Tag: allies

‘Pure theft’: Trump allies can seek payouts from $2.5b ‘lawfare’ fund | US justice department ‘…

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'Pure theft': Trump allies can seek payouts from $2.5b 'lawfare' fund

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has set up a fund to pay millions of dollars to people deemed victims of "lawfare".

The government has indicated the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" will be used to compensate allies of US President Donald Trump who were prosecuted or otherwise targeted under the previous Biden administration.

According to Acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche, the fund will establish a "lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponisation to be heard and seek redress".

It will "have the power to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants", the DOJ said.

Democrats say it is a slush fund to channel government money to Trump supporters who were rightly punished for breaking the law.

US justice department ‘forever’ bars IRS from auditing Trump’s past tax returns

Addendum quietly slipped into widely criticized agreement creating a $1.7bn fund to compensate presidentâs allies

The justice department quietly added a provision barring the IRS from auditing Donald Trumpâs tax returns on Tuesday, amending a widely criticized agreement that creates a secretive and loosely controlled $1.776bn fund to compensate allies of the president.

The addendum, signed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, says the government is âforever barredâ and âprecludedâ from examining the tax returns of Trump, his family, company and ârelated companiesâ. The agreement applies to anything filed before the agreement was reached. It was posted on the justice department website on Tuesday morning, a day after the department announced creation of the fund.

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Donald Trump and sons to be ‘forever’ exempt from tax audits

Washington | US tax authorities will be barred from pursuing claims against Donald Trump, his eldest sons and the Trump Organisation under an agreement to halt the president’s $US10 billion ($14 billion) lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

The pledge by the Department of Justice on Tuesday came a day after Trump agreed to settle his lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the US government launching a $US1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged “lawfare”.

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May 20, 2026
US allies turning to Japan for defence supplies as Iran war drags on | Massive frigate buy from J…

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US allies turning to Japan for defence supplies as Iran war drags on

JS Kumano, a Mogami-class frigate from Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, in Sydney Harbour. ((Supplied: Department of Defence))

Australia's multi-billion-dollar deal with Japan for its future warships could set a template that will help Tokyo rapidly expand defence exports across Asia.

Last weekend, it was announced that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is to supply the Royal Australian Navy with three upgraded Mogami-class frigates.

Days after the announcement, Japan unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades.

Australia's multi-billion-dollar deal with Japan for its future warships could set a template that will help Tokyo rapidly expand defence exports across Asia as Tokyo mulls an overhaul of its post-war pacifist constitution.

Massive frigate buy from Japan jolts Australian warship program

MANILA, Philippines â Australia has moved to reverse a decline in the number of warships, as its surface combatant fleet stands to fall to its smallest size since World War II.

Under Project Sea 3000, Australia and Japan inked a deal to buy three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The contract was signed by the two countriesâ defense ministers aboard JS Kumano in Melbourne earlier this month.

This represents Japanâs largest-ever defense export, a major boost to its shipbuilding industry, and it advances greater strategic alignment between the two countries.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will construct three 4,800-ton frigates in Japan, with the first to be delivered by December 2029.

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Japan’s hawkish PM could drag Australia into conflict with China

Ahead of the Japanese prime minister’s visit, has Canberra fully thought through the implications of its burgeoning defence links with Tokyo?

Next week’s visit to Australia by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi marks a distinct tightening of the Canberra-Tokyo security relationship.

These closer defence ties represent the most extraordinary chapter in a near seven-decade story of post-war reconciliation since the two signed the 1957 Commerce Agreement.

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April 28, 2026
Trump may ask allies for help in Iran. Voters say that’s a good move | Ghost of Gallipoli: US w…

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Trump may ask allies for help in Iran. Voters say that’s a good move

Washington | Nearly half of Americans and two-thirds of Republican voters say allies who publicly back a military operation should also send their own troops, according to a new poll that raises tough questions about how the Albanese government manages the US relationship during the war in Iran.

The survey of 1000 voters conducted by YouGov for the Australian strategic advisory firm Bondi Partners found 44 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with the view, while fewer than one in five (19 per cent) disagreed, putting the Albanese government’s posture at odds with many Americans. The balance was neutral (27 per cent) or unsure (10 per cent).

Ghost of Gallipoli: US warships cannot control the Strait of Hormuz

One factor should dominate global strategic policymaking today: that the Strait of Hormuz will re-open only with the consent of the Iranian government. No amount of US naval power can either force passage or safeguard transit.

So Raelene Lockhorst’s Strategist article on 9 March on the effect of its closure on Australia should be taken with deadly seriousness, now, by Australian policy makers.

On the surface, access through the Strait of Hormuz appears to be a naval challenge. And on the surface, the United States Navy has the upper hand. It has almost a fifth of its carrier fleet in the region—the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R Ford—plus a huge escort force. The US military can eliminate all Iranian maritime activity. To date, it appears to have sunk 30 Iranian vessels.

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US would escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump says — As it happened

US President Donald Trump has said the United States would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed.

Earlier, non-essential Australian officials posted to Lebanon were directed to leave due to the "deteriorating security situation" in the region.

We’re wrapping up our live coverage for today. Thank you for following along.

But before we wrap up, here’s a recap of the key developments from the Middle East today.

We’ll leave our coverage there for now, but you can stay across the latest developments on our live blog as the situation continues to unfold.

The Lebanese Army says Israel has dropped leaflets over Beirut with links to the recruiting unit for the Israeli Army.

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March 13, 2026