Anthony Albanese has scheduled a call with Donald Trump after the US president escalated his trade policy overhaul by flagging 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US.
Labor had been bracing for such a decision, with ministers and officials working behind the scenes to secure exemptions like those achieved during Trump’s first term. The Coalition has questioned whether the US ambassador, Kevin Rudd, is the best person to negotiate an exemption to the new tariffs.
Top news
Storms sweep NSW and Victoria with 21 people rescued from vehicles in Sydney flash floods
Jacinta Allan dismisses rail loop concerns as Labor awaits outcome of massive swing in Werribee
New Zealand raises ‘concern’ as Cook Islands prepares to sign China deal
Freed Israeli hostage did not know of wife and daughters’ deaths, British family confirms
Sewer fatberg of ‘grease and rags’ forces Bryan Adams to cancel Perth concert
Tom Robbins, comic novelist of US counterculture, dies aged 92
In pictures
More than 300 pairs of dogs and handlers entered the Commonwealth championship sheepdog trials in Port Fairy, Victoria, vying for the title of Australian dog of the year.
What they said …
***
“Today is about facing up to what’s not working.”
Anthony Albanese has provided an update on Closing the Gap targets and key focuses for the coming year. The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said in response that Labor has had “no clear plan” for First Nations’ justice since the voice referendum failed, while independent senator Lidia Thorpe decried “a year of betrayal, delay and deflection”.
In numbers
Jordan Mailata became the first Australian Super Bowl winner as the Philadelphia Eagles thumped the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in the NFL title decider. The biggest loser may have been Drake, whose ex-girlfriend Serena Williams joined the party as Kendrick Lamar performed his diss track, Not Like Us, in an expansive half-time show.
Before bed read
Do we really want to introduce quite so much surveillance into our domestic lives? Eva Wiseman asks whether it’s time to run the alarm on internet door cameras.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: BOUN. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.
