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      in US Politics

      Senior Trump adviser suggests Rudd’s time as US ambassador could be up with hourglass gif

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      A senior adviser to US president-elect Donald Trump has fuelled speculation about the future of Australia’s ambassador to Washington, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, by reposting Rudd’s congratulatory statement to Trump on social media with a gif of an hourglass.The provocative time-is-running-out post by former Trump deputy chief of staff for communications Dan Scavino reignited suggestions that the incoming president may prefer another Australian representative in Washington when he takes office in January.Scavino spoke at Trump’s now-infamous Madison Square Garden rally in New York ahead of the election and was billed as a “senior adviser”.A new video emerged earlier this week of Rudd in an interview in 2021 describing Trump as “a village idiot” and “not a leading intellectual force”. Rudd last week – following the US election – deleted old social media posts criticising Trump.There are no formal protocols for challenging the status of incumbent foreign diplomats upon a change of US administration.But Trump has already banished one high-profile diplomat from a significant ally in the past, effectively forcing the withdrawal of then-British ambassador Kim Darroch in 2019 after leaked cables revealed past personal criticisms of the president.Darroch’s situation was different to Rudd’s because the British ambassador’s criticisms were contemporary, not historical.Nevertheless, there is now concern in Australian government and diplomatic circles that the personal nature of some of Rudd’s past criticisms of Trump may be a bigger problem than first feared.

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      Former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos has urged the government not to withdraw Rudd because of the risk of appearing supine. But he also advised finding a way to publicly walk back Rudd’s criticisms of the incoming president.“It would not be a good look to suddenly just yank the ambassador out,” Sinodinos told ABC radio on Wednesday.“But what is important is two things: not only that the prime minister stand by the ambassador, but also the ambassador and the prime minister have got to explain maybe that those comments are inoperative, because circumstances have changed – that calling him all those names … that’s a bit sort of passé.”Sinodinos said the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and Rudd should seize the opportunity of the president-elect’s emphatic victory to recalibrate.“Because the president [elect] has demonstrated his capacity to win elections and to win an extraordinary mandate from the American people, the popular vote, as well as the electoral college and the and the Congress. So maybe he’s not as unsmart or the village idiot that some people think.”On Wednesday, the Australian opposition leader, Peter Dutton, appeared to endorse Rudd and praised his efforts.“It’s important that he does work in our country’s name,” Dutton told ABC radio. “He’s been a very effective contributor to public debate, particularly as a former prime minister. He is well respected, and I hope he’s able to form a relationship with the new administration, as he’s done with the current one.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionWhile highlighting the former prime minister’s “incredible work ethic”, evident in a meeting the pair had on his own recent trip to Washington, Dutton caveated his praise.“As you would expect, [Rudd’s] got an incredible work ethic, but he’s made disparaging comments and that’s an issue for the government to deal with,” he said.“People of both political types have gone to that position. They bring gravitas to the office and I hope that there can be good work done in our country’s name.”Former prime minister Tony Abbott downplayed Rudd’s criticisms and any risk of US intervention. Abbott said Rudd had done a good job and said some “injudicious things about the incoming president – but a lot of people have”.“[It would be] unusual for our closest ally to start being prescriptive about who can and can’t be our ambassador,” Abbott said in his podcast Australia’s Future with Tony Abbott.But he also warned Australia should be “very careful” about criticising a US president or ex-president.On Tuesday, Dutton had more actively entertained critical questions about Rudd’s future.“The ambassador has to have a functional working relationship with the administration, whether that’s a Democrat or Republican administration,” Dutton told reporters.. He also pointed to criticisms of Trump by Albanese and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong.Albanese has continued to back Rudd and said he remains the right person for the ambassador role. More

