Trump rehashes wide-ranging US election claims and releases heavily redacted documents in primetime address – as it happened 17. July 2026 (04:42) This live blog is now closed.Trump makes unverified claims of ‘sinister election meddling’ in primetime addressSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump has just started speaking from the East Room of the White House, in what is expected to be a speech on the 2020 election loss he still refuses to accept. The president has begun with a typical recitation of boasts about what he claims are his accomplishments.We have embedded live video above. Follow along for updates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US TV networks split on broadcasting Trump’s election-focused speech 17. July 2026 (04:14) NBC and CNN stayed away from White House speech, while Fox News, MS Now, CBS and some ABC affiliates aired itThe US’s largest television stations split on whether to air Donald Trump’s White House address live on Thursday night, which was heavy on unproven accusations about the integrity of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.While CNN, ABC and NBC chose not to air the speech live, CBS, Fox News and MS Now (formerly MSNBC) aired at least large portions of the speech live. ABC did not air the speech as a must-run broadcast, but some station affiliates – including the Washington DC station owned by right-leaning broadcaster Sinclair – chose to air the speech. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard: broken water pipe floods LA-area hotspot 17. July 2026 (03:53) Businesses and traffic in West Hollywood doused after century-old pipe bursts belowgroundA century-old water pipe buried below a bustling boulevard in a Los Angeles county city burst early Thursday, sending a shock of water spewing into the streets and snarling traffic as several major roads shut down.The 36in riveted steel pipe’s rupture left a protruding sinkhole and cracked pavement in West Hollywood. Images of the aftermath showed local metro buses partially submerged in murky brown water. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson laments end of White Australia policy and talks up daughter’s leadership potential 17. July 2026 (03:47) Appearing on a podcast with the far-right UK activist who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, Hanson makes evidence-free claims about migrantsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson has used an interview with the far-right British activist Tommy Robinson to blame the end of the White Australia policy for creating what she sees as problems with migration and said her daughter, Lee Hanson, was the future of One Nation.The One Nation leader, who is visiting the UK for a series of conference appearances and a holiday with her billionaire benefactor Gina Rinehart, appeared on an episode of Robinson’s podcast on Friday, repeating unsubstantiated claims about the spread of sharia law and accusing Muslim communities, without evidence, of rorting the national disability insurance scheme. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Telstra staff unaware of mass outage risk as critical software failure ‘rippled slowly across the network’ 17. July 2026 (03:00) Telco outlines reasons for network failure that hit mobiles, trains and retailers ahead of appearance at Senate inquiryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTelstra has blamed the lack of a software update for a key time-keeping system for outage that caused nationwide chaos last week, with its maintenance teams also unaware of a design change that affected how it would reset.Ahead of an appearance by its chief executive, Vicki Brady, at a Senate inquiry into the mobile outage on Friday, Telstra provided a written submission that revealed the cause. In it, the company stated it did not lack redundancy in its network – but that such redundancy did not prevent the outage. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Family devastated by ‘unacceptable’ charges over methanol deaths of Australian teenagers in Laos 17. July 2026 (02:34) Australian government says it is ‘deeply frustrated’ and will continue to press for ‘real charges with teeth’ over deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-BowlesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government says it wants “real charges with teeth” over the fatal methanol poisoning of two teenage travellers in Laos, as authorities prepare to lay lesser charges that have been called “bitterly” disappointing.Melbourne travellers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were backpacking through the south-east Asian nation in late 2024 when they were fatally poisoned with methanol while drinking at Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cyclosporiasis: officials looking at Taco Bell lettuce supplier as potential source of outbreak 17. July 2026 (02:23) Taylor Farms reportedly linked to outbreak thought to be in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and KentuckyWhat is cyclosporiasis, the parasitic illness causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea?Amid an ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, federal health officials are reportedly looking at iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms that was supplied to Taco Bell as a possible source.On Thursday afternoon, the Washington Post, CNN and other media outlets reported that the lettuce supplier had been linked to the outbreak, citing unnamed sources “familiar with the investigation”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Brazen corruption’: critics denounce Trump Media plan to sell priority access to Truth Social posts 17. July 2026 (02:13) Move would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to potentially profit from seeing president’s posts firstDonald Trump’s media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own, affecting national security and financial markets.The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from top Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they could profit off subsequent moves in stocks, bonds and interest rates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida House write-in candidate arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Trump 17. July 2026 (00:47) William Upham, a 35-year-old former marine, faces federal charges and up to five years in prison, officials sayA former marine and Republican write-in candidate for the US House in Florida has been arrested and charged in federal court with threatening to kill Donald Trump, according to the US attorney’s office.William Upham, 35, was taken into custody on Thursday after appearing in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. According to public records, Upham is a write-in candidate, running in the Republican primary for Florida’s fifth congressional district. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kalshi to offer betting on drug trial results and FDA regulatory decisions 16. July 2026 (23:11) Move comes as prediction platforms rapidly gain popularity and offer opportunities to bet on virtually anythingKalshi is expanding its wagers to include bets on drug trial results, an expansion into new predictions territory as platforms continue to rapidly gain popularity and offer opportunities to bet on virtually anything.The betting platform said the expansion into clinical trials and FDA regulatory decisions would help surface information on drug trials that otherwise go unreported. A publicly listed contract on a drug trial would produce a “continuously updated, public probability that reflects the weight of the evidence, rather than the preferred message of the trial sponsor”, the company said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
