Weekend Reads and Vids: 4 – 5 July 2026

Elioth Gruner
Frosty sunrise 1917
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Gift of Howard Hinton 1927

Somewhere near here

• Albanese and Chalmers see reform and risk-taking as an antidote to populism – ABC
• Are the wheels falling off the AI investment boom? – ABC
• Predicted $27bn wartime windfall for Australian LNG exporters reignites calls for new gas tax – Guardian
• ‘Not fair and honest’: KPMG and other audit firms finally face a reckoning – and a potential break‑up – The Conversation

Somewhere else

• US employers added just 57,000 new jobs in June, lower than expected Guardian
• Vladimir Putin has a big decision to make on Crimea, and some analysts say he could go nuclear – ABC
• Digital euro: The plan to Trump-proof the EU’s economies – DW
• German startups compete in global race for nuclear fusion – DW
• Donald Trump may be the accidental hero of a feelgood climate tale even as a creeping horror story plays alongside – Guardian
• Tokyo’s Treasury time bomb – BNE Intellinews
• Oil prices stable as US-Iran peace efforts hold – Reuters
• Central bank gold holdings are at a 50‑year high. What’s behind the jump in reserves? – The Conversation
• How cryptocurrencies are changing global politics – DW
• For allies and adversaries alike, America at 250 is a solid global citizen gone rogue – Guardian

…Get the picture…

• Record ocean temperatures push climate into uncharted waters – BNE Intellinews
• The world’s oceans just broke a disturbing record – Vox
• The world’s oceans are the hottest on record for June – and El Niño is set to turn up the heat even more – The Conversation
• From Truman’s pension to Trump’s billions – a White House windfall unmatched by any president – BBC
• Trump has made more than $1 billion from crypto in a year. How? – The Conversation
• South Korea raises alert after foot-and-mouth disease outbreak – BNE Intellinews
• Workplace depression is common. Managers can make it worse, or better – The Conversation