☕️ Joyce resigns from Nationals

Believe it or not (ok, Ripley), but today is Black Friday. Yes, the actual day.

You would be forgiven if you thought it was literally any other day this month, given the sales now seem to be a month-long event (no complaining here).

I look forward to hearing about the thing you bought that you don’t need. For the TDA office, we just bought an olive tree on sale. And we’ve just discovered it doesn’t grow olives. So, yeah. Think carefully!

P.S. We have a quick favour to ask: We are currently running a survey to improve our partnerships. It takes about two minutes – and we’d love to hear from you! Click here to complete it. It will be your good deed for the day!

“The document was unintentionally uploaded to our website too early. We’ve initiated an investigation into how and why it happened."
The head of the UK’s Office of Budget Responsibility, Richard Hughes, at a press conference after media began reporting on the country’s official Budget 40 minutes ahead of its official release.

20,800
The amount of Australians living with terminal breast cancer in 2024, according to new research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Actor and Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey surprised fans at a screening of ‘Wicked: For Good’ in Sydney this week. He also popped up at drag bingo and the TikTok Awards.

Two U.S. National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington D.C. on Wednesday afternoon (local time).

Both the National Guard personnel and the shooter are critically injured.

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked for 500 additional National Guard troops to be deployed to Washington D.C.

In a speech broadcast live from Florida, Trump said: “This heinous assault was an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror.“

The U.S. National Guard is a reserve military force with 430,000 civilian troops.

It is generally deployed to address national emergencies, such as during COVID-19 and natural disasters.

Since coming to office, Trump has ordered the National Guard to deploy to cities around the country, particularly in response to protests against immigration deportations.

After a former Government employee was allegedly assaulted earlier this year, Trump deployed troops to D.C.

Two National Guard soldiers were shot on Wednesday afternoon (local time) near the White House.

Trump is in Florida.

The two soldiers were taken to hospital in critical condition.

The suspect was shot by nearby National Guard personnel and is also in critical condition. He remains in police custody.

In his speech, Trump said the alleged shooter was “from Afghanistan... flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021”.

In a post to X, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the “targeted” incident “was horrific and unconscionable”.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social: “The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen… will pay a very steep price.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said it was “a horrendous act of violence” and labelled the officers as “brave warriors” and “heroes of this day.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

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NSW Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has handed down the findings from an inquest into the murder of 21-year-old Lilie James, calling it “part of a devastating pattern of violence against women.”

In October 2023, James’ body was found in the bathroom of the Sydney school where she worked.

Police ruled her death a homicide, and named a suspect, Paul Thijssen, who was found dead days later in Sydney’s east.

The Coroner found there is “a need… to raise community awareness about how to identify and respond to coercive control behaviours.”

On 25 October 2023, police discovered the body of 21-year-old Lilie James in a bathroom at St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney’s CBD.

According to police, James had serious head injuries.

Police began searching for a man in his 20s, Paul Thijssen. His body was found in the water in Diamond Bay, Vaucluse a few days later.

The two had recently ended a casual relationship, and were both teaching at the school at the time of the attack.

In March 2025, a coronial inquest into James’ murder began.

A coronial inquest is held when a person dies in “sudden or unexplained” circumstances, and when there are “unresolved issues” left from an initial investigation.

The coroner’s task is to “determine the identity of the deceased and the date, place, manner and cause of death”.

A coronial inquest is not the same as a trial. A trial cannot be held in this case because the prime suspect is dead.

The inquest heard from a range of different experts, and was shown

CCTV footage of Thijssen in the days and hours leading up to the attack.

In one clip, Thijssen stood in a Mitre 10 store looking at different types of hammers and assessing their weight.

In other vision, he appeared to practise the attack by repeatedly bursting into an empty bathroom, and putting a cleaning sign in front of a door so James would enter a different bathroom.

The coroner heard evidence from experts who argued that prior to the attack, Thijssen exercised coercive control over James.

Coercive control is a form of domestic violence where a person denies a person autonomy and independence over time.

Thijssen reportedly tracked James’ location on Snapchat, as well as physically stalking her.

The inquest also heard that Thijssen had stalked and intimidated an ex-girlfriend before.

Coroner O’Sullivan concluded Thijssen “carefully planned” killing James, calling it “premeditated”.

She said the murder was part of the “alarming and persistent scourge of gendered violence and domestic violence in Australia”.

O’Sullivan reflected on testimony from Lilie’s mother Peta “that we must teach boys to respect and value women’s opinions… and to accept rejection.”

“There are lessons to learn from these tragic circumstances and areas for improvement,” O’Sullivan said.

The Coroner outlined several recommendations, including:

These recommendations were sent to NSW Premier Chris Minns.

Speaking outside court this morning, James’ father Jamie said his daughter’s life had been “cut way too short”.

“If it’s been a while since you talked about violence or abuse against women... please start that conversation — awareness, education and speaking up matters,” he said.

Jamie also called on media to “not report on positive comments” calling domestic violence perpetrators “good blokes.”

“It’s not appropriate,” he said.

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

LIFELINE: 13 11 14

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Alright festival heads, listen up:

If you’re not decking out your campsite to feel like home then you’re not doing festival season right. When it comes to camping equipment, Bunnings has got you covered.

From roomy gazebos and comfy camp chairs, to folding carts – because everyone knows you’ll need help lugging all your stuff from the campsite to the festival stage – Bunnings has your staples sorted for the summer festival season.

🍊 India to host 2030 Commonwealth Games. More details here.
🍊 Aston Martin appoints legendary designer as team principal. Read more.
🍊 Liverpool’s losing streak continues. And Arsenal down Bayern.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, boxing, and more…

Other winners included BARKAA, who took out the First Nations Music Prize, and Ninajirachi, who was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Both acts were awarded $40,000 each. NSW Music Minister John Graham said the award is part of efforts to “support local musicians to cut through and build a fan base.” The awards come during Aus Music Month, which celebrates local artists each November. Festivities include AusMusic T-Shirt Day, marked yesterday. The annual event raises funds for industry charity Support Act. The group provides crisis relief services to musicians and music workers.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

Move over, Bonnie and Clyde.

A parking inspector and his wife have been arrested for allegedly stealing more than €1 million ($AU1.8 million) from parking meters in southern Germany.

The man allegedly stole coins directly from parking meters in the town of Kempten and put them into bank accounts.

He faces 720 charges of theft, while his wife faces charges of aiding and abetting theft.

Kempten Mayor Thomas Kiechle said he was “stunned and appalled by the alleged facts”.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Late yesterday, former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced he's leaving his current political party, The Nationals. It comes after months of speculation about the move, and could have major implications for the strength of the current Coalition opposition, and the longer-term electoral success of the Nationals in key regional parts of the country. On today’s podcast, we'll break down who Barnaby Joyce is, why he's done this, and what it could mean for the balance of power in Canberra.