Sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand has criticised the “most insane plan” requiring Australians to seek out prescriptions for nicotine vapes because it will “cripple” a stretched GP system and will make it easier for people to buy cigarettes. 450,000 more Australians are expected to get prescriptions for vapes each year, which will require almost a million new GP visits, according to a newly released Health Department analysis, which backs the government’s world-first vape reform. However, it is expected if the regime becomes too cumbersome, young people could turn to tobacco. “You’ve already got a situation where it’s impossible to find a bulk-billing doctor if you can find a doctor at all,” Mr Hildebrand said. “This is just the most insane plan I have ever heard in my life. “It will cripple an already stretched GP system; it will make it easier for people to buy cigarettes from a 7-Eleven, which we know will kill you – cigarettes will kill two-thirds of the people who smoke them. “Vaping – there is not much evidence there; there is a lot we don’t know, but it is almost certain, and the evidence we do have is maybe it’s about a 10th as bad for you as smoking tobacco.”

Sky News host Paul Murray says Donald Trump is so dominant in the Republican party that only a court is going to stop him. Mr Murray’s remarks come after Donald Trump claimed a record victory in Iowa, securing his comeback to United States politics. Mr Trump's win has further cemented his position as the frontrunner in the race for the party's nomination. More than 50 per cent of Iowa caucusgoers voted for Mr Trump. The Iowa caucuses mark the first contest in the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar.

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee discusses polling showing a majority of voters in three key electorates support a lifting of the nuclear ban – including Chris Bowen's own electorate. Mr Galilee said the strength of the support surprises him. “It was very consistent at around 70 per cent across McMahon, Bennelong and Wentworth,” he told Sky News host Steve Price. “And those three MPS have been outspoken against nuclear power, of course Chris Bowen in particular. “I was a little surprised that it was that strong but there’s certainly a message in that for those MPs and for Minister Bowen in particular, that perhaps they’re out of step with the voters in their own electorates.”

Sky News host Sharri Markson says Donald Trump has taken a “commanding” and historic lead in his Iowa win. “The vote is in; former president Donald Trump took a commanding and historic lead in the Iowa caucuses,” Ms Markson said. “It is thought he’s going to have won by the largest margin ever against a rival in that state. “Ron DeSantis, projected to win in the Iowa silver – coming in at second place – Nikki Haley a few points behind.” Ms Markson sat down with The Australian’s Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton to discuss Donald Trump’s win in the Iowa caucus.

Sky News host Rowan Dean says Visit Victoria's new tourism campaign called ‘Every Bit Different’ shows the state is after the “pick-haired” and “kale-eating crowds”. They say it aims to showcase the state as a place of incredible diversity, passion and creativity. “Clearly, they’re after the pink-haired mob with the café latte, kale-eating crowds,” Mr Dean told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “They claim that Victoria is a bit different – there’s plenty of other places in Australia that can boast their progressive inner city coffee crowds. “What amused me about this ad is they start off with the claim there is something a bit different about Victoria – well, this is true. “What they then failed is to deliver … where are all the shots of those beautiful, kind of progressive, modern scenes of people delighting in the absence of public housing to live in doorways in the CBD.”

The Australian’s Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton says former United States president Donald Trump has done “better than the polls” had shown in his Iowa caucus win. “It just shows you that they have paid no attention to the mainstream media,” Mr Creighton told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “[They] ignored all the endorsements from various congressmen and governors of the other candidates, and they have done their own thing; they clearly don’t care about all the indictments. “His support’s just been extraordinarily resilient – he has done better than the polls.” Mr Creighton sat down with Ms Markson to discuss United States politics and Donald Trump’s win at the Iowa caucus.

South Africa’s claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza is “inverting reality on its head”, says Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Executive Director Colin Rubenstein. Mr Rubenstein’s comments are in reference to South Africa taking Israel to the United Nations' International Court of Justice over accusations of genocide in Gaza. “This is inverting reality on its head, if anyone’s committing genocide here it’s absolutely Hamas," he told Sky News Australia contributor Steve Price. “It’s got genocide in its charter, written all over its face and in its actions. “To destroy Israel and kill as many Jews as possible.”

Donald Trump has won the Iowa caucuses just shortly after voting began, securing his comeback to United States politics. Mr Trump's win has further cemented his position as the frontrunner in the race for the party's nomination. With more than 50 per cent of Iowa caucus goers voted for Mr Trump. Sky News Washington Correspondent Annelise Nielsen said the win for Donald Trump in Iowa was a "resounding success" for the former US president. "When you look at the polling this is a resounding success for Donald Trump in Iowa, he's won every single county in the state and that's no small feat," she told Sky News contributor Steve Price. "It shows he still has that real capture of the Republican party."

Sky News host Steve Price says he has never seen someone lose their "self-confidence" as quickly as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “Australians want – indeed demand – strong leadership, just think John Howard or Bob Hawke or Tony Abbot, no-one was ever in any doubt where people like that stood on an issue,” Mr Price said. “Tell me though as we enter what looks like being a tough 2024, tell me what does Anthony Albanese actually stand for? “Examples – Australia Day, January 26th. We have had some weasel words from the PM – basically he says Australia Day is on January 26 but where is his full throated support for our national day? “He’s embarrassed by his Yes vote failure where 60 per cent of us said we want no part of your Voice. The PM clearly doesn't want to be tied to the date of January 26th." Mr Price said Mr Albanese isn’t strong enough to even “prosecute the case for change”.

