The Mike Hosking Breakfast

President Donald Trump charged into the latest eruption in the nation’s reckoning over racial injustice on Tuesday, blaming “domestic terror" that he said fueled the violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and declaring it was enabled by Democratic leaders.
While Trump declared the violence “anti-American,” he offered no words for the underlying cause of the anger and protests — accusations of police violence against Black men — and did not mention Jacob Blake, who was badly wounded last week in Kenosha.
Soon after arriving in the city, a visit made over the objections of state and local leaders, Trump toured the charred remains of a block besieged by violence and fire. With the scent of smoke still in the air, he spoke to the owners of a century-old store that had been destroyed and continued to link the violence to the Democrats, blaming those in charge of Kenosha and Wisconsin while raising apocalyptic warnings if their party should capture the White House.
“These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror,” said Trump. And he condemned Democrats for not immediately accepting his offer of federal assistance, claiming “They just don’t want us to come, These governors don’t want to call, and the mayors don’t want to call. They have to ask.”
The city has been riven by protests since the Aug. 23 shooting of Blake, who was hit seven times in the back by police as he was getting into a car while they were trying to arrest him. Protests have been concentrated in a small area of Kenosha, and while there were more than 30 fires set in the first three nights, the situation has calmed since then.
Trump's motorcade passed throngs of demonstrators, some holding American flags in support of the president, others jeering while carrying signs that read Black Lives Matter. A massive police presence, complete with several armored vehicles, secured the area, and barricades were set up along several of the city’s major thoroughfares to keep onlookers at a distance from the passing presidential vehicles.
Offering federal resources to help rebuild the city, Trump toured a high school that had been transformed into a law enforcement command post. He said he tried to call the Blake’s mother but opted against it after the family asked that a lawyer listen in.
He later added he felt “terribly" for anyone who suffered a loss, but otherwise only noted that the situation was “complicated" and “under investigation." The only words acknowledging the suffering of African Americans came from a pastor who attended the law enforcement roundtable.
Pressed by reporters, Trump repeatedly pivoted away from assessing any sort of structural racism in the nation or its police departments, instead blasting what he saw as anti-police rhetoric. Painting a dark portrait of parts of the nation he leads, the president again linked the radical forces he blamed for the violence to the Democrats and their presidential nominee, Joe Biden, declaring that chaos could soon descend on other cities across America.
Trump condemned unrest in Portland, Oregon, too — as well as an increase in shootings in cities including Chicago and New York — and tried to take credit for stopping the violence in Kenosha with the National Guard. But it was Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who deployed the Guard to quell demonstrations in response to the Blake shooting, and he had pleaded with Trump to stay away for fear of straining tensions further.
“I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing,” Evers wrote in a letter to Trump. “I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”
Biden has assailed Trump as an instigator of the deadly protests that have sprung up on his watch. On the eve of his visit, Trump defended a teenager accused of fatally shooting two men at a demonstration in Kenosha last week though he did not mention the young man Tuesday.

Auckland private training schools fear they may miss out on a $10 million fund designed to help schools survive the loss of international students, because the criteria favour schools in regional areas.
Criteria for the new fund released this week by the Tertiary Education Commission include "regional significance", defined as a school being "the only provider of its type in the region, and/or attracts international students to the region, and/or is a significant employer in the region".
Auckland-based Languages International chief executive Darren Conway said "regional significance" was "Government department code for 'not Auckland'" - even though 63 per cent of the 10,500 overseas students in private training schools last year were in Auckland.
"You can't say to people, go to Methven or Timaru, not Auckland," he said.
Globally, the market goes to cities, that is what's attractive to people."
The private training providers are also angry that the Government has given $11.7m to the Green School in Taranaki on mere "speculation" that it might attract foreign students, while their whole sector got only $10m to try to keep a $1.8 billion industry alive.
"It's outrageous and unstrategic and disrespectful to us," Conway said.
The $10m Private Training Establishment (PTE) Targeted Assistance Fund is part of a $51.6m support package announced in July for the international education sector, including $20m for primary and secondary schools, $10m for "new future-focused products" such as delivering education offshore, $6.6m for pastoral care of students who are still here and $3m to keep marketing NZ education while the border remains closed.
There was also a small $1.5m fund for English language schools to switch to teaching English to NZ-resident migrants and their families. Eleven schools have put in applications, with funding decisions due late this month.
Conway said the criteria for the $10m PTE fund have been tweaked since a first draft to support schools who are the most exposed to border closure - now those where at least half the students are from overseas rather than the first draft of a quarter, and with a least a 40 per cent decline in revenue rather than a first draft of 30 per cent.
But he said language schools were unable to persuade the commission to drop either the "regional significance" clause or another provision that the grants should support skills that New Zealand needs or pathways into further education or employment.
"Most PTEs providing skills development are not really feeding the domestic workforce, except as a pathway to immigration," he said.
"Skills development can happen through the domestic market being funded through normal Vote Education money. Why does it have to come out of money targeted towards supporting the international sector?"
Independent Tertiary Education NZ (Itenz) sector group chairman Craig Musson said only some of the 159 PTEs with international students would meet the criteria, and the $10m would not be enough to keep the whole sector afloat.
"When they give $11.7m to one school and $125m to Christchurch cycleways, we are concerned that the Government is not benchmarking the amounts they give out with fairness," he said.
NZ Qualifications Authority deputy chief executive Eve McMahon said two PTEs so far have applied for "hibernation", allowing them to stay registered while not teaching any students for up to 18 months.
Dominion English Schools director Andrew Fisher confirmed that he has applied for hibernation after teaching ended on August 17 after 51 years.


