Wednesday, 26 November - Got that good soul in my feet

November 26, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 26 November. In your Squiz Today…

  • Trump treads lightly in his latest call with Chinese President Xi Jinping

  • The inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbing attack resumes

  • And Robert Irwin’s ready to rumba…🕺

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled.”

Said Thai temple manager Pairat Soodthoop, after his staff heard a knocking sound from the coffin of a supposedly deceased woman who had been brought in by her brother to be cremated. The woman is now in hospital, which sure beats the alternative…

Ring, ring…

The Squiz

Less than a month after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping for a high-stakes meeting in South Korea, the 2 leaders have had another chat over the phone… There’s still no news on the proposed trade deal they discussed in October getting sign-off, but Trump says the relationship between the 2 is “extremely strong”, and they’re not going to be strangers - Trump is planning to visit China in April next year, and he’s invited Xi to Washington. But there’s one thorny issue Xi raised on the call which Trump didn’t mention in his recap on Truth Social - Taiwan… 

What’s going on there?

China has long considered Taiwan - which is recognised internationally as a self-governed democracy - as part of Chinese territory. Taiwan doesn’t agree, but reports say Xi pushed the idea during the call with Trump. It’s a tricky area for Trump, because Taiwan is currently at the centre of a major dispute between China and Japan (an ally of the US). That kicked off when new Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi - who also called Trump yesterday - said her country would respond with military action in the event China ever attacked Taiwan. Those comments upset China, and things are still very tense… Analysts have pointed out that Oz could be drawn into the dispute  - we’re chairing talks on a trade agreement that China wants to be part of, but that would need sign-off from Japan, so it’s awkward timing…  

And speaking of disputes… 

…you might have seen in Squiz the Day yesterday that charges against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney-General Letitia James - 2 prominent critics of the President - have been thrown out by a federal judge. The reason: because the lawyer Trump appointed to an interim US attorney role in Virginia wasn’t allowed to be in the role. US law says the US Attorney-General can only appoint an interim attorney once in a 120-day period - Halligan was the second appointee, so she didn’t have the authority to bring the charges in the first place. The Trump administration called that reasoning a technicality and said they’ll be appealing the decision, while Comey said “I know that Donald Trump will probably come after me again”. So it’s far from over…

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Squiz the Rest

A focus on prevention

A 5-week inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbing attack has nearly wrapped up, and it’s left questions about the management of Joel Cauchi’s mental health in the lead-up to him killing 6 people on 13 April 2024… It later came to light that Cauchi had chronic schizophrenia, but was taken off his anti-psychotic medication 5 years earlier, in 2019, by psychiatrist Andrea Boros-Lavack. Counsel Assisting the Coroner Peggy Dwyer questioned why Boros-Lavack didn’t better investigate the “obvious signs” he’d relapsed… and for her part, Boros-Lavack says there was a “missed opportunity” in not giving a more detailed handover to Cauchi’s GP. The inquest is due to finish on Friday, with the coroner’s recommendations expected to be handed down before Christmas.

All eyes on Barnaby

As we mentioned yesterday, One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has landed herself in hot water after pulling another burqa stunt in the Senate chamber on Monday, resulting in her being censured and banned for 7 sitting days. But attention has since turned to former Nationals leader/deputy PM Barnaby Joyce’s reaction… That’s because of speculation that he’s preparing to jump ship and join One Nation - plans that could be firming up. Despite Joyce’s Nats colleagues among the many politicians to condemn Hanson’s actions, he’s defended her, saying he finds it “annoying when everyone makes a mad dash for the offence microphone”. He reckons he’ll announce his future plans by the end of the week…

Speaking of hot water…

Australian Radio Network (ARN) is employing a team of censors “dedicated to ensuring broadcast compliance” for breakfast duo Kyle and Jackie O’s often-controversial program. It comes after their 12th breach of the code of practice this year, leading our broadcast regulator, ACMA - the Australian Communications and Media Authority - to impose extra content rules on the show, banning references to sexual activity/descriptions. If those rules are broken, the Kyle and Jackie O Show could be taken off the air and face other penalties… Given the show’s popularity (despite its recent ratings slump and less-than-stellar entrance to the Melbourne market this year…) and the criticism from the regulator, ARN is cracking down and starting to recruit for the new content team…

Cbus is handed a hefty fine

The superannuation giant’s been ordered to pay $23.5 million after copping to long delays in its handling of death and disability insurance claims. It doesn’t stop there - Cbus will also pay more than $30 million in compensation to 7,402 people impacted… You might remember this came up last November, when our corporate regulator ASIC sued the company for dragging its feet on processing more than 10,000 insurance claims between September 2022 and November 2024. United Super, Cbus’s trustee, admitted to the delays, saying they’d “caused financial and other harm to claimants and beneficiaries". It apologised to its members and last month, agreed to the penalty and compensation amounts with ASIC - which the Federal Court signed off on yesterday.

