Monday, 23 February - Closing time

February 23, 2026

Good morning, it’s Monday, 23 February. In your Squiz Today…

  • The US Supreme Court knocks back some of President Trump’s tariffs

  • An election campaign is underway in South Oz

  • And Milano-Cortina comes to a close… ⛷️

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“It’s a staggering amount, and I was speechless.”

Said Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama of an unexpected gift to the city of 21kg of gold bars worth millions of dollars. The catch - the anonymous donor wants the city to use the money to fix its water pipe system. The city has agreed, so it’s no pipe dream…

Trump gets some not-so tariff-ic news…

The Squiz

US President Donald Trump isn’t backing down after his country’s Supreme Court found on Saturday that his suite of global tariffs (aka taxes on imports) is illegal… The Supreme Court says he overstepped his authority, and Trump is furious, so he’s now using a different/ temporary law as he announced increased global tariffs of 15% on the weekend…

Umm what’s this about exactly?

In April last year, Trump’s Liberation Day saw a range of tariffs (aka a tax on imports into the US) imposed on countries around the world. Specifically, he intro’d a 10% baseline tariff along with some higher rates for specific countries and industries. It’s usually Congress that has that power, but Trump used emergency powers (which are generally only used for national security measures…) to take a run at it, citing a public health crisis (specifically illegal drug trafficking) and whopping trade deficits. Since then, the 9-person Supreme Court (kinda like our High Court) has been considering whether what he did was legal via a case brought by a group of small businesses. And on Saturday, the Court ruled against him 6-3 - a decision the President says is “very unpatriotic and disloyal to our constitution”.

What does this mean for Oz?

We got the blanket 10% (aka 15% as of the weekend), as well as a 50% hit on steel and aluminium and 25% on computer chips we sell to the US. Note: the Supreme Court ruling only affects those blanket tariffs - the industry-specific ones stay put. And note: the 15% is only for 150 days under the law Trump has used this time around. In the meantime, a stack of US businesses that have been paying the extra for importing goods might try to get their money back - all $247 billion of it... All in all, the experts reckon it means Trump has lost one of his key negotiating tools on the world stage. And just on Trump, an armed man was shot and killed outside the President’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida overnight  - Trump wasn’t present and no-one else was hurt, but an investigation into the man’s motive is underway - you can follow along with the latest here.

A fix for an overstuffed suitcase

If you’re anything like us, packing for the holidays means a bulging suitcase... To help with that, Brisbane brand Simplify Living has created vacuum travel bags that compress with a small handheld pump - squeeze the air out and watch your stack halve in size. Genius... Find out more here.

Squiz the Rest

Back on campus - and back in the streets

Iranian students returned to their universities for the first time since last month's deadly crackdown, and they wasted little time making their feelings known... Protests broke out at multiple Tehran unis, with students clashing with pro-government militia members. The demonstrations coincided with 40-day mourning ceremonies for the civilians killed in the largest uprising since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Meanwhile, the pressure is building from outside too... President Trump has given Iran a 10-15 day deadline to reach a deal to curb their nuclear capabilities - or face military action. Iran’s leaders say they will respond “decisively” to any military aggression by the US, but the clock is ticking…

The ISIS brides issue rolls on…

…with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke once again confirming the federal government isn’t helping the Oz citizens return home. ICYMI, this is a group of 34 women and children with links to Islamic State fighters who tried to leave a Syrian detention camp last week, but were turned back. Burke says while the government isn’t actively helping the group, its options to stop them coming to Oz of their own accord are limited - despite Coalition calls to ban the whole group from returning/prevent anyone helping them return. Also yesterday, Burke said that the government has begun the process of banning the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir under our new hate laws. Once the group is added to a government list of hate groups, it’ll be a crime to associate with it.

An election campaign begins in South Oz

Spoiler alert: Labor and Premier Peter Malinauskas are the odds-on favourite for a dominant victory on 21 March... Despite a ramping crisis (which is about ambulances arriving at hospitals with nowhere to put patients), a horrid algal bloom, and controversy over Adelaide Writers’ Week, Team Malinauskas is polling at a 44% primary vote, with the Libs at 14% and One Nation on 24%. You can see why newish Liberal leader Ashton Hurn entered her campaign launch to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough… Political types nationwide are keen to see if One Nation’s polling boom will translate into votes, so expect this one to get a bit more attention than your regular state election.

