Good morning. The US vice-president, JD Vance, used his country’s largest conservative voters conference to claim immigration was the “greatest threat” to the United States and Europe, while dismissing concerns about the Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine as “moralistic garbage”.
In Australia, Hancock Prospecting has been found in breach of the advertising environmental code for being misleading in its “clean gas” job ads. And the Greens have vowed to abolish public school fees after a new report found voluntary fees have surged almost 40% in two years.
Australia
Greenwashing | The advertising regulator has found Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting misled consumers with an unsubstantiated claim that gas was clean in an online advertisement in The Australian last year.
Price of education | The average amount paid in voluntary fees and contributions by parents with children at public schools has surged by almost 40% in two years, new data shows.
Fiscal drag | Governments have carried out “wilful acts of bastardry” and created intergenerational inequality and environmental destruction that will leave younger voters worse off, the former Treasury secretary Ken Henry has said, urging tweaks to Australia’s tax system to bridge the growing divide.
Hate speech | Mark Dreyfus was heckled while addressing an antisemitism conference, as the Liberal MP Michael Sukkar stood by his move to gag the attorney general from speaking on antisemitism last week.
Corporate allyship | Google and Meta do not meet the requirements to partner with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the organisation has said, after the two tech giants ended their official involvement and ditched diversity obligations in the US.
World
Immigration | JD Vance has marked the Trump administration’s one month since its return to power by again claiming uncontrolled immigration is “the greatest threat” to Europe and the US.
Final term | Senator Mitch McConnell will not run for re-election next year, bringing an end to a decades-long career for a Republican leader who marshalled his party through multiple administrations.
Military recuperation | Russian troops are being sent to North Korea for medical care, with some wondering if the move is a pretence for military training.
Shaken not stirred | James Bond has fallen into the hands of a billionaire’s business empire after Amazon revealed that it has acquired “creative control” of the spy franchise from the Broccoli dynasty.
Mamma mia | The Eurovision song contest is several months away but the drama has already begun, with calls from Italy for Estonia’s catchy pick for the competition to be scrapped due to lyrics poking fun at Italian stereotypes.
Full Story
Newsroom edition: covering acts of hate in polarised times
Antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks are on the rise. Pre-existing dividing lines are being inflamed by our politicians and by the media, leaving the country further polarised. Bridie Jabour talks with Guardian Australia’s editor-in-chief, Lenore Taylor, and head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about how to report on the rise in acts of hate without further inflaming tensions.
In-depth
Tensions between the South Australian government, GFG Alliance and the UK billionaire Sanjeev Gupta simmered below the surface for year. It all came to a head on Wednesday when the government placed Whyalla steelworks into administration. Tory Shepherd gives you a quick guide to where we are and how we got here, and our business editor, Jonathan Barrett, digs into the story behind Gupta, Whyalla’s so-called “saviour of steel”.
Not the news
While loving their kids, this parent of two faces a dilemma of how to navigate feelings of “deep down” regret while struggling with the burdens of childcare. Advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith suggests embracing parenthood as a “rapidly changing condition”, while reminding the asker that it’s never wise to go through difficult times alone.
Sport
Soccer | Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting the footballer Jenni Hermoso by kissing her on the lips against her will after Spain’s women’s team won the 2023 World Cup.
A-Leagues | The A-Leagues commissioner Nick Garcia has departed his role in a shock mid-season leadership change at Australian football’s struggling domestic competitions.
Tennis | Emma Raducanu has insisted “I’ll be OK” after the behaviour of a male spectator caused the British tennis star to pause a match in tears and raised again the issue of security for female athletes.
Media roundup
The federal government delayed extending Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project due to a West Australian report on Indigenous rock art, the Financial Review reports. The Bureau of Meteorology boss, Andrew Johnson, will step down from his role early in September, the Canberra Times reports. In the Hobart Mercury, two labradors are providing comfort to staff at the Royal Hobart hospital as part of a therapy dog program.
What’s happening today
Canberra | The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, and senior officials will appear at a public hearing.
Sydney | The impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health will be examined at a hearing.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
