Anthony Albanese has been returned to office as Prime Minister, with Labor winning today’s federal election.

Counting so far is showing a consistent trend toward Labor, although pre-polls have yet to be counted.

That means the Coalition is no position to win, leaving Labor the only alternative government.

The government is on track to retain its majority, but that is yet to be confirmed.

In winning the election, Anthony Albanese becomes the first Prime Minister to win back-to-back elections since John Howard in 2004.

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President Trump announced plans to sign an executive order aimed at reducing U.S. drug prices by implementing a "Most Favored Nation" (MFN) policy. This policy would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, tying U.S. prices to the lowest prices paid by other countries. ⁠
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The order is set to focus on Medicare Part B drugs, which include medications administered in a doctor's office, such as cancer treatments. Trump claims the policy could reduce costs by 30% to 80% and save the U.S. "TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS."⁠
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This latest order is a continuation of Trump's efforts from his first term to address the high cost of U.S. drugs via price controls. In 2020, he signed a similar executive order aimed at tying U.S. drug prices to international benchmarks, but the proposal faced significant opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. Critics argued that such a policy would harm innovation and reduce access to new medications. Trump's 2020 attempt was blocked by a federal court after he left office, preventing its implementation under President Biden. ⁠
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The MFN policy is likely to face similar resistance from the pharmaceutical industry, which argues that forcing lower prices could stifle innovation, leading to fewer new medicines and potentially harming the U.S.'s role as a global leader in drug development. ⁠
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Pharmaceutical companies contend that the policy would grant foreign governments excessive influence over U.S. drug pricing, undermining the ability of the U.S. market to set fair and competitive prices. Despite this opposition, the proposal reflects ongoing frustrations with U.S. drug pricing, a long-standing issue that has drawn bipartisan criticism.⁠
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Australian doctor Mohammed Mustafa has recently returned from a medical mission on Gaza’s frontline. He tells News Breakfast he “couldn’t stay silent” and “had to do something” to save the lives of children there.

He’s calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to meet with him and listen to his experiences as an aid worker in Gaza.

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Pope Francis’s body arrived at Saint Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday to lie in state for three days before his weekend funeral.
 
Red-hatted cardinals, priests, candle-carrying friars and helmeted Swiss Guards walked slowly into the vast, sunlit esplanade as a male choir chanted psalms and prayers in Latin while the great bells of the basilica tolled.

The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died on Monday in his rooms at the Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke, was held aloft on a wooden platform by 14 white-gloved, black-suited pallbearers.

As the coffin crossed St Peter’s Square, a crowd of several thousand faithful mourners broke into repeated applause — a traditional Italian sign of respect at such events.
 
His funeral is set for Saturday and will draw heads of state and government from around the world.
 
Anthony Albanese said that Australia will be represented at Pope Francis’s funeral by Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Labor senator Don Farrell, and Coalition MP Michael McCormack.
 
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