US President Donald Trump riding high after historic immigration Supreme Court victory, finalises rare earth minerals deal with China
US President Donald Trump has secured a litany of significant wins, including the Supreme Court limiting the power of judges to block presidential policies and expediating a rare earth export agreement with China as part of a finalised trade deal.
The Trump administration has been touting a string of recent accomplishments, including brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran after it struck three Iranian nuclear facilities in a targeted military operation known as Midnight Hammer.
The US President also managed to increase the defence contributions of NATO states, with members agreeing to bolster annual defence spending to five per cent of GDP by 2035.
The President's widely anticipated 'big, beautiful bill' is also progressing with haste, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune telling Senate Republicans he expected to see the legislative text of the budget reconciliation package on Friday evening.
The US Supreme Court handed President Trump a historic win on Friday by curbing the ability of judges to impede his policies nationwide, changing the balance between the federal judiciary and the executive branch.
The 6-3 ruling, authored by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, did not let Trump's directive restricting birthright citizenship go into effect immediately and directed lower courts that blocked it to reconsider the scope of their orders.
The ruling also did not address the legality of the policy, part of Trump's hardline approach toward immigration.
The Republican President lauded the ruling and said his administration could now try to move forward with numerous policies such as his birthright executive order that he said, 'have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis.'
Trump called the ruling a "monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law."
"We have so many of them. I have a whole list," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The court granted the administration's request to narrow the scope of three so-called "universal" injunctions issued by federal judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state that halted enforcement of his directive nationwide while litigation challenging the policy played out.
The court's conservative justices were in the majority and its liberal members dissented.
The ruling specified that Trump's executive order cannot take effect until 30 days after Friday's ruling.
The ruling raises the prospect of Trump's order eventually applying in some parts of the country.
More than 150,000 newborns would be denied citizenship annually under Trump's directive, according to the plaintiffs who challenged it, including the Democratic attorneys general of 22 states as well as immigrant rights advocates and pregnant immigrants.
The ruling was issued on the final day of decisions on cases argued before the Supreme Court during its nine-month term that began in October.
The court also issued rulings on Friday backing a Texas law regarding online pornography, letting parents opt children out of classes when storybooks when LGBT are read and preserving Obamacare's provision on health insurers covering preventive care among others.
The US President also abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada on Friday over its tax targeting U.S. technology firms, saying that it was a "blatant attack" and that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week.
The move plunges US-Canada relations back into chaos after a period of relative calm that included a cordial G7 meeting in mid-June where Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to wrap up a new economic agreement within 30 days.
It also came just hours after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the U.S. manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations.
During US-China trade talks in May in Geneva, Beijing committed to removing the measures imposed since April 2, but those critical materials were not moving as fast as agreed, Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network, so the US put countermeasures in place.
"I am confident now that we, as agreed, the magnets will flow," Bessent said. - With Reuters
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ABC News
44 minutes ago
- ABC News
Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo sign US-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a US-facilitated peace deal intended to help end deadly fighting in eastern Congo, while also helping the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region. The agreement has provisions on territorial integrity, prohibition of hostilities and the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups. "Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity, harmony, prosperity and peace," US President Donald Trump told the two countries' foreign ministers at a White House meeting on Friday. The agreement was signed earlier at the State Department's Treaty Room beneath a portrait of Colin Powell, the first African-American to serve as top US diplomat. There, current Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it "an important moment after 30 years of war". Over the past few decades, the DRC has been wracked by conflict between the government and more than 100 armed groups — the most potent backed by neighbouring Rwanda — leading to the deaths of millions of people. However, while the deal could be a turning point in the struggle to end the conflict, many Congolese see it mainly as an opportunity for the US to acquire Congo's critical minerals, after their government reached out to Mr Trump for support in fighting the rebels. The US president has pushed to gain access to those minerals at a time when the United States and China are actively competing for influence in Africa. So, will this deal mark the beginning of the end of the decades-long conflict, or is it destined to fail due to the absence of a major player? With 7 million people displaced in the DRC, the United Nations has called the situation "one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth". The conflict can be traced to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, where Hutu militias killed between 500,000 and 1 million ethnic Tutsi, as well as moderate Hutus and Twa, Indigenous people. When Tutsi-led forces fought back, nearly 2 million Hutus crossed into Congo, fearing reprisals. Rwandan authorities have accused the Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide, and alleged that elements of the Congolese army protected them. They have also argued that the militias formed by a small fraction of the Hutus are a threat to Rwanda's Tutsi population. Since then, the ongoing fighting in eastern Congo has killed 6 million people, in attacks, famines and unchecked disease outbreaks stemming from the fighting. The M23 rebel group is the most prominent armed group involved in the conflict, and its major advance early this year left bodies on the streets. Rwanda is also estimated to have up to 4,000 troops in the region supporting M23, though it maintains it is simply defending its territorial interests. While signing the agreement, Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner invoked the millions of victims of the conflict. She expressed optimism, but stressed significant work was yet to be done in order to end the fighting. "Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear," Ms Wagner said. