Wednesday, 14 August - It feels like home to me

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 14 August. In your Squiz Today…

• Trump and Musk hit a tech glitch

• NAPLAN results are in

• And why Italians are getting hot under the collar over air conditioners…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said ABC weatherman Nate Byrne as he had a panic attack live on air. He’s long been open about his struggle with anxiety - despite the challenge, he’s got a good outlook…

When the tech fails you…

The Squiz

Billionaire Elon Musk ran his much-anticipated interview with former/hopeful Republican President Donald Trump on the social media platform X yesterday. The former US leader hadn’t posted on X (which used to be one of his favourite things to do…) for about 12 months after being banned by the platform’s previous owners. The entrepreneur said the chat was to give “open-minded independent voters” a glimpse into Trump’s campaign, although some said it didn’t offer up much new info. But the lead story out of it is that it didn’t go off without a technical hitch… 

Oh… What happened? 

The interview’s live stream was delayed by 40 minutes after what Musk called “a massive DDOS attack” - that’s a ‘designated denial of service’ by hackers trying to block the public’s access. The hold music timed out, leaving some muffled background noise, but the tech troubles were eventually sorted and about 1 million users tuned in. As for the substance of the conversation… They talked about electric cars (something they’ve previously butted heads over), the assassination attempt against Trump, and Musk’s recent warning from the European Commission. Musk finished up with an endorsement - he says voting for Trump is "the right path" for the nation. Surprise, surprise - Democrats disagree… A Harris campaign spokesperson called the pair "self-obsessed rich guys who will sell-out the middle class and who cannot run a live stream in the year 2024".

Anything else?

Yep - it was a big day for Trump… Before the interview kicked off, the FBI confirmed it’s opened an investigation into claims from his campaign team that they were hacked by Iran and had documents stolen. It’s also looking into whether the former Biden-Harris campaign was also targeted. Iranian officials have denied having anything to do with it, and the Biden administration hasn’t accused their long-time adversary of anything yet. That might be because Team Biden has been busy trying to thwart an anticipated attack from Iran on Israel in retaliation for Hamas political chief Ismail Hanieyh’s death, which it says “could happen as soon as this week”. 

Go for gold at work

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Squiz the Rest

Not going to NA-PLAN

The NAPLAN results are in for this year and the report card is less than glowing, with a third of Aussie school kids who sat the test failing to meet basic maths and English standards - and almost 400,000 children needing extra support. Around 1.3 million students sat the exams across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in March, returning scores on par with those from 2022/23. The results show a trend in migrant students overtaking the results of Aussie-born children, while 4 times as many Indigenous kids are falling behind than non-Indigenous. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said our education system could be "a lot better and a lot fairer". He's pushing for state governments to commit to classroom "reforms" like phonics/numeracy tests and catch-up tutoring in return for $16 billion in funding. “Your chances in life shouldn't depend on your parents' pay ­packet or the colour of your skin, but these results again show that's still the case”, he said.

Cairns chopper pilot named

The pilot killed when a helicopter hit a luxury hotel in Cairns has been identified as Blake Wilson, a New Zealander who’d relocated to Australia 4 months ago. The 23yo was working as ground crew with Nautilus Aviation, the company who owned the R44 Robinson chopper, and CEO Aaron Finn said he’d been out celebrating a promotion the night before. Finn said police had confirmed Wilson’s identity and that he’d gained “unauthorised access” to the company’s hangar at Cairns Airport before he “misappropriated” the aircraft. The airport has since launched a security review. Wilson died when the chopper crashed into the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel around 2am on Monday morning after entering a no-fly zone in the CBD. Finn said while Wilson held a New Zealand pilot’s licence, he’d never flown in Australia. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to [his] family,” he said.

A very public performance review

Another day another defamation case - this time it’s Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds against her former staffer Brittany Higgins and partner David Sharaz that has been making headlines since it kicked off in the Western Australian Supreme Court last week. And yesterday, it was former PM Scott Morrison’s turn in the video-linked hot seat as he defended Reynolds' handling of the situation. He also outlined the support given to Higgins after her alleged rape, but he did say that the federal parliament’s workplace processes had let her down. Morrison didn’t offer only praise for his former Defence Minister… He said he wasn't too pleased with Reynolds over a couple of things: 1) for not telling him about Higgins’ claims sooner; and, 2) he stuck by his statement at the time that Reynolds calling Higgins a "lying cow" was unacceptable. The trial continues with Higgins set to testify later this month. 

