☕️ Tax cut v election bribes

Lovely to pop in, everyone! It’s always interesting to see how Australian politics is reported in global media.

Take this headline from the BBC overnight: “Australian senator wields dead salmon in parliament.”

Feeling as puzzled as the Brits? You can watch what happened - and why - here.

“They are delulu with no solulu, Mr Speaker.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking in Parliament on Wednesday. For non-Gen-Z readers, this means he was calling the Coalition delusional without a solution. Albanese was dared to use the phrase ‘delulu’ by podcast hosts Lucy Jackson and Nikki Westcott.

49%
The amount Tesla sales dropped in Europe in the first two months of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to new data from The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

“I, too, discuss top secret war plans in the girlies group chat.”
A comment left on our piece about senior officials in the Trump administration accidentally adding a journalist to their group chat where they discussed U.S. war plans in Yemen.

The Federal Government has passed legislation for its new tax cuts to Parliament after gaining the support of the Greens and some independents.

The cuts were announced in Tuesday night’s Budget.

The Coalition did not support the Government’s legislation, and will announce its own cost of living relief in Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech tonight.

Here’s the latest.

The Government announced its plans to give every taxpayer an income tax cut in Tuesday night’s budget.

At the moment, workers pay 16 cents in tax on every dollar earned between $18,201 and $45,000.

Under the new plan, the tax rate will be cut to 15 cents per dollar from July next year, and then drop again in 2027 to 14 cents.

Australia has a progressive tax system, which means this will result in a maximum tax cut of $268 for every taxpayer earning more than $45,000.

The Coalition has called the move an “election bribe” and did not support the legislation.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said the cuts “do nothing to address the collapse in living standards under Labor.”

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea.

It comes after U.S. officials hosted separate talks with the two countries in Saudi Arabia this week.

However, shortly after the announcement, Russia said no ceasefire would go ahead until a series of sanctions against it were lifted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was not aware of these conditions when he agreed to the deal.

The U.S. has pledged to “help restore Russia’s access to the world market.”

The Black Sea is bordered by Russia to the north-east and Ukraine to the north-west.

Both nations use the body of water to transport grain, one of their key exports.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the two countries have

skirmished in the Black Sea. Ukraine has used drones and missiles launched from the land to take down Russian ships.

In 2023, a short lived ceasefire deal, which allowed agricultural products access to the Black Sea, collapsed.

Details of the ceasefire remain unclear, including when it would begin and how long it would last.

In its announcement, Russia said no ceasefire would go ahead until sanctions were lifted on the Russian banking sector, and food and fertiliser trade.

Zelenskyy said he was not made aware of these conditions, and that he had “no faith” in Russia.

Both Ukraine and Russia stressed the U.S. would need to enforce the ceasefire deal and punish non-compliance.

Last week, a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure was also agreed.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of targeting such structures since then.

The Black Sea announcement also included a recommitment to the energy infrastructure ceasefire.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal is a sign “of progress” but added there was “tremendous animosity” between the two sides.

The President also said he thought Russia may be “dragging their feet” on a deal.

Reporting by Joe Casey.

Elevate your cleaning game with Skipper

Australia's leading just-add-water home and body care brand, Skipper’s innovative tablet-based system offers concentrated alternatives for everything from household cleaners to body wash products.

Using tablets wrapped in compostable packaging, Skipper's stylish dispensers are designed to be refilled, reused, and on display, so you can keep your home looking and feeling fresh.

🍊 Australia’s women’s cricket team have swept the Kiwis three for three.
🍊 The Socceroos beat China. What’s next for the national team?
🍊 World Athletics’ new gender eligibility test.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: tennis, F1, and more…

Rori, Amani, Lira, Vanda and Yuna were rescued from Ukraine, where experts said they suffered “neglect and abuse”. Many lived on concrete and in small cages, with Russia’s conflict in the region resulting in further displacement. All of the African lions have now moved into the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, which said they’re settling in “beautifully” and are “showing curiosity and playfulness as they interact between their habitats.” The rescue centre was officially opened this week, after fundraising efforts led to more than £500,000 ($AU1 million) in donations.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

It’s every traveller’s worst nightmare: forgetting your passport.

Now imagine you’re the pilot.

One unlucky United Airlines pilot did just that. Not only did he forget his passport, he realised he’d forgotten it mid-flight and had to turn around – much to the dismay of passengers.

In a statement to U.S. media outlets, the airline said: “On Saturday, United flight 198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai landed at San Francisco International Airport as the pilot did not have their passport onboard. We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

Earlier this week, the White House confirmed that a journalist was accidentally added to a group chat where a number of the most senior defence officials were discussing a planned strike against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. The Atlantic's editor-in-chief revealed in an exclusive article that he was accidentally added to the Signal group earlier this month, which included Vice-President JD Vance and Trump’s National Security Advisor. In today's podcast, we explain the sequence of events, the context behind the discussion itself and the fallout since.