Media worth consuming – April 2025

Top seven articles

A British mother was arrested and jailed for seven hours after confiscating her children’s iPads so they would do their homework. Two British parents were arrested and temporarily jailed after complaining about the recruitment process at their daughter’s school.

Up to 65% of Chinese government officials are believed to be corrupt, with President Xi’s family reportedly amassing $1 billion in assets.

The editor of a German publication received a seven month suspended jail sentence for publishing a meme mocking a German government minister’s disdain of free speech.

A Palestinian man died after being tortured by Hamas for protesting against their rule, with Hamas threatening to shoot others who protest.

Two college baseball teams with a combined 141 game losing streak met for a two game series and both walked away with a win.

Finance

Financial markets might be predicting a recession, but strong American retail sales suggest consumers aren’t worried. The US office vacancy rate hit a new record of 22.6%. North Korea has an army of 8,000 hackers, estimated to have stolen over $6 billion in cryptocurrencies. In a promotion aimed at boosting the price of Trump’s meme coin, the top 220 holders will be invited to a dinner with him.

Politics & culture

After decades of suppressing free speech, Harvard now claims to care about it as the Trump Administration plans to cut government funding to the University. Harvard will offer high school maths courses for admitted students, with the drop in student standards blamed on either equity considerations or Covid.

Trump’s idea of serving a third term faces almost impossible legal hurdles. He pardoned two high profile fraudsters. The US Senate passed a largely symbolic resolution opposing Trump’s tariffs with four Republicans crossing the floor. In a textbook case of hypocrisy, Hillary Clinton criticised the Trump Administration for mishandling classified information. Marine Le Pen was repeatedly warned by her party colleagues about non-compliant EU fund use in the decade leading up to her embezzlement conviction.

Two whistleblowers were blocked by IRS management and prosecutors from pursuing charges related to Hunter Biden’s tax crimes. FBI agents were gagged from confirming to the media that Hunter Biden’s laptop was authentic. The US Government’s OCC took nearly two years to notice it had been hacked. A US federal court judge has ruled Google’s ad network is an illegal monopoly. The potential loss of government funding for America’s NPR should serve as a warning for Australia’s ABC.

America is divided on political lines about the treatment of an illegal immigrant who was incorrectly deported, but who would almost certainly be correctly deported if returned. A British court ruled that a Somali man with a criminal record could not be deported due to his alcoholism and poor mental health. A British police department is openly prioritising applications from racial minorities. A UK council is seeking to criminalise street preaching, handing out bibles and religious leaflets, and public prayer with proposed jail terms of up to two years.

America’s left is normalising assassination and property destruction targeted at their political opponents. California’s Attorney General has proposed a ballot initiative named after the alleged killer of a health fund CEO. The American “comfort class” remains out of touch with the lives and views of the everyday people they often govern. Bernie Sanders has spent over $221,000 on private jet travel for his “Fighting Oligarchy Tour”.

The US military is scrapping differential gender standards for combat roles. An American female fencer was expelled from a women’s tournament for refusing to challenge a transgender opponent who competed as a male in 2024. Britain’s Sentencing Council is under review after proposing guidelines that would result in shorter sentences for women, racial and religious minorities. An infamous study suggesting white doctors provide inferior care to black babies has been discredited.

Economics & work

Trump should emulate Milei in freeing up trade and making goods cheaper for consumers and learn from Argentina’s history about the costs of restricting trade. Three decent reasons not to adopt free trade policies with every country. A first, second and third batch of cartoons making fun of Trump’s “tariff man” policies.

Canada had a migration surge that made housing unaffordable, but after slashing migration, housing affordability is improving. Even the ABC’s left of centre audience is now calling for a cut in migration to Australia.

The wage bill for Australian state governments has grown much faster than their economies, with Victoria being the worst offender. Ronald Reagan reduced government spending growth to just 0.2% per annum during his eight years as President, offering an example of how to rein in oversized government spending.

Miscellaneous

A study of 53,402 employees at the Cleveland Clinic found those who received the 2024-2025 flu vaccine were 27% more likely to catch the flu, but the study didn’t look at the outcomes for those infected. Banks, airlines and oil companies often rely on COBOL but the coders who know how to use it are rapidly retiring.

He’s been labelled “every Asian kid’s worst nightmare” - a Navy Seal, Harvard doctor and NASA astronaut. A United Airlines flight landed safely after an engine exploded due to a rabbit strike. Nevada authorities have seized seven tigers from a man who claimed they were for emotional support. Police in the state of Georgia have arrested Speedy Gonzalez for shoplifting.