Australians Equally Distrust Both Trump and Xi, Survey Finds
A new survey released by the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney showed that 72% of respondents said they didn't trust Trump to act responsibly in global affairs, just edging out the 71% who said they didn't trust China's Xi. When asked whether Trump or Xi would be a better partner for Australia, the two leaders were tied at 45% apiece.
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Trump's pivot from aid to trade leaves Africa wary as it faces tariffs and uncertainty
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — When U.S. President Donald Trump met five African leaders in Washington in July, his lack of familiarity with the continent was on display. He praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai's English — Liberia's official language — and gestured at another leader to wrap up remarks. But the bigger takeaway was Trump's pledge to transform U.S.-Africa relations: a shift from aid to trade, even as the region reels from steep tariffs and sweeping aid cuts. African leaders offered minerals from manganese to uranium and possibly lithium. Senegal's president even sought to leverage Trump's love of golf by inviting him to build a course. Yet many nations are anxious about Washington's new path. After slashing billions in foreign aid, including shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development — which provided over $12 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2025 alone — the Trump administration says it is forging a new approach: 'commercial diplomacy.' Trade, not aid, is the order of the day. 'It is now truly our policy for Africa,' said Troy Fitrell, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, when announcing the strategy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in May. Ambassadors will now be judged not by aid projects but on 'how well they support' local businesses and 'how effectively they advocate for U.S. business and the number of deals they facilitate,' he said. Africa accounts for less than 1% of U.S. goods trade, but Fitrell called it 'the world's largest untapped market,' projecting its purchasing power could surpass $16 trillion by 2050. Early deals, lingering doubts Washington touts quick progress: 33 agreements worth $6 billion in Trump's first 100 days, plus $2.5 billion in commitments at a U.S.-Africa business summit in June. Projects span grain storage and digital infrastructure in Angola, energy ventures in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Congo, and tourism in Ethiopia. Still, many worry about the costs. Job losses and economic pain from tariffs are mounting even as Washington celebrates these wins. Trump did not invent the idea of trade over aid. African leaders have pushed for this since the 1970s. The problem, critics say, is the caveat: steep tariffs and uncertainty over the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the U.S. flagship program for trade with the continent. 'In reality, these tariffs are not about trade balances. It's economic warfare,' said the Alternative Information and Development Centre, a South African NGO. Fears that jobs could go Trump has imposed a 30% tariff on selected South African goods and threatens another 10% for nations aligned with the BRICS bloc of developing economies. South Africa's Automotive Business Council says vehicle exports to the U.S. have plunged over 80%, warning that tariffs 'strike at the heart of South Africa's industrialization agenda.' More than 100,000 jobs, mostly in auto and agriculture, are at risk, the council says. Smaller nations are also reeling. Lesotho declared a state of disaster after being hit with 50% duties — the second-highest rate after China — before Trump announced a 90-day pause. About 12,000 textile jobs hang in the balance, according to Lesotho's Minister of Trade, Industry, and Business Development, Mokhethi Shelile. From vanilla farmers in Madagascar to cocoa growers in Ivory Coast and oil exporters in Nigeria, tariffs have shaken economies and raised doubts about Washington's intent. 'The U.S. certainly can't have it both ways,' said Bester Brendon Verster, an economist at Oxford Economics Africa. 'The 'aid to trade' stance risks leaving Africa behind once the U.S. has gotten what it wanted, which will probably be critical minerals." An agreement on the brink AGOA, enacted in 2000 and renewed in 2015, allows duty-free U.S. access for nearly 2,000 goods from 32 African nations. It expires in September, with no clear sign that it will be renewed. South Africa's trade minister warned it will be 'very difficult' to keep AGOA under current conditions. Fitrell said he is a 'big fan' of the deal but told African leaders they must do more to lobby Congress. Future arrangements may require 'much greater attention toward some form of reciprocity' to reflect Trump's push for U.S. economic interests, he said. Meanwhile, China is leveraging zero-tariff policies to expand its influence. In June, China — already Africa's biggest trading partner — said it plans to grant duty-free market access to 53 African nations. Still, Verster said some African nations might be cautious about strengthening ties with China, for fear of triggering retaliation from the U.S. 'Aligning with China … could possibly bring about more economic punishment from the U.S.," he said. Farai Mutsaka, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
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The California governor is currently suing the Fox News host for $787 million.
Gavin Newsom showed no remorse to Fox News' Jesse Watters after the host was forced to issue a groveling apology over the network's reporting on Donald Trump's phone call to the California governor. Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against the network—the same amount Fox had to cough up to Dominion Voting Systems for airing false claims about the 2020 election—claiming it misrepresented calls between him and Trump about unrest during the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. On his Thursday night show, Watters backpedaled, admitting Newsom was right to fire back at Trump's claim that he spoke to him on June 9. Newsom posted on X last month: 'There was no call. Not even a voicemail.'
