New Zealand’s unemployment rate is expected to hold steady - at least on paper - when new data is released this week.

But beneath that headline number, economists are warning the labour market may already be weakening, just as global tensions and an oil shock begin to bite.

There are also growing concerns about something called ‘stagflation’... where higher unemployment and rising inflation collide... and what that could mean for households and the wider economy.

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann is with us to unpack what to look for in the latest data, what it really tells us about the state of the economy, and what could come next.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

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Barry Soper is a name and certainly a voice that’s recognisable across New Zealand.

After decades in the Beehive, Soper put pen to paper outlining his time covering 12 Prime Ministers, from Muldoon to Luxon.

He blends personal stories, policy critiques, and behind-the-scenes tales ... like Muldoon’s drunken Schnapps election call, Lange’s antics in Africa, and Bolger’s mimicry habits.

As former PM John Key wrote in one of the book’s forewords, “Barry knew, and still knows, where the bones are buried”. The other foreword is penned by Helen Clark.

Barry Soper joins The Front Page to discuss how political reporting has changed over the years, and where he thinks it’s headed.

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A man has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump after trying to storm the White House correspondents’ dinner.

The 31-year-old was carrying a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shot gun, and three knives as he charged past security. A White House security review’s been launched to understand how this person managed to get so close to the President.

So how should we understand this moment? Is it part of a long historical pattern, or something new? And what are the risks of copycat attacks, political escalation, and the way this is reported?

Today on The Front Page, University of Waikato international law professor Alexander Gillespie is with us to unpack the history, the legal questions, and what it all means from here.

Host/Producer: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Executive Producer: Jane Yee

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.