"We are not maintaining the premises because it would be too expensive," he said. "That means it doesn't cost us too much to survive in that extremely reduced form - me and my laptop, basically."


Conway has said that another Auckland school, EF International Language Centre, is applying to hibernate, and Pauline...

American Magic is putting the final touches on its second America's Cup boat that will be flown to New Zealand next month.
It's widely thought the New York Yacht Club's first boat 'Defiant' and the INEOS Team UK entry 'Britannia', are inferior to Team New Zealand's and Luna Rossa's first AC75 boats.
But American Magic skipper Terry Hutchinson told Mike Hosking they are happy with where they are at, but won't confirm their second boat will be more competitive.
Around 85 percent of their syndicate team have arrived after negotiating covid-19 border restrictions.
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Not all French classrooms can safely reopen Tuesday, the country's education minister acknowledged Sunday, as a persistent rise in coronavirus infections jeopardizes the government’s push to get France’s 12.9 million schoolchildren back into class this week.
Like many governments around the world, France and Britain want to reopen schools starting Tuesday to reduce the learning gaps between rich and poor students that were worsened by the virus lockdown this spring, and to get parents back to work and revive the ailing economy.
With several thousand new infections now reported in France every day, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that some classes will remain closed when the nationwide reopening begins Tuesday, but “as few as possible.”
With less than 48 hours to go before the first French school bells ring, he said openings and closures were “being decided by a day-by-day analysis based on the health situation of each territory.”
French doctors published an appeal Saturday saying that the government's anti-virus measures for schools aren’t strict enough. They urged masks for children as young as six and a mix of online and in-person schooling.
Currently French schools are set to resume largely as normal, but with masks required all day for everyone 11 and over and some restrictions on movements and gatherings. In contrast, other European countries like Denmark and many school districts in the U.S. are undergoing a full school day revamp that includes smaller classes, more teachers, more separation between students and classes and a mix of in-class and online learning.
Teacher Cécile Cluchier is bracing to face the challenges in her preschool in the Paris suburb of Antony.
“Let's not fool ourselves," she said. "We know that with 25 pupils, we won’t always be able to keep an eye on each of them," and ensure that every young child washes their hands constantly and keeps a proper distance from others.
She also wonders how she'll be able to teach early language skills and defuse tensions with her face hidden behind a mask.
“In preschool and in this underprivileged area, welcoming kids properly is very important,” she said. “But now, they can’t see my smile.”
France reported 5,453 new daily infections Saturday, compared to several hundred a day in May and June. The national health service says the growth of COVID-19 cases is now exponential, and neighboring countries have imposed quarantines or testing requirements for people coming in from France.
The infections are also threatening the Tour de France, which kicked off Saturday amid unprecedented restrictions and worries that the world's premier cycling event won't make it to the finish line in Paris in three weeks if the virus keeps spreading so fast.
In Britain, officials sought Sunday to reassure parents that schools can safely reopen. In an open letter, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson stressed the importance of having all children back in classrooms for the new school year.
“If a child is not in school, they stand to lose far more than just a few months of learning. It could well put a huge dent in their future life chances,” he said.
Meanwhile, the University and College Union, which represents academic staff in Britain, warned Sunday that the movement of an expected 1 million college students has they return to universities in the coming weeks could spark “a public health crisis.”
Union general secretary Jo Grady told the BBC that tens of thousands of students will be arriving at cities like Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester — cities that have recently seen increased restrictions because of a spike in coronavirus cases.
“The very people who are increasingly getting infected by this virus are being encouraged in mass numbers to move all around the country and congregate and live together,” she said.
The union wants college students to...

