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Opinion

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Elon Musk’s First Buddy status with Donald Trump is increasingly hurting Tesla sales.

From Trump bump to slump: Musk can’t dodge Tesla’s $1 trillion value loss

Elon Musk’s embrace of President Donald Trump and de facto direction of the Department of Government Efficiency are creating a backlash.

  • by Liam Denning

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Reece Walsh on the fly for Brisbane.
Opinion
NRL 2025

Brisbane already look nearly impossible to stop and Chooks could already be cooked

New coach Michael Maguire has spent a lot of time working on Brisbane’s defence, but it’s their attack that will have Roosters coach Trent Robinson most concerned.

  • by Andrew Johns
Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo at Allegiant Stadium.
Opinion
NRL 2025

Sneer and loathing: I try, but it’s just so hard not to laugh at NRL’s Vegas folly

They spruiked the star power of Tom Brady and Dana White. But the NRL ended up with a no-name college footballer who was thrown out of Allegiant Stadium for beating up a toilet.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
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Editorial
Crime

NSW’s most dangerous freed men need to receive equal treatment

A sexual sadist is set to be released from forensic hospital and it’s a reminder of what faces authorities monitoring the state’s most dangerous inmates.

  • The Herald's View

Teals set to seize balance of power in sink-or-swim election

Against a backdrop of Trump-driven global chaos, a group of mostly female MPs will decide which major party forms a minority government at the coming election.

  • by Niki Savva
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Opinion
Column 8

Clairvoyants need to clean up their act

Before someone greases their palm reader.

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Freedom of  information is under pressure in Trump’s White House.

A reporter confronts Trump’s America, where press freedom is in peril

The man who called the media “the enemy of the people” is back in the White House. This affects everyone.

  • by Liz Gooch
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More funds have to go to our public school system

The idea that private schools should accept disadvantaged students opens up the timeworn public policy issue of how to solve the inequities in our school system

Elon Musk and his DOGE team don’t actually care about whatever work government workers may have done, the implication is that it’s still not enough.

As Trump sacks scientists, let’s hire them. His drain is our brain gain

Donald Trump has handed us a golden opportunity. But we’d better act fast.

  • by Danielle Cave
Donald Trump addresses Congress.
Analysis
US politics

Trump says he’s ‘just getting started’ in address to rowdy US Congress

Before a highly charged and divided joint sitting of the House of Representatives and Senate, Trump delivered a long, rally-like speech that was heavy on political venom.

  • by Michael Koziol
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron in London on Sunday.

Europe’s on a war footing, and it’s going to turn the world upside down

The coalition of the willing must act with lightning speed before Vladimir Putin may be tempted to strike beyond Ukraine. We are approaching the point of maximum danger.

  • by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Getting ready for the storm: A composite visible-infrared satellite image showing Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Wednesday morning.

Storm brewing for insurers even before cyclone smashes into coast

A certain air of inevitability around the insurance industry PR disaster is about to unfold because there will always be under-insured households in a cost-of-living crisis.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Planning

We’re flying blind, now they’ve quietly buried our vital Six Cities blueprint

Where’s the vision? NSW government removes a key plan for our future.

  • by Eamon Waterford
Stephen Brook is returning to the office footy tipping competition, somewhat reluctantly.
Opinion
AFL 2025

Last year, I swore off office footy tipping. Here’s why I’ve come crawling back

In the words of the doomed Don in Godfather III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

  • by Stephen Brook
Donald Trump’s escalating trade war has set off a market sell-down on Wall Street and on stock exchanges around the world.

Has the market’s Trump bet been wiped out? Maybe – or maybe not

Investors are confused whether the market sell-down in response to Donald Trump’s punitive trade policies will prompt him to limit them after all, after his Commerce secretary flagged a potential tariff compromise.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Who will win the flag in 2025?
Opinion
AFL 2025

Only one can win, but there are 10 sides contending for the premiership

Chief football writer Jake Niall gives his take on each team this season, as well as who he expects to play off in the grand final, who will win the Brownlow, the team on the slide and much more.

