Trump vows to take ‘hundreds of billions’ in tariffs as Australia’s hopes of getting exemption fades

Australia unlikely to escape US president’s global steel and aluminium tariffs despite intense lobbying to be carved out

Australia’s chances of escaping America’s global steel and aluminium tariffs appear all but extinguished, with the US president reconfirming his commitment to a comprehensive tariff regime he argues will be “the greatest thing we’ve ever done as a country”.

“We’re going to take in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs, and we’re going to become so rich, you’re not going to know where to spend all that money,” Donald Trump told reporters on board Air Force One flying from Florida to Washington DC.

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US judge blocks deportation of Palestinian activist detained by Ice

Critics condemn arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, Columbia University graduate student who led protests over Gaza war

A judge has blocked the deportation of the prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University’s protests against Israel over the war in Gaza. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University until this past December who holds permanent US residency, is being detained by US immigration authorities at a facility in Louisiana after his arrest, according to information from officials.

A spokesperson for the US’s homeland security department – as well as the country’s top diplomat – confirmed the arrest. In a statement to the Associated Press, a homeland security department spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said Khalil’s arrest was made to support Donald Trump’s presidential orders “prohibiting antisemitism”.

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Trump says William McKinley ‘made our country very rich through tariffs.’ But the 25th president changed his mind on tariffs after realizing ‘friendly trade relations will prevent reprisals’ – Fortune

  1. Trump says William McKinley 'made our country very rich through tariffs.' But the 25th president changed his mind on tariffs after realizing 'friendly trade relations will prevent reprisals'  Fortune
  2. Beware Zombie McKinleyism  National Review
  3. Freedom, Not Tariff, Is the Most Beautiful Word in the Dictionary  Cato Institute
  4. The Gilded Age Is Back in America, Except This Time It’s Golden  Bloomberg
  5. Trump Gilded Age  Buffalo News
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RFK Jr directs FDA to revise ‘self-affirm’ rule to improve food ingredient safety

Health secretary accuses food companies of ‘exploiting loophole’ over food safety and urges greater transparency

The US secretary of health and human services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has directed the Food and Drug Administration to revise safety rules to help eliminate a provision that allows companies to self-affirm that food ingredients are safe.

The move would increase transparency for consumers as well as the FDA’s oversight of food ingredients considered to be safe, Kennedy said on Monday.

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US rebrands immigration app to CBP Home with ‘self-deport’ function

Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, announced the new version, raising privacy concerns for those using CBP One

On day one of his presidency, Donald Trump issued a directive abruptly ending the government’s use of CBP One – an online application that had served as the primary means for people at the southern border to apply for asylum in the US. On Monday, the administration announced it has reimagined the app as a platform for “self-deportation”.

Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, announced that the app had been rebranded as “CBP Home” and that anyone with the old CBP One app would be redirected to the new version.

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US playwright ak payne wins Susan Smith Blackburn prize

Furlough’s Paradise, a ‘lyrical’ journey about grief, scoops award for female, transgender and non-binary playwrights

The Susan Smith Blackburn prize for female, transgender and non-binary playwrights has been awarded to the US writer ak payne for their poignant and funny two-hander Furlough’s Paradise.

The play has been described by payne as a “lyrical journey about grief, home and survival”. It follows two cousins, one of whom is on a three-day release from prison, as the pair attend a funeral in their childhood town.

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Amid serious threats, Israel is trying to shape a new reality in Syria – Ynetnews

  1. Amid serious threats, Israel is trying to shape a new reality in Syria  Ynetnews
  2. Israeli warplanes attack military sites in Syria’s southern Deraa province  Al Jazeera English
  3. Israel strikes former Assad regime bases in southern Syria  The Times of Israel
  4. IDF strikes regime weapons in Syria, car thief breaks into IDF base  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Israeli army says it targeted military headquarters, sites containing weapons in southern Syria  Reuters
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Ukraine under pressure in Russia’s Kursk region – ABC News

  1. Ukraine under pressure in Russia's Kursk region  ABC News
  2. Video appears to show Russians advancing in Kursk region  CNN
  3. Russia says it makes big new advance in its Kursk region against Ukrainian troops  Reuters
  4. Ukraine Army Chief Syrskyi Says Units in Kursk Not Encircled  Bloomberg
  5. Russia-Ukraine updates: General denies Russian forces encircling troops  Al Jazeera English
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Romanian far-right populist Calin Georgescu appeals against poll ban – BBC.com

  1. Romanian far-right populist Calin Georgescu appeals against poll ban  BBC.com
  2. Video. Chaos in Bucharest after Georgescu barred from election rerun  Euronews
  3. In Romania, the far right has unleashed a tide of hate and resurrected our fascist ghosts | Andrei Popoviciu  The Guardian
  4. Explainer: Why is Calin Georgescu's Romanian presidential bid being blocked?  Reuters
  5. Mercenary boss calls for Romania to ‘boil over’ after far-right front-runner blocked from race  POLITICO Europe
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