The Mike Hosking Breakfast

I have a good example as to why so many people don’t trust the media.  Like most things it's got complicated and a lot of it is fuelled by emotion.  So a simple survey, the likes of which was published by AUT over the weekend, can never come close to capturing exactly what the relationship between the industry and the punter really is.  But the US President had a medical over the weekend. It has been widely reported and in fact, I have read a number of the reports that states he is in pretty good shape.  The headline in the Sydney Morning Herald chose to frame it this way; "Overweight Trump has sun damage after 'frequent golf wins' medical report finds".  Now, you have several issues.  Firstly, the subject: a lot of what is reported about Trump is done with a slant and the slant is made more obvious by the fact that those who support Trump tend to be zealous and therefore will react to perceived misreporting more loudly than many others.  Secondly, the report does indeed say he is overweight. But it is not the main part of the report, or anywhere close to it, nor indeed is the sun damage. The sun damage is definitely there, but it's hardly a feature.  In fact, if the headline is supposed to convey the important parts of the medical report, it completely misses them. The important parts are that physically and cognitively he is in very good shape.  Why doesn’t the headline say that? What is the purpose of the headline, other than to mislead you or ridicule the President by presenting the report in the worst possible light?  That is trust, or lack of it.  That is a bad headline, a misleading headline, and a headline that shows us the newspaper has an agenda.  It's hardly the end of the world. It's not scandalous, it's not a lie, and there is worse to be found other days in other places.  But the paper is an esteemed rag with big readership and, I assume, a certain pride in their reporting.  In that lies the complexity. Take a lot of these sort of examples on any given day, from any given number of outlets and before you know it – lack of trust.  If like I did, you knew more than the headline alluded to, you very quickly concluded you couldn’t trust them for the full story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government has saved the troubled British Steel Company.   It will mean a steel mill in Scunthorpe will be saved after negotiations with its Chinese owners reportedly broke down. The bill gives the UK Business Secretary the control of the company and the right to use police powers if necessary to ensure workers are paid.   UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Mike Hosking Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says the raw materials to keep the mill running have been paid for.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe is concerned about the flow on effects of Donald Trump’s tariffs.  With a 145% tariff on China, there are fears that instead of cheap products making their way to the US, they’ll be shipped to Europe, weaking local industries.  Europe Correspondent Catherine Field told Mike Hosking that although Trump cut the tariff on Europe, leaders are saying not to breathe a sigh of relief just yet.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 15th of April, Erica Stanford is looking to change and clarify the sex education curriculum at schools.  Billionaire Nick Mowbray tells us what it's like to deal with Trump's trade war with China.  Jeremy Piven of Entourage and Mr Selfridge fame pops in for a chat ahead of bringing his stand up to New Zealand.  Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For fans of Jeremy Piven, he’s instantly recognisable in a couple of roles.  His portrayal of Ari Gold in Entourage propelled his career, winning Piven a Golden Globe and three consecutive Emmys, and he also starred in Mr Selfridge – the drama based on the life of Harry Selfridge.   Despite the more serious roles he’s played over the last few years, Piven has a knack for stand up comedy, which is bringing him across the ocean to our corner of the world.   He’s just finished up filming Past Lives in the UK, taking to the road to perform his standup.  “It’s my job right now just to kind of run around and get up on stage, and interact with people and have a great time, and make people laugh,” he told Hosking.  “Stand up comedy’s never been more popular, I think because of all the frustrations that we’re unpacking.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch's new stadium is slowly taking shape.   Construction of the $683 million Te Kaha stadium is on schedule and within budget – set to open in April next year.  Mayor Phil Mauger admits he's uncertain about parking but emphasises there will be public transport and foot traffic access.  Te Kaha Project Director Kent Summerfield told Mike Hosking the roof is well and truly on, and cladding is underway.  He says it's becoming a landmark in the city as it can be seen from quite a distance away.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zuru Toys co-founder Nick Mowbray speaks on the impacts of United States tariffs on China. He said businesses were “in a holding pattern” as they grappled with the uncertainty of changeable policy. US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on April 2. Kiwi billionaire Nick Mowbray says “it’s hard to say we’re not worried” about US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his administration’s “chaotic” policy decisions. “We’ll ship about $2 billion worth of goods to the US this year. So, at that run rate, that makes our tariffs worth about $3 billion at the moment.” Speaking from Los Angeles this morning (New Zealand time), the toy mogul said it was difficult to read the mood on the ground there. New Zealand businessman Nick Mowbray could not say he wasn't worried about the impact of tariffs. Photo / Alex Burton The co-founder of Zuru Toys told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast it was impossible to plan around the tariffs. He also said it would be “obviously impossible” to shift manufacturing of his products from China to the United States to skirt the 145% tariff rate. His business, along with retailers, were “in a holding pattern”. “It’s hard to say we’re not worried. Everything seems to change each day. We’re in a state of stopping everything at the moment because it’s impossible to plan,” said Mowbray. “We’re all hoping it doesn’t continue for very long, but the [US] administration is definitely very chaotic.” He believed it was possible the tariffs would ultimately be negotiated down. Trump announced huge tariffs on different countries on April 2. In a whiplash change of tune a week later, he said all targeted countries but China would face a 10% rate for 90 days. Photo /The New York Times The $3b worth of tariffs his company would have to pay would be passed on to consumers in significant price increases. Mowbray said he was in the US, at his office, trying to work through the impact of the tariffs. The US has become Zuru’s main export market, supplying the likes of Walmart, Target, Costco and Amazon. An escalating trade war ensued after the US imposed tariffs on China, seeing Beijing put in a retaliatory 125% rate on US imports. Trump announced huge tariffs on different countries on April 2. In a whiplash change of tune a week later, he said all targeted countries but China would face a 10% rate for 90 days. The trade war has created fears of an economic downturn as the dollar drops and investors part with US government bonds, normally considered a safe investment, Agence France-Presse reported. The impact on New Zealand remains uncertain. Kiwibank economists have outlined three possible scenarios for the country: Quick negotiations of tariff deals and little relative economic damage, longer dealmaking and prolonged economic insecurity, and the least likely scenario, recession. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Immigration Minister says they've seen a spike in immigration applications from wealthy American investors.  The Golden Visa system was re-jigged to attract those with a minimum of $5 million to invest in New Zealand's economy.  Applications so far amount to a minimum investment of $260 million, with Erica Stanford saying most are from North America.  Lane Neave immigration expert Mark Williams told Mike Hosking that's not surprising.  He says any country in the world facing economic uncertainty would be a source of immigration.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some advice for people who are having trouble with their Sky boxes this morning after a satellite switch.  The television network officially made the switch this morning, as it's D2 satellite is due to reach the end of its life in May.  All broadcast channels were off-air at the same time overnight.  Sky TV CEO Sophie Moloney told Mike Hosking there's any easy fix if boxes aren't working.  She says if they're not working properly, do a hard reboot and if that doesn't work, give them a call.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister wants to be the one taking the heat over sex education, not schools.  The new draft curriculum is out for the first round of public consultation before it's written up later this year.  It proposes children from Year Four learning about consent and gender stereotypes, while high schoolers learn about menstrual cycles and STIs.  Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking currently, it's up to principals to go out to their community and specify what's taught.  She says ERO reports found that to be very divisive, and sometimes schools and principles faced a lot of aggression from their communities over the content they taught.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.