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    Jennifer Hewett

    Columnist

    Jennifer Hewett is the National Affairs columnist. She writes a daily column on politics, business and the economy. Connect with Jennifer on Twitter. Email Jennifer at jennifer.hewett@afr.com

    Jennifer Hewett

    This Month

    President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday.

    Democrats know that this fight is done

    No matter how much Joe Biden points to falling inflation and violent crime rates and rising real wages, too many voters are looking in the other direction.

    Joe Biden’s election campaign is in deep trouble as calls mount from within his party for him to step aside.

    Democrats try to stop the slide as Biden isolates

    Nothing has gone right for Joe Biden since his disastrous debate with Donald Trump last month. His COVID diagnosis may be the last straw for a distraught party.

    Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.

    ‘We have a country to save’: Republicans rally to a reborn Trump

    The Republican National Convention is showcasing a party dominated by Donald Trump and his views, while the disarray in the Democrats just keeps coming.

    • Updated
    Donald Trump and J.D. Vance at the Republican Conference in Wisconsin.

    Donald Trump goes for broke with Vance

    Vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance is more evidence of how confident the Trump campaign feels about its election prospects.

    The Republican National Convention opens this week with Donald Trump as its star.

    Trump’s survival will turbocharge the Republican convention

    The former president’s narrow escape from death is giving new life to his campaign, and Joe Biden’s address calling for unity won’t fix the extreme division in America.

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    Why Biden’s biggest threat is from his own party

    There has been no more critical moment for his presidency than the attacks on him by powerful Democrats. It’s one major fight he looks at imminent risk of losing.

    George Clooney has withdrawn his support for Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy.

    Democrats simmer over no-win dilemma as Biden support ebbs away

    President Joe Biden is losing political traction on Capitol Hill as congressional Democrats count the cost of his determination to stay in the race.

    President Joe Biden delivers a NATO summit welcome speech.

    Inside the Democrats’ fight over Biden

    Hosting the NATO summit was supposed to help the US president demonstrate unity within the Democratic Party. But it is tearing itself apart.

    President Joe Biden.

    Confused despair grips Democratic voters

    Joe Biden seems to be revelling in his determination to once again prove his doubters wrong. The Trump campaign is confident it ensures their victory on November 5.

    Immigration is the reason swing states are turning back to Trump

    Joe Biden is still betting big he can move key swing states his way, but Arizona was shifting back to Trump well before that debate. Jennifer Hewett reports from the south-west.

    June

    Moving cash became a financial drain for Armaguard given the dramatic fall in its use.

    In the Armaguard deal, keeping cash flowing was about more than money

    How the Fox family and Bill Kelty finally got a deal with the banks to secure a viable future for the cash distribution business despite a dramatic fall in the use of cash.

    Peita Piper, CEO of Avenue Bank.

    Small bank targets a niche product the big four have long neglected

    Enthusiasm about the challenge from neobanks to the banking sector has come and gone, along with several start-ups. But Avenue Bank has its own plans.

    Mount Piper Power Station.

    Dutton’s high-stakes nuclear gamble

    The opposition leader is betting big on nuclear power, and Labor is delighted to take on his challenge.

    A Tesla Model X.

    Prepare for yet another big EV adoption hurdle

    Apartment owners and strata managers are unprepared for the costs and complications of securing building insurance for blocks with electric vehicle owners and charging facilities.

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Parliament House.

    Albanese’s tough balancing act on China

    The PM promotes a stabilised relationship with Beijing as vital for Australia’s national interest and regional security, but it comes with plenty of risks.

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    Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil detailed a further tightening this week to limit visitors to Australia applying for student visas while here.

    Why the government is desperate to cut immigration

    There are many reasons for Australia’s inadequate housing supply, but a population jumping by 2.5 per cent a year obviously compounds the immediate problem.

    Panda diplomacy: Anthony Albanese will host Chinese Premier Li Qiang for three days from Sunday.

    The contradictions in Australia’s China policy

    Australia will promote the visit by China’s Premier Li Qiang as evidence the relationship has “stabilised”. But policy tensions and hard choices are only increasing.

    Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have butted heads on climate targets.

    Why Dutton is hitting Labor on climate targets

    Peter Dutton is taking aim at Labor’s 2030 emissions reductions targets as unrealistic to try to reset the debate on nuclear power.

    NSW Minister for Climate Change, Energy and Environment Penny Sharpe charging her electric vehicle in Coogee.

    EV charging network needs urgent upgrade

    Electric vehicles will only become more popular – but the power supply to charge them is not keeping up with the pace.

    Universities are in an existential crisis. Can they make it through?

    The politics behind the bipartisan U-turn on international education

    Slashing international student numbers will devastate the business models for universities and many other international education providers.