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe was similarly cautious, nothing there was still a "great deal of uncertainty" because previous agreements were never implemented. "There is no doubt that the road ahead will not be easy," he said. "But with the continued support of the United States and other partners, we believe that a turning point has been reached." While the two foreign ministers appeared to be guardedly optimistic, most analysts do not believe the deal will quickly end the fighting — because rebel group M23, the most prominent of the armed groups fighting the government in Congo, says the deal does not apply to it. Asked in the Oval Office about potential violations of the agreement, Mr Trump said he didn't think that would happen but also warned of "very severe penalties, financial and otherwise", if it did. The DRC hopes the deal with Rwanda — which includes access to critical minerals for US companies — will lead the US to provide it with the security support it believes it needs to fight the rebels, and possibly get them to withdraw from the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. M23 rebels, however, say they won't abide by it as they weren't directly involved in the deal's development, though they have been part of other ongoing peace talks. Corneille Nangaa, who leads the Congo River Alliance — which includes M23 — said in March that direct peace talks with the DRC could only be held if the government acknowledges the rebels' grievances, as well as the principle that "anything regarding us which [is] done without us, it's against us". An M23 spokesperson, Oscar Balinda, echoed those sentiments to the Associated Press this week. Mr Nduhungirehe pointed to separate talks happening in Qatar that are meant to get both Congo and the M23 rebels to agree among themselves how they will end the fighting. He also said Rwanda had agreed to lift its "defensive measures", though it was not clear if he meant withdrawing troops that Rwanda has previously said were in Congo to defend its interests. The new deal is also at the heart of the US government's push to counter China in Africa. For many years, Chinese companies have been a key player in Congo's minerals sector. Chinese cobalt refineries, which account for a majority of the global supply, rely heavily on Congo. Rwanda has also been accused of exploiting eastern Congo's critical minerals, which are used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more. Congo's foreign minister said the US had proven to be a "reliable partner" during the peace process, as well as during talks on other issues in the relationship between the two countries. "So there is no doubt in this moment, if you want, when it comes to the credibility of the US as a partner — be it for a peace process, where we have signed a very important agreement today, or for investment from the US," Ms Wagner said on Friday. However, analysts say the US government's commitment might depend on how much access it has to the minerals being discussed under separate negotiations between the American and Congolese governments. The mostly untapped minerals are estimated to be worth as much as $US24 trillion ($36.8 trillion) by the US Department of Commerce. Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank Dypol, called the deal a "major turning point" but said it could "in no way eliminate all the issues of the conflict". "This seems like a trigger-happy proposition and cannot establish lasting peace without justice and reparation." In Congo's North Kivu province, the hardest-hit by the fighting, some believe that the peace deal will help resolve the violence — but warn justice must still be served for an enduring peace. "I don't think the Americans should be trusted 100 per cent," said Hope Muhinuka, an activist from the province. "It is up to us to capitalise on all we have now as an opportunity." ABC/AP
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Deadly strikes in Gaza as Trump flags possible truce
At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital. The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, "We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of." Talks have been on again, off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war. The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move towards ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, while Netanyahu says he will end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for two-and-a-half months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Palestinians have been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds heading towards the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital. The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, "We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of." Talks have been on again, off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war. The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move towards ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, while Netanyahu says he will end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for two-and-a-half months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Palestinians have been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds heading towards the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital. The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, "We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of." Talks have been on again, off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war. The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move towards ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, while Netanyahu says he will end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for two-and-a-half months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Palestinians have been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds heading towards the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital. The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, "We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of." Talks have been on again, off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war. The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move towards ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, while Netanyahu says he will end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for two-and-a-half months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Palestinians have been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds heading towards the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites.
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese government sought legal advice on lawfulness of US strikes on Iran
Shadow Resource Minister Susan McDonald questions the Albanese government seeking legal advice to determine the lawfulness of the US's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 'Did they seek advice after the Hamas attack on Israel?' Ms McDonald told Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus. 'Did they seek advice after the Chinese warships circled Australia? 'This seems to me a government that's very willing to pick and choose its friends. 'The Albanese government's willing to try and second-guess and seek legal advice on its actions.'
