Friday, 4 April - Just a yellow lemon tree

April 04, 2025

Good morning, it’s Friday, 4 April. In your Squiz Today…

  • The world reacts to Trump’s tariffs plan

  • There’s been a security breach at the MCG

  • And a pasta with a lemony zest…

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Squiz the Weather

Before we get into it, thank you…

If you signed our petition to let our federal pollies know that you think they should financially support our free media literacy course for primary-aged kids Newshounds - thank you.

We reckon teaching 7-12yo kids how to spot mis and disinformation when they come across it online is important work. In the meetings we’ve had with Albanese Government ministers, their Coalition counterparts and many on the crossbench - they agree, but so far, there’s been no action.

If you haven’t already, we’re asking you to sign the Squiz Kids petition to help us send a message that teaching this vital 21st-century life skill is something you want to see. But please DO NOT DONATE. Donations made do not go to Squiz Kids.

Thank you - you’re amazing…

Squiz Sayings

“It is not just a collectible.”

Is what acting Royal Australian Mint Chief Emily Martin said of the new $1 coin marking 100 years of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals - our military communication experts. What makes it unique is the Morse code hidden within the coin. Time to get cracking…

Our Trump trade beef escalates

The Squiz

With the help of a big chart, US President Donald Trump yesterday announced a new range of tariffs (aka taxes) on imports into America. One key thing to know is that there's a 10% baseline tariff on products from every country in the world - we're in that bracket, along with the UK and New Zealand. Sixty countries get their own specific tariff - 54% on Chinese imports and 49% on those from Cambodia, making them some of the hardest hit. The White House calls those reciprocal tariffs, and they're aimed at the countries the President feels have been giving his country the rawest deal on the trade front.

How’d that all land?

Trump said that people would “look back in years to come and you’re going to say, ‘you know, he was right’” - but he expects pushback from “globalists” and “special interests”. You can also add “other countries” to that list… China isn’t happy and has promised “firm countermeasures”, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the tariffs were “deeply regrettable”, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been an ally of Trump’s, said the tariffs on the European Union were “wrong”. The announcement also covered the remote Heard and McDonald Islands - Aussie territories near Antarctica that are essentially a home for penguins. The tuxedoed birds haven’t issued a statement yet…

And back home?

For (human) Aussies, the industry that experts say will cop it the worst is beef because we export more of that to the US than any other product. During his speech, Trump also singled out that Australia “won’t take any of our beef” - that’s for biosecurity reasons. PM Anthony Albanese may have taken a stumble yesterday, but he was standing firm against the tariffs… He said that while Australia got one of the better deals, it still undermined our Free Trade Agreement with the US and "dispute resolution mechanisms" were being considered - which could involve taking the US to the World Trade Organisation. Coalition leader Peter Dutton says it was "a bad day for our country, and it's not the treatment that Australians deserve".

Your fresh market update…

At The Squiz, we’re all about giving you the useful stuff. So, we’ve teamed up with Woolies to share their top weekly fruit and veg picks. Here’s what to grab this week:

🍏 Granny Smith apples - Firm and tangy, they’re perfect for all your baking needs.

🥦 Broccolini - When you’re choosing, keep an eye out for firm, bright green stalks.

💚 White seedless grapes - Seedless grapes as a snack? Sign us up…

Squiz the Rest

All hands on deck

Hundreds of emergency workers are on standby in northern NSW as they brace for floodwaters moving downstream from Queensland in the coming days. Forecasters say the recent heavy rain in western Queensland means that rivers could swell in the Mid-North Coast, Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands regions in the coming days. The NSW State Emergency Services (SES) Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns reckons flash flooding is a risk in those areas because "the catchments in this part of the state are already saturated"… For that reason, more than 750 SES volunteers have been deployed, along with helicopters and high-clearance vehicles. As for Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology says the rain has started to ease - but the flooding will continue for “days, if not weeks”.

A tense day in South Korea

Over 14,000 police officers are on hand to deal with possible protests ahead of the country’s Constitutional Court ruling on the future of its impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol this afternoon. To catch you up - Yoon sent shockwaves through South Korea and around the world after declaring martial law and sending armed soldiers into parliament in December. He faced a hefty backlash and quickly overturned the ruling - but it still sent his country into a political crisis, and Yoon has since been impeached and arrested. Today, the Court will either uphold his impeachment and remove him from office permanently or reinstate him. That decision is due around 1pm, so stay tuned…

A security breach at the ‘G

Police have arrested 2 men after they managed to bring loaded firearms into the MCG during last night's match between Collingwood and Carlton. There were more than 82,000 fans at the ground, and while no one was hurt, the way one of the men was acting worried those around him - security was called, the guns were discovered, and the 2 men were arrested. Last year, the MCG installed new security screening gates from a company called Evolv, which use AI to detect hidden weapons. Those gates have been used at everything from the Boxing Day Test to the Taylor Swift Eras tour, but it's unclear at this stage how the men managed to get in. There's another game at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

