The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to condemn remarks by President Trump about four minority congresswomen. Trump tweeted Sunday that the progressive Democrats should "go back" to the “broken and crime infested” countries they came from. All four are American citizens and three were born in the United States.

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The 45th

17 JULY

House condemns Trump tweets

The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to condemn remarks by President Trump about four minority congresswomen. Trump tweeted Sunday that the progressive Democrats should "go back" to the “broken and crime infested” countries they came from. All four are American citizens and three were born in the United States.

The 240-to-187 vote saw only four Republicans break ranks to joined Democrats in backing the resolution. Addressing reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that “the president is not a racist” but declined to directly answer repeated questions about whether his tweets were racist. The president has continued to defend his remarks amid the backlash and urged Republicans to vote against the resolution. 

Writing for The Conversation today, Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe (a former Democratic Party advisor) called the past three days in US politics "very difficult – and ugly". 

 
George Washington

NEWS WRAP

"It needs to stop"

  • The first black female Republican elected to US Congress, USSC Senior Fellow Mia Love, has weighed in on the Trump tweet controversy. She told CNN about the president's attack on congresswomen of colour: "It has to stop. I always feel like I’m not part of the ‘America First’ that he goes out and he talks about all the time. I’m an American. I’ve always been an American. I’ve been a Republican longer than he has." WATCH HERE.
     
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the four congresswomen targeted by President Trump in his tweets, is a rising star in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. But an anonymous group of Democrats leaked an internal poll to Axios this week, suggesting swinging voters dislike prominent progressive politicians. Lecturer in US Politics Gorana Grgic spoke to News.com.au about the perception of growing party disunity between moderates and progressives, and whether that's likely to have detrimental consequences in the lead up to 2020. READ MORE HERE.
     
  • Sexual assaults in the US military increased by almost 38 per cent last year, according to the Pentagon. So, has the #MeToo movement failed to make an impact on the armed services or have women become more confident about reporting incidents? Dr Ellen Haring, a former US Army colonel and the current CEO of the Service Women's Action Network joined the 2020Vision podcast this week to discuss the challenges for women in the US military, and her organisation's work with Congress and Democratic presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand. LISTEN HERE.
     
  • The Australian government is being urged to help universities vet overseas partners, to avoid supporting research that leads to human rights abuses or that could be used to damage the national interest. Two universities are reviewing their links to Chinese companies and researchers, over concerns the partnerships could be helping China track and persecute Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province. Research Fellow Brendan Thomas-Noone spoke to RN Breakfast about the story. LISTEN HERE.
     
  • Is nationalism an excuse for world domination? Associate Professor in American politics Brendon O'Connor joined ABC Radio National's Between the Lines program to discuss his recent book on ideologies of US foreign policy and why nationalism is a prescription for a disaster. LISTEN HERE.
 

Completely unacceptable.

British Prime Minister Theresa May condemns President Trump’s tweets about four Democratic congresswomen.
15 July 2019

 

ANALYSIS

Review: The Bikes of Wrath

Stephen Loosley
Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Few novels are able to distil an immense shift in the tide of human history at particular times of crisis. One novel which succeeds brilliantly in conveying the desperate plight of American farmers in the ‘Dustbowl' of Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas during the decade of the 1930s, is, of course, John Steinbeck’s magisterial The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck told the moving tale of ‘The Okies’, moving across the United States in beaten trucks and jalopies to the promised land of California. They suffered much hardship and were seldom made welcome by their fellow citizens who were also struggling with the realities of the Great Depression.

Steinbeck’s novel is as much a triumph of the American Spirit as it is an eloquent tale of the capacity of humanity to confront great odds with courage and determination.

