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US President Donald Trump during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. Trump delivered a broadside against Supreme Court justices after they struck down the bulk of his sweeping global tariffs, delivering a major blow against his signature economic policy. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg

Court gives Trump a harsh lesson in the limits of his power

An irritated president, whose global tariffs were struck down, clearly felt betrayed by the Supreme Court justices he appointed. But the ruling shows the system still works as intended.

  • Michael Koziol

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Donald Trump, pictured after his address to the United Nations in September, has proposed an alternative organisation, the “Board of Peace”, to oversee Gaza.

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ is a sham designed to give the US ultimate control

The choice facing Anthony Albanese and other world leaders is between international law and a “mafia world order” in which the US plays landlord and arbiter.

  • Maher Mughrabi
Illustration by Dionne Gain

Australia’s great leap forward: China opportunity makes Trump tariffs look like ‘a pimple on the bum of the iron ore trade’

Australia’s potential to export green metals – made here using abundant, cheap renewable energy – could deliver immeasurable economic benefits and accelerate the global race to net zero. It’s now a step closer.

  • Peter Hartcher
The Haval H6 compact SUV.

These affordable EVs are set to rule the roads – and they are all from the same place

Using sleek designs, the latest high-tech interiors and a cheaper price tag, a handful of car makers are rewriting the script on EVs and hybrids.

  • Elaine Kurtenbach
Having a refrigerator was a point of pride, particularly if you had paid it off.

Trump’s trade vision? Been there. Wore the saggy undies

People talk about growing up behind the Iron Curtain, but I grew up behind a Tariff Curtain.

  • Richard Glover
Donald Trump holds up his chart of “reciprocal tariffs” at the announcement event in Washington.

Australia must bolster other partnerships as Trump pursues magical thinking

The effects of Donald Trump’s tariffs on China and our other Asian trading partners will have inescapable economic consequences for us.

  • The Age's View
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US President Donald Trump, left, and Howard Lutnick, US commerce secretary last month.

New world order: Trump’s tariff attack sparks global recession fears

His trade secretary says a recession would be “worth it” to restructure the US economy, while Trump plays it down but admits there could be bumps.

  • Michael Koziol
French President Emmanuel Macron holds a meeting in Paris on Thursday with representatives of industries affected by the US tariffs.

‘Brutal’: Macron vows to protect Europe after US lands shock trade blow

The French president has called on EU nations to stop all investment in the United States after Donald Trump announced a 20 per cent tariff on European imports.

  • James Crisp, Nick Squires, James Rothwell and Sarah Newey
Hartcher illo

Trump has done us a favour by showing where we stand during peacetime

Donald Trump’s decision on tariffs is another reminder that he has cast aside old friends and embraced traditional US enemies, Russia most conspicuously.

  • Peter Hartcher
There’s a rush to build data centres to capture the boom in AI.

US looks to invest billions in AI data centres. Australia may miss out

Australia is a favoured destination for investment but faces roadblocks in copyright laws, as well as a fickle White House, according to industry experts in New York.

  • Michael Koziol