Guam legislature set to debate pursuit of US statehood
There's debate in Guam over whether it should persuade the US Government to grant it statehood.
The territory's decolonization committee says any move must be determined by the people. Guam's legislature is set to debate a non-binding resolution to pursue statehood, following a proposal put forward by Senator Parker Williamson earlier this year.
The territory is listed by the UN for decolonization and last year became an associate member at the Pacific Islands Forum.
"I wasn't surprised a call for statement," said Melvin Won Pat Borja, the Executive Director of Guam's Commission on Decolonization.
"The current status of Guam as an unincorporated territory is an inequitable status to like statehood," he added.
"My primary focus is that the Chamorro people's right to self determination doesn't take a back seat to a particular preference."
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Zohran Mamdani defeats New York Democratic rivals and claims victory for party's progressives
It was a fierce and at times nasty battle that pitted competing visions and ambitions for the future of the Democratic Party against one another. In the end, the New York progressives emerged victorious, and they now believe they have the momentum to change their party. The race to determine who would be the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor had two distinct sides. On one was the Democratic establishment — Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of the State of New York and scion of one of the country's most powerful political families. On the other, the progressive insurgency — Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Muslim and self-declared "Democratic socialist" and critic of capitalism who was promising to hike taxes on the rich. In the end, New York City voted for the younger and far less experienced Mamdani to be its Democratic candidate for mayor, shocking the party establishment and lighting a fire under the progressives who are ready to march further to the left. From the position of president, down to school boards in some local counties, Americans get to vote on who they want to hold power, but they also get to vote on the candidates that end up on the ballot via primaries. While Donald Trump and his MAGA movement have ascended and now reign supreme over the Republican Party, there is a battle going on inside the opposition. Since the defeat of Kamala Harris in November, the Democratic Party has been in the throes of an identity crisis. Some believe future electoral success lies in embracing the left fringe of the party, others want the centre to hold. Now progressives have had a major win. With 43.5 per cent of the vote in the first round, Mamdani is now poised to run as the party's candidate for mayor of New York at the general election on November 4. Mamdani ran a slick social media heavy campaign, and with liberal uses of celebrities, built a grassroots effort that propelled him to victory. "This is not just about New York, this is about the Democratic Party. It's about the hope that we have … that people can win elections, not just money," said celebrity Emily Ratajkowski as she endorsed Mamdani. Voters opted for the man with the shorter resume over someone with a problematic one. Cuomo had been backed by billionaires and as a former governor Cuomo had name recognition, but New Yorkers also could not forget the sexual harassment allegations levelled at him. Mamdani's victory has energised the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. They've seized on his success as evidence that a bold left-wing platform can be electorally successful. But that narrative is already being contested by centrist and moderate members of the party who argue a campaign like Mamdani's might work in inner cities, but will not translate to the suburbs of middle America which determine elections. Either way, Mamdani's win does a few things. It gives progressives momentum, rattles the party establishment and presents an opportunity to Donald Trump and his Republican army. A few short months ago, you would have struggled to find anyone who had heard of Zohran Mamdani outside of local politics and now he is being lionised and pilloried by some of America's biggest political players. His life story became a big part of his campaign. He was born in Kampala in Uganda to a family of Indian ancestry before he moved to New York at age seven. His mother, Mira Nair, is a well-known film director and his father is Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor at Columbia University, specialising in the study of colonialism. Mamdani is married to artist and ceramicist Rama Duwaji who was attacked online by right-wing trolls throughout the campaign. The couple met on Hinge. If the people of New York back Mamdani at the general election, he'd be the first South Asian and first Muslim mayor. He would also be an anti-capitalism mayor in a city that was arguably the birthplace of the United States free market-loving economy. Before his political career, Mamdani worked in film and as a writer. He even had his own short-lived hip hop career as Mr Cardamom, with lyrics like: "I'm your boss, I'm your f**king Nani. Got a doctorate bitch, so don't f**king try me." Mamdani ran on a hyper progressive agenda. He has been promising free buses, rent freezes, tripling the production of rent stabilised housing and to develop a chain of city-owned grocery stores to bring down the prices of basics. But perhaps the most contentious issue in this campaign was his position on Israel and Palestine, despite the New York mayor not having any foreign policy responsibilities. Mamdani's long standing activism on behalf of Palestinians and staunch criticism of Israel was seized upon by his opponents. Mamdani has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and practising apartheid. He's even said he'd arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, if the Israeli prime minister was to visit New York while he was mayor. New York City, with an estimated 1.5 to 2 million Jews, is often considered to be the second largest Jewish city in the world, after Tel Aviv. The conventional political view has been, until now, that to be successful in New York, a candidate needed to be pro-Israel. That was the track Cuomo was running, describing himself as a "hyper supporter of Israel and