Weekend reading and MB media appearances

International Reading:

• Thousands of people are cancelling their Disney, Hulu, and ESPN subscriptions! – AZ Central
• TikTok To Be Sold To Trump’s Right Wing Billionaire Buddies And Converted Into A Propaganda Mill – Tech Dirt
• Jerome Powell says the Gen Z hiring nightmare is real: ‘Kids coming out of college…are having a hard time finding jobs’  – Fortune
• The top 20% of Americans are keeping the economy alive. That’s not a good sign – CNN
• GOP shuts down House Democrats’ effort to subpoena banks handling Jeffrey Epstein money – Yahoo
• Disney’s ABC pulls ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after FCC chair criticizes the host’s Charlie Kirk comments – NBC
• Top 10% of earners make up half of U.S. retail spending – Market Place
• Survey: Small business owners are less confident about year-end profits – Next Insurance
• Why Gen Z’s ‘career minimalism’ is the future of work – Upworthy
• With China no longer buying, U.S. soybean farmers face tough choices – Market Place
• Nvidia will take a $5 billion stake in Intel, joining the US government as a major shareholder – CNN
• Report: High taxes and regulations threaten New York’s competitive edge – News10
• ‘Farmageddon’: Many US farmers are warning they are at a breaking point – CNN
• Fired Stats Boss Makes Ominous Warning About Trump Economy – Daily Beast
• French budget cut strikes turn violent as protesters and police clash in Paris – Euro News
• Almost 2,000 employers apply for Polish government’s shorter working hours pilot programme – Notes from Poland
• Hassett says Fed made ‘prudent call,’ signaling White House OK with quarter-point cut – CNBC
• Global debt remains above 235% of world GDP – Interest.co.nz

Local Readings:

• ABC barred from Trump’s UK press conference after clash with Australian journalist John Lyons – The Guardian
• Young Australian workers face higher taxes to repair budget bottom line, says Parliamentary Budget Office report – The SMH
• Australian cow market at record high as US demand hits ‘scary times’ – ABC
• Kmart broke privacy laws by using facial recognition technology, commissioner finds (but social media A-ok?) – ABC
• The Federal Government has announced it’s 2035 climate target will be 62 to 70 per cent – ABC
• When Ziggy’s bond was withheld after eviction without cause from his Sydney rental, he challenged it – and won – The Guardian
• Australian National University walks back plans for forced redundancies as part of major restructure – ABC
• NT environment regulator takes side job with miner amid calls to quit over gas leak ‘scandal’ – ABC
• Labor’s 2035 emissions target a ‘sliding doors’ moment for future generations – The Guardian
• Australians too dependent on government, says Sussan Ley – ABC
• Falling residential rents starting to show up in the latest tenancy bond data – Interest.co.nz
• Job market shows clear signs of turning for the better – Interest.co.nz
• Economists call for big rate cut from RBNZ after GDP shock – Interest.co.nz
• Three bedroom houses the worst performing type of residential property investment in Q2 – Interest.co.nz
• Three proposed reforms for Australia and New Zealand, to reach net-zero – Interest.co.nz

MB Media Appearances:

Interview in the Daily Mail re energy prices: Why your power bill is soaring – even though Australia should have the cheapest energy prices in the world | Daily Mail Online

Australia’s housing crisis is deliberate – Interview with Radio 2GB/4BC

When will Australia’s housing bubble burst? – Podcast with Catherine Cashmore from Land Cycle Investor

Australia’s rental crisis worst on record – an online presentation on Australia’s rental crisis prepared for the Australian Firebrand Housing and Immigration Summit in Brisbane, held on 19 September 2025 in Brisbane.

Some other vids worth a watch

It isnt just Australia

an economic view from the RBA