Latest news with #HudsonInstitute
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Nikki Haley hails Trump for US strikes but warns ‘Iran is not done'
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley offered her first praise for President Trump in several months in a Monday op-ed in Israel Hayom, an Israeli right-wing newspaper. She congratulated his decision to strike three Iranian nuclear sites but warned of further retaliation from Iran. 'Those in America that worry about why these strikes took place should understand that those strikes were a move to keep Americans safer. That was a move to take out one of the threats that Iran has used against Americans for years,' Haley wrote in the outlet owned by Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson. Israel Hayom is distributed in Hebrew and is also available online in English. The op-ed is a rare public appearance for Haley, who has largely faded from public view since the 2024 election. When she has spoken on Trump's foreign policy decisions in recent months, she has often criticized them, panning him for a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and slamming his acceptance of a Qatari jet. In the opinion piece, however, Haley praised Trump's decision as 'very well done' while arguing that the United States should continue to be hawkish on Iran for the sake of both America and Israel. 'A safe and secure Israel helps us have a safe and secure America,' she wrote, arguing that the chance of diplomacy with Tehran was thin. 'They always say they want to talk, but the action doesn't match what they want to do,' she wrote. 'Trump was right that while you could kick this can down the road if you wanted, the threat would only get bigger.' She also took aim at the United Nations after Secretary-General António Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the strikes, accusing the international arbiter of failing to condemn Iran's moves on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Haley finished by warning that America and Israel both needed to remain on guard. 'Americans need to be vigilant of our military bases in the region. We need to be vigilant of cyber attacks that could come our way through Iran. Iran is not done,' she wrote. As Trump's ambassador to the United Nations during his first term, Haley made the case both to him and to the global stage that the United States should back out of its 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. In the 2024 Republican presidential primary, during which she attempted to criticize the president, she also positioned herself as both a staunch defender of Israel and a Middle East hawk. After being the last of Trump's primary challengers to bow out, Haley failed to secure a place in his administration (she claimed she wanted no part in it). She is currently at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, and making her way around the speaker circuit.
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Once credible, now politicised': CNN's reliability called into question
Hudson Institute Senior Fellow John Lee comments on the current state of US media, asserting that many outlets have become increasingly 'politicised'. 'Unfortunately in the American media environment now, you have to look at the media outlet to make a judgment about how reliable or what the motivation might be,' Mr Lee told Sky News host Sharri Markson. 'Outlets like CNN, New York Times, perhaps even Washington Post, once very credible august outlets, are now very politicised.'
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Sky News AU
Full impact of Operation Midnight Hammer still unknown: John Lee
Hudson Institute Senior Fellow John Lee discusses the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, claiming the extent of the damage is unknown. 'The fact is we don't know … until the inspectors go in and actually have a look, we won't really know for sure,' Mr Lee told Sky News host Sharri Markson. 'So, I think intelligence speaking, you can say it's credible, but you wouldn't say it's high confidence.'
Eyewitness News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
FF Plus to engage with White House officials on bilateral visit to US
CAPE TOWN - The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) is on a bilateral visit to the United States to engage with White House officials. The organisation will also take part in a discussion at American conservative think tank, the Hudson Institute, in Washington, DC. The FF Plus said the theme of the discussion in Washington was "An Afrikaner perspective on US–South Africa relations", and took place on Monday night, South African time. The FF Plus has joined other parties and organisations that've already been to the US to engage with the current administration, like the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Afrikaner lobby group, AfriForum. The Hudson Institute states on its website that the Afrikaner community of South Africa "has received significant news coverage" in the United States since President Donald Trump announced that he would grant members of the group refugee status. It said this and other issues related to the Afrikaners had been "key stressors" in the US and South Africa relationship and were major points of discussion between Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa during their recent meeting in the Oval Office. The delegation includes FF Plus leader, Dr Corné Mulder, Dr Theo de Jager, CEO of the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI), an organisation representing family farmers, and Gerhard Papenfus, CEO of the National Employers' Association of South Africa (NEASA). The FF Plus said its message to the US was that everyone should work and build together "to once again make South Africa a winning nation".
