Weekend reading and MB Media Appearances

International Reading:

• Majority of voters say country is on wrong track, favor Democrats in 2026: Poll – The Hill
• Trump ready to ban diesel gas exports to lower costs at home – something his own energy secretary says could backfire – Independent
• Team Trump can’t keep its story straight on a proposed ban on ‌diesel exports – MS
• Trump’s diesel export plan dismissed by his own officials – News Week
• Here’s what happens to the economy when Treasury yields soar like they are now – CNBC
• $6 trillion a year in unpaid labor isn’t counted in GDP. Its absence from official stats distorts how we see growth, living standards and productivity – Fortune
• New Social Security bill would lower retirement age to 60 for some workers – CNBC
• Wealth Inequality Has Grown During the Trump Administration – American Progress
• How will the U.S. refill its dwindling oil reserves? : The Indicator from Planet Money – NPR
• Inside the Generational Tax Battle Dividing Baby Boomers, Millennials – Business Insider
• All the signs say another financial crisis is coming. Here’s why we need to prepare for it now – The Guardian
• More middle-income families are struggling to pay rent in the U.S., new research shows – NPR
• Three international bodies warn of risks of rising debt and soaring borrowing in major economies – The Guardian
• Fed’s Collins warns inflation could be ‘notably’ higher after backing rate hike – CNBC
• Three international bodies warn of risks of rising debt and soaring borrowing in major economies – The Guardian
• Workers should brace for biggest health insurance cost jump in decades – CNBC
• The U.S. economy before and after the Iran war, in five charts – NBC News
• Only tenth of UK’s highest earners pay top tax rate, say experts – The Times

Local Reading:

• Groceries rise by 7% across Australian supermarket chains, Choice finds – The Guardian
• AI agent accessed Australian government site, Anthony Albanese says – ABC
• Angus Taylor pledges to repeal swathe of climate policies, saying ‘Australia has done its bit’  – The Guardian
• Half of young Australian adults now living with parents, HILDA survey shows – ABC
• Albanese to tell China and US the Indo-Pacific not a ‘chessboard’ for superpowers – ABC
• Energy watchdog backs plan to slug all consumers for EV chargers – ABC
• Coalition vows to ‘take a chainsaw’ to climate laws and offshore wind – ABC
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defends planned social media reforms amid US backlash – ABC
• AI data centres probed by Senate inquiry as locals near NextDC facility demand compensation – ABC
• Trump administration attacks Australia’s ‘opt-out’ algorithm law in rare intervention – ABC
• Labour promises to build more homes, fix school buildings and hospitals – Interest.co.nz
• Councils ‘frustrated’ after Government delays local government reform – Interest.co.nz
• Rising mortgage rates hitting first home buyers in spite of lower prices – Interest.co.nz
• We shouldn’t go into the next crisis without looking at an alternative to bank-mediated stimulus – Interest.co.nz
• NZ landlords are subsidising tenants – Interest.co.nz

MB Media Appearances:

This interview with James McPherson at News24 unpacks the latest energy lies and ageing myths contained in the 2026 Intergenerational Report.

Last weekend’s Treasury of Common Sense on Radio 2GB/4BC discussed Labor’s latest gaslighting on immigration, housing and energy.

This interview with Steve Austin at ABC Radio Brisbane assesses the merits of Labor’s immigration changes and their likely impact on the economy.

This interview with Sean Murphy at ABC Upper Hunter unpacks Labor’s fake immigration cuts announced last week at the National Press Club.