Former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey says the 2024 US presidential election is “being fought on personalities” and “policy”. “This is an election that is not just being fought on personalities; it is being fought on policy,” Mr Hockey told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “Today it was dominated by immigration and about personal security, about the despair on the streets of major American cities … of the abuse of individuals … this is the stuff that resonates with America’s base.”

Sky News host James Morrow discusses the physical and political “damage” done by the assassin at Donald Trump’s rally where he was shot in the ear and a retired firefighter died. “The physical damage that has been done, Trump’s dinged up ear and the really tragic loss of a retired firefighter in the crowd, well, that does not account for the political damage that has occurred,” Mr Morrow said. “It is not hard to see how people really start to wonder if there is something more going on with this.”

Former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey says former US president Donald Trump “does care about people”. “He has a curious mind,” Mr Hockey told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “Donald Trump does care about people. “He did a lot of things for a lot of people that was never publicised. “That is Donald Trump.”

Former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey says the attempted assassination of Donald Trump has had a “big impact” on the former US president. Former US president Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend. “There is no doubt that the assassination attempt has had a big impact on him,” Mr Hockey told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “Last night, he had tears in his eyes because he was overwhelmed, not just with the support, but with the fact that he was half an inch away from death. “Quite frankly, it has changed.”

Sky News host Chris Kenny has slammed Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass as a “clown” after his “attempted joke” at a concert in Sydney. “One innocent man is dead, two people are seriously wounded, and this clown [Kyle Gass] is barracking for a successful assassination next time,” Mr Kenny said. “[Jack] Black has distanced himself from the attempted joke, the rest of the Australian tour has been cancelled, Gass’ agent has dropped him, and we might not hear from Tenacious D ever again. “This Trump Derangement Syndrome has been so strong for so long; it has been fuelled by a biased and deceptive media, and self-evidently, it leads to appalling behaviour.”

Sky News host Chris Kenny has commented on the “pretty revealing” interview Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd gave to former ambassador to the US Joe Hockey. “Just on Kevin Rudd and the Republican Convention in Milwaukee. It was a pretty revealing interview he gave to former treasurer, former US ambassador … Joe Hockey,” Mr Kenny said. “We all know Rudd has never been light on for self-belief, if self-belief equated to political awareness he’d still be prime minister.”

Mining giant BHP has reported record iron ore production and sales during the past financial year thanks to improvements at Port Hedland and record production from the South Flank mine. BHP produced about 260 million tonnes of iron ore during the year, which it sold for an average price of $US101 per tonne. It only cost the company about $US18 per tonne to produce the ore.

Sky News Business Reporter Ed Boyd says the ASX 200 “soared at the open” on Wednesday after the Dow Jones set a record overnight. The ASX 200 closed up 0.83 per cent. Top performers included PolyNovo, Iress, James Hardie, Reliance Worldwide and Reece Ltd. Bottom performers included Mesoblast, Nanosonics, Nuix, Alumina and Iluka Resources.

Star Wars star Mark Hamill has been blasted online following a tweet mocking former US president Donald Trump’s bandaged ear. “1st APPEARANCE of ludicrously oversized ear bandage, apparently not needed prior to tonight,” Hamill wrote, accompanied by a picture of Trump with a bandaged ear. The post was slammed by social media users, with many criticising the Hollywood star. “Mark Hamill is a weak little man that is filled with hate and anger,” wrote one user. Despite Hamill’s attempt to mock Donald Trump, it seemingly had the opposite effect, with him instead “galvanizing support for Trump”. The 78-year-old was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania when he was shot at eight times and struck in the ear, miraculously surviving. Trump’s appearance at the Republican National Convention on Monday was his first public sighting since the shooting.

Assistant Trade and Manufacturing Minister Tim Ayres spruiks Labor’s renewable policy amid a ramp up in government attacks on the Opposition’s nuclear policy. “The renewable energy zone around the New England is slated to provide eight megawatts of power for New South Wales and Queensland,” Mr Ayres told Sky News Australia. “Working with the federal government and the NSW government, this will deliver cheap renewable power for industry and for households. “The Peter Dutton recipe for the energy sector is low reliability, higher prices and nuclear reactors coming to a community near you whether you like it or not.”

RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump has addressed the attempted assassination on her father-in-law Donald Trump during a speech at the Republican National Convention. “There’s no doubt that Saturday was one of the most frightening moments of my father-in-law’s life,” she said. “Millimetres separated him from life and certain death, and yet it was in the midst of it all as he was jostled off stage by Secret Service that he knew how defining that moment would be for our country, and he hoisted his fist in the air. “It was not just for the audience at the rally, not just for his supporters tuning in, but for all of America and as a signal to the world that no matter what, America will always prevail.”

RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump has addressed the Republican National Convention and made a pitch for why her father-in-law should be re-elected at this year’s presidential election. “You cannot deny you were better off when Donald Trump was in office,” she said in her RNC address on Wednesday. “Americans were finally able to start saving money, home prices were affordable, and gas hit a low of $1.87 a gallon. “Donald Trump didn’t need to run for president for fame or money, trust me, we all know he already had plenty of that. I’ll tell you why he did it and why he continues on even in the face of the unthinkable because he loves this country.”

The Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd has weighed in on the assassination attempt of Donald Trump during a wide-ranging exclusive Sky News Australia interview from the Republican National Convention. Mr Rudd was interviewed by former federal treasurer and former Australian ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey on the convention floor. “When Donald Trump came in here last night to the convention … you could see on his face that he had been affected by the events of Saturday,” Mr Rudd said. “This was not the normal fist pumping Donald Trump; this was a more reflective Donald Trump. "If it was you or I back in Australia, this would have a profound effect on our psychology – our sense of who we are in national political life." A bandaged but defiant Donald Trump appeared at the first day of the Republican National Convention – acknowledging the crowd before taking a seat with his family and new Vice Presidential pick JD Vance. Kevin Rudd is this week on the ground at the Republican convention, networking with party heavyweights ahead of November's election.

The Trump campaign “policy lines” are being delivered “sharper and clearer” leading into the 2024 election than previously seen, says the Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd during an exclusive interview with Sky News Australia. Mr Rudd was interviewed by former federal treasurer and former Australian ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey on the Republican National Convention floor. Mr Hockey quizzed Mr Rudd whether he gets a sense “Donald Trump 2.0 is more measured than 1.0?” “Measured – I don’t think is the right way to look at it,” Mr Rudd replied. “On the policy lines … it is sharper and clearer than it was last time around. “What I think is different is the aggregation of individuals who would fill the key Cabinet and advisory positions who now approach this with four years of experience under their belt. “That, therefore, makes it, I think, a more determined policy push.” Mr Rudd said “greater discipline in the Trump political campaign” is also being observed.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says nuclear power uses “substantially more water” than coal-fired power. “Let alone renewable energy,” he told Sky News Australia. “There is a real question about where that water is going to come from.”

Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt has delivered a keynote address from the Global Food Forum in Brisbane. "The food production industry is six per cent of Australia's GPD, so while tech gets all the love, food gets all the jobs," Mr Pratt said during his address. "Food is the largest manufacturing sector. "Food production is Australia's natural advantage, you can grow anything here."

The Daily Telegraph journalist Tim Blair discusses how the failed assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump has affected the Democrat’s election campaign. “It’s totally changed the race, it has galvanized all of his party and utterly shell-shocked his opponents,” Mr Blair told Sky News host Chris Kenny. “They have got nowhere to go on this.”

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt addresses the Global Food Forum in Brisbane. "Australian agriculture has been notching up quite a few wins recently, whether it be record production levels, massive grain harvests and exports of beef and sheep meat," Mr Watt said. "New market access for our horticulture products or the resumption of trade with China. "Our AG sector is going from strength to strength."

The Daily Telegraph journalist Tim Blair discusses how the failed assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump has “galvanized” the Republican Party. “He (Donald Trump) used a terrible and deadly attack to gain momentum for his own cause and for his own people,” Mr Blair told Sky News host Chris Kenny. “It’s totally changed the race. It has galvanized all of his party.”

It has been revealed the US Secret Service ramped up security after receiving intel of an Iranian plot to assassinate former US President Donald Trump prior to last weekend’s shooting. “This is sending shockwaves here in Washington DC,” said Sky News Senior Reporter Trudy McIntosh. “The US National Security Sources confirming that they had heard intel that Iran was attempting an assassination plot against Donald Trump. “There is no known connection with that of the shooter … at that Pennsylvania rally we saw last weekend.”