
Lecture Theatre 1110, Abercrombie Business School Building (corner of Abercrombie and Codrington Streets), University of Sydney

COST
Free, but registration required.

REGISTER