CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski says there was a “pensive note” in United States markets ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision. “Not quite 0.4 per cent is the decline that we’re expecting for the ASX 200,” Mr Piotrowski told Sky News Australia. “So, that comes following what was a genuinely constructive session in the Northern Hemisphere overnight, although there was a pensive note ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates. “So, this time tomorrow morning we’ll be talking about what the Fed has done and, in the midst of that, there was little conviction one way or the other, either lower or higher, for stocks.” Presented by CommSec.

Militant group Hezbollah reports 11 people have died when hundreds of handheld pagers simultaneously exploded in Lebanon. Beirut is accusing Israel of what appears to be a sophisticated attack which has injured almost 4000 people. The attack began on Tuesday afternoon when the pagers belonging to Hezbollah fighters started exploding. Lebanon says it's the 'biggest security breach' the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel. The Biden administration is calling on both sides to resist an escalation.

The first rate cuts since May of 2022 are predicted to take place early next year as experts reignite rumours of another property boom. The ASX RBA target rate tracker is expecting a rate cut of 25 basis points in February. Three more cuts are then anticipated by August next year. The cuts are based on forecast drops from US interest rates, which would increase the Australian dollar and give the RBA confidence to drop the cash rate.

New polling suggests the housing crisis could cost Victoria Labor another term in government. According to the Redbridge data, 30 per cent of Victorians would vote for Labor - while 40 per cent are backing the Coalition. 13 per cent are supporting the Greens, and 17 per cent are picking a different candidate. Almost 70 per cent of respondents say the state government is not doing enough to make housing cheaper. This is despite Labor promising to create 80,000 new homes every year for a decade.

The Prime Minister is defending his government’s policies after facing criticism from big business. The Business Council of Australia has launched an attack on the Albanese government over industrial relations laws, regulations and taxes. “It may be popular to bash big business, but in doing so, we are making success taboo in this country,” Business Council of Australia President Geoff Culbert said.

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes says the Albanese government appears to be “unravelling day by day”. It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has threatened a double dissolution election in an attempt to put pressure on the Coalition and Greens senators blocking housing reforms. “It is just insanity on steroids. It is an absolute rabble in the senate this week. They've turned up for a senate -only sitting week, put up their … most pathetic bill that no -one in the chamber is supporting, like no -one except Labor,” Ms Hughes told Sky News host Paul Murray. “They are behaving like petulant children. It's now two days into a four-day sitting week, and we haven't even got to the committee stage of this bill. It's just going nowhere and nowhere incredibly fast.”

Former US president Donald Trump has taken aim at the Democrat Party’s rhetoric following the second attempt on his life. Sky News host James Macpherson noted some Democrats have allegedly put out comments which could be “inciting violence”. “Pages and pages of receipts from Democrats who clearly have been ramping up this rhetoric.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond discusses the UN’s cybercrime convention set to give governments across the world “unprecedented ability” to share online data to combat serious crime. “But the threshold for deciding what a serious crime is that two governments agree that a crime is serious,” Mr Bond said. “So that could be anything?”

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes has commented on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's “ludicrous” decision to refuse to rule out the possibility of a double dissolution election. Prime Minister on Tuesday threatened a double dissolution election in a bid to heap pressure on Opposition and crossbench senators blocking housing reforms. “It's just ludicrous because if you actually sit down and do the math of what's required for a double dissolution, and that's the second defeat of a bill after three months and then six months before the next election's due, he would actually have to recall parliament in order to put a bill he would know would fail in order to generate the trigger for a double dissolution,” Ms Hughes told Sky News host Paul Murray. “It is just insanity on steroids.”

AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein says the UN has put forward an “ultra-extreme” draft resolution for Israel and Palestine. Joe Biden’s government is urging Australia to say no to a draft UN resolution by the Palestinian authority. The draft demands an unconditional withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank.

Nuclear for Australia Will Shackel says people are “waking up to the facts” about nuclear energy. Mr Shackel discussed with Sky News host Andrew Bolt the lack of radiation from living near nuclear plants. “There are simple facts which prove that nuclear is reliable, that it is clean, that it is safe.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi reacts to Tim Walz's wife, Gwen Walz, delivering a "deranged" rant about Donald Trump.

Sky News host Rita Panahi says there’s more “explosive revelations” about the Secret Service from the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump. “The New York Post is reporting the agent in charge of the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was known to be incompetent and failed a key examination during their federal law enforcement training,” she said. “How can the Secret Service be that incompetent? We’ve also learned this week their intelligence units were absent from the Butler rally, and even after the shooting, they made enormous errors in not properly securing the hospital where president Trump was receiving treatment.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi says there’s been a “lack of accountability” for Democrats spouting the most “reckless, inflammatory” rhetoric about Donald Trump. This comes after Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested on Sunday (local time) and charged with firearm offences after the Secret Service thwarted what is believed to be a second attempt on Mr Trump’s life. “If there were two attempts against Kamala Harris’ life in as many months, every single Republican, every single media identity who had been heavily critical of her would be under scrutiny,” Ms Panahi said. “Their rhetoric would be questioned.”

A legendary Labor figure and the business community have unleashed on the Albanese Government accusing the party of “losing its way”. In a major speech tonight, the Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black who represents some of the country's biggest businesses claimed many executives "feel we are losing our way" economically under Labor’s workplace laws and industry regulation. Sky News host Sharri Markson has discussed the stoush between the Business Council of Australia and the Albanese Labor government. “They've finally woken up,” Ms Sharri said. “Radical policy decisions taken across industrial relations, foreign policy, national security and environmental laws are now coming home to roost for Albanese and they very well may cost him the next election.”

Australia’s farming sector has gained confidence in the third quarter after improved livestock prices and increased winter rain in many regions. A variety of commodities apart from cotton has ticked up across all states. Rabobank senior macro strategist Ben Piction told Sky News Australia seasonal conditions were “challenging” earlier this year, but improved circumstances have created a “bounce”. “Broadly, if you’re in farming, more rain is a good thing,” Mr Picton said.

CommSec’s market analyst Laura Besarati discusses the ASX 200 benchmark hitting a new record high. “Today, we did touch those levels around lunchtime,” Ms Besarati told Sky News Business Reporter Edward Boyd. “We only beat the previous record by about two points.”

Future Made in Australia assistant minister Tim Ayres says he does not believe the innovation fund is at odds with the BCA. “I don’t think the BCA with respect is attacking Future Made in Australia,” Mr Ayres told Sky News Australia. “Every discussion I’ve had with business around this question is that they understand how important this is for Australia’s future both in terms of our national security and economic resilience. “We are listening carefully. “Our partnership with the business community in areas like Future Made in Australia ... are making sure we get Australia where it needs to be in terms of skills and workforce and future comparative advantage.”

The Trump Campaign has released a new ad featuring Democrat leaders using "violent rhetoric" after the second assassination attempt on the former US president.

Former First Lady Hillary Clinton has been slammed for her comments about how the media should treat Donald Trump. Clinton’s comments come only a day after the former president survived a second assassination attempt on his life. A clip of the 76-year-old’s interview with MSNBC was posted to X, with social media users criticising Clinton’s comments. Hillary chose to deliver this message one day after a 2nd attempt on Trump's life. She knows exactly what she's doing. This is deliberate and calculated,” wrote one user. On Sunday, Trump faced a second attempt on his life after the alleged gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, was spotted in the bushes. Routh was fired upon by a Secret Service agent before fleeing, but the would-be assassin was eventually arrested.