A G’Day in D.C.

Biden talks Indo-Pacific policy with the Australian PM.

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Happy Friday! As longtime readers of The Dispatch know, explanatory journalism is a big part of what we’re trying to do here—and we’d like to do more of it. If you have some journalism experience and would like to contribute to what we’re internally calling the “Dispatch Explainer Network” on a freelance basis, we hope you’ll fill out this form. If you have any additional questions, send us an email at explainers@thedispatch.com. 

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • The United States military carried out “self-defense” airstrikes early Friday morning on facilities used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxy militias in eastern Syria. The strikes followed a series of recent rocket and drone attacks by Iranian-backed groups against U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria, in which a total of 19 American military personnel reportedly suffered traumatic brain injuries. “The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement following the airstrikes. “But these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop.” Earlier on Thursday, however, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had threatened further escalation of the conflict. “Today in New York and from the headquarters of the United Nations I say frankly to the American statesmen and military forces who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome the expansion and scope of the war in the region,” he said in a speech before the UN General Assembly. “But I warn if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire.” An additional 900 U.S. troops are being deployed to the region to bolster force protection and deterrence, Pentagon officials said yesterday.
  • Israeli ground troops briefly raided northern Gaza overnight Wednesday to target anti-tank weapons and Hamas fighters and infrastructure, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday morning. More incursions are planned for the coming days to pave the way for the impending ground offensive, and airstrikes on Gaza—which IDF officials said killed five senior Hamas commanders on Thursday—continue as the military makes its final preparations.
  • The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday that real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2023. The robust growth greatly exceeded economists’ expectations and marked the largest gain since the fourth quarter of 2021. The bulk of this growth came from private inventory investment, federal government spending, and consumer spending—the last of which grew 4 percent over the period. “It’s a good, strong number and it shows an economy that’s doing very well,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. “We have what looks like a soft landing, with very good outcomes for the U.S. economy.”
  • A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Georgia’s voting maps drawn by Republican lawmakers in 2021 violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of black voters. In a 516-page ruling, District Judge Steve Jones wrote that “the evidence before this court shows that Georgia has not reached the point where the political process has equal openness and equal opportunity for everyone.” Jones ordered the state legislature to redraw the maps by December 8, with one additional majority-black congressional district and several majority-black state House and state Senate districts. If the lawmakers fail to redraw the maps by the deadline, the court will do so. 
  • After several obvious, bus-sized hints, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota announced Thursday night that he would challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for president. In an interview with CBS News, Phillips stressed that he believes Biden is doing a good job, but that “this is an election about the future.” He cited recent polling data to back up his calculus. “I will not sit still and not be quiet in the face of numbers that are so clearly saying that we’re going to be facing an emergency next November,” he said.
  • House Republicans from New York moved on Thursday to hold a vote on removing their colleague Rep. George Santos from Congress after multiple criminal charges had been filed against the first-term congressman. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito of New York introduced a privileged resolution—a legislative maneuver that requires a House vote on the measure within two working days—to expel Santos. “Santos is a stain on the House,” D’Esposito said. “This con man must be expelled.” (House leadership has the ability to table the resolution or refer it to a committee.) D’Esposito said he spoke with newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson about the measure and that the speaker told him to “do what you think is right and do what’s right for your district.” In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that aired last night, however, Johnson urged patience, saying it’d be a “problem” for lawmakers to “expel people from Congress just because they’re charged with a crime.”
  • Blake Masters, the former venture capitalist and failed Senate candidate, declared yesterday his intent to run for the congressional seat in Arizona now up for grabs after GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko announced her retirement earlier this month. Masters—who ran against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in 2022 but lost by almost 5 points—was reportedly considering running for Senate in Arizona again, challenging incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema this time around. Kari Lake, the failed Arizona GOP candidate for governor, launched a Senate bid earlier this month and endorsed Masters’ Republican opponent in the congressional race—Abraham Hamadeh—on Thursday.
  • A full day after a gunman killed 18 people and injured dozens more at multiple locations in Lewiston, Maine, law enforcement has yet to apprehend the suspect. Authorities conducted a wide search yesterday including on properties owned by the suspect’s family.

The AUKUS Ruckus

U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese toast before the start of the state dinner to the White House on October 25, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese toast before the start of the state dinner to the White House on October 25, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

State dinners are typically lavish, celebratory affairs that bring Washington and international elites together. But with Israel actively engaged in a war against Hamas, the White House decided against the usual jubilant atmosphere for the festivities this week honoring Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. First Lady Jill Biden regretfully canceled the planned performance by 1980s pop sensations, the B-52s, opting instead for instrumental music by the U.S. Marine Corps Band. 

Perhaps it was for the best, because we’re not sure any state dinner performance could rival South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s rousing rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie” back in April. 

