Tuesday, 19 May - Welcome to the rock

May 19, 2026

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 19 May. In your Squiz Today…

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin is making his way to China

  • Elon Musk loses a high-profile legal battle with OpenAI

  • And a special event for stargazers…

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

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

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“I just thought three was a nice number.”

Said Aussie comedian Sam Pang, confirming he’s not coming back to host the Logies this year after 3 well-received stints. Reports say producers are now looking for someone younger to host - we can hear Robert Irwin’s phone ringing already…

A big double in China

The Squiz

There’s been barely enough time to vacuum the red carpet after US President Donald Trump’s visit last week, but Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing to do it all again today - this time for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The back-to-back visits by 2 of the world’s most powerful leaders have caught plenty of attention around the world - the optics being that China’s taking a leading role in global trade and diplomacy. But Putin’s not just there for a catch-up - some reports say the visit could be crucial for Russia’s economy, and by extension, its military… 

Just explain that a bit more…

Officially, the trip’s to mark the 25th anniversary of the friendship treaty Russia and China signed in 2001 - but it’s also to firm up their trade relationship, which has grown to a record level since 2022. That was after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw a bunch of countries slap it with sanctions. But not China, which has since become a major customer, buying $367 billion worth of Russian crude oil, gas and coal to support its energy needs. By the same token, Russia has become an increasingly important source of fuel for China while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked due to the US and Israel’s war with Iran. And it has another reason to keep China sweet - so it can continue to fund its war with Ukraine, which is into its fifth year and is costing Russia hundreds of billions of dollars…

What’s the latest there?

Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s oil refineries to hurt its oil exports - which it uses to fund its military operations. That ticked up a notch on Sunday, when Ukraine carried out its biggest drone strike in a year on Russia’s capital of Moscow, killing at least 4 people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the strike was “entirely justified” after a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv last week killed 25 people and injured dozens more. Some experts have noted that the recent Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory - along with internet restrictions and the deteriorating economic situation - are adding to a “darkening cloud of anxiety” among Russians about how the war is going. So all up, Putin’s 2-day visit to China will have plenty of eyes on it…

Rethinking bank guarantees

Here’s a number for you: there’s about $10 billion tied up in guarantees for commercial leases across Australia. That's money that can’t easily be used by the businesses that need it, and although it's a system that’s been around for years, modern options are starting to emerge… eGuarantee’s digital lease bonds let business owners meet the same lease security requirements, without locking away thousands in cash for years - helping keep their funds available for other business costs.

Squiz the Rest

Elon Musk’s lawsuit is a bust

The world’s richest person has lost his legal battle against tech company OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman this morning - because he waited too long to file it. Back in 2015, Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) before leaving in 2018. In 2024, he sued the company for going back on a promise to remain a non-profit with the goal of using artificial intelligence to benefit humanity. That stoush has been playing out in a California court for the past 3 weeks - and it took the jury 2 hours to decide against Musk, because the statute of limitations on his claim had expired. Musk’s team said they might appeal, so this may not be the end of it…

Death and taxes

The 2 certainties in life are combined in the latest big debate in Canberra - and it’s all about something called a “discretionary testamentary trust”. That’s a trust that’s usually set up in someone’s will to manage an inheritance after they die. A new rule in last Tuesday’s Budget says that a 30% minimum tax will now apply to income from those trusts that are set up from then onwards, and the Coalition has called that a “death tax”, arguing that it costs families when they’re grieving a loved one. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has argued that the money isn’t taxed when the person dies and their assets go into the trust - just when money is paid out. And while it doesn’t apply to any existing discretionary testamentary trust, the process of settling a will (known as probate) can take years, so some families are unsure if their inheritances qualify or not…

