Federal politics live: Wong meets with Rubio as he ramps up push for Quad to 'take concrete action'
It came as the US secretary of state called for the security partnership to become a "vehicle for action".
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ABC News
31 minutes ago
- ABC News
Paramount settles legal battle with Donald Trump over Kamala Harris interview
US media group Paramount will pay Donald Trump $US16 million (more than $24 million) after agreeing to settle a lawsuit over an interview with former presidential rival Kamala Harris. Mr Trump filed the suit, alleging the network deceptively edited the interview with Ms Harris, which aired on its 60 Minutes news program on CBS in October, in an effort to "tip the scales in favour of the Democratic Party" in the November election. CBS, owned by parent company Paramount, aired two versions of the Harris interview in which she appears to give different answers to the same question about the Israel-Hamas war. However the network and some groups have said it is normal editing common in television interviews. CBS previously said the lawsuit was "completely without merit" and asked a judge to dismiss the case. In a statement, Paramount said the million-dollar settlement would allocated to Mr Trump's future presidential library. The settlement comes as Paramount seeks approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its $US8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Democrat Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has called for a bribery investigation. "With Paramount folding to Donald Trump at the same time the company needs his administration's approval for its billion-dollar merger, this could be bribery in plain sight," she said. "Paramount has refused to provide answers to a congressional inquiry, so I'm calling for a full investigation into whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken." On the campaign trail last year, and as president, Mr Trump has called for CBS's broadcasting licences to be revoked. The FCC, an independent federal agency, issues eight-year licences to individual broadcast stations, not networks. FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, said the settlement over an entirely "meritless" lawsuit was a "desperate" move by Paramount that "casts a long shadow over the integrity of the transaction pending before the FCC" and "marks a dangerous precedent for the First Amendment". Senator Bernie Sanders said: "Paramount's decision will only embolden Trump to continue attacking, suing and intimidating the media which he has labelled 'the enemy of the people'." Mr Trump's legal team welcomed the settlement on Wednesday. "With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people," a spokesperson said. Paramount shares fell 1.2 per cent on Wednesday. The company said it also agreed 60 Minutes would release transcripts of interviews with future US presidential candidates after they aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns. At Paramount's annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, co-CEO George Cheeks said the company chose to settle the suit to avoid the "somewhat unpredictable cost" of mounting a legal defence and the risk of an adverse judgement that could result in "significant financial as well as reputational damage", as well as the disruption of an ongoing legal battle. The case entered mediation in April after Mr Trump bumped his claim for damages to $US20 billion in Feburary. ABC with wires
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Australia urged to adopt new approach to global talks
Australia has been told to develop a clear vision for foreign policy as it attempts to navigate an unpredictable relationship with the United States. The future of defence spending, tariffs and Australia's nuclear submarine agreement with the US and UK remain unclear after Foreign Minister Penny Wong's meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Australia's military budget did not even come up in conversation, according to Senator Wong, despite previous US calls for Australia to lift its defence spending. While the other two topics were discussed, there was little sign negotiations had progressed. The government needed to outline a clear direction, La Trobe University's international relations emeritus professor Joseph Camilleri said. "What Australian governments - this one included - struggle with is a lack of coherent foreign policy and that then shows itself in these meetings," he told AAP. Australia should instead clarify how its relationship with the US relates to its Southeast Asian neighbours on one hand, and with China on the other, and that could trickle through to the position the government takes on issues like the war in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza and tensions between Israel and Iran. But there were considerable differences in perspectives and views the government hadn't been able to handle coherently, according to Professor Camilleri. "It just tries to deal with foreign policy as best it can in small pieces," he said. "They are hemmed in by powerful pressures on different sides and to think through a coherent alternative would require a very bold initiative. "Most governments, this one included, are not taken to bold initiatives." There are interests within the US, including intelligence, security and military agencies, and in Australia, such as the coalition, that are committed to the alliance. "We need a real focus on this alliance - it's crucial to our prosperity, to our security as a country," opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said. However, Australian voters' declining trust in the US under its Republican president was made clear at the federal election in May, where Donald Trump's volatility appeared to contribute to Labor's landslide win. When asked if the US remained a reliable partner while led by Mr Trump, Senator Wong said Australia understood he had a "different view of how America is to be in the world". "We respect that, we also recognise how important our relationship is and we believe that is understood here in Washington," she said. "(This) is a relationship where the alliance has been in the hands of governments of both political persuasions and it will always be so." Australia has been told to develop a clear vision for foreign policy as it attempts to navigate an unpredictable relationship with the United States. The future of defence spending, tariffs and Australia's nuclear submarine agreement with the US and UK remain unclear after Foreign Minister Penny Wong's meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Australia's military budget did not even come up in conversation, according to Senator Wong, despite previous US calls for Australia to lift its defence spending. While the other two topics were discussed, there was little sign negotiations had progressed. The government needed to outline a clear direction, La Trobe University's international relations emeritus professor Joseph Camilleri said. "What Australian governments - this one included - struggle with is a lack of coherent foreign policy and that then shows itself in