Thursday, 25 June - Who run the world

June 25, 2026

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 25 June. In your Squiz Today…

  • Today host Karl Stefanovic might be leaving Channel Nine

  • An update on the Oz terror threat

  • And our Aussie Supergirl flies into cinemas… 🦸🏼‍♀️

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🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Anna Pykett, Larissa Huntington, Alice Dempster and Sophie Felice

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“It took me seven attempts just for one word, and my voice was shot for the next couple of days as well. It was husky. It was terrible. So no, you can’t really practice for it. But it’s a lot of fun when you’re doing it”.

Said Canberran Joseph McGrail-Bateup after being crowned the loudest man in the world. The honorary town crier yelled “now” at 122.4 decibels - which is apparently like standing close to an active chainsaw. If you’re in the ACT, you might hear him before you see him…

Goodbye, Today…

The Squiz

There are reports this morning that Karl Stefanovic, one of our most high-profile media personalities, is set to part ways with Channel 9, after interviewing far-right British extremist Tommy Robinson on his podcast. Robinson’s one of the most divisive anti-immigration voices in the UK, and 12 hours after the latest episode of The Karl Stefanovic Show was uploaded, it got deleted. But it’s caused quite the stir… Nine says the pod is an independent production and it has no say in its editorial processes - but it’s led to crisis meetings about Karl’s future.

Wind it back a bit…

The interview covered topics like migration, mainstream media, and free speech, and it was pretty friendly. Stefanovic told Robinson he admired his “tenacity” and “courage” in “trying to stand up for what you believe is right,” and didn’t challenge him on his views. If you’re not familiar with Robinson, his real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. He’s mates with Elon Musk and is known in Blighty for co-founding the nationalist English Defence League movement, which rejects the idea that Muslims can truly be English, and believes Islam is a threat to European values. He’s spent time in prison - and has been convicted of assault, with former UK PM Boris Johnson once describing Robinson as a “far-right thug.” He was in the news recently for addressing crowds at anti-immigration protests in the UK.

So, what now? 

Since the episode got taken down, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (who was the first guest on Karl’s pod when it launched in January) has posted it in full online, with the caption “CANCELLED,” saying “it looks like they’re trying to sack my good friend”. For Nine’s part, it’s stressed the pod is nothing to do with the network, but is taking it “seriously”. Reports suggest it had been causing Nine executives headaches for months, with some unhappy at how Stefanovic was trying to build a loyal right-wing audience - he once called himself "Joe Bogan" when asked whether he was the Oz version of American podcaster, Joe Rogan. The 51yo has been with the network for more than 20 years, and still has 6 months left on his current contract, so it’s one to watch Today…

Worksite safety, redefined by Claude

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Squiz the Rest

An unprecedented level of threats

ASIO director general Mike Burgess gave a speech last night that revealed his team had foiled 31 major terrorism plots since 2014. The spy chief defended the agency's resourcing decisions in the years before the Bondi terror attack, which has become a point of focus at the Royal commission into antisemitism. The nation’s terror threat is currently at “probable”, but Burgess says this label doesn't accurately reflect the threats facing Oz, and talks were underway to overhaul the current system. He says the world’s security environment has weakened, and he talked about how social media was “amplifying and accelerating” an erosion of trust in institutions, promoting discord and heightening polarisation.

Rescue me

Thousands of sailors on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have been caught up in the fighting between the US, Israel and Iran - which effectively blocked the critical waterway - meaning a heap of seafarers have been stranded. Now, the UN's maritime agency has started an operation to rescue them - but it hinges on the Strait staying open. An interim deal was signed by the US and Iran last week, but it’s not been plain sailing (forgive me) since then, with both sides still clashing on the details. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting the Middle East - he’s criticised Iran for saying it wants to charge ships to pass through. The ongoing negotiations come as a growing number of Americans - including some Republicans - believe the US is in a weaker position with Iran than before the war started.