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Brazil's Former President Jair Bolsonaro Ordered to Wear Ankle Monitor After Police Raid
(Bloomberg) -- Brazil's Supreme Court sent police to raid the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro and to attach a monitor to his ankle just hours after Donald Trump piled pressure on the South American nation to drop criminal charges against his right-wing ally. The Dutch Intersection Is Coming to Save Your Life Mumbai Facelift Is Inspired by 200-Year-Old New York Blueprint Advocates Fear US Agents Are Using 'Wellness Checks' on Children as a Prelude to Arrests LA Homelessness Drops for Second Year Manhattan, Chicago Murder Rates Drop in 2025, Officials Say Bolsonaro, who is about to stand trial over an alleged coup attempt, was banned from using social media and will now face an evening curfew, according to the Supreme Court order issued on Friday. The former president is also prohibited from communicating with foreign diplomats and getting close to embassies. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who authored the decision, cited obstruction of justice and a flight risk as motives for the measures. Bolsonaro's legal team said in a statement that it received word of the measures 'with surprise and indignation,' adding that the former president 'has always complied with all rulings issued by the judiciary.' The early morning raid is the latest escalation in a high-stakes standoff between the governments of the Western hemisphere's most populous nations. Last week, Trump threatened President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with a 50% levy on Brazilian goods due to the treatment of Bolsonaro and what the US head of state claims are unfair trade practices. Brazil's currency, the real, gained 0.2% in late morning trading after initially falling as much as 0.4% on open. It erased losses after a member of Bolsonaro's family called on Trump to drop his tariff threat. Brazil's Case While Trump has fired off a flurry of tariff letters to leaders around the world in recent days, Brazil's case has been unique. Latin America's largest economy runs a trade deficit with the US, while almost all of Trump's other targets post large surpluses. Its 79-year-old president has shown no signs of heeding to American demands. Lula, as the former union leader is universally known, has seized the moment to reinvigorate his progressive base after flagging in opinion polls. He has appeared on Brazil's airwaves almost daily, accusing his adversaries of seeking foreign intervention and vowing to defend national sovereignty. 'We don't want to fight, but we don't flee,' Lula said on Thursday while he visited the northeastern state of Bahia. 'Brazil only has one owner: the Brazilian people.' Meanwhile, Trump's threats have created chaos for Brazilian conservatives as they seek to find an answer to the upheaval US levies will cause. Even Bolsonaro's closest confidants have begun to buckle as pressure mounts at home and abroad. Following the Friday morning raid, Bolosonaro's son, Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator, made an appeal to Trump on social media to 'suspend the 50% tariff on Brazilian imports and impose individual sanctions.' The post was later deleted. Deeply Personal The clash with the US has become personal for Lula, who narrowly defeated Bolsonaro less than three years ago. Days after Lula's 2023 inauguration, Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the capital, Brasilia, and ransacked government buildings under the false belief the election had been stolen. Bolsonaro, a former army captain and longtime Trump admirer, has denied involvement in the attacks. But he and his allies amplified baseless claims about the integrity of Brazil's voting system, which fueled the rage of rioters. Out of government, the former head of state's legal woes have spiraled. He is currently facing multiple criminal cases, including accusations that he sold presidential gifts for personal gain and actively worked to discredit Brazil's voting system, which led authorities to confiscate his passport and ban him from holding public office. The danger of jail time led his lawmaker son Eduardo Bolsonaro to step away from his congressional duties earlier this year and relocate to Washington DC, where he has lobbied the Trump administration to take action against Brazil's Supreme Court. Brazil government opponents allege the court has tried to silence conservative voices and persecute the current president's foes, a claim that has gained traction among Trump's allies. In a public letter to Bolsonaro on Thursday, Trump blasted the Brazilian government as a 'ridiculous censorship regime' and said the former head of state's trial, which is expected to begin later this year, 'should end immediately!' Moraes has continued to work through Brazil's judicial recess in July. On Monday, the Prosecutor General's Office submitted its closing arguments, detailing the charges, listing the evidence, and requesting a conviction for the attempted coup. Now Bolsonaro's legal teams must present their final arguments on the case. The Supreme Court has called an extraordinary session to review Moraes's decision beginning today and extending through Monday. Cash According to Moraes' move on Friday, the former president worked with Eduardo Bolsonaro to stop the functioning of the Supreme Court 'through hostile acts stemming from spurious and criminal negotiations, with clear obstruction of justice and the evident intent to coerce this court in its rulings.' Moraes banned Bolsonaro from communicating with his son in Washington. Police found over $14,000 in cash in the former president's home in Brasilia and seized his smartphone, newspaper Folha de reported. It is not the first time that Bolsonaro has been suspected of trying to dodge authorities. Last year, a New York Times investigation reveled that the right-wing leader stayed at the Hungarian embassy in Brasilia for four days after handing his passport over to federal police. Bolsonaro later confirmed his stay at the embassy but denied claims he was seeking refuge. (Updates with Supreme Court decision, market reaction, context throughout.) What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All Godzilla Conquered Japan. Now Its Owner Plots a Global Takeover A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Why Access to Running Water Is a Luxury in Wealthy US Cities ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
