☕️ President Trump (again)

Well, the result of the U.S. Election came much quicker than many expected. Donald Trump has emerged victorious as the 47th President of the U.S.

Here are three ways in which his election is historic:

We unpack the results in the ‘2 minute’ section below, and also provide some reflections and analysis in today’s podcast.

“Australians and Americans are great friends and true allies. Working together, we can ensure the partnership between our nations and peoples remains strong into the future.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a post on X following Donald Trump’s victory.

3,190
How many reports of corrupt conduct the National Anti-Corruption Commission received in the 2023/24 financial year.

1916
Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first woman in the Federal Congress.

The High Court of Australia has ruled that curfews and ankle bracelets for former immigration detainees are unlawful.

Last year, the court ruled that indefinite immigration detention for non-citizens was unlawful. Approximately 150 people were released after the decision was handed down.

The Government quickly passed laws to impose curfews and a requirement that the detainees wear electronic ankle monitoring devices.

Yesterday’s ruling means some of those conditions cannot be legally imposed.

In November 2023, the High Court ruled that indefinite immigration detention was illegal.

The decision related to a Rohingya refugee born in Myanmar — known as NZYQ.

NZYQ arrived in Australia by boat in 2012. In 2015, he was charged and subsequently convicted on one count of child sexual abuse in Australia.

He was released from prison on parole in 2018 and returned to immigration detention, where he was being held indefinitely.

NZYQ argued he couldn’t return to Myanmar due to fear of persecution.

The court found there was no reasonable prospect of NZYQ returning to Myanmar without facing persecution.

It ruled it was unlawful for him to indefinitely stay in immigration detention.

The NYZQ ruling has resulted in around 150 people being released from immigration detention.

In response to the High Court’s decision, the Federal Government passed laws to monitor and restrict their movements.

This included an overnight curfew, (10pm-6am), and mandatory ankle bracelets (to be worn 24/7).

One of the former detainees released following the High Court ruling was a man from the East African country Eritrea.

He launched a legal case against the monitoring and curfew earlier this year.

The man’s family’s Eritrean citizenship was revoked on religious grounds in the 1990s, meaning he is legally ‘stateless’.

Since being released last year, the man has been subject to curfew and ankle bracelet restrictions under the Government’s law.

He’s argued the measures were imposed on him unlawfully because they’re intended as punishments.

Australia’s Constitution sets out that punishments should be dictated by courts rather than Parliament.

The High Court ruled the curfew and monitoring was “punitive and cannot be justified”.

A majority of justices agreed that the power to impose punishments should come from the courts, not the Government — as set out in the Constitution.

Therefore, it declared the Government’s legal restrictions on recently released immigration detainees “invalid”.

High Court rulings are binding and cannot be appealed.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Donald Trump has won the 2024 U.S. election, defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in both the popular vote and the electoral college.

Harris has not yet addressed the public, but has privately called Trump to concede.

A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to be elected U.S. President.

A specific number of ‘electoral’ votes are assigned to each state, depending on its population size (roughly).

Whoever gets the most votes from a state’s population wins all of its electoral votes, which are cast in the “electoral college”.

A candidate needs to reach 270 electoral college votes in order to win the presidency.

Trump is on track to win every ‘swing’ state across the country.

Swing states are those that have switched between voting Republican and Democrat in recent elections.

He is also the first Republican candidate to win both the Electoral College vote and the popular vote since 2004.

Trump’s party, the Republicans, secured a majority of seats in the Senate (Upper House). The results from the House of Representatives (Lower House) are still being calculated.

Before the election, the Democrats and the Republicans each had 49 seats, with two seats held by independents who voted with Democrats. Now, Republicans have 51 seats. This means they can control which laws pass.

11 states also voted to elect their Governors this week. Three Democrat state leaders and eight Republicans were elected.

Most states’ ballots also included other measures, including asking residents about abortion laws and wages.

In Florida, a vote to overturn the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks failed. It needed 60% of all votes to pass but received 57%.

A number of other states voted to improve abortion access, including Arizona, Colorado and Nevada.

In California, a vote to increase the state’s minimum hourly wage to $US18 ($AU27) failed. A vote to “end slavery” by stopping “involuntary work assignments” for prisoners also failed.

After an unsuccessful re-election bid against Joe Biden in 2020, Trump will return to the White House for a second term as President.

In his victory speech, Trump promised to deliver a “golden age of America,” and said, “We’re going to help our country heal”.

“Every single day, I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body.”

Harris did not speak to supporters on election night.

Instead, one of the co-chairs of her campaign said: “We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. That every voice has spoken. So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight.”

It is reported that overnight (Australian time), Harris called Trump to concede.

She’s expected to address the public later today.

Joe Biden will remain President until January. Before then, Trump will be referred to as the ‘President-elect’. Similarly, JD Vance becomes ‘Vice President-elect’.

On 6 January, the new members of the House and the Senate will meet to confirm the new President.

Trump will officially be sworn in as President in an inauguration ceremony on 20 January, 2025.

Harris will be required to certify Trump’s presidency due to her current role as Vice President.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

If you haven’t guessed already, we’re big fans of Betty’s Burgers at TDA. So when we found out about the new Betty’s Bites menu, with every item just $9.90, we were pretty excited!

For $9.90 (which, let’s be real, is cheaper than an iced latte these days) you can try the Chicken Strips Burger, Three Cheese Burger, Calamari Bucket, or Crispy Chicken Strips.

They’re the perfect add-on for a beachside picnic with your besties or a quick boost to power through the afternoon slump.

Head to Betty’s Burgers to try Betty’s Bites, or order on the Betty’s app today!

A team at Kyoto University developed the timber satellite, named the LignoSat, to show the benefits and abilities of renewable materials in space exploration. The launch is part of the university’s 50-year plan to grow trees on the moon and Mars, to pave the way for wooden construction and housing on other planets.

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Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

This penguin found itself a little far from home when it rocked up at Ocean Beach in Western Australia.

It’s believed to be the furthest north from Antarctica an emperor penguin has ever travelled.

While a few penguins have been recorded in New Zealand, this is the first sighting in WA.

A local surfer spotted the bird arriving on the beach. It’s since been taken in by the state’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

It has been confirmed that Donald Trump will become the next U.S. President.

It was a historical day, a historical moment, and a decision that will likely redefine the future of the Republican Party, and also the future of the country.

On today’s podcast, we are sharing with you how yesterday went and our reflections and analysis of one of the most important elections of our lifetimes.