Trump-Musk bromance spirals into public spat
Elon Musk receives the key to the White House from U.S. President Donald Trump during a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard (Reuters: Nathan Howard)
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News.com.au
16 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Porsche 963 RSP will make millionaires beg
Like toddlers all clamouring for the same toy, Porsche is expecting to be flooded with calls from billionaire car collectors from around the world after revealing its latest one-of-a-kind creation. The Porsche 963 RSP is a road-legal (although, they use that term loosely) version of the brand's prototype racing sports car that will compete at next week's Le Mans 24 Hours. It was built and named for Roger Searle Penske, the billionaire businessman and race team owner who oversees Porsche's on-track activities; as well as running successful NASCAR and IndyCar teams. The 963 RSP project was inspired by a one-off road-legal version of Porsche's iconic 917 race car that it built in 1975 for Gregorio Rossi di Montelera, the heir to the Martini & Rossi company. But whereas that car was built specifically for 'Count Rossi' this new race-car-for-the-road began as a top secret project and found its obvious owner once the multimillion-dollar project was underway. Timo Resch, President and chief executive of Porsche Cars North America, oversaw the project with the car being built both in Germany and the USA, with influence from the factory racing department and Porsche Penske Motorsport personnel. 'I think it's fair to say that we started this without having one specific person in mind,' Resch admitted. 'But at the very, very early stage … when we started figuring out 'can this be done or are we taking too much on ourselves?' And in this conversation with Roger, at the very early stage, we realised that the customer can only be Roger. So that was kind of very early on where we realised he would be the perfect customer, number one, and also the only customer for such a car because it's a one-off. 'Who knows what the future brings. But this particular car is a one-off.' That open-ended answer will no doubt have other car collectors from around the world calling Porsche asking for their own custom-made road-legal race car. No price was put on the 963 RSP, which required a lot of specialised work to make it suitable for the road, but Porsche reportedly sells the racing versions of the 963 to race teams for US$2.9 million (approx. $4.4m). Angus Fitton, vice president of public relations for Porsche North America, said the company had already started receiving calls, as soon as a shadowy teaser image was revealed in April. ' We have received questions, yes, I can tell that I know that Urs [Kuratle, Director of Factor Racing Porsche Motorsport] and JD [Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport] have had [questions too],' Fitton said. 'Whether that translates into anything more serious, that'll need to wait for another day,' 'But certainly people are asking the questions of us, because inevitably you look at the teaser and look at some of the speculation and press [and people say] 'Hey, you guys working on something?' and that conversation. It'll be interesting to see what comes out after June 6th, when this is revealed, what the feedback is. 'But no, there is no harm in asking. We'll always listen and as Urs said earlier, you know, never say never, but for now, this is a one-of-one this car.' Key technical changes for the 963 RSP compared to the racing version include new bodywork that encloses the wheels (and is painted silver to match the Count Rossi 917), higher and softer suspension, wet weather tyres and a detuned twin-turbo V8 engine and hybrid system to make it more manageable at road speeds. The 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held in France on June 14-15. Australia's Matt Campbell will be competing for outright victory with Porsche Penske Motorsport in a racing version of the 963.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
'Drill, baby, drill' in Alaska ticks Trump's boxes but critics urge him to 'think, baby, think'
The phrase "drill, baby, drill" was coined by a Republican back in 2008 before Donald Trump had even switched his political affiliation from the Democratic party. Appropriated by the US president for his 2024 campaign, the slogan has become a policy, which his administration is wielding like a cudgel for its conservative, nationalist agenda. This week, officials hawked its centrepiece, a plan to open up oil and gas drilling within a 52,000 km2 expanse of Alaskan wilderness, about four-fifths the size of Tasmania. This would scrap executive orders last year by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, aimed at preserving "special areas" on the Alaska North Slope, where the federal government holds a national petroleum reserve created for the US Navy more than a century ago. On paper, it wasn't a complete lockout. Companies had to prove minimal impact at ground level to get the green light. But Mr Biden spoke of the need to protect "natural wonders" in the form of Arctic habitats for grizzly and polar bears, caribou and migratory birds. This was a bridge too far for Alaska's biggest oil company ConocoPhillips, a regional government dependent on its revenues — and notably, Alaskan Native groups — who all sued the federal government. This week, Nagruk Harcharek, an Iñupiat representative