"Even if Trump goes away tomorrow...there's no going back to a previous version of America." @emmashortis.bsky.social on the radical changes underway in the US & what they mean for Australia on the 100th episode of After America. "The America we thought we knew is gone." 🎧 theaus.in/4d6h2IA

A majority of Australians now think Trump is a bigger threat to world peace than either Putin or Xi. On the 100th episode of After America, @emmashortis.bsky.social & @angusrb.bsky.social discuss new polling on Australians’ views of Trump & the deadlock between the US & Iran. 🎧 theaus.in/4d6h2IA

100 episodes of After America. It's been quite a journey. @emmashortis.bsky.social australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-uni...

The United States is "in an increasingly weak position" in its war on Iran. Allan Behm & @emmashortis.bsky.social on why skilled, sustained diplomacy - not military force - is necessary to end the war. 🎧 theaus.in/3QMtAw5

Oh hey the @australiainstitute.org.au also has some polling research out today, also bad for Donald Trump! More than half of Australians now believe that President Donald Trump is a greater threat to global security than Russian President Vladimir Putin (17%) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (16%).

The US Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act, a decision that's already having serious implications for American democracy. Allan Behm & @emmashortis.bsky.social discuss the war on Iran, US troop withdrawals from Germany & the Supreme Court’s voting rights ruling. 🎧 theaus.in/3QMtAw5

"The tax system makes it easier for a professional property investor to buy their 60th house than it does for someone to buy their first. "That is so obscene." @larissawaters.bsky.social joins @ebonybennett.bsky.social to discuss Australia's housing crisis & taxing the 1%. 🎧 theaus.in/4tB6M0C

+1 cooked unit for the nation's capital.

"It's happened astonishingly quickly. "So quickly that I think Americans themselves are in shock about it & don't know how to think about it." @jamespwest.bsky.social & @emmashortis.bsky.social on the Trump administration's decision to launch its war on Iran. @motherjones.com 🎧 theaus.in/4cQFXhZ

Violence is a shocking feature of American democracy. @emmashortis.bsky.social reflects on another appalling yet unsurprising act of violence, then @jamespwest.bsky.social joins us to discuss if fractures are emerging in the MAGAverse ahead of the midterms. @motherjones.com 🎧 theaus.in/4cQFXhZ

"Everything Iran has done...has been predictable. "But at some point, things are going to happen that no one wants & that no one expects. Things are going to escalate out of control." @jonatomic.bsky.social on the risk of the US-Israel war on Iran escalating further. 🎧 theaus.in/4mKdv5Z

I’ve been a bit slack on socials over the last few weeks (and, you know, always) partly because I’ve apparently become a podcast bro. Little thread of some recent ones here!

In his first term, Trump ripped up the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran. Now he's trying to bomb & threaten his way to a better outcome & it's failing horribly. "The negotiating record so far is that President Trump will fold." - @jonatomic.bsky.social 🎧 theaus.in/4mKdv5Z

A terrific discussion about a mess of Trump’s own making. Amazingly, there is a diplomatic solution if this Admin is smart enough to take it.

In unrelated news, After America has gone to reprint! You can order it here 😊 australiainstitute.org.au/after-americ...

After tearing up the Obama administration's Iran nuclear deal, Trump is trying to bomb his way to a better outcome & it’s failing spectacularly. @jonatomic.bsky.social & @emmashortis.bsky.social discuss the US-Iran negotiations & the vanishing guardrails around nuclear weapons. 🎧 theaus.in/4mKdv5Z

It reads like a dystopian sci-fi novel, but the new IMF report on the global economy refuses to name the orange elephant in the room. @grogsgamut.bsky.social & @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social discuss the latest global economic forecasts & Angus Taylor's immigration policy. 🎧 theaus.in/4tiFigi

Trump didn't "single out" Australia, he showed just how isolated the US has become. "Australia has ready allies who are all trying to grapple with...how we might build a more peaceful world." @emmashortis.bsky.social on responding to an off-the-rails Trump administration. 🎧 theaus.in/4tINHJB

From the archive but always relevant: chaser.com.au/general-news...

With Trump spewing threats at friends & foes, the US government has gone off the rails. @emmashortis.bsky.social & @ebonybennett.bsky.social discuss the Trump administration's violence & why it’s time for the Australian government to reassess its relationship with the US. 🎧 theaus.in/4tINHJB

Is the NATO alliance done for? "What Secretary General Rutte won't do is stand up for the interests of the NATO community...which actually includes the interests of the United States. "That's alliance management 101," says Allan Behm. Hear more on the latest After America 👇 🎧 theaus.in/3ODfrR2

We’re back! Everything is still terrible!

Back after a little Easter break during which the world felt closer to ending than usual.

The Trump administration’s failure to reach an agreement with Iran to end the war shouldn’t come as a surprise. Allan Behm & @emmashortis.bsky.social discuss the US-Iran negotiations, the oxymoron of Trump administration diplomacy & the consequences for Australia. 🎧 theaus.in/3ODfrR2

Add it to the “this was in Project 2025” list

Been thinking about this headline all day (and for obvious reasons, feels extra relevant this afternoon). It's not a "dilemma". The law is clear.

