Politics today spans upset, uncertainty and strategic recalculation. In Washington, the Trump administration is pressing ahead with proposed tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, arguing they are needed to punish forced-labour abuses and rebuild part of a wider trade regime after earlier court setbacks; China and the EU are already pushing back. In the Pacific, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale says he will review his country’s 2022 security pact with China while pursuing a broader reset with Australia, a move likely to sharpen regional competition for influence. On the U.S. campaign trail, Democrat Rebecca Bennett has won the primary in New Jersey’s closely watched 7th District and will challenge Republican Tom Kean Jr. in November. And in California, the governor’s race remains unsettled, with early returns showing Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra narrowly ahead in a crowded primary where patience, not certainty, is the watchword.