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      in US Politics

      Redone, hidden, burnt: seven famous subjects and the portraits they hated

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      Vincent Namatjira’s portrait of Gina Rinehart has found no favour with the subject, with the mining tycoon asking the National Gallery of Australia to remove the painting from an exhibition. But Australia’s richest womanis not the first person to take a painting of their likeness to task.Here we take a look at seven notable examples.Winston Churchill by Graham SutherlandDespite being one of the most highly regarded artists of his time, Graham Sutherland produced a portrait of Winston Churchill that was so detested it was secretly burnt by his wife.The painting was commissioned by the Houses of Parliament to mark the former prime minister’s 80th birthday in November 1954. In it, Churchill was seated and wore a dark suit, displaying his famous bulldog demeanour.The wartime leader is said to have found his likeness “like a down-and-out who has been picked out of the gutter”. The painting was taken to his home, Chartwell in Kent, where destroyed it in a bonfire.Germaine Greer by Jeffrey SmartPrim, seated and with her hands clasped around a handbag, a likeness of the author and feminist Germaine Greer was so unlike her, the sitter reportedly complained of the 1984 portrait painted by Jeffrey Smart.The sitter and artist were friends but Greer reportedly refused to pose after seeing initial pencil studies of her face, forcing Smart to use a body double. While Greer may have hated the painting, it sold for $1,227,273 in 2022.Bernard Breslauer by Lucian Freud A double chin was to blame for the destruction of the portrait of the millionaire antiquarian book dealer Bernard Breslauer by Lucian Freud. The art academic Catherine Lampert made the discovery in 2008 after visiting Breslauer’s New York apartment, where she reportedly learned that he had not been flattered by Freud’s depiction of his baldness and bulging chin.Freud was told of the painting’s fate when he was 85, some 50 years after the portrait was completed. Had it survived, the portrait could have fetched a seven-figure sum at auction. Malcolm Fraser by Bryan WestwoodThe prime minister’s first official portrait was instantly rejected when it was revealed in 1983, with Malcolm Fraser reportedly “loathing it at first sight”.Bryan Westwood, who went on to twice win the Archibald prize, captured the prime minister standing with folded arms against a dark background.Westwood’s agent, Robin Gibson, told the Canberra Times that the late former PM saw the painting as “too casual and domestic”. The painting was originally consigned to a National Gallery storage unit but was eventually moved to Old Parliament House. Lyndon B Johnson by Peter HurdThe president is said to have called his likeness, standing and clutching a history book with the Capitol at dusk in the background, “the ugliest thing [he] ever saw”.In turn, its painter, Peter Hurd, was not shy about calling LBJ’s behaviour “very damn rude”.Theodore Roosevelt by Théobald ChartranAfter the 1902 portrait was unveiled, Theodore Roosevelt felt the Frenchman had made him look more like “a mewing cat” than the powerful leader he preferred to imagine.He reportedly hid the painting in a wardrobe before having it destroyed. A second – and more successful – official portrait was commissioned, this time by John Singer Sargent.Ronald Reagan by Aaron ShiklerThe 1989 official portrait of Ronald and Nancy Reagan was a second attempt after Aaron Shikler’s first version was rejected because it reportedly lacked a “twinkle in his eye”.Two years later, the official portrait was replaced by a third, by Everett Raymond Kinstler.Other notable unlikenessesGough Whitlam refused to sit for his prime ministerial portrait after his dismissal. His Archibald-winning likeness by Clifton Pugh was instead chosen as his official portrait. Lucian Freud’s painting of Queen Elizabeth was both admired and derided when it was unveiled in 2001. While some said the likeness was more like that of a corgi than the Queen, the sitter tactfully told Freud: “Very nice of you to do this. I’ve very much enjoyed watching you mix your colours.”  More

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      in Elections

      The moment US Congress passed bill allowing sale of Aukus nuclear submarines to Australia – video

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      The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which includes sweeping legislation covering a wide range of military priorities including Aukus passed the US House of Representatives, a day after it cleared the Senate. The acquisition of at least three such submarines from the US is an interim step before Australian-built nuclear-powered submarines start to enter into service in the 2040s More

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      in US Politics

      Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Marjorie Taylor Greene unite in push to free Julian Assange

