Scott Bessent asks for removal of ‘revenge' tax from ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'
'I have asked the Senate and House to remove the Section 899 protective measure from consideration in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill,' Mr Bessent said on X.
'This understanding with our G7 partners provides greater certainty and stability for the global economy and will enhance growth and investment in the United States and beyond.'
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Perth Now
16 minutes ago
- Perth Now
'Crisis of trust': Epstein furore to hurt Republicans
The uproar over disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is undermining public trust in the Trump administration, as well as Republican hopes of retaining control of Congress in the 2026 mid-term elections, two congressmen say. Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who want the House of Representatives to vote on their bipartisan resolution requiring full release of the government's Epstein files, said the lack of transparency is reinforcing public perceptions that the rich and powerful live beyond the reach of the judicial system. "This is going to hurt Republicans in the mid-terms. The voters will be apathetic if we don't hold the rich and powerful accountable," Massie, a hardline conservative from Kentucky, told NBC's Meet the Press program. Republicans hope to add to their current 219-212 House majority - with four seats currently vacant - and 53-47 Senate majority in November 2026, although the US political cycle traditionally punishes the party of the sitting president during midterm elections. The Washington Post reported that Trump was increasingly frustrated with his administration's handling of the furore around Epstein. Even so, the president was hesitant to make personnel changes to avoid creating a "bigger spectacle" as his top officials underestimated the outrage from Trump's own base over the issue, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. Khanna said Attorney General Pam Bondi triggered "a crisis of trust" by saying there was no list of Epstein clients after previously implying that one existed. The change in position unleashed a tsunami of calls for her resignation from Trump's MAGA base. "This is about trust in government," the California Democrat told Meet the Press. "This is about being a reform agent of transparency." President Donald Trump has been frustrated by continued questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and 2019 death by suicide in prison. Massie and Khanna believe they can win enough support from fellow lawmakers to force a vote on their resolution when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. But they face opposition from Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent lawmakers home a day early to stymie Democratic efforts to force a vote before the break. Johnson, who also appeared on NBC's Meet the Press, said he favours a non-binding alternative resolution that calls for release of "credible" evidence, but which he said would better protect victims including minors. "The Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented," Johnson said. "It does not adequately include those protections." Massie dismissed Johnson's claim as "a straw man" excuse. "Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names will be redacted," he said. "They're hiding behind that." Trump has tried and failed so far to distract attention from the Epstein controversy six months into his second term. On Saturday, Trump repeated his claims without evidence that 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other Democrats should be prosecuted over payment for endorsements from celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Last week he accused former president Barack Obama of "treason" over how his administration treated intelligence about Russian interference in US elections nine years ago, drawing a rebuke from an Obama spokesperson. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
AU Financial Review
an hour ago
- AU Financial Review
US, China negotiators meet in Stockholm to extend trade truce
Beijing | US and Chinese officials are meeting on Monday to extend their tariff détente beyond a mid-August deadline, and haggle over other ways to further defuse trade tensions. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead the delegations for two days Stockholm — their third meeting in less than three months. The agenda includes discussions about how long the current tariff truce can be extended, as well as US levies tied to fentanyl trafficking and Chinese purchases of sanctioned Russian and Iranian oil.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trade minister admits gaffe over Trump-Albanese beef talks
Trade Minister Don Farrell says he was wrong to claim that US President Donald Trump raised Australian restrictions on beef imports from North America in phone conversations with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ahead of the decision to scrap the de facto ban. The opposition is calling for both a Senate inquiry and an independent scientific review of the decision to end the restrictions, which they have suggested was made to help secure a trade deal with the Trump administration. Asked about diplomatic discussions leading up to last week's announcement, Farrell said on Sunday that: 'Of course, the president of the United States has raised it with the prime minister'. Pressed on when Trump and Albanese had discussed the issue, Farrell told Sky News: 'I couldn't tell you off the top of my head which of the discussions, but I'm aware that this issue was raised by the president of the United States, but that will not change the way in which we conduct and examine our biosecurity issues.' Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash leapt upon Farrell's 'extraordinary' comments, saying they had raised more questions about whether the process to ease restrictions on beef imports was purely science-based. Loading Albanese later told the ABC's Insiders that he had not discussed the issue with Trump in any of their three phone conversations, refuting Farrell's initial claim. 'I made a mistake,' Farrell told this masthead, adding that he had confused Trump's remarks about Australian beef in the White House rose garden with a conversation between the two leaders. Asked whether Trump had raised the issue with him, Albanese said: 'No. Donald Trump, though, did raise it at the so-called Liberation Day, of course – he raised it publicly, so his views were well-known.'
