Anthony Albanese reacts after Australian journalist shot in US riots
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his Government has formally protested to the Trump administration after a US riot police officer shot an Australian journalist with a non-lethal round during violent demonstrations in Los Angeles.
Nine's Lauren Tomasi was at the time reporting in the city's downtown area, where law
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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
An unrestrained Trump defends deploying military to Los Angeles during Fort Bragg visit
By Kevin Liptak and Alayna Treene , CNN Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI When President Donald Trump returned from a Bastille Day visit to Paris during his first term, he asked his military brass to organize a parade akin to the one he'd watched march down the Champs-Élysées. His defense secretary at the time, James Mattis, said he'd rather "swallow acid," according to a book written by a former staffer. Trump later received a comparable response from another defense secretary, Mark Esper, when he floated using active duty troops on American soil to quell violent protests. "The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations," Esper told reporters in 2020. Times have changed. "We will use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order right away," Trump said on Tuesday during a visit to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he defended sending the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles . "We're not going … to wait for a governor that's never going to call and watch cities burn," he added. Free of advisers who acted as guardrails to his most extreme impulses, and more determined than ever to demonstrate strength, Trump has reshaped how a president uses the US military during his second term in office. This week's troop deployments in Los Angeles , which come ahead of a major military parade through Washington, DC, on Saturday, illustrate just how much the restraints once placed on Trump's use of US servicemen and women have evaporated. No longer does Trump appear convinced, as he did in 2020, that activating a state's National Guard troops against the wishes of governors is against the law. Nor does he seem particularly bothered by the view of some former military leaders, who told him during his first term that major military parades are the purview of dictators, not democratically elected leaders. Some former military officials, along with some current officials speaking privately, have voiced concern about the juxtaposition of tanks parading through Washington potentially at the same moment US troops are deployed on California streets. "For me, it's a negative split screen moment," retired Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO supreme allied commander, told "CNN This Morning." "You're doing this pretty unusual visual of tanks rolling through our capital, and across the country in Los Angeles, you're putting US Marines - the best combat shock troops in the world… they're being deployed against largely peaceful protesters," he said. "I think that's a troubling split screen. It will be difficult, appropriately difficult for the American people to digest what they're looking at." Trump heralded the weekend spectacle in front of a sympathetic crowd on Tuesday. "And Saturday is going to be a big day in Washington, DC, and a lot of people say we don't want to do that. We do. We want to show off a little bit," he told service members and their families. The event was arranged like a typical political-style rally, albeit comprised of hundreds of uniformed troops, military families and others, some of whom booed in agreement when Trump criticized former President Joe Biden. Upon entering the event site, attendees were greeted with the sight of military tanks and fighter vehicles spread out across the large field as part of a demonstration of the Army's capabilities - known as a static display, members of the Army on the ground told CNN. An Avenger Stinger missile vehicle, Sentinel radar and different types of Army tanks were included in the display. When he arrived, Trump watched demonstrations of special operators and paratroopers. In interviews with CNN, several members of the military in the crowd showed appreciation for the president's visit and dismissed concerns that he's overstepped in ordering the National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles to respond to the protests in the city without request from the governor - an action that's without recent precedent. George Ahouman, a mechanic specialist in the Army's 91 Bravos group, told CNN of the move: "It's always a tough decision to make. We have to do what we have to do regardless, you know. So if the bad guy is acting bad, we gotta, you know, knuckle down and do what we're supposed to, that's what we signed up for." Toby Cash, in the same division as Ahouman, said: "It's a tough topic to talk about. At the end of the day we've just got to follow orders." Ahouman added, however, that he's grateful Trump came to visit Fort Bragg and will hold a parade to honor the Army's 250th anniversary. "I feel like he's kind of showing his love to the troops and to the Army. You know, we usually don't get recognition like that in the past, so I think it's pretty good." Will Schmidt and Raymond Cervantes, both members of the Army's 57th Sapper company in the 27th engineer battalion, made similar arguments. "Personally, I'm in support of it," Schmidt told CNN of Trump's decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles. "It's kind of like one of the reasons we have a National Guard, and a lot of it is disaster relief, but it's also civil unrest and stuff." Cervantes argued the president's visit to the Army base - which serves as headquarters for US Army Special Operations Command, where Green Berets and the Rangers are based - and his plans to host a military parade in Washington, "shows he cares." "Even for those who don't like him as an individual, he's still showing he appreciates us," Cervantes said. Fort Bragg itself has come to embody some of the ways Trump is working to move the military away from what he views as the liberal excesses of the previous administration. Originally named for Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general, it was renamed to Fort Liberty in 2023 amid a push to strip names of Confederate leaders from military installations. But Trump's administration reversed the decision, restoring the Fort Bragg name earlier this year - but now citing World War II paratrooper Roland Bragg as the namesake. On Tuesday, Trump announced his administration would be changing back the names of several other bases originally named after Confederates. