More people are in a job than ever. 

So why are more people struggling to keep a roof over their heads?

It’s a question the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey has sought to answer.

The latest edition, taking in data from 2024, shows households are spending more on essentials than ever before.

Co-director of the survey Roger Wilkins said the update showed how the rising cost of living has manifested in the community.

“We’re also seeing a tendency for rates of income poverty to edge upwards,” Professor Wilkins told AAP.

“Measures of financial stress have been growing. Housing stress is pretty close to a record high, and we’ve also seen an increase in food insecurity.”

Employment has reached a record high of 84.4 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women of working age, but wages haven’t kept up with cost of living increases.

The buying power of households is steadily increasing again but remains below the average and median disposable incomes recorded five years ago.

Over a third of renters in the major capital cities are spending more than 30 per cent of their disposable income on housing.

For young adults, the ability to move out of home is becoming increasingly difficult as half of all Australians aged 18 to 29 are now living with their parents.

Half of working Australians report feeling over qualified for their job, contributing to lower life satisfaction and mental distress, which continues to increase post-COVID-19.

But inside the home, life-partner relationships are improving.

While couples without children are happier and more financially stable, parents who share the workload of raising kids also report stronger relationships according to lead author Inga Lass.

“We see that relationship quality is quite high at the beginning of a relationship, then it starts to decline until around the 24-year mark before it recovers,” Dr Lass said.

“Pressures ease off when the house is paid off, people are established in their careers and might look towards retirement, the children have moved out, and that’s when couples can prioritise their relationships again.”

Mothers remain the dominant recipient of paid parental leave but the extension of a further two weeks to the scheme in mid-2024 appears to have been equally shared with fathers and partners.

Despite the take up of financial incentives, couples with children make up 2.1 per cent less of all households compared to 2001, contributing to a broader decline in fertility rates.

“It bumped up a bit during the Costello baby bonus period, but it has continued its longer-term slide,” Prof Wilkins said.

“It’s not just that people are having less children, we’re also seeing young people now intending to have fewer children.”

The longitudinal survey established in 2001 has followed a growing cohort of Australians now at over 17,000.

Prof Wilkins has been involved in some way with the release of every report since 2003 and said the survey was one of the few opportunities to measure the real impact of policy and the needs of the community.

“I think sometimes the general public isn’t aware of how much the government’s fumbling around in the dark, …not having the necessary data to know fully what’s going on,” he said.

Changes to housing investment tax settings announced in the latest budget will likely take a few years to come through according to Professor Wilkins who flagged the impending wave of artificial intelligence as a likely driver of future updates.

Tough. Thoughtful. Kind. Devoted and of course, Angry.

Tributes have begun to flow for the inimitable Australian frontman, actor and advocate Gary “Angry” Anderson. 

The 79-year-old rock musician died surrounded by loved ones on Monday evening, his long-time outfit, Rose Tattoo, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

It comes just weeks after the group was forced to put an early end to its European tour, when Anderson suffered a cardiac arrest in early August.

The One Last Ride tour was set to be the band’s last jaunt, with Australia slated as its final leg in September.

Rock enthusiasts, musos, politicians and media personalities have remembered the Melburnian as a devoted friend and legendary rocker. 

Singer, TV personality and musical theatre star Marcia Hines shared an image of a younger, singlet-clad Anderson coolly perched on a fence post. 

“He was one of the most kind and thoughtful guys in rock-and-roll,” she said. 

“My deepest condolences to his family and to the guys in Rose Tattoo.”

Host of Nine’s Today Extra David Campbell said he could “never repay” Anderson for performing his hit ballad Suddenly at his wedding. 

“I got to share many a stage and sporting field with Angry Anderson,” he said in a post to social media, set to Anderson’s music. 

“He was a great frontman with a wicked sense of humour and a huge heart.”

The aggro rocker was remembered as a lover-of-country and true rock-and-roll star by federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor. 

“His voice fronted Rose Tattoo and helped define the raw, unapologetic sound of Australian rock that I loved rocking out to,” Mr Taylor said. 

“Tough as they come.”

Born and raised in the working class Melbourne suburb of Coburg, Anderson founded Rose Tattoo five decades ago, in 1976.

The band found early success with 1978 hit Rock’n’ Roll Outlaw and Bad Boy For Love, Nice Boys and We Can’t Be Beaten.

