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President Donald Trump plays a round of Golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling Va., Sunday Nov. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Please Explain podcast: Biden plans transition while Trump plays golf

In this episode, senior culture writer Nathanael Cooper and North America correspondent Matthew Knott discuss the results of the US election and the likelihood of more legal challenges from the Trump campaign.

  • by Nathanael Cooper

Latest

Former US president Barack Obama rebuilt the US economy in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Opinion
Global economy

Echoes of Obama: Biden's economy faces a long road to recovery

Has the pandemic fundamentally broken anything about the US economy? The answer will dictate just how fast it can get back on track.

  • by Neil Irwin
President-elect Joe Biden with his wife Jill gestures to the crowd
Opinion
US votes 2020

Admit it, we underestimated Joe Biden

In a single motion, Biden refuted slurs about his mental acuity while recasting the terms of politics from Trumpian combat to compassion.

  • by Chris Zappone
Joe Biden's victory has set up the market for a rally.
Opinion
Wall Street

Wall St finds a silver lining from a messy election

The fluctuations in financial markets in the lead up to the US election demonstrates investors' search for optimism in any development, however unexpected.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
President Donald Trump gives two thumbs up to supporters as he departs after playing golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling Virginia on Sunday.
Analysis
US votes 2020

Trump's lost war: From a gold escalator to Four Seasons Total Landscaping

Literally anywhere else would have conveyed more legitimacy than the Four Seasons car park, but legitimacy did not seem a high priority for one of the last battles of the Trump team.

  • by Dan Zak and Karen Heller
Trialing Joe Biden in the polls, Donald Trump is ratcheting up the China rhetoric.
Opinion
Global economy

China's still the economic enemy with Biden in the White House

A sudden thaw in the economic Cold War seems unlikely even if there is a new face in the White House.

  • by Russell Lynch
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A Biden administration is likely to have a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to China.
Opinion
US election

Time to reject Trump's legacy and to back free trade and immigration

Australia will be faced with a serious long-term challenge for our economic well-being if relations aren't improved.

  • by Chris Berg
Supporters of President Donald Trump rally in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday.
Opinion
US votes 2020

Anxiety lifts as Trump era fades

World leaders, used to living with the threat of a destructive Trump, are sighing with relief.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Ray Brackens dances during a celebratory rally and count the vote event hosted by local activist groups, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, at Emancipation Park in Houston. Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by a historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. (Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Letters
Letters

Hail a win for democracy and a relief for the world

I cried when I heard the news yesterday morning that Joe Biden is President-elect.

NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean will deliver a significant energy roadmap on Monday.
Analysis
Electricity

Kean may have found a path through the energy gridlock

Energy policy has proved to be a miserable field of play for Australian politicians, with his new energy road map Matt Kean may have found a path through.

  • by Nick O'Malley
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe used his second-ever press conference to outline a huge program of rate cuts and bond purchases in a bid to safeguard the country's economic recovery.
Opinion
Interest rates

Reserve Bank struggles to stay relevant in a post-inflation world

The Reserve Bank is desperately trying to look busy and relevant because it’s lost its main reason for existence.

  • by Ross Gittins
In the Herald
Australia

In the Herald: November 9, 1957

Sydney’s worst wind storm for several years swept through the Cronulla area yesterday.

  • by Brian Yatman
Athletes at the Australian track and field championships for athletes with a disability.
Opinion
The lowdown

Entrepreneurial spirit built of necessity for people with disability

About 13.1 per cent of people with disability are self-employed or entrepreneurs compared with only 9.2 per cent of non-disabled Australians.

  • by Simon Darcy, Jock Collins and Megan Stronach
Joe Biden speaking on November 4.
Opinion
US votes 2020

Don't expect Joe Biden to use Twitter

Joe Biden has pledged that he will not be tweeting at all hours, Indeed, he probably will not tweet much at all.

  • by Nick Allen
The turtle dove hatchling waits for its mother,
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic

A big hand for our gentle emergence back to life

So much has been made remarkable this year by virtue of noticing it: a smile in the eyes, the little wave of an untouchable hand, new-found feathered friends.

  • by Harb Gill
Artists complete their work on the Uluru Statement of the Heart in 2017.
Opinion
Indigenous

Real change requires more than nice words and minor policy tinkering

If we don’t implement the difficult but necessary structural reforms, we cannot be surprised at repeated failures to close the gap.

  • by Shireen Morris
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Column 8 Granny dinkus with mask.
Opinion
Column 8

Don't fear the tuba

Or the euphonium. Or the tuba mugger on the Tube.

