Thursday, 12 September - Relight my fire

Good morning, it’s Thursday, 12 September. In your Squiz Today…

  • Harris and Trump’s high stakes debate

  • Justice for the Hunter Valley bus crash victims

  • And Raygun’s #1 world ranking…🤸‍♀️

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“Not a lot of people realise this is a species where the males literally mate themselves to death.”

Said Rachel Lowry of Bush Heritage Australia - she’s backing the brush-tailed phascogale to take the title in Australia’s Marsupial of the Year competition. We’re not sure if that’s a compliment, but it’s certainly impressive…

“Have a good debate” and “have fun”...

The Squiz

With just 8 weeks until Americans vote for their next president, the campaign’s battlelines were made clear in a spicy debate between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris. In the blue corner, Harris showed she could get under Trump’s skin with jibes about his criminal conviction and small crowds at his rallies. And in the red corner, Trump hit on her record in the White House, sheeting home responsibility for high inflation and surges in illegal immigration. The pundits reckon identifying the winner was a challenge. Reports say polls of the debate point to Harris as the better performer, but with the candidates neck and neck in election polls, the November ballot is still anyone’s to win/lose. 

Gimme the details

The 90 minutes of debate started with a handshake - a debate first since 2016 - where pleasantries were exchanged. From there, a lot of ground was covered with both candidates having some shaky moments… Analysts reckon Harris had a nervous start but improved as the debate went on, while Trump “chased every rabbit down every hole” when baited. Trump pushed Harris over her flip-flopping views on fracking, “radical left” ideology, and the Biden administration’s failure to improve the US. In response, Harris attacked Trump’s unclear stance on abortion, criminal indictments, and links to Project 2025. In their closing statements, Harris focused on uniting Americans and looking to the future, while Trump asked why Harris had failed to implement the policies she now advocates for.

What happens next?

Reports said this could be their only debate, but it seems both candidates are up for a second round, potentially later this month/early October. Another thing to note: straight after the debate, megastar Taylor Swift made her position clear after a lot of speculation - she’s backed Harris in an Instagram post featuring a photo with her cat in a clap back at Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s attack on “childless cat ladies”. But it’s not all about celebrity endorsements - it’s the 7 swing states that will likely decide the outcome. Cue breathless anticipation for the post-debate polls… 

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Squiz the Rest

A major operation in Melbourne

Things got heated outside a defence industry/weapons expo in Melbourne’s CBD yesterday, with thousands of anti-war protesters lighting fires in rubbish bins and throwing bottles, horse manure and acid at police in front of the LandForces expo at the Melbourne Convention Centre. At least 42 protesters were arrested during the clashes, and 27 police were injured. A spokesperson from the Disrupt Wars group said they were there for “all those who have been killed by the type of weapons on display”. But given the heightened tensions at protests Australia-wide this year, Victoria Police preemptively deployed hundreds of extra officers - saying it could be their largest operation in almost 25 years. PM Anthony Albanese also chimed in - he said “you don’t say you’re opposed to defence equipment by throwing things at police”. The expo runs until Friday - so more unrest is expected.

A Hunter Valley bus crash sentence

Brett Button - the driver of a bus that crashed near Singleton in the Hunter Valley in June last year, killing 10 people and injuring 25 others - has been handed a 32-year prison sentence with a non-parole period of 24 years. Newcastle District Court Judge Roy Ellis said the 59yo, who pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving causing death amongst other charges, had engaged in risky behaviour the night of the crash before the bus flipped onto its side and hit a guard rail at a roundabout. Button yesterday apologised to the families of the victims - all of whom were travelling home from a wedding. Some of their loved ones cried and hugged in court after the sentencing - but others are still questioning the plea deal that allowed Button’s charges to be downgraded from manslaughter.

