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Ahoy, loyal readers.<\/span><\/p>\n The Trump\u2013Russia story continues to roll on, or does it? A few voices have piped up in the last week or so to warn Trump\u2019s critics\/the media about the difference between finding a smoking gun and conjuring Don-Vlad collusion through smoke, mirrors, innuendo and fantasy. We brought you <\/span>Massa Gessen in the <\/span>NYRB<\/span><\/i><\/a> last week<\/span><\/a>, so let\u2019s look further afield. Matt Taibbi of <\/span>Rolling Stone<\/span><\/i> recently <\/span>counselled against<\/span><\/a> the expectation that there\u2019s a lot more to come: \u2018Reporters should be scared to their marrow by this story. This is a high-wire act and it is a very long way down.\u2019 And Ben Smith of <\/span>Buzzfeed <\/span><\/i>(which fed the beast by <\/span>releasing the Steele dossier<\/span><\/a>) offered a similar warning about the <\/span>\u2018false temptations of the Russia story\u2019<\/span><\/a>. On a different but no less important note, our main suggestion here is pure hedonism: watch (or rewatch) <\/span>The Americans<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span>Vulture <\/span><\/i>will <\/span>tell you why<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n And actually, while you\u2019re at it, <\/span>The Crown<\/span><\/i><\/a> is well worth your time, too. On the subject of Queen Elizabeth II, <\/span>The Guardian <\/span><\/i>carries a riveting and beautifully constructed long read on the secret plans that will unfold when the British monarch dies. <\/span>Dive in<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n A flurry of reportage has dominated American media after the overnight release of the Trump administration\u2019s first budget blueprint. <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i> has a handy series of infographics<\/span><\/a> that give a good rundown of the winners and losers.<\/span> As predicted<\/span><\/a>, Defense has won very bigly indeed, with the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department receiving cuts of almost 30% to their funding. But does slashing a department\u2019s funding actually equate to a cut? Apparently not,<\/span> according to Sean Spicer<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Plenty of great new research on the US and the new administration\u2019s defense posture has emerged this week. First off, from our friends at USSC,<\/span> this brand new report<\/span><\/a> argues that Australia must develop a more extroverted security stance in Asia to bolster against Trump\u2019s \u2018America First\u2019 foreign policy.<\/span> A fresh CSIS publication<\/span><\/a> takes a closer look at the security dynamics between the US and China in a completely different arena, the Middle East.<\/span> A Strategic Perspectives paper<\/span><\/a> from the Institute for National Strategic Studies discusses the importance of the India\u2013Japan strategic relationship to the US\u2019s strategic goals in the \u2018Indo-Asia-Pacific\u2019. And in the midst of all that,<\/span> a new offering from CNAS<\/span><\/a> compares and contrasts historical trends in the size and capability of the US military (it\u2019s heavy on the graphs, if you\u2019re into that sorta thing).<\/span><\/p>\n And finally, people of all stripes will mourn the loss of the<\/span> Cisewu tiger<\/span><\/a>, an unintentionally jovial, cartoon-ish statue erected outside an Indonesian Army base to strike fear into the heart of adversaries. After spending time this week at the wrong end of a viral social media campaign, TNI members used hammers and chisels to remove the statue, proving it to be the greatest paper tiger to date\u2014despite the fact it was made of concrete.<\/span><\/p>\n Podcasts<\/b><\/p>\n This pick is a bit different to our usual offerings, but we hope you find it as compelling and ambitious a podcast as we do. US journo Alexis Madrigal, now editor-at-large at <\/span>Fusion<\/span><\/i>, has kicked off an 8-part audio documentary, <\/span>Containers<\/span><\/i><\/a>, on how global shipping has transformed our economies and realities. The first episode, <\/span>\u2018Welcome to Global Capitalism\u2019<\/span><\/a>, is available over at Soundcloud.<\/span><\/p>\n Back in January, <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i> launched a brand new podcast series, <\/span>\u2018Can he do that?\u2019<\/span><\/a> Each week, host Allison Michaels zeroes in on a logic and convention-defying aspect of The Donald\u2019s time in the White House. This week\u2019s episode, for instance, looks at Trump and the fourth estate\u2014<\/span>\u2018the enemy of the people\u2019<\/span><\/a> (32 mins). Keep an ear out over the next 200 weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n Video<\/b><\/p>\n In a useful little clip, <\/span>Vox<\/span><\/i> takes a look at what happens when, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, an American president renders himself obnoxious and is deemed unsuitable for office. <\/span>This 6-minute video <\/span><\/a>examines impeachment (or near impeachment) through the ages, and looks at how the US system of disposing of state leaders differs dramatically from British conventions.<\/span><\/p>\n Events<\/b><\/p>\n Melbourne: Those trying to discern the contours of Trump\u2019s Asia policy (read: everyone) could do worse than get along to the NGV on Monday to hear some thoughts from Brookings\u2019 Fellow Thomas Wright, who recently penned a sterling piece for <\/span>POLITICO <\/span><\/i>on <\/span>Trump\u2019s \u2018Jekyll and Hyde\u2019 foreign policy<\/span><\/a>. Sign up <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Canberra: Following on from #IWD last week, UNSW\u2019s Laura Shepherd will <\/span>offer some thoughts on 28 March<\/span><\/a> at ANU on how the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations promotes female participation in peace and security governance.<\/span><\/p>\n