Housing Notes

Spanish actor Miguel Bernardeau, son of Ana Duato, is making headlines over a new relationship. Spanish magazines report he is dating Zhanna Red, a Latvian model and influencer who has worked with fashion houses such as Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Outlets note she has also won over his family circle, with celebrity magazines featuring the couple on their covers this week.

Commentators are pointing to Defence Housing Australia as proof Australia already knows how to run public housing at scale. The agency managed 17,353 homes as of June 2025 and recorded an after-tax profit of $23.9 million, with critics noting no one calls its model welfare. The argument comes as public housing makes up only around 4% of Australia's housing stock, amid ongoing debate over the country's housing affordability crisis.

Valentino presented its new collection in a 19th-century library in Paris, showing corset tops paired with chunky jewellery. The house used the ornate historic setting to frame the looks, drawing attention from the fashion press during the season's Paris schedule. The combination of structured corsetry and bold accessories is being highlighted as the defining note of the collection.

CNN's Jake Tapper confronted White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett with Trump's two-year-old promise to bring mortgage rates down to 3% or lower, noting rates just posted their biggest weekly jump in four years to above 7%. Hassett rejected the premise, defending the administration's economic record as critics seize on the gap between the pledge and reality.

A bill sponsored by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney addressing the so-called hostage tax penalty has passed both chambers of Congress and now awaits President Trump's signature. The legislation targets tax penalties imposed on Americans whose tax filings were disrupted by circumstances beyond their control. Local and regional outlets in New York are reporting the bill's passage, noting it now heads to the White House to become law.

The band The House Flies has released a new album, Lost Literature, on a self-released basis without label backing. The record has been noted in independent music coverage, drawing attention within the underground and DIY music scene as listeners and reviewers share their impressions of the new material.

The Tampa Bay Rays are drawing a full stadium for their playoff matchup against the New York Yankees, a marked change from three years ago when their postseason games were played before sparse crowds. The turnaround in attendance is being noted across baseball, highlighting the franchise's growing fan support in a matchup against one of the sport's biggest drawing teams.

US mortgage rates have climbed above 7%, while millions of homeowners still hold loans locked in below 4% from the pandemic-era refinancing boom. Analysts note many owners refuse to sell because moving would mean giving up their cheap rate and taking on a far costlier new mortgage, a dynamic known as the lock-in effect that is keeping housing supply tight and prices elevated.