Good afternoon. The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, is gaining momentum to take the Democratic party nomination for president following Joe Biden’s historic decision to pull out of the race for re-election.
Senior Democrats have joined Biden to endorse Harris for the nomination, including some politicians previously considered possible rivals for the presidential nomination. The party’s rules committee will meet on Wednesday, local time, to set the process for selecting new nominees.
Donald Trump heaped scorn on Biden, saying he “was not fit to run for president, and is certainly not fit to serve”, while top Republicans called on Biden to resign immediately. Guardian columnist Moira Donegan explains how Biden’s “honorable gesture” has given America a fighting chance to defeat Trump.
Top news
Apprentice hung from noose during bullying campaign, court told | A Victorian apprentice was hung from a noose and poked with a drill in his groin as part of prolonged bullying at work. His employer pleaded guilty to failing to maintain a safe work environment and was fined $10,000 over the abuse.
Queensland cold snap sends temperatures plummeting | Queensland shivered through a record-breaking cold snap on Monday, with Brisbane and more than 80 other sites in the state recording overnight temperatures lower than in Melbourne.
More glass barriers considered after Sydney train deaths | The New South Wales government will examine whether more glass barriers should be installed on train station platforms after a father and his two-year-old daughter died when a pram rolled into the path of an oncoming train in Sydney.
British woman and husband found dead after failed Atlantic crossing | The bodies of a couple who were on a sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean have been found on a life raft that washed up on a remote Canadian island almost six weeks after they were last seen.
Exiled pro-democracy Hong Kong activists blocked from accessing pensions | Two activists have been blocked from accessing tens of thousands of US dollars of their pension savings. Their assets are respectively managed by British and Canadian financial institutions.
Sea Shepherd founder and anti-whaling activist arrested | Prominent anti-whaling environmentalist Paul Watson was arrested in Greenland on Sunday under an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. He will be taken to court where a decision will be made about his extradition to Japan, police say.
Paris 2024 Olympics: what you need to know | How can sports lovers see all the action? When do the first Australians compete? Sport reporter Jack Snape has the answers to all your questions.
Editor-in-chief resigns from Australian Financial Review | Michael Stutchbury will step down after 13 years in the role, amid a shake-up at Nine Entertainment that will see 200 jobs cut across the media company. He will be replaced by James Chessell, the former executive editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age.
Lawyer used balloons to smuggle tobacco on prison visit | A lawyer was arrested on 2 July while visiting an inmate as their representative at Parklea Correctional Centre, in Sydney’s western suburbs. The 43-year-old’s barrister today said she would plead guilty to unlawfully bringing 106g of tobacco into the prison.
What they said …
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“Brittany is now forced to sell her home in order to defend herself again. The price of speaking out about sexual assault remains unspeakably high.”
A spokesperson for Brittany Higgins says she has been forced to sell her new home in France to defend a defamation action brought by Liberal senator Linda Reynolds which has already cost her more than $1m in legal fees.
In numbers
The liberal political action committee ActBlue said it had achieved the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 election cycle after US president Joe Biden withdrew and endorsed Kamala Harris. The committee has reportedly since surpassed $60m (A$90m) in donations.
Before bed read
Sisters Jess and Noemie Fox set on Olympic collision course
As Jess Fox prepares for her fourth Olympics, she is excited to be joined for the first time by her sister, Noemie, and continue the family tradition started by their medal-winning mother and father.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ETHE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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