The outfit was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006, credited with influencing internationally-acclaimed groups including Guns N’ Roses. 

Guitarist Slash paid tribute to Anderson in a social media post, saying he would miss his “good friend”.

But Anderson also found success as a solo performer, actor and latterly as an advocate on prominent social issues. 

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day, 1992, for his work as a youth advocate. 

Anderson courted controversy in the late-2000s for his comments on Islam and asylum seekers, which he later partially walked back. 

He endured tragedy throughout his life, surviving early abuse and the eventual loss of his son Liam, who was beaten to death in 2018.

Rose Tattoo thanked the public for their prayers and messages of support, requesting privacy for Anderson and his family. 

“His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him both here in Australia and overseas,” the band statement said. 

An influential global economic body has warned governments to cut spending and reduce debt levels, as Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australia faces billions of dollars in high borrowing costs due to rising bond yields.

Bond yields have risen to the highest levels in 15 years across the developed world, amid mounting concerns about the sustainability of government debt levels and increased borrowing by artificial intelligence firms, the Paris-based OECD said in a report on Wednesday.

The result was higher borrowing costs throughout the economy, exacerbating pressures on public finances.

“Rising bond yields underline more than ever the need for enhanced efforts to contain and reallocate government spending, improve public sector efficiency and strengthen revenues to ensure longer-term debt sustainability and maintain the ability of governments to react to significant shocks,” the OECD said in its interim economic outlook report.

Commonwealth debt on issue recently surpassed $1 trillion for the first time.

Interest payments are forecast to hit $29.6 billion this financial year and exceed $42 billion a year by 2029/30.

Already one of the fastest-growing calls on the federal budget, Dr Chalmers warned debt interest costs would blow out by “billions of dollars”.

“We’re better placed than other countries in this regard when it comes to borrowing costs because our debt is a sliver of what other countries are carrying and we’ve got it down further since we’ve been in office from the trajectory that we inherited,” he told The Conversation’s Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast. 

“But in the mid-year update, I think one of the things that people can expect to see is the damaging impact of higher bond yields on everyone’s budget, including ours.”

The warning came as the OECD, helmed by former finance minister Matthias Cormann, downgraded Australia’s economic growth forecast by 0.1 percentage point to 1.7 per cent in 2027. 

The report projected GDP to grow by 1.9 per cent in 2026.

Higher energy and agricultural commodity prices as a result of the Middle East conflict would result in slower global growth, but the AI boom was lifting activity in economies such as Australia.

“The aggregate economic effects of the conflict were partially counterbalanced by the continued rapid growth in artificial intelligence-related investment and production in many economies,” the report said. 

“In some, such as the United States, Canada and Australia, real GDP growth in the second quarter was boosted by investment in data centre structures and technology equipment.”

The benchmark Brent crude price retreated below $US100 a barrel overnight as Saudi Arabia prepares to bring a crucial oil pipeline back on line, but high petrol and diesel costs will continue to put pressure on inflation.

The OECD revised up its inflation forecasts in Australia to 4.5 per cent in 2026 and 2.8 per cent in 2027.

Along with the oil shock, a very strong El Nino forecast could hit food prices.

“A very strong El Nino is associated with a higher probability of drier conditions in Australia, a weaker monsoon in India and drought in Indonesia and Southeast Asian countries, which all curb agricultural production,” the report said.

An alleged Australian-based Islamic State member has faced court for the first time accused of instructing people how to plan and conduct mass-casualty attacks.

Mohamed Bakit, a 65-year-old retiree living in Carlton, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon after being charged by federal police. 

The accused propagandist for the extremist group is accused of sending about 10,000 documents, messages, images, videos and audio files relating to executions and torture.

Police allege the Somali-born Australian citizen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria between 2018 and 2020.

He is alleged to have acted on behalf of the terrorist group without travelling to the territory it controlled during conflict in the Middle East.

His role was significant, police said.

The scale of extremist material Bakit was accused of spreading put him among the top propagandists on the encrypted messaging platform he used, acting federal police assistant commissioner Paula Hudson said.

“The material allegedly shared by this man glorified acts of extreme violence and promoted a terrorist organisation, spreading a hateful ideology that’s designed to radicalise others,” she said. 

The videos, photographs, audio files and documents he allegedly sent contained messages relating to “abhorrent content”, including executions, mass murder and torture allegedly captured on battlefields.