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      Maga Republican and fierce Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene and leftwing Democratic firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have found common ground in freeing Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.The pair are among 16 members of the US Congress who have written directly to president Joe Biden urging the United States to drop its extradition attempts against Assange and halt any prosecutorial proceedings immediately.The group warns continuing the pursuit of Assange risks America’s bilateral relationship with Australia.“It is the duty of journalists to seek out sources, including documentary evidence, in order to report to the public on the activities of the government,” the letter to Biden, first reported by Nine newspapers, states.“The United States must not pursue an unnecessary prosecution that risks criminalising common journalistic practices and thus chilling the work of the free press. We urge you to ensure that this case be brought to a close in as timely a manner as possible.”Assange remains in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a US attempt to extradite him to face charges – including under the Espionage Act. The charges are in connection with the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables, in 2010 and 2011.
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      In September, a cross-party delegation of Australian MPs, which included former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, teal independent Monique Ryan, Greens senators David Shoebridge and Peter Whish-Wilson, conservative Alex Antic and Labor’s Tony Zappia, travelled to America to meet with US representatives over Assange’s case.The group hoped to gain support from American lawmakers in their bid to have the pursuit of Assange dropped ahead of Anthony Albanese’s official visit to Washington.Since coming to power, the Albanese government has been more forward than its predecessors in pushing for Assange’s freedom, but so far the Biden government has rebuffed the calls.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionAlbanese confirmed he raised Assange’s case again during his meeting with Biden at the White House last month, but Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, urged the Australian government to increase the pressure.Shipton told Guardian Australia: “If this government can get back Cheng Lei from China, why is he so impotent when it comes to Julian and the USA?”With Assange’s avenues for legal appeal against the US extradition diminishing, his supporters fear for his life. More

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      in US Politics

      Anthony Albanese confident dysfunction in US Congress won’t affect Aukus deal

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      Anthony Albanese has expressed confidence that rolling dysfunction in the legislature of the United States won’t derail the Aukus nuclear submarine pact, telling reporters he will continue to engage senators and members of Congress during his time in Washington.Republican infighting has paralysed the US House of Representatives for the past three weeks. Former speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted on 3 October and colleagues are yet to determine his successor.
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      Asked during his four-day official visit whether he was concerned the imbroglio around the speakership would delay critical legislation needed for the submarine pact, Australia’s prime minister told travelling reporters he was “very confident” discussions with legislators had been, and would be, productive.“We are able to talk with legislators, and we’re doing so,” Albanese said. “And I’ll be meeting some people this afternoon, and then again tomorrow, and then Wednesday and Thursday, while I’m here, and we’re very confident that those discussions have been very productive.”Albanese said the election of a new speaker was a matter for congressional members, but Australia would “continue to engage” with legislators.As well as the complication of congressional dysfunction, doubts about Australia’s willingness to join forces with the US in a war against China are also being cited by congressional researchers as a potential obstacle to the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine deal.The Aukus plan was intended to start with increased visits by US submarines to Australian ports this year, followed by a rotational presence of one UK Astute class submarine and up to four US Virginia class submarines at HMAS Stirling near Perth, Western Australia, late this decade at the earliest.Australia earlier this year earmarked $3bn to help the US reduce work backlogs on its Virginia class submarines, and expand its production ability. The Albanese government has signalled previously there is “scope for additional funding” beyond the first four-year budget period, with the exact amount to depend on negotiations with the two countries.The prime minister was asked whether or not he would be willing to increase Australia’s current commitment of $3bn in an effort to persuade more Republicans to support the legislation necessary to enable Aukus.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionAlbanese said Australia’s current level of support to boost the industrial base in the US was “appropriate”.He said the government’s financial contribution would enable Australians to be trained alongside skilled personnel in the US and the UK, and “president Biden is on the same page” with that aspiration. Collaboration between the US, the UK and Australia would lift the defence capability of all three nations, which would help preserve security in the Indo-Pacific.“The combination of the three nations cooperating when it comes to defence capacity lifts the capacity of everyone, of all three countries,” Albanese said. “That’s what this is about. Win-win-win for Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.”Australia’s prime minister said the US legislators he had spoken to “not only get that, they support it, and they support it very strongly – and that has been across the board whether they be Democrat or Republican”.“I’m very confident of a very positive outcome,” Albanese said. More

