ABC News Daily

It was a decision driven by spite for Sydney man Peter Anderson. 

He was determined to buy a solar battery for his home so he could take money away from the big power companies, while never receiving a hefty power bill again. 

But his plan came unstuck after agreeing to participate in a so-called virtual power plant. 

Today, energy reporter David Mercer on Peter’s dilemma, how giving back to the grid really works and whether it’s worth it. 

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Dan Mercer, ABC energy reporter

Elon Musk’s once firm grasp on the EV market seems to be crumbling as Tesla sales slump, so bring in Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. 

He’s investing in Slate, an auto start-up building a cheap bare-bones electric pick-up truck in the USA, called a ute in Australia.  

It’ll be much cheaper than Musk’s controversial Tesla Cybertruck.

Today, Giles Parkinson, founder and editor of websites Renew Economy and The Driven gives us an update on the EV market in Australia and how Slate could be a game changer if it ever came here.

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Giles Parkinson, founder and editor of Renew Economy and EV website The Driven

Interest rates are falling, inflation is down and the Reserve Bank seems happier than it’s been in ages.

So, have we achieved the so-called soft landing after all the economic turmoil we’ve suffered since the pandemic?

Today, chief business correspondent Ian Verrender on the latest rate cut, how many more we should expect and why Donald Trump could upend it all.

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Ian Verrender, ABC Chief Business Correspondent

It had been a constant of federal politics, but the coalition between the Liberal and National parties has come to a dramatic end following a disastrous election defeat.

The Nationals are breaking away after the Liberals rejected a demand that key policy areas were part of the agreement between the parties. 

Today, the ABCs chief digital political correspondent, Jacob Greber, on why they couldn’t move past their differences and what it means for Australian politics.

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Jacob Greber, ABC chief digital political correspondent

He dropped out of the presidential race last July, but the focus is now back on Joe Biden. 

The former US leader has not only been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, but a new book released this week has accused the White House of covering up a decline in his health before he stepped down to make way for Kamala Harris.  

Today, Bruce Wolpe, a senior fellow from the United States Studies Centre on Biden’s cancer diagnosis and why staying in the race for so long may have changed the course of history. 

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Bruce Wolpe, a senior fellow from the United States Studies Centre

When Queensland woman Emma Lovell was stabbed to death by a teenager in 2022, the community and nation was shocked.

The 17-year-old offender had broken into her home on Boxing Day as the family slept. 

The crime was a catalyst for a campaign for stricter sentencing for youths and Queensland went on to become the first state to introduce ‘Adult Crime, Adult Time’ laws. 

Today, ABC News Queensland presenter Jessica van Vonderen on why other states could follow suit.  

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Jessica van Vonderen, ABC News Queensland presenter

This week, Donald Trump paused his massive tariffs on Chinese goods entering the US for 90 days, slashing the rate from 145 to 30 percent.

China has also come to the bargaining table, dropping 125 percent tariffs on imports from the US to 10 percent. 

So, is the US president’s economic dream of bringing manufacturing back to America dead? 

Today, we speak with a US outdoor clothing designer caught up in the tariff chaos about what it’s been like and to an economist to make sense of it all.  

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Cassie Abel, founder and CEO of Wild Rye outdoor apparel

Justin Wolfers, professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan

Donald Trump has recently secured a luxury 747 jet from Qatar and billions of dollars in investment deals from Saudi Arabia. 

But as the US president continues his tour of the Middle East, there’s been no talk of a plan for peace in Gaza. 

Today, Hussein Ibish from the Arab Gulf States Institute on Trump’s tour and why he won’t be meeting the Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. 

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Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington

The new Liberal leader Sussan Ley has promised a fresh approach after the party’s disastrous result in the federal election. 

But will the first female leader of the party really be able to bring it back from the brink and build a policy offering that’s attractive to voters? 

Today, host of ABC TVs 7.30 Sarah Ferguson on the future of the Coalition’s nuclear power plan and Labor’s factional stoush that saw two ministers axed.  

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Sarah Ferguson, host of 7.30

When tensions flared between India and Pakistan last week the world held its breath because both nations have nuclear weapons.

While a ceasefire has been agreed, it hasn’t stopped the clashes in the disputed Kashmir region. 

Today, Aparna Pande from the Hudson Institute in Washington DC explains the long running conflict and what could come next.

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Aparna Pande, director of the Initiative on the Future for India and South Asia at the Hudson Institute