“Terrorist organisations like ISIS rely on online platforms to distribute propaganda and recruit supporters,” Ms Hudson said.

“Their content is specifically designed to radicalise individuals, encouraging them to adopt extremist beliefs and commit acts of violence.”

Bakit was arrested at a home in Carlton, in Melbourne’s inner north, on Wednesday morning.

Counter-terror officers will also allege he shared information about avoiding detection from law enforcement, along with instructional guides on planning and conducting mass-casualty attacks.

Police have not ruled out further arrests but have not linked Bakit’s activities with any terrorist attack or plot, saying he is no longer a danger to the community.

He was charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation, possessing violent extremist material and using a carriage service to cause offence.

How Bakit came to be radicalised was expected to emerge in court, Ms Hudson added.

But no details were aired during Bakit’s brief appearance on Wednesday.

Instead, his lawyer Stephanie McLennan indicated it was her client’s first time in custody and he required medication for diabetes, a heart condition and blood pressure issues.

Bakit was remanded in custody and is expected to apply for bail on Thursday. 

The arrest followed an investigation that began with a referral from customs officials who intercepted Bakit and searched his luggage at Melbourne Airport in November 2020 as he left for Egypt.

A search of his mobile phone allegedly turned up suspicious content.

Agents seized the device but allowed the man to travel on to Egypt, where he stayed for six months.

Investigators believe Bakit had compassionate grounds to leave the country, as was required during COVID-19 travel restrictions in place at the time.

There is no evidence he journeyed to any declared no-go zones.

A further search warrant was executed in 2024.

Police do not allege Bakit continued to distribute extremist material after his initial interception in 2020 and say he did not travel again after his initial voyage to Egypt.

Authorities believe more than 200 Australians have joined Islamic State since 2012, some of the more than 50,000 fighters the group was thought to have attracted from overseas.

Having taken control of an area about the size of Great Britain across Syria and Iraq at its peak in 2014, IS has since been splintered by foreign adversaries into pockets in Nigeria, Mozambique and Mali.

Families of 35 Australians still missing in Nepal remain desperate for answers, four weeks after devastating floods hit the region.

Sriram Parameswaran, whose wife Sruthi Chandrasekaran is missing, issued an emotional plea to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, as families ask for financial support and visa assistance.

Among a string of concerns, relatives said despite assurances Centrelink would contact them to discuss options, it has not done so.

“We definitely want to meet the prime minister, who can listen to us, who will be able to understand what our grief is … he is the only person here who can now bring all departments together to help us,” Mr Parameswaran said.

“I am not able to answer my boys’ questions. They still don’t know. They are still hoping that mum is going to come back, right? So we need an answer,” he said.

Mr Parameswaran also detailed visa issues for multiple families including his parents, who he brought from India to help look after his two young sons.

He told AAP their visa will expire in March and the uncertainty of not knowing whether they will be able to remain in the country was troubling.

“When my wife is not there, the only person he trusts is my mum,” Mr Parameswaran said of his two-year-old son’s bond with his grandmother.

Speaking in Sydney, family members of several Australians who have been missing since August 26 described the community formed in the aftermath of disaster.

“We try to … share our grief. We also have a WhatsApp group created with all the family members, so even if one person comes to know some information, we immediately put it in that group so everyone is made aware,” Mr Parameswaran said.

“It’s like we’ve become a very big family all together, but we all need an answer. That’s what we are praying for, and we are waiting for.”

Vaishnavi Kowshikan, whose sister Shylaja Muralitharan is missing alongside her husband and two sons, said time had stood still for families affected by the disaster.

“We don’t even know where this time has gone,” she said of the month since the floods.

Ms Kowshikan also described seeking answers from the Australian government about the whereabouts of her relatives, particularly nephews Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11.

In the event her nephews had been separated from their parents, she asked the government whether they might be in a children’s home or rescue camp.

While the government told her no foreign nationals had been found in either, she expressed concern that they might be unable to identify themselves.

“Ashwin and Aarush are very young … considering the shock they may have gone through, we’re so concerned and worried. Can they speak? Can they identify themselves?” she said.

“They are our family, but it’s not an impact on just my family of four. We’re all in this together. We’re all experiencing the same thing, so we’re really reaching out to the Australian government. That’s our final hope and final plea.”

