Victorian Shadow Treasurer Brad Rowswell says the Victorian government is on track to fall “well short” of their goal to build 80,000 homes per year. As soon as next month, the population of Victoria will hit 7 million people – due in part to an intake of students and migrants. “You’ve got government ministers saying that it may not happen,” Mr Rowswell said.

Sky News host James Morrow has discussed the “big issues” driving American voters ahead of the 2024 US presidential election with CT Group Managing Director Larry Grossman. “Obviously on the Republican side, migration and the border that’s the thing that they're pushing very hard to fire everybody up,” Mr Morrow said. “But it looks like the Democrats are going to push abortion, reproductive rights and try to get those suburban voters back, suburban female voters back.

Sky News host James Morrow says the post-modern era allows the “destruction of national symbols” after pro-Palestine protestors were filmed defacing statutes in front of the White House. “Last week we saw the shocking images of statutes vandalised and trashed right outside the White House, defaced by Free Gaza activists,” he said. “Remember this is some of the most policed ground on the planet with everyone from DC Metro and park police to the Secret Service, able to do something about this if given the order.”

Sky News host James Morrow says America and the West are in the middle of a “revolution of thought” with woke ideologies taking over. “America and really the West are in a transformative state right now,” he said. “Just as people were disorientated but didn’t really have words to describe what was going on when they lived through the protestant reformation or the Industrial Revolution – we are in the middle of a new revolution of thought right now.”

CT Group Managing Director Larry Grossman has weighed in on who he thinks will win in Virginia in the 2024 US presidential election. Mr Grossman's comments come as recent polling shows President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump tied in Virginia. “I think the Democrats should, you know, keep an eye on Virginia, but I think on election night, Virginia would be one that people would be surprised if it's not called early for the Democrats,” Mr Grossman told Sky News host James Morrow.

University of Sydney political scientist Professor Simon Jackman analyses Joe Biden’s “gradual decline” since taking office. Mr Jackman said if President Biden puts on a poor performance during the first debate with Donald Trump and has a “major decline” then the Democrats may put another candidate forward. “I've met Biden personally twice now, the first time in 2016,” Mr Jackman told Sky News Australia. “It's been a big eight years. He's a visibly older guy.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi has mocked The View’s “champagne socialist” host Sunny Hostin after she compared Black Republicans to unicorns. Ms Hostin read out statistics to support her claim most Black voters support the Democrats. She also claimed the idea of a Black person voting for Donald Trump is “despicable”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it’s important that the government “gets it right” regarding social media age verification. It comes as the prime minister during a media conference on Friday was asked about the government-funded trial of age-verification technology and when it was supposed to take place. “We need to make sure that we get it right, young people need to be kept smart and safe online,” Mr Albanese said. “What we need to make sure is young people, because they are smart, with VPNs and various methods as well, we need to make sure that any measures designed to keep people safe are effective and that’s why you have a trial.”

Hunter Biden is officially a convicted felon. The president’s son was this week charged with a federal gun conviction, making him the first ever child of a sitting president to be convicted of a crime. Sky News All Stars James Morrow, Liz Storer and Kosha Gada take a deep dive into the conviction, with some commentators arguing Hunter is another victim of the US legal system and others saying the case was a sham and a smokescreen for Hunter Biden’s more serious crimes that will now go untouched.

Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham says he welcomes Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Australia. Mr Li is set to visit Australia on the weekend making it the first visit to Australia by a Chinese premier since 2017. “It is a welcomed visit by Premier Li, and it’s far better as I have said on many occasions for China to engage in dialogue than to pursue standoff,” Mr Birmingham said. Mr Birmingham claimed for the visit to be successful the Albanese government needs to be open and upfront with China. “This visit needs to be one where the Albanese government is open enough and upfront about the global concerns we have in terms of China not using its role to put pressure on Russia and Iran and those who are responsible for such destruction in the globe,” he said.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has gained momentum while campaigning ahead of the July 4 election. After seven failed attempts to get to parliament, Mr Farage is hoping to capitalise on a waning conservative vote, as Labour looks set for a historic victory. The Reform UK party has overtaken the Conservatives in the latest YouGov poll. A survey by YouGov for The Times put Reform UK at 19 per cent, compared to the Conservatives at 18 per cent.

