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Good morning!
This week, across all of our five (!!) newsletters, we’re going to be asking you for your feedback. What content do you want more of? Less of? How can we improve? What are you loving?
Today, we’re starting off strong with this one - your daily TDA newsletter. Let us know your thoughts in this 30-second survey here. It really means the world to us and the team!
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