who supports allowing resource projects because of their local economic benefits, said the Trump administration had treated "our communities and people as partners, not a check-the-box exercise". "Too often, federal decisions that affect our homelands are made without the engagement of the North Slope Iñupiat, the people these decisions will affect the most," he told the New York Times. In a bit of political theatre on Monday, Alaskan Republican senator Dan Sullivan tore up and tossed Biden's executive orders like confetti for the cameras, declaring there was "a new sheriff in town". It represents a supersized jump on a move by Mr Trump in his previous White House stint to open up oil exploration on 5,200 km2 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And it follows a blueprint laid out by Project 2025, the so-called right-wing wish list hatched by conservative US think tank the Heritage Foundation for Mr Trump to hit the ground running in his second term. US interior secretary Doug Burgum — a one-time software investor who chaired Australian tech giant Atlassian — said the government was "bringing an energy renaissance that utilises Alaska's resources instead of burying them under red tape". His department, which last year said the protections struck a balance between oil and gas development and protecting a "globally significant intact habitat for wildlife", this week said they were "unnecessary barriers to responsible energy development". It claimed an internal review found the protections were at odds with 49-year-old laws around navy fuel reserves, meaning its own officials had "overstepped legal limits" by enforcing them. Republicans denied the move cleared the way for desecrating America's last great wilderness, including Alaskan senator Lisa Murkowski, who said "world-class environmental standards" would be upheld. Environmentalists cried foul, accusing the Trump administration of pandering to corporate interests through a reactionary push for more decades of carbon pollution under the guise of shoring up US energy security. Earthjustice lawyer Erik Grafe said the government was trying to "grease the skids for oil companies intent on industrialising even the most sensitive areas in the western Arctic in pursuit of dirty oil that can have no place in our energy future". Mr Trump's plan not only ticks an ideological box of riding roughshod over environmental concerns voiced by left-wing opponents. It also serves as a diplomatic carrot alongside the stick of US tariffs. A conga line of officials and industry players from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea toured Alaska this week at the invitation of the US, which is touting investment opportunities in liquefied gas export projects as a quid pro quo for tariff concessions. Along with the goal of doubling oil production in Alaska after a steep decades-long decline, Mr Trump wants a major new natural gas project as what US energy secretary Craig Wright called a "big, beautiful twin". The administration's proposed new rules on Alaskan oil and gas projects will be open for comment by the US public for the next two months before they take effect. On the campaign trail last year, Mr Trump invoked the siren song of cheaper petrol prices for voters with his "drill, baby, drill" mantra. Big oil and gas, faced with putting their money where the president's mouth is, could prove more difficult to woo. The sector has applauded his changes but has hardly been champing at the bit for what was already on offer in the Alaskan wilderness. One exception was Australia's own Santos, which proposes to develop the huge Tikka oil field on Alaska's North Slope. But its plan involves counteracting its emissions by storing carbon underground, a practice that has been decades in development but its viability remains in question. Alaska-based analyst Mark Foster last year told local media that new Alaskan oil and gas proposals were dogged by doubts about their cost and performance. In January — after Mr Trump took office but before Mr Burgum took over the interior department — its auction on oil and gas drilling leases in the Alaskan Arctic refuge fell flat on its face, receiving no bids. All nine leases sold in the previous auction had been cancelled, two of them at the request of proponents. Outgoing deputy secretary of the department, Laura Daniel-Davis, said at the time that the "lack of interest from oil companies" was telling. "The oil and gas industry is sitting on millions of acres of undeveloped leases elsewhere," she said. "We'd suggest that's a prudent place to start, rather than engage further in speculative leasing in one of the most spectacular places in the world." The man who coined the "drill, baby, drill" slogan, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele, has suggested Mr Trump throws around the phrase with "very little appreciation or understanding of the current US energy position". "It is strong and it is driven by robust oil and gas production here at home, making us the top producer of oil and natural gas, thereby reducing our reliance on foreign imports," he said in March. "It also is driven by our expanding renewable energy capacity, advancements in energy storage and efficiency, and our ability to meet the challenge of grid modernisation, supply chain vulnerabilities, as well as other geopolitical uncertainties. "So, when I hear Donald Trump say 'drill, baby, drill', maybe it should be 'think, baby, think'."
