NEWS WRAP

Trump liable for sexual abuse, defamation

• Carroll wins case | A jury found former US president Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a high-profile civil case brought by writer E Jean Carroll. The jury determined the former president must pay US$5m in damages in a ruling that Trump's legal team said they will appeal. READ MORE HERE
   
• Daily debt discussion | Talks between US President Joe Biden and Republican congressional leadership over the looming debt ceiling will continue daily as the US heads for a possible default as soon as 1 June. READ MORE HERE
   
• Texas shooting | A Texas gunman killed eight people in a suburban Dallas mall over the weekend in the latest instance of US gun violence. Authorities said the gunman had 'neo-Nazi ideation'. READ MORE HERE
   
• Jobs keep growing | The US Labor Department reported that the United States added 253,000 jobs in April, evidencing a healthy jobs market despite high inflation rates and a turbulent economic outlook. READ MORE HERE
   
• Russian hackers hacked | US authorities disrupted a long-running Russian malware program previously used to steal sensitive documents from dozens of countries, including NATO allies. US officials say the program is linked to Russia's Federal Security Service. READ MORE HERE

EVENT

What to expect from the Sydney Quad Leaders' Summit

On 24 May, President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet in Sydney for the 2023 Quad Leaders' Summit to discuss key issues facing the Indo-Pacific region.

What can we expect from Australia’s first ever hosting of the Leaders’ Summit? What can the history of the Quad, which dates back to the George W. Bush administration, tell us about its future? How can the Quad successfully align the diverse views across the region to address shared challenges?

To discuss these questions, please join United States Studies Centre (USSC) CEO Dr Michael Green, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean, non-resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee, and Research Fellow Tom Corben for a preview of the upcoming Quad meeting.

WHEN
Thursday, 18 May
6.00–7.30pm

WHERE
Auditorium, The Michael Spence Building (F23), Corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney, Camperdown NSW

COST
Free, but registration required.

COMMENTARY

Wartime charter a handy blueprint for the Indo-Pacific region

Stephen Loosley, AM, Non-Resident Senior Fellow

It is beyond time for the democratic powers and the democratically aligned to forge an Indo-Pacific charter that reflects the values of 2023. It is not the first attempt. Mike Green, now chief executive of the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, noted in his book By More Than Providence, that attempts to create a post-war Pacific charter were stillborn. The Atlantic Charter, on the other hand, was renewed by US President Joe Biden and British prime minister Boris Johnson in 2021. It still can serve as a model.

The countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – Australia, India, Japan and the US – can form the nucleus of those nations wanting to endorse such a charter. They are all vigorous democracies and have the experience and history to draft what is required by way of a tapestry of values and objectives to govern relations between nations across the world from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Seychelles.

The core principles of an Indo-Pacific charter should be unambiguously democratic, with an emphasis on a free and open global commons and the right of all people to determine their own future in a world enlightened by the rule of law and not befouled by the rule of the dictatorial oppressor. An Indo-Pacific charter should embrace basic liberties, including environmental and labour standards, and clarify the ambitions of the countries of the two oceans.

This is an excerpt from a recent article first published in The Australian.

PODCAST

AI's rapid rise and online harms with Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey talks with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, about AI’s rapid rise, online harms, where banking has led the way in technology regulation, and much more.

Technology and Security is hosted by Dr Miah Hammond-Errey, the inaugural director of the Emerging Technology program at the United States Studies Centre, based at the University of Sydney.

BY THE NUMBERS

Australian budget provides billions for submarines

The federal government pledged to provide A$4.5b over the next 10 years to support the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, the vast majority of which will go towards the establishment and sustainment of a new Australian Submarine Agency to oversee the nuclear submarine program.

Other funding will go towards 4,000 additional Commonwealth-supported places at universities in STEM and management disciplines, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to help lay the groundwork for implementation of the AUKUS agreement.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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