Morning everyone. Yesterday we learned who the big donors are in Australian politics. Our analysis of the political donation figures shows that there is $57m of “dark money” floating around – where the source is unknown – and it accounts for about one quarter of political funding.
Elsewhere, there are two big developments in the Middle East with Joe Biden ordering sanctions against Israeli settlers and airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia. Plus: how can you tell when a politician is lying?
Australia
Reef ‘on track’ | The Albanese government has claimed it is “on track” to have national climate targets that would be in line with keeping global heating to 1.5C in a report to Unesco on efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Dark money | An analysis of annual political returns shows between 21% and 27% of donations and other receipts to Labor, the Coalition and the Greens were from unnamed sources. The figures will bring more calls for more transparency.
Rental rage | A group of tenants who were forced to leave their Melbourne apartments after living in them for a year say their homes have now been relisted for $180 more a week.
Tax ‘progressivity’ | Jim Chalmers has suggested Labor may never abolish the 37% tax bracket to enact the stage-three income tax cuts because future changes to fight bracket creep must maintain the “progressivity” of the system.
Pesutto defence | The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, will argue an “honest opinion” defence when defamation proceedings brought by former Liberal MP Moira Deeming begin today.
World
Settlers ‘intolerable’ violence | The US president, Joe Biden, has issued an executive order targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank for “intolerable” violence against Palestinians. His defence secretary also announced that the US would be carrying out bombing attacks on Iranian-backed militia in Iraq and Syria in response to the raid on a US base that killed three military personnel. Follow the developments live.
Ukraine deal | Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has agreed to a deal with fellow EU leaders on a €50bn support package for Ukraine. On the frontline, Ukrainian forces claim to have struck a Russian warship during an overnight sea drone attack near occupied Crimea.
Alkaline attack | Police are hunting a 35-year-old suspect called Abdul Ezedi after a 31-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter sustained potentially life-changing injuries in an attack with an alkaline corrosive substance in London.
Boeing blowout | A former Boeing manager says he would “absolutely not” fly on one of its 737 Max planes as the aircraft maker faces heightened scrutiny after a cabin panel blowout.
Monkey chase | A missing macaque who was on the run from a wildlife park in Scotland has finally been captured, thanks to his weakness for Yorkshire pudding.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: Is a broken promise a lie, and does it matter?
Politicians can’t lie straight in bed, they say. We look at how you can tell if someone is lying, and in the Newsroom podcast our top news editing duo of Mike Ticher and Patrick Keneally talk about why the difference between a lie and a broken promise matters.
In-depth
Donald Trump’s frustration with former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley continues to mount, according to insiders, with her refusal to withdraw from the race for the 2024 Republican nomination starting to divert resources from his campaign against Joe Biden. Although her prospects are “vanishingly small”, Emma Brockes advises that we shouldn’t underestimate Haley because she has clearly acheived the very difficult feat of getting under Trump’s skin.
Meanwhile, Trump suffered another legal defeat when a judge in London rejected his claim for damages over allegations that he took part in “perverted” sex acts and gave bribes to Russian officials. Catch up on his legal travails here.
Not the news
From American Fiction – an adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure premiered to great acclaim at the Toronto film festival last year – to the classic 1973 Australian film Alvin Purple and from the brilliant Michael Keaton-led opioid drama Dopesick to the Ukraine-set anthology series Those Who Stayed, there is an eclectic mix of new things to see on TV streaming services this month. Luke Buckmaster is your ever-reliable guide.
The world of sport
Asian Cup | The Socceroos are determined to improve on their poor showing in the 2019 Asian Cup quarter final defeat to UAE when they go up against South Korea tonight in Doha. And as Australia prepare for Jurgen Klinsmann’s team, our excellent football cartoonist David Squires skewers Arnieball and the Socceroos’ “economy of entertainment” (pictured).
Formula One | Lewis Hamilton is making a shock move to Ferrari next season with the seven-time world champion walking away from Mercedes.
Cricket | The former England captain Alastair Cook says Rohit Sharma, the India captain, appeared to have no idea how to counteract England’s positive play during the first Test as the two teams start the second test later today.
Media roundup
Numbers on tax, inflation and rates are all going Labor’s way according to an opinion piece in the Financial Review with the paper is tipping an early election. The Sydney Morning Herald reckons the Rozelle interchange is “worse” than ever, while the Telegraph reveals a single pigeon caused the closure of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. The woman leading Queensland’s sporting academy and “gold-medal maker” has “sensationally quit” months after being lured back from the UK, the Courier Mail says.
What’s happening today
Media | The ABC faces a filing deadline for submissions and statements over its application to throw out Antoinette Lattouf’s fair work claim.
Tasmania | A first court appearance for a woman charged over the Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