Fans at Taylor Swift's Scotland concerts in Edinburgh last weekend danced so hard, they set off earthquake monitors. Seismic activity was recorded up to six kilometres away during the three gigs with 70,000 fans attending each night. According to readings, the seismic activity reached its peak during the song ‘Ready For It’. Smash hits ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Champagne Problems’ and ‘Shake It Off’ also triggered significant activity.

Shadow Veterans Affairs Minister Barnaby Joyce says CFMEU leader John Setka will win his war against the AFL as the Prime Minster and his party are too “weak” and “scared” to stand up to him. It comes as the Prime Minister has said it would be “common sense” for the CFMEU boss to drop his threats against the AFL. Mr Setka is asking the AFL to sack its head of umpiring, who is the former boss of the building watchdog. “The powerful will do as they do, the weak will suffer as they must" Mr Joyce told Sky News. “Fortunately, our Prime Minister is in the latter group, and the weak will always be beaten by the bully. “Mr Setka, obviously, you know what it is, its thuggery, it’s bullying, it’s stand over tactics, but we just don’t have the wit, nor the strength in Mr Albanese, or anybody else. “They’re scared of him, let’s be frank.”

Russia’s Vladimir Putin is one of the few European leaders who isn’t nervous about the prospect of a Trump presidency reveals Sky News Australia US analyst Michael Ware. Mr Ware’s comments come as former US President Donald Trump has returned to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate and House Republicans to discuss the policies he will be implementing, should he be elected for a second term. “In Europe, the only people who would want to see a Trump administration are the Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Orban in Hungary," Mr Ware said. “Everyone else is very nervous.”

Shareholders of Tesla have just voted in favour of Elon Musk's astonishing $70 billion pay-deal. The $46 billion US deal gives Musk more power in an appeal against a Court decision that reversed it initially. A gleeful Musk celebrated the result in Delaware, hopping on stage and saying, ‘hot damn, I love you guys!’

European stock markets in France and Germany both fell around two per cent amid the current political uncertainty, says CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski. It comes as recent elections in Europe saw a bolstering of far-right parties. “There are a couple of things troubling European investors, not least of which is the political uncertainty at the moment,” Mr Piotrowski said. “European interest rates pushed higher and that created problems for the French and German markets in particular they were down by about two per cent.” Presented by CommSec.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce discusses how sticking to Labor’s 2030 emissions reduction targets will increase the cost of energy. “If you’re in a house and you can’t keep warm, and I said to you, what’s important to you? You’d say I can’t afford my power bill, mate,” Mr Joyce told Sky News host James Macpherson. “When poverty walks in the door, love flies out the window, and love for so much in regard to your 2030 targets that’s gone.”

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce discusses new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealing Australia is taking 10,000 immigrants per week. “It’s not an argument against people’s creed or colour; it is an argument on just the logic of it,” Mr Joyce told Sky News host James Macpherson. “You can’t do this unless you want to get them into regional areas, and to get them into regional areas, you got to invest in dams and the roads and the infrastructure. “If you don’t do that … they are going to the middle of Sydney, they are going to south west suburbs of Sydney, they are going to the middle of Melbourne, they are going to the middle of Brisbane.”

Sky News host Liz Storer says women “dumb enough to believe in white male privilege” were asked to give an example of said privilege. “You can’t describe it, can you? Because it doesn’t exist,” Ms Storer said.  “They’re one of the most demonised demographics nowadays; it’s utterly ridiculous.”

Sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand discusses the controversial ANZ plan that allows wealthy customers based in 145 postcodes to borrow up to 95 per cent of a property’s value without mortgage insurance. “They are making property and homes more affordable for the people who can most afford them,” Mr Hildebrand said. “I’m sure the teals will be up in arms because these are both teal electorates, by the way - Toorak and Point Piper - so I’m sure the teals will be fighting for this vital social justice benchmark.”