Good morning. It's Thursday, May 26 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
Texan gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke has interrupted a press conference about a school shooting that killed 19 children, calling it "totally predictable".
Mr O'Rourke was escorted out of the conference, which was attended by several elected Republican officials, while members of the crowd yelled at him — lieutenant-governor Dan Patrick called Mr O'Rourke "out of line and an embarrassment".
"This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday," Mr O'Rourke said as he was being escorted out.
The Democrat is challenging current governor Greg Abbott in this year’s election.
Something you'll be hearing about today
Today is the National Day of Healing, or National Sorry Day:
National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as "The Stolen Generations".
It was first held in 1998 and, on the same date in 2017, the Uluru Statement from the Heart was delivered (which new PM Anthony Albanese committed to actioning in his victory speech just last week).
As we head into National Reconciliation Week, it's crucial to listen to First Nations voices. Here are a few places to start:
- Indigenous affairs editor Bridget Brennan's analysis on the debate over an Indigenous Voice to Parliament
- Reconciliation Australia's breakdown of this year's National Reconciliation Week theme
- Incoming Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney on becoming the first Aboriginal woman to hold that portfolio
- The actual Uluru Statement from the Heart, if you haven't read it before.
News while you snoozed
- A report into lockdown-breaching UK government parties says blame for a "culture" of rule breaking in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office must rest with those at the top. The review said the "senior leadership team … must bear responsibility" for a culture that allowed events to take place that "should not have been allowed to happen"
- While testifying as a witness in Johnny Depp's defamation case against Amber Heard, supermodel Kate Moss has denied that she had ever been pushed or assaulted by Depp during the course of their former relationship. Moss responded to allegations that Depp had pushed her down a flight of stairs, saying she did once slip down a flight of stairs after a rainstorm at a Jamaican resort, and that Depp came to her aid
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Former reality TV personality Josh Duggar, of 19 Kids and Counting fame, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography. Prosecutors argued in a pre-sentencing court filing that Duggar has a "deep-seated, pervasive and violent sexual interest in children".
What Australia has been searching for online
- Emma Raducanu. The British teenage up-and-comer has been knocked out of the French Open in the second round by Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a pretty major upset
- Speaking of French Open upsets, Daria Saville has done just that to secure a third-round spot after beating Petra Kvitova in straight sets. She's our last Aussie standing in the singles competition
- Chris Murphy. If you haven't seen the US Senator's powerful speech after the Texas school shooting, you can watch (or read) it here.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading.
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