NEWS WRAP

State of New York sues Trump 

• Trump’s legal trouble | New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against former President Trump and three of his children. James accused the Trump Organization of falsely inflating the company’s asset values in a 214-page complaint. Both Donald Trump and his son accused James’ actions as being politically motivated. READ MORE HERE
   

• Hurricane Ian | Hurricane Ian is expected to reach southwest Florida in the coming days, with much of the state preparing for a "life-threatening" storm event. More than 2.5 million Floridians are under evacuation orders and much of the east coast of the state, as well as neighbouring Georgia, have declared a state of emergency. The House January 6 Committee postponed its next public hearing in light of the storm. READ MORE HERE
   

• Biden rebukes Putin | President Biden took to the UN General Assembly to condemn President Putin for initiating the first mobilisation of the Russian military since the Second World War and "sham" referenda in Ukrainian territory. "This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people...that should make your blood run cold", Biden told the international gathering. READ MORE HERE
   

• Six weeks to the midterms | The US Federal Reserve is warning it will likely take more aggressive action and continue raising interest rates to control inflation, which poses a political risk for Democrats ahead of midterm elections on 8 November. Polls indicate that the economy is among the top issues compelling voters to the voting booth, which could see voter turnout higher than the record-breaking levels seen in 2018. READ MORE HERE

WEBINAR

Universal voting: Can Australia's experience work in America? 

The simple act of voting – who can vote, how easy it is to vote, who counts the votes, who certifies the votes, and whether the people accept the legitimacy of the outcome of an election – is at the heart of the crisis of confidence in democracy in the United States. After studying voting practices in dozens of countries, E.J. Dionne Jr. and Miles Rapoport found Australia to be one of the most compelling and effective voting systems in the world. What will it take to begin to apply lessons from Australia of Universal Civic Duty Voting to the American experience? Are such fundamental reforms even remotely feasible?

To discuss these issues, please join the United States Studies Centre (USSC) webinar featuring co-authors of the new book, 100% Democracy: The case for universal voting, E.J. Dionne Jr., Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and syndicated columnist for The Washington Post and Miles Rapoport, Senior Practice Fellow at the Ash Centre at Harvard Kennedy School in conversation with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate, Victoria Cooper.

WHEN
SYDNEY | Friday, 30 September, 11am-12pm AEST
WASHINGTON DC | Thursday, 29 September, 9-10pm EDT
PERTH | Friday, 30 September, 9-10am AWST

COST
Free, but registration is essential

ANALYSIS

The significance of Ambassador Kennedy's time in Tokyo for Australia

Jared Mondschein
Director of Research, United States Studies Centre

When Ambassador Kennedy arrived in Tokyo in 2013, she found herself at the nexus of two regional strategic debates: one over the nature of the challenge China posed and another over the staying power of the United States in the region. These debates fuelled the Obama administration’s 2012 “Asia Pivot” – the articulation of US government policy highlighting the Indo-Pacific as the “priority theater” after a years’-long overemphasis on the Middle East. Despite the rhetorical shift, many in the Indo-Pacific, including the United States, questioned whether US actions would match its ambitions. While Tokyo had largely already decided its view of and strategy for dealing with China, key US officials, as well as US allies in the region, clearly lacked consensus as to what sort of a challenge China posed and what actions the United States and its regional allies should take in response. Some even questioned whether Shinzo Abe’s grand strategy of confronting China was too antagonistic a framework compared to a more generous model of “great power relations”.

At the start of Caroline Kennedy’s Australian ambassadorship in July 2022, public opinion and policy choices by Indo-Pacific nations indicated the debates of 2013 had shifted dramatically. There appear record-high levels of consensus about China – globally, in the region, among key US allies and partners, and crucially, in Washington itself. And while Washington’s political system is ever more polarised, the consensus on the need to apply counter-pressure on Beijing and defend US values and interests in the Indo-Pacific has only increased. In many ways, Washington and Canberra are following public sentiment, as more than 80 per cent of Americans now view China unfavourably – practically identical to Australia’s 82 per cent. Less than two years after a Trump administration that often ignored or antagonised alliances and six years after an Obama administration that at times displayed ambivalence about confronting China, the Biden administration has made its intentions clear: it seeks to empower the force multiplier effect of US allies and partners in a strategic competition with China.

The following is an excerpt from Why Australia should feel familiar to Caroline Kennedy published 9 September, 2022.

BY THE NUMBERS

Fundraising slows for Trump's Super PAC

Make America Great Again Inc., a new super political action committee (PAC) backed by former President Trump, formed last week amid speculation of campaign funding trouble for Trump and his supporters. The Federal Election Commission recently revealed funds for the Make America Great Again, Again! super PAC have swiftly dwindled since its inception in the April quarter, raising US$40 over August.

Despite such speculation, the former president remains flush with cash, with around US$100 million reserved across seven Trump-affiliated fundraising networks, making Trump one of the best-funded entities in American politics. The new super PAC, MAGA Inc. will absorb funds raised through MAGAA!, and other Trump-backed PACs like Save America to boost chosen candidates ahead of the midterms and possibly support the president's 2024 ambitions.

VIDEO

Congress, the White House and democracy at a crossroads: A conversation with Larry Sabato

As we approach the November midterm elections, Joe Biden's presidency, the control of Congress and the future course of America's democracy are all at a crossroads. What is the outlook for both parties in the midterms, and what is at stake for President Biden and the balance of his first ​term? What are the prospects for a Republican-controlled Congress and what will be their agenda? What could all this mean for the 2024 presidential and congressional elections? What should Australians look for as the United States votes?

To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar featuring Dr Larry Sabato, one of America's most distinguished political scientists and founder and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics in conversation with USSC's Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Research Associate Victoria Cooper.

Catch more podcast and video analysis on the United States here.

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