Not just any old mush

Boiling, mashing, blending - preparing your own baby/toddler food is time consuming, but new research warns we need to be careful before grabbing an on-the-go option from the supermarket. None of the 300+ products tested met the World Health Organisation’s standards - with over 75% failing the overall nutritional requirements. A “staggering number of unregulated claims” also misleads parents into thinking the “sugar-loaded products are healthy”, which researchers say “should serve as an alarm bell for policymakers in Australia.” They’ve also warned that relying on convenience foods for 6-36 month-olds can set kids up for obesity in later life, as manufacturers often sneak in sugar through fruit pastes while claiming ‘no added sugar’ on the pack. The findings come as the federal government is currently seeking public consultation on the issue to improve regulations in future.

Things turn chilly in Portofino

If you’ve been stuck at home this winter while all your mates have been posting about their Euro summer, you might be struggling for sympathy at the latest snafu on the Italian Riviera… Neighbours in the ultra-flash/pastel-coloured village of Portofino have been turning on each other as temperatures soar and authorities try to hunt out illegally-installed air conditioners. The picturesque town has banned AC with outside units to try to preserve its natural beauty. Portofino’s mayor Matteo Viacava says “it’s not that we want people to suffer… but there are rules that need to be respected”. As heatwaves have swept across the continent this summer there were reports of 37 illegally installed units, even though owners risk a fine of more than $60,000. We reckon the town’s most famous current guest - none other than Madonna - will be finding a way to stay cool…

Apropos of Nothing - Done good edition

Alexei Popyrin has become the first Aussie since Llleyton Hewitt way back in 2003 to win one of the tennis tour’s top events. He slayed world No #6 Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Canadian Open meaning his ranking now rises to #23… 

Secretive street artist Banksy just can’t stop himself, as he’s revealed yet another animal artwork… The 8th piece in just over a week depicts a Rhino climbing onto a car in the London suburb of Charlton. No doubt there’ll be a crush of aficionados charging to see it…

After an epic road trip in his tractor lasting 3 years over 26,000km, the ‘Travelling Jackaroo’ - aka 21yo Sam Hughes - has finally returned home. His journey around Australia raised $260,000 for rural charities. Good on ya!

Squiz the Day

Brisbane has a public holiday today for the Ekka (The Royal Queensland Show) - and for anyone wondering, ‘Ekka’ is a shortened version of exhibition in Queensland-speak 

7.00am (AEST) - The east-coast based Aussie Olympic team members are due to arrive home on a Qantas chartered flight after stopping off in Perth last night - Sydney

8.00am (AEST) - Regional Australia Institute National Summit - Canberra

10.30am (AEST) - White Paper launch on reframing the approach to weight management in Australia - Canberra

12.30pm (AEST) - Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia Professor Barney Glover will address the National Press Club on "Skills success in Australia: Aligning need with know-how" - Canberra

5.45am (AEST) - Art Music Awards 2024 - Melbourne

Company results - CBA, AGL, Seven West Media, Dexus, Evolution Mining

Independence Day in Pakistan

World Lizard Day

Birthdays for David Crosby (1941), Steve Martin (1945), Danielle Steel (1947), Gary Larson (1950), Magic Johnson (1959), Kieren Perkins (1973), Kate Richie (1978) and Mila Kunis (1983)

Anniversary of: 

• Pakistan becoming gaining independence from British rule (1947)

• Australian driver Jack Brabham winning his second consecutive F1 Championship with the Portuguese Grand Prix at Boavista (1960)

• Michael Jackson buying ATV Music which included the rights to most of The Beatles song catalogue for US$47.5 million (10 years later he sold half of his interest to Sony for US$150 million) (1985)

• Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt winning the 100m sprint at the Rio Olympics, becoming the first person to win the event in three consecutive Games (2016)