News update for Mon 16 June 2025

Your trusted guide to the top independent news and views of the day...

Jun 16, 2025

Welcome to your TrueNorth news update where every weekday afternoon we share curated articles from Australia’s independent news media sector.

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Scroll down for the news and views you need to know today…

TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here

Amy Remeikis: Where does ‘America first’ leave Australia? - The New Daily

Trump’s America does not care about Australia. The review into AUKUS that has sent the national security apparatus into meltdown is nothing but a shakedown from a bully intent on shaking down the world for his own mercurial interests.

A smart government would take the opportunity to get out. To actually put Australia first. But history tells us that is not the Australian way.

But amid all the breathless “give America what it wants” media coverage ahead of Anthony Albanese’s attendance at the G7, there are a few elements on his side that perhaps could give the Australian government the courage to do what is right.

Also read >

Aukus will cost Australia $368bn. What if there was a better, cheaper defence strategy? - The Guardian
Hugh White: why the AUKUS ‘dream’ was never realistic and is likely to die - The Conversation
AUKUS faces bigger tests than Trump's 'America first' review, US and UK experts warn - The ABC
Is Marles the right fit for defence? - Pearls and Irritations
Why Australia needs a defence minister - Pearls and Irritations
US's great awakening to a QAnon president - THE POLITICS

It's a Miserable World - Marie Coleman, Royce Kurmelovs and Kevin Bonham - The Sunday Shot Podcast

Assassinations in the US, war in the Middle East, ongoing carnage in Gaza, Marines on the ground in LA.... and an election looming in Tasmania!

Listen to The Sunday Shot Podcast

Netanyahu has two war aims: destroying Iran’s nuclear program and regime change. Are either achievable? - The Conversation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could last for at least two weeks.

His timing seems precise for a reason. The Israel Defence Forces and the country’s intelligence agencies have clearly devised a methodical, step-by-step campaign.

In public statements since the start of the campaign, Netanyahu has highlighted two key aims: to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, and to encourage the Iranian people to overthrow the clerical regime.

With those two objectives in mind, how might the conflict end? Several broad scenarios are possible.

Would you like ICE with your fascism? - The Shot

As America teeters on the brink, the rest of the world prepares itself for a post-America world. After hearing Russia’s propaganda mouthed by Trump and Vance, Europe looked inward and drew closer, negotiating together how they’ll manage new responsibilities and burdens – even Britain appears to be leaving some of its Brexit psychosis behind. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave a masterclass in navigating the erratic indignities of Trump in his Oval Office meeting, refusing to be cast as a servile extra in Trump’s reality shitshow. A reeling Canada called in our ailing King to name check their sovereign status.

Back in Australia, our leaders pretend nothing has changed.

The 3.5% Protest Rule That Could Bring Down Trump - Pod Save America Podcast

How much of America would we need to mobilize to stop Trump's power grab? According to political scientist Erica Chenoweth, it takes 3.5 percent—the threshold after which every protest movement, across the world, has been successful. Against the backdrop of the anti-ICE and No Kings protests, the national guard deployment, and Donald Trump's birthday pageant, Chenoweth joins the show to break down the math of the 3.5 percent rule, explain why nonviolence is the key to meeting it, and to share the lessons the civil rights movement can teach us about staying unified, organized, and disciplined in the fight against authoritarianism.

Listen to the Pod Save America Podcast

Also read > American Fascisti: When will we recognise the end of empire? - New Politics

Today’s cartoon by David Pope

TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here

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Greg Barnes: Tasmania in the news for all the wrong reasons - Pearls and Irritations

It’s rare that the biggest news in Australian politics emanates from Tasmania.

But mixture of minority government, a no-confidence motion and an AFL stadium imposed on the Liberal Government led by Premier Jeremy Rockliff did the trick.

The state now faces an election – only 14 months after the last one which saw the Liberals, in office for 11 years now, having to cut deals with independents in order to continue in office.

The election has been precipitated by the surprise move last week of the Labor Party to move a no-confidence motion in Rockliff.

Also read >

There's something about Jacqui Lambie - Pearls and Irritations
The ghost of Morrison, Fascism USA, and political football in Tasmania -
New Politics Podcast
Tasmania goes back to the polls - The Tally Room Podcast

Tabcorp ‘clearly emboldened’ by government inaction on gambling ads, David Pocock says - The Guardian

Tabcorp’s plan to lure more gamblers into pubs and hotels through inducements shows the wagering industry has been emboldened by government inaction on gambling ads, according to a crossbench senator, a public health expert and campaigners.

Tabcorp’s increased use of promotions and special offers is just one part of its broader plan to reinvigorate its betting presence in pubs and hotels, which became dated as the company overwhelmingly focused on the booming online industry.

The hidden climate and energy costs of Woodside’s LNG gas extension - Renew Economy

Australia’s decision to approve the extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf LNG facility through to 2070 is a defining moment in the nation’s industrial and climate legacy, and not in a good way.

This new infrastructure has implications far beyond just the shoreline of the Burrup Peninsula. The scale of energy loss and emissions associated with today’s LNG supply chain makes it clear that continuing to invest in long-lived fossil fuel projects is fundamentally at odds with Australia’s climate and industrial aspirations.

‘Someone will get hurt’: Zoe Daniel feared for her safety in toxic election campaign - The SMH/Age

Zoe Daniel says the harder the struggle gets, the stronger she becomes. That’s just her personality.

But it doesn’t mean she wasn’t shocked, saddened and disappointed that the battle for the seat of Goldstein became so toxic that the former MP feared for her safety and was worried someone was going to attack her home.

She was also subject to attack ads run by third party proxy groups, including Australians for Prosperity and Repeal the Teal.

During the campaign she says people screamed at her on the street calling her a “c---” and a “bitch”, she reported harassment and stalking to police after a Facebook post identified her car in a private car park behind her electoral office, and she believes she was followed home in one instance.

TDA interviews the leader of the Liberal Party - The Daily Aus Podcast

If you’ve been listening to The Daily Aus for a while, you’ll know we’ve been waiting quite some time to get the leader of the Liberal Party to do an interview with us. We didn’t have any luck with Peter Dutton. But his replacement, Sussan Ley, immediately agreed to talk with us upon becoming leader. In today’s episode, TDA's Editor-in-Chief Billi FitzSimons interviews the new Opposition Leader about her assessment of why the Coalition lost, the Coalition’s subsequent breakup, their stance on nuclear, and this idea that the Liberal Party has a ‘women’s problem’

Listen to The Daily Aus Podcast

Also > Tim Wilson’s LinkedIn reveals him as the Liberals’ spiritual leader in waiting - Crikey

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