Kyodo News
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Kyodo News
FOCUS: Trump wants Japan's clout, but more needed before tariff deal
By Takuya Karube, KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 03:05 | All, World As widely expected, U.S. President Donald Trump held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Canada, but their conversation turned out to be rather brief, indicating there is much more work to do before they can strike a deal on tariffs. Trump and Ishiba sat down together on Monday for about half an hour on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit, producing a mere confirmation that trade negotiations will continue following six rounds of ministerial discussions since mid-April. In an apparent reflection of the not-so-easy situation with Japan, when asked by a reporter how his second in-person meeting with Ishiba went, Trump responded with only one word: "Well." Later, on the way back to Washington on Air Force One, Trump said it was a "great conversation" and "I thought he was terrific, actually," referring to Ishiba. But he added that the Japanese are "tough." With the imposition of hefty tariffs on imports, Trump has pledged to slash U.S. trade deficits and rejuvenate domestic manufacturing. The United States imports far more than it exports, with Trump strongly believing its negative trade balance is primarily the result of the "unfair" trade practices of other countries. In the case of Japan, Trump and senior officials of his administration have often complained that almost no American cars are sold in the country, blaming the situation on perceived market barriers such as Tokyo's safety and environmental regulations. They have pointed to the low sales volume in Japan as a good example of American manufacturers not being on equal footing with their rivals. Unlike Japan, which maintains a zero-tariff policy on imported passenger vehicles, the Trump administration raised the tariff rate on such vehicles by 25 percent to 27.5 percent in early April. Among the Trump administration's barrage of higher tariffs, the sharp hike is Japan's biggest headache as the automotive industry is a powerful driver of its economy. "Automobiles are truly a major national interest," Ishiba told reporters, suggesting that Trump's resistance to scrapping or substantially lowering the auto tariff remains a key impediment in negotiations. "We will do everything in our effort to protect this kind of national interest." William Chou, deputy director of the Hudson Institute's Japan Chair, said that in light of recent signals from Tokyo and Washington, he sees neither side as being in a rush to make a deal. Chou said that is partly due to their aim of gaining "negotiation leverage." Compared with other major U.S. trading partners, Japan has far more strength in bargaining, he said, noting that it has been the largest investor in the United States in recent years, employing more than 1 million workers, and it also has an incomparable capacity to cooperate on the economic security front. When Ishiba visited Washington in February, he pledged to Trump that Japan's direct investment, totaling about $800 billion, would be further increased to $1 trillion. Trump has framed higher tariffs as a means to protect national security, using Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act as a legal basis. He regards sectors such as automobiles, steel, semiconductors, critical minerals, energy and shipbuilding as top priorities. "While other American allies may have been able to collaborate with Washington in a few of these sectors, only Japan has the technical know-how, the manufacturing capacity, the financial resources and the shared heightened concerns over economic coercion (from China) to work with the U.S. in all of these sectors," he said. Trump has given Japan and other key trading partners a 90-day reprieve from what he calls country-specific "reciprocal" tariffs. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the point man for the tariff negotiations, said Washington could extend the pause, set to expire in early July, if its trading partners continue to negotiate "in good faith." Wendy Cutler, a former acting deputy U.S. trade representative, said Japanese negotiators have the advantage as the administration is "under heavy pressure to produce trade deals during the 90-day truce period." Cutler said that although reducing Japan's trade surplus is the number one priority for the administration, the scope of negotiations is broad, as objectives ranging from improving market access to boosting cooperation in critical minerals, energy and other sectors deemed strategic to national security are also in play. Looking ahead, Cutler, who is now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Chou of the Washington-based think tank both believe there could be bumps in bilateral relations even if the two countries manage to reach some agreement in the coming weeks. They suggested that the areas of potential economic security cooperation could be a double-edged sword as the Trump administration may unleash more tariffs in sectors important to Japan, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and parts for commercial aircraft, all of which are currently subject to its investigation under Section 232. Chou said that "another hiccup may be the lack of Japanese movement" on a liquid natural gas project in Alaska, a pillar of Trump's energy agenda. "If there remains inaction (either by the Japanese private sector or the government), there will likely be continued frustration in the White House that may spill over," he said. Related coverage: PM Ishiba says Japan Inc. suffering under Trump tariffs Trump says he sees chance of trade deal with "tough" Japan G7 leaders agree to expand critical minerals cooperation
