☕️ Joe Biden drops out of presidential race

If you’re just waking up, Joe Biden has officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential election race.

Overnight, he said it was “in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down” and endorsed VP Kamala Harris. We explain everything below in the 2 minute section.

It’s going to be a biiiig week. Buckle in!

”I hope over time they can gain some small solace knowing that the father died from an extraordinary, instinctive act of bravery. That’s not going to bring him or his little daughter back. But it shouldn’t go unremarked upon in the face of a terrible, terrible accident that he gave his own life to try and save his children.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns speaking about a father who died on Sunday trying to save his children after their pram rolled onto train tracks in Sydney.

318 million
The number of scam texts police allege were sent from 26 SIM boxes seized from a home in NSW. SIM boxes contain dozens of SIM cards and are capable of sending hundreds of thousands of texts every day.

1933
Wiley Post became the first person to fly solo around the world.

Victorian health officials are urging people to get vaccinated against mpox (formerly monkeypox), after a 25% increase in cases in the state over the past fortnight.

The state has recorded 80 cases of mpox this year, up from eight cases in 2023.

VicHealth is urging people to reduce their risk by considering contact tracing sexual partners or “limiting the number of intimate partners”.

Here’s what we know.

Mpox is a viral illness. The first human case was detected in 1970, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a nine-month-old boy.

Mpox is primarily spread between people through close or prolonged skin-to-skin contact. Symptoms of the virus include fever and rashes.

In 2022, the World Health Organisation declared a public health emergency after a global outbreak.

Cases of mpox have increased in recent weeks in Victoria.

71 of the 80 cases recorded in the state this year are believed to have been locally acquired.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Clare Looker said: “While the current outbreak has predominantly impacted men who have sex with men, anyone who has been in close, and usually prolonged, intimate contact with someone with mpox is at risk.”

Victoria updated the eligibility criteria for its free mpox vaccine earlier this year to encourage uptake.

Healthcare providers are being urged to test for mpox in all patients presenting symptoms, especially among those with risk factors.

“One of the best ways to protect yourself against mpox is to get vaccinated — it’s vital that you have two doses of the vaccine for optimal protection,” Looker said.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

U.S. President Joe Biden has pulled out of the 2024 election.

In a statement, Biden said: “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”. He’ll remain in office until a new President comes to power in January.

Questions about whether 81-year-old Biden was fit to lead for a second term intensified after last month’s Presidential debate.

The Democratic Party was set to confirm Biden as their official candidate at their National Convention next month. The most likely candidate is now Vice President Kamala Harris.

Joe Biden is the oldest serving President in U.S. history. He turns 82 in November.

He served as a Senator in the state of Delaware for 36 years before he became Vice President under Barack Obama between 2009 and 2017.

If he remained in the race and was re-elected, Biden would have been 86 by the time he finished a second presidential term.

Biden debated his rival, former President Donald Trump, on 27 June. His performance sparked concerns about his mental and physical health.

Over the ensuing weeks, Democrats and party donors questioned Biden’s ability to serve another term as President — first privately, then publicly.

Initially, Biden rejected calls to step down and make way for an alternative candidate. Over the past week, the White House confirmed Biden had COVID-19. He has been isolating at his home in Delaware, unable to campaign.

Despite doubling down on his intentions to run again, Biden has now announced he will not seek re-election.

It’s the first time in modern political history a candidate has voluntarily withdrawn from the race so close to the election date.

Today, Biden said he would “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”.

Ahead of a U.S. election, the parties choose a presidential candidate through a process known as the “primaries”.

Joe Biden won almost all his party’s primary races and was due to be formally confirmed as the Democrats’ nominee at the National Convention in August.

Biden said he endorses his Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s candidate to face Donald Trump at the election on 5 November.

Other high-profile Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have also backed Harris.

Harris has issued a statement, praising Biden for “putting the American people and our country above everything else”.

"I am honored to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich and Lucy Tassell.

This week is Donate Life Week 

Although 4 out of 5 Aussies support organ and tissue donation, only 1 in 10 young people aged 16-24 are registered. This DonateLife Week, we’re trying to change that.

It doesn’t matter if you drink, smoke or vape – anyone over 16 can register. It only takes one minute, but you could save up 7 lives.

How organ donation saves lives: Nick’s Story

At three months old, Brisbane-born Nick DeBonis was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a condition that required a liver transplant for him to survive.

After months of fighting for his life, his parents received a call that someone had sadly passed away, but they had generously donated their liver – and it was a match to Nick. 

Now at 18, Nick’s about to represent Australia as the youngest player in the first Transplant Football World Cup in Italy this September.

"I've been given an incredible gift of life and I'm really grateful for that,” Nick said.

When Aussies register as organ donors and their family consent, it gives people like Nick a second chance. 

It only takes one minute to register as an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au with 3 taps on your Express Plus Medicare app.

The drug could pave the way for snake bite treatments across the world. Researchers used gene-editing technology to develop a drug that resists venom from a cobra bite.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Angel City FC, a Los Angeles-based side in the U.S. National Women’s Soccer League, has just become the most valuable women’s sports team in the world.

American couple Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney and Willow Bay, a prominent journalist and author became the controlling owners of the club in a $AU371 million takeover.

The couple said they are “fans and friends” of the team and want to see them “continue to harness the industry’s momentum”. They added: “With this investment of resources and capital, we hope to accelerate the growth of the Club…”

Fun fact: Angel City FC was originally founded by a group that included actress Natalie Portman. If you want more sporting fun facts, sign up to our sport newsletter here.

One of the world’s biggest tobacco manufacturers will build a $US600 million nicotine pouch factory. Philip Morris International, which owns the nicotine pouch brand Zyn, said its planned facility will “help meet the growing global demand for smoke-free [nicotine] products”. In today's deep dive, we'll explain the rising popularity in these nicotine pouches, and whether they actually are better than cigarettes.