Robert’s rumba reckoning

Today’s the big day for home-grown superstar Robert Irwin, who’ll be competing in the Dancing with the Stars US final beginning at midday AEDT. Irwin has been a sensation on the show, picking up perfect scores, a legion of new fans and a feature in the New York Times (paywall) along the way. He’s following in the footsteps of his sister Bindi, who won the show’s Mirrorball Trophy a decade ago, and the series has been a family affair - he’s danced with both Bindi and Mum Terri, and paid tribute on multiple occasions to his late Dad Steve. He’ll be doing 3 routines today - a Quickstep, an Instant Dance and a Freestyle routine - but unfortunately, you can’t watch the show live in Australia as it stands. Like a lot of Aussies, you’ll just have to keep refreshing those socials to find out if he’s another Ir-winner… 

Apropos of Nothing - Going, going, gone edition

A year out from the 40th anniversary of Paul Hogan’s Crocodile Dundee, the pub that played a major role in the movie has been sold for an undisclosed amount. The Walkabout Creek Hotel’s new owners say they’ll plan something special for next year’s big anniversary… 

We might not know what the Walkabout went for, but we know how much a copy of the very first issue of the comic book Superman fetched at auction this month - a tidy $14.11 million. That’s Lex Luthor levels of cash… 

Gather round, photography/real estate lovers… An iconic mid-century Hollywood Hills home has hit the market for the first time since it was built. The Stahl house was made famous by a series of photos for Time magazine - and if you have a spare $38 million, it could now be yours…

Squiz the Day

Peace talks over the war in Ukraine will continue between US and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi later today. A meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump is expected at the White House within days to finalise a deal.

9.00am (AEDT) - Agri-tech company Sea Forest will be listed on the ASX - Sydney

10.00am (AEDT) - NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister is set to introduce new laws into parliament to crack down on NDIS providers, with steep fines and possibly jail time for those found to be fraudulent or whose negligence causes death or injury - Canberra

10.00am (AEDT) - Lynas Rare Earths’ AGM will be held at the NSW Mint - Sydney

10.15am (AEDT) - Former NSW One Nation Leader Mark Latham will be at the Federal Court to appeal a judge’s decision demanding he pay $140,000 in damages over a defamatory tweet targeted at Independent MP Alex Greenwich - Sydney 

11.00am (AEDT) - Harvey Norman will hold its AGM at the Novotel at Sydney Olympic Park - Sydney 

10.30am (AEST) - QLD Premier David Crisafulli will deliver the keynote address at the State of the Sector Forum, hosted by the Queensland Resource Council - Brisbane

11.30am (AEDT) - The Reserve Bank will hold a payments system board meeting - Sydney

11.30am (AEDT) - Deputy Liberal leader Ted O'Brien will address the National Press Club - Canberra

12.00pm (AEDT) - The finale for the US version of Dancing with the Stars will take place, featuring Aussie conservationist Robert Irwin - Los Angeles, US. Keep tabs on the results here…

2.30pm (AEDT) - Experts who attended the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil will share their first-hand reflections, analysis and lessons in the webinar Bélem and beyond: Reflections on COP30 - Canberra and online

5.00pm (AEDT) - Reality TV personality Sophie Monk will host the 5th annual TikTok Awards at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre - Sydney 

6.00pm (AEDT) - Foreign correspondents Agnes Teek, Mike Amor, and Cameron Stewart will speak at an event hosted by the Melbourne Press Club about reporting on the new world order - Melbourne

ABS data release: Consumer Price Index, October 2025

Anniversary of:

  • the marriage of Russia’s last Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra, granddaughter of Queen Victoria (1894)

  • English archaeologist Howard Carter opening Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt (1922)

  • the proclamation of the Mongolian People's Republic (1924)

  • the birthday of Tina Turner (1939)

  • the premiere of Casablanca (1942)