Despite the somber events in other parts of the world hanging over the meeting, the Australian PM’s visit was an opportunity to reinforce an important strategic relationship for the United States as the two countries move to counter Chinese influence and aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. The visit also highlighted some of the obstacles to pursuing the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, and U.S.) security pact announced in March that aims to supply Canberra with nuclear submarines. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    JP Hunerwadel

    Minor point, but fwiw, the B-52 is a bomber, not a "spy plane," even though China might disagree. Its mission was a show of force and freedom of navigation exercise. There are other aircraft much better equipped to "spy."

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  2. Philip.R.M.Hunt

    LUK: Yes. The Indo-Pacific has larger and more important economic relationships for the US.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Bill Nelson

    I agree that it’s a top priority for Australia, but the Middle East remains the most dangerous for the US because of its ability to suddenly accelerate in size.

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  4. Avatar photo
    John Kramer

    Stumbling blocks for the AUKUS submarine deal aren't just on the US side. While the deal has reasonable bipartisan support from the major parties here in Australia, it's pretty unpopular with voters on both sides who would rather Australia spend hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure or education or health than propping up American defense manufacturing industries with a deal that, while it delivers Australia some impressive capability, does so at a cost that here in Australia is considered very favourable to the US.

    So if the deal were to flounder on America's insistence that Australia tighten export controls, then there wouldn't be a huge price to pay politically for the Australian government. Voters for Albanese's Labor Party would be even more accepting of the deal dying a quiet death than voters for the recently-defeated Coalition parties. So the US needs to factor in that if it strong-arms Canberra over export controls, the Australian government could very easily shrug its shoulders and say that it's unfortunate that the US can't do the deal without placing conditions on Australia's sovereign policy decisions, and leave it at that. There would be literally no political price to pay for Albanese, and possibly a small boost in the polls, for going down that route, so if the US wants the deal, the compromise will likely have to come on the US side.

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  5. Avatar photo
    Citizen60

    I felt Obama was asleep at the switch in what China was doing in The South China Sea, and it would harm trade and Allie’s in the Asian-Pacific region. It’s critical China not be allowed to “eat” more societies.
    And the same is true for Putin, whom Bush the Younger let “eat” Georgia. At least Obama applied sanctions when Putin ate Crimea.
    These are existential threats to US trade and security that don’t get enough attention. Or the US is lulled—as Israel was—Into believing its military will prevent anyone from trying anything.

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  6. Mark Holmlund

    Kudos again to The Dispatch for covering a topic in depth that I wouldn’t have seen elsewhere. Keep doing what you’re doing.

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  7. Michael.Terrien

    QOTD: Yes, neither Russia, and certainly not Hamas, is going to remake the world order. China threatens to.

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  8. Joe1776

    The Federalist is reporting quite a bit about corruption in the Biden DOJ. Including how the FBI and Delaware office stonewalled and lied about Brady's investigations into the Biden investigation. Also the dream plea deal they offered Littlejohn who stole documents from the IRS on Trump and others.
    I wish there was a bit more dispatch engagement on the topics that most republicans are reading.

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    1. Michael.Terrien

      Yea the Dispatch seems to be waiting for the smoking gun as the mountain of circumstantial evidence grows. I understand the desire not to be kneejerk partisans grappling for any scrap to throw at Biden. I don't expect (or want) the Dispatch to behave like the MSM did with the Russia collusion hoax. But drawing the natural inferences from a growing pile of on the record evidence is not hyperpartisanship, and refusing to do so starts to look like willful blindness after a while.

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  9. Avatar photo
    Treadmill

    LUK:
    Yes. Absolutely. And it's for incredibly boring reasons:
    It's all about the cones. I mean fish. It's all about the fish.
    China's flagrant expansion into the South China Sea for purposes of getting those sweet, sweet EEZ bubbles around the Spratleys and Paracels is unconscionable, yes, but ultimately contained. Mineral deposits in the SCS seabed are valuable but not ecologically interconnected to anything else.

    Not so with fish.

    What we're presently seeing is the whole-scale overfishing of fisheries both in disputed areas (Philippines, for example, though only *technically* disputed as nobody but China believes China has anything resembling a legal claim to economic activities in those waters. Maybe not even China, but they're doing it anyway) as well as distant waters. They're obliterating fish stocks on an industrial scale that is decimating the maritime economies of countries as far away as South America. And they're doing this at the same time that they're loan-sharking those same countries for improved maritime infrastructure.

    If China can't abide by simple limits put in place by the various fisheries' commissions that they signed onto, then the downstream effects will be the complete collapse of essential fisheries across the world.

    Ask Canada how their salmon are doing.

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    1. Jason Thomas

      Was that a Cones of Dunshire reference?

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      1. Avatar photo
        Treadmill

        There's never a wrong time for a Cones of Dunshine reference!

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  10. Avatar photo
    SandyG

    LUK: Long-term priority for US AND Australia, yes. But Australia has no interest in threats from Russia and Iran. So for the US only, all three - Russia, Iran and China - all all one threat because they are linked. Russia and Iran are short-term threats now, but they will continue into the long term unless and until their regimes change. I see no evidence that that is possible.

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