Meghan and Harry honoured for 'bravery', Trump loses support

All the news that's fit to mint.

All the news that's fit to mint.

What's happening in (The) Oz: 

🔥 Everyone is going cold as National Cabinet fires up over coal

🇺🇸 But at least the Americans like us again

🍞 Where are the fairy bread cops? We need to make an arrest

🍟 No, you can't fries with that

🤑 The Trump Organisation guilty of tax fraud 

🤝🏼 Forget official royal duties, Harry and Meghan are the King and Queen of PR

🍑 The Georgia election - the final Midterm race - is finally over, much like Donald Trump's political influence

As Cher said, "Hi".

Hi pic.twitter.com/szdTf2l93F

— Cher (@cher) December 6, 2022

Welcome to Thursday.

In breaking news Mr Worldwide - the man in charge of the party season soundtrack - has important news.

Not new music...

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/0WRhGuqsA8

— Pitbull (@pitbull) December 5, 2022

Meanwhile, it's Friday eve so let's get this bread.

But absolutely not this bread. Fairy bread made from vegetables.

Take the wheel please, I'm off to call the cops to arrest this creator for the poorest taste I've ever encountered.

@fatimahomran

At a party on the weekend and there’s some things you just have to say no to…. If your children love colourful food, then they are going to adore Healthy Fairy Bread 🎉 Would you give this a go? d#dessertpartyppartyfoodffairybreadhealthy #fyp

♬ original sound - Fatimah Omran

Take my word for it, I'm the arbiter of bad taste. As someone who lives with a gluten and dairy intolerance I basically exist solely on air and cardboard but this legacy trashing has taken has gone too far.

All is well abroad

No need to panic about impending war and the fact that we basically have a Navy that is less resourced than a kid's bath time - the US will save us.

That's the take away from the annual AUSMIN chats held in Washington this week between Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defence Minister Richard Marles, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

.@SenatorWong and I were delighted to join @SecDef Austin and @StateDept @SecBlinken for the 32nd #AUSMIN in Washington DC.

The Alliance has never been stronger, and today we had the opportunity to discuss ways we can deepen cooperation between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/f4gQnBshuK

— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) December 7, 2022

The US has promised Australia that American defence forces - the world’s most powerful - will, as reported by The Australian, "plug the looming gap in our defences as the navy’s ageing Collins class submarines become obsolete in coming years, as the two nations announce they would boost defence cooperation with Japan to counter the growing Chinese threat in the Indo-Pacific."

Austin declared the US “will not allow Australia to have a capability gap going forward”.

"We recognise where Australia is and where its capability begins to diminish and of course we will address that in the pathway we create,” Austin said.

We'll probably learn more about the next of steps of AUKUS (our defence agreement with the US and the UK) when the government releases it "review" into our armed forces early next year. 

National Cabinet's smouldering love affair may have been extinguished

All over coal - which ironically - is at the centre of the debate regarding keeping the home fires burning (and our ACs on over summer).

On Wednesday, The Australian confirmed the federal government has asked the NSW government to impose a $125 coal price cap in its bid to bring down energy prices.

Which is good news in the short term as it could lower our power bills but bad news for state government mining royalties receipts (cash that generally goes toward building and maintaining hospitals and roads). Like what just happened in Queensland where the new coal mining tax is predicted to deliver - according the Palaszczuk government's mid year budget update - the state an extra $3 billion.

A figure the mining industry questioned on Wednesday saying it has been "miscalculated".

As The Australian's political editor Simon Benson told us: "The initial advice to NSW and Queensland governments was that they would have to cap coal prices at between $125 and $160 a tonne - around half current levels - to have any meaningful flow on impact for energy bills.

"The Commonwealth has agreed to cap gas prices at $13 a gigajoule though a mandatory code of conduct. 

"Negotiations are still ongoing over the possibility compensation to be paid by the Commonwealth to the states for lost royalties and possible compensation payments to coal producers."

Basically, power prices may be lowered over summer, mining companies will be pissed and states may become poorer in the long run.

Take anything but our chips

Mother Nature is clearly annoyed with us as she's now confiscated our hot chips.

The national hot chip shortage/crisis is due to the crazy weather impacting east coast farmers as floods have destroyed crops that were due to be harvested.

Pubs and restaurants - including Holy Moley - are issuing warnings to customers and apologies for the lack of carbs available in their venues while supermarkets struggle to secure spuds.

And due to the fact potatoes take months to grow, farmers in WA are scrambling to help out but are also being stung by rising power prices.

The state's only local hot chip maker - WA Chip - is as desperate as a seagull to help with the shortage but is now paying an extra $400,000 in power bills - up 60% from this time last year.

Turns out bad record keeping didn't just happen in Trump's White House

The former US President’s company had been accused of providing off-the-book benefits to executives and following the testimony of its former chief financial officer - which proved crucial to the case - has been found guilty of tax fraud.

All up there were 17 charges and, after just a day of deliberations in a New York court, on Wednesday the jury said the Trump family's real estate business was guilty of dishing out "off-the-books" perks to executives over a 15 year period.

"They received luxury apartments, leased Mercedes-Benzes, extra cash at Christmas, even subscription TV. They paid taxes on none of it," The New York Times reported.

The family are taking it well.

The Republicans also just lost another election

Justin Bieber may get his peaches...

Now the locals have the best fruit and a first, after Georgia secured its first Black full term Senator in Raphael Warnock. 

The 2022 US elections are over and in what is being seen as another blow to former President Trump's influence with the GOP and US at large - the Democrat pick beat out Trump's boy - Herschel Walker - meaning the Democrats now have a majority in the Senate with 51 seats. 

Trump's record in Georgia is not great. He's now managed to lose three Senate races and his last Presidential bid there in two years.

He also lost three Senate races, a presidential and a Governor's race in Arizona in four years.

Trump also endorsed the losing Republican candidate for the Senate in close to every 2022 battleground state for the Midterms.

READ MORE: Trump's #1 frenemy is only big Republican winner in the Midterms

They do PR and PDA so well 

Forget official royal duties, Harry and Meghan are the King and Queen of Public Relations...for themselves.

The couple - who moonlight as hold holding lobbyists - were honoured for their "bravery" in New York on Wednesday. 

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, accepted a human rights award at the Ripple of Hope gala where they were honoured for addressing racial injustice and mental health.

The artists formerly known as senior British royals received the award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation which honours leaders across government, business, advocacy and entertainment who have shown an "unwavering commitment to social change".

Kerry Kennedy, who is the president of the foundation and daughter of the slain United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy, said the couple had been "incredibly brave" to talk about their experience of racial injustice and mental illness.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was also among those honoured by the organisation.

Harry and Meghan said in a statement: "A ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change".

Markle opted for a custom dress by Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton which appeared to have pockets and mimicked her wedding dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline and all white, architectural style frock. She also wore Princess Diana's aquamarine ring - from Di's private collection. The same ring she wore, coincidentally, on her wedding day.

The award came days before volume one of their two-part Netflix documentary series drops.