Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Joe Biden and Donald Trump go live in Atlanta tomorrow afternoon, New Zealand time.  The televised US election debate is the earliest in the campaign since 1960, with Americans going to the polls in just over four months.  It's the third time the US President and the former President will go head to head after two heated encounters in 2020.   The Spectator's Washington Editor Amber Athey  says the debates don't have as much sway on voters as most pundits would like to believe they do.   She told Mike Hosking that this one will mostly be about showing who's physically and mentally fit to be President.  Athey says so long as you can get through it relatively successfully, not much will change where voters stand on the candidates.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two astronauts are likely to remain stuck in space into July.   Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were supposed to return on the Boeing Starliner about two weeks ago after an eight day stint in space.   US Correspondent Katherine Firkin told Mike Hosking that there have been several issues including malfunctioning thrusters and helium leaks.   She says we're being told they have plenty of supplies, and worst case they can hitch a ride on Space X's Dragon Space Craft which is also attached to the International Space Station.  Firkin says it's not great news for Boeing, when it comes to their PR.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s uncertainty over whether Corrections has capacity, with more prisoners on the way.   The Government's sentencing law reforms will mean longer sentences and up to 1700 more inmates every year.   Corrections Association's Floyd du Plessis says the prisons are currently full, and while there are more beds in theory, they aren't adequately staffed for them yet.   He told Mike Hosking that more applications are coming through for corrections roles, but the number of viable candidates isn't where it needs to be.   du Plessis says there needs to be more focus on getting real people through the door and into employment.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Gisborne Civil Defence manager says they're now dealing with the clean up from this week's severe weather.   States of emergency in the Wairoa District and Hastings Heretaunga Ward remain in place.  Roads were closed and people evacuated after heavy rain lashed the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne regions yesterday.   Wairoa District Council says 400 properties have been impacted, more than 100 significantly.   Gisborne Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group Manager Ben Green told Mike Hosking that wind was the major issue.   He says the challenge with that was power lines and a significant number of trees down across roads.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First has invoked the Agree-to-Disagree Coalition clause.  Winston Peters says his Party doesn't support the Government continuing the Covid Commission of Inquiry in its current form.   The clause is nestled within New Zealand First's Governance agreement with National, allowing Peters and his MPs to speak publicly about a Cabinet decision.   He's used it voice opposition to the Government splitting the inquiry into two phases, saying the first phase was nothing more than a Labour Party political tool.  Peters agrees with Phase Two, focusing on vaccine efficacy and safety, and the extended lockdowns in Auckland and Northland.  Political Editor Jason Walls told Mike Hosking that as Christopher Luxon said, this is a mature way to go about it.  He said that this is exactly how it’s supposed to work between the two parties, which is why the clause was written into the coalition agreement in the first place.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A gambling scandal is causing a rocky run up to next week's UK election.   Six police officers, including a member of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's protection team, are in hot water after allegedly placing bets on the election date.   UK correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking that it's an extraordinary saga, with two Conservative MPs now suspended after also facing accusations.   But he says because they're already on the ticket, they can still be voted on and will have to stand as independents if they win a seat.   The Gambling Commission has also launched an investigation into a now suspended Labour candidate.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s hopes a spike in global shipping prices won't stay around for long.  Conflict in the Red Sea has caused shipping costs to jump three times higher than the rates seen at end of last year.  But, ASB Senior economist Mark Smith told Mike Hosking, the impact on inflation will depend on how long prices remain high.  He says the prices have spiked quickly, but it's still early days.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest in the Julian Assange saga is being coined a dark day in American history and press freedom.  The Wikileaks founder is set to plead guilty to violating US espionage law and will be sentenced to 62 months of time already served before going free.   Freedom of the Press' Director of Advocacy Seth Stern told Mike Hosking that it's a case that the former Trump administration should never have pursued.    He says the Biden administration purports to be friends of the free press, so for them to have continued this for years before finding a way out is disturbing.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is taking a firm stance on vaping.  The sale of vapes will be restricted to pharmacies from next week, as the Greens agree to pass a proposed ban.  However, the Government has agreed to water down restrictions that would have required adults to obtain a prescription.   Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio told Mike Hosking that this has sparked anger, as pharmacists say that they should be prescription only.  She said that restrictions will still be in place regarding packaging and flavours, limiting the products to plain packaging and mint, menthol, and tobacco flavours.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Robertson’s All Blacks squad has been announced, with Scott Barrett taking the captaincy.  He’s taking over the duties from Sam Cane, with Ardie Savea and Jordie Barrett sharing the vice-captaincy.  Rugby Commentator Tony Johnson told Mike Hosking that he doubts there’ll be any drastic changes right off the bat.  He said that if they’re going to change their playstyle, they’ll do it incrementally as time goes on, and they have plenty of time to do that.