Playing out in court

A trial kicked off in the Federal Court yesterday for classical pianist Jayson Gillham, who’s suing the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for discrimination over his political views. It stems from the orchestra cancelling a concert in August 2024 following comments Gillham made in a previous performance about Israeli forces killing Palestinian journalists, and reports say it’s set to be a test case for free speech at work. Gillham agreed he hadn’t told the orchestra what he was planning, but he denied deliberately misleading them. The orchestra argued it’s “entitled to have control” over the stage but Gillham’s barrister said “there is no right not to hear things that make us uncomfortable”. The case is set to run for 15 days and hear from more than 20 witnesses before we’ll know the score…

Eddie’s ready

We’ve got another name to add to your roster of exciting Aussie athletes - Eddie Nketia. He’s a 25yo from Auckland who just ran the 100m in a blistering 9.74 seconds at a college meet in the US. Now, if you’re looking at that birthplace and thinking - hang on a second… Nketia moved to Canberra as a 9yo and originally ran for Oz, switched to New Zealand in 2019 and then switched back in December last year. While his 9.74 seconds was very zippy, it won’t count as the all-time Oz record because a strong tailwind helped him out. That means Patrick Johnson’s 2003 mark of 9.93 seconds is still intact - but not for long, if Nketia has his way. He says “the future is bright” - and quick… 

And speaking of quick… 

Earthlings haven’t seen a rock this big since Taylor and Travis got engaged, but an asteroid the size of a blue whale is set to barrel past us this morning at 32,000 km/hour. The recently discovered asteroid is called 2026 JH2, and it’ll fly past at around a quarter of the distance between the earth and moon. In space terms, it’s kinda close, but don’t panic -  scientists are confident there’s no chance of it hitting us, the moon or any satellites… It’s a rare event - the next noticeably large asteroid to fly by won’t be until 2029. And while it’s not visible with the naked eye, you can see it with a telescope or online via this livestream. Happy asteroid-gazing…

Apropos of Nothing

Author Clare Wright has won the NSW Literary Prize for her non-fiction book Näku Dhäruk: The Bark Petitions, which covers a major moment in Oz’s land rights history. Judges called it “a book that should be read by all Australians” - that’s high praise… 

A replica of KITT, the car from TV series Knight Rider, has received a speeding ticket in New York, despite not having left a museum in Chicago for many years. The museum curators say they just want to meet whoever has the same replica vehicle because, well, why wouldn’t you… 

And Australia’s best blind bowlers have competed at the Australian Blind Bowlers Association’s national championships throughout last week. Here’s a gallery of some of the competitors - and as a bonus, their lovely guide dogs…

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEST) - Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Reserve Bank Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter to speak at the Bloomberg Forum for Investment Managers - Sydney 

9.30am (AEST) - Return of subpoena for Alan Jones over historical sexual offences, Downing Centre Local Court - Sydney 

10.00am (AEST) - Tasmanian Parliament apologises over human remains being kept and exhibited at Rodda Museum - Hobart 

11.00am (AEST) - State funeral for former Victorian minister Norman Henry Lacy - Melbourne, the event will be livestreamed here 

12.30pm (AEST) - In Conversation with Michelle Obama event - Melbourne 

3.00pm (AEST) - Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles to address the Lowy Institute on AUKUS - Melbourne 

Minutes of the May 2026 monetary policy board meeting released 

79th World Health Assembly (WHO) (until 27 May) - Geneva, Switzerland 

NATO Military Committee Session - Chiefs of Defence from all 32 Allied nations will meet  - Brussels

ABS data release: Livestock products, March 2026

2026 International Booker Prize Award winner announced at the Tate Modern - London 

🌹 Chelsea Flower Show begins (until 23 May) - London

Birthdays for country singer Lainey Wilson (1992), singer Sam Smith (1992) and singer and dancer JoJo Siwa (2003)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthdays of Dame Nellie Melba (1861), Ho Chi Minh (1890), Malcolm X (1925), and Nora Ephron (1941)

  • the deaths of Anne Boleyn (1536) and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1994)

  • the founding of Save the Children, the first global movement for children (1919)

  • Sri Lanka announcing victory in its 25-year war against the terrorist organisation, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (2009)

  • the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (2018)