Deal or no deal

Returning to the on-field side of sport, former Wallaby Jordan Petaia was all smiles as he achieved his dream of signing with an American football franchise yesterday. He’ll be a member of the Los Angeles Chargers on $396,000 a year, and he was quickly congratulated by his namesake Jordan Mailata, who earlier this year became the first Australian to win a Super Bowl as an on-field player. It was a different story in the world of AFL contracts… West Coast Eagles co-captain Oscar Allen was less smiley after being sprung earlier in the week meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, possibly about switching clubs. Allen said he was “embarrassed and ashamed” about the meeting, and he’s staying on as Eagles leader. For now, at least…

When life gives you lemons, put ‘em on display

Move over Q from James Bond - the real MI5 is disclosing a few tricks of the trade as part of a show at Britain’s National Archives… When we say tricks of the trade, they’re not exactly modern secrets from the UK spy agency - one of the lead exhibits is a 110yo now-shriveled lemon (yep, just a regular old citrus fruit…) used to bring down a German spy. He’d been using its juice to write invisible ink letters about UK troop movements during World War I. That might sound like something from a thriller, but MI5 Director General Ken McCallum reckons the organisation’s work “is often different from fiction”. Tell that to the talcum powder tins used for acts of espionage and briefcases abandoned by Soviet spies that are also on display…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

There’s a fairly new show on Netflix called The Residence, which is a quirky whodunit set at a White House State Dinner. It's got a great lead performance from Uzo Aduba and is a fun watch for us Aussies due to a stack of homegrown references and an extended Kylie cameo, which is always welcome…

Speaking of buzzy TV shows, if you’re up to speed on Season 3 of The White Lotus, this article from The Ringer is a fun piece ranking just how much danger each character is in ahead of the 90-minute finale. It will drop Monday afternoon our time, so be wary of spoilers if you're meaning to catch up…

The weather’s getting colder, and (although we don’t really need a reason…) that means it’s a good time to crack out some pasta... This prawn, chilli and lemon tagliatelle recipe is a tasty, easy option - add some shaved parmesan and pepper on top and you’re good to go…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEST) - Rockynats car enthusiast festival (until 6 April) - Rockhampton, Queensland

9.00am (AEDT) - Ford celebrates 100 years in Australia with a celebration in Melbourne Showgrounds including heritage cars, first-look vehicles and thousands of car dealers - Melbourne

8.00pm (AEDT) - Soccer: The Matildas take on Korea Republic in the Asian Football Confederation - Sydney, and watch on 10 Play

Parrtjima, the annual Festival in Light, begins (until 13 April) - Alice Springs, NT

🥕 International Carrot Day

World Rat Day  

Birthdays for actor Hugo Weaving (1960), talk-show host Graham Norton (1963) and actors Robert Downey Jr (1965) and Natasha Lyonne (1979) 

Anniversary of:

  • the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) treaty in Washington DC (1949)

  • the marriage of Beyonce and Jay-Z (2008)

  • Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos' record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement (2019)

Saturday
1.00pm (AEDT) - Rugby union: Rugby SVNS series (until 6 April) - Singapore, and watch on Stan Sport

4.30pm (ACDT) - Netball: The Super Netball season will kick off with a rematch between last year’s finalists, reigning premiers the Thunderbirds vs the Vixens - Adelaide, watch on Kayo

The Queensland Council of Mareeba Shire will hold a by-election

Racing: Australian Derby - Sydney, and watch on 7Plus

The deadline for TikTok's parent company ByteDance to find a US buyer or face a ban 

Birthdays for singers Agnetha Fältskog (1950) and Pharrell Williams (1973)

Anniversary of:

  • the marriage of American Indian princess Pocahontas and English colonist John Rolfe (1614)

  • the birthdays of actors Bette Davis (1908) and Gregory Peck (1916)

  • the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain (1994)

Sunday
⏰ 3.00am (AEDT) - Daylight Saving ends, with clocks turning back from 3.00am to 2.00am in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, ACT and Tasmania

1.00pm (AEST) - Aussie Tim Tszyu will fight American Joey Spencer in a super-welterweight showdown - Newcastle, NSW, and watch on Kayo pay per view

3.00pm (AEST) - Motorsport: Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka, Japan, and watch on Kayo 

Geologists’ Day

Birthdays for actors Paul Rudd (1970) and Zach Braff (1975)

Anniversary of:

  • the establishment of Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South Africa (1652)

  • the arrest of Oscar Wilde for gross indecency (1895)

  • the US declaring war on Germany, entering WWI (1917)

  • the start of the Bosnian War (1992)