The Winter Games winds down

The closing ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics is about to start as we hit send, with Italy handing over to the French Alps in 2030. Medallists Danielle Scott (silver, aerial skiing) and Cooper Woods (gold, moguls) will carry the flag for Oz in the final ceremony for what has been our most successful Winter Games ever. Attention now turns to the Paralympic Winter Games starting Friday, 6 March. Keep an eye on para-snowboarder Ben Tudhope, who won bronze back in 2022 and is considered a big medal chance this time around… And while we’re talking about incredible feats, Aussie sprinter Gout Gout set the athletics world on fire again by almost breaking 10 seconds over 100m in Brisbane on Saturday. Lots to be excited about…

A really, really long-distance call

If you’ve always wanted to deliver a message to the deepest reaches of the galaxy, the clock is ticking - you’ve got until Friday to add your voice note to nearly 2,000 that are set to be beamed into deep space before degrading. To give you an idea of the competition, one of the existing voice notes says “Humans are mostly harmless, however, people eat pineapple on pizza. Don’t judge.” So if you can match that, you might get lucky… It’s far from the first time something like this has happened - almost 50 years ago, Golden Records (with instructions for how to play them) were sent into the cosmos via NASA’s Voyager spacecraft - and they’re still travelling. Head here if you’ve got something to say - and if former President Barack Obama is right, you might even hear back… 

Apropos of Nothing - Viral animals edition

Hundreds of people have visited Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan to visit the 6-month-old baby macaque. Punch developed an attachment to an orangutan soft toy after being abandoned by his mother, which has made him a sensation… 

For the first time in over 180 years, giant tortoises are back on their native Galápagos island of Floreana. The slow-moving beasts have returned thanks to a nearly decade-long conservation effort - Galápagos Conservation Trust CEO Dr Jen Jones says it’s a “spine-tingling” moment.  

And check out Dobby, a 7-month old black cat up for adoption in Alabama - who is making headlines because he has 4 ears. Dobby has a rare genetic mutation that makes him literally one in a million - as you might imagine, the queue to adopt him is huge…

Squiz the Day

6.00am (AEDT) - BAFTA awards - Alan Cumming is hosting, major films include One Battle After Another with 14 nominations, and Sinners with 13 - London, watch on HBO max

6.30am (AEDT) - Closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics - Verona, watch on Channel 9, 9Now and Stan

9.00am (AEDT) - An inquest begins at the Lidcombe Coroners Court into the death of an infant who was found unconscious at a NSW childcare centre in 2018 - Sydney

9.00am (AEDT) - Public hearing in the federal parliamentary inquiry into the capital gains tax, including whether the CGT discount has a role in Australia’s future tax mix. Something the Albanese Government might be keeping an eye on…  

10.40am (AEDT) - Sentence for Sydney man Nathan Vikatos, who is charged with murdering his 3yo son, Supreme Court of New South Wales - Sydney

10.00am (AEST) - Public hearing in the federal parliamentary inquiry into the quality and safety of early childhood education and the childcare system - Brisbane

11.00am (AEDT) - The EU Ambassador and the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia will hold a joint press conference to mark the anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine four years ago - Canberra

11.10am (AEDT) - Captains’ Day for the Australian Football League, where captains of the 18 clubs gather for media interviews and give their thoughts on the season ahead - Melbourne

1.00pm (AEDT) - A protest is scheduled for the Philippine consulate in Sydney, calling for the release of political prisoners in the Philippines as part of a global day of action - Sydney

6.00pm (AEDT) - Rugby league: Star Penrith Panther halfback Nathan Cleary will appear at the NRL judiciary to contest a 2-game suspension for a careless high tackle. If he’s unsuccessful, he could miss the first 3 games of the NRL season - Sydney

7.30pm (AEDT) - Basketball - the NBL MVP Awards night begins, with Adelaide’s Bryce Cotton and Sydney’s Kendric Davis the contenders for the big award - Melbourne, watch on ESPN, Kayo or the NBL website

A federal court judge is set to publish reasons for dismissing a greenwashing case against oil and gas company Santos, one of the first cases of its kind in the world. 

Play Tennis Day

Banana Bread Day

National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day

Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the Armed Forces - Belarus

Birthdays for actors Emily Blunt (1983) and Dakota Fanning (1994)

Anniversary of:

  • Johannes Gutenberg printing the first-ever book using a printing press – the Bible (estimated date 1455)

  • the deaths of John Keats (1821) and Dame Nellie Melba (1931)

  • The Times of London publishing the world's first classified ad (1886)

  • the first mass inoculation against polio (1954)

  • rapper Eminem releasing his first major record album The Slim Shady LP (1999)