Good morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 12 November.
Top stories
Australia’s largest food charity has called out the government for almost halving its funding just six weeks from Christmas, a situation it says “beggars belief”. Foodbank helps provide pantry essentials to more than 710,000 Australians impacted by natural disasters or economic hardships through its Key Staples program, in which the organisation works with manufacturers, suppliers and transporters to provide rice, flour, cereals and canned goods to 2,600 charities and 1,750 schools around the country. But Foodbank’s chief executive, Brianna Casey, said the government was now asking the organisation to absorb another cut, which would leave it with less than $430,000 a year.
Three years ago the organisation received $1.5m a year to do the same job. The latest cut, which works out to about $323,000 a year, comes into effect from January 2019, impacting contracts and arrangements the organisation already had in place. “I just cannot fathom why this is happening at all, let alone at one of the most challenging times of year for vulnerable Australians and our drought-affected communities,” Casey said.
Democrats will investigate whether Donald Trump “used state power” to target CNN and the Washington Post. Adam Schiff, the Democrat likely to lead the House intelligence committee next year, said Congress would investigate whether the president used “the instruments of state power to punish the press” in at least two alleged instances. Schiff said the intelligence committee would look into whether Trump tried to jack up postal rates paid by Amazon and whether the president tried to block AT&T’s merger with Time Warner, which the justice department appealed after it concluded in August. Either act might represent political payback. Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post, considered by Trump to be a foe. Time Warner owns CNN, a frequent Trump target. Democrats have also warned of an impending constitutional crisis if action is not taken to protect Robert Mueller, demanding that the acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, recuse himself from overseeing the the special counsel’s investigation.
Labor has opened a commanding 10-point lead over the Morrison government in the latest Newspoll survey, and the prime minister’s approval ratings have also taken a hit. Published by the Australian on Sunday night, the survey shows Labor ahead of the Coalition on the two-party-preferred measure 55% to 45%, meaning Bill Shorten and Labor would easily win any election held today. Scott Morrison remains ahead of Shorten as preferred prime minister 42% (down one point) to Shorten’s 36% (up one point in a fortnight). But Morrison’s disapproval rating is up three points to 47%, with 39% approving of his performance.
Adani faces questions over who will pay for the Aurizon rail ink upgrade, as the Indian mining company tries to resolve significant elements of its scaled-down plans. Adani announced last month it would abandon plans to build a direct rail line from its planned Carmichael mine in the Galilee basin to the Abbot Point port near Bowen. Instead, it plans to build a spur line from its proposed mine that would connect to the Aurizon network. While both companies are bound to keep discussions about access confidential, Guardian Australia understands the sticking point is likely to be who would pay for necessary upgrades to the network.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron has warned of the dangers of rising nationalism in a pointed speech delivered in front of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a ceremony in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the first world war armistice. As more than 60 heads of state and dignitaries gathered in the rain near the tomb of the unknown soldier, Macron warned that “old demons” were resurfacing and threatened the fragile peace. Later Macron asked how photographs of the commemorations would be seen in the future: “A symbol of lasting peace? Or the last moment of unity before the world falls into disorder? That depends on us.”
Sport
Losing has become a bad habit for the Wallabies. Their try-less 9-6 loss to Wales in Cardiff was their eighth defeat from 11 Tests this year, ingraining the feeling that losing is now a matter of course.
Football Federation Australia is gearing up for a post-Lowy future, as it host its 15th annual general meeting next Monday. The AGM promises to be one of the most notable in the organisation’s history. Decisions taken will have far-reaching implications.
Thinking time
The set for the screen adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend is one of the largest in Europe, spreading over two hectares. Before the series premiere this month, Kathryn Bromwich spends time on location in Naples and speaks to the director, Saverio Costanzo, and the show’s leading ladies – who were selected in a casting process that took eight months. Elena was a difficult role to cast, Costanzo says, because she is at the centre of the narrative but has to “give room” to Lila: “Elena needs a personality, something to tell, but also a kind of acquiescence, an ability to listen.” Lila, on the other hand, “is like a giant. It’s hard to find a giant.”
Nominations closed on Friday for the Victorian state election. The election analyst Ben Raue takes a look at the polling, the preference deals and the marginal seats to see how Labor’s and the Liberals’ fortunes are shaping up. “While Labor has been leading the polling recently, its slim majority and strong competition from the Greens make this election one worth watching,” Raue writes. “Labor will need to do well to hold on to government. If Labor is to increase its majority, it will likely need to look to regional seats.”
Australia has reached peak Anzac. After four long years, the $600m festival built around the centenary of world war one is finally over. Now, with 100 years since the armistice passed, Paul Daley is optimistic we can focus on other parts of our history, not just that of military engagement. “Perhaps now that it’s finished we can get back to – or at least make a genuine start on – seriously delving into the experiences of individuals and events beyond the Anzacs and the first world war that have played a much more seminal role in determining and defining Australian nationhood.”
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald is leading with an investigation into an Australian insider used in a secret plot by Beijing to infiltrate the UN. The Australian reveals that a new policy to let states decide on their skilled migrant intake is being discussed at senior levels of the Morrison government. Online, the preview for its Newspoll story “Coalition continues to slide” shows a picture of Malcolm Turnbull. Top Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the assassination of Iranian enemies of the kingdom a year ago, the New York Times reports, during a meeting about a plan to sabotage Iran’s economy.
Coming up
Scott Morrison will be attending the Asean summit in Singapore.
A woman will appear before Brisbane magistrates court over the strawberry needle contamination scare that sparked a nationwide crisis.
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