Friday, 7 November - Running up that hill

November 07, 2025

Good morning, it’s Friday, 7 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Supreme Court considers whether Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs are legal

  • Microsoft apologises - and then apologises again

  • And a spring pasta to put a spring in your step…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“But whatever your shortcomings may be, I consider you a good friend."

Said veteran MP Bob Katter to PM Anthony Albanese yesterday as the 2 unveiled a new Parliament House portrait honouring Katter’s 50 years in politics. The portrait features Katter standing in front of rusted corrugated iron, and sadly not a thousand blooming blossoms…

A showdown and a shutdown

The Squiz

The US federal government shutdown has officially become the longest in history this week - but it’s only one of the problems President Donald Trump’s dealing with… Chief among them is the Supreme Court’s examination of whether his Liberation Day tariffs are legal. It kicked off with a hearing in America’s top court yesterday, and already, the majority of justices - several of whom are conservatives appointed by Trump himself - have expressed doubts about his justification for the tariffs on foreign imports. Given how widespread they are, the case has significant implications for the global economy…

Go on…

The case was brought by a group of small business owners who say they’ve been negatively impacted by the tariffs, along with several states that have accused Trump of overreaching with his presidential powers. New York wine/liquor importer Victor Schwartz, the lead plaintiff, says the tariffs are creating “a very, very tight, tight situation, and you're going to see companies go out of business”. So it’s up to the 9 Supreme Court justices to decide whether or not the President acted legally when he used a 1977 emergency law to impose them… For his part, Trump’s sticking by his original justification - that US trade deficits (where it imports more than it exports…) were an “extraordinary and unusual threat”, and the tariffs are necessary to rejuvenate the economy/restore its manufacturing industries.

So what happens now?

The Supreme Court typically takes months to rule on big cases, but given the importance of this one, reports say it’s likely to speed things along… If the Trump administration loses, it might need to issue refunds for about $138 billion in tariffs that have already been paid. And if the majority of Supreme Court justices rule in Trump’s favour, it’ll overturn rulings from 3 lower courts that already labelled the tariffs illegal. With at least one poll showing 6 out of 10 Americans believe the tariffs are contributing to inflation, there's plenty of interest in the outcome. There's also plenty going on in the US - longtime Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement, and the government shutdown is on day 37 with no end in sight. Heads up if you’re planning any US trips: air travel is the latest sector to be impacted, with major delays and cancellations at airports across the country.

Sweet dreams are made of this

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Squiz the Rest

Mexico’s President fights back against harassment

Claudia Sheinbaum, the first-ever female President of Mexico, says she’ll press charges after being groped in public on Tuesday local time. Sheinbaum was talking with some of her supporters when a man came up behind her and tried to kiss and touch her. Sheinbaum said she's taking legal action against the alleged culprit because "it is something women in our country go through", and there were also reports that the man had done similar things to other women in the area. Sheinbaum has just begun her second year in office and currently has sky-high approval ratings, but the incident raised questions about her security, especially given it came a few days after a local mayor was murdered during the country’s Day of the Dead celebrations this week.

So not a boycott

Keep an eye on a meeting of federal and state disability ministers today, because it almost didn’t go ahead… The primary aim of this meeting is to discuss the federal government’s proposed changes to the NDIS - chiefly, the $2 billion Thriving Kids program, which Federal Health and Disability Minister Mark Butler says will reduce the NDIS budget by moving children with autism and developmental delays off the scheme. But it hit a snag last Friday, when the federal government tried to cut the state and territory Ministers' speaking time to 2 minutes each - and the Ministers responded by threatening a boycott. The feds compromised, and they’ll now collectively get an hour (paywall) to raise any concerns. And a few concerns may well be raised - particularly how that $2 billion Thriving Kids program will be paid for…

Banking on the return to office

The chief executive of National Australia Bank says he’ll press on with the company’s plan to bring most staff into the office 3 days a week, despite fellow big 4 bank Westpac losing a landmark work-from-home case in October. The Fair Work Commission ruled in favour of a Westpac employee who argued it was unfair for the bank to deny her flexible work request, given she worked 2 hours away from the office. On Wednesday, the Finance Sector Union told the big 4 banks to “get their houses in order”, because other similar cases could be coming - but Irvine said while announcing NAB’s full-year results yesterday that the bank has reviewed each individual staff member’s situation and is comfortable it’s all hunky-dory. It was a bit less hunky-dory on the balance sheet - its cash profit for the year was slightly down, and NAB shares dropped 3.3% over the day.

A Microsoft target

Tech giant Microsoft said yesterday it will refund Aussie customers after it was sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for tricking customers into paying for an AI upgrade. The ACCC said Microsoft told customers they would have to pay 45% more for their Microsoft 365 subscription to get the AI Copilot upgrade, or cancel, and it was only when they tried to cancel that a third option - sticking with their current plan - was revealed to them. If you're one of those affected, the company says you can request a refund by the end of the year - but that won't satisfy the ACCC, which still wants Microsoft to pay an additional penalty for its behaviour. And adding to its woes, it also apologised again after sending the wrong refund link to a bunch of customers yesterday. If only it could ask Clippy for help…

