Tuesday, 17 September - We are family

September 17, 2024

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 17 September. In your Squiz Today…

  • Another alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump

  • Glasgow’s almost over the line to step in for Melbourne

  • And our Elizabeth picks up an Emmy…

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“This is quite humbling.”

Said Aussie tennis champ Olivia Gadecki, who lost to Poland’s Magdalena Fręch in the WTA Tour final in Mexico yesterday - but still managed to launch herself 64 spots up the rankings to 88th, making her Australia’s #1 women’s player. You know what they say about silver linings…

Dodging another bullet

The Squiz

A second alleged assassination attempt on former/hopeful US President Donald Trump in just 2 months has heightened election campaign tensions even further. The 78yo is “safe and well” after he was whisked off his Florida golf course yesterday when Secret Service agents saw an “AK-47-style weapon poking out of the bushes”. The suspect fled the scene after agents opened fire on him, but he was arrested a short time later. He’s been identified as 58yo Hawaiian Ryan Wesley Routh, and he faced court overnight charged with gun crimes. 

What do we know about him?

FBI officers claim they found the weapon, a scope, 2 backpacks, and a GoPro camera in bushes about 365m from where Trump was golfing and that Routh had been camped in the area for 12 hours. Routh, who has a 2002 conviction for possessing a machine gun, appeared in shackles in a federal court in Florida, where he was refused bail. He's facing charges of possession of a rifle despite being a convicted felon and the weapon having an obliterated serial number - and more charges are expected today. Reports say Routh is passionate about the plight of Ukraine and that he travelled there to provide aid after Russia's invasion but didn't enter combat. The White House says President Joe Biden is “relieved” Trump is safe, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris said: “Violence has no place in America.”

How’s Trump?

He says his "resolve is only stronger”, and he thanked authorities for the “absolutely outstanding” job they did to keep him safe. As for how it happened, while Trump’s security had been ramped up since the first assassination attempt, the full golf course hadn’t been cordoned off because he’s not a sitting president. Biden has directed the agency to provide “every resource” to keep Trump safe. But not everyone’s impressed with that response… Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz (who’s on the committee looking into the first assassination attempt) says he’s “bewildered why we’re in this situation for a second time” and that the Secret Service “has a lot to explain”. Analysts say after decades without an assassination attempt against a presidential candidate there is “no political playbook” for how to deal with the increased threat of violence.

Let your smile shine

Smiling is one of our favourite things to do, but it helps when your teeth are at their best. The Smilie Teeth Whitening Kit offers visible results from the first treatment without the hefty price tag, delivered straight to your door. It'll even lift long-lasting stains without causing your toothy-pegs pain. Find out more here.

Squiz the Rest

An acquittal in the Amber Haigh case

Robert and Anne Geeves, the couple accused of killing 19yo teenager Amber Haigh in 2002, have been found not guilty of her murder. Justice Julia Lonergan gave her verdict yesterday in the NSW Supreme Court after a 2-month judge-only trial wrapped up last month. Prosecutors claimed the Geeveses killed Amber to gain custody of her 5-month-old son, who was fathered by Robert. Her body’s never been found, but a 2011 inquiry found she was likely murdered, and the Geeveses have long denied having anything to do with her disappearance. Yesterday, Lonergan said she was “not persuaded” by the prosecutors’ main arguments. She also expressed sympathy for the missing woman. “Amber went back and forth between places and people, looking for love and solace. She never found it. She was still looking for it when she disappeared.”

Party blues and family feuds

It’s the week for a couple more notable court cases… In Victoria, former Liberal state MP Moira Deeming’s defamation case against the state’s party leader John Pesutto began in the Federal Court yesterday. Deeming is suing Pessuto after he linked her appearance at the “Let Women Speak” rally in March 2023 (which had international anti-trans rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen as a key speaker) to a group of neo-Nazis who gatecrashed the event. And further from home in the US state of Nevada, the Murdoch family is heading to court over patriarch Rupert’s succession plan for his media empire. To recap what we know: Rupert’s gunning for his eldest son Lachlan to take over the company while also removing his other adult children’s voting powers - which they’re fighting against. Media petitions to unseal the case haven’t been successful, so the proceedings are likely to play out behind closed doors.

