Trump has dropped a big, beautiful bomb on America's economy
US President Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill' marks a wholesale retreat from swaths of advanced manufacturing and energy technology. It abandons a central front of the Sino-American superpower contest without a fight.
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ABC News
38 minutes ago
- ABC News
Israel mulls response as Hamas says it's ready for ceasefire talks 'immediately'
Israel is mulling its response after Hamas said it was ready to start talks "immediately" on a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal. The nation's security cabinet is expected to meet after the end of the Jewish Sabbath to discuss Israel's next steps as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to leave for Washington for talks on Monday with US President Donald Trump. Mr Trump has been making a renewed push for an end to nearly 21 months of war in Gaza. "No decision has been made yet on that issue", an Israeli government official said when asked about Hamas's response to the latest ceasefire proposal. Hamas made its announcement late Friday, local time after holding consultations with other Palestinian factions. "The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place" the terms of the US-backed truce proposal, the militant group said in a statement. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group said it supported ceasefire talks, but demanded "guarantees" that Israel "will not resume its aggression" once hostages held in Gaza are freed. Mr Trump, when asked about Hamas's response aboard Air Force One, said: "That's good. They haven't briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza." This week, the US president said Israel had agreed "to the necessary conditions to finalise" a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, local health authorities say. Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US have seen temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Also on Saturday, the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reported two American staff were injured in an "attack" on one of its aid centres in southern Gaza. "This morning, two American aid workers were injured in a targeted terrorist attack during food distribution activities at SDS-3 in Khan Yunis," the organisation said in a statement. The GHF noted that the injured employees were in stable condition. "The attack — which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans — occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food," it added. The ABC has not been able to immediately verify this claim. The GHF began operations on May 26 in Gaza after Israel halted supplies into the Palestinian enclave for more than two months, sparking famine warnings. The foundation's operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations. More than 500 people have been killed while waiting to access rations from its distribution sites, the UN Human Rights Office said Friday. The Israeli military has blamed Hamas for the deaths. "GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers and the civilians who rely on our sites for food," the foundation said. "Today's attack tragically affirms those warnings." AFP
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump's ‘detractors' are now in a ‘very weakened position'
Sydney University Senior Lecturer Dr Peter Chen says US President Donald Trump set an 'extremely aggressive timeline' on getting the Big Beautiful Bill passed, while mentioning that his 'detractors' are now in a 'very weakened position'. 'There are really three aspects to the bill that I think we're going to be talking about over the next year, year and a half,' Mr Chen told Sky News Australia. 'He set an extremely aggressive timeline on it, to get it done by the fourth of July. 'It's extremely kind of symbolic for him. 'He's also demonstrated that his detractors are in a very weakened position.'
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Billionaire's wedding a marriage of exhibitionism and excess
I would go further than Jacqueline Maley (' The Bezos-Sanchez wedding party proves we live in an age of vulgarity ', June 29). The Bezos-Sanchez wedding surpassed vulgarity. It was an obscenity. If there were ever an argument against a wealth tax on billionaires, it was dispelled by that single event. Tony Judge, Woolgoolga Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. You look at the positives and negatives of Bezos' nuptials. Jeff Bezos apparently pays a 1.1 per cent tax currently, substantially lower than the average American pays, which is likely to decrease further once the Trump bill passes through the US Congress and Senate. Having said that, Bezos has contributed to the Venice economy in the past few days in a way they could only dream of. But he can't beat Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's son's wedding last year - apparently Ambani spent over $US$1.1 billion, which supported the local economy in India, and he also invited the world's who's who, including Tony Blair and many other influencers. In both cases, it's their own wealth they are spending or showing off, though it might look vulgar and obscene to an average punter in the street. That's life, as Derryn Hinch used to say. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill Jacqueline Maley sums up glaring divide between the so-called rich, famous and powerful and a society desperately struggling to survive. The excess and blatant display of wealth and self-importance is all about those who telegraph to the world that despite global uncertainty, exhibitionism is of greater importance. For those of us whose love brought them to a wedding ceremony in a time and place very different to that of today, the simplicity of the occasion is something to be cherished. While we wish the newlywed couple well for their future happiness, our hope is that they retain an everlasting love that transcends the extravagance. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook According to the long-held view 'the more expensive the wedding, the quicker the divorce', this marriage will be very short indeed. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills Creepy AI friends It is concerning that many young children and teenagers (or adults, for that matter) have no human confidant and must rely on an AI chatbot for interaction (' Her best friend wasn't real, but they still spoke every day ', June 29). 'Invisible friends' and diaries have always provided a safe haven for thoughts and creative play, but AI bots deliver a menacing undertow where control is limited and information flow is indeterminate. Many of our children and the vulnerable are at risk, and safeguards need to be calculated to allow safe interaction both in the 'now' and the future use of personal and confidential information. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer Shut up and shop I sympathise with Thomas Mitchell's aversion to insincere retail bonhomie (' Does the customer want to chat? Since you asked, no ', June 29). But far worse than shop assistants who chattily probe the details of one's social calendar is the irritation of having a fellow shopper insist on amiably blathering on to said assistant, with both of them oblivious to the growing queue. Maybe the 'dreaded manager' lurking somewhere offstage could 'offer feedback' to the assistant that those of us who just want to get in and get out as quickly and efficiently as possible would appreciate a timely acknowledgement of our existence as a polite nudge to the bottlenecker to keep it moving. Adrian Connelly, Springwood Degrees of toxicity