Major Australian fuel shortages remain very unlikely despite eye-watering prices. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @ebonybennett.bsky.social discuss energy supplies amid the war on Iran, the government's decision to slash the fuel excise & how high prices drive inequality. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4s4STGE

The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has been disastrous. On this episode of After America, @emmashortis.bsky.social examines the situation with the Strait of Hormuz, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon & why airport security workers in the US aren’t getting paid. 🎧 theaus.in/4sLEP66

A gas export tax won't come as a surprise to Australia's trading partners or investors. But it will drive down domestic gas prices & ensure that Australians get a fairer return for our resources. @rodcampbell.bsky.social & @ebonybennett.bsky.social discuss on Follow the Money ➡️🎧 theaus.in/4dJTmdJ

Trump was due to meet Xi Jinping in coming days, but the US president pulled out of the visit. "He didn't want to look like an idiot...getting a tour of the Forbidden City while he's meant to be overseeing a war." - @j-laurenceson.bsky.social "It's not a power move." 🎧 theaus.in/4uSqVAE

The federal government's announced that the ACCC will be cracking down on price-gouging at petrol stations. Which would be great news if the ACCC actually had the power to stop firms from price-gouging. But they don't. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social #auspol

Despite government threats to crackdown on any fuel retailers profiteering from the energy crisis, many forms of price gouging remain perfectly legal. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social discuss price gouging & the real driver of inflation. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/41B9F5b

A 25% gas export tax would drive down prices for Australians & collect billions that can be used to provide better, cheaper public services. @rodcampbell.bsky.social & @ebonybennett.bsky.social discuss the case for a gas export tax & the ban on new coal mines in NSW. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4dJTmdJ

As US sanctions create a humanitarian crisis in Cuba, Trump's "little excursion" in Iran drags on. @emmashortis.bsky.social examines the US-Israel war on Iran, before @j-laurenceson.bsky.social joins to discuss the impact of the conflict on China & the delayed Trump-Xi summit. 🎧 theaus.in/4uSqVAE

"[US Secretary of Defence] Hegseth has said we're not going to be bound by 'stupid rules of engagement'. "The mythology is...that's what's been holding the United States back from victory." @emmashortis.bsky.social on the US-Israel war on Iran. 🎧 theaus.in/4dw5leG

"It's time to call BS on the idea that we can't afford to look after Australians. "Subsidies that largely go to Clive Palmer, Gina Rinehart, BHP, Rio Tinto are growing faster than the NDIS." @rodcampbell.bsky.social on Australia's out-of-control fossil fuel subsidies. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/3PHIcMu

The war in the Middle East could cost Australia $16.5 billion in growth by 2027. A 25% tax on gas exporters (making massive profits on the war making gas prices rise) could raise $17 billion for Australia. @grogsgamut.bsky.social @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social #auspol

Yet another reminder - as if we needed one - that it doesn’t matter how much you give him. It’s never enough. This is always the outcome.

If you want to hear me get progressively sadder over the course of 30 minutes, this might be for you 👇

The Trump administration’s war on Iran is the most “incompetent, incoherent” war the US has fought in a century, according to one senator. @emmashortis.bsky.social on the Strait of Hormuz closure, Pete Hegseth’s attacks on the media & Australia’s response to the conflict. 🎧 theaus.in/4dw5leG

"There are all sorts of stupid things that state governments are doing, where they're spending literally hundreds of millions of dollars propping up failing fossil fuel projects." @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social #auspol

"Democrats are realising...that they have to be for something. "That it is not enough to serve up the same policies that would put money in the pockets of the same billionaires & tech CEOs backing Donald Trump." - Liz Pancotti, @groundwork.bsky.social 🎧 theaus.in/3P130hR

"The AUKUS submarine deal makes Australian participation in American wars the default position." @emmashortis.bsky.social & @ebonybennett.bsky.social on the US-Israel war on Iran & the risks of AUKUS. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4sGfrye

You’re meant to tax things you want less of & subsidise things you want more of. Yet Australian governments are handing out $16.3 billion in subsidies for fossil fuels. @mattgrudnoff.bsky.social & @elinorjohnstonleek.bsky.social discuss why on this episode of Dollars & Sense. 🎧 theaus.in/4bm3836

AUKUS is dragging Australia towards the US-Israel war on Iran. @emmashortis.bsky.social & @ebonybennett.bsky.social discuss the war on Iran, Australia's involvement in the conflict & the risks of embedding of Australian sailors on American nuclear-powered submarines. 🎧 theaus.in/4sGfrye

"When [economists] say the labour market's too tight & we need unemployment to rise, they say it so cavalierly." "One, because they know they're not going to lose their jobs." @grogsgamut.bsky.social & @skyelark.bsky.social on the latest episode of Dollars & Sense. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4aU32AI

As it unleashes violence at home & abroad, the Trump administration is radically reshaping the US economy. Elizabeth Pancotti joins @emmashortis.bsky.social to discuss the State of the Union, tariffs & Trump’s attack on Somali-Americans. @groundwork.bsky.social 🎧 theaus.in/3P130hR

Here’s me in the Guardian today. The Aukus submarine pact has dragged Australia into the Trump administration’s illegal war on Iran in all but name. This was all entirely forseeable.

"The far-right are benefitting from simply being the most obvious alternative to a failing status quo." @garyseconomics.bsky.social on wealth inequality & how far-right parties have become the Steven Bradburys of global politics. 🎧 theaus.in/4rM2fYh