Ready, set, Glasgow

The Scottish city of Glasgow is poised to take over hosting duties for the 2026 Commonwealth Games - you know, the ones ditched by Victoria last year. But it doesn’t mean Victorian taxpayers are off the hook - part of the transfer agreement will see nearly $200 million of the $380 million the state government paid in compensation for cancelling at short notice go towards the rescheduled event. And with the UK/Scottish governments refusing to contribute any of their cash, reports say Australia could be on the hook for another $4.5 million to cover any security cost blowouts. Glasgow last hosted the Comm Games in 2014, but reports say the 2026 event would be scaled down, with only a third of the usual events. Commonwealth Games Federation president Chris Jenkins says it would still be "world class"...

Up, up and away…

Anyone who’s booked a flight recently might have noticed that airfares have been on the rise again… New data released yesterday by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics shows that the cheapest domestic airfares on the market have gone up 12.5% since July. The same data shows that full-priced domestic economy fares are at their highest levels in more than 3 years. Some reports have linked the increases to the disappearance of regional airline Rex on some routes - it is our 3rd-largest carrier behind Qantas and Virgin, after all... It entered voluntary administration at the end of July. But we’re not all travelling domestically - other stats released by the Bureau of Stats show that despite the heightened cost-of-living pressures, Aussies are saying bon voyage in record numbers. Nice for some… 

A shiny night at the Emmys

The 2024 Emmy Awards are done and dusted, and Aussie star Elizabeth Debicki was one of the big winners - nabbing her first Emmy with her portrayal of Princess Diana in the final seasons of The Crown. She didn't have a speech planned because she's "very superstitious" but did pretty well on the fly - saying that playing "this unparalleled, incredible human being has been my great privilege". The full list of winners is here, but a couple of notable ones were Baby Reindeer (Best Limited Series) and Shōgun (Best Drama), making it the first non-English language show to win that category. And despite the cast and crew of The Bear taking home several awards, Hacks came out on top for Best Comedy. As for the red carpet, there was a bit of a metallic theme going on - here’s a gallery to scroll through.

Apropos of Nothing

New Zealand’s Bird of the Year competition has announced the latest winner after a campaign free from the controversy that’s as famous as the animals themselves… The “smelly” yellow-eyed penguin took the crown, and given it’s also known as the Hoiho (which means ‘noise shouter’ due to its shrill call), it’s well placed to shout down any detractors…

Chef Jan Slottje’s extra large vanilla slice is becoming a go-to for travellers passing by the Hell’s Gate Roadhouse, 50km from the Queensland/Northern Territory border. She’s grateful for the praise even though she’s not a fan of snot blocks and hasn’t tried them herself.

An 82yo Queenslander known as 'Nuts' has lived up to his nickname by recycling over a million bottles and cans to raise $100,000 for a local animal charity. Selwyn Nutley from the Central Highlands town of Emerald says he’ll continue recycling 6,000 containers a week until he gets old. Sounds like thirsty work…

Squiz the Day

8.10am (AEST) - The AFR’s Cyber Summit, discussing cyber safety in business, is on in Sydney

9.00am (AEST) - Australian Defence Science and Technology Research (ADSTAR) Summit 2024 - Canberra

9.00am (AEST) - The Australian Museums and Galleries Association’s national conference begins (until 20 September) - Ballarat

9.30am (AEST) - International Conference on Ocean Energy (until 19 September) - Melbourne

10.00am (AEST) - Tasmania's Museum of New and Old Art is appealing a court decision to close its ladies' lounge because it’s discriminatory against men - Hobart

11.00am (AEST) - Welcome home events for our Paris Olympians and Paralympians in Canberra and the Sunshine Coast

4.30pm (AEST) - Jillian Segal, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism will give evidence at a public inquiry into antisemitism in Australian universities - Canberra

6.00pm (AEST) - PM Anthony Albanese to address the Business Council of Australia 2024 annual dinner - Sydney

8.00pm (AEST) - AFC Champions League Elite: Shandong Taishan v Central Coast Mariners - China, and watch on JLeague 

A series of evidentiary hearings will begin in the Murdoch family trust fund court case - Nevada, US

ABS release - First data release for Measuring and Valuing Australia's Ecosystems, June 2016; and Sun Protection Behaviours 

Start of Milan Fashion Week (on until 23 September) 

Batman Day

Australian Citizenship Day - anniversary of the proclamation of the Commonwealth of Australia (1900)

Birthdays for Narendra Modi (1950) and Baz Luhrmann (1962)

Anniversary of:

  • Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek becoming the first to report the existence of bacteria (1683)

  • the debut of the Looney Tunes characters Wile E Coyote and Road Runner in the cartoon Fast and Furry-ous (1949)

  • the premiere of M*A*S*H (1972)

  • the signing of the Camp David Accords - the frameworks for peace in the Middle East and between Egypt and Israel (1978)