Comedian lampoons Zohran Mamdani winning over the Jewish vote in NYC
'How did this anti-American, anti-Israeli, economically illiterate, hard left socialist win the support of so many Jews?' Ms Panahi said.
'Well, comic Ami Kozak has the answer.'
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The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
AUKUS agreement: Trump official questions Australia's commitment amid Pentagon review
'That's still a jump ball as far as I'm concerned. Because the Australians have been noticeably fickle. We need to understand, Australia has a population of around 30 million people. It's a remarkably small tax base, and they are making a significant tax investment in this over the next 10 years.' A jump ball in basketball is similar to a ball-up in Australian Rules Football, where either team has a chance of gaining control of the play. Both Labor and the Coalition have expressed consistent commitment to AUKUS. Hendrix has also argued AUKUS does not provide enough capacity for Australian shipyards to repair American and British submarines, as well as Australian ones, and the US should 'more heavily leverage' the agreement. He has said of Australia and the Philippines: 'We're going to need them and their assistance and their basing rights and infrastructure, and I don't think they're ready to host Americans in the way that we're going to need to be hosted to do a counter-campaign to the Chinese invasion.' Hendrix appears to have deleted a number of posts on X about Australia and AUKUS. In one that is still online, from April 2024, he said there were two key questions – 'whether the Australian government will sustain their commitment across the coming years and change of governments', and 'whether the US will actually be willing to give up Virginia-class boats'. Loading Last week, Hendrix welcomed a news story that reported the Pentagon was asking Australia and Japan to make clear commitments about what they would do in a conflict between the US and China over Taiwan. 'Given these nations [are] critical [to] the task of logistically supporting US forces should we come to the aid of Taiwan, this inquiry is legitimate,' he said. 'I would be shocked to find that the previous administration hadn't asked the partners.' Reached by text, Hendrix declined to comment and referred questions to the White House. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly supplied a statement that said US shipbuilding had been neglected for decades and would be boosted by a $US43 billion ($66 billion) investment in the president's One Big Beautiful Bill. 'No president has done more to bolster American maritime power, and his White House Office of Shipbuilding will operate under the Office of Management and Budget,' she said. In their letter to Hegseth, Republican committee chair John Moolenaar and Democratic representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said AUKUS had bipartisan support in Congress for a reason, and that it would strengthen US security as well as that of Australia and the United Kingdom. They noted Beijing's 'unprecedented' live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea in February. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth watches a display of drone technology at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Credit: AP 'This attempt to project power as far south as New Zealand's front door highlights the importance of AUKUS in cementing ties to longstanding allies like Australia, as well as advancing vital undersea capabilities that will be central to deterrence,' they wrote. 'We are stronger together under the AUKUS framework.' The committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday in Washington on strategies to counter economic coercion by the Chinese Communist Party against democracies. Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who brokered the AUKUS deal, is scheduled to appear, as is former US senator and ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. Undersecretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby, who is heading the Pentagon's AUKUS review, has posted actively on social media over the past fortnight, doubling down on his calls for American allies to 'step up'. Loading 'No one at the Pentagon is asking for a blank cheque from our allies. Rather, the United States and our allies all benefit from a reasonable expectation of what contributions we can anticipate each other to make,' he said on Monday, US time. 'That is why we are working closely with our allies to align expectations, an approach akin to what we have with NATO and South Korea. This will make our alliances sturdier and more equitable. That's just common sense.' Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Zelensky defends law curbing anti-graft agencies' independence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday defended legislative changes removing the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies, sparking the first major protests in Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion. The bill passed on Tuesday is the latest in a series of moves criticised by Ukrainian anti-corruption activists. They warn that growing government pressure threatens Ukraine's reforms and ambition to join the European Union. Zelensky has rejected the criticism, saying the law was needed to root out alleged Russian influence in anti-corruption institutions -- a charge denied by activists. "We all share a common enemy: the Russian occupiers," Zelensky said after meeting with top law enforcement and anti-corruption officials. "And defending the Ukrainian state requires a strong enough law enforcement system -- one that ensures a real sense of justice," he added. The law places the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. After meeting with Zelensky, NABU and SAPO repeated their criticism of the changes and said "unambiguous legislative steps are required to reinstate the guarantees revoked by parliament". Prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko told journalists he maintained his independence. "Society, law enforcement agencies and parliament can only judge me by my actions in the future," he told journalists. "I can sign my name in blood if it helps." - 'Gift to Putin' - The adoption of the law by Parliament on Tuesday sparked demonstrations in Kyiv, the first major protest in the Ukrainian capital since Russian troops invaded in 2022. More than 1,000 took part despite martial law banning large gatherings. Some fear that a political crisis over the legislation could work in Russia's favour by undermining unity in the country. "This is a gift to Putin," Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Centre for Civil Liberties that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, said of the law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was "a lot of corruption", answering a question about the protests in Kyiv. Zelensky signed the law on Tuesday as protesters were massed in front of the Ivan Franko theatre, where they projected a message reading "Veto the Law". The news was met with anger from protesters, who vowed to gather again on Wednesday at 8:00 pm local time (1700 GMT). "We all hear what society is saying," Zelensky said on Wednesday, promising to "resolve existing issues". While the government says the law will make the anti-corruption agencies function better, its critics say it consolidates power in Zelensky's hands and allow government meddling in high-profile graft cases. - EU 'step back' - Kyiv's partners reacted with alarm, worrying the move would undermine anti-corruption reforms key to Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen has demanded "explanations" from Zelensky over the change, the EU said Wednesday. "President von der Leyen conveyed her strong concerns about the consequences of the amendments," said a spokesman. "The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back," EU Enlargment Commissioner Marta Kos said. NABU began work in 2015, as Kyiv sought to bring the country closer to Europe after a 2014 pro-European revolution. Since its inception, the agency has uncovered widespread graft, including among figures in Zelensky's administration. On Monday, law enforcement conducted large-scale raids at NABU, detaining one employee on suspicion of spying for Russia. Transparency International's Ukraine office called the raids an "attempt by the authorities to undermine the independence of Ukraine's post-Revolution of Dignity anti-corruption institutions." Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105th out of 180 countries in its "corruption perceptions index" in 2024, up from 144 in 2013. Higher numbers indicate higher levels of corruption on its index. The raids followed proceedings against one the country's top activists, Vitaliy Shabunin, who was brought to court for alleged fraud and draft-dodging. Some of Shabunin's allies have denounced the case as politically motivated retribution for an investigation into the President's inner circle, including former minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. It also comes as the government rejected the appointment of the head of the Bureau of Economic Security, citing alleged connections with Russia, a decision heavily criticised by Ukrainian civil society. brw/cad/jj
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Interest in this is not going away': House Oversight Committee to summon Ghislaine Maxwell
Sky News contributor Kosha Gada discusses the potential summoning of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's wife, to give testimony before the House Oversight Committee. 'Epstein's former lawyer, one of his lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, has called her the Rosetta Stone, because she knows everything,' Ms Gada told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. 'The interest in this is not going away; there's massive interest in it across the electorate, but especially among the Republican base.'
