Weekend Reading and Media Appearances

International Reading:

• Costco workers now officially make $31 an hour—and can expect raises for the next two years – Fortune
• If you think the current outlook is bad, just wait until the White House can’t find anyone to buy its debt, warns Ray Dalio – Fortune
• US judge orders Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired workers – Reuters
• Trump is actively tanking the economy. Why aren’t Republicans stopping him? – USA Today
• Business leaders know the economy is in trouble. Why won’t they stand up to Trump? – MSNBC
• Why Trump wants to bring aluminum production back to the U.S. – CNBC
• There’s a chance that soon the Dow will have crossed both the 30k threshold and the 40k threshold under Trump’s watch. A tremendous achievement! – WSJ
• President Stagflation: Whether US is heading for recession or just ‘detox,’ downturns are costly – Economic Times India
• Trump Administration Highlights: U.S. Stocks Have Worst Day of 2025 as Economic Fears Grow – NY Times
• CEOs say they are losing faith in Trump: “I don’t trust that what’s said today will be true tomorrow” – Fortune
• ‘I feel utter anger’: From Canada to Europe, a movement to boycott US goods is spreading – The Guardian
• Medicaid shortfall forces California to borrow $3.44B – Politico
• 56 percent disapprove of Trump handling of economy: Survey – The Hill

Local Reading:

• Gone are the days when a ‘good job’ gets you a house – and now we have the data to prove it – The Guardian
• Anthony Albanese will urge Australians to “buy local” in a pre-election attempt to galvanise voter anger at Donald Trump – ABC
• Australians are obsessed with SUVs and huge utes, but experts say they are making our roads deadlier – The Guardian
• How to handle Donald Trump has become a central element of Australia’s election – ABC
• yIslamophobia is on the rise across Australia, new report finds – ABC
• Should Australia rethink its high population growth model? – ABC
• Economic benefit of recreational cannabis now placed at $700m annually, as Greens renew pledge to push legal weed – ABC
• Brisbane mayor vows to evict homeless campers within 24 hours – ABC
• Scuba diver left behind in ocean welcomes maritime safety investigation – ABC
• Independent MPs are elected for a reason – hung parliaments may be precisely what voters want – The Conversation
• ‘Water is a basic need’: An invisible disaster is unfolding in South Australia – ABC
• Peter Dutton’s work from home policy has many in Coalition ranks worried – The Guardian
• Despite recent increases, JobSeeker still leaves people below the poverty line. Here’s why that affects us all – The Conversation
• Federal Labor commits $1 billion to connect Sydney’s south-west with Western Sydney Airport – ABC
• Current annual net migration gain of 32,500 is almost bang-on the long-term average – Interest.co.nz
• Housing stock for sale passes a 10-year high on Trade Me Property – Interest.co.nz

Media Appearances:

Treasury pumps immigration. Ignores the consequences.

Australia’s rental crisis continues to worsen

Trump fires shot at Australia

How will Trump’s tariffs impact Australia?