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- Monday, 29 September - Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be
Monday, 29 September - Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be
Good morning, it’s Monday, 29 September. In your Squiz Today…
President Trump has former FBI Director James Comey in his sights
The PM visits King Charles
And a meeting of 2 fashion legends…
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Squiz Sayings
“He’s a crocodile that has got his act together.”
Said Bob Irwin (yep, Steve’s dad…) about Old Faithful, the 4.2m-long croc removed from Queensland’s Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park after getting “a bit cheeky” around people/boats. Authorities are now deciding his fate - Irwin Sr reckons they should let him off the hook…
Trump takes up the fight
The Squiz
US President Donald Trump’s arch-enemy James Comey is back in the headlines after he was indicted to stand trial for obstructing justice and lying to Congress. That happened on Friday, and commentators are continuing to say it’s a moment in American political history, so we thought it warranted explanation… Trump said the move brings “accountability” to the man who was sacked as FBI Director in 2017 after he went after the new President for collusion with Russia to win office. Cue Trump opponents and legal community outrage… They say it’s part of Trump’s plans to strike back against those who have pursued legal moves/criminal investigations against him.
I’m gonna need some background…
Here’s a good explainer, but to keep it brief: the indictment alleges that Comey lied during a 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony when he denied authorising the leaking of classified information to reporters. Prosecutors say he instructed ‘Person 3’ to make contact with the media to place anti-Trump stories. And when we say “keep it brief”, there aren’t actually many more details at this stage… Critics of the 2-page indictment have described it as the “bare bones” - and it’s for that reason that many commentators don’t think it’ll hold up at trial. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, believes Comey “will win in court”, but what the indictment itself reflects “is a broader attack on the rule of law that should frighten every single American”.
So what does Comey say?
He’s denied the charges. He said "my family and I have known for years there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump", and that he has "great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I'm innocent… So, let's have a trial". He'll first appear in court to formally enter a plea on 9 October, and from there, a trial will be scheduled. Until then, Trump and his team have other fights to wage, including the ongoing immigration crackdown. Yesterday, troops were ordered to Portland, Oregon, to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities from protesters whom he’s called “domestic terrorists”. Oregon’s Democratic Governor Tina Kotek has pushed back - she says “there is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our major city”.
Jetting all over the joint?
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Squiz the Rest
A mega load of weapons
As tensions rise between Russia and NATO members, Russia has launched a 12-hour aerial bombardment on Ukraine, killing at least 4 people and injuring 70 others. It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning a “mega deal” to buy around $90 billion of American weapons - a deal hatched at a meeting with President Trump at the UN General Assembly last week… Meanwhile, the EU is planning a drone wall to counter Russian incursions into NATO airspace in Eastern Europe. Trump hasn't minced words over the incursions, saying the US will join its NATO allies in defending its airspace. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has denied them, saying Russia has no intentions of attacking European/NATO countries, “however, any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response”.
A meeting fit for a King
PM Anthony Albanese met with King Charles (paywall) yesterday - and he’s closed the door on any talk of a referendum to make Oz a republic while he’s in office. The meeting was at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the PM flew with his fiancée Jodie Haydon after talks with UK PM Keir Starmer. Albanese said the King was up on his Oz affairs during their lunch date, saying “he’s someone who is very interested in Australia”. Later, when asked whether a referendum was discussed, Albanese said there would only be one referendum during his leadership - the 2023 vote on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Overnight, he became the first Oz PM to address the UK Labour Party conference in Liverpool. It brings his jam-packed trip to a close, but not everyone’s been impressed - Coalition leader Sussan Ley has accused him of “swanning around” at taxpayers’ expense.
The search for Dezi Freeman continues…
If you can believe it, Friday marked one month since the fugitive allegedly shot and killed 2 police officers at a property in Porepunkah in Victoria’s Alpine region, so questions are being asked about what comes next in the search effort. Around 450 Victoria police officers have been scouring the area since the shootings of officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart on 26 August, and a record $1 million reward is on offer. Despite receiving hundreds of tip-offs, authorities say there’s been no confirmed sightings of the self-declared sovereign citizen since he ran into the bush while still armed. But some - like retired Victoria Police homicide detective Charlie Bezzina - say the cost of continuing the search could have a “major impact” on the police budget, and “it has to have a line in the sand somewhere”.