What was sometimes referred to as our brain drain, has become a brain gain.
Almost 80,000 New Zealanders have returned from living overseas due to the pandemic.
Kea is an organisation that engages Kiwis across the globe, and Chief Executive Toni Truslove told Mike Hosking most of those who have come back are here to stay.
“They’re not here for a holiday and then heading back overseas, they're here to build lives and businesses.
Truslove says more needs to be done to help our people who are returning.
“We need to understand what they're bringing back,  in terms of skills and business. It’s not easy to navigate a new labour market.
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People dipping into their Kiwisaver because of hardship might need more than one withdrawal.
There's been a 20 per cent spike in the number of people applying for a withdrawal on hardship grounds, and that number's expected to grow.
Public Trust chief executive Glenys Talivai told Mike Hosking Kiwisaver is intended for retirement - so you have to be in serious hardship to be granted a withdrawal.
"People can get access to the fund approved multiple times if their situation doesn't improve."
Talivai says an increase in applications is expected when the Wage Subsidy Scheme ends.
"The intention of Kiwisaver is for retirement - so you have to be in serious hardship to be granted a withdrawal."
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The British government is encouraging workers to return to their offices amid concerns that the shift to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic is hurting coffee bars, restaurants and other businesses, leaving city centers virtual “ghost towns.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government plans to roll out a media campaign next week that will encourage employers to show staff members what they have done to protect them from COVID-19 and make it safe to return to traditional workplaces.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Friday this was the right time for many people to return to their offices because their children will be going back to school next week. He also said prolonged isolation from friends and colleagues is taking a toll on workers, particularly young people.
“For many people’s mental health, it is important to return to a safe workplace. So that’s why workplaces are being made COVID secure over the summer, and for a lot of people it will be the right time to return,″ Shapps told the BBC. “Others, I accept, will carry on in a much more flexible way than they did in the past.’’
The Confederation of British Industry has warned that office closures are taking a wide toll on the economy as traffic plunges at shops that rely on walk-in business. That impact was demonstrated Thursday when sandwich shop chain Pret a Manger announced plans to cut about 2,800 jobs around Britain after sales fell 60%.
The British government should expand coronavirus testing and highlight efforts to reduce virus transmission on trains and buses to encourage people to return to their offices, the CBI said.
It also claimed that bringing workers back into the office is also a matter of fairness, because many people can’t work from home and young people, in particular, are often forced to spend long hours in tiny apartments. The group represents 190,000 businesses employing more than 7 million people.
“The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centers resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade,″ CBI Director General Carolyn Fairbairn said. “This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities.”
Fairbairn told Times Radio a “hybrid″ approach that combines remote working with time in traditional workplaces was needed to help workers adjust.
Alison Rose, chief executive of NatWest Group, described such a model last month.
“We’re going to be quite careful and thoughtful about how we bring people back into offices and evolve office space,'' she said. “What we’ll see is a bit more of a hybrid working model, and that’s something we’ll work on very carefully.''
More than 50,000 staff members of NatWest Group will keep working from home into 2021.
The government has been nudging people back to work for several weeks but economic pressures are intensifying.
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak has ruled out extending a government program for furloughed workers beyond October as he seeks to jump-start a moribund economy. The government program covers up to 70% of the wages of furloughed workers, as long as employers promise to bring them back to work.
“I think there’s a limit, just in human terms, to remote working,″ Shapps said. “And there are things where you just need to spark off each other and get together in order to make progress.”
But many workers are reluctant to return to the office with COVID-19 cases on the rise again and Britain already having the highest confirmed virus death toll in Europe at over 41,560 people.
The government recorded 1,522 new daily infections on Thursday, up from a low of 367 on July 12. The figure is still far below the peak of 5,488 cases reported on April 22 but experts say all those numbers undercount the true impact of the pandemic due to limited testing and other factors.
Unions are urging employers to be flexible and recognize that the...

Principals are pleased inadequate school infrastructure is being addressed in National's education policy.
If elected next month, the party will invest $2 billion in a 'Fix New Zealand Schools Alliance' bringing together builders, educators, architects, and engineers, to fast track school repairs.
John Paul College Principal, Patrick Walsh told Mike Hosking it's good to see funding going towards fixing the backlog of urgent repairs.
"Parents and principals aren't interested in how the issues around leaky and old classrooms are fixed, as long as it is done."
The National Party has signalled a looser approach to school zoning and would let schools grow to accommodate demand.
Patrick Walsh says this will allow parents to have more freedom on where their child goes to school.
"I believe parents have the right to choose which school best suits their child."
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Auckland's CBD is looking to get back on its feet under level 2 by rescheduling Restaurant Month and music events like Th' Dudes.
Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck says business in the city's engine room nose-dived under level 3 and expects there will be a phased return to work for 130,000 employees.
She said spending had almost returned to 2019 levels when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Auckland was going into a second lockdown on August 12.
Preliminary data showed business plummeted 80 per cent under level 3 and some sectors, like hospitality, have felt the impact of a second lockdown harder than others, said Beck.




