If you were forwarded this email (Hi! Welcome!), you can sign up to the newsletter here.
Good morning!
Happy King's Birthday. And by "birthday", I of course mean "not his birthday at all".
King Charles's actual birthday is in November. But hey, who’s complaining!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “It’s almost cruel this.”
NRL Commentator Andrew Voss on NRL team Penrith Panthers’ record win over the Wests Tigers on Sunday. With a score of 68-0, it was the biggest win in the club's history. It was the equal fifth biggest in premiership history by any team, and the equal third largest in 91 years.
The stat: 100,000. The number of live exotic cockroaches seized from a NSW breeder – Australia's largest-ever illegal exotic invertebrate bust, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). The exotic cockroaches, which are illegal to import, keep, breed or sell in Australia, have an estimated value of up to $200,000.
The big question:
Friday’s results: On Friday, 93% of you told us that gambling ads should be banned from sports coverage. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,994 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Former Australian of the Year and pioneering melanoma researcher Professor Richard Scolyer has died, aged 59. Scolyer was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2023. In the years since, alongside fellow Australian of the Year Professor Georgina Long, Scolyer pioneered a new experimental treatment. The pair used their learnings from treating melanoma in a world-first treatment on Scolyer. In a letter written prior to his death and published in the Nine newspapers last night, Scolyer wrote: “If my legacy was to continue beyond these words, I would be delighted and humbled to be remembered as a proud everyday Aussie who “gave it a crack”, and in doing so, inspired others to pursue their dreams and passions with humility, love and compassion.” TDA interviewed Professor Scolyer back in 2024, where he shared the legacy he hopes to leave behind. You can watch that interview here.
Australians lost almost a quarter of a billion dollars to scams in the first three months of 2026, according to new data released by the ACCC's National Anti-Scam Centre. Scam monitoring bodies received over 60,000 reports during the first quarter of the year, with total losses valued at $248.3 million. However, the number of scam reports and losses fell by roughly a sixth compared to the first quarter of 2025. Investment scams accounted for the highest reported losses so far this year, at over $45 million. Email remains the most common method scammers use to target victims.
Together with AAP.
Recommendation of the day
Fast payments for fast internet.
PayTo® is now available with Superloop, letting you pay securely from your bank account using your PayID®, or BSB and account number.
Once you authorise your PayTo agreement in your banking app, your payments will be processed fast each time, 24/7. You can also view and manage agreements in your banking app, so you're in control.
Look out for PayTo.
PayTo is in your banking app. Check with your financial institution to find out more. PayID and PayTo are registered trade marks of NPP Australia Ltd ABN 68 601 428 737. Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 1 minute
Note: First Nations readers are advised that this story contains the name of a person who has died.
A NSW police officer has become the first in the state's history to be sentenced for killing a First Nations teenager.
Benedict Bryant was found guilty of dangerous driving occasioning death after parking his unmarked police car in the path of a trail bike ridden by 16-year-old Jai Wright in 2022.
He has now been disqualified from driving and sentenced to a two-year intensive correction order - a community-based sentence with strict supervision and mandatory conditions, according to the NSW State Parole Authority.
Background
Jai Kalani Wright was thrown off a stolen bike when it collided with Sergeant Benedict Bryant's unmarked police car in inner Sydney in February 2022.
NSW Police had earlier spotted the bike, along with a stolen car, in the area. Wright suffered critical head injuries. He died in hospital the following day.
Sentencing
Bryant was found guilty of dangerous driving in November and sentenced on Friday.
A judge handed him a two year intensive corrections order, a term of imprisonment served outside jail, along with 500 hours of unpaid community service. Bryant was also disqualified from driving for three years.
Judge Jane Culver found Bryant, who remains a serving police officer, should have known placing his vehicle in Wright's path without lights or sirens could have caused a collision, posing a serious risk to the 16-year-old. However, she found it was possible Bryant had wrongly believed he was positioning the vehicle out of harm's way, reducing his moral culpability.
Judge Culver also found Bryant had shown minimal remorse and was instead "predominantly occupied with appealing his future sentence and the supposed anti-police sentiment. When handing down the ruling, the judge noted: "No sentence can ever measure the value of a human life, especially not a life tragically lost so young, a life not fully lived, a life that matters."
Jai's mother Kylie Aloua previously said she didn't want Bryant to be jailed, so his family wouldn't have to suffer the same loss she feels.
According to the Aboriginal Legal Service, it is the first time in NSW history that a police officer has been held criminally responsible for an Indigenous death during a police operation. Bryant's legal team has confirmed the officer will appeal the sentence.