A leading department store chain has dropped its worst annual loss in close to 10 years, after shoppers pulled back on spending because of cost-of-living pressures.

But Myer is sticking to its transformation plan, as it banks on its standing as the go-to place for gifts to lift its fortunes going into the busy Christmas holiday period.

The 126-year-old business posted a fiscal 2026 statutory net loss of $276.5 million – its worst outcome since a $486 million loss in fiscal 2018.

The latest result was worse than the $204.4 million loss reported in fiscal 2025.

Myer blamed the result on the inflationary effects of higher fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict, three interest rate rises in 2026, slower household income growth and a weaker housing market.

But the group is also at the crossroads of a major transition as it tries to marry its traditional department store business with its recent investment in a speciality brand portfolio.

“While the financial outcome for fiscal 2026 is below our expectations, we remain focused on the areas within our control as we continue to execute our strategy,” executive chair Olivia Wirth told a briefing on Wednesday.

The strategy includes offering brands to attract younger customers, with Ms Wirth pointing to Myer’s loyalty business, where 50 per cent are under the age of 35.

“We continue to believe it’s the right strategy to create long-term shareholder value,” she said.

Looking at the current fiscal 2027 year, Ms Wirth said Myer planned to leverage technology and artificial intelligence, as well as push down on costs.

However, trading in the first eight weeks was challenging, if not worse, than for the second half of fiscal 2026, when the Middle East war began.

“We anticipate trading conditions and consumer behaviour will remain volatile over the next 12 months,” she said.

Myer is prioritising getting its Christmas stock into its 56 stores, with its holiday season campaign set to launch in Melbourne next week.

“We do perform well during gifting seasons – we are synonymous with gifting,” Ms Wirth said.

Myer’s annual sales, including in-store concessions, totalled $4 billion, which was its best result despite being narrowly higher on a comparable basis to fiscal 2025.

Most of that was driven by the concessions, which include brands like Country Road, followed by its online marketplace, home goods, women’s fashion and kids products, offset by lower sales in beauty.

Myer’s specialty brands portfolio is underpinned by Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Dotti, Jacqui E and Portmans, which it bought from Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments in a scrip deal worth almost $900 million, with Premier also tipping about $80 million in cash into Myer.

It’s still trying to extract synergies from that investment, which is another priority for fiscal 2027.

Mr Lew, who has about a 30 per cent stake in Myer through his private company, will join its board as a non-executive director from Thursday.

The news is timely, after Myer revealed Portmans was struggling, and sales at Dotti, Jacqui E and Jay Jays were broadly stable.

But Just Jeans remains a standout, with sales rising six per cent during the year to represent about 40 per cent of apparel brand sales.

There was no final dividend for the 52 weeks ended July 25, after Myer paid a first-half dividend of 1.5 cents, down from 2.5 cents in the prior corresponding half.

Its shares rose 4.3 per cent to 18.2 cents in afternoon trading on Wednesday but are still about 62 per cent lower than a year ago.

The mining and resource sector is holding up the local bourse, keeping it on track for its third straight session of very modest gains.

At midday on Wednesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 9.9 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 8,767.6, while the broader All Ordinaries had grown 10.3 points, or 0.12 per cent, to 8,960.1. 

Investors were focused on a three-day summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington due to kick off overnight, Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said.

Trade policy was at the forefront of market participants’ minds given the trade war between the two countries, with hopes that deals were on the table, he added. 

There was also the chance that the US could extract support from China to use its leverage over Iran to make a peace deal, with talks on the evolving arms race between the two superpowers over artificial intelligence also a possibility.

At midday the ASX’s mining sector was up 1.7 per cent, one of just four sectors in the green.

Goldminers were shining as the precious metal changed hands at $US4,382 an ounce, up slightly from Tuesday.

Evolution gained 2.8 per cent, Northern Star added 4.1 per cent and Newmont climbed 3.7 per cent.

Minerals 260 also jumped 8.4 per cent to a three-month high of 97 cents, a week after the company’s $250 million equity raising to fund a new goldmine west of Kalgoorlie in WA.

The iron ore giants were also performing strongly, with BHP advancing 1.3 per cent and Rio Tinto and Fortescue both rising 0.8 per cent.

