US declares success in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, media criticised
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has insisted that American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were a success, backing President Donald Trump and berating the media for covering an intelligence report that questioned the results of the operation.
American B-2 bombers hit two Iranian nuclear sites with massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs
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RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
A Trump political dynasty? His son Eric says maybe
Eric Trump Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP Donald Trump's second son has fuelled speculation that his family seeks to establish a multi-generational political dynasty, saying he and other relatives may run for public office. Eric Trump told the Financial Times that a political career would be "would be an easy one" for family members, as they look beyond President Trump's second term that ends in 2029. Eric, 41, is a fierce defender of his father on TV networks, while older brother Don Jr. is a key player in the Trump inner circle, using his podcast and social media presence to fire up the president's base. "The real question is: 'Do you want to drag other members of your family into it?'" Eric Trump said in an interview. "If the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning, I think I could do it," he said. "And by the way, I think other members of our family could do it too." Trump's children and his close family have long been involved in his business life, and have also taken major roles as he moved into politics and took the White House in 2017. In Trump's first term, his daughter Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner held senior administration posts, though they have retreated from the political frontlines for now. Eric's wife Lara Trump co-led the national Republican Party during the last election campaign - receiving lavish praise from the candidate - and she now has her own show on Fox News. Barron Trump, the president's only child with wife Melania, is aged 19, but his father says he is interested in politics and helped him to draw in young male voters via podcasts and TikTok. Kai Trump, 18, daughter of Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa Trump, spoke at last year's Republican National Convention and is a competitive junior golfer. Eric Trump told the Financial Times he was "wholly unimpressed by half the politicians I see" adding "I could do it very effectively." Asked if a Trump would stand for election in future, he replied "I don't know... Time will tell. But there's more people than just me." Eric and Don Jr. run the Trump family business, which now includes a growing cryptocurrency portfolio. Eric Trump denied any conflicts of interest, saying "if there's one family that hasn't profited off politics, it's the Trump family. "The opportunity cost, the legal cost, the toll it's taken on our family has been astronomical." The Trumps are widely believed to have taken the monetising of their powerful status to unprecedented levels for US first families. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has agreed to finance a film about Melania Trump, reportedly netting her $28 million. Other close family are involved in multi-billion-dollar real estate deals abroad, and Don Jr. is launching a Washington club where membership reportedly costs more than half a million dollars. In May, President Trump hosted a dinner at one of his golf clubs for investors in his $TRUMP cryptocurrency, which he launched shortly before reentering the White House. Seats went to investors who bought the most of the currency, with the top 25 holders gaining a private reception with Trump himself. - AFP
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
California Governor sues Fox News for $1.3 billion for defamation over Trump call
By Jonathan Stempel , Reuters California Governor Gavin Newsom. Photo: AFP California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a US$787 million (NZ$1.3 billion) defamation lawsuit against Fox News, saying the network defamed him by lying about his phone call with Donald Trump related to the president's immigration crackdown. The complaint filed in Delaware Superior Court accused Fox of demonstrating "willingness to protect President Trump from his own false statements by smearing his political opponent Governor Newsom in a dispute over when the two last spoke during a period of national strife." Newsom's punitive damages request is nearly identical to the $787.5 million that Fox paid in 2023 to settle Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit over alleged vote-rigging in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The governor is also seeking compensatory damages for harm to his reputation, saying Fox acted with actual malice. "Enough of their lies," Newsom said in a video posted on X. In a letter to the network, Newsom's lawyers said he is prepared to drop the lawsuit if Fox retracted the claim he lied about his call with Trump, and if both Fox and host Jesse Watters apologized on-air. Fox said in a statement: "Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed." Newsom is a Democrat and potential presidential contender in 2028, and has made several appearances on Fox News. The network is a favorite of conservatives, and its on-air talent includes many supporters of Trump, a Republican. Its parent, Fox Corp, is incorporated in Delaware. According to the complaint, Newsom spoke by phone with Trump for about 16 minutes late on 6 June, or early 7 June Eastern Daylight Time, soon after protests broke out in Los Angeles following federal immigration raids. Trump later sent National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the state, bypassing the governor. Newsom said he did not speak again with Trump, and confirmed this after Trump falsely told reporters on 10 June he had spoken with the governor "a day ago." The complaint said Fox nonetheless intentionally distorted the facts by making a misleading video clip and multiple false statements about