☕️ The Australians named in the Epstein files

All eyes will be on the RBA today, as it decides what to do with the cash rate.

(Reminder: The cash rate affects interest rates across the economy, including home loans. The higher the interest rate, the more expensive it is to borrow money.)

It’s widely expected that the cash rate will be increased today, after higher-than-expected inflation last week.

The decision is being announced at 2.30pm.

The quote: “The crisis is deepening, threatening program delivery and risking financial collapse”.
UN Secretary General António Guterres in a letter to member states explaining that the organisation is at risk of “imminent financial collapse”. The U.S. owes the international body $US2.2 billion ($AU3.2 billion), according to The New York Times.

The stat: $US7 million ($AU10 million). The amount of money the documentary ‘Melania’ made at the U.S. and Canadian box office this weekend. It is the strongest start of any documentary in over a decade. The documentary follows First Lady Melania Trump’s journey back to the White House for her husband’s second presidential term.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 38% of you said you watch live sport a few times a year [2,100 votes].

Interest rates, explained

The Reserve Bank will make its latest interest rate decision today – but what do interest rates actually mean for you?

CommBank Newsroom’s short explainer covers what rates are, why they change, and how they show up in everyday life. It’s a quick read that will help today’s rate decision make sense.

Get up to speed in a couple of minutes HERE.

Israel is set to re-open the Rafah crossing into Gaza from Egypt, under the second phase of the U.S-negotiated ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

The crossing has been shut since May 2024, with a few rare openings.

The re-opening comes after Israel retrieved the body of the last hostage taken by Hamas in October 2023.

It also comes after the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 30 people, according to local authorities.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a U.S-led ceasefire plan in October. The first phase involved Hamas releasing the remaining living hostages, and Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The first phase also involved Israeli Defense Force (IDF) troops withdrawing from Gaza to an “agreed upon line”. Since then, both sides have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire repeatedly. According to data cited by the UN, Israeli forces have killed 492 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire was announced. Four IDF soldiers have been killed in Gaza in that time.

The second phase of the ceasefire agreement involves Israel opening the Rafah crossing, and a new authority being brought in to govern Gaza in place of Hamas. The opening of the Rafah crossing will allow people to leave for medical care, or return home if they left after October 2023.

Those entering Gaza through the crossing will be subject to security checks, Israeli authorities said. Officials from the European Union will also be monitoring the movement of people.

On Saturday (local time), the IDF carried out strikes across Gaza, killing at least 30 people, according to international media citing local authorities. It is one of the highest single-day death tolls since the October ceasefire. The IDF struck a tent encampment in Khan Younis and an apartment block in Gaza City, killing at least six children.

A post to the IDF’s X account said it carried out these strikes after soldiers saw “eight terrorists” leaving a tunnel in Rafah, saying this was a breach of the ceasefire.

Last week, Israeli media reported IDF officials had accepted the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll of more than 71,000 people since October 2023.

However, an IDF spokesperson later downplayed the reports, saying they did not “reflect official IDF data.”

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Emma speaks with Billi about a world-first social media lawsuit, in which Meta and YouTube are being sued over claims their platforms are designed to be addictive to children.

💶 Get all the context you need on the RBA’s rate decision by signing up to TDA Finance here.

Taking the dog to the park feels harmless…but 15 minutes in the sun is enough to cause skin damage. Remember: hat on, sunnies ready, sleeves down.

*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.

Content warning: Sexual violence, child sexual abuse

Over the weekend, three million of the Epstein files were released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).

Multiple high-profile Australian figures are named in the files, including former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, mining magnate Clive Palmer, and Katherine Keating, daughter of former PM Paul Keating. Someone being named in the files is not a suggestion of wrongdoing, and many allegations are unverified.

Jeffrey Epstein was an American hedge fund manager and convicted sex offender. In 2008, he served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to charges related to sex-trafficking minors in a controversial deal.

In 2019, police arrested him again on new federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein was denied bail and died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial. He was friends with high-profile politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy, some of whom have also been accused of engaging in sexual crimes.

During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed that if elected, he would release the Epstein Files: all documents from past DoJ investigations into the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

In November, U.S. Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, forcing the release of the files. The DoJ was required to publish all files by 19 December. This did not happen. The names and identities of victims have been removed from the files to protect them. The DoJ said this process caused the file release to be delayed.

The collection of documents shared last week will likely be the last major release of the Epstein files, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche telling ABC News (U.S.) that “this review is over.”

The Office of the Deputy Attorney General also said it has produced, with few exceptions, “all documents, files, records, videos and images related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell”.

The DOJ will now prepare a final report to Congress, detailing its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and justifying any redactions.

Rudd was referenced multiple times in the released documents, which showed Epstein had tried to organise meetings with him. One such scheduled meeting included a “vegetarian lunch” to be attended by Epstein in June 2014. Epstein emailed his assistant Lesley Groff to note that Rudd had been added to the invitation.

In another exchange with Epstein from 2016, former Norwegian PM Thorbjørn Jagland referred to Rudd as “a friend of both of us”.

The documents do not show any direct contact between Rudd and Epstein. The former PM’s office said Rudd has “no reason to believe that he ever met with Jeffrey Epstein at any time.”

Palmer is mentioned in a text conversation between Epstein and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. In the exchange, Bannon claims he convinced Palmer to bankroll an advertising campaign during the 2019 Australian federal election.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for Palmer told the ABC the mining magnate “has never spoken to Bannon”.

The release shows Katherine Keating, the daughter of former PM Paul Keating, contacted Epstein and his associates hundreds of times between 2010 and 2013. Epstein had already been convicted of child sex offences.

Keating told Nine newspapers her connection with Epstein reflected her interest in meeting “reputable and major leaders of American business.” Emails show Epstein mentoring Keating as she tried to build a TV career.

In 2011, Keating suggested her younger sister Alexandra come to a dinner party with film director Woody Allen at Epstein’s New York home, after Epstein suggested Allen “likes pretty women.”

Allen’s adopted daughter Dylan Farrow has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was seven. Allen denies the allegation, and authorities chose not to prosecute him.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

How robots are starting to shape the food we eat

Farming in Australia is changing – and it’s not just about what things cost at the shops.

New tech is helping farmers tackle worker shortages, rising costs, and the push for more sustainable practices. Small, self-driving robots are taking over repetitive tasks like spotting weeds and cutting chemical use.

One example is Queensland-based SwarmFarm, which builds robots to make day-to-day farming easier. At CommBank Newsroom, we’ve looked at what this kind of tech is already being used on, and what it means for the future of farming.

Read or watch the full story HERE.

Parker received his first Grammy last year, for his collaboration with French duo Justice on ‘Neverender’. He won this year with the Tame Impala track ‘End of Summer’. It marks Parker’s first solo Grammy win. Album of the year went to Bad Bunny, who made history with the first Spanish-language album to win that category. With wins in five categories, Kendrick Lamar has become the most awarded rapper in Grammys history. Lamar now has 27 Grammy wins under his belt, surpassing Jay-Z’s record of 25.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

PSA: Take the Santa Maddalena church in northern Italy off your Euro Summer bucket list.

The late 14th century church, located in the Dolomites, has become Instagram famous for its picture perfect architecture and scenery.

This year, local authorities have restricted access to the church after large tourist crowds last summer.

From May onwards, only residents and visitors staying at least one night in the region will be able to visit the site. People visiting on a day trip will have to walk thirty minutes from a carpark if they are interested in viewing the church.

Funes District Mayor Peter Pernthaler told CNN: “I’m not… saying that tourists are a nuisance. But a lot of them come, and we have to manage them.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.