The best week of Donald Trump's second presidency just got even better
There's no denying it – Donald Trump just had the best week of his second presidency, by a big margin. A combination of daring, good fortune and the brute wielding of American power combined to deliver a momentous week in global affairs and a number of stunning wins for the president himself.
It began with the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, an operation contemplated by previous administrations but never executed. A flurry of 30,000-pound bombs, fired for the first time outside of testing, was deposited right into the ventilation shafts of a facility deep underneath a mountain.
Two days later, Trump was on the phone piecing together a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran, which, after some teething problems, appears to have held. Now he's involved in a potential resolution in Gaza, saying on Saturday (AEST) that it could come as soon as next week.
The president flew to the Netherlands for a whirlwind visit to the NATO summit, where he confirmed a pledge from members to lift their core defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP – a long-standing US goal – and spend another 1.5 per cent on defence-adjacent infrastructure and projects.
Trump, who casually admitted he considered his attendance something he ought to do, not something he really wanted to do, nonetheless charmed his audience with his usual brand of impulsive banter, especially after a sycophantic reception from NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, who called him 'daddy'.
Loading
Back at home, Trump was still doing his victory lap when the Supreme Court handed him a thumping victory courtesy of a majority ruling that limited the ability of lower court judges to issue 'universal injunctions' when federal government policies face a legal challenge.
Federal judges have been a thorn in Trump's side – or more accurately, a brick wall blocking his path – since his return to power, issuing temporary injunctions that apply nationwide, rather than just in their state or for the plaintiff bringing the case.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 split decision along ideological lines, ruled that this was a modern phenomenon lacking historical precedent and a legal basis. It paves the way for Trump to resume a range of controversial measures held up by the courts, and at a hastily convened press conference on Friday, local time, he said he intended to do exactly that.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Show me the money: Pope launches Vatican debt campaign
Pope Leo XIV has celebrated a special feast day traditionally used by the Catholic Church to drum up donations from the faithful. The Vatican under the first American Pope is rolling out a new campaign to urge ordinary Catholics to help bail out the deficit-ridden Holy See. Leo celebrated Mass in St Peter's Basilica, marking the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and thanked donors who have contributed, using the language of the publicity campaign to say their financial support was a sign of union with his young pontificate. In churches around the world, Masses on the July 29 feast day often include a special collection for Peter's Pence, a fund which both underwrites the operations of the central government of the Catholic Church and pays for the Pope's personal acts of charity. The church is using a promotional video, poster, QR code and website soliciting donations via credit card, PayPal, bank transfer and post office transfer. The Vatican is betting that an American-style fundraising pitch under the Chicago-born Leo will do more to help keep the Holy See bureaucracy afloat and erase its 50 million to 60 million euro ( $A87 million to $A104 million) structural deficit. The video features footage of Leo's emotional first moments as Pope, when he stepped out onto the loggia of St Peter's Basilica and later choked up as he received the fisherman's ring of the papacy. With an evocative soundtrack in the background, the video superimposes a message, available in several languages, urging donations to Leo via the Peter's Pence collection. "With your donation to Peter's Pence, you support the steps of the Holy Father," it says. "Help him proclaim the Gospel to the world and extend a hand to our brothers and sisters in need. Support the steps of Pope Leo XIV. Donate to Peter's Pence." At the end of his noon blessing on Sunday, Leo used the same language about his first steps to say the Peter's Pence fund is "a sign of communion with the Pope and participation with his Apostolic Ministry." "From the heart, I thank those who with their gifts are supporting my first steps as the successor of St Peter," he said. The fund has been the source of scandal in recent years, amid revelations the Vatican's secretariat of state mismanaged its holdings through bad investments, incompetent management and waste. The recent trial over the Vatican's bungled investment in a London property confirmed the vast majority of Peter's Pence contributions had funded the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls, not papal charity initiatives as many parishioners had been led to believe. On top of the budget deficit, the Vatican is also facing a 1 billion euro (about $A1.78 billion) shortfall in its pension fund that Pope Francis, in the months before he died, warned was unable in the medium term to fulfil its obligations. Unlike countries, the Holy See doesn't issue bonds or impose income tax on its residents to run its operations, relying instead on donations, investments and revenue generated by the Vatican Museums, and sales of stamps, coins, publications and other initiatives. For years, the United States has been the greatest source of donations to Peter's Pence, with US Catholics contributing about a quarter of the total each year. Vatican officials are hoping that under Leo's pontificate, with new financial controls in place and an American math major running the Holy See, donors will be reassured that their money won't be misspent or mismanaged.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
‘Utterly insane': Elon Musk reignites feud with President Donald Trump as ‘big beautiful bill' narrowly passes US Senate procedural hurdle
Elon Musk has reignited his feud with Donald Trump, branding the President's key legislation 'utterly insane and destructive' as the so-called 'big, beautiful bill' moved a step closer to becoming law. Elon Musk has reignited his feud with Donald Trump as the President's so-called 'big, beautiful bill' narrowly passed a procedural hurdle in the United States Senate. The 940-page megabill will head to a full debate in the upper house of the US Congress after it passed a procedural motion on a vote of 51 to 49. Multiple Republicans had raised concerns with the bill - which combines significant tax cuts with increases in border and military spending as well as cuts to healthcare and food assistance programs - but after significant lobbying and pressure from the White House, only two Republican Senators joined their Democratic Party colleagues to vote against the bill. Musk lashed out at the legislation on his social media platform ahead of the vote, retweeting attacks on bill – particularly its Green energy components, which he described as 'utter madness' and 'incredibly destructive to America'. 