Wednesday, 7 May - I'm coming out

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 7 May. In your Squiz Today…

• A key witness testifies in the mushroom murder case

• Carney meets with Trump

• And all the glitz and glam from a superfine Met Gala…

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Squiz Sayings

Said Frankston social basketballer Jesse Lans, who found himself facing off against rising NBA star Josh Giddey during a game on Monday. Melbourne boy Giddey, now playing for the Chicago Bulls, decided to suit up alongside one of his mates - leaving both teams giddy with delight…

A mushroom meal testimony

The Squiz

The sole surviving guest of Erin Patterson’s ill-fated lunch is the latest to give evidence in her murder trial. Ian Wilkinson, a 71yo pastor, attended the lunch at Patterson’s Leongatha home in Victoria’s Gippsland region on 29 July 2023 - alongside his wife Heather and in-laws Gail and Don Patterson. The 4 guests fell critically ill later that day, and within a week, 3 were dead. Erin Patterson - who was later charged with 3 counts of murder and one of attempted murder - has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Yesterday, Wilkinson was grilled about the details of the meal, which was later found to have contained toxic death cap mushrooms…

So what did he say?

Wilkinson started by explaining his and his late wife's relationship to 50yo Patterson - that they considered her a friendly "acquaintance". As for the beef Wellington that was served, he spoke of the different coloured plate used for Patterson’s lunch, and recalled both Heather and Gail’s offers to help with plating up being rejected. Patterson’s defence lawyer pressed Wilkinson on whether he was remembering that correctly, and Wilkinson said he was. He said “the conversation that I remember was in the Leongatha Hospital … Heather reminding me that there were different plates”. There’s also been a bit made of Patterson raising claims she’d been diagnosed with cancer - Wilkinson told the court that the group had prayed for her after the meal.

What else have we learned?

We also heard yesterday from the doctor who treated Don and Gail Patterson when they arrived at the hospital. Dr Beth Morgan said her medical team was told about the lunch and that food poisoning was quickly ruled out. She said after several rounds of tests, the toxicologist on call raised the possible ingestion of death cap mushrooms. That toxicologist, Mark Douglas, was also due to take the stand yesterday, but after a packed day, the judge overseeing the trial, Justice Christopher Beale, suggested rescheduling his appearance. We're at the end of the first week (which you can catch up on here…), but the case is expected to last for another 5 weeks, so there’s plenty more to come…

Blindingly easy home improvement

Weekends are prime time for tackling home improvement projects, and changing your blinds might be a good place to start. Not only can they make your place more energy efficient, they can make it look a million bucks (or maybe $5 million if you're in a property hotspot...). For an easy home upgrade, get a consultation and quote now with DIYBlinds - they're also offering a 15% discount and a 30-day price lock in, so get on it.

Squiz the Rest

An important first meeting

Newly-minted Canadian PM Mark Carney has met US President Donald Trump at the White House for the first time as he attempts to reset relations between the 2 historic partners. Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports to the US have been a sore point since they were imposed in February, along with comments that Canada should be "the 51st state" of America. When it was raised by reporters, Trump said it "would really be a wonderful marriage", to which Carney firmly said "it won't be for sale - ever". But Trump had the last word, adding "never say never". Carney was elected PM in April on the back of anti-Trump sentiment, and he promised to take a tough stance with the US President over tariffs, so the topic of trade was high on the agenda. But Trump said he wouldn't budge on the tariffs, so Carney's got his work cut out…

…And in yet another political first for the week, Friedrich Merz was elected German Chancellor after initially failing to get enough votes, even though his party won the federal election back in February. Reports say the situation in the German parliament was “unprecedented” in the country’s modern history, and it could undermine Merz’ attempt to be seen as a stabilising force after months of political and economic upheaval. 

