Friday, 30 May - Hot potato, hot potato

Good morning, it’s Friday, 30 May. In your Squiz Today…

• A US court puts a block on Trump’s tariffs

• Magda Szubanski has been diagnosed with cancer

• And one of our favourite spud recipes for World Potato Day…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said American kitchen legend Martha Stewart, who weighed in on the sticky debate over recipe ownership at a Vivid event this week. It’s a topic freshly baked in Aussies’ minds after a recent spat between 2 leading cookbook authors, so her comments might stir the pot…

Liberation Day tariffs hit a hurdle

The Squiz

US President Donald Trump’s "Liberation Day" tariffs (aka taxes on imports from other countries) encountered some turbulence yesterday. The US Court of International Appeals has ruled in favour of a group of small businesses, including a wine importer and an online cycling store, that filed a lawsuit against them - and that means the tariffs that are still in place could be blocked if the decision is upheld. That includes 10% tariffs on all Aussie imports, though an additional 25% on our steel and aluminium would stand - they're covered by a different law. Team Trump immediately filed an appeal.

What were the court’s reasons?

This all harks back to the President’s use of a 1977 law for federal economic emergencies - he argued it gives him the power to bring in the tariffs, which are designed to reverse the trade deficit the US has with many other countries (though not Australia). But the court said the law doesn't give the President that authority because tariffs are not a tool he is specifically allowed to use. So while some of the tariffs Trump brought in have since been paused, others are still being paid at the border for now while the decision is appealed - the Trump administration says it will go to the Supreme Court as early as tonight if its appeal isn't immediately successful. If the decision is upheld by all US courts, though, businesses that have paid tariffs to this point could get a refund - with interest.

Anything else happening in Trump-world?

A little bit, yes… the world’s richest man Elon Musk is leaving his role with US President Donald Trump's administration after criticising a new Trump-backed bill currently being debated in the US Congress. Musk has been a temporary government employee as he heads up the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which aims to cut government spending. But 2 days ago, he raised issues with the bill, known as the "big beautiful bill", because it will grow the US deficit - and that undermines the work he's been doing with DOGE in the first place. Then yesterday, he announced he was leaving - but he says there are no hard feelings - Musk thanked the President and said: "The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time".

Hiccup free holidays…

The holiday is planned, the hiccups aren’t. If something doesn’t go to plan - a flight delay, a phone that goes for a swim, or a surprise hospital visit - nib Travel Insurance might help soften the blow. There’s a range of options to suit where you’re headed and how often you’re travelling, from quick trips to New Zealand to long-haul, multi-stop adventures. You can get a quote for your next trip here and use the code SQUIZ15 for 15% off*. The offer ends 17 July 2025 - and your family and friends can use it too.

Squiz the Rest

An entertainment icon is diagnosed with cancer

Magda Szubanski yesterday shared in a video on Instagram that she's been diagnosed with a rare stage 4 blood cancer called Mantle Cell Lymphoma. The 64yo said it's "one of the nasty ones unfortunately" and that she's begun chemotherapy. Szubanski is best known as Sharon on the 2000s TV comedy Kath & Kim, but she has a stack of acting credits, including Babe, Happy Feet, and Ride Like a Girl. She reckons she'd been feeling unwell for a while, so she asked for extra testing during a recent breast screening - and that's where the cancer was picked up. Szubanski says "The takeaway is - get tested and listen to your body". Despite the diagnosis, she says she's "being lovingly cared for by friends and family", but reserves the right to be "a cranky old moll" in the meantime. So her sense of humour is still intact…

Charges laid over the Liverpool attack

One of the big ongoing stories in the UK this week has been the investigation into a car that was driven into a parade of Liverpool fans celebrating their team’s victory in the English Premier League on Tuesday - and this morning, police have named the suspect. Merseyside police have charged 53yo Paul Doyle over the attack, in which 79 people were hurt, including a 9yo, and 7 of those are still in hospital. Doyle, who reports say is a local businessman, father of 3 and former Royal Marine, has been charged with 6 counts relating to causing grievous bodily harm and one count of dangerous driving - though police say the investigation is still going and they're still looking at lots of CCTV and mobile phone footage. He'll appear in Liverpool Magistrates' Court later tonight.

A court date over the North West Shelf

The fallout continues after Environment Minister Murray Watt approved the extension of the North West Shelf project in Western Oz this week, with Traditional Owners preparing for a legal battle… Their big concern is the risk to ancient rock art on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga), near the project's Karratha Gas Plant. Studies show the art, which is some of the oldest in the world, is being damaged by acidic pollution from the facility, and experts have accused the WA Government of burying key details in last week’s report into the plant’s impact. Now, Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper, a custodian of Murujuga, and others have launched Federal Court action to compel Watt to consider heritage protections. PM Anthony Albanese defended the extension yesterday - he says it will help smooth Oz’s transition to renewables.