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden celebrate their victory.
Editorial
US election

Much-needed dose of normalcy for Washington

Democracy has done its work. It may have kept Americans, and many around the world, in nail-biting suspense for days, but it got the job done.

  • The Herald's View
Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud from the White House briefing room.
Opinion
US election

US media's call to cut Trump highlights challenge for modern media

When Trump began to spout his unfounded theories about electoral fraud late last week, American media outlets cut the feed – the fastest broadcaster to act, MSNBC, did so after Trump had been speaking for only 35 seconds.

  • by Tim Dwyer
Joe Biden
Analysis
US votes 2020

Empathy, civility and healing: Biden restores the soul of oratory in America

US President-elect Joe Biden uses a word exiled in America for the past four years: "healing".

  • by Tony Wright
A supporter of President-elect Joe Biden holds a sign referring to President Donald Trump outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Harrisburg, Pa., after Biden defeated Trump to become 46th president of the United States. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Opinion
US votes 2020

Trump will tarnish own achievement if he refuses to accept defeat

You’d think that Trump and his allies would take solace in knowing that he saved the nation from a radical progressive agenda, which a Democratic sweep would have delivered.

  • by Tom Switzer
Donald Trump made bad behaviour look almost reasonable.
Opinion
US votes 2020

Trump's greatest trick? Monopolising our attention

By commanding not just our eyeballs but so many of our thoughts and conversations, Trump shrunk our sense of the world.

  • by Sean Kelly
People celebrate Joe Biden's victory in Times Square, New York.
Opinion
US votes 2020

When we heard Biden had won, we dropped everything and ran

Today feels like a revival of the hope for the future of the country. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory gives us some faith that those injustices will start to be addressed at a federal level and that this country, in which I've chosen to raise my sons, is one of possibility.

  • by Sharanya Mitchell
Reece Hodge.
Tight Five
Bledisloe Cup

How two players won the Test for the Wallabies

The biggest moments in the victory over the All Blacks featured the same two players: Reece Hodge and Matt Philip.

  • by Paul Cully
An analysis of PISA data found girls at single sex schools out-performed those at co-ed schools on many measures.
Opinion
Education

What can data tell us about single-sex education for girls?

Performance data may well show girls do better academically in single-sex school settings. What is harder to determine is why.

  • by Peter Adams
Americans have changed the channel on Donald Trump's reality TV presidency.
Opinion
US votes 2020

The President's disgraceful behaviour is deeply troubling

If the leader of the free world continues to claim, with essentially no supportive evidence, that the election was stolen through fraud, we will have far more serious problems than merely reconciling disappointed partisans to the reality of defeat.

  • by John Bolton
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Joe Biden has won the presidency.
US votes 2020

How tragedy shaped Joe Biden for this moment

"I know how mean, cruel, and unfair life can be sometimes, " Joe Biden said. "But I found the best way through pain, and loss and grief is to find purpose.”

  • by Farrah Tomazin
Americans have changed the channel on Donald Trump's reality TV presidency.
Analysis
US votes 2020

Americans change the channel on Donald Trump's reality TV presidency

Joe Biden - aged 77 and a shaky communicator - was easy to underestimate. But he ran a highly disciplined campaign, never deviating from his core message: it's time to restore the "soul of the nation" and get COVID-19 under control.

  • by Matthew Knott
Opinion
The Fitz Files

Dump Trumpian politics and bring out the generosity of all Australians

The US President may be a political genius at activating the 'bleak angels' of the world. But Australia needs to dump him and his politics.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
The Xbox Series X and Series S, along with the PlayStation 5, represent the biggest shift in console gaming since 2013.
Analysis
Video games

What to expect at the dawn of a new generation for game consoles

As Microsoft and Sony prepare to release new systems in a matter of days, what's the sales pitch to those wondering if they should upgrade?

  • by Tim Biggs
Many cases determined by the family courts involve allegations of violence or child abuse.
Opinion
Family Court

Government must act to improve family law system

People find themselves before these courts at some of the lowest points in their lives, often in urgent need of help. They must be able to receive.

  • by The Herald's View
nnes Bailey has worked home from March and is desperate to get back into the office
letters
Letters

Working from home or living at work?

More Australian employees show preference over their global counterparts to work from home.

President Donald Trump claims he is being 'cheated' out of a 'rigged' election.
Opinion
US votes 2020

Why did so many people vote for Trump? Like it or not, he is a 'safe space' for millions

It is impossible to conceive of Trump giving a concession speech, and so it will be a matter of waiting to see when he blinks, and what that might look like.

  • by Jacqueline Maley
Hamilton features a diverse cast where most of the performers are people of colour.
Opinion
Hamilton

At a time of global reckoning around race, Hamilton could be a salve

After a casting process spanning more than a year, the producers of Hamilton have finally settled on their cast and will announce it on Monday morning.

