Trump ceasefire claim in doubt; Travel chaos; BoQ boss quits
In today's news, Iran refutes Donald Trump's claim that it has agreed a ceasefire with Israel, the conflict spreads travel chaos, and BoQ's business banking chief quits just three months after his appointment.
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Perth Now
25 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Trump plan to redraw Texas voting districts approved
Texas legislators have passed a new state congressional map drawn at the behest of President Donald Trump to flip five Democratic-held US House seats in next year's midterm elections, after dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout that had temporarily blocked passage. Republican legislators, who have dominated Texas politics for over two decades, have undertaken a rare mid-decade redistricting to help Trump improve their party's odds of preserving its narrow US House of Representatives majority amid political headwinds. The new Texas map would shift conservative voters into districts currently held by Democrats and combine some districts that Democrats hold. The map, which will have to be reconciled with the state Senate's version, has triggered a national redistricting war, with governors of both parties threatening to initiate similar efforts in other states. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom is advancing an effort to redraw his state's map to flip five Republican seats. Other Republican states -- including Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri -- are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, as are Democratic states such as Maryland and Illinois. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the US Census to account for population changes. Whenever the maps are drawn, in many states,lawmakers manipulate the lines to favour their party over the opposition, a practice known as gerrymandering. Texas Democrats on Wednesday raised multiple objections to and questions about the measure. Democrat John Bucy, said from the House floor that the new maps were clearly intended to dilute the voting power of Black, Latino and Asian voters, and that his Republican colleagues bending to the will of Trump was deeply worrying. "This is not democracy, this is authoritarianism in real time," Bucy said. "This is Donald Trump's map. It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows the voters are rejecting his agenda." Republicans argued the map was created to improve political performance and would increase majority Hispanic districts. Bucy was among the Democrats who fled the state earlier this month to deny the Texas House a quorum. In response, Republicans undertook extraordinary measures to try to force the Democrats home, including filing lawsuits to remove them from office and issuing arrest warrants. The walkout ended when Democrats voluntarily returned on Monday, saying they had accomplished their goals of blocking a vote during a first special legislative session and persuading Democrats in other states to take retaliatory steps. Republican House leadership assigned state law enforcement officers to monitor Democrats to ensure they would not leave the state again. One Democratic representative, Nicole Collier, slept in the Capitol building on Monday night rather than accept a police escort. Republicans, including Trump, have openly acknowledged that the new map is aimed at increasing their political power. The party currently controls 25 of the state's 38 districts under a Republican-drawn map that was passed four years ago. Democrats and civil rights groups have vowed to sue. Nationally, Republicans captured the 435-seat US House in 2024 by only three seats. The party of the president historically loses House seats in the first midterm election, and Trump's approval ratings have sagged since he took office in January.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Australian critical minerals key to Trump's goals, Kevin Rudd says
Australia is key to Donald Trump's goals of weaning the US off cheap Chinese critical minerals, Australia's envoy in Washington says. Critical minerals are just that – minerals, such as lithium, vital for manufacturing advanced technologies, from smartphones and cars to wind turbines and defence systems. Currently, China dominates the space, but Australia has emerged as a challenger, ruffling some feathers in Beijing. Because of their importance to modern tech, Western countries are increasingly viewing critical minerals as a matter of national security and scrambling to bolster sovereign stockpiles and production. In an interview overnight, Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd said that Xi Jinping's 'ideology' on China's long-term economic development was 'to ensure that the world is dependent on China while China is not dependent on the world'. 'And that in a nutshell is what we see across the whole breadth of industrial policy, from semiconductors through to critical minerals and rare earths,' the former prime minister told the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Boasting mineral reserves that 'more or less equals the periodic table' and an advanced mining sector, Mr Rudd said Australia was well-placed to help break the dependence on China. 'Geology has been kind to us,' he said, adding that Australia is 'an ancient continent'. 'We have the best mining companies in the world and the biggest mining companies in the world, some of whom have just been meeting with President Trump here in Washington, DC., as well as a whole depth of technical expertise represented in the research faculties of our major universities. 'So put together the geology … put together our processing capacity … and put together the depth and breadth of our mining expertise, I think we're well-placed to assist in diversifying the supply chains, creating resilient supply chains, and helping the United States, under President Trump's leadership, meet his requirements for a resilient America when it comes to critical minerals and rare earths.' Australia's emergence as a competitor in the sector has not gone down well in Beijing. Despite the Chinese President's warm words to Anthony Albanese in July about fair and open trade, his government's actions have made clear that extends to Australian lobsters rather than Australian minerals. Since 2022, Australia's leading producer Lynas Rare Earths has been subjected to a relentless Chinese disinformation campaign targeting its operations both within Australia and abroad. It has not deterred efforts to grow Australia's presence, driven in large part by the defence industry. Mr Rudd said critical minerals should be viewed as 'defence goods', pointing to the tons used in the nuclear-powered submarines Australia is set to get under AUKUS. He said the American-made Virginia-class 'contains within it something like 4.5 tons of critical minerals, rare earths, highly processed'. 'You go to an F-35, you're looking at a high proportion of the actual aircraft itself being derivative of advanced process to rare earth,' he continued. 'So whether we like it or not, the reality is the sharpest edges of what we do in the military hang off the availability of critical minerals in rare earths supply, as well as processed critical minerals in rare earths, as well as critical ... derivatives, such as magnets. 'So I think what President Trump is seeking to do … is trying to find how this now plays into a secure supply chain the United States. 'And as a US ally, we are ready and able to help, and we have the capacity to do so.'
9 News
3 hours ago
- 9 News
Trump calls himself, Netanyahu, 'war hero'
US President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a 'war hero' and said he is one,