13YARN: 13 92 76
Reporting by Adella Beaini.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Features Editor Emma and Co-founder Sam explain how AI scammers are targeting young men. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.
🏉 Who won the French Open? How did Australia fare in the Super Rugby Pacific finals? Sign up here to find out in today's newsletter at 4:30pm.
Good finds
🙌 Most vacuums are great at one thing - but not everything. The new BISSELL PowerClean® DualBrush tackles large debris, fine dust and stubborn pet hair all in a single pass, with AutoAdapt™ suction that senses dirt and boosts as needed. One tool, one clean, nothing left behind. Shop the range here.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
Odoo’s Tax Time Tips
🗓️ Invoice the same day the work is done. It helps cash flow, and it keeps your income figures clean across June 30. Odoo's invoicing tools flag what's outstanding so nothing gets lost at year-end.
Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
U.S. current affairs program 60 Minutes is at the centre of growing controversy over alleged political interference linked to the Trump administration.
Multiple staff at its broadcaster CBS have been fired or claim they were pushed out, following the recent appointment of new management.
The latest departure came this week when veteran journalist Scott Pelley was fired after telling the new executive editor of 60 Minutes that she was “murdering” the show.
Background
CBS, one of the largest TV networks in the U.S, has broadcast 60 Minutes since 1968.
In 2025, the parent company of CBS (Paramount) was acquired by Skydance Media. Skydance is run by David Ellison, the son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, who financially backs the company.
Since this major merger, the network has undergone significant management changes, including the appointment of political commentator Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief. Critics argue these changes have altered the editorial direction of CBS and 60 Minutes.
The controversy
Several current and former staff allege the network’s new leadership has a bias towards the Trump administration. Some have also claimed political considerations are influencing editorial decisions.
CBS has denied any political influence over its journalism.
Latest firings
Last week, longtime 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley was fired after a heated staff meeting over sweeping changes to the program. During the meeting, Pelley criticised CBS News management over the dismissal of the show's executive producer, executive editor, and two fellow correspondents.
He also reportedly took aim at editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, accusing her of “murdering” 60 Minutes, and questioned the qualifications of newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton. The following day, Bilton informed Pelley he had been fired.
In a dismissal letter to Pelley obtained by several U.S. media outlets, Bilton wrote: “You hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.”
Pelley is the latest high-profile departure from 60 Minutes. Former executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April, saying the new ownership had left him unable to make “independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes”.
Response
In an email to CBS staff, Bilton said he had “made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with [Pelley]… I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.”
Before Pelley was fired, Trump told the Pod Force One podcast he thought the journalist was “terrible” and “a stiff”.
Meanwhile, ex-60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega said she feared for the future of the “legendary” show. She also claimed that in recent months, her team had experienced “efforts to insert political bias into our stories”.
Reporting by Emily Donohoe.
A message from CommBank
Skincare running low. Fridge needs a restock. Too exhausted to catch public transport home after work. We’ve all been there, so consider this your mini boost to help out.
Open your first CommBank Everyday account and get up to $40 cashback at your faves: Amazon, Chemist Warehouse, Uber Eats and Uber Rides. When you spend $10, you’ll get $10 cashback – it’s that easy.
Disclaimer: Open your first CommBank Everyday account by 30 June 2026. Eligibility criteria & offer T&C’s apply. $10 min spend for $10 cashback per merchant for up to $40 cashback in total. Consider if appropriate for you. TMD on the CBA website.
Give me some good news
An Australian-Tamil footballer has made history as the first Tamil athlete to make a FIFA World Cup squad.
Born to Sri Lankan-Tamil and Anglo-Indian parents, Nishan Velupillay rose through the Melbourne Victory academy before earning his Socceroos debut in 2024. His family told TDA: "We are absolutely delighted and incredibly proud of him, especially knowing the level of commitment and dedication he has invested to reach this milestone."
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with three opening ceremonies scheduled in each country on 11 June.
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
TDA titbit
Credit: Reuters: Navesh Chitrakar
A Sherpa guide has survived nearly a week on Mount Everest after going missing. Dawa Sherpa was returning with a Polish climber after failing to reach the 8,849‑metre summit when he went missing on 29 May. The climber made it back to base camp, but it’s not clear how the pair became separated.
In a post to Instagram, the Nepal Mount Everest hiking company confirmed Dawa was found alive, after surviving “alone for nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen”. They added: “This is nothing short of a miracle.”
The 52-year-old’s family was already two days into funeral rituals when news of his rescue came through. He was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu and is now being treated for frostbite and other injuries.
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
TDA asks
