No images? Click here 17 April 2024Trump's first trial beginsThe first ever criminal trial of a former US president has begun. Former president Donald Trump was in a New York court on Monday facing fraud charges relating to hush money payments in the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege that Trump falsified business records for electoral benefit, upgrading what is usually a misdemeanour to a felony. Dozens of potential jurors were dismissed after saying they could not be impartial, highlighting the difficulties inherent to such a high-profile case. With Trump’s three other criminal trials facing procedural delays, the hush money case is likely to be the only one to conclude before the election. Meanwhile in Washington DC, the US Supreme Court signalled scepticism of the use of an obstruction charge against a January 6 rioter. If the court adopts a narrow interpretation of obstruction, it could complicate the efforts of Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has levelled the same charge against Trump in his federal election interference case. Court watchers will not only be anticipating the Supreme Court’s ruling on the case by the end of June, but also arguments next week on Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution. Yet amid all these rulings and cases, Trump continues to maintain a narrow lead in national polls, and the 2024 election will almost certainly come down to the wire. USSC experts comment on 2024 Australian National Defence StrategyAhead of today's release of the 2024 National Defence Strategy, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Professor Peter Dean spoke to The Australian about the plan. Professor Dean says that strategic threats are accelerating but the Australian Government cannot create new weapons “out of thin air.” In his view, “the fallback here is you have to rely more on the US. There is nothing else we can do in the short-term because we don’t have those capabilities.” READ MORE HERE For media enquiries, contact: +61 468 480 165 or ussc.media@sydney.edu.au. NEWS WRAPKishida comes to Washington
"We are simply here trying to do our jobs... I am not resigning." US House Speaker Mike Johnson in remarks to reporters | 16 April 2024 EVENT New speakers addedTreasury Secretary Dr Steven Kennedy PSM will speak at USSC's conference on economic security. Against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty, this not-to-be-missed address will explore how Australian economic policy can navigate a more disorderly, shock-prone world. Additional speakers include Alan Beattie, Senior Trade writer at the Financial Times; Dr Elizabeth Economy, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University; Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation; and a virtual address from the Hon. Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Conference sessions and panel discussions include:
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BY THE NUMBERS Twenty-five per cent of Australia’s aid to the Pacific was devoted to ‘governance’ sector in 2021-22By Dr Lavina Lee, Non-Resident Senior Fellow This is an excerpt from a new USSC report: Aligning values and interests: Japanese and Australian democracy support in the Pacific and Southeast Asia “In terms of spending, Australia’s aid budget devotes a significant portion to the sector “governance” which refers to “investments supporting the stronger operation of the public sector and civil society.” In 2021–22, this represented 25 per cent (A$425 million) of its aid to the Pacific, and 21 per cent (A$241 million) to Southeast Asia. Within these large figures, it is difficult to assess exactly how much funding is allocated towards democracy support i.e. to directly supporting free and fair elections, building robust democratic institutions, transparency and accountability in government decision-making, participation by civil society actors and the media in the political process including by demanding transparency and accountability from governments. “Governance” as a category is defined very broadly to include “public sector policy and management, public financial management, domestic revenue mobilisation, legal and judicial development, elections, media and free flow of information, human rights, ending violence against women and girls, social protection, employment creation, and housing policy, culture and recreation,” only some of which can properly be described as democracy support.” Manage your email preferences | Forward this email to a friend United States Studies Centre |