Welcome to Afternoon Update. After Donald Trump’s victory in the Iowa caucus, the former president today returned to court for the defamation trial brought against him by the former Elle columnist E Jean Carroll.
Appearing for the first time in court to witness Carroll’s testimony, Trump was reportedly incensed at her evidence, responding with a serious of outbursts.
Judge Lewis Kaplan cautioned: “Mr Trump, I hope I don’t have to consider excluding you from the trial … I understand you are probably very eager for me to do that.” To which the former president replied: “I would love it.”
Carroll is suing Trump over his June 2019 denials of her rape claim against him. This trial will determine damages.
Top news
Teens charged with murder of Melbourne doctor remain behind bars | Two boys charged over the death of Melbourne doctor Ash Gordon after an alleged aggravated burglary in Doncaster have faced court. The 16-year-olds were arrested on Wednesday after an investigation into Gordon’s death in Melbourne’s north-east on Saturday.
NSW government was told about possible Rozelle asbestos seven days before acting | There was a seven-day delay between the New South Wales transport authority being alerted about the possible contamination at the new Sydney park and testing that revealed the dangerous substance was present in recycled mulch.
Mediation fails between Lattouf and the ABC | The journalist Antoinette Lattouf’s Fair Work Commission case against the ABC over her sacking has reached a stalemate, with the parties failing to reach an agreement in mediation. Speaking outside her lawyers’ office in Sydney, Lattouf said “the fight continues and I’m willing and prepared to fight for as long as it takes”. The ABC declined to comment while the matter was before the Fair Work Commission.
Biggest ‘collapse’ in full-time jobs since height of Covid | The economy shed 106,600 full-time roles in December, the largest drop since May 2020 when Covid was flaring. However, Australia’s jobless rate was steady at 3.9%, in line with economic forecasts.
US launches fresh round of strikes on Houthis in Yemen | The US military has fired another wave of missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites, marking the fourth time in a week that it has directly targeted the group in Yemen as the Red Sea crisis continues.
Wieambilla shooting: Donald Day allegedly had buckets of ammunition | A US conspiracy theorist linked to the Wieambilla shooters allegedly held a significant stockpile of weaponry, including five-gallon buckets of ammunition, and made threats to kill five FBI agents, telling them he would “come for every fucking one of you”, court documents reveal.
Novak Djokovic reveals ‘special relationship’ with a Melbourne tree | Asked by a journalist at an Australian Open post-match press conference about being spotted returning to one specific tree at the gardens, the world No 1 said: “There’s one particular tree that I’ve been having [a] special relationship with, so to say, in the last 15 years.” He went on: “I just liked it. I liked its roots and the trunks and branches and everything.”
Australia v West Indies: first Test, day two | Tune in for the latest with our live blog capturing all the action from Adelaide oval.
Potato chips taste test: the winner is ‘good enough to replace human company’ | After sampling 35 packets of potato crisps, Nicholas Jordan has been through the thick and the thinly sliced. Here’s his verdict on the best and worst chips on the market.
In pictures
Climate change and the cost of living: everything is going up. Fancy a mango?
What they said …
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“The price of fresh food just hasn’t gone down anything like what the price farmers are getting has.”
– The Queensland premier, Steven Miles, was critical of the major supermarkets ahead of a meeting with their chief executives today.
In numbers
The average per patient cost of MDMA overdoses has increased by more than $1,500 compared to pre-pandemic years, a new analysis from Victoria’s parliamentary budget office shows.
Before bed read
Everyone should heed my music teacher’s advice: When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. Words to live by from Guardian Australia’s deputy lifestyle editor, Yvonne Lam. In this series, writers share the best advice they received and how it affected their lives.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: SEAT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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