Prepare to be impressed…

…by the world of ultramarathons, which makes the beep test look easy. The Harry’s King of the Hill ultramarathon was held in Pyalong in central Victoria this week. Participants run up and down a hill with a 266m elevation every hour - a 4.2km circuit - until only one brave person is left standing. It began with 150 runners at 9am last Saturday, and finished just after 2am on Wednesday, leaving only 2 men: Blaine Bourke and Piotr Babis. Bourke admits that “towards that last night I started going a little bit loopy”, and ultimately, Babis won after running almost 400km. FYI: last weekend’s New York Marathon was just over 42km… Organisers say it’s about showcasing the mental toughness of its runners - and they're hoping more will sign up next year. We’ll cheer from the sidelines…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

If you’re feeling inspired to go for a run and want to carb-load beforehand (or, like us, just enjoy pasta…), this miso salmon and mushroom one is a goodie. And if you prefer a written recipe to a video, this is very similar. Pro tip: you can get away with tinned salmon… 

It’s out today on Netflix, but if you can catch Guillermo Del Toro’s new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on a big screen, it’s worth your time - it’s a classic story very well told by one of the best visual stylists in the biz. Plus, our very own Jacob Elordi as the Creature… 

With dancing show fever taking over Oz as Robert Irwin boogies away on Dancing With the Stars US, here’s an outstanding routine from the British version Strictly Come Dancing, which received a perfect score. And here’s a fun game - try to work out who the celeb is…

Squiz the Day

Friday
9.00am (AEDT) - A public hearing will take place at Parliament House as part of the Electoral Matters Committee inquiry into the 2025 federal election - Canberra

9.00am (AEDT) - The final public hearing in the inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative will be held at Parliament House - Canberra 

10.00am (AEDT) - Nine Entertainment will hold its Annual General Meeting at the company’s headquarters and online - Sydney

11.00am (AEST) - Qantas’ AGM will take place at the Amora Hotel - Brisbane

Guillermo del Toro's film Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, will be released on Netflix

The Leaders Summit is underway at COP30, the UN’s major climate summit - which runs through to 21 November.

Birthdays for singer/songwriters Joni Mitchell (1943), Matt Corby (1990) and Lorde (1996)

Anniversary of

  • the birthdays of scientist Marie Curie (1867), Soviet politician Leon Trotsky (1879), and philosopher Albert Camus (1913)

  • Franklin D Roosevelt being re-elected President of the United States for a record 4th term (1944)

  • Hillary Clinton being elected to the US Senate, becoming the first US First Lady to win public office (2000)

  • the death of singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen (2016)

Saturday
3.00am (AEDT) - Nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards will be announced - Los Angeles, watch the announcements live on YouTube

8.30am (AEDT) - The Investor Group on Climate Change's annual Climate Finance and Investment Summit: Mission 1.5C begins - Melbourne

9.00am (ACDT) - The National Pharmacies Christmas pageant gets underway as the largest public parade in the Southern Hemisphere - Adelaide

7.30am (AWST) - The 2-day WA Labor Party State Conference begins at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle - Perth

4.00pm (AEDT) - Triathlon: The Women’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship begins - Marbella, Spain 

4.30pm (AEDT) - Horse racing: Champions Mile 2025 at Flemington Racecourse - Melbourne

6.15pm (AEDT) - Cricket: Australia v India in the 5th and final T20I at The Gabba - Brisbane, watch on Kayo

The start of Australian Food Safety Week (on until 15 November)

Birthdays for author Kazuo Ishiguro (1954) and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (1966)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthdays of Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula (1431), as well as Bram Stoker himself (1847), Chinese revolutionary Qiu Jin (1875) and Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell (1900)

  • the first meeting of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II and Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés in Tenochtitlan, Mexico (1519)

  • German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen producing and detecting X-rays for the first time (1895)

  • the landmark Harvester Decision, which became the basis of Australia's national minimum wage system (1907)

  • the premiere of the soap opera Days of Our Lives (1965)

  • Donald Trump’s first election as US President (2016)

Sunday
1.30am (AEDT) - Rugby league: Australia v England in the third Ashes Test at Headingley Rugby Stadium - West Yorkshire, UK, watch on 9Now

4.40am (AEDT) - Rugby union: the Wallabies continue their Spring Tour and take on Italy on their home turf - Udine, Italy, watch on Stan Sport

12.40pm (AEDT) - Cricket: The Women's Big Bash kicks off with Brisbane Heat v Melbourne Renegades at Allan Border Field - Melbourne, watch on 7+

1.35pm (AEDT) - Rugby league: Australia’s Jillaroos v NZ Kiwi Ferns in the Pacific Cup women’s final at CommBank Stadium - Sydney, watch on 9Now

4.00pm (AEDT) - Triathlon: The Men’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship begins - Marbella, Spain 

4.05pm (AEDT) - Rugby league: NZ Kiwis v Toa Samoa in the Pacific Cup men’s final at CommBank Stadium - Sydney, watch on 9Now

A birthday for producer Ryan Murphy (1965), actor Eric Dane (1972) and singer Delta Goodrem (1984)

Anniversary of:

  • Napoleon Bonaparte becoming the dictator of France under the title of First Consul after staging a coup (1799) 

  • the fall of the Berlin Wall, allowing East Berliners to walk freely into West Berlin (1989)

  • the birthday of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr (1914) 

  • the deaths of British PM Neville Chamberlain (1940), French president Charles de Gaulle (1970) and author Stieg Larsson (2004)

Monday
12.00am (AEDT) - MotoGP: Grande Prémio de Portugal at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve - the Algarve, Portugal, watch on Kayo 

4.00am (AEDT) - F1: It's lights out in the Brazilian Grand Prix Race - Sao Paolo, Brazil, watch on Kayo