Staying on elections, the counting continues at home…

We’ve spent a lot of time on results in the lower house since Saturday night’s election, so it might be worth taking a look at the upper house - the Senate. Forty of the 76 seats in the Senate were up for grabs on the weekend - 5 are still in doubt, but at this stage it looks like - and stop us if you’ve heard this before - Labor might have done most of the grabbing. It’s likely to have 28 seats, up from 24, and the Coalition is on track for 26 - though it might lose Nationals deputy leader Perin Davey, who is in trouble in NSW - and the Greens look set for 11. What that means in practice is that if the government wants to pass legislation through the Senate, it only needs the support of the Greens to make that happen - something leader Adam Bandt was quick to remind them about… 

And another big vote’s about to happen…

Fresh from the streets of Rome, where they’ve been mingling with tourists and posing for the odd selfie, Catholic cardinals will officially enter the conclave this evening to elect a new pontiff after the death of Pope Francis on 21 April. They'll begin with an official ceremony at 6pm AEST, vow an oath of secrecy and then begin voting around 1am. Here's how it works: 130-odd cardinals will vote until one of the candidates receives 2 thirds of the vote. If they do, white smoke representing a successful vote will billow from the Sistine Chapel chimney. If no one gets to that number, it's black smoke time, and we start the whole process again, with a maximum of 4 votes per day. It took 2 days and 5 ballots for Pope Francis to get the nod, but back in the 13th century, it took almost 3 years to nominate Pope Gregory X. Hopefully we aren’t bringing you the new Pope’s name in 2028… 

If you’re unfamiliar with the process, we’ve got a whole Squiz Shortcut on it here so you can dive into the full story of the conclave… 

A trans-Tasman ban

Our friends across the ditch have followed Australia’s lead on a social media ban for under-16s, with NZ PM Christopher Luxon saying yesterday that his government will introduce a bill that would require social media companies to verify a user is 16 before letting them onto the platform. In November last year, the Oz parliament passed similar legislation which will affect Facebook, Instagram and TikTok (but not YouTube) - that will be official from 11 December this year. Plenty of Aussies support the ban, but the tech companies aren’t happy, and neither are some mental health and youth advocates. It’s also a bit hazy as to exactly how it’s going to work - and as it happens, that’s something the eSafety Commissioner is asking for feedback on until 18 May. So if you’ve got any thoughts… 

Ticking all the fashion boxes

It’s a (beautifully tailored) wrap on this year’s Met Gala, with celebs turning out in pinstripes, fedoras and shoulder pads galore to celebrate the style of Black Dandyism for the event’s dress code of “Tailored for You”. After more than 20 years away, music legend Diana Ross - the former lead singer of the Supremes - made plenty of headlines by returning to the event in a white dress with a huge 5.5 metre train. Event regular Rihanna also got plenty of attention by revealing she’s pregnant with her third child with rapper A$AP Rocky. A mystery guest rolled up in a giant box, and there was also this curious green entry from Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt… Check out Vogue’s gallery of all the looks here, with plenty of ideas for your next trip down the shops…

Apropos of Nothing - Full English edition

At the age of (nearly) 99, Sir David Attenborough is not slowing down in his advocacy for Mother Nature. His new film, Ocean, explains how marine environments are hubs of biodiversity crucial to combatting climate change, and he hopes it will motivate leaders at next month’s UN conference. He’s a marvel…

King Charles and Queen Camilla have unveiled new portraits to mark the second anniversary of their coronation. Artist Paul S Benney, who painted the Queen, said she had lots of stories and made him laugh so much “I would be holding my tummy” - a royally good way to pass hours standing in one position… 

And staying with cheeky royals, Prince Louis’ antics stole the show as he sat with his family to watch the VE Day celebrations - from copying his brother smoothing his hair, to playing with the aiguillettes on his dad’s uniform and pulling funny faces at the crowd, the 7yo proves that every family’s got an entertainer…

Squiz the Day

10.30am (AEST) - NAB to announce half-year results

6.00pm (AEST) - The papal conclave begins, with over 130 Catholic cardinals gathering to select the next pope - Vatican City

6.30pm (AEST) - The Australian Book Industry Awards will be announced - Melbourne 

7.00pm (AEST) - Tennis: The Italian Open begins, with world #1 Jannik Sinner due to return to competition matches after a 3-month doping ban, watch on beIN Sports

ABS Data Release - Microdata: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Measures Survey, 2022-2024

✈️ Feel like a trip? It’s National Tourism Day

Anniversary of:

• Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th (Chorale) Symphony premiering in Vienna (1824)

• the first Mother’s Day being declared by US President Woodrow Wilson (1914)

• the makers of Agent Orange reaching a $180m out-of-court settlement with veterans (1984)

• Emmanuel Macron winning France’s presidential election (2017)

• Russian President Vladimir Putin sworn in for 4th 6-year term (2018)

Thursday
3.00am - 5.00am local time - Stargazers, set your alarms for the best chance to see the Eta Aquariid meteor shower before sunrise anywhere in Oz