Steinbeck observes: “And here’s a story you can hardly believe, but it’s true, and it’s funny and it’s beautiful. There was a family of twelve and they were forced off the land. They had no car. They built a trailer out of junk and loaded it with their possessions. They pulled it to the side of 66 and waited. And pretty soon a sedan picked them up. Five of them rode in the sedan and seven on the trailer, and a dog on the trailer. They got to California in two jumps. The man who pulled them fed them. And that’s true. But how can such courage be, and such faith in their own species? Very few things would teach such faith.”

A group of five young Australians seemed to share an abiding respect for The Grapes of Wrath. As a consequence, these young Australians retraced the journey of the Joad family by bicycle from Sallisaw, Oklahoma to Bakersfield, California. In so doing, they have made one of the great Australian documentary films, entitled The Bikes of Wrath. This moving cinematic experience demonstrates beyond doubt that some elements of America have not changed since the Great Depression. In particular, the generosity of Americans met along the journey, including some of the poorest citizens, is an amazing testament to the warmth of welcomes extended to strangers, including those from a distant land.

Cameron Ford and Charlie Turnbull have made a remarkably perceptive yet enjoyable film. True, Interstate 40 is not the original dusty Route 66, but much in the movie is faithful to the Joads’ pilgrimage, including the insistence on limiting travel resources to just over US$400. This is jeopardised by generous locals who press donations upon them, to become a part of their trek. The young Aussies plan to busk to replenish their war chest but this is overtaken by American generosity.

The Aussie bikers have little doubt they will make California. For the Joads, it was more problematic: “The ancient overloaded Hudson creaked and grunted to the highway at Sallisaw and turned west, and the sun was blinding. But on the concrete road Al built up his speed because the flattened springs were not in danger any more. From Sallisaw to Gore is twenty-one miles and the Hudson was doing thirty-five miles an hour… Al, at the wheel, his face purposeful, his whole body listening to the car, his restless eye jumping form the road to the instrument panel. Al was one with his engine, every nerve listening for weakness, for the thumps or squeals, hums and chattering that indicate a change that may cause a breakdown. He had become the soul of the car.”

For the Aussies, it is the bikes which cause concern, with trailers being abandoned as guitars are sold off. But they forge ahead.

At one point, they come across the homeless Joe, who appears to be wandering, looking for death. A rescue ensues, and the local police and ambulance respond with care. The Joads actually experience death. The Australian bikers intervene to prevent a vulnerable individual being lost.

The Bikes of Wrath is a gem of a film: faithful to its inspiration of 1939 and respectful of the hard experiences of those who travelled west generations ago. For those who are fascinated by the mosaic of American history and culture, the film affords both purpose and passion, worthy of John Steinbeck.

The Bikes of Wrath is available to watch on ABC's iView.

 

DIARY

The week ahead

  • Wednesday, 17 July: President Trump is scheduled to speak at a campaign rally in North Carolina
     

  • Thursday, 18 July: President Trump will meet with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at the White House. 
     

  • Thursday, 18 July: Nelson Mandela International Day.
     

  • Monday, 22 July: Australian Parliament resumes in Canberra.

 

EVENT

The future of the Australia-US alliance: Report briefing

The authors of a new report examining the future of the Australia-US alliance amidst increasing tensions with China will hold a briefing at Parliament House in Canberra.

Former advisor to US Secretary of State John Kerry, Dr Charles Edel, and former advisor to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Dr John Lee, will present their findings and lay out their bold recommendations for navigating the US-Australia relationship into the future.

Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Frances Adamson, will moderate a discussion with the authors. 

DATE & TIME
Monday, 29 July 2019
6pm–7.30pm

LOCATION
Parliament House, Canberra.

COST 
Free, but registration is required for APH security screening

Register
 

VIDEO

Vice President Mike Pence visits migrant detention facilities on southern US border

Veep
 

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

#GoBack

 

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University of Sydney NSW 2006

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The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney is a university-based research centre, dedicated to the rigorous analysis of American foreign policy, economics, politics and culture. The Centre is a national resource, that builds Australia’s awareness of the dynamics shaping America — and critically — their implications for Australia.
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