Weekend reading and MB media appearances

International Reading:

• Donald Trump set to unleash new ‘sweeping’ tariffs on 60 countries within hours – The Mirror
• Trump raises tariffs on 60 countries for forced labor but the Federal Minimum Wage hasn’t changed since July 2009 – Washington Post
• ‘Starvation Wages’ at Giant US Corporations Force Workers to Seek Taxpayer-Funded Aid | “No one who works for a company making billions in profits should be living in poverty,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. – Common Dreams
• US weekly jobless claims plunge to lowest since 1969 – Yahoo
• U.S. Filings For Unemployment Aid Fall To 187,000 Last Week, Fewest In Decades – Huff Post
• Trump dismisses affordability as a ‘word made up by the Democrats’ while predicting oil will come ‘tumbling down.’ (It’s at $100 per barrel) – Fortune
• The U.S. Is Pulling Back on Energy Efficiency Just as Prices Are Rising – NY Times
• Pixar Bears Brunt of Disney Studio Layoffs as Company Axes Several Hundred Staffers – Variety
• Russia’s Crown-Jewel Su-57 May Have Crashed Outside Moscow – United 24 Media
• How Walmart And Pepsico Rigged Prices And Supercharged Food Inflation – Forbes
• U.S. foreclosure filings jumped 21% this year — is this a warning sign for the economy or just a housing correction? – Yahoo
• Democrats Lead Republicans on Economy in New 20-Year High: Fox News Poll – News Week
• United States retains world’s largest economy – Global South World
• Tesla stock suffers double-digit drop on carmaker’s worst day in years: Elon Musk’s EV company lost a quarter of its value after revealing weak profits and high spending on “AI.” – The Guardian
• Oil prices leap to $100 a barrel after attacks in Red Sea – Washington Post
• Health insurance traps a quarter of U.S. workers in unwanted jobs – Axios
• Big drop in Alphabet Stock underscores investor unease with AI spending – Investopedia
• US weapons makers’ sales soar as Iran war boosts order backlog – FT
• Iran’s currency tumbles as renewed conflict threatens economy – FT

Local Reading:

• US to slap Australia with 12.5 pc tariff from later today – ABC
• Four Corners withdraws episodes by sacked reporter due to accuracy concerns – ABC
• Qantas tests new ultra long-range Airbus in 17,000km direct flight from France to Melbourne – The Guardian
• Chinese diplomats leave Labor conference in Adelaide after requesting Taiwan representatives be ejected – ABC
• Billions of dollars are failing to lift production of AUKUS submarines – The SMH
• Domino’s faces massive unpaid wages bill after court ruling – New Daily
• Billions in new funding for AUKUS shipyards in Adelaide – ABC
• Origin Energy confirms unauthorised access and disclosure of customer data – ABC
• Origin breach could fuel wave of AI-powered scams, cyber experts warn – ABC
• AusAlert test will blast emergency warning siren over most phones in Australia on Monday. Here’s what to know – The Guardian
• Artificial intelligence company Firmus plans to use state-owned agricultural irrigation water – ABC
• Proposed $40b, 185ha data centre to use six times Top End’s annual electricity consumption – ABC
• Most Australians don’t understand how interest rates affect inflation, RBA survey finds – ABC
• US confirms 12.5% tariff on NZ goods relating to ‘forced labour’ claim – Interest.co.nz
• NZ job ads up almost 11% year-on-year, SEEK says – Interest.co.nz
• A quarter of NZers can’t cover a $500 shock, Kiwibank survey suggests – Interest.co.nz
• Visas approved for full fee paying overseas students hit highest point in at least a decade in June – Interest.co.nz
• New housing supply and rising rates to keep lid on house prices – Interest.co.nz

MB Media Appearances:

This interview with Radio 2GB/4BC discusses the collapse in Australia’s dwelling construction and what it means for the rental market.

This is Part 2 of an interview with Lachlan Delahunty and Reece Beddall from the Follio Property Podcast.

This interview with Andrew Bolt at Sky News discusses the blowout in Victorian state debt and the likelihood that the rest of Australia will need to bail it out.