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI Trump's visit to Fort Bragg was intended as a kickoff to a week of celebrations marking the US Army's 250th birthday, which will culminate in Saturday's parade in Washington. That event will see a massive amount of military hardware and personnel being paraded through Washington, including 28 Abrams tanks weighing 70 tons each rolling down Constitution Avenue. Local officials have voiced concern about potential damage to the city's streets, which could cost millions of dollars to repair. Military officials have downplayed the cost of the parade, which is also set to include a World War II-era B-25 bomber, 6,700 soldiers, 50 helicopters, 34 horses, two mules and one dog. But even some Republicans have expressed skepticism about the parade. "Well, look, it's the president's call. I wouldn't spend the money if it were me," Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said when asked about the event. "The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. We're a lion. And a lion doesn't have to tell you it's a lion. Everybody else in the jungle knows," he said. Unlike his predecessors during Trump's first term, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has demonstrated only enthusiasm for Trump's parade plans. Nor has Hegseth voiced any misgivings over Trump's decision to deploy National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the objections of California's Democratic leaders. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI Trump has long mused about using military force to clamp down on protests or riots in the United States, including during his first term as violence broke out following the killing of George Floyd in 2020. His aides drafted a proclamation that would send thousands of active duty troops using the Insurrection Act, but top advisers at the time - including Esper, Attorney General Bill Barr and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley - encouraged him against taking that step. Trump appeared in 2020 to have been persuaded that activating the National Guard without a governor's request would be illegal. "Look, we have laws. We have to go by the laws," Trump said during an ABC town hall at the time. "We can't move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection, but there's no reason to ever do that." "We can't call in the National Guard unless we're requested by a governor," Trump went on to explain. Trump later came to regret following that advice. "You have to remember, I've been here before, and I went right by every rule," he said Tuesday before departing the White House for Fort Bragg. "And I waited for governors to say, send in the National Guard. They wouldn't do it. They wouldn't do and they just wouldn't do it. It kept going on and on." - CNN
Techday NZ
4 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Australia's property rules may push global capital to NZ
An Australian regulatory change restricting foreign purchases of residential property is forecast to shift international investor attention to New Zealand, prompting debate over whether New Zealand is positioned to capitalise on this opportunity. Australian property ban Australia has implemented legislation that prohibits foreign buyers from acquiring established residential dwellings between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2027. This policy aims to address concerns around housing affordability and availability. However, it may also re-route significant volumes of global capital, with high net worth purchasers now searching for alternative destinations for investment in the region. Caleb Paterson, Founder of Paterson Luxury Real Estate, believes these changes represent an important turning point for New Zealand. According to Paterson, if New Zealand does not make its own foreign buyer policies clearer and more inviting, billions in investment risk bypassing the country entirely. Missed opportunities Paterson noted that New Zealand's current uncertainty with residential property rules for overseas buyers may have already resulted in lost opportunities, as investors look toward destinations offering a more straightforward acquisition process. "We've had deals collapse because investors couldn't buy a home to settle here first. That's an avoidable failure of policy. Meanwhile, in places like Dubai, capital is being welcomed and economies are booming because of it." He argues New Zealand's offering of political stability, attractive natural environment, and high-quality lifestyle remains a drawcard, but these are not translating into investment without a streamlined and reliable path for international purchases. "New Zealand has a unique combination of political stability, natural beauty and a lifestyle that's incredibly appealing to global investors. They're not just looking to park capital, they want a safe, long-term base for their families and their businesses. What's missing is a clear pathway for them to invest and if we don't act they'll go elsewhere. We are talking about an investment in the billions right when the economy needs it most. "I'm dealing with ultra-high-net-worth clients from China, Canada, the US and the UK who are currently sitting on the fence. They want to invest here not just in homes, but in businesses, developments, the tech sector and other industries but they're not going to do that while the rules remain unclear." Paterson warns that uncertainty could see investment redirected to more accessible markets, highlighting the UAE as a major competitor. He attributes recent policy ambiguities to a situation where "hundreds of millions in immediate capital" is held back, awaiting regulatory clarity. "We're talking about people with serious capital including a $4 billion syndicate from Taiwan, developers with $70 million commercial projects sitting ready and expats and migrants waiting to buy homes, set up companies and inject money into our economy," he says. "I recently had someone trying to bring in a major international coffee roasting brand, but they couldn't get a foothold here because they couldn't buy a family home first to get settled," he says. Changing investor sentiment According to Paterson, Canada's proposed wealth tax and ongoing political shifts in the United States have increased the number of international investors considering New Zealand, but competing jurisdictions like Dubai are attracting attention due to the clarity of their investment rules. "I've got clients telling me they'll take their money to Dubai where they know what the rules are. There's no shortage of appealing alternatives," he says. Paterson reports that uncertainty in New Zealand has also affected local real estate activity, with as much as 40% of luxury listings withdrawn over the past year as sellers waited for the possibility of rule changes. He says the result is a stagnant high-end market, impacting not only buyers and sellers but also broader