The Australian’s Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton says it’s not just the polls that favour Donald Trump to become the next president, it’s also the betting markets. “If you look at the real clear average of the major eight bookies that take bets on the election, Donald Trump is something like a 51 per cent chance of winning,” he told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. “Joe Biden is something like 40 per cent.”

Vivek Ramaswamy has taken to X to unleash on the Hunter Biden guilty verdict, calling it a ‘sham.’ ‘This trial was a sham. Just like the Trump trial was a sham, but it was a sham for different reasons,’ he said.

Sky News host Rita Panahi has rinsed the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him a ‘Neo-Marxist Ken doll.’

Sky News host Rita Panahi says US President Joe Biden was ‘glitching’ at an event celebrating Juneteenth in Washington DC.

Filmmaker Ami Horowitz says Joe Biden is clearly struggling to function after a series of gaffes over the past few days. ‘The deterioration is so clear,’ he said.

A woman has claimed ‘trans people experience time completely differently’ due to a concept called ‘queer temporality.’

Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli says Queenslanders are living the Miles government’s “failures”. “Queenslanders have lived this government’s failures, and they are living it today,” Mr Crisafulli said during his budget reply speech on Thursday. “The victims of these crises can’t forget. “To this Labor government, I say to them, victims of the housing crisis matter, victims of the cost of living crisis matter, victims of the health crisis matter, and victims of the youth crime crisis – they matter.”

Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli has hit out at the Queensland government’s “multi-billion-dollar fantasy” Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project. Mr Crisafulli, during his state budget reply, claimed that if elected, the Liberal National Party of Queensland will not go ahead with the pumped hydro scheme. "The government does not have a credible plan; they have a multi-billion dollar fantasy based on the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project, a project energy experts and environmentalists believe just won't happen," Mr Crisafulli said. "Massive cost blowouts on this project will unavoidably drive up the price of power. "This is a project without direct funding, no approvals, no social license from the local community; it will inevitably lead to higher prices for consumers. "There's a difference between responsibly supporting budgets supply and honouring underway fully funded programs and backing exorbitant thought bubbles."

Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood says the US Federal Reserve keeping its cash rate on hold “changes political dynamics” and will benefit whoever wins the 2024 election. “As we heard from Peter Dutton earlier, it plays into the hands of Donald Trump, saying they can actually handle the economy better. “Bear in mind post the election, whoever wins then probably gets the benefits of all those rate cuts that will come and help the economy and take pressure off families.”

Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli has revealed cost of living is a priority for the Liberal National Party of Queensland during his state budget reply. “Cost of living is a priority for the LNP because it’s a priority for Queenslanders,” Mr Crisafulli said. “We're living through the steepest cost of living pressures in this country because of the failures of this government,” he said. Although the Queensland Opposition leader welcomed the state government's short-term solutions to cost-of-living he said more need to be done to address the long-term issues that the Queensland Labor Party have “embedded”. "Our first step is a commitment to a maintenance guarantee on our power plants," he said. "The maintenance guarantee will ensure the necessary work required to keep our power plants up and running and that it'll be there to deliver cost-of-living relief. "Where we differ with the government is a focus on driving real reform to lowering the underlying cost of government services things like electricity and water."

Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli has blasted the Queensland government for not doing “what mattered when it mattered”. “The government’s slogan for this budget is ‘Doing what matters’, yet they are now telling Queenslanders what they have done in the past no longer matters,” Mr Crisafulli said during his budget reply speech on Thursday. “The record shows this government did not do what mattered when it mattered. “Queenslanders are paying for that fact today.”

Former Labor senator Stephen Conroy says Opposition leader Peter Dutton is able to “attack from all sides” because he does “not” have a policy. Mr Dutton said he would not quit the Paris Accord or give up on net zero. It is understood Mr Dutton's recent dismissal of the 2030 climate target was due to the goal being unachievable. “The majority of the Australian public has demonstrated, by the last election … that we need to move to renewables, and they would like to move to them as fast as we can,” Mr Conroy told Sky News host Paul Murray. “The challenge for Labor has always been … is that it absolutely says gas has to be part of this transition. “Peter Dutton’s position of saying I’m not going to tell you – it’s too hard to do out of government. “I’ve seen experiments like this before – not having a policy – you’re able to attack from all sides, frankly.”

Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick says the Australian government needs to discuss the safety of gender identity services for children. This follows the American College of Paediatricians urging medical bodies to abandon support for gender-affirming care for transgender youths. “The interesting thing about what they said in the US was they were also referring to social transitioning,” Mr Limbrick told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “Which is not medically involved but it’s also, as was pointed out in the Cass review, a serious active intervention that needs to be considered carefully. “And in Victoria, we don’t do that.”

Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick says Australia has its “head in the sand” regarding handling gender identity services for children. This follows the American College of Paediatricians urging medical bodies to abandon support for gender-affirming care for transgender youths. “We’ve had many of these reviews now, like the Cass review, and many countries have been doing a U-turn… but Australia just seems to be putting its head in the sand,” Mr Limbrick told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “There was a response from the health minister for the Victorian government just recently in response to a petition on this topic and they basically just said everything’s going fine. “Governments, they’ve been captured by these activists. “They have to face reality - that what’s happening is being questioned, and we need to look it at much more seriously.”

A massive blaze has erupted within a liquid asphalt storage facility at an oil refinery in Iraq’s northern city of Erbil. According to local media, witnesses heard three explosions before the outbreak of the fire. A dozen firefighting teams are trying to put it out. All the workers managed to escape early. No casualties have been reported thus far.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Opposition leader Peter Dutton will “damage our economy” if he rips up the Albanese government’s emissions targets. Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he will not quit the Paris Accord or give up on net zero. It is understood Mr Dutton's recent dismissal of the 2030 climate target was due to the goal being unachievable. “Peter Dutton’s a very risky proposition when it comes to the economy, and I think this commentary shows that once again,” Mr Chalmers told Sky News Australia. “If he rips up emissions targets, that will send a shiver up the spine of the Australian investment community. “One of the reasons we have these targets is to provide certainty to investors, to businesses and to workers so everybody knows our ambition, and everybody knows what we’re working towards. “If Peter Dutton rips that up, it will create extreme investor uncertainty; it will damage our economy, and our workers, businesses, employers and investors will be poorer for it.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond says there is a “genocide” being conducted on Australian chickens. “We know there are only five outbreaks currently in Victoria of bird flu – they have been contained,” he said. “A genocide is being perpetrated upon the chickens in order to stop the proliferation of bird flu.”

Former speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop discusses South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas' announcement to ban political donations. "I think the idea of eliminating donations just widens the gap between those who are in power or elected, even those in opposition from the people who are being governed," she told Sky News host Paul Murray. "It is morally wrong in a democracy."

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says the Central Land Council booked flights out on the only day they are “supposed to be available”. “The Central Land Council decided to book their flight out in the middle of the day,” she said. “On the only day that’s held for the Indigenous portfolio where all land councils are supposed to be available.”

Sky News Caleb Bond discusses the US President's son Hunter Biden's gun charges. "Trump got done for the hush money stuff because it might have influenced the presidential election," Mr Bond said. "Now, sort of tit for tat, we got over here proof as well that the justice system is total unbiased because we got Hunter Biden on something, you know, but there is a lot of other stuff  that they could well have gone him for and chose not to do."