Good afternoon. A former Sydney councillor and self-described “alpha male” has been picked by Donald Trump to be the new US ambassador to Malaysia, with the president describing the rightwing commentator as an “incredible patriot”.
Nick Adams, who became a US citizen in 2021, was threatened with suspension from the Liberal party in Australia after he was filmed verbally abusing a journalist in 2009 amid reports accusing him of missing some council meetings. Adams later reportedly said he had already quit the party.
In 2023 posts on X, Adams listed interests including the restaurant chain Hooters, rare steaks, “extremely” heavy weights and the Bible, and described himself as “pursued by copious amounts of women”, “wildly successful” and “extremely charismatic”.
Top news
Palestinian woman, 61, who fled Gaza detained by authorities after pre-dawn raid in Sydney
UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese says US sanctions against her a sign of ‘guilt’
Details of Julian McMahon’s cancer revealed a week after his death aged 56
In pictures
Australian Life photography competition 2025 finalists
Droving through the outback, glimpses of grief, taking a warm summer plunge. Finalists of the Australian Life photography competition focus on the nuances of life across the country.
What they said …
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“It is shocking that you were arrested for peacefully taking part in a protest … I salute your courage, integrity and advocacy of a fair go.” – Bob Brown
The former Greens leader took out an ad in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning wishing a “speedy and full recovery” to former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas, who was injured during an interaction with police at a pro-Palestine protest. Brown’s letter praised Thomas, who ran against Anthony Albanese in the federal election, for “offering voters options including Australia acting more assertively to end the death toll and human misery in Gaza”, and said he hoped the PM would “have the ordinary Aussie decency to also contact you soon and wish you well”.
In numbers
Australia’s currency has performed relatively strongly against the greenback of late, strengthening by 4 US cents through 2025, despite global jitters around Donald Trump’s erratic trade policy. But Joseph Capurso, CBA’s head of international economics, warned the Aussie dollar was “at risk of sharp falls over the next few months”.
Before bed read
Welcome to Prime Day, when thousands of product thumbnails blur together to form a giant pile of garbage
I love a sale, writes Anna Spargo-Ryan – but scrolling the list of Amazon’s deals is overwhelming to the point of delirium.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: BOUT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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