Weekend reading and MB media appearances

International Reading:

• Peter Thiel’s Roth IRA grew from $1,700 to $5 billion — leaked tax records reveal how the tech billionaire may never owe a dime on it – Money Wise
• Elon Musk accused of trying to ‘buy Texas’ as he pours millions into Ken Paxton’s campaign – The Express
• The Bill for Trumpism Comes Due – The Altantic
• Anthropic posts staggering $80.7 billion net loss in first half of 2026 as IPO approaches – Tech Startups
• Social Security benefits could be cut 22% in 2032—and one fix would mean a 40% payroll tax hike for millennials and Gen Z – Fortune
• Trucking bankruptcies pile up as diesel stays near record – Scripps News
• Zelensky says he’d be open to freezing front lines to end Russia war – The Hill
• The Internet goes on high alert after discovery of 8 compromised TLS certs: “Intermediate certs allow anyone to mint web credentials for any Internet server.” – Ars Technica
• The U.S. Is Spending More On Debt Interest Than Defense. The Annual Bill Just Hit $1.05 Trillion. – IB Times
• U.S. Pending Home Sales Sink Near 12-Year Low – Redfin
• International energy chief: No ‘credible pathway’ for prices to normalize in 2027 – San.com
• Where people make over $1 million a year but still choose to rent. – Yahoo
• Russia’s central bank sells gold at fastest pace since 1998 crisis – TVP World
• Trump announces $8 billion for farmers to offset soaring diesel costs. – Yahoo
• Trump Administration Plans to Hire Private Debt Collectors to Pursue Student Loan Borrowers After the Midterms – IB Times
• In Six Decades of Public Life, I Never Thought I Would Write This Piece – NY Times
• PM Carney, Trump spoke this morning ‘for quite some time,’ addressed ‘some of the issues around trade’ – CTV News
• OpenAI’s most powerful AI models disabled their own safety monitoring — and one lied about it – CNBC
• Oil Just Hit $110. The Diesel Shortage Is Rewriting Western Energy Policy – Real Narrative News
• Trump sued over 50% tariffs on Canada in latest trade challenge – CNBC

Local Reading:

• NAB staff speak out after mass job cut announcement – ABC
• House values drop in all capital cities for first time in 15 years, Domain says – ABC
• Workers say ATO not doing enough to recoup unpaid superannuation, with 1 in 4 impacted – ABC
• Australia’s cybersecurity site among those hit by ‘critical’ software flaw – ABC
• Labor and the Coalition are poised to take a reckless gamble on AI. Haven’t they realised community support has collapsed? – The Guardian
• E-scooter and e-bike hospitalisations on the rise in Australia, report finds – ABC
• Australia could collect extra $45b a year through better resource taxes – ABC
• Annual CPI inflation reaches 3.7% in the September quarter – Interest.co.nz
• National promises more social housing for seniors, expanding granny flat and tiny home rules – Interest.co.nz
• A becalmed housing market means affordability moved sideways in quiet trade in September – Interest.co.nz
• ‘House prices to drift mildly lower until the middle of 2027’ – Interest.co.nz
• Older people comprise a larger share of NZ permanent migrants – Interest.co.nz

Media Appearances:

This Treasury of Common Sense on Radio 2GB/4BC unpacked the latest data on Australia’s energy consumption and explained how rising energy costs have driven the nation’s deindustrialisation. I also commented on the High Court’s recent ruling requiring planning authorities to consider global carbon emissions when approving coal mine extensions.

This interview with Gary Hardgrave on Radio 4BC discusses how excessive government spending and a bloated public sector are driving inflation, crippling private-sector productivity, and worsening the cost-of-living crisis.