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    Democrats try to stop the slide as Biden isolates

    Nothing has gone right for Joe Biden since his disastrous debate with Donald Trump last month. His COVID diagnosis may be the last straw for a distraught party.

    Only a full judicial inquiry can lift the lid on the CFMEU

    The scandals at the construction union leave a host of unanswered questions that will shape the future of industrial relations in Australia.

    Graeme Watson

    Former Fair Work Commission vice-president

    Graeme Watson

    CFMEU’s industrial power has corrupted

    The scale of the systemic wrongdoing that has been uncovered demands a fuller judicial inquiry that must also probe the institutional enablers of the CFMEU’s crimes.

    The AFR View

    Editorial

    The AFR View

    Picking green over blue is stalling our hydrogen superpower hopes

    Labor’s tax incentive scheme maintains the habit of describing identical molecules with colours of the rainbow. It is out of step with Australia’s competitors and customers

    David Heard

    Energy expert

    David Heard

    Why does France’s far right get stronger with each election?

    The Western nation has not responded well to the challenges of globalisation, which is a problem that also applies to the whole of Europe.

    Private equity has become hazardous terrain for investors

    The days of easy windfalls from freakishly loose monetary policy are gone. Now, private capital is much more hazardous terrain for investors.

    John Plender

    Contributor

    Australia’s blue blood miner, management moderniser and business nationalist

    During his heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, Sir Roderick Carnegie was a believer in the power of big corporations competing in open markets to drive human progress.

    The AFR View

    Editorial

    The AFR View

    Why Trump and other trends all point to higher inflation

    Societal forces from politics to geopolitics to de-globalisation to ageing and climate change are creating conditions that push towards higher inflation.

    Raghuram Rajan

    Economics professor

    Raghuram Rajan
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    More From Today

    Andrew Forrest has scaled back Fortescue’s green hydrogen ambitions.

    Don’t put all energy transition eggs in one green basket

    The energy revolution is producing militant evangelists and sceptics of individual technologies. Andrew Forrest’s hydrogen retreat shows policymakers need to be more open-minded.

    • 26 mins ago
    • The AFR View
    The Albanese government should deregister the CFMEU.

    On CFMEU, Albo must emulate Hawke

    Anthony Albanese has the opportunity to follow the example of Bob Hawke, who knew a thing or two about trade unions and industrial relations, and grasp the nettle of deregistering the corrupt union.

    • Roger Gyles
    Guzman y Gomez co-CEO Steven Marks has a focused plan for growth, and  bigger, bolder goal.

    What Guzman y Gomez can learn from the Domino’s disaster

    Domino’s’ latest downgrade tells a story about long-term growth plans that investors in Guzman y Gomez should take note of. 

    • James Thomson
    Xi Jinping and Donald Trump appear to be on a collision course.

    Nvidia crash shows dark side of the Trump trade

    Donald Trump’s comments on Taiwan added to a global sell-off in computer chipmakers. The episode has three big lessons for investors. 

    • James Thomson
    Andrew Forrest is promising a leaner, meaner Fortescue. But who’s listening?

    Fortescue’s hydrogen back-flip fails to become sugar hit it should be

    One of the issues hanging over the miner is partly gone. So why aren’t fund managers jumping in? They may be more concerned by the company’s other big problems.

    • Anthony Macdonald
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    The CFMEU scandal raises obvious questions about how the governance standards of super fund boards could be improved.

    CFMEU scandal should force rethink on super fund boards

    Union-backed industry super funds have pushed hard to lift governance and accountability at public companies. Shouldn’t they want to improve their own governance, too?

    • James Thomson
    Businessman David Gonski advised federal governments on education policy.

    On school funding, all governments get a fail

    Letters from readers on the Gonski funding challenge; Telstra’s price increases; the NSW review of road tolls; action on climate change; and the health of the River Seine.

    US and China remain among each other’s top investors and customers.

    The world needs to prepare for a US-China trade war

    Democrat and Republican policymakers believe Washington must impose huge restrictions on Chinese technologies, including electric cars and solar panels.

    • Kenneth Rogoff

    Yesterday

    Lineage’s Australian sites include what was Oxford Cold Storage’s Laverton North premises in Victoria.

    World’s biggest IPO has Australian flavour and implications

    It might lack burritos, but we’re watching Lineage, a food storage play with Australian assets trying to secure a $30 billion listing.

    • Anthony Macdonald
    Andrew Forrest’s says Fortescue will remain financially disciplined as it pursues its green vision.

    Reality bites for Forrest’s hydrogen dream. Investors won’t mind

    The biggest shake-up of Fortescue’s structure and strategy in years will be music to the market’s ear, but is more evidence the energy transition is spluttering.

    • James Thomson

    CFMEU investigation exposes dark side of political relationships

    Letters from readers on the Financial Review’s investigation; the possible motive behind the assassination attempt on Donald Trump; and what the vice presidential candidate says about US politics.

    Brokers sense interest as Australia’s favourite meme stock returns

    The list of names dumped from the ASX 200 alongside Zip shows how rare a comeback is. But while its business is firing, not everything has changed.

    • Anthony Macdonald
    Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.

    ‘We have a country to save’: Republicans rally to a reborn Trump

    The Republican National Convention is showcasing a party dominated by Donald Trump and his views, while the disarray in the Democrats just keeps coming.

    • Jennifer Hewett
    Assassinations have made even democracies into darker places.

    How toxic talk turns too easily to assassin’s bullets

    A more centrist political culture doesn’t make Australia immune to the language that has inflamed American politics in recent times.

    • Georgina Downer
    Donald Trump is hustled offstage by Secret Service agents shortly after being shot on Saturday.

    The deep source of Trump’s appeal to Americans

    The problem with adopting all-explaining identity politics is that it undermines democracy. If others are evil and out to get us, then persuasion is for suckers, writes David Brooks.

    • David Brooks
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    Investors just keep pushing sharemarkets higher. But there are signs of fragilty.

    Stocks just keep rising, but bonds are flashing a big warning

    Wall Street’s rally is grinding on, and now seems to be broadening out. However, beneath the surface, there are signs of fragility that shouldn’t be ignored.

    • James Thomson

    Do you get sick on holidays? You’re probably a workaholic

    Those of us who fall ill as soon as we stop work may need to rethink our approach to life.

    • Pilita Clark
    “Shōgun” offers tips for modern political parties.

    Power tips from ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Shōgun’

    The popular swords-and-scheming TV series have lessons for modern political parties.

    • The Economist
    Renovation rescue: CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith says the union is best placed to clean up its mess.

    The CFMEU can’t fix itself – just ask the banks, casinos and PwC

    If union and Labor leaders really want to win back trust in the CFMEU, only an independent and transparent inquiry into the union will do. 

    • James Thomson

    Where to profit from Brisbane’s Olympic property boom

    How to work out where to invest so that your gains hold for the long term.

    • Jarrod McCabe

    Spending a few hours on this now will make you richer later

    Work through these 11 steps to grow your superannuation faster.

    • Colin Lewis
    Victoria Beckham and her T-shirt design (composite image).

    Has the ‘memeification’ of fashion gone too far?

    Luxury brands are capitalising on pop culture moments, but it could turn fashion into a joke.

    • Lauren Sams