Hello and welcome to Afternoon Update.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have sparred in a contentious presidential debate that repeatedly veered into strange territory, as Trump pursued bizarre and often falsehood-riddled tangents about the 2020 election, immigration policy and abortion access.
While Harris was quick to tout her “opportunity economy” policies, Trump boasted about his role in reversing Roe v Wade while dodging repeated questions about whether he would veto a national abortion ban as president, a stance Harris called “insulting to the women of America”. Trump also refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia and repeated baseless claims about immigrants “eating cats” and Democrats wanting to “execute” babies, a claim that was pulled up by the debate moderators.
As parts of the debate drew ridicule on social media, other exchanges regarding foreign policy and the January 6 insurrection felt heavy with meaning. With Trump again refusing to acknowledge his 2020 election defeat, Harris warned that “we cannot afford to have a president of the United States who attempts, as he did in the past, to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election”.
Top news
Protests outside weapons expo | Police used pepper spray against anti-war protesters outside the Land Forces military technology expo in Melbourne. Rubbish bins were set alight and roads and bridges were closed as protesters rallied against weapons manufacturers and the government’s stance on Israel’s assault in Gaza.
Peter Dutton pledges to be mining’s ‘best friend’ | The opposition leader announced he would defund the Environmental Defenders Office and promised to “turbocharge” the mining sector if elected prime minister. The Coalition proposed “designating” Indigenous groups which could be consulted by project proponents, with Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price suggesting that “false” claims of Indigeneity were being made to thwart projects seeking environmental approval.
Hunter Valley bus driver jailed for 24 years | Brett Button has been sentenced to a maximum 32 years in jail over a crash that killed 10 people and injured 25 others in 2023. Button earlier told the court he was ashamed and had committed the “ultimate sin”.
Blue Mountains mother remains in hospital | Police said the mother of two young boys found dead in their home remained in hospital under police guard on Wednesday morning. The NSW premier said “every help” would be provided to the father of the boys, who found their bodies.
Court finds Latham defamed NSW MP | Former NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham has been found to have defamed the independent MP Alex Greenwich and has been ordered to pay $140,000 in damages, in a verdict Greenwich said he hopes will end “Trump-style attacks”.
Meta AI scraping Australian users | Meta is using the public Facebook and Instagram photos and posts of its users to train artificial intelligence. While European users are able to opt out of the mass-scraping of their content, a parliamentary committee has heard Australian users do not have that option.
New baby Grohl | Dave Grohl has announced that he has become the father to a baby girl born “outside of my marriage” to the director Jordyn Blum. The Foo Fighters frontman, 55, made the statement in an Instagram post on Tuesday, adding to the pantheon of celebrity social media apologies.
Raygun tops world rankings | Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has topped her sport’s latest world rankings, after her controversial Paris Olympics routine. The World DanceSport Federation said the ranking is based on each athlete’s top four performances over 12 months, and excludes Olympic events.
In pictures
Sick and suicidal children held in Queensland police watch houses for weeks without healthcare, watchdog reveals
A new report from Queensland’s youth detention watchdog has warn of “catastrophic consequences” for children placed in police watch houses who are not protected by the same safeguards as those in youth detention centres or adult prisons. The conclusion was blunt: these places were “not suitable for detaining children”.
The report documents many of the issues raised in a series of videos and stories by Guardian Australia.
What they said …
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“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” – Taylor Swift
In an Instagram post published minutes after the US presidential debate ended, the singer endorsed Kamala Harris, and encouraged her fans to register to vote. Sian Cain writes that in cracking Swift’s inscrutable veneer, Donald Trump only has himself to blame.
In numbers
On Saturday, sea ice in the Southern Ocean was less than the same date in 2023, a year which saw the lowest winter maximum coverage on record. The long-term average for 7 September based on satellite data is 18.4m sq km.
Before bed read
‘Connector of peoples’: who is Nga wai hono i te po, New Zealand’s new Māori Queen?
When she was nine years old, Nga wai hono i te po’s father became New Zealand’s Māori king, a pivotal figure in relations between the government and Indigenous people of New Zealand. Over the years, she watched as the role took its toll – now, at just 27, it is her turn to lead.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ENS. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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