Today
The Pentagon’s AUKUS sceptic is ‘pissing everybody off’
Elbridge Colby’s rigid view of foreign policy, and the steps he believes the US must take, are ruffling some feathers in Washington.
This Month
Australia’s China AI quandary is a dealmaker’s opportunity
It would take a dramatic shift to start collaborating with China on AI infrastructure, but when it comes to advances in capability it is risky to ignore them.
Why Trump shifted the goalposts on both tariffs and Gaza
Deals do not always work to the US president’s preferred timeline. His unpredictable approach to foreign policy will keep countries and markets on edge.
We’ve interpreted Trump’s tariff letters so you don’t have to
What the missives lack in personalisation they make up for in Trumpian markers. It’s the catchphrases, some ALL CAPS and a Few Instances of Title Case that give it away.
No escape for allies Japan, South Korea in Trump’s tariff update
After the “liberation day” onslaught, formal notification revives questions about the stability of long-standing trade partnerships in the era of economic nationalism.
Australia can expand its China trade without upsetting the US
The country’s prosperity is built on open trade. The challenge of staying open to both superpowers while not getting crushed between them is becoming trickier.
Healthscope’s problems are huge, Tino La Spina says he can fix it
While the company’s receivers are being pressured to break up the hospital group, there is also an alternative vision to keep it whole.
This is the most striking generational change in 40 years
The property boom has made older Australians rich and turned housing into the standout generational issue that Jim Chalmers must tackle with his economic reforms, Michael Stutchbury writes.
Magic math got Trump’s bill through, but it won’t make debt vanish
The way the tax cut and spending package was rammed through Congress has rightly alarmed sensible budget watchers, who say the debt trajectory is unsustainable.
‘It’s like flying’: How Wimbledon keeps grass court tennis alive
With its short playing season and high maintenance costs, grass court tennis is under threat. Only in the UK and Australia is it still a widely used playing surface.
Rice is everything in Japan. So why won’t it buy more from the US?
Donald Trump is pressuring Tokyo to buy Californian rice, as a national shortage exposes the country’s deep-rooted resistance to foreign grain.
June
These 8 trades have tormented the country’s fund managers this year
Underweight on Commonwealth Bank? Good luck. Long on CSL? Another faux pas for institutional investors trying to beat the index and deliver outsized returns.
The Liberals have run out of options to fix the gender imbalance
Merit has never been the sole determinant of success in politics, so why are some Liberals so desperate to exclude gender?
How NATO’s ‘daddy strategy’ conquered Trump
By playing to the president’s ego and rolling out the red carpet, the alliance has strengthened its bonds with its biggest financial backer.
Lattouf’s win over the ABC is a wake-up call for every employer
During a period of global turmoil, the Federal Court has held that workers are protected over controversial political opinions. But the fight may have only just begun.
Trump’s F-bomb shows he still has lessons to learn on the Middle East
Since the rebuke, Iran and Israel’s truce seems to be holding. But peace in that region is never easy and the US president should wait before claiming victory.
The book Jim Chalmers and all of Canberra is reading
Abundance is the book the treasurer keeps dropping into speeches. It calls for a “liberalism that builds” and it’s sold out in bookshops across Canberra.
Trump surprises everyone, doesn’t break Middle East
The attitude of both the president and Iran after overnight missiles were directed at a US military base in Qatar, showed both sides were looking for an off-ramp.
Why Trump’s MAGA voters may be pro-war after all
Opinion may still change if the US finds itself in a long, drawn-out war, but it may have been wrong to think the president’s base would be turned off by strikes on Iran.
Iran-Israel war hinges on Trump’s bunker bomb success
Iran’s response to America’s strikes on its nuclear facilities will likely depend on how effective the US’s massive bombs have been.