Good morning. There are fears over rising authoritarianism in the US after Donald Trump deployed armed national guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles against protests over immigration raids.
Meanwhile, Victorian Labor MP Emma Vulin tells us why being diagnosed with motor neurone disease isn’t going to derail her drive to see the state’s voluntary assisted dying laws changed.
Carlos Alcaraz has emerged triumphant against Jannik Sinner after a men’s French Open final clash for the ages at Roland-Garros. Plus: the King’s birthday honours list has been revealed, and there’s an ex-PM on it.
Australia
‘I’m not done’ | Diagnosed with motor neurone disease, Victorian MP Emma Vulin still has a lot to achieve. She tells Benita Kolovos about how she wants to help usher in changes to the state’s voluntary assisted dying laws.
Analysis | A year and a half out from its opening, Western Sydney International is looking more and more like an airport. As it nears takeoff, Elias Visontay asks: will the airlines and people come?
King’s birthday honours | Longtime ABC radio host Phillip Adams joins Scott Morrison, movie-makers Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, and former Women’s Weekly editor Deborah Hutton among award recipients.
Tech geopolitics | The US cutting academic research and targeting international students is a “great gift” to China in the global artificial intelligence race, says Australian former OpenAI board member Helen Toner.
WFH ban | The Coalition won’t revisit Peter Dutton’s controversial policy to ban working from home – dumped during the election campaign – because “happy workers tend to be more productive”.
World
Troops in LA | Bernie Sanders is among those warning of authoritarianism after Donald Trump deployed national guard troops to Los Angeles. Protesters and authorities faced off for another day in LA over immigration raids as Trump uses the LA protests to redirect dissent over policy failures to the “enemy within”, David Smith writes.
Gaza crisis | The Israeli defence forces has been ordered to stop the Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg; at least four were killed by Israeli fire in fresh violence near a Gaza food point, Palestinian officials say.
Russia-Ukraine war | Russian forces appear to be closing in on the city of Sumy, as independent monitors confirm Kremlin claims of making new and symbolically important advances in the east.
Spanish protests | Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Madrid to protest against the government of Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, and to demand an early general election.
Andrew Tate | The self-styled “misogynist influencer” is due to appear in court in Romania after allegedly being caught driving at 196km/h in an area with a 50km/h speed limit.
Full Story
Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1
Three years ago, British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, investigates what happened to them in the first episode of a new six-part investigative podcast series.
In-depth
Millions of Australian voters have endured a flood of political spam emails and text messages. Political parties have no obligation to reveal how they find your data, and there is no way to opt out. Josh Taylor looks at the shadowy world of data brokers – and one woman’s mission to sift through the labyrinthine web of companies buying and selling information on the public.
Not the news
An international club where dull people meet online to share the tedium of everyday lives is immensely popular. The Dull Men’s Club is a place to celebrate the mundane, the quotidian. It is a gentle antidote to pouting influencers and the often toxic internet; a bastion of civility; a polite clarion call to reclaim the ordinary. And, as Susan Chenery discovers, for one Australian man it’s also a place of poignant connection.
Sport
Tennis | Carlos Alcaraz saved three match points to beat Jannik Sinner to win the French Open men’s title in epic fashion; and Coco Gauff’s Paris triumph is proof of her maturity on the biggest stages, Tumaini Carayol writes.
Cricket | Heartache turns to hope as South Africa seek to shake their “chokers” tag in the World Test Championship final. “Bowling the best I have”: Josh Hazlewood stakes a claim for the WTC final spot.
Football | Portugal take on Spain in the Nations League final in Munich.
Cycling | New Zealander Ally Wollaston pips British teenager Cat Ferguson to secure the Tour of Britain title win.
Media roundup
Advocates are calling for change as figures show hundreds of Australians are receiving electroconvulsive therapy without their consent every year, ABC News reports. There are fears a 2,000-tonne ship disintegrating near Sydney Harbour’s busiest navigational zone may soon cause serious environmental and economic harm, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Tech firms Amazon, Google and Microsoft are urging Labor to accelerate delivery of energy-storage projects, after the federal election shut the door on nuclear energy, the Age reports.
What’s happening today
King’s birthday | It is a public holiday in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and ACT.
Tony awards | Six Australians are nominated in the 2025 Tony awards being held in New York today, including the actor Sarah Snook.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