proud of it". Andrew Cuomo came to this race with heavy baggage, which weighed down his popularity. He stood down as governor of New York state in 2021 after being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. The Justice Department found Cuomo had repeatedly subjected women in his office to non-consensual sexual contact. Cuomo continues to deny he did anything illegal. But Cuomo was well supported by the Democratic establishment. And he was backed by billionaires like former mayor Michael Bloomberg and investor Bill Ackman. Bill Clinton also backed Cuomo, who'd once served as his secretary of housing urban development, with the former president saying: "It is imperative that New York chooses a mayor who has the ability, talent, and experience to do the job." While Cuomo's campaign did its best to paint Mamdani as ill-equipped for the job of running a city with a $115 billion budget and that employs about 300,000 workers, the voters were not swayed. Republicans seem to think Mamdani's win and the Democrats that delivered it have handed them a major advantage in other races. They are doing their best to elevate Mamdani to national prominence. Vice President JD Vance has been calling him "the new leader of the Democratic Party". While President Trump has been calling Mamdani a "100% Communist Lunatic". The National Republican Congressional Committee labelled him as an "antisemitic socialist radical". While Mamdani rejects any claim he's an antisemite, he embraces the term socialist. Basil Smikle, a political analyst and professor at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, said heavy-handed attacks on Mamdani could backfire by energising "a lot of the Democratic voters to want to push more against Trump". Mamdani has paid credit to another high-profile "Democratic socialist", Vermont senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, calling him "the single most influential political figure" in his life. Sanders said Mamdani's victory was due to a "brilliant campaign" and claims Kamala Harris would be president today if she had followed the Mamdani playbook. In addition to Sanders, perhaps Mamdani's most important endorsement came from Congressional representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , more commonly known as AOC. She threw her weight behind his bid in the final weeks of the campaign. "Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack," she said. AOC is the most high-profile member of the progressive wing of the party. She's been suggested as potential president candidate in 2028 or may launch a bid to unseat the long serving senator Chuck Schumer. But while the progressive wing is basking in the glow of the unexpected New York victory, the party is split on what the win means. Democratic strategist Tim Lim told Politico: "For moderates and wealthy Democratic donors, the reaction is, this is horrible and it's going to ruin us." "For centre-line Democrats who don't necessarily support Mamdani's policies, the reaction is, this is a rejection of the Democratic establishment and Mamdani ran a great campaign against a sex offender. "And for progressives, they believe this is what happens when you listen to voters." For his part, Mamdani seemed ready to embrace any role as a party leader, telling supporters in his victory speech that he would govern the city "as a model for the Democratic Party – a party where we fight for working people with no apology". He vowed to use his mayoral power to "reject Donald Trump's fascism". Mamdani will go to the general election in the mayoral race this November. Next November, the United States will vote in midterm elections, which will be the first real test of national sentiment towards the second Trump presidency. By November 2028, the Democratic Party will have to have figured out how to defeat whoever takes over the MAGA mission. While Mamdani's primary victory was a seismic shock to the party, it will be but a blip if he doesn't become mayor in November and that is by no means a lock. It's a crowded field. He'll be facing the current Mayor Eric Adams who previously won as a Democrat before leaving the party when it was clear he would not win the primary. Andrew Cuomo is also leaving the door open to a run as an independent and there will also be a Republican flag-bearer. It is also likely to be a well-financed contest. Billionaire Bill Ackman has already promised to bankroll a rival. He has claimed he and his allies are willing to spend "hundreds of millions of dollars" to ensure Mamdani does not emerge victorious. While Mamdani's pledges to hike taxes and expand services won over New York's Democrats, it might be a different matter once Republicans and independents are given their chance to make a pledge to voters. The ranked choice system New York uses for its elections, which is similar to Australia's preferential system, also rewards moderation so it is possible it will work against him when there are more centrist candidates competing. But win or lose in November, Mamdani has delivered a message to the party's most powerful at a time when there is a vacuum of strategy and direction. By running on a platform that represents, not the top 1 per cent, but the other 99, Mamdani pulled off a monumental political upset. "Cost of living is the issue of our time," Neera Tanden, the chief executive of Democratic think tank Center for American Progress wrote on X in response to Mamdani's win. ABC/Reuters
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Trump warns against ‘ultimate betrayal' as voting begins to pass his megabill