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
WorldPride Washington DC strikes a protest note on Donald Trump's doorstep
About a mile from the home of a president who has been rolling back LGBT rights, popular drag queen Gottmik is firing up a crowd of fans in Washington. "Sometimes it feels like a lot," she tells the crowd at the 'Drag is Not a Crime' event, part of the WorldPride festival. "Every day you wake up and your own government is trying to shut you the f--- down and tell you that you're not a person. "WorldPride being in DC could not have come at a better time. Now it's our time to fight." Washington DC was chosen as host city for the biennial festival — a cluster of LGBT+ parties, conferences and parades — well before last year's re-election of Donald Trump. But his presence in the White House has sent a strong fight-the-government theme running through all its events. On day one of his presidency, Mr Trump ordered government agencies to start recognising only two unchangeable sexes, including on official documents like visas and passports. Subsequent orders have sought to ban trans people from the military, block funds for gender-affirming care for people under 19, and shut down diversity and inclusion programs across all arms of government. Many Republican states have taken the policies further. The president even effectively installed himself as the chair of Washington's Kennedy Centre, known as the nation's premier performing arts venue, and declared an end to drag performances "targeting our youth". The political backdrop has generated a very different vibe to the previous WorldPride event in Sydney in 2023, which the Australian government used to announce millions of dollars in funding for LGBT+ organisations. "It couldn't be a starker contrast," said Monash University human rights law professor Paula Gerber, who attended both events. "Sydney was a celebration. We were really rejoicing in how far we'd come with human rights protection "Here, there's no celebration. This is a call to action. This is realisation of how quickly our rights can be wound back." The political environment has also discouraged corporate sponsors from continuing to back pride events in the US. Several big ones have pulled out of WorldPride this year, and others have asked for their logos to be removed from signage. The Marriott Hotel group asked for banners to be changed so they no longer said "presented by Marriott", according to a report in the Washington Post. But the Marriott has continued to host the festival's human rights conference, just 500 metres from the White House, with keynote speeches and panels examining the state of play for LGBT rights around the world. The administration said it was defending women's rights and protecting "freedom of conscience" with its changes to transgender policy. "Efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being," the White House order said. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt this week said there were "no plans" for it to recognise Pride Month. Illinois Republican Mary Miller introduced a resolution to Congress to instead recognise June as "Family Month" to "reject the lie of 'Pride' and instead honour God's timeless and perfect design". Some speakers at WorldPride voiced fears the political rhetoric around LGBT rights was spurring hate crimes against the community. Media advocacy group GLAAD said it had tracked more than 900 anti-LGBTQ incidents in the US between May last year and March this year, and said many more incidents have likely gone unreported. They included violent attacks resulting in 84 injuries and 10 deaths. "For so many of us in this time right now, there's this very real sense of fear," GLAAD's senior manager of news and research, Sarah Moore, said. "This sense of distress, this sense of worry, is really heightened right now around Pride with that attention on our community." The three-week festival is wrapping up this weekend with a street parade, a party on the National Mall and a two-day music festival headlined by Melbourne pop star Troye Sivan and US singer Jennifer Lopez. Attendance numbers are not yet available, but hotel bookings for the opening and closing weekends were down compared to the same time last year. The city had initially expected 3 million people to visit for WorldPride, but organisers later halved that estimate. "We anticipated bookings to be much higher at this time for WorldPride and do know that the climate, the concern for folks internationally to travel to the United States is real," Ryan Bos, the executive director of organising body Capital Pride Alliance, told NPR. Professor Gerber told conference attendees they should consider "boomerang advocacy" to keep up the fight for rights in the US. That is where local human rights advocates harness overseas groups and global institutions to increase pressure on repressive regimes. "It's a strategy that's used when the government in a country is too hostile for local LGBTI activists to safely advocate for reform," she told the ABC. "I never in a million years thought that I'd be coming to America to talk to Americans about using boomerang advocacy."