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cancer Society says yesterday was a momentous day but there's still a bit of uncertainty around Pharmac's funding boost.   The Government's committed $604 million, taken in advance from next year's Budget.   It will cover the funding for 54 new medicines, including 26 cancer treatments.   Cancer Society chief executive Rachael Hart told Mike Hosking that it's been an incredibly stressful time so the news brings some relief, but the uncertainty doesn't end.   She says cancer patients still don't know when the drugs will be funded, and when you're shelling out thousands of dollars a month, every month matters.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland will soon have Police on the beat 24/7.  Community Beat Teams will be based in major centres, with 63 officers in Auckland, 17 in Wellington and 10 in Christchurch.  It's the Police and Government's newest plan to crackdown on crime rates.  Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking “We want to make sure that we have a safe city – not one that’s plagued with sleepers drug dealers and disorderly behaviour.”  Mitchell said “They’ve already increased foot patrols in the city – but now they’re increasing the number of dedicated police officers that will be out there and highly visible doing their work.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King Charles will likely skip New Zealand during his upcoming tour to the South Pacific.  According to The Mirror, he and Queen Camilla are set to visit Australia and Samoa - but have dropped New Zealand.  The visit was never officially announced - just rumoured to be on the agenda.  UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Mike Hosking “His Majesty is said to be like a caged tiger - desperate to do more, while undergoing chemotherapy and having the cancer diagnosis.”  Grey said “It’s been decided he’d be better off doing a ten-day trip.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think we got enough out of Nicola Willis on the programme Friday to know that today, cabinet’s gonna sign off this money for Pharmac to solve the cancer problem.   The big outworking of this is - I hope they've learned their lesson.   This government has a couple of problems. The biggest one is the mess they inherited. We are going to spend at least the next year deep in it.   Two years of economic misery is a lot to ask of an electorate, and it's a lot to expect of a government to rectify.   Even on a good day - with plenty of intent and hard work - voters get grumpy with whoever’s in charge, whether it was their fault or not.   So given that, problem #2: self-inflicted wounds. The cancer promise was mad. It was mad because governments don't pick drugs.   That's what Pharmac is for. If you don't like Pharmac, fine, change it. But don't keep the same system while trying gerrymandering.   They also put out a list of thirteen drugs, some of which aren't even fit for purpose anymore.   And then, Problem #3: fa

The Blues dominated the Chiefs on Saturday night to take the 2024 Super Rugby title at Eden Park - beating the visitors 41-10.   Caleb Clarke scored a hattrick as Akira Ioane and AJ Lam got a try each.   It's the first time they've won the competition in more than two decades.  Newstalk ZB Sports Anchor, Andrew Alderson, told Mike Hosking “I thought it was going to be closer – but the Blues were so convincing.”  Alderson said “Ever since I’ve been working here, we’ve been talking about the Blues resurgence – and it’s finally come.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government’s expected to announce a $600 million boost in funding for Pharmac today.   If approved, it would bump the medicine budget up 40 percent - and cover the 13 cancer drugs the Government initially promised, and more.  Patient Voice Aotearoa Chair, Malcolm Mulholland, told Mike Hosking “From our perspective – this was always going to be the option that the government would land on.”  Mulholland said “The problem doesn’t go away – but we expect it will put a significant dent in Pharmac’s options for investment lists.”  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour’s lead in the UK election is holding steady as the Tories deal with a scandal.  The party has admitted that their campaign head, Tony Lee, placed bets on the timing of the vote, allegedly just days before Sunak went public.  The BBC revealed that Tory candidate Laura Sanders, wife of Lee, is also being investigated by Britain’s Gambling Commission.  UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking that it’s a huge scandal that these people have seemingly used insider information to infringe the UK’s betting laws.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's officially out of a technical recession but may not be out of the woods.  Stats NZ figures show GDP rose 0.2% in the three months to March and the same amount for the year.  However, per capita GDP decreased by 0.3%.  Infometrics Chief Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking that the numbers are not looking promising for Q2.  He said that some of the important pieces of the business economy haven’t been doing as well —construction, non-food manufacturing, professional services— which doesn’t bode well for general economic momentum.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow’s Super Rugby Final is set to be an intense match.  The Blues face off against the Chiefs at a sold-out Eden Park, kicking off just after 7pm.   ZB’s Rugby Commentator Elliott Smith told Mike Hosking that the Chiefs have come out of nowhere in the last couple weeks.  The Blues were expected to face the Hurricanes in the finals, the Chiefs entering the playoffs sitting fourth on the table.   He said they’ve stepped up not just one or two levels, but, to use a sporting cliché, they seem to have gone up and grown an extra leg, finding their feet and swept away the hurricanes on their home turf.  “It sets up an interesting final.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Northland business leader says the large power outage will significantly impact business.   Widespread power outages began yesterday morning when a transmission tower toppled at Glorit, northwest of Auckland.  NorthPower says supply has since been restored to the majority of Northland.  Top Energy is showing 61 customers in Bay of Islands still without but warns there's potential for further outages as they manage load restrictions.   North Chamber chief executive Darryn Fisher told Mike Hosking that the business impact isn't yet known, but he expects it'll be significant with economic head winds already at play.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.