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      in US Politics

      Trump’s potential return to White House up to American people, says Kevin Rudd

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      The Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, says it is up to the American people whether Donald Trump returns to the White House – an outcome he previously said would “fray” support for the US alliance in Australia.The former Australian prime minister said on Wednesday that US politics was “a complex beast” and he was focused on keeping on good terms with both sides of the aisle, including former Trump officials.Rudd said he was also focused on securing US legislation to enable tech collaboration under the Aukus pact, but likened it to “a complex process of sausage-making”.Rudd is well connected in Washington and is close to senior figures in the Biden administration and establishment Republicans, but has previously been an outspoken critic of Trump.Prior to his appointment as ambassador, which took effect earlier this year, Rudd called Trump “the most destructive president in history”.Rudd told Guardian Australia before the 2020 election that if Trump were re-elected, “the overall fabric of domestic political support in this country and among other American allies around the world will begin to more fundamentally fray”.Rudd had a more diplomatic message when he spoke to reporters outside Old Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday.Asked what preparations he was making for the possibility of another Trump administration, Rudd said both the US and Australia were “robust democracies”.
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      Since taking up the diplomatic posting, Rudd said he had “worked comfortably and seamlessly” with House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell.Rudd said he had also spoken with Republican House and Senate leaders from across the US congressional system “and also with former members of the Trump administration from last time round”.“That’s our job as an embassy and that’s my job as ambassador. What the good burghers [people] of the United States choose to do in their own electoral process is a matter for them – from which, thankfully, Australian ambassadors are immune from comment.”Rudd’s comment was an adaptation of “the good burghers of Griffith” – a phrase he had previously used in reference to the voters in the electorate he previously held in the Australian parliament.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionDespite Trump facing multiple indictments, including over the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, the former president remains the frontrunner to secure the Republican nomination for the 2024 election.Although it remains very early in the cycle, the current general election polling suggests Joe Biden and Trump are closely matched.Rudd expressed confidence in the prospect of passing US legislation to enable both elements of the Aukus: Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines and collaboration on other advanced defence technology.After speaking with committee chairs and ranking members in the US Senate and Congress, Rudd said Aukus enjoyed “quite a remarkable level of bipartisan support” but there would always be “pretty colourful debate”.Republicans have raised concerns the US could fall short on its own needs when selling Australia at least three Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s, but Rudd said it was normal for elected members to reflect “their own industry policy concerns and their own constituency concerns”.Australia has already earmarked about $3bn over the next four years to boost the submarine sustainment and production capacity of the US and the UK.Most of this is expected to go to the US, and Rudd played down the idea Australia would be asked to tip in more funds.“No one that I’ve met in the United States has challenged what we’re proposing to do and the impact of what we ourselves will do in terms of adding to their industrial capacity,” he said.Hinting the US may make further investments in its own submarine industrial base, Rudd predicted the issue would be resolved through negotiations “between the administration and relevant senators”.Rudd said he would continue to convey the Australian government’s position that the case against the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had “gone on for too long”, but likely behind the scenes “in order to maximise our prospects”.Rudd was speaking on his way into a Tech Council of Australia event, where he said Australia and the US were serious about collaborating on renewable energy and critical minerals. More

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      Australian minister Clare O’Neil calls Donald Trump Jr ‘a big baby’ after speaking tour is postponed

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      Australia’s home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, has called Donald Trump Jr “a big baby” after his tour of the country was postponed.Trump Jr’s promoter blamed “cancel culture”, even though he was granted a visa to travel to Australia.He was scheduled to speak in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, with the first of the events to be held on Sunday 9 July.On Wednesday, Trump Jr’s promoter, Turning Point Australia, said in a Facebook post that “due to unforeseen circumstances” his appearances in the country would be postponed.Turning Point Australia wrote: “It seems America isn’t the only country that makes it difficult for the Trumps. Hold on to your tickets, this is a short delay nothing more #CancelCulture.”In a separate statement, the promoter said it had been forced to postpone the tour due to a visa delay.“The visa, which has now been issued, was only received late afternoon of Wednesday 5 July, only 24 hours before Donald Trump Jr was set to board a flight to Sydney.”
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      Guardian Australian understands Trump Jr applied for a visa two weeks ago and the turnaround time is normally a fortnight.The Australian immigration department would not comment on the matter on Wednesday but on Thursday O’Neil took to Twitter.“Geez, Donald Trump Jr is a bit of a sore loser. His dad lost an election fair and square – but he says it was stolen. Now he’s trying to blame the Australian government for his poor ticket sales and cancelled tour,” the Labor minister wrote.“Donald Trump Jr has been given a visa to come to Australia. He didn’t get cancelled. He’s just a big baby, who isn’t very popular.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionTurning Point Australia said 8,000 tickets had already been sold across the three states, with all VIP tickets – priced as high as $2,500 – selling out in the first week of the tour announcement.“Ticket holders are urged to hold on to their tickets, with details of the rescheduled date to be confirmed in the coming days,” a post on the company’s website said.A spokesperson said on Thursday: “Turning Point Australia is not going to dignify the minister’s tweets with a comment. Suffice to say she is entitled to her opinion and freedom of speech no matter how idiotic.”Turning Point Australia and Donald Trump Jr were approached for comment. More