One for the ages
Unless you went completely off-grid over the weekend, you probably heard/read/watched something about the AFL Grand Final… To recap, the Brisbane Lions beat the Geelong Cats 122-75 after being tied at half-time. It’s a back-to-back Premiership win for the Lions, but it wasn’t easy. One of the concerns was whether injured Captain/Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale would be fit to play. Spoiler alert: he was, and he had a big impact. The execs at the Seven Network will also be celebrating - the game drew a TV audience of 4.076 million, the third-highest for a GF in 20 years. Snoop Dogg might have had something to do with that - his pre-game show’s been called “the best” ever by some… To rugby league - the Brisbane Broncos won yesterday’s prelim final, so they'll face off against the Melbourne Storm in next Saturday's GF. And in the NRLW, it’s the Broncos again - they’re playing the Sydney Roosters for the trophy on Sunday.
A date with the Devil
Two iconic fashion editors - Runway’s Miranda Priestly and American Vogue’s former long-time boss Anna Wintour - came face to face backstage at Milan Fashion Week on Saturday. For the uninitiated, Runway is the fictional glossy mag in The Devil Wears Prada and its upcoming sequel. It’s based on Vogue, and the character of Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) is rumoured to be inspired by Wintour. The very fabulous meeting came about after Streep and her co-stars Stanley Tucci and Simone Ashley filmed a scene in the front row of Dolce & Gabbana’s show. Afterwards, they went backstage, where Streep hugged Wintour and admitted the fashion show was her first. But she definitely looked the part - both style icons had their signature sunglasses on…
Apropos of Nothing - Physical feats edition
An Egyptian wrestler has managed to haul a 700-ton ship by his teeth in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record. Strongman Ashraf Mahrous has already pulled a train, a truck, and another ship with a rope around his shoulders, but this time he really sank his teeth into it.
Polish adventurer Andrzej Bargiel has become the first person to climb Mount Everest and ski down to base camp without the use of additional oxygen. More than 6,000 people have climbed to the summit, and only a few have skied down, but none like him. As the Polish PM said on X: "Sky is the limit? Not for Poles!"
The K-wave of pop music, beauty and food from South Korea now includes hangover remedies in the form of drinks and jelly sticks - but also something called 'hangover soup'. It contains heotgae - a kind of raisin - cabbage, and congealed ox blood, and is described as a comfort food as well as a cure…
Squiz the Day
It’s a public holiday in Western Australia for the King's Birthday
Term 3 school holidays begin in the ACT (until 14 October), NSW (until 10 October), and South Oz, Western Oz and Tasmania (until 13 October)
7.30am (AEST) - The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Board Meeting begins (until 30 September) - Sydney
9.00am (AEST) - The Women Unlimited Leadership Summit (held over 3 days across 6 capital cities) will feature addresses from former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former PM Julia Gillard and other women in leadership - Sydney, Canberra
9.00am (AEST) - The International Astronautical Congress kicks off (until 3 October) - Sydney
1.05pm (AEST) - Canoe/kayak: The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships begin (until 4 October) - Sydney, NSW
Singtel has confirmed CEO Yuen Kuan Moon will join the Optus Chair John Arthur and CEO Stephen Rue for a meeting with Communications Minister Anika Wells over the telco's most recent triple-0 fail
The Prime Minister's Literary Awards are set to be announced
Paris Fashion Week begins (until 7 October), with Tillies star Mary Fowler set to become the first athlete to walk in the shows
Dashain - the most important festival for Nepalis (until 4 October)
A birthday for former PM Julia Gillard (1961)
Anniversary of:
American oil tycoon John D Rockefeller becoming the world's first billionaire (1916)
the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 777.68 points, its largest single-day point loss after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and doubts over the futures of other financial institutions, sparking the Global Financial Crisis (2008)
the death of iconic Aussie singer Helen Reddy (2020)