US President Donald Trump has warned Senate Republicans that refusing to support his 'big beautiful bill' would represent the 'ultimate betrayal'. 'With its passage, Americans will keep more of their hard-earned money while taking home much bigger paychecks,' according to a White House statement obtained by NewsNation on Saturday local time. 'Failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal.' The warning shot was fired as Senate members later Saturday prepared to take a procedural vote to kick off debate on the revised, 940-page multi trillion-dollar bill that makes Mr Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent, ends taxation on tips and overtime, boosts border security funding and scraps green-energy tax credits passed during the Biden administration. The megabill is expected to raise the debt ceiling by roughly $5 trillion in order to cram all the provisions in. It could be a make or break moment for the Republican Party – which has invested much of its political capital on Mr Trump's signature domestic policy plan. At its core, the legislation would make permanent many of the tax breaks from Mr Trump's first term that would otherwise expire by year's end if Congress fails to act, resulting in a potential tax increase on Americans. The bill would add new breaks, including no taxes on tips, and commit $350 billion to national security, including for Mr Trump's mass deportation agenda. The Senate will work through the weekend to try and pass Mr Trump's bill by his July 4 deadline. With a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber, the GOP can only afford to lose three votes and still pass the package with a tie-breaking ballot cast by Vice President JD Vance, The NY Post reports. A version of it passed the House by a single vote May 22. But the lower chamber will have to vote on the bill again after the Senate finalises its changes to it. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N. C., said he is concerned about the fundamentals of the package and will not support the procedural motion to begin debate. 'I'm voting no on the motion to proceed,' he said. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans are rushing to finish the bill before the public fully knows what's in it. 'There's no good reason for Republicans to chase a silly deadline,' he added. Mr Trump had been hoping the bill would pass both chambers and reach his desk for signing by July 4. 'The Great Republicans in the U.S. Senate are working all weekend to finish our 'ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,'' the president posted on his Truth Social on Friday.
The Australian
17 hours ago
- The Australian
US Senate effort to restrain Trump's war powers fails
An effort by US Senate Democrats to prevent President Donald Trump from taking further military action in Iran without congressional approval was blocked by Republicans, who argued the commander in chief was within his rights to launch strikes on nuclear sites a week ago. The measure failed with 47 in favour and 53 opposed on Friday, largely along party lines, shy of the required simple majority in the GOP-controlled chamber. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania sided with Republicans in voting against the measure, while GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky sided with the Democrats in backing it. The US launched pre-emptive military strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities last Saturday, citing Tehran's progress toward completing a nuclear weapon. Trump characterised the attacks as a complete success and later announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that has halted the conflict for now. Democrats and some Republicans said Trump should have come to Congress before attacking, arguing Iran didn't present an imminent threat to America. They said they were also leery of the US potentially stumbling into another overseas war, following long fights in Iran and Afghanistan. 'Wars are easy to start. But they are hard to end, and that's why the founders wanted us to debate them before the American people,' Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) said in a speech on the Senate floor. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), would have ordered the removal of US troops 'from hostilities against' Iran and made it clear that Congress needs to approve further attacks. 'War is too big an issue to leave to the moods and the whims and the daily vibes of any one person,' Kaine said in a Senate floor speech prior to the vote. Paul, in explaining his vote, said that ordering US military troops into war 'is the most consequential and humbling responsibility that Congress is entrusted with,' he said in a speech on the Senate floor prior to the vote. But most Republicans said Trump, as the US military's top leader, was within his authority to launch the strikes. Some, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), said this week that they believe that the War Powers Resolution, the 1970s law that attempts to rein in the president's powers, is unconstitutional. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) called the Kaine resolution ill-conceived and said that had Trump consulted Congress, the element of surprise would have been lost. 'I cannot and I will not support a resolution that removes the ability of the president of the United States to act decisively in defence of national interests, our allies and our armed forces,' he said. Senators were briefed on the Iran strikes on Thursday. Emerging from the closed-door briefing, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said that the country's 'operational capability was obliterated.' Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said 'it's safe to say that we have struck a major blow' against Iran's nuclear program. Democrats said they agreed that the sites were significantly damaged but said they needed more information to be convinced that Iran's nuclear program was set back by more than a few months and that Trump had a longer-term plan. 'We all agree that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, but bombing is not the best, most sustainable way of achieving that goal, and nothing I heard yesterday at the intelligence briefing changes that assessment,' said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.). Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he left the briefing with more questions than answers. 'There is no coherent strategy, no end game, no plan,' he said. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) have criticised Trump for waiting days to send US intelligence officials to share classified details about the operations with lawmakers. Neither lawmaker was extensively briefed prior to the strikes. Dow Jones Newswires Read related topics: Donald Trump The Wall Street Journal Only a select few researchers have the skills for the hottest area in tech. Mark Zuckerberg and his rivals want to hire them, even if it takes pay packages of $US100 million. The Wall Street Journal The US President calls Canada a 'very difficult country to trade with' and ends talks over tariffs on dairy products and what he called an egregious digital-services tax on US tech companies.