Her view is shared by Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett, who believed there would be more apprehension this time about people returning to work in the CBD.
"With the talk about the tail being longer I think firms that feed Queen St, the big offices and so on, instead of everybody coming back it will be a phased-in type of operation," he said.
There are already empty shops in the CBD and about a quarter of retailers are unsure about the future, said Barnett, saying the current situation is placing a huge amount of stress on businesses and staff.
Said Beck: "These are challenging times but we have to do everything we can to support businesses."
Among the measures are rescheduling Restaurant Month in August, which Beck said was going really well, with many events sold out until it had to stop.
"We have decided to carry it on until the end of September and are hoping people will dine through level 2. They did last time and the restaurants know the drill. They really need the business," she said.
A number of events in the city have also been rescheduled, like the Th' Dudes who are performing for three nights at the Auckland Town Hall in November and Tami Neilson, performing at The Civic on November 14.
Mandy Lusk, who owns Vivace restaurant in Fort St, said the rescheduling of Restaurant Month was a positive.
It would be great to get people back, but there is no ability to make money because of the compliance costs, "but we are still happy, particularly for the staff's mental state", she said.
Lusk said level 2 is harder this time because there is a genuine fear from the customers about community transmission still being out there.
"I really think we should probably be expecting to be operating at about 40 per cent of our turnover for the next couple of months," she said.

Vivace owner Mandy Lusk. Photo / NZ Herald
Precinct Properties chief executive Scott Pritchard said lockdown has undoubtedly been hard on retail and hospitality Auckland-wide, but the company had a positive response with the opening at the new Commercial Bay mall on the city waterfront after the last lockdown."We're confident Aucklanders will come out in support this time too," he said.Pritchard said Precinct Properties, which owns a number of large office buildings in the CBD, said the majority of people want to be back in the office and will return in some capacity from tomorrow,."However many businesses will limit the number of people in the office to allow for physical distancing and some will continue to work from home at level 2, " he said.Takapuna Beach Business Association chief executive Terence Harpur said Paymark data showed retail spending plummeted during level 3, which was crippling for business.
"Level 2 can't come soon enough, with our retailers and hospitality operators set to welcome everyone with open arms," he said.From tomorrow, anyone over 12 will have to wear a face mask on public transport, and Aucklanders have also been strongly advised to wear masks in public.
Police will be visible and present at transport hubs and other areas which would normally get higher volumes of foot traffic.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said the police response to the...

The Government Communications Security Bureau is getting on top of the cyber attacks that have seen the NZX website crash for the past five trading days.
GCSB Minister Andrew Little told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking the stock market has been getting advice from the GCSB since Tuesday last week, when the attacks started.
He said the NZX received an email message before the stock market was hit.
Work was under way to track the message's origin.
"The NZX got a message, an email before they got bombarded, so there's work going on tracking back where that might have come from," said Little, adding banks and a media outlet were also impacted by DDoS attacks on their systems.
Little said the GCSB was in a position of managing the continued attacks, rating it as 7/10 in terms of progress.
"The NZX contacted the National Cyber Security Centre which is part of the GCSB. They didn't want help originally but as it wore on last week they got help."
By Friday the GCSB stood up a serious group to deal with the ongoing attacks on the stock market.
Little said it appeared to be criminally motivated rather than a state-led attack.
"The nature of this tends to be criminal activity rather than state backed. You can't rule it out but it's more likely than not to be criminal activity."
The modus operandi with attacks on other organisations in recent days - such as banks and media companies - was the same, Little said.
He understands ransom has been sought in some cases but not others.
It also appeared to be a "pretty sophisticated" operation, he said.
On how long they would deal with the cyber barrage, he said "in the end you just have to withstand it and let it fizzle out".
It was a matter of time before those behind the attack would give up and go elsewhere if their demands went unmet, said Little.
The NZX website crashed again yesterday morning for the fifth day after a series of cyber attacks hit the exchange last week.
Despite this continued attack on its website, the NZX continued to trade all day uninterrupted.
The NZX, with the agreement of the Financial Markets Authority, has put in place alternative disclosure methods.



Prices were made available from the IRESS information provider and through the backbone of trading system Nasdaq X-Stream.
Last Friday, the Stock Exchange suffered its fourth day of offshore cyber attacks, overwhelming the NZX website.
Share trading was temporarily put on hold, because investors could not see up-to-date company announcements, leading to an uninformed market.
The ZDNet technology website said the cyber attacks had occurred around the world over the past two weeks, but the NZX was among the hardest hit.
Other financial service companies affected by the attacks include the global payments company, PayPal, and money transfer companies Braintree and Worldpay.
Media organisations RNZ and Stuff reported yesterday being subject to attacks.