these meetings," he told AAP. Australia should instead clarify how its relationship with the US relates to its Southeast Asian neighbours on one hand, and with China on the other, and that could trickle through to the position the government takes on issues like the war in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza and tensions between Israel and Iran. But there were considerable differences in perspectives and views the government hadn't been able to handle coherently, according to Professor Camilleri. "It just tries to deal with foreign policy as best it can in small pieces," he said. "They are hemmed in by powerful pressures on different sides and to think through a coherent alternative would require a very bold initiative. "Most governments, this one included, are not taken to bold initiatives." There are interests within the US, including intelligence, security and military agencies, and in Australia, such as the coalition, that are committed to the alliance. "We need a real focus on this alliance - it's crucial to our prosperity, to our security as a country," opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said. However, Australian voters' declining trust in the US under its Republican president was made clear at the federal election in May, where Donald Trump's volatility appeared to contribute to Labor's landslide win. When asked if the US remained a reliable partner while led by Mr Trump, Senator Wong said Australia understood he had a "different view of how America is to be in the world". "We respect that, we also recognise how important our relationship is and we believe that is understood here in Washington," she said. "(This) is a relationship where the alliance has been in the hands of governments of both political persuasions and it will always be so." Australia has been told to develop a clear vision for foreign policy as it attempts to navigate an unpredictable relationship with the United States. The future of defence spending, tariffs and Australia's nuclear submarine agreement with the US and UK remain unclear after Foreign Minister Penny Wong's meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Australia's military budget did not even come up in conversation, according to Senator Wong, despite previous US calls for Australia to lift its defence spending. While the other two topics were discussed, there was little sign negotiations had progressed. The government needed to outline a clear direction, La Trobe University's international relations emeritus professor Joseph Camilleri said. "What Australian governments - this one included - struggle with is a lack of coherent foreign policy and that then shows itself in these meetings," he told AAP. Australia should instead clarify how its relationship with the US relates to its Southeast Asian neighbours on one hand, and with China on the other, and that could trickle through to the position the government takes on issues like the war in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza and tensions between Israel and Iran. But there were considerable differences in perspectives and views the government hadn't been able to handle coherently, according to Professor Camilleri. "It just tries to deal with foreign policy as best it can in small pieces," he said. "They are hemmed in by powerful pressures on different sides and to think through a coherent alternative would require a very bold initiative. "Most governments, this one included, are not taken to bold initiatives." There are interests within the US, including intelligence, security and military agencies, and in Australia, such as the coalition, that are committed to the alliance. "We need a real focus on this alliance - it's crucial to our prosperity, to our security as a country," opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said. However, Australian voters' declining trust in the US under its Republican president was made clear at the federal election in May, where Donald Trump's volatility appeared to contribute to Labor's landslide win. When asked if the US remained a reliable partner while led by Mr Trump, Senator Wong said Australia understood he had a "different view of how America is to be in the world". "We respect that, we also recognise how important our relationship is and we believe that is understood here in Washington," she said. "(This) is a relationship where the alliance has been in the hands of governments of both political persuasions and it will always be so." Australia has been told to develop a clear vision for foreign policy as it attempts to navigate an unpredictable relationship with the United States. The future of defence spending, tariffs and Australia's nuclear submarine agreement with the US and UK remain unclear after Foreign Minister Penny Wong's meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Australia's military budget did not even come up in conversation, according to Senator Wong, despite previous US calls for Australia to lift its defence spending. While the other two topics were discussed, there was little sign negotiations had progressed. The government needed to outline a clear direction, La Trobe University's international relations emeritus professor Joseph Camilleri said. "What Australian governments - this one included - struggle with is a lack of coherent foreign policy and that then shows itself in these meetings," he told AAP. Australia should instead clarify how its relationship with the US relates to its Southeast Asian neighbours on one hand, and with China on the other, and that could trickle through to the position the government takes on issues like the war in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza and tensions between Israel and Iran. But there were considerable differences in perspectives and views the government hadn't been able to handle coherently, according to Professor Camilleri. "It just tries to deal with foreign policy as best it can in small pieces," he said. "They are hemmed in by powerful pressures on different sides and to think through a coherent alternative would require a very bold initiative. "Most governments, this one included, are not taken to bold initiatives." There are interests within the US, including intelligence, security and military agencies, and in Australia, such as the coalition, that are committed to the alliance. "We need a real focus on this alliance - it's crucial to our prosperity, to our security as a country," opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said. However, Australian voters' declining trust in the US under its Republican president was made clear at the federal election in May, where Donald Trump's volatility appeared to contribute to Labor's landslide win. When asked if the US remained a reliable partner while led by Mr Trump, Senator Wong said Australia understood he had a "different view of how America is to be in the world". "We respect that, we also recognise how important our relationship is and we believe that is understood here in Washington," she said. "(This) is a relationship where the alliance has been in the hands of governments of both political persuasions and it will always be so."
