No images? Click here 8 May 2024Trump trial delay on dramatic dayOn the same day that former president Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial saw its most dramatic day of witness testimony, Trump’s upcoming Florida trial on charges of mishandling classified documents was indefinitely postponed from its 20 May start date. The announcement confirmed that it is increasingly unlikely Trump will face a criminal trial — let alone a conviction — before the November election in any of the three other cases in which he is charged. The chances of a May trial in the documents case had already looked remote for months given the number of pretrial issues to be worked through, in a sign of the legal complexities involved in the prosecution of a former president. Trump’s legal teams have sought to delay each of his four criminal trials in the hope they can be pushed until after the election to mitigate the political fallout of any potential conviction. The US Supreme Court is also considering a separate application from Trump for absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts as president. Between this and the delays to his other trials, it appears that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s argument, that Trump committed a felony by concealing hush money payments during the 2016 election, will be the only case in which a verdict is delivered before American voters have their say in November. Tune into the new USSC Briefing Room podcast episode featuring ABC Planet America host Chas Licciardello to hear the latest analysis of the legal dramas engulfing US politics, and what effect — if any — they could have on the US presidential election. NEWS WRAPPillar II garners interest
![]() “Mr Trump, it's important to understand that the last thing I want to do is to put you in jail.” New York Judge Juan Merchan in Trump’s hush money trial | 7 May 2024 EVENT The future of democracy in the Pacific and Southeast AsiaThe United States Studies Centre invites you to the launch event of a new USSC major report, Aligning values and interests: Japanese and Australian democracy support in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. No issues have aligned Japan and Australia more than the multi-faceted challenges China poses, particularly in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Yet as Japan and Australia have drawn closer than ever in areas of security, trade and regional aid, there remains far more work to be done in response to China’s erosion of democratic norms. How can Australia and Japan — two of the largest regional development partners — better support democracy in the region? How can they align their strategic priorities with the needs of a complex and emerging region? What role should the United States have in their efforts? To answer these questions, join USSC CEO Dr Michael Green for a discussion with report editor USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee and report author Dr John Lee, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. WHEN COST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Did you USSC?
BY THE NUMBERS Australian and Japanese experts are far less confident in the credibility of American extended deterrence than American expertsA new survey by the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney, in conjunction with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) canvassed the views of 51 leading Australian experts, 65 leading Japanese experts and 59 leading US experts on the progress and priorities of Japan’s 2022 National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Build-up program. "Only eight per cent of Australian experts and 15 per cent of Japanese experts said they were ‘very confident’ in American extended deterrence, compared with 54 per cent of American surveyed elites, though approximately 65 per cent of Australian and Japanese thought leaders were ‘somewhat confident’ in American extended nuclear deterrence. Surveyed elites do not support Japan acquiring its nuclear capabilities regardless of the hypothetical environments surrounding Japan." This is an excerpt from a new USSC report: Operationalising Japan’s security role in Asia: A survey of experts in Japan, the United States and Australia Manage your email preferences | Forward this email to a friend United States Studies Centre |