Sky News host Peta Credlin has slammed the Albanese government for being “weak” on China by not doing anything at a political level to signal displeasure with Beijing following the flare stunt over the weekend. A Chinese fighter jet dropped flares in front of an Australian Navy helicopter in international waters off the coast of South Korea on Saturday evening. Defence Minister Richard Marles has labelled the incident ‘both unsafe and unprofessional’. “So far, the Chinese military haven't killed any of our service personnel, yet the risk is real given they have deliberately and callously put them in harm's way,” Ms Credlin said. “When this incident was uncovered by the media, remember, the government didn't call a press conference here to disclose it; Defence Minister Richard Marles … admitted that the action by the Chinese military was unsafe and unacceptable. “The Australian Prime Minister might have talked tough when pushed on the threat to our military from the Chinese fighter jet but done nothing at all – nothing at all at a political level to signal Australia’s displeasure with the Chinese. “Any wonder, given how weak this Labor government is when it comes to China, that we then get this response from Beijing - an arrogant declaration that whatever happened, it was Australia's fault for daring to be in international waters close to China.”

Newsweek senior editor-at-large Josh Hammer highlights how crime in the United States has been decreasing from a “catastrophic baseline” when President Joe Biden took office. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed under Joe Biden’s leadership, violent crime is at a nearly 50-year low. “Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement and community leaders … Americans are safer from violent crime today than they were a year ago,” she said. Mr Hammer hit out at the “gaslighting” being done by the Biden administration. “America was essentially a crime cesspool for 2020 into 2021,” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “So that is relevant when you're talking about crime decreasing because it's all relative to where you started.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi says “woke madness” is infecting boy scout groups in the United States after Boy Scouts of America changed its name to Scouting America. “It sends this really strong message to everyone in America that they can come to this program, they can be their authentic self, they can be who they are and they will be welcomed here,” Boy Scouts of America CEO. Newsweek senior editor-at-large Josh Hammer said the move goes to show how fast the “woke mind virus” makes its way through all the major institutions. He added that the group was traditionally a more conservative organisation trying to teach boys how to be men. “Now they are just trying to kind of toe the line that you have to toe and imbibe all the various tenets of the woke catechism,” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “Obviously when you get to the point where you are literally just eradicating any differences between male and female, ultimately what do you stand for as a society?”

Newsweek senior editor-at-large Josh Hammer says Florida has become a “burgeoning scene” for conservatism after Fox News host Sean Hannity announced he would be moving to Palm Beach. The Fox News host listed his Long Island property for $13.75 million after he announced he would be relocating from New York to Florida. “The last year for which we have data on this point, people are flooding into the Sunbelt,” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “They're flooding into states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee, the Carolinas because people just want good governance, they want same policy, they want their parents to be in control of their children's curricula when their kids are at school. “I'm biased as a Floridian, but perhaps above all some people just want nice warm weather as well.”

Shadow Water Minister Perin Davey has questioned why the Albanese government is spending money on something state governments can spend money on. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed $33.5 million towards planning works to support the development of Westport in Western Australia. A further $566 million has been pledged for deposits of critical minerals and rare earths for renewable energy technologies. “This is the job that state governments should be doing, Western Australian governments should be doing, and, indeed, I would be highly surprised if the Western Australian government didn’t already know where their critical minerals resources are actually located,” Ms Davey told Sky News Australia. “Why are the federal government duplicating and spending money on something the states can spend money on when we can then turn our attention, as the federal government, to providing investment incentives for private enterprise to actually value-add to those critical resources.”

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan discusses rising anti-Semitism in Australia. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in Australia, with pro-Palestine protests continuing around the country. “It’s very clear what it means, and it means that people are chanting that they want to see Israel eliminated,” Mr Tehan said. “That has no place in the Australian community and should have been condemned by the Prime Minister from the very start. “We’re seeing a breakdown of social cohesion in this nation.”

Shadow Water Minister Perin Davey has called on the government to show “restraint” in its budget and “actually reduce” inflationary pressures in the economy. Next week’s federal budget will include a $25 billion improvement in tax collections over four years. Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down the budget on Tuesday, May 14. “We need to see restraint,” Ms Davey told Sky News Australia. “We need to see moves that will actually reduce the inflationary pressures. “We need to reduce red tape. “We need to incentivise private enterprise because that’s the way to get out of the situation we are currently in.”

Shadow Water Minister Perin Davey has called out the Albanese government for “homegrown inflation” which Australians are “suffering through”. Next week’s federal budget will include a $25 billion improvement in tax collections over four years. Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down the budget on Tuesday, May 14. “The first and the best way to address the cost of living is to address inflation, and that’s what we’ve seen from this government,” Ms Davey told Sky News Australia. “In the last two budgets, all we’ve seen is moves that actually exacerbate inflation. “We know that it is now homegrown inflation that we are suffering through here in Australia; it’s not been repeated around the world.”