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
US dollar suffers worst start to a year since 1973 over Trump tariff concerns
The US dollar suffered its worst first-half decline in more than 50 years as fears over President Donald Trump's tariff policies have driven down the world's principal reserve currency. The greenback weakened 10.7 per cent in the first six months of the year compared to a basket of currencies from major trading partners – the worst drop since 1973 when President Richard Nixon stopped tying the dollar to the price of gold. But its decline could be part of Mr Trump's broader vision to devalue the dollar — an idea reportedly floated by Stephen Miran, recently appointed Chairman of the US Council of Economic Advisers in what has been dubbed the Mar-a-Lago Accord. Miran has denied this conspiracy in the past. A weaker dollar makes US exports much cheaper, and could aid Mr Trump's oft-stated goal of boosting manufacturing at home, as well as reducing the nation's trade deficit, the thinking goes. When he was campaigning for a second term, an official in the first Trump administration told Politico that 'currency revaluation is likely to be a priority' because of 'the viewpoint that [an overvalued dollar] contributes to the trade deficit.' Trump has not weighed in on the speculation about devaluing the dollar. 'President Trump has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to the dominance of the dollar as the world's reserve currency,' White House press spokesman Kush Desai told The Post on Tuesday. 'Ten-year Treasury yields rallying down nearly 40 basis points since Inauguration Day, four consecutive expectation-beating inflation reports, and the trillions in historic investment commitments that have poured into the United States since Election Day are all indicative of the confidence that investors and markets continue to have in our economy and currency.' But many experts claim Mr Trump's hefty tariffs are putting pressure on the dollar and forcing global investors to rethink their ties to the currency. 'Trump is definitely playing with fire,' Stephen Miller, a consultant for GSFM, a unit of Canada's CI Financial Corp. in Australia, told Bloomberg. While a weaker dollar should theoretically help US exporters, there's still a lot of uncertainty when it comes to global trade because of the Trump administration's ongoing negotiations with key nations, which are staring down a fast-approaching July 9 deadline. The dollar's fall comes after it soared on Mr Trump's re-election win and peaked in mid-January on hopes he would bring a pro-growth mindset to the White House. But in April, Mr Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement revealed tariffs that were much stiffer than analysts and economists had predicted, spurring a broad shift away from US investments. 'Full-scale de-dollarisation, if it ever comes, is still a long way away,' Rick Rieder, chief investment officer of global fixed income at BlackRock, said in the company's most recent forecast. But the drop in confidence in the US dollar, which is typically seen as a safe haven asset, is concerning – and could worsen with a rise in government debt, according to Rieder. Mr Trump's massive budget bill, which is projected to add $3 trillion in national debt, narrowly squeaked through the Senate on Tuesday. It awaits final approval in the House. The concerns over higher inflation and debt have pushed long-term Treasury yields lower. The 10-year yield started near 5 per cent this year and has steadily fallen, reaching 4.267 per cent on Tuesday. 'I think we're going to continue to have this higher pressure on the low end of the yield curve because we haven't really dealt anything away with the deficit or inflation for that matter. In fact, there's more risk now than anything,' Ben Emons, founder of FedWatch Advisors, said on CNBC's 'Fast Money' Tuesday. 'I do think it's related to Treasuries, that if Treasuries get more under pressure, the dollar will get weaker.'
