Squiz Today – 21 March 2024

The Squiz

Former PM Kevin Rudd is in Donald Trump’s sights… In an interview with former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage that aired on Sky News last night, the former American president was asked what he thought about our former national leader/Australia’s current ambassador to the US. Trump’s response: “I heard he was a little bit nasty. I hear he’s not the brightest bulb. But I don’t know much about him.” The exchange has sparked concerns about how their disagreement could impact US-Oz relations. 

Why so unkind?

There’s a bit of background to this… Rudd has said some things about Trump in the past. He’s called him “nuts”, “the most destructive president in history”, and “a traitor to the West”. And then there’s Trump and Farage… They go way back, and this is the third interview the presidential hopeful has done with right-wing broadcaster GB News. The issue is that Trump has a good chance of regaining the top job in November, and analysts say this could make it difficult for Rudd to advance Oz’s interests in Washington. Despite the tough character assessment, the Albanese Government insists Rudd will stay on. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Rudd is “excellent” and “even [Coalition leader Peter] Dutton” backs him”. As a side note, if the government has a change of heart on leaving Rudd there, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan is also from Queensland and he’s here to help…

What else did Trump talk about?

A lot – including a false claim that the US funds “90 to 100%” of NATO (note: it’s closer to 70%), but he did reassure member states of the European/North American security pact that he would not pull out if they pay their “fair share”. On the Russian front, Trump said he “got along with Putin great” and would continue negotiating with him. Trump has previously claimed he’d end the Ukraine war within 24 hours… And it wasn’t all international politics… Trump also weighed in on the Princess Kate photo editing saga, saying it “shouldn’t be a big deal” and suggested Prince Harry could be kicked out of the US if he did lie about previous drug use on his visa application. Hang onto your hat…

A new search all for naught

Victorian Police failed to find the body of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy yesterday after a significant new search. Earlier in the day, investigators began trawling through the Buninyong Bushland Reserve south of Ballarat, following what they said was “intelligence derived from a number of sources”. Despite specialist units being called in, the search was called off just after 2pm after coming up short. Regardless, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt says police are “committed to doing everything we can to locate her and return her to her family”. To recap – Samantha’s been missing since 4 February, when she set out on a morning run from her Ballarat home. Then, earlier this month, Patrick Stephenson – a 22yo from the neighbouring town of Scotsburn – was charged with her murder. Samantha’s “distraught” husband Mick has appealed to Stephenson to start cooperating with police. Stephenson is in custody and will appear at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on 8 August. 

Panda diplomacy

It’s great to have a good interaction with a counterpart, and yesterday Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong was said to have the warm fuzzies following yesterday’s diplomatic talks with China’s Wang Yi. Reports say she’s feeling optimistic that the pair have built a “good rapport”… The meeting took place behind closed doors, but Wong says Aussie writer/democracy activist Dr Yang Hengjun – who’s currently detained in China – was discussed, and she voiced Australians’ shock at his suspended death sentence. Trade was also on the agenda, with China expected to lift its tariffs on Aussie wine this month. And in more signs that Oz-China relations are back on track, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is planning a visit later this year. Before you ask, Adelaide Zoo’s pandas on loan from China are tipped to stay put…

Another twist in the Kate Middleton saga…

Yesterday, a UK tabloid broke the news that a staff member at the London Clinic (aka the exclusive hospital where the Princess of Wales recently spent 2 weeks following abdominal surgery) had illegally tried to access her medical records. Those claims were substantiated by the UK’s Information Commissioners’ Office – they said they’d “received a breach report and are assessing the information provided”. Kensington Palace wouldn’t comment, but the London Clinic is also where King Charles has received cancer treatment in recent months, so commentators say it’s “a major security breach and incredibly damaging for the hospital”. Meanwhile, there’s also been plenty of speculation that the Princess is gearing up for her return to public duties in the coming weeks (which would accord with her original announcement that she would be out of action until after Easter, but anyway…). 

Get your backside trackside

The Australian Grand Prix is zooming into action today, and as the world’s best F1 drivers fly into Melbourne, many fans are more concerned about the action in the pits… Red Bull Racing is in crisis as team leader Christian Horner – aka Mr Ginger Spice – is under pressure to quit over allegations he harassed a female colleague. It’s been brewing for a while and an investigation found he did no wrong and saw the woman suspended for lying – and that led to the leak of dozens of racy text messages. Now, Red Bull’s main driver – 3-time world champion Max Verstappen – has threatened to quit the team if veteran advisor Helmut Marko (aka the man rumoured to be the leaker) is forced out… Reports say the team’s Thai owners aren’t happy and have dispatched a ‘Thai spy’ to check up on everyone. And we thought Drive to Survive made motorsport look exciting… 

Putting a smile on your dial…

The latest World Happiness Report is out, and Oz has made the top 10 – just… The report is pulled together from a Gallup survey of people from 140 countries, asking them about the quality of their lives. It looks at things like GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption. Finland is the world’s happiest country for the seventh year in a row, with John Helliwell – the report’s founding editor – saying the Nordic nation is “pretty rich” in a range of happy-boosting factors. That’s things “like wallets being returned if they’re dropped in the street, people helping each other day in and day out, very high-quality health and education opportunities”. Denmark (#2), Iceland (#3), Sweden (#4), and Norway (# 7) also made the cut, and Aussies are the 10th happiest, just above our Kiwi cuzzie bros. As we should. 

UK artist Damien Hirst is embroiled in an art world fraud scandal, with several sculptures from his prize-winning 1990s portfolio found to have actually been made in 2017. An investigation reckons they were “artificially aged”…

Beyonce has revealed the artwork for her new album Act II: Cowboy Carter, and it’s fair to say it’s leaning right into the country theme… She’s also thanked her fans for making her the first Black woman with a #1 single – Texas Hold ‘Em – on the US Hot Country Songs chart.

And in case you missed it, 66yo Sharon Stone has pivoted from acting to art, with a solo exhibit currently running in Berlin. If you can’t nick over there, you can see some of her paintings here. Stone reckons the career change has let her “creative faucet flow”…

9.25am (AEDT) – Black Dog Institute, launch of new PTSD guidelines for emergency services workers –  Sydney

10.45am (AEDT) – Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix begins (on until 24 March)

2.30pm (AEDT) – Women’s cricket ODI Australia v Bangladesh – Bangladesh 

8.10pm (AEDT) – Men’s soccer second round of Olympic qualifiers – Socceroos v Lebanon – Sydney, and broadcast live on 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+

ABS Data Release – Labour Force, February; National, State and Territory Population, September 2023

National Close the Gap Day

International Astrology Day

Harmony Day

World Down Syndrome Day 

International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 

World Poetry Day 

International Day of Forests 

International Day of Nowruz, or Persian New Year

Birthdays for Gary Oldman (1958), Matthew Broderick (1962), and Rosie O’Donnell (1962)

Anniversary of:

• the death of Pocahontas (1617)
• Persia officially being renamed Iran (1935)
• the wedding of actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (1945)
• Ethiopia abolishing its monarchy after 3,000 years (1975)
• Russia annexing the Crimean Peninsula (2014)
• And, the fifth and final member – Patrick Willmott – was found guilty of Plutus Payroll’s $105 million tax fraud, the largest tax fraud case in Australia (2023)