Matthew Cranston

Everyone knew Trump’s cabinet picks would be provocative and a purge of government workers was coming. But they have arrived with stunning speed.

Chris Wright’s Liberty Energy is behind the fracking fleet used to extract gas from developing fields in the Northern Territory.

The president-elect has tapped as commerce secretary billionaire investor Howard Lutnick, who is a big proponent of tariffs, and a cryptocurrency enthusiast.

Tensions have escalated quickly in the Ukraine Russia war after the use of US long-range missiles. Australia has joined international peers condemning Russia for threatening a nuclear retaliation.

The billionaire hedge fund manager said investors should “pay attention” to policy shifts that result in national security for energy and critical minerals.

Chris Burns, who helms Tennessee-based Novonix, says bigger tariffs on critical minerals processed in China would make his products more attractive to US buyers.

The billionaire has had a swing at the Labor government’s social media ban for people under 16 as he prepares to take a leading role in the Trump administration.

American and Australian officials are warning the Albanese government that its crackdown on social media platforms could anger the incoming US president into putting tariffs on $33b of exports.