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan discusses the Albanese government’s tougher immigration detention laws. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hopes the government’s tougher immigration detention laws will pass when parliament resumes next week. A Senate inquiry recommended the parliament pass a bill granting the government powers to jail non-citizens resisting deportation and block visa applications from specific countries. “We support the intent of the bill,” Mr Tehan told Sky News Australia. “We’ve put forward 17 recommendations to improve the bill.” “We will not follow the government’s approach to immigration and border security, which is chaotic, botched, hopeless, hapless.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on his condemnation of the anti-Israel slogan “from the river to the sea”. Former ASIO director-general Dennis Richardson warned the statement is “very violent” as it calls for the effective destruction of Israel as a Jewish statement. The Prime Minister agreed the phrase had “no place” on the streets of Australia as anti-Israel protests rage on across the country. Mr Albanese made the remarks as part of an upcoming Sky News Australia documentary, ‘Never Again: The Fight Against Antisemitism’. The documentary will premiere Tuesday, 28 May, at 7.00pm AEST.

Independent Senator David Pocock says the government should “double” the size of the Housing Australia Future Fund. Mr Pocock said the government should also talk to “community housing providers”. “There is actually capacity within the community housing providers to build more social and affordable housing,” Mr Pocock told Sky News Australia. “The government should absolutely double that. “We have to start to turn this ship around.”

Ukraine’s security service claims it stopped a Russian FSB plot to kill President Volodymyr Zelensky. Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels were allegedly hired as moles by the Russian state security service. Ukraine alleges they plotted to determine the President’s location and to attack with rockets, drones and anti-tank grenades. According to the head of Ukraine’s security service, an attack on Mr Zelensky was supposed to be a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his inauguration. The news comes as Mr Putin has been sworn in for another six-year term.

Sky News Australia can reveal there’s been no attempt by any minister in the Albanese government to have a conversation with China’s government about a confrontation in the Yellow Sea.  This comes after a fighter jet from the People’s Liberation Army-Air Force dropped flares in the immediate flight path of an ADF Seahawk conducting routine operations off HMAS Hobart in the Yellow Sea on Saturday night.  “Government sources have told me that the contact that has occurred has between the defence forces, defence official to defence official, and the foreign affairs department to foreign affairs department,” Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell said.  “The stance of the Albanese government, at the moment, is to now await a formal and official response from the Chinese government after which there might be that ministerial representation.”

Liberal MP Keith Wolahan says families “can’t afford” an increase in interest rates. Mr Wolahan says bringing the inflation number down is like a “five-kilometre race”. “We’re in the last kilometre, and that is the hardest kilometre of all,” Mr Wolahan told Sky News Australia. “The Reserve Bank has done all that it can. “I think it has sent a warning to this government in the budget do not increase the pressure that will ultimately lead to the Reserve Bank potentially having to increase rates, and families just can’t afford that. “They just don’t have any capacity to pay more.”

The parents of Jake and Callum Robinson, the two Australian brothers who were murdered alongside their American friend, have broken their silence this morning. The ring leader of the Mexican nationals behind the murder of the brothers Jesus Gerardo Garica Cota, also known as El Kekas, will have a hearing on Thursday in Mexico, and during the hearing, it is very likely the charges will be upgraded to murder. “I would just like to start with some important thank yous,” Martin Robinson said in a public statement. “Particularly those friends and family of ours in Australia and the US who have sent us overwhelming support and wishes. “We’d like to acknowledge that they have been a massive support to us over the last few days.”

CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski says the ASX 200 is predicted to start the day up on Wednesday. “The Futures are telling us that the ASX 200 will be up by around 0.2 of a per cent when we kick off later on this morning,” he told Sky News Australia. “The prize there I suppose is consolidating on the very impressive 1.4 per cent improvement that we saw yesterday in local trade. “The bottom line in terms of that gain was that the Reserve Bank yesterday could have been a lot more hawkish in its commentary – it wasn’t.” Presented by CommSec.

Stormy Daniels has given testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump. The former US president denies falsifying business records in an attempt to pay off Ms Daniels to keep their affair secret. Mr Trump is currently facing this trial while also campaigning for the 2024 presidential election. Reportedly, Mr Trump’s lawyers argued for a mistrial while the court took a lunch break. However, the judge listened to the arguments and denied the request.

Israel’s Defence Force has seized control of the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s side. However, humanitarian organisations are concerned the latest developments could see the movement of important aid cut off. There are concerns from the international community that Israel now plans to expand its military operations into Rafah. However, Rafah holds many Palestinian civilians fleeing the IDF’s war with Hamas. The move comes after Hamas reportedly agreed to a ceasefire which Israel has not yet agreed to.

Prince Harry has arrived in the UK for a ceremony marking ten years of the Invictus Games. However, the Prince will not see his father the King while he is in the country. There has been major speculation over whether Prince Harry would see his father again after he made a brief visit to the King following his cancer diagnosis. A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex has confirmed however that Prince Harry will not be visiting his father during his trip in the UK. The spokesperson cited it was due to the King’s full program of commitments that a visit between the two could not be scheduled.

Sky News host Rita Panahi has blasted an “ungrateful” woman whinging about how supportive her parents were when she was growing up. The woman in the video said her parents showing up at all her events sometimes felt “excessive” and “repetitive”. “What makes this lean more towards the negative in my opinion in terms of behaviour is that if I ever didn’t want them to show up to every single showing of something, that was considered to be disrespectful,” she said. She added that it was a pattern of “controlling behaviour” for “narcissistic” parents. Ms Panahi branded her a “pampered little princess” for complaining about her childhood.