  • by Nathanael Cooper
Joe Biden has pledged to return the US to the Paris climate change accord and has already committed to “aggressive new methane limits” on gas and oil by presidential executive action on day one of his presidency.
Opinion
Global warming

Australia the outlier in Biden's brave new zero-emissions world

Australia will be left behind as its allies take steps towards a greener, emissions-free future, led by the newly elected President.

  • by Bob Carr
Fixed-rate mortgage interest rates are low and switching from a variable-rate loan could save you hundreds of dollars a month.
Opinion
Money Makeover

How I got a 0.6 percentage point mortgage rate cut ... and you can too

Don’t believe the banks when they say they cannot cut variable interest rates for existing customers. They can but are just making a decision not to do so.

  • by Jessica Irvine
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Using a "buy-now-pay-later" provider, such as Afterpay, can see you slip further and further behind in your finances.
Opinion
Budgeting

The two real problems with the new ‘pay-on-demand’ revolution

"Pay-on-demand" services lubricate salary slippage and can create massive future budgeting problems.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
A Regency mahogany "plum pudding" sideboard, circa 1820, sold for $1200.
Opinion
Antiques

Brown is the new black in antique furniture

A recent Sydney auction is testimony to the strengthening of brown furniture antique prices, with many items selling at three times their reserve prices.

  • by Stephen Crafti
A number of rules apply to "spouse contributions" in superannuation.
Opinion
Ask an expert

Clarifying 'bring-forward' rules in superannuation

Under recent changes to the rules, a super fund can continue to accept contributions until a member turns 67 without them having to meet the work test.

  • by George Cochrane
Jaidyn Stephenson.
Opinion
Real Footy Podcast

Trade podcast: Could Jaidyn Stephenson be traded?

As potential deals involving Adam Treloar and Josh Dunkley dominate discussion, Jake Niall and Peter Ryan dissect the latest AFL trade developments.

Australia Post have warned people to get cards and gifts for Father’s Day in the mail at least a week in advance.
Opinion
Political expenses

Cartier watches v Kit Kats. How about a better bonus for our posties?

The best PR team for Australia Post is walking our streets. Cherish your postie.

  • by Helen Pitt
Joe Biden claimed a mandate, saying he would win, and Americans had chosen change.
Analysis
US votes 2020

Biden's call for unity may soon confront an ugly American reality

Joe Biden hit all the right notes on Saturday and he may be sincere, but he has been around in DC long enough to know that to many they will sound hollow.

  • by Nick O'Malley
Brenton Rickard has the unenviable task of proving his innocence eight years after the alleged offence.
Analysis
Drugs in sport

Australia has never lost an Olympic medal to drugs. That might be about to change

How, when testing technology continues to advance, does an athlete prove their innocence eight years after the fact?

  • by Samantha Lane
Jeremy Cameron.
Opinion
Trading and drafting

Free agency rules, not clubs, have failed Cameron

If any player is entitled to exercise his free agency rights it's Jeremy Cameron but the star forward's experience shows a review of the rules is needed.

  • by Peter Ryan
A rally near the White House in Washington.
Opinion
US votes 2020

Has America lost its soul?

If Biden does scrape through to victory, he will have a hard time restoring ethical concerns in a country with so many voters who have become indifferent to the wellbeing of those outside their immediate communities.

  • by Peter Singer
Former US ambassador Joe Hockey.
Letters
Letters

Hockey tees off US watchers

The performance by Joe Hockey in Washington brings home the question of why ex-Australian politicians, including failed ones, are given the plum diplomatic jobs.

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Head to head ... Trump and Biden
Opinion
US votes 2020

America's faultlines are ours, too. We are polarised nations

The faultlines Trump reinforced this week have been replicated across Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but in a more muted form.

  • by George Megalogenis
Genex Power's Kidston pumped hydro and solar generation project in north Queensland.
Opinion
Renewables

Like water for electricity, we can go with the flow for cleaner energy

The solutions for a 100 per cent renewable economy are under our noses.

  • by Elizabeth Farrelly
Ronnie Barker (right) with Ronnie Corbett.
Opinion
MyCareer

We are failing the young out of blinkered self-interest

We have failed to appreciate that real protection comes not from keeping things the same but from nature and most critically nurture.

  • by Jim Bright
The writer sat down and tried to refocus, tried to block out the buzzing.
Opinion
Satire

A life and death struggle: Talk about buzz kill

“Oh, great," thought the writer. “How am I supposed to enter my creative flow-state with a fly in the room?”

  • by Danny Katz