Australia was not approached by Nauru for more money to operate an immigration detention centre on the island. It's believed a funding spat with Taiwan contributed to Nauru's decision to sever diplomatic ties. Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said Nauru gave Canberra advanced notice it was establishing ties with China. There are now just 11 nations around the world that recognise Taiwan as an independent nation. Australia is not one of those 11 nations, also recognising Taiwan as a province of China.

Mining giant Rio Tinto expects China’s economy to gradually recover in the second half of 2024 due to Chinese policymakers continuing to provide stimulus to the infrastructure sector. Rio Tinto says the world’s second-largest economy began to stabilise in the fourth quarter, with an increase in the production of vehicles and consumer goods helping to offset the prolonged weakness in the property market. Rio Tinto posted its annual production update on Tuesday, with the company shipping 332 million tonnes of iron ore in 2023 – up three per cent on the year prior. During the December quarter, iron ore prices rose 17 per cent to an average price of $US129 per tonne. Rio Tinto will report its full-year profit results next month.

Indonesia was proven to be the top holiday destination for Australians in November, according to the latest ABS data. Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond has pointed out, however, that the flights would have been booked “well in advance”. Ms Osmond noted this means there wouldn’t have been a “great deal of spontaneity” in the destination choice. “So they were probably a reflection of cheap deals that were offered much earlier in the year when people made that decision,” she told Sky News Australia. “So when we asked people just before Christmas what their intentions were, for the first time in about longer than I can remember, Bali was not in the top five of places that people were intending to go.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Foreign Minister Penny Wong is going to visit Israel and will speak to the family and friends of the hostages. Ms Wong touched down in Jordan at about 5am on Tuesday to begin her tour of the Middle East, which will include stops in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the United Arab Emirates. The Foreign Minister has attracted criticism for deciding not to visit kibbutzim, which saw horrific violence during Hamas’ October 7 attacks. “Penny Wong is visiting Israel - she’s speaking to the family and friends of the hostages,” Mr Albanese said during a media conference on Tuesday. “Both those people who have been released but also the families who quite rightly want people released.”

USSC Foreign Policy and Defence Director Professor Peter Dean says the Labor government boosting Australia’s plan for guided missile manufacture is a “very positive move”. The government announced a significant boost to Australia's plan for domestic guided weapons manufacturing and acquisitions. “The guided weapons enterprise is a key pillar of the strategy that’s embedded within the Defence Strategic Review that the government has adopted,” he told Sky News Australia. “So along with programs like AUKUS and, of course, other programs to develop capability, this is really going to sit at the centre of what Australia’s developing for its defence and security going forward. “As we’ve seen from the lessons from Ukraine, for instance, that not only are these particular capabilities – the prism missiles, GMLRS missiles that are launched out of the HMAS batteries are particularly important on the battlefield, the ability to manufacture them domestically is absolutely key to Australia’s sovereign defence capability.”

Scott County GOP Chair Jeanita McNulty reveals the number one issue motivating Iowa Republican voters. Early results for the Iowa caucuses show Donald Trump is the clear frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Ms McNulty told Sky News Australia the key issue Iowans are concerned with is the nation’s border. “The border affects everything,” she said. “It affects the economy which effects Iowans when they go to the grocery store, when they go to the gas station – everyone is connected to a wide open border.”

Hollywood actress and activist Susan Sarandon has been criticised for her new post about the Israel-Hamas war. Ms Sarandon posted a message on ‘X’ which read, “Don’t let anyone tell you it started on October 7th 2023”. It was posted one day after the 100-day anniversary of the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Some people responded to the post describing it as “anti-Semitic”. “Imagine the good you could do if you just exhibited empathy for both sides of this conflict, and called out Hamas for its uniquely horrific actions, and its responsibility for setting off what ensued,” one user wrote. Ms Sarandon apologised last year for comments she made at pro-Palestine rally, where she declared American Jews “are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim" amid a rise in anti-Semitism.

Parts of Queensland stare down the barrel of a fresh cyclone threat, two Queensland men killed in a plane crash on Sunday identified, the City of Sydney council confiscate a banned coat of arms flag, geopolitics and AI set to dominate World Economic Forum discussions, thousands of German farmers descend on Berlin in protest, stars gather on the red carpet for the 75th Emmy Awards, and Lionel Messi has been named FIFA's best men's player.  See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Two men injured in a Sydney truck crash, Houthi rebels claim responsibility for a missile strike on a U.S. container ship near Yemen, Hamas release a new video announcing the death of two Israeli hostages, the bushfire emergency north of Perth has been downgraded to a Watch and Act, an 83 year old man has died in a unit fire in Adelaide, and NSW residents could soon benefit from a new cost of living relief package.   See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Former White House deputy chief of staff Emma Doyle says the rurality of Donald Trump’s supporters in Iowa may cut into his lead and “damage momentum” ahead of the caucuses. “Based on the polling I’ve seen, I don’t think there is a way for Haley to catch him,” Ms Doyle told Sky News Australia. “Although, a strong showing coming in second would certainly benefit her going into the next primary in New Hampshire. “Iowa isn’t really about the number of delegates to win the nomination; it’s really about showing that a candidate is viable and has enough support to keep going and maintain a campaign to the next couple of primaries.” The mid-western state of Iowa will today become the first in the United States to cast a ballot, to decide the Republican nominee for President this coming November.

Crews are working to clear a major Sydney road after two trucks collided earlier this morning. Two men had to be freed after the smash at Berkshire Park around 5:30am on Tuesday morning. SES crews were one of the first to respond to beginning the difficult task of cutting the truck drivers out of the mangled mess followed by Fire and Rescue crews. One of the truck drivers was in a much worse condition and required much more assistance from paramedics. Due to the driver's severe condition, he was airlifted to Westmead Hospital.