On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 20th of September, Finance Minister Nicola Willis attempts to turn our economy around as we stare down the barrel of another recession.

Penny Simmonds spoke to AUT about their race-based ranking system to send professors to overseas conferences. So did she get to the bottom of it and stop it?

Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson talk Dubai chocolate bars and Luke Combs coming back to the country, as they Wrap the Week.

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At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.

The economy: 4/10

Between the GDP and the current account, it’s a bad week of data. You could argue the upside is it might be the worst of it. It might be better from here on in.

Whining unions: 3/10

This week it was relief teachers. Name me the last time unions said something, anything, positive.

The race edict: 8/10

Because doing stuff, handing stuff out, based on nothing more than race is racist.

The All Blacks: 7/10

Australia comes at just the right time. What we need off two losses is someone pretty useless. Australia - come on in.

Liam Lawson: 9/10

If the word is accurate, by the time the weekend is out we will have our next full-time driver in F1.

Federated Farmers: 125/10

That’s a birthday worth celebrating and of all the advocacy groups, I think they could be close to being my favourite.

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The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the first time in more than four years – a significant political boost for the Harris campaign.

Rates have gone down by 0.5% to about 4.8%, a far bigger rate than economists had predicted.

Policymakers expect the rate to fall another 0.5% this year and go down to around 3% by the end of 2026.

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Donald Trump is complaining about the impact it will have for Harris’ campaign, calling the move by the Federal Reserve “sheer politics”.

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What I would like out of the Philip Polkinghorne trial is access to the jury.

This country has an archaic and sheltered view of certain aspects of justice. If you believe justice has to be seen to be done, it behoves us to fully understand the process.

I have had virtually no interest in the trial. I have no real overarching interest in crime generally.

I got fascinated by the David Bain business, but Polkinghorne has passed me by. He either did it or he didn’t. The jury is working that out as we speak.

I have noticed a change this time and it confirms that my lack of interest in matters makes me part of a very, very small minority. It's the blogging that has gone on from court from the digital media.

A criticism I have always had about media coverage of court is mainly they are cherry pickers and mainly formats, particularly in news bulletins, never gives fair insight into the day's proceedings.

This time it has been no different. TV seems to have come and gone. On a slow day it's covered, on a busy one it's not.

Having been in court enough times over the years, the tricky part is how slowly it all moves and therefore it is easy for media to miss a lot of detail, not to mention subtlety and nuance.

If you can't cover it properly, don’t.

The digital operators have been able to give you all the blow-by-blow detail you could ever want and from my inquires, it has been absorbed vociferously by most of the population.

But back to the jury. In America you get to talk to them.

Why not here?

Surely in a trial of this detail and interest, knowing what they thought or didn’t think and what they made out as critical or of no consequence is not only fascinating, but vital to understanding as to how we got to where we are about to get.

Seeing open justice work and getting the detail from those closest to it is good. Surely you can't argue that wouldn't improve the process, therefore our understanding?

How, possibly, is that a bad thing?

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Will Jordan’s move to All Blacks fullback has been short lived.

Jordan shifts back to the right wing for Saturday afternoon’s Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney, with Beauden Barrett restored to fullback and Caleb Clarke on the left wing.

It’s the same back three that started in Johannesburg against the Springboks, before Barrett switched to the bench for Cape Town.

Coach Scott Robertson says they believe it’s best for this week with Clarke now fit again.

Jordan told Mike Hosking that while Australia is not South Africa, they all know how important the Bledisloe Cup is, and losing that certainly provides plenty of fear.

He said that it’s about maintaining or even lifting their intensity from over in South Africa, and making sure they put Australia on the back foot from the start.

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Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson are back once more to Wrap the Week that was alongside Mike Hosking.

They discussed Producer Sam’s recent purchases of Dubai chocolate bars, vacuum cleaners, and Luke Combs’ upcoming return to New Zealand.

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The Law Association says changing the threshold for the right to a jury trial doesn't make sense.

Currently a defendant can choose between a jury or a judge-alone trial in cases where the maximum penalty is two or more years in jail.

The Government's seeking feedback on increasing this to three, five, or seven years, saying jury trials drive court delays.

Law Association Vice-President Julie-Anne Kincade told Mike Hosking that right now in Auckland District Court you'll get a jury-trial faster than a judge alone trial.

She says they need to be careful about using a blunt tool to try solve the problem.

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A million dollar boost is on its way towards methane vaccine research.

Scientists are wanting to develop antibodies that reduce methane emissions from animals.

AgriZeroNZ and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre are providing $13.5 million to Lucidome Bio to develop the treatment.

AgriZeroNZ chief executive Wayne McNee told Mike Hosking they're on a path to eventually get there.

He says they've also invested in a UK company, which has already proven it's possible.

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