More moves on big tech

After revealing plans for an age limit on social media platforms on Tuesday, the Albanese Government will today introduce new laws to crack down on doxxing, and to give our media regulator more powers against big tech companies carrying misinformation and disinformation online. Under the bill, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) could issue fines of up to 5% of global revenue to the likes of Meta and X if they don’t comply. It’s one of a raft of steps the government is taking against big tech companies, with new legislation to reduce “criminal conduct” and online scams due on Friday. Measures to protect Australians as artificial intelligence gets more and more take up are also coming, along with a new plan to make the tech companies that carry news to pay local publishers for it. 

A break for our world #1

Breakdancer/B-girl Raygun is back in the headlines after the governing body’s latest world rankings show she’s hit the #1 spot. Raygun - aka Sydneysider Rachael Gunn - said she was “devastated” after she copped a lot of flak internationally for her performance at the Paris Olympics, where her infamous moves failed to score her a single point. The World DanceSport Federation said it doesn’t consider Olympic performances in its rankings, but looks at the athletes’ top 4 performances over the past year. But given there weren’t many events in the lead-up to the Olympics, Raygun’s 1,000-point Oceania championships win last October pushed her to the top of the ranker. As for the woman herself, she’s back in Oz after living it up on holiday with some of her new very famous friends…

Relighting the dumpster Fyre… 

Billy McFarland - the man behind the famously catastrophic Fyre Festival from 2017 - may have spent 4 years in prison for scamming millions of dollars from investors/party-goers, but Fyre II remains on the cards. It’s set to take place around 25 April next year on an island off the coast of Mexico with tickets costing from $2,100-$1.65 million. “We have the chance to embrace this storm and really steer our ship into all the chaos that has happened,” McFarland said in a statement we think was meant to instil confidence… He hasn’t booked any musical acts but says he's hired a festival production company to "handle the stages and the bathrooms and all the stuff that I clearly don't know how to do." As for a famous cheese sandwich comeback - it’s also on track. “We’re going to make them, like, really good. Like, that’ll be the highest-priced food item, I think,” he says. 

Apropos of Nothing

Post a big nuclear disaster in 2011, posh punters are spending $157 for a box of 3 peaches grown in Japan’s Fukushima region. The fancy fruit is being sold in London’s Harrods, and the fruit is said to have "unparalleled sweetness and juiciness." 

Fans of the Netflix series Emily in Paris will see Brigitte Macron’s cameo appearance in the latest episode to drop. Despite international success, the show hasn’t been a hit with the French, but its producers hope the nation’s first lady will bring a certain je ne sais quoi.

As Foo Fighter Dave Grohl apologised to his family for fathering a child outside his marriage via an Instagram post, it was a good time to reflect on some other awkward sorry moments. Apologising - it really is an art… 

Squiz the Day

7.00am (AEST) - Politicians to team up with our Paris Olympians in the Australian Sports Foundation’s Pollie Relay Dash - Canberra

9.00am (AEST) - CAPA Airline Leader Summit Australia Pacific 2024 - Brisbane

9.15am (AEST) - Trade Minister Don Farrell to address the China Business Council - Canberra

9.00am (AEST) - Protests are expected to continue against the LandForces International Land Defence Expo in Melbourne

10.00am (AEST) - MTV Video Music Awards - New York 

10.30am (AEST) - Plea hearing for Greg Lynn found guilty of murder of camper Carol Clay but not camper Russell Hill - Melbourne

6.00pm (AEST) - Prime Minister’s Literary Awards - Canberra

Start of London Fashion Week (on until 17 September) 

Birthdays for Michael Ondaatje (1943) and Hans Zimmer (1957)

Anniversary of:

Birthdays for Michael Ondaatje (1943) and Hans Zimmer (1957)

Anniversary of:

  • the marriage of John F Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier (1953)

  • the premiere of The Smurfs (1981)

  • the collapse of Ansett Australia (2001)

  • Today marks 10 years since 3yo William Tyrrell disappeared from his foster grandmother’s house in Kendall, NSW (2014)

Friday
Midnight (AEST) - Tennis: Davis Cup quarterfinal, Australia v Czech Republic - Valencia, Spain