No images? Click here 30 August 2023US marine deaths latest in a series of Osprey crashesNearly one month to the day after the loss of four Australian Army aircrew members in the Talisman Sabre exercise, three US marines were killed in an Osprey helicopter crash on the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin, as part of Exercise Predators Run alongside Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste in addition to US and Australian forces. While former president Trump’s mugshot from his fourth indictment circulated across global headlines, the tragedy on the Tiwi Islands is a poignant reminder about the importance of the Australia-United States relationship and the realities of the defence and national security cooperation between both countries. The crash is the latest in a series of fatal Osprey accidents including crashes in Norway and California in 2022 and, reminiscent of the latest crash, one in Australia in 2017 in which three marines were killed. Australian Defence Minister Marles expressed his condolences and emphasised to ABC News “how important these exercises are in making sure that our defence forces are ‘match fit.’” The twin tragedies for both the United States and Australia underscore the risks and costs that exist even outside of direct conflict. NEWS WRAPEarliest Trump trial date set for 4 March
![]() “This tragedy and the recent loss that Australia also suffered, reminds us all how grateful we are to those who serve in uniform – risking their lives every day to protect and defend the country they love and to keep the rest of us safe.” US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy on the deaths of US marines | 28 August 2023 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Did you USSC?
![]() BY THE NUMBERS All publicity is good publicityBy Victoria Cooper, Research Editor Facing 13 criminal charges relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, former president Trump surrendered to authorities in the state’s Fulton County Jail on Friday. The surrender was the first time, despite having already undergone three other criminal proceedings, that Trump’s photo was taken as part of the procedure, which gave the world the unprecedented, first-ever mug shot of a US president. Now infamous, the photo presented Trump's detractors and allies with the perfect symbol for their vastly different messages; for critics – the image of an untrustworthy, reputationally weathered and reckless political figure, and for allies – a defiant martyr facing political persecution and the so-called ‘weaponisation’ of the justice system by Democrats. It also marked the former president’s official return to X (formerly ‘Twitter’) with the caption “NEVER SURRENDER”. As Trump’s legal woes mount pressure on the former president's 2024 calendar (including the most recent announcement of a major trial beginning just one day before Super Tuesday) and wallet, perhaps the most lucrative use of the image was by Trump’s Save America fundraising committee for various merchandise. Within days of the photo's release, $12 bumper stickers, $25 coffee mugs and $34 t-shirts brandished with the mug shot emerged for sale on Trump’s official presidential campaign website. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr also advertised the merchandise on his X account, pledging all profits from the sales would go towards Trump’s legal defence. According to the probes in his first criminal indictment in New York (relating to the Trump team’s alleged campaign fund mismanagement), Trump has invested over US$98 million (AU$153 million) in merchandise operations since 2015. While red ‘Make America Great Again’ caps have become iconic symbols of the president’s political causes and supporters, time will only tell whether these new ‘mug shot mugs’ will ascend to the same iconic status or make any difference to the president's fortunes in 2024. EVENT Film screening: Mr Smith Goes to WashingtonDecades before the “deep state” entered the parlance, Mr Smith Goes to Washington explores how a corrupt political machine falsifies evidence to expel the idealistic Boy Rangers leader who was appointed to the Senate. Culminating in the heroic filibuster scene, Senator Smith (in the role that catapulted Jimmy Stewart to fame), holds the floor of the Senate while his supporters rally to prove his innocence. From special appointments to legislative proceedings, the 1939 film was one of the first films preserved by the Library of Congress because it was considered so “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The United States Studies Centre invites you to a film screening with Non-Resident Senior Fellow Stephen Loosley AM (whose expertise combines presidential politics and Hollywood history). CEO Dr Michael Green will host an audience discussion following the film. TYPE COST Manage your email preferences | Forward this email to a friend United States Studies Centre |