economic sectors tied to property transactions. "Everyone's being impacted, even high-net-worth individuals who are less agile right now. This winter will be our coldest yet, metaphorically. People can't keep borrowing to stay afloat and we're going to see more financial strain. "This isn't about pitying someone in a $15 million home. It's about what happens when they can't sell, builders aren't contracted and tradespeople sit idle. The wealth isn't circulating and the economy suffers. "I'm probably one of the few people in the country who speaks to around 20 high-net-worth individuals a day. These people are worth $4 to $5 million or more on paper but right now every single one of them is feeling pressure. It's not just one or two outliers; across the board, I'm hearing stories of business strain, stalled investments and uncertainty. "Unless you're a billionaire, people are navigating real challenges. We need a solution that gets capital flowing again, not just for their sake, but for the broader economy that depends on that investment." Regional implications Paterson also highlights the impact on regions beyond New Zealand's main urban centres, suggesting that allowing limited high-value international buyers could stimulate development and economic activity in outlying areas. "Outside of Auckland and Queenstown, opening the door to high-value international buyers would also unlock stalled developments in regions like Northland, the Bay of Plenty, and Central Otago. These are areas where investment could mean hundreds of new homes, jobs for local tradies, and real economic momentum outside the main centres." Market effects and policy recommendations Paterson contends that if the New Zealand Budget were to introduce a clear threshold for overseas residential investment, significant pent-up demand could be released, resulting in rapid market movement. "Even if international buyers were allowed back into the market tomorrow, we wouldn't see a spike in prices straight away. There's a significant backlog of unsold high-end stock, it could take 12 to 18 months just to clear that. What we'd see first is volume returning, not price pressure. And that's exactly what the market needs right now - movement. "I could quadruple my sales volume in a month. We have listings ready to go, marketing prepared, and global agents waiting. "The economic impact would be almost immediate with millions of dollars in real estate value unlocked we just need the green light," he says. Paterson warns that the absence of action could mean New Zealand risks losing both the immediate benefit of investment capital and the long-term advantage as an attractive destination for international investors. "We've got the lifestyle and the stability investors want. Now we just need to show them that we're open for business before they go elsewhere."
Newsroom
8 hours ago
- Newsroom
America's foreign student fiasco
One of the world's best universities, a magnet for the globe's brightest brains, is under attack by the Trump administration. And while Harvard is fighting various funding restrictions and bans on foreign student visas, harsher policies on America's borders are creating fear from returning students that they could be arrested by immigration officers and jailed or deported. International students are big money-makers for universities worldwide – in New Zealand they pay four times the amount in fees as domestic students. 'We could be doing well while doing good,' says the chief economist at the policy think-tank The New Zealand Initiative, Dr Eric Crampton. 'It's amazing that America's throwing all this away. 'We aren't the destination market for the best students in the world. But if the place that is the destination for the best students in the world suddenly says 'We don't want them any more' – my God we'd better be ready for that,' he tells The Detail. Crampton is Canadian, but spent time in the US on a student visa so knows what it's like to study there. He's also taught at Canterbury University and has experience with exchange students. He says the American administration has now basically put every student visa under threat, with erratic threats coming from the President, whether over funding or threats to Chinese students on the basis that 'they're all spies or something'. Trump's move to bar international students from Harvard by blocking their visas has itself now been blocked by a court order, but the situation remains uncertain. At the same time foreign students are getting nervous about leaving the country and trying to get back in, with reports about people getting arrested randomly at the border. The hit to the US economy is expected to cost billions in revenue, and has been described as an 'anti-intellectual spree'. 'When you live in America on something like a student visa, every interaction with the state you're reminded that you're less than an American. Even in 2002 it was very clear that you are there by their sufferance. 'It would be awful being there now on a student visa because just imagine it … you'd be paying $US50,000 per year in international tuition fees, maybe you've already paid for two years of study and you're coming towards the end of it … and you've got two more years ahead of you … if they cancel your visa you've wasted $100,000 and two years. 'If you're at a place like Harvard, people wouldn't hold it against you, you could continue your studies elsewhere. People would say 'Well, he was admitted to Harvard, he must be really good', but if you're at a mid-tier US university – which is still better than anything New Zealand has – you'll have sunk two years' worth of study and $100,000 worth of cost, and you won't be able to finish your degree. 'It feels like the kind of spot where New Zealand could help. We've always been able to accommodate students on international exchange. We could make it really easy for students to come in that way.' Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan says New Zealand is nearly back up to pre-Covid numbers of foreign students, with our eight universities having about 20,000 full-time equivalent students between them. 'International students help, but they're just one of a number of different mechanisms that universities are looking to for making payroll and keeping lights on,' he says. 'We don't want to grow too far … we want international education to be a genuinely quality and value proposition for both domestic students – giving them the ability to rub shoulders with people from different cultures – but also for the international students, to give them a genuine international experience. 'But if any student did want to, or was forced to, discontinue their studies in the US, there are places like New Zealand that I think would welcome them and would make it as easy as possible for them to get here.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