  • by Jake Niall
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JD Vance’s comments on Tuesday underline the challenges facing Europe as they chart a path forward for Ukraine.

‘Random country’: Vance remark sparks outrage in UK

Even Nigel Farage, Britain’s right-wing populist figure and a close ally of Trump, was left incensed by the vice president’s comment, which was seen as disrespectful of British soldiers.

  • by Rob Harris
KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja of India celebrate after defeating Australia.

‘They’ve got to grow up’: India’s biggest advantage against Australia wasn’t what you think

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir snapped at reporters amid suggestions of undue advantages for India at the Champions Trophy.

  • by Daniel Brettig
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.

Foraged petals, present parenting: Meghan Markle’s ‘working mum’ life is far removed from reality

If the Sussexes really were genuine working parents, they’d have a better idea of what it entails.

  • by Camilla Tominey
We all get older, even the Boy Who Lived. But with the right preparation in your youth, your later years can still be magical.

The best (and worst) financial decisions I made in my 20s

There’s a lot of good that comes with getting older, but only if you set yourself up well when you’re young.

  • by Paridhi Jain
It’s easier than ever to earn frequent flyer points, but they remain widely misunderstood, especially when divvying up assets or someone’s estate.

What happens to your frequent flyer points in a divorce?

It’s easier than ever to earn frequent flyer points, but they remain widely misunderstood, especially when divvying up assets or someone’s estate.

  • by Adele Eliseo
Effectively capping tax-free super balances at $3 million is poor policy.

Why do people oppose taxing super balances over $3m?

The proposal to tax super balances over $3 million has two serious flaws, and is a slippery slope which could lead to other, more punitive measures.

  • by Noel Whittaker
Dr Michele Bruniges, the former head of the Department of Education.
Editorial
Education

Comprehensive schools carry a disproportionate burden of disadvantage

The SMH Schools Summit 2025 will hear radical proposals for selective public schools and private schools to share the load of disadvantaged students.

  • The Herald's View

Our housing industry’s going nowhere fast. It’s not just red tape

Our home building industry is clapped out, nobbled by poor planning, a lack of innovation and overzealous regulation. But the biggest problem is productivity.

  • by Ross Gittins
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Opinion
Column 8

A night on the tiles explained

Revellers should just go with the flow.

President Volodymyr Zelensky.

America has just proven it is no longer defender of the free world

First Donald Trump tried to humiliate Volodymyr Zelensky, then he halted military aid to Ukraine. World leaders can be in no doubt that the US has abandoned its role as peacekeeper.

  • by Cory Alpert
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with students during a visit to Carlton South Primary School in Sydney yesterday.

Albanese is using public school students as an election tool

The PM’s decision to fund NSW public schools to the tune of $4.8b is a cynical political ploy, writes Kevin Farrell.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain’s PM Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron hold a meeting during a summit in London, England.

A faint path to a ceasefire in Ukraine emerges but Trump’s support is fickle

As the UK and France try to piece together a ceasefire plan, Trump attacks comments from Zelensky that peace is “very far away”.

  • by Rob Harris
The sharemarket is getting increasingly skittish around Donald Trump’s policies.

As Trump slump hits investors, why does big business still love him?

With markets plunging, you don’t hear Donald Trump talking about share prices any more as proof of his successful management of the US economy. Still, for some of America’s business leaders, there’s no DOG in DOGE.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Buying a home.

Could early access to super fix our housing Hunger Games?

The growing divide between younger renters and older home owners could be fixed by allowing some access to our superannuation.

  • by William Bennett
A cartoon image of the US president holding a Bitcoin at a store in Hong Kong. Trump, who used to dismiss crypto assets as a “scam”, is now a convert, even if he hasn’t explained why.

Boosting Bitcoin: Is Trump making America part of a giant crypto scam?

Does the US need Donald Trump’s planned national strategic reserve of crypto assets? Absolutely not.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese.

Albanese’s new headache: Australians no longer believe America will protect them

A potentially historic shift is under way in how Australians view our relationship with the United States.

  • by Dr Emma Shortis
Opinion
Oscars

I hated Anora. But here’s why I’m wrong

Reviewers and the Academy loved Anora. Were we seeing the same film?

