G'day. It's Friday, June 17, and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Something you'll be hearing about today
There's a national cabinet meeting on today.
Remember those? They used to stop us all in our tracks? They'd shut down entire industries, announce strict lockdown and social distancing measures, and reveal major emergency policy changes? Well, today's will be the first of its kind with the new Prime Minister at the helm.
While we're not preparing for it to be quite as intense as those mid-COVID crisis meetings back in the day, one of the key agenda items will still be health care. Here's what we are expecting from it.
News while you snoozed
- Russia's foreign ministry has sanctioned 121 more Australians, citing what it calls a "Russophobic agenda". Mining magnate Gina Rinehart, Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes, Atlassian boss Mike Cannon-Brookes, Fortescue Metals CEO Andrew Forrest and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas have been added to the list, as have key defence officials and journalists and editors from ABC News, the Sydney Morning Herald, Nine and News Corp
- NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean has been granted emergency powers to direct coal companies to provide fuel for electricity generators. The state's Governor, Margaret Beazley, granted Mr Kean the powers at a meeting last night. It's understood they were sought as a "precautionary measure" to ensure NSW's electricity supply
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There's been another day of hearings into the US Capitol riots, with a focus on attorney John Eastman's role as an architect of the scheme to interrupt the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. The committee played videotaped testimony from Eric Herschmann, a lawyer advising Donald Trump, expressing incredulity at Mr Eastman’s legal theory that a vice-president could overturn an election, asking: "Are you out of your effing mind?"
What Australia has been searching for online
- Kevin Spacey. The actor has again "strenuously" denied allegations of multiple historical sex offences as his case has continued in the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London
- The South Sydney Rabbitohs. Long story short, the Bunnies had an absolute shocker against the Dragons last night, going down 32-12 in what was arguably their worst hit-out of the season so far
We'll be back soon with more
Thanks for joining us.
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