the timing of the last call, in an effort to brand Newsom a liar and curry favor with Trump. "Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?" Watters said on 10 June on his show "Jesse Watters Primetime," according to the complaint. Watters' report was accompanied by a chyron, a banner caption along the bottom of a TV screen, that said "Gavin Lied About Trump's Call," the complaint added. According to the complaint, Fox's claim that Newsom lied was "calculated to provoke outrage and cause Governor Newsom significant harm," by making people less likely to support his causes, donate to his campaigns, or vote for him in elections. Newsom's lawyers said it was "perhaps unsurprising" that the 79-year-old Trump might confuse the dates, but Fox's decision to cover up the error "cannot be so easily dismissed." To prevail in the lawsuit, Newsom would have to show Fox acted with actual malice, meaning it knew its statements were false or had reckless disregard for their truth. The standard comes from New York Times v. Sullivan, a landmark 1964 US Supreme Court decision. Trump has also turned to the courts to address perceived defamation by news networks. He reached a US$15 million (NZ$25 million) settlement with Walt Disney-owned ABC last December after suing over an inaccurate claim that a jury found him liable for rape, rather than sexual assault, in a civil lawsuit. Trump also sued CBS for US$20 billion (NZ$33 billion) over its editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. A mediator has reportedly proposed a US$20 million (NZ$33 million) settlement with CBS' parent Paramount Global. - Reuters
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Trump ends trade talks with Canada over tax on US tech firms
By Beiyi Seow , AFP US President Donald Trump meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 May 2025. Photo: AFP / Mandel Ngan President Donald Trump is calling off trade negotiations with Canada in retaliation for taxes impacting US tech firms, adding that Ottawa will learn of their new tariff rate within a week. Trump was referring to Canada's digital services tax, which was enacted last year and forecast to bring in C$5.9 billion (NZ$7.1 billion) over five years. While the measure is not new, US service providers will be "on the hook for a multi-billion dollar payment in Canada" come 30 June, noted the Computer & Communications Industry Association recently. The three percent tax applies to large or multinational companies such as Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta that provide digital services to Canadians, and Washington has previously requested dispute settlement talks over the matter. "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He called the country "very difficult" to trade with. Canada may have been spared some of Trump's most sweeping duties, such as a 10 percent levy on nearly all US trading partners, but it faces a separate tariff regime. Trump has also imposed steep levies on imports of steel, aluminum, and autos. Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa will adjust its 25 percent counter tariffs on US steel and aluminum - in response to a doubling of US levies on the metals to 50 percent - if a bilateral trade deal was not reached in 30 days. "We will continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interest of Canadians," Carney said, adding that he had not spoken to Trump following the US president's announcement. Trump's latest salvo targeting Canada came shortly after Washington and Beijing confirmed finalising a framework to move forward on trade. Beijing said Washington would lift "restrictive measures" while China would "review and approve" items under export controls. A priority for Washington in talks with Beijing had been ensuring the supply of the rare earths essential for products including electric vehicles, hard drives, and national defence equipment. China, which dominates global production of the elements, began requiring export licenses in early April, a move widely viewed as a response to Trump's blistering tariffs. The two sides agreed after talks in Geneva in May to temporarily lower steep tit-for-tat duties on each other's products. China also committed to easing some non-tariff countermeasures but US officials later accused Beijing of violating the pact and slow-walking export license approvals for rare earths. They eventually agreed on a framework to move forward with their Geneva consensus following talks in London this month. A White House official told AFP on Thursday that the Trump administration and China had "agreed to an additional understanding for a framework to implement the Geneva agreement." This clarification came after the US president told an event that Washington had inked a deal relating to trade with China, without providing details. Under the deal, China "will review and approve applications for the export control items that meet the requirements in accordance with the law," China's commerce ministry said. "The US side will correspondingly cancel a series of restrictive measures against China," it added. Dozens of economies, although not China, face a 9 July deadline for steeper duties to kick in - rising from a current 10 percent. It remains to be seen if other countries facing the higher US tariffs will successfully reach agreements to avoid them before the deadline. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington could wrap up its agenda for trade deals by September, indicating more agreements could be concluded although talks were likely to extend past July. Speaking to Fox Business, Bessent reiterated there are 18 key partners Washington is focused on pacts with. "If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18, there are another important 20 relationships, then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day," Bessent said, referring to the US holiday on 1 September. The White House suggested the July deadline could be extended, or Trump could pick a tariff rate for countries if there was no agreement. Wall Street's major indexes, which bounced early Friday (local time) on hopes for deals, lost some ground after Trump called off Canada talks. - AFP