'The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!' Musk said on X. 'Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.' In one post highlighting the unpopularity of the bill among voters, the tech billionaire said it would be 'political suicide for the Republican Party'. The 940-page bill, which would raise the US debt ceiling by $5 trillion, has played a major role in the breakdown of relations between President Trump and Musk – who donated more than $US250 million to his election campaign and for several months led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2025 The SpaceX and Tesla CEO was gushing in his praise of the President during a joint interview held in February, but just days after leaving his DOGE role in May Musk branded President Trump's legislation a 'disgusting abomination'. He even claimed the US leader had declined to release files on convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein because they contained information about President Trump. Sky News is not suggesting there is any validity in Musk's claim, which he later deleted before posting the message: 'I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump. They went too far'. Until the latest salvos, it appeared this had led to a reprieve between the two men. Trump lauds 'great victory' in Senate, attacks Republican holdouts President Trump also took to social media on Sunday to laud the 'great victory' in the procedural vote – despite his 'big, beautiful bill' still having multiple hurdles to pass before becoming law. 'Very proud of the Republican Party tonight. God bless you all!' he said on Truth Social. The President heaped praise on multiple US Senators who had voted in favour of the legislation despite previously raising concerns over the bill. 'Tonight we saw a GREAT VICTORY in the Senate with the 'GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,' but, it wouldn't have happened without the Fantastic Work of Senator Rick Scott, Senator Mike Lee, Senator Ron Johnson, and Senator Cynthia Lummis,' he said. 'They, along with all of the other Republican Patriots who voted for the Bill, are people who truly love our Country!' This praise was in stark contrast to his approach to the two Republican holdouts – Senator Rand Paul, a fiscal conservative from Kentucky who was swept into office during the tea party wave of 2010 and Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina, who has raised concerns about how the cuts to healthcare would harm his state. While President Trump called out both Senators on Truth Social, it was Senator Tillis who came in for the harsher treatment. 'Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!,' the President posted. In a subsequent post, the US President indicated he would support a primary challenge against the senator. 'Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' he said. In defending his decision to vote against the bill, Senator Tillis said: "The Senate version of the One Big Beautiful bill contains significant changes to Medicaid that would be devastating to North Carolina, and I cannot support it'. 'The Senate should go back to the House's commonsense approach to Medicaid reform to enact work requirements while protecting care for those who truly need it.' Senator Paul has repeatedly attacked the bill over excessive spending and its impact on national debt, and on Sunday the Kentucky senator shared Musk's tweet about attitudes to the bill, adding it was 'very clear people don't want this extreme amount of debt and reckless spending'. In an earlier post, the US senator had highlighted an example of the spending measures he opposed. 'How about this: tweak the Big not so beautiful bill so it doesn't add so much to the debt?,' Senator Paul said. 'The legislation, as currently written, would pay someone like Elon Musk $1,000 per child, and we know how prolific he is... No offense, Elon, but is that a wise use of our $$?"
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Penny Wong heads to Washington for meetings with Quad and Marco Rubio
Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet her US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington this week amid ongoing global instability and domestic pressure for Australia to increase its defence spending. Senator Wong travels to the US for the Quad foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday, the second gathering of the group in six months. 'I look forward to engaging with my Quad counterparts as we strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,' she said. Mr Rubio wants to build on the momentum of the meeting earlier this year, a State Department official said in announcing the meeting. 'This is what American leadership looks like: strength, peace, and prosperity,' the official said. While in Washington, Senator Wong will also meet with India's external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya. But all eyes will be on the meeting with the US Secretary of State. Senator Wong said ahead of leaving the country that the United States was Australia's 'closest ally and principal strategic partner'. 'Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share,' she said. 'We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.' Mr Rubio was with President Donald Trump in the Netherlands for last week's NATO meeting, where European countries agreed to American demands to significantly boost military defence spending. Australia has already come under similar pressure, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling Defence Minister Richard Marles his budget should jump from its current level just above 2 per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said last week that if allies in Europe and NATO could find the extra money, 'I think our allies and our friends in the Indo-Pacific region can do it as well'. The Government has repeatedly pointed out its budget contains $10 billion in extra Defence spending over the next four years. It's on a trajectory to reach more than 2.3 per cent by 20233, but this may be sped up once the next national defence strategy is published in about April. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia had 'mature, decent, respectful conversations' with the United States, but the Government would ultimately make its own decisions on behalf of Australia's national interests. 'Our guiding principle in all of this is, what do you have to do to be able to keep Australians safe? And so we start with the capability. We don't start with the dollars,' he said on Sunday. 'It is true, around the world now, that the world is a less stable place than it was. 'That means the conversations you're having now about capability are different to what you would have had (a couple) of years ago.' But shadow defence minister Angus Taylor accused the Government of ignoring the advice from its defence strategic review, published two years ago. He wants to see more money put into hardening northern bases, speeding up the upgrade at the Henderson shipyard, counter-drone technology and recruitment. 'Forget the pressure being put on by the United States,' he said. 'If we are to play the role we need to play in ensuring we have peace through deterrence in our region, the spending is too low, and the government's plan demonstrates that.' Mr Iwaya and Japan's Defence Minister cancelled bilateral talks with the US that were set to coincide with the Quad ministerial meeting after the Trump administration demanded it too spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, Reuters reported last week. Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to China in July for the annual bilateral leadership talks. Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Canberra and Perth at this time last year. The Prime Minister is also seeking a meeting with Mr Trump as soon as possible. The Quad leaders' summit should be hosted in India this year, but a date is yet to be locked in.
