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The Loop: Treasurer says housing will be in federal budget focus, and Trump Organization's tax fraud trial begins in New York

This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.

Key events

Live updates

By Kate Ainsworth

Pinned

That's it for The Loop this morning

Thanks for joining us — here's what we've covered this morning:

  • Jim Chalmers will hand down his first budget as treasurer tonight, with a priority on affordable housing
  • Medibank has confirmed that its main brand has also been impacted by this month's data breach, but doesn't know how many customers in total have been affected
  • Jury selection for the Trump Organization's tax fraud trial has begun in New York
  • Liz Truss says new British PM Rishi Sunak has her 'full support' after winning the Conservative Party leadership ballot overnight
  • And actor and comedian Leslie Jordan has died in Hollywood at the age of 67

You can keep up-to-date on other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.

By Kate Ainsworth

Ruth Bader Ginsberg to feature on a postage stamp

The US Postal Service has unveiled a new stamp honouring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The design is a painted portrait of RBG wearing a black robe and her trademark intricate white collar.

Ginsburg died in 2020 at the age of 87.

The stamp will be available for purchase sometime in 2023 — the postal service hasn't specified a date.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

King Charles to sell 14 of the Queen's horses

King Charles III is selling 14 of the racehorses he inherited from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Tattersalls auction house in Newmarket confirmed it is selling the horses, but said it was "nothing out of the ordinary" and the Queen would breed and sell horses regularly.

Tattersalls spokesman Jimmy George told the BBC the sale of the Queen's horses didn't symbolise the end of the relationship between the Royal Family and racing.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Developing: Medibank confirms its main brand was hit in cyber attack

Medibank has confirmed that this month's cyber attack on its customers' data also impacted its main brand.

Since the incident on October 12, the company said the data breach was confirmed to its budget insurance sub-brand ahm, and international students who use Medibank under its OSHC service.

But the healthcare provider has now confirmed the cyber attack is much wider than originally thought.

"This is a distressing development and Medibank unreservedly apologises to our customers," the company said in a statement this morning.

Medibank said it had come to this conclusion after being sent customer data by criminals that included data from all three entities.

You can read more on this developing story by business reporter Emilia Terzon below.

By Kate Ainsworth

No truth to Elon Musk national security review, White House says

The White House says reports that the US is considering launching a national security review of Elon Musk's ventures were "not true".

Last week Bloomberg reported that Biden administration officials were discussing whether some of Musk's ventures should be subjected to national security reviews, including the deal to buy Twitter and the SpaceX Starlink satellite network.

But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the Biden administration's relationship with Musk or his business dealings with other countries.

When asked about the Bloomberg reporting, Jean-Pierre said "those reportings are not true... the national security review — that is not true."

By Kate Ainsworth

Watch: SES updates on key areas of concern in NSW

Speaking on ABC News Breakfast earlier, NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin gave an overfiew of flood levels in the state's north-west.

NSW SES outlines key areas of concern in the state's floods

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Albanese says federal budget will show improvement to bottom line

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was speaking a short time ago in Queanbeyan in New South Wales.

He said the budget tonight will focus on measures that boost the economy and productivity.

"Cheaper childcare does just that. So does paid parental leave. So do our measures and investments that are targeted and sensible on infrastructure investment, investments like improving the national broad band network that will boost our national economy," he said.

"We want an economy that grows but grows in a way that takes pressure off families by not adding to inflation and that is why tonight's budget will deliver for working families.

"You will see improvements in the budget bottom line tonight, compared with what was projected under the previous government at the pre-election fiscal outlook.

"You will see that because we have been diligent and gone through line byline to make sure that this budget makes sensible investments but also removes some of the waste that was there from the former government.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein's trial begins in LA

Opening arguments have begun in the latest sexual assault trial of the disgraced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

He faces 11 charges of attacking women at hotels in the U-S cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles over a ten-year period to 2013, which he's pleaded not guilty to.

Five alleged victims are expected to take the stand over the next few weeks.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for sexual assault and rape in the state of New York.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Affordable housing 'a high priority' in budget, treasurer says

Nine newspapers are reporting this morning that tonight's budget will include a plan to build one million homes between the federal and state governments and investors to boost housing supply.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers was asked about that plan's timeframe by reporters earlier, to which he said "he would have more to say about that tonight in the budget", but has made creating more affordable homes a "high priority".

"One of the big challenges we have in our country and economy is that it's harder and harder for people to grab the opportunities of low unemployment if they can't live near where the opportunities are.

"It's a high priority for us to get more affordable housing, closer to where the jobs and opportunities are. You will hear more tonight."

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Treasurer says 'pressure is a privilege' ahead of tonight's budget

Jim Chalmers was just speaking in Canberra ahead of his first federal budget as treasurer tonight.

He says the pressure of delivering his first budget 'is a privilege'.

As for what the main objectives in his budget are, there are three: "Responsible cost of living relief, strengthening the economy, and beginning the hard yards of budget repair."

"We know that Australians are counting on us to deliver our commitments on childcare, on cheaper medicines, getting wages moving, all of the key commitments we made to people," he said.

