White House launches personal attack on CNN reporter over question to Trump 18. August 2026 (04:04) CNN says attack ‘beneath the office’ after Kristen Holmes asked president about Jon Ossoff’s comments on key aideThe White House launched a personal attack against a CNN reporter on Monday with a social media post that mentioned her children and accused her of asking a “disgusting and inhumane question”.A White House post targeted Kristen Holmes, a senior White House correspondent for the network, after she asked Donald Trump to respond to a widely shared comment by Democratic senator Jon Ossoff in a speech on Sunday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump reportedly casts mail-in ballot in Florida Republican primary 18. August 2026 (03:10) President, who has decried mail-in ballots amid false claims of election fraud, issued March order to curb voting by mailDonald Trump voted by mail in Florida’s Republican primary, Politico reports, citing Palm Beach county voting records. The White House has confirmed the president’s mail-in vote, according to the New York Times, which added that this is at least the third time the president has mailed his ballot.In March, the president signed an executive order restricting the use of mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections that will decide control of US Congress. Trump has repeatedly criticized mail-in voting, calling for restrictions on the policy for years and falsely claiming that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bondi library removes book How to Sell a Genocide from shelves after complaint 18. August 2026 (02:55) Author Adam Johnson criticises Waverley council saying ‘reality is often upsetting’ while Palestinian group says libraries should hold ‘challenging’ booksFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Sydney library has removed a book critical of Israel called How to Sell a Genocide, following a complaint reportedly from a survivor of the Bondi beach terror attack.Waverley library at Bondi Junction is in the same council area as Bondi beach. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Torrential rains kill one in South Korea while Philippine capital battles major flooding 18. August 2026 (02:37) More than 800mm of rain was recorded in the South Korean city of Geoje, which triggered a landslide that killed one person Torrential downpours that have pounded southern parts of South Korea have killed one person and injured four others, officials have confirmed.Heavy rains have been recorded in South Gyeongsang province, including the city of Geoje, where the 800-mm deluge triggered a landslide, the interior and safety ministry said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump tells 10-year-old rescued by teen lifeguard: ‘I don’t know if I’d do it’ 18. August 2026 (01:09) President hosts Nathanial Rai and lifeguard Ryder Williams at White House after video of California rescue went viral Nathanial Rai had been swept off his feet along the California coast, was rescued by a 16-year-old lifeguard – and was now sitting in the Oval Office with Donald Trump.Of the rescuer, Ryder Williams, Trump said to Nathanial: “He’s a real hero. I don’t know if I’d do it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney Swans coach ‘extremely disappointed’ as club faces call on standing down players over alleged sexual assault 18. August 2026 (00:56) Victoria police investigating allegation of sexual assault in the early hours of Monday morning at a Melbourne hotelFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Sydney Swans coach, Dean Cox, says he is “extremely disappointed” as the team and the AFL face a decision on whether to stand down several Swans players under investigation over an alleged sexual assault.Victoria police attended the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne on Monday and said they were investigating a report of sexual assault in the early hours of the morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lindsay Clancy had ‘thoughts of harming the children’, mother testifies at trial 17. August 2026 (23:49) Paula Musgrove stated her daughter had said medications were ‘destroying’ her mind and she was becoming ‘paranoid’The defense in the Lindsay Clancy filicide case called the defendant’s mother as one of its first witnesses Monday, after three weeks of prosecution evidence laid out, in often harrowing detail, events surrounding Clancy’s killing of her three children.Under questioning from defense attorney David Reddington, Clancy’s mother, Paula Musgrove, testified that her daughter’s statements and actions had unsettled her in the months leading up to 24 January 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Melbourne’s Armenian-Lebanese eatery Zareh named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year 17. August 2026 (23:40) Previous winners of the award have included Saint Peter, Attica, Orana by the late Jock Zonfrillo, and QuayArmenian-Lebanese eatery Zareh has been named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year, in a category of the annual industry awards that has historically been dominated by European-leaning cuisine and fine-dining establishments.The restaurant’s menu pulls from the Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese backgrounds of co-owners Tom Sarafian and Jinane Bou-Assi: aish baladi (Egyptian flatbread) is made with a flour milled in the Mornington Peninsula; kafta nayyah comprises raw minced lamb from Tasmania and Victoria; hummus is crowned with spanner crab. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham scraps restrictions on disabled people’s bus passes in England 17. August 2026 (23:30) Move means holders will be able to travel free on local services at any time of day or night from April next yearDisabled people across England will be able to use their free bus passes at any time of day from next April, as Andy Burnham expands a policy he introduced as mayor of Greater Manchester.The prime minister has said the current weekday restrictions on when disabled people can use their bus passes will be removed from 1 April 2027. Their passes are valid only between 9.30am and 11pm on weekdays, although some councils pay to allow people free travel outside those hours. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Election denier Tina Peters to be hired as elections consultant in conservative California county 17. August 2026 (23:07) Shasta county, hotbed of US election denialism movement, set to appoint ex-Colorado clerk who served prison termA northern California county that has become a hotbed of activism for those who sow doubts about the reliability of voting machines plans to hire Tina Peters, the prominent Colorado election denier recently released from prison, to work on elections.Clint Curtis, the top election official in Shasta county, told the Guardian he plans to hire Peters as a consultant to replace Brent Turner, his top deputy, who has been on medical leave. He said Peters would not have access to the county’s voting system. Plans to hire Peters were first reported by Action News Now. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