  • by Jenna Price
Illustration by Joe Benke

It’s clear that Trump is an agent of Putin. All US allies should be alarmed

With the US president parroting Putin talking points, America’s allies must rethink their security strategies.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Some overcrowded public schools are operating at double or triple their enrolment caps.
Editorial
Schools

New homes without new schools is shooting planning in the foot

The Minns government has shelved plans to build schools in the very suburbs it has earmarked for housing development.

  • The Herald's View
The third season of White Lotus is here.
Opinion
Thailand

The White Lotus effect has landed in Thailand, with a plague of lotus-eaters

I travelled 7250 kilometres for enlightenment but found it closer to home.

  • by Sarah Macdonald
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Opinion
Column 8

An alternating current affair

It’s the measure of Nik and Mick.

My symptoms disappear when I see the doctor.
Opinion
Illness

I suffer from ‘white coat’ syndrome, but not like other people

My response to medical appointments is like a demented Murphy’s law: what can go wrong, will go wrong, even if it means it suddenly and inexplicably goes right.

  • by Kerri Sackville
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers.

Labor’s strength lies in the quality of its cabinet

The shadow cabinet has nowhere near the same amount of talent, writes Robert McAulay.

 Qantas and Virgin Australia unlikely to engage in price war.
Opinion
Aviation

Cheaper airfares on domestic flights? Don’t hold your breath

Qatar Airways’ big stake in Virgin Australia is unlikely to spark price wars.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Penrith celebrate Daine Laurie’s match-winning try.

Will Americans embrace league? Rugby is miles in front and it can’t crack US

The NRL is looking for a miracle in the US when it should be taking the easy option and expanding to New Zealand’s South Island.

  • by Paul Cully
People’s Liberation Army-Navy Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi, and Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu in the Tasman Sea.

Why Chinese warships off the coast were no bad thing for Australia

Many Australians seem to have missed a salient fact – our own navy conducts navigation operations and live firing exercises in the South China Sea.

  • by Christopher Pyne
China and the US have been locked in an ongoing trade spat.

Red alert: Xi’s plan to protect China from the worst of Trump

China’s leaders meet this week in Beijing. Top of mind will be the threat posed by the US president.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Elon Musk played a key role in Donald Trump’s winning campaign and has been rewarded with an advisory role in the new administration.

I’ve seen the impact of Trump and Musk’s savagery. What they’re doing is cruel and lethal

As an aid leader, how do I tell my African friends that Trump’s Christianity isn’t for them, so babies will die?

  • by Tim Costello
King Charles III: the peacemaker.

Is King Charles the man to bring Trump and Zelensky back together?

After the extraordinary row at the White House, a mediator is needed – and this could be the King’s chance to cement his legacy.

  • by Hannah Furness
Nick Daicos.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Daicos is the favourite, but here is Caroline Wilson’s surprise Brownlow tip

Who will make the eight in 2025? Who will take home Charlie, and who will be named Rising Star? Our experts have their say in our season preview – and you can vote on each club’s finishing position too.

  • by The Age footy team
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The trouble with the bubble – for both Albanese and Dutton

The opinion polls remain close but political insiders have little idea what’s happening outside and what will sway voters on election day.

  • by Sean Kelly
A Herald investigation can publish a cache of photographic and video evidence that documents alarming conditions inside Australia’s disability group homes.
Editorial
Disability

These Sydney homes were supposed to be havens, not hellholes

A Herald investigation raises concerns about how we treat some of our most vulnerable citizens.

  • The Herald's View
Coach for All: Roosters boss Trent Robinson.
Opinion
NRL 2025

The Roosters love Trent Robinson. Until they don’t

The three-time premiership winning coach is facing one of his toughest seasons in charge of the NRL’s glamour club.

  • by Neil Breen
Working from home is linked with lower wage growth, higher productivity and happier staff.

The real truth on productivity: The bosses aren’t trying hard enough

Businesses have done little to improve their productivity, relying instead on legal loopholes to bolster their profits.

  • by Ross Gittins

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/opinion