Afternoon Update: Trump refuses to finalise debate plans; Nine journalists on strike; and the navy chief who planned a shipwreck
Good afternoon. Kamala Harris has accused Donald Trump of “backpedalling” from a previously agreed presidential debate in September, as the Trump campaign said that it would not agree to finalising plans until Harris formally became the Democratic nominee.
Harris, the presumptive nominee, has continued to invigorate her party’s campaign in her first events since Joe Biden bowed out from the presidential race. A survey of 211,219 Black voters across all 50 states found a vast majority trusted Harris and distrusted Trump.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors who secured Trump’s hush-money criminal conviction have urged a judge not to toss the guilty verdict, saying the US supreme court ruling on presidential immunity has no bearing on the case.
Top news
Nine journalists on strike | Editorial staff from newspapers owned by Nine have stopped work for five days as they protest pay offer and job cuts. Read more from Amanda Meade here.
Gladys Berejiklian loses legal challenge against corrupt conduct finding | The former New South Wales premier has lost her legal challenge against a corruption watchdog finding that she engaged in “serious corrupt conduct” after failing to declare a conflict of interest over two government grants.
Queensland corruption watchdog criticises Labor for stalling on police integrity | The corruption commission chair, Bruce Barbour, said there had been no meaningful progress on the establishment of a police integrity unit despite the urgent need.
Israel-Gaza war | US medics who volunteered in Gaza have demanded an arms embargo against Israel, as the White House says Israel and Hamas are closer than ever toa ceasefire deal. Kamala Harris said she “will not be silent” on the crisis after meeting Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ex-Spandau Ballet singer guilty of rape | Ross Davidson, a “sadistic and manipulative” former Spandau Ballet singer, has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault. Davidson performed with the English pop band between 2017 and 2019 as Ross Wild.
No return date for Nasa astronauts amid capsule problems | Two Nasa astronauts on Boeing’s Starliner capsule will remain at the International Space Station with no official return date yet. Nasa said the pair were not stranded but must wait until issues with the spacecraft have been resolved.
Museum solves mystery of bronze age axe heads delivered in porridge box | The National Museum of Ireland has found the person who anonymously handed in two 4,000-year-old axe heads – a farmer who stumbled across the artefacts while using a metal detector.
Tory leadership candidate mocked for ‘Turd’ campaign acronym | Former UK security minister Tom Tugendhat has altered his Conservative leadership campaign slogan after social media users spotted its scatological shorthand.
Paris Olympics Games 2024 | While the mood on the ground in Paris has been low-key ahead of tonight’s opening ceremony, Jack Snape writes that Australian expatriates are bringing their cafe culture and joie de vivre to Paris.
What they said …
***
“I did it as quietly as I could, so I would not raise any hackles among anybody” – former navy chief of the Philippines Eduardo Santos, who intentionally wrecked his ship.
Retired Vice Adm Santos told Rebecca Ratcliffe how he fought China’s “creeping invasion” by running his ship aground on one of the world’s most fiercely contested maritime sites, without China knowing.
In numbers
… Or about A$3bn. Pentagon staff had already recorded an additional US$6.2bn (A$9.46bn) of US equipment bound for Kyiv in the wrong category before the latest discovery.
Before bed read
God complexes and playground bragging rights: the school pen licence was serious business
Louis Hanson says the polarising pen licence was a rite of passage that shows how trivial things can linger into adulthood – or that we’re all a bit dramatic when it comes to nostalgia.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: THIN. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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