Your rich is on my list

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has topped the Financial Review’s Rich List (paywall) for the sixth year in a row, with a $38.1 billion fortune - even after a 6% hit from falling iron ore prices. She’s not alone: several others saw their wealth drop for the same reason, but the top 10 are still firmly in billionaire territory… Property developer Harry Triguboff is #2 with $29.7 billion, and packaging billionaire Anthony Pratt and his family take third with $25.9 billion. Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and his estranged wife Annie dropped out of the top 10 after splitting their assets, but his co-founder Scott Farquhar still made the cut at #4. Clive Palmer, Canva's Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, and businessman Kerry Stokes are a few of the others flying high…

What off Earth is that…

Scientists have discovered a mysterious flashing object at the centre of the Milky Way - and not to alarm you or anything, but they’re not too sure what it is… Using really strong telescopes to detect radio waves, an international team of astronomers led by Dr Andy Wang from Curtin Uni in West Oz have detected pulses of light in what they call "long period radio transients" or LPTs, something they reckon could be coming from either super dense stars or weaker, dead stars. These objects have been on astronomers' radars since the 1960s, but this is the first time one has been found emitting both radio waves and X-rays. That’s important because it helps scientists narrow down what they could mean for understanding other big things like nuclear fusion - but for us backyard stargazers, Orion’s Belt is more our speed…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

We've curled up on the couch with some popcorn and the new action flick Fountain of Youth, and it hit lots of good notes - art theft, hidden treasure, car chases in exotic cities, and a Stanley Tucci cameo. It stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, and it was just the kind of on-screen adventure we needed. You can find it on Apple TV+.

Watching our recent interview with Aussie director Daina Reid on The Call Sheet sent us down a rabbit hole of watching some of her old sketches on 90s comedy series Full Frontal - here’s a Footy Show parody called The Netty Show where Reid, Kitty Flanagan and Julia Morris flip the script on blokey sports panel shows. And yes, that’s Eric Bana…

There are not many wrong ways to do potatoes, but we do think there is a right way, and on this year’s World Potato Day, it’s Annabel Crabb’s glass potatoes that take that spot. Super low effort for any night of the week, these babies practically make themselves. The only rule: don’t skimp on the oil…

Squiz the Day

Friday
10.00am (AEST) - A teenage boy charged over the shopping centre brawl involving machetes in Melbourne’s north earlier this week is due to appear in Children’s Court - Melbourne

10.00am (AEST) - To mark World MS Day, Governor-General Sam Mostyn will host a reception with MS Australia to launch a new consumer guide - Canberra

10.00am (AEST) - Finals for the Scripps Spelling Bee, celebrating its 100th anniversary - Maryland, US

11.00am (AEST) - Deputy PM Richard Marles will speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a conference discussing security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region. Then at 1.00pm he’ll meet with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth for a bilateral meeting. Other bilaterals lined up include with the EU and the Philippines - Singapore

11.00am (AEST) - The funeral for Coalition leader Sussan Ley’s mother, Angela Braybooks, will be held in Canberra

11.00am (ACST) - The Ramsay Art Prize 2025 will be announced, featuring 25 contemporary Australian artists under 40 - Adelaide

5.00pm (AEST) - The 20th Anniversary of the Mabo Oration will be held to honour the legacy of Eddie Mabo and the High Court decision to recognise Native Title in Australia - Cairns

8.00pm (AEST) - Soccer: The Matildas will play Argentina in the first of 2 friendlies at Marvel Stadium - Melbourne, watch it on 10Play

9.45pm (AEST) - The US Women’s Golf Open tees off (until 1 June) - Wisconsin, US, and watch on Kayo

ABS Data Release: Building Approvals, April 2025; Provisional Mortality Statistics Jan-Feb 2025; Australian Industry, Retail Trade, Australia

💰The AFR’s full Rich List is released

International Day of the Potato 

Birthdays for singer-songwriter Tom Morello (1964) and rapper Cee-Lo Green (1974)

Anniversary of:

• Joan of Arc being burned at the stake in France after being condemned as a heretic (1431)

• the publication of Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)

• Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s divorce (1996)

• Elizabeth Holmes being sentenced to jail for 11 years after she defrauded investors with her once high-flying blood-testing company Theranos (2023)

Saturday
7.40pm (AEST) - Soccer: A-League Grand Final between rivals Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City - Melbourne, and watch it on 10Play

Dragon Boat Festival, commemorating the death of the Chinese poet Qu Yuan, is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia 

World No Tobacco Day

Birthdays for actors Clint Eastwood (1930), Brooke Shields (1965) and Colin Farrell (1976)

Anniversary of:

• explorers Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains, allowing colonial expansion into Western NSW (1813)

• Dr John Harvey Kellogg patenting “flaked cereal” (1884)

• the world’s oldest bride Minnie Munro (102yo) marrying Dudley Reid (83yo) in Point Clare, NSW (1991)

• Psy’s Gangnam Style becoming the first video to reach 2 billion views on YouTube (2014)

• the Aus and UK Free Trade Agreement commencing (2023)

Sunday
5.00am (AEST) - The Champions League final will be played between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan - Munich, and watch it on Stan Sport

6.00am (AEST) - the Brisbane Marathon Festival gets underway

8.30am (AEST) - PM Anthony Albanese will open the new Bridgewater Bridge  in Hobart, Tasmania

9.30am (ACST) - The finals of the Santos Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge will take place at Netball SA Stadium in Adelaide 

5.00pm (AEST) - Pridefest 2025 will open with a launch party at Qtopia - Sydney

11.00pm (AEST) - Motorsport: F1 Spanish Grand Prix race begins - Barcelona, watch it on Kayo

For the first time in the country’s history, Mexicans will elect thousands of judges after new legislation was passed changing the way judges come into power 

Shavuot - Jewish celebration of Moses' descent from Mount Sinai (until 3 June)

Start of LGBT Pride Month, Migraine Awareness Month, and Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

National Cancer Survivors Day

World Reef Day

Global Day of Parents

Birthdays for actor Morgan Freeman (1937), model Heidi Klum (1973), singer Alanis Morissette (1974), and comedian Amy Schumer (1981)

Anniversary of:

• Anne Boleyn being crowned Queen of England (1533)

• the birthday of Marilyn Monroe (1926)

• the launch of CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news channel (1980)

• the deaths of Helen Keller (1968) and Yves Saint Laurent (2008)