Inflation frustration

The Bureau of Stats delivered another inflation update yesterday, and like a pack of Allen’s, it was a mixed bag - and sticky… The sweet bits: headline inflation eased more than expected, dropping from 4.2% to 4% in May after falls in petrol and diesel prices. There was some speculation that the government’s fuel excise cut helped bring it down, but Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was “part of the story but not the whole story”. Now to the sour jubes: the figure that the Reserve Bank has its eye on is underlying inflation, or the trimmed mean. It rose from 3.4% to 3.6% - the highest it’s been since September 2024. And as price rises caused by the war in Iran work their way through the supply chain, economists say inflation could stick around for a while…

*If you want to know more about how the trimmed mean works, we’ve got a Squiz Shortcut for you…

No winging it

A Qantas A380 superjumbo will be checked by Airbus safety inspectors after cracks were found inside the wing of a similar plane. If you’re not familiar with the model, they’re the world’s biggest passenger planes and carry around 500 passengers per flight. The Qantas jet is one of 16 Airbus A380s to be inspected - the others are operated by Emirates. The cracks were found in a metal bar inside the wing which Europe’s air safety agency said “could reduce the structural integrity of the wing”. At least 5 of the planes are grounded until cleared, but Airbus has to carry out the check on the Qantas plane within 25 flights. It last flew from London to Dresden on 8 March, where it’s undergoing maintenance. In addition to that one, the national carrier has another 9 A380s in service, but there’ve been other issues with them and reports say it’s looking to replace them.

Supergirl is up, up and away

The new movie starring our very own Aussie up-and-comer Milly Alcock in the lead is out today. Alcock’s character is the cool party-girl cousin of Superman (AKA Clark Kent), and we first met her in the DC universe at the end of last year’s Superman film (but don’t worry, it’s not required watching for this one…). You might recognise Alcock from HBO’s The House of the Dragon, or more recently Sirens on Netflix, but many Aussies were introduced to her in the homegrown comedy-drama series Upright with Tim Minchin. She’s a Sydney girl who grew up in Petersham, where she recently donated $10,000 to the local bowls club for an accessibility ramp - talk about a real-life Supergirl. Speaking of, you can check out the trailer here…

Apropos of Nothing

Shocking no one, a new species of spider has been discovered here in Oz that traps green ants through a high-powered catapult that launches it into its web. The ant is flung at 15 times the highest G-forces experienced by jet pilots. What a way to go…

Keeping the Spidey theme, the Spider-Man: Brand New Day press tour is underway, and private newlyweds Tom Holland and Zendaya have been coordinating outfits. Holland looks happy enough to be near his wifey’s dress - no trapping needed…

And speaking of celebrity couples in complimentary outfits, Jacob Elordi and Kendall Jenner have been spotted (paywall) in Byron Bay. After being snapped in Hawaii and Japan, this is believed to be their first trip together to Oz. Locals said they were super chill and even brought his dog with them to brekkie…

Squiz the Day

7.00am (AEST) - ASPI Defence Conference 2026 - Canberra

7.30am (AEST) - PM Anthony Albanese will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 CEDA State of the Nation conference (until 26 June) - Canberra 

ABS data release: Monthly household spending indicator, May 2026; Labour force, May 2026; Australian national accounts: finance and wealth, March 2026; Characteristics of Australian business, 2024-2025 financial year; Job vacancies, May 2026

Supergirl is released in Australian cinemas 

Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 drops on Netflix 

Presale begins for the Grand Theft Auto 6 video game 

Slovenia’s National Day 

Independence Day in Croatia

⚓ Day of the Seafarer 

Birthdays for comedian Ricky Gervais (1961) and actor Busy Philipps (1979) 

Anniversary of:

  • Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia becoming the first woman to receive a university doctoral degree or PhD (1678)

  • Anne Frank's diary published for the first time (1947)

  • the start of the Korean War (1950)

  • the divorces of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (1974), and Cher and Sonny Bono (1975)

  • the first use of the rainbow flag as a symbol of gay pride at a march in San Francisco (1978)

  • the release of Blade Runner (1982) and Prince's Purple Rain (1984)

  • the marriage of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (2006)