"This budget is all about responsible cost-of-living relief, building that stronger, more modern, resilient economy and beginning the hard yards of budget repair.

"If we know that Australians are counting on us, it's an opportunity to put an end to a wasted decade of missed opportunities and messed up priorities.

"The budget won't be the end, but the beginning."

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Liz Truss says Rishi Sunak has her 'full support'

Outgoing British PM Liz Truss has tweeted her congratulations to Rishi Sunak, who has been elected as the new Conservative Party leader overnight, and will become the 57th British prime minister.

(On an unrelated note, I suspect she'll take "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" out of her Twitter bio aaaaany minute now.)

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Coming up: Brisbane Lions to decide on whether Chris Fagan can return to coaching

The board of the Brisbane Lions will meet tonight where they're expected to clear senior coach Chris Fagan to return to work.

Fagan took a leave of absence from the AFL club last month after former First Nations players at Hawthorn and their partners alleged they'd been mistreated during his time as the club's football manager.

CEO of the Lions, Greg Swann, says the club is standing behind Fagan while an AFL-appointed panel investigates the allegations.

"Certainly early days he was really taken aback by it all," Swann said.

"For those that know him, we struggle to compute that he would be involved in any of that sort of stuff.

"He's gone through those peaks where, you know, he's been disappointed and then angry and now he's just looking forward to getting back to work and hopefully clearing his name."

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

At least 50 people have been killed during air strikes at a concert in Myanmar

At least 50 people have been killed in an air strike while attending a concert in Kachin in northern Myanmar that was put on by an ethnic minority group, who are reportedly in conflict with the ruling military junta.

Local media reported the strikes killed civilians, prominent local singers and officers of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

The military government's information office confirmed that there was an attack on what it described as the headquarters of the KIA's 9th Brigade, calling it a “necessary operation” in response to “terrorist” acts carried out by the Kachin group.

The UN in Myanmar said it was deeply concerned and saddened by reports of the attack.

By Kate Ainsworth

A giant mural of Diego Maradona has been unveiled in Buenos Aires

Ahead of what would be Diego Maradona's 62nd birthday at the end of the month, an Argentine artist has unveiled a giant mural to honour the late soccer legend.

It took muralist Martín Ron and seven other artists 25 days (and 800 litres of paint) to paint the side of a 1,600 square metre wall in the heart of Buenos Aires,  basing it on a photo of Maradona urging his team on during the World Cup final against Germany in 1990.

So just how big is the mural? All up it's around 45 metres high — about as tall as the Statue of Liberty in New York City.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

Trump's tax fraud case has begun in New York

Overnight, jury selection started in the tax fraud trial of former US president Donald Trump's company, the Trump Organization in New York.

The company is reportedly ready to accuse its longtime chief financial officer of lying in a case which the business is accused of awarding "off the books" benefits to some senior executives.

Last year the Manhattan district attorney's office charged Trump's namesake real estate company and Allen Weisselberg, its then-chief financial officer.

The Trump Organization could face up to $US1.6 million in fines for the three tax fraud counts, plus another six counts it's been charged with.

The company has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Donald Trump himself is not charged in the case.

The criminal trial in a New York state court is just one of a mounting number of legal woes for Mr Trump, who is considering another run for the presidency in 2024.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

News Australia is searching for: It's federal budget day

  • Budget: Treasurer Jim Chalmers will tonight deliver the Albanese government's first federal budget after winning the election back in May, where he's expected to announce a $40 billion improvement to the budget's bottom line. 

But if you can't wait until tonight — here's what we know about the  budget so far.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

More news while you snoozed: Brad Hazzard to retire from politics

ICYMI, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has confirmed he will retire from politics at next year's state election after more than 30 years in parliament.

Mr Hazzard said it was "time for a new beginning", meaning his time as the member for Wakehurst will end after 32 years (he's been in NSW Parliament since 1991).

He's the latest NSW government figure to announce they will leave politics at the 2023 state election — on Sunday, Transport Minister David Elliott confirmed he would be retiring from politics when voters next go to the polls.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

One thing from overnight: Britain has a new PM (again)

Rishi Sunak will become Britain's third prime minister in just three months after he won the Conservative Party's leadership overnight.

The only other MP to declare their candidacy was Penny Mordaunt (not Boris Johnson), but she conceded to Mr Sunak just before the number of nominations for each candidate was announced.

Mr Sunak will replace Liz Truss, who was forced to announce her resignation from the job just 45 days after taking office due to her mini-budget spooking financial markets and causing division in her own party.

Mr Sunak is also the first British prime minister of Indian heritage.

By Kate Ainsworth

Key Event

One more thing: Will & Grace star Leslie Jordan has died

The Emmy-winning actor who starred in Will & Grace and American Horror Story has died at the age of 67.

The comedian, writer and singer also starred in Ally McBeal, Ugly Betty and Boston Legal, but was arguably best-known for playing the sexually ambiguous socialite frenemy of Karen on Will and Grace.

Later in his career he became a social media phenomenon when he started sharing videos and skits on Instagram during the COVID pandemic.

Mr Jordan's agent, David Shaul, said "what he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being."

"Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today."

A representative for Mr Jordan said he died in a car crash in Los Angeles.

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