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Good morning!
Notice anything funny on the moon last night?
Oh, that was just some space junk from a SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon yesterday at the casual speed of 8,700 km/h.
It was only the second known case of a discarded rocket accidentally crashing into the moon (the first was in 2022.)
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “This is the first time we’ve experienced anything like this. Last year was also hot, but none of our lions fell ill like this.”
A representative for Tokyo’s Tama Zoological Park speaking to the BBC about Japan’s heatwave. Three lions have died of a suspected heat-related illness this week.
The stat: 127,244. The number of fully electric cars sold in Australia so far this year, representing 17% of the total market, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Its data shows EVs made up more than one in five (22%) new vehicles purchased in July. In 2025, EVs accounted for 8% of all new vehicle sales.
The big question:
Do you support Jetstar's move to charge for overhead carry-on luggage? (Context is below in the 1 minute section!)
Yesterday’s results: 35% of you said you’d save most of a $1,000 bonus, 34% would split it between saving and spending, and the rest would pay off debt, spend it on something fun, or do something else. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,894 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The NSW Government has agreed to overhaul the state’s mental health emergency procedures in response to the 2024 Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack. Joel Cauchi, 40, was experiencing symptoms of psychosis when he killed six people and injured 10 others before he was fatally shot by a police officer. Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan highlighted numerous shortfalls leading up to the attack, making 23 recommendations in a report handed down in February. The State Government has now accepted 11 recommendations in full and two in principle. Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said a new “health-led” emergency response model would ensure more people “experiencing mental health crises receive appropriate care”. In its response, the government also pledged to strengthen community services and support pathways for people experiencing severe illness.
Australians may soon be able to piggyback off a different mobile network if their own provider has left them without service. It comes after the consumer watchdog announced it will launch an inquiry to tackle the monopoly of mobile service providers, recognising the burden faced by regional and rural Australians. Unlike Europe and North America, Australia does not have domestic roaming — the ability for a mobile phone to automatically connect to another network when your own provider’s service has a weak or no signal. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the inquiry would decide whether telecommunications companies have to share their phone towers. “There are growing calls for the ACCC to intervene to regulate wholesale mobile services, particularly in regional areas,” the watchdog’s commissioner Anna Brakey said.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
This Sunday: experience MIT for yourself
Mark your calendar for the 9th of August, 10am–2pm, for Open Day at MIT's Melbourne CBD campus. It's your chance to tour the grounds, talk to academics and students, explore undergrad, postgrad and research options in Business and IT. Find out what you need to know about applications, scholarships and FEE-HELP - plus get a look at a learning environment built around real-world skills.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 1 minute
Scared of the Jetstar scales at the airport? We have good news! And bad news.
The good news: Jetstar will be scrapping the existing 7kg weight limit, meaning you will no longer have your carry-on bags weighed at the gate.
The bad news: Starting February 2027, Jetstar customers will have to pay extra to store their carry-on bags in overhead storage.
Every booking will include one underseat bag at no extra cost, but customers will need to pay at least $25 extra for an overhead bag, or more for some overseas flights (starting at $39).
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, co-founder Sam explains the fallout from FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell off a stake in the World Cup. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.
🍿 Sign up to TDA Culture here for our interview with Genesis Owusu in your inbox at 5pm.
Good Finds
🧡 Sometimes all someone experiencing homelessness needs is a place to sit down without being judged. That's the idea behind Orange Sky's model, where washing machines double as an invitation to talk. That judgement-free space can be just as valuable as clean clothes. See how it works here.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
Authorities are investigating an attack on defence company Lovitt Technologies last year as a terrorist act.
A joint counter-terrorism team believes “far-left extremists with anarchist and revolutionary ideologies” could be responsible.
TDA understands it is the first time the AFP has publicly described an investigation as relating to an act of “far-left” terrorism.
In a video released by the group, a masked person says the attack was “a warning” to the company to stop making components for fighter jets the Israeli Defence Force uses in Gaza.
Attack
In the early hours of 5 July 2025, CCTV captured masked people dressed in black vandalising the building of Lovitt Technologies in north-east Melbourne, and setting several cars on fire.
Lovitt produces components for fighter jets and commercial planes.
Its website says it produces parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet.
Lockheed Martin has sold F-35s to Israel under a deal brokered by the U.S. Government since 2010.
In a video released after the attack, a masked person representing the group said it had chosen Lovitt “because it is a bottleneck in the supply chain” for the production of F-35s.
They threatened further action, saying: “Stop arming Israel or else.”
Police response
The AFP, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Victoria Police counter-terrorism team are now investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism.
“The alleged offenders outlined a number of grievances in support of Palestine and are accused of targeting the company in the belief it was part of a broader Australian Defence Force supply chain,” authorities said.
In a media release on Wednesday, the authorities called for information from the community about the alleged offenders’ identities.
Authorities said the people involved are believed to have “anarchist and revolutionary ideologies.”
An anarchist is a person who wants to overthrow the current systems of power in society (e.g. governments and courts), often through a violent revolution.
A message from Revo Fitness
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Pssst it’s pronounced Reh-vo. ;)
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
Give me some good news
Colombia has recorded its lowest rate of deforestation in two decades, with logging falling 31% since 2021.
The South American nation still lost over 100,000 hectares of forest last year, but 2025 marked the fourth consecutive year Colombia exceeded its annual 20% reduction target. A new report from the Colombian Environment Ministry found deforestation inside Colombia’s national parks also dropped 19% compared to the previous year. The government identified agriculture as one of the main drivers of ongoing forest loss. Colombian officials launched a plan to protect the country’s vast share of the Amazon after the 2022 election of President Gustavo Petro.
Reporting by Emma Gillespie.
TDA titbit
Remember the penis enlargement scandal at the Winter Olympics? The Tour de France Femmes just had its own version, only this time the focus was on chests.
The latest stage was run with extra clothing checks after some teams raised concerns that riders were padding their sports bras to reshape their bodies and gain an aerodynamic edge, which cycling's rules prohibit.
The extra padding could save fractions of a second per kilometre.
The lore even goes back to the Paris Olympics. Director of the AG Insurance-Soudal team Stijn Steels told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws: “There was a rider who suddenly had gigantic breasts.”
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
TDA asks
