☕️ President Trump officially sworn in

Well, it’s the start of a different looking America - and we’ve got a summary of Donald Trump’s inauguration below.

Trump’s speech was loaded with major policy announcements - but one we weren’t expecting was his ambitions for space travel.

Not satisfied with continuing to explore space tourism, or discover more about the moon, Trump announced he would “launch American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars”.

Even the crowd was a bit surprised, slowly applauding - but Elon Musk was pumped. Let the oddities begin.

"(It’s) the first time in Australian history, since federation, that we’ve had equal representation in the cabinet of the government of Australia."
Anthony Albanese during the ceremony where four women (Anne Aly, Amanda Rishworth, Katy Gallagher and Anika Wells) were sworn in with new ministerial positions, allowing federal cabinet to reach gender parity. It came as Bill Shorten had his final day as a Labor MP yesterday.

$67,000
The average income per hour of Australia's 47 billionaires in 2024, according to new research from Oxfam.

2020
The U.S. reported its first known case of COVID-19. A Washington state resident who had returned the previous week from the outbreak’s epicentre, Wuhan, China, was hospitalised in Seattle.

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th U.S. President at a ceremony in Washington D.C. The ceremony is called an ‘inauguration’ and marks the start of a new presidential term. Due to of freezing temperatures in Washington, the ceremony took place inside the Capital Rotunda instead of the traditional venue of outside the Capitol.

In his address to the nation, Trump said: “The golden age of America begins right now.”

Several high-profile Australians attended, including mining tycoon Gina Rinehart and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

In his 29-minute speech, Trump outlined his plan for his second presidency.

In the immediate future, Trump said he would sign several executive orders, including declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. Other major announcements included an also end to gender and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the declaration of a “national energy emergency”, and a renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

He also said he would “sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.”

In attendance were some of the most powerful people in the world, including tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

The Coalition has pledged to give small businesses up to $20,000 in tax discounts to pay for meals and entertainment for staff and clients.

Under the election promise, businesses with a turnover of up to $10 million a year could claim the deductions.

The Labor Government has accused Dutton of failing to work out how much the policy would cost.

Australia is due to have an election by 17 May, though the exact date is unknown. Both major parties have begun outlining the policies they will enact if elected.

This weekend, the Coalition announced that if elected, it would give businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million a $20,000 tax discount for meals and entertainment. Government figures show this would cover 98% of Australian businesses.

The discount would cover expenses including meals for a company’s staff or clients, though it excludes alcohol.

These expenses wouldn’t fall under the Fringe Benefits Tax, which covers non-salary employee expenses like parking or gym memberships.

In a campaign address in outer-suburban Brisbane, Dutton said his policy would allow small businesses to “spend more at their local cafes, clubs and pubs”.

“It means the builder with five or six of his or her tradies can go down to a local restaurant, or to a local pub... to celebrate a week of hard work.“

If the Coalition wins the election, it would roll out the policy over two years.

Peak body the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia has welcomed the Coalition’s proposal.

“If you want more of something, then you should tax it less. This tax deduction will encourage people to back their local hospitality business by providing a real financial incentive to do so,” CEO Luke Achterstraat said in a statement to TDA.

“We hope to see many small businesses utilise the potential scheme to reward their hardworking employees and to engage with their clients to strengthen relationships.”

When asked about the policy, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Dutton “is yet to come out with serious policy announcements.”

Senior Labor Minister Clare O’Neil said the tax discount had not been “costed” — an independent estimate of a policy’s impact on the economy.

“Hard-working tax dollars will be subsidising business lunches,” O’Neil told the ABC.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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The Pompeii Archeological Park confirmed the find, which it called “perhaps the largest thermal complex in a private house in Pompeii”. The baths were part of a bigger banquet space inside the home, and include what would have been used as a hot, warm and cold room, as well as a change room space.

It’s believed senior leaders hosted guests in these large spaces to impress Pompeii society, and show off their wealth. The baths reveal more about daily life in the ancient Roman city before it was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Early last week, a 53-year-old French woman was hospitalised after publicly admitting scammers led her to believe she was speaking to Brad Pitt.

The scammers used AI-generated photos and messages to convince the woman to send over €830,000 ($AU1.37 million), claiming the actor needed financial help during a divorce. She believed the deception to the point of divorcing her husband in hopes of starting a life with Pitt.

After sharing her story on TV to warn others, she became the target of cyberbullying, which led to severe emotional distress.

Pitt’s team has confirmed the actor does not use social media and urged the public to stay alert to scams involving fake celebrity accounts.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

In a dramatic turn of events, TikTok is back online in the United States after being down for just 12 hours. The restoration comes after President Trump, who was officially inaugurated as the 47th President overnight, announced he would sign an executive order to delay the ban as he takes office this week.

Trump says he'll make sure the app can remain in America, even at the cost of the existing regulation. Today, we'll break down what happened during this chaotic weekend, and the limits of the President's powers to reverse a law in action.