Elsewhere in the materials sector, lithium miner PLS Group added 2.5 per cent, rare earth miner Lynas gained 1.2 per cent, and building products company James Hardie rose 2.8 per cent.

In the banking sector, all of the big four banks were in the red.

CBA dropped 1.0 per cent, ANZ slipped 0.9 per cent, Westpac fell 0.7 per cent and NAB edged 0.1 per cent lower.

Insurance companies were doing worse, with both IAG and Suncorp falling 1.9 per cent.

The energy sector dropped 1.4 per cent as Brent crude fell to a two-week low of $US98.77 a barrel following reports that Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifted its military blockade.

Woodside slipped 1.9 per cent, while Santos and coal miner New Hope both lost 1.5 per cent. 

Elsewhere, REA Group fell 4.1 per cent as the realestate.com.au owner announced it appointed former AMP Bank executive Sally Bruce as a non-executive director.

In the industrial sector, Qantas climbed 2.2 per cent after the airline said tickets for its new Sydney-New York nonstop flights would go on sale in August 2027, ahead of their launch date in mid-2028.

In the consumer discretionary sector, Myer gained 5.7 per cent despite posting a $276.5 million loss for 2025/26.

In currencies, the Australian dollar was changing hands for 71.05 US cents, unchanged from 5pm on Tuesday.

Anthony Albanese has come face to face with Donald Trump, as the US president earlier rejected calls to rein in the use of artificial intelligence.

The prime minister had a brief one-on-one conversation with Mr Trump at a gala dinner hosted by the president on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Australian time.

The two leaders had a warm and positive conversation, with Mr Albanese taking a selfie of the pair.

“Always good to catch up with @POTUS,” Mr Albanese said on the social media platform X.

The meeting followed the two leaders diverging on how to tackle the growth of AI technology, with the US leader urging for development to speed up.

But the prime minister still believes a coalition of nations can work together to put in place greater human control for the technology.

In an address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Australian time, the US president said AI should be renamed as “super intelligence”, rejecting calls for more protections. 

He said AI had a potential to be bigger than the Industrial Revolution or the internet.

“The use of the word ‘artificial’ makes intelligence sound fake. It is not fake, it’s actually amazing,” he told delegates.

“The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control the artificial intelligence being spoken of.”

Mr Trump has previously said concerns about AI were a hoax and limiting its growth would cause America to cede ground to China.

The US president will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday, US time.

Mr Albanese denied the comments from Mr Trump had dampened efforts by Australia and other nations to slow the roll out.

“We have put forward a strong position,” he told reporters in New York.

“There are a range of advantages, but we need to make sure that humans are in control.

“We’ll wait and see what comes out of the meeting between President Trump and President Xi.”

The comments come a day after Mr Albanese joined more than 20 other countries urging greater oversight for AI.

The joint statement – also signed by Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and South Africa – warned the pace of AI’s development could outpace abilities to manage the associated risks.

“AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control. It must be developed and used in line with international law,” the joint statement said.

Mr Albanese said other countries were announcing reforms for AI.

“This is just one of the aspects that the world now is debating,” he said.

The prime minister told a UN coalition for child protections in the AI age that while the technology had the potential for opportunities, there were dangers involved.

“We also see that AI can pose a range of potential risks. From the exploitation of children, the potential to enable biological weapons, or even the loss of control of AI systems themselves,” he said.

“And as AI capabilities advance, these risks will increasingly cross borders.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said countries needed to act immediately on the threat of AI, rather than waiting for reforms like with social media.

“We certainly do not want to repeat the mistakes that we made in relation to social networks,” he said.

“We need to understand how these models develop and build precisely the proper answers.”

Mr Albanese was in the audience for Mr Trump’s address to the United Nations, alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

The prime minister also briefly spoke with former foreign minister Julie Bishop and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Anthony Albanese has rejected US government claims that Australia’s proposed social media overhaul amounts to censorship.

The Trump administration’s response to Australia’s proposed digital duty-of-care laws said the US government had serious concerns about the plans, calling for America-based platforms to be exempted.

“A framework that empowers governments to enforce vague definitions of ‘harm’ risks becoming a mechanism for viewpoint-based censorship,” the US government said in a statement posted on the website for the US Embassy in Australia.

“Platforms will be incentivised to over-moderate speech that should be protected to avoid regulatory penalties.”

Under the digital duty of care, social media users will have the option to remove an algorithm-driven feed and instead default to seeing content from people they follow.

Tech platforms would also be forced to protect under-18s from harmful posts such as misogynistic content, pornography, posts that encourage eating disorders or content that glorifies crime.

The eSafety Commissioner would also have powers to issue removal notices to social media platforms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced the proposal in early September, releasing a draft for consultation.

He said the changes were in the national interest.

“The digital duty of care is something that we’re foreshadowed for some period of time,” he told reporters in New York.

“It’s not about giving government control, it’s about giving people back control over what they receive on their devices.”

But the US government said Australia needed to define how the harm and risks would be determined and whether standard definitions would be needed.

The statement said calls to filter content would not be different to outright removal.

“The US government would likely consider such a measure as facilitating censorship,” it said.

“We ask that Australia withdraw any plans to mandate that platforms algorithmically suppress content based on ambiguous, government-defined safety criteria.”

The US called for the federal government to explain its response to industry concerns and how the definitions of what constituted harmful content would be determined.

The statement noted American companies would be disproportionately impacted by the measures.

“The large majority of social media and video-sharing platforms that would be affected are US-headquartered companies, operating substantially on US soil and serving American users alongside Australian ones,” it said.

The statement was made hours before Mr Albanese spoke at the UN General Assembly about protecting children online.

Mr Albanese addressed the Coalition for Children’s Rights and Protection in the Age of AI, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The Labor leader said the digital duty of care laws built on world-first reforms that banned under-16s from having social media accounts.

“Australia is now introducing additional laws … to put choice back into the hands of Australia over the algorithm,” Mr Albanese said.

“They will make social media platforms give people the choice.”

He also discussed the social media measures with former Apple chief executive Tim Cook at the tech giant’s California headquarters on Sunday.

The pair had a one-hour, closed-door meeting after they had a previous conversation over the phone on child safety measures on Apple devices.

Such measures were inspired by the social media ban.

Mr Albanese told the UN coalition the social media ban was showing results.

“Our ban gives our children precious breathing space in which to mature and make safer social media decisions,” he said.

Critics of the laws’ implementation have pointed to research and anecdotal evidence showing teens have been easily able to circumvent the ban and continue to access social media.

On a day of high-stakes diplomacy on the global stage, President Donald Trump began his United Nations visit by telling a prominent US journalist, “You should not be here”.

“It’s an honour to be here,” Trump said as he entered UN doors on Tuesday ahead of his speech to the General Assembly and faced Kaitlan Collins of CNN, a frequent target of his ire.

“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me.”

As Collins noted later on air, CNN said nothing of the kind. The administration had banned CNN from White House grounds days earlier – along with MS NOW and Politico – and removed the network from pool duty. But CNN had been admitted into the UN as regularly credentialed media.

In any case, the tense moment was a stark reminder of how dramatically the bitter conflict between Trump and news outlets whose coverage he objects to as “fake news” has escalated in just a few days.

The current ban was the subject of a joint lawsuit filed on Monday by the three outlets, asking a judge to find the administration’s move unconstitutional. The White House had until Tuesday to respond, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Later on Tuesday, Trump doubled down on his remarks and said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.

Asked whether he would allow the outlets back in if the court rules against the White House, he said, “Well, it probably will, because this is a judge who’s not a particularly fair judge”.

He was referring to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom he appointed in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist’s access restored in a similar case in 2018.

“So you never know,” Trump added.

“I think we have a right to clean out fake news.”

The ban and lawsuit are part of a long-running conflict between the president and media outlets he finds unfavourable.

Trump has responded in the courtroom, or with regulatory action.

He’s also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms – as he has with CNN’s Collins, most recently in a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

On air, after her exchange with Trump on Tuesday, Collins said: “We never said we were not going to cover the president. We will do our best to cover him each and every day.”

Tuesday began with an item missing from the daily press schedule issued by the White House: It did not list the US network pool, a departure from the norm.

CNN had been the designated pool network for the president’s trip to New York, according to a schedule that divides coverage of certain events between the five major networks. But Trump’s ban removed it from pool duties.

The other pool members agreed, in solidarity, not to replace CNN with another network on the coverage, and further to suspend all pool coverage until further notice.

Other news outlets also took steps in solidarity. The Associated Press joined a number of news organisations, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, in a decision not to publish photographs of presidential events on Monday.