Hello. It's Thursday, May 5 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party is running a network of "ghost" candidates in the federal election, many of whom have not been seen nor heard of in the seats they are supposed to be contesting, an ABC investigation has found.
- The ABC has counted at least a dozen of these invisible candidates
- Some have stood for One Nation in previous elections but many have no electoral presence in the seats they're contesting
- The AEC says there's no law against candidates not living in the seat, state or territory they're running in
- There's also no rule that candidates have to actively campaign, "however, clearly that would be advantageous if you're genuinely seeking election"
Electoral law expert Graeme Orr told the ABC that, while there is nothing untoward about One Nation placing candidates from other states in seats, it was unusual.
"I suspect the reason is because the One Nation party is struggling to find a full suite of 150 candidates, [which is] not surprising, given its organisation is a bit haphazard," he said.
Something you'll be hearing about today
The US Supreme Court is about to face the full force of public pressure when justices make a final decision on whether to throw out the landmark Roe v Wade ruling.
Hundreds of protesters have taken to the steps of the Supreme Court in the days since a draft opinion was leaked, calling to overturn the 1973 ruling and the constitutional right to abortion.
Prudence Flowers, a senior lecturer in US History at the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Flinders University, says other countries, including Australia, won't be completely disconnected from the decision made:
"The end of Roe v Wade would dramatically impact reproductive rights in the US. It would also likely have symbolic consequences globally, shaping the strategies and tactics of the trans-national anti-abortion movement."
There's no exact time on when we'll find out a decision on this, but you can read more about developments over at our world news feed as they come through.
What else is going on
- Can we make housing affordable without sending house prices tumbling? Business reporter Nassim Khadem has taken a look at some new data released by think tank Per Capita, and says property prices need to fall if housing is going to become more affordable — but that could hurt many Australians with big debts
- US rapper Kidd Creole has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for stabbing a homeless man to death on a New York City street in 2017. The 62-year-old founding member of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five was found guilty of manslaughter last month — prosecutors say he stabbed the man after becoming enraged because he thought the victim was gay
- Amber Heard has taken the stand for the first time in a messy court case between her and former partner Johnny Depp. Depp is suing Heard for defamation in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post, describing herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse" in 2018.
What Australia has been searching for online
- Perth Glory. The bottom-of-the-ladder West Australians have managed to pull off a 2-0 win over the competition's leaders, Melbourne City, overnight, leaving the final matches of the A League Mens' COVID-disjointed season wide open for multiple teams to claim the premiership
- Dave Chappelle. A man has been charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon after the comedian was crash-tackled on stage during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading.
ABC/wires
