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Donald Trump has blamed “the radical left” for the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, while authorities announced they had no suspect in custody after hours of confused statements.
In an Oval Office address, the US president has vowed retribution while providing a list of incidents of what he termed “radical left” political violence, including the attempt to kill him last year, the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the 2017 shooting of Republican congressman Steve Scalise and what he called “the attacks on Ice agents”.
In the first six months of this year the US had about 150 politically motivated attacks, said Mike Jensen, a University of Maryland researcher – nearly twice as many as in the same period last year.
Australian leaders have also condemned the fatal shooting, with the defence minister, Richard Marles, saying there is no place for political violence while adding Australia is lucky as many issues are debated “by and large in a civil way”, and James Paterson expressing concern on behalf of the Coalition.
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Top news
Wild weather lashes Australia’s east coast with at least two tornadoes reported in regional NSW
Victorian Liberals director resigns after messages mocking the party’s women’s council revealed
ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell resigns amid crisis of confidence in leadership
Marty Sheargold’s sexist comments about the Matildas breached decency rules, regulator finds
Bad Bunny says he left US out of world tour due to fear of Ice raids at concerts
In pictures
Heavy rain has caused flash flooding across Bali, forcing evacuations in the popular tourist destination. Our gallery captures the scope of the chaos.
What they said …
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“It’s like a runaway train and it sets a dangerous precedent for others to copy.” – Bob Irwin
Mike Holston, the US influencer who calls himself “The Real Tarzann” but who Bob Irwin sensationally labelled a “dickhead”, has left the country, Guardian Australia understands. Holston posted two online videos of himself grappling with a freshwater and a juvenile saltwater crocodile in films he indicated were shot in north Queensland.
Irwin Sr issued a statement about Holston saying “this bloke clearly had no clue” how to handle a crocodile without putting it under dangerous stress, and was among those who said urgent reform was needed so “nature laws apply to social media”.
Full Story
How New Zealand police closed in on fugitive Tom Phillips
On Monday, four years on from taking his three children and fleeing into the bush, Tom Phillips was shot dead by police after opening fire on an officer on a rural road. His children are now with authorities.
Journalist Michelle Duff speaks to Nour Haydar from Waitomo about how Phillips managed to survive in the remote wilderness and why many questions remain unanswered.
Before bed read
“This is a landmark moment … This is huge.” This Saturday, Murray Bird will be among the tens of thousands of fans who will pack out the Gabba to cheer on the Lions and the Suns, two Queensland teams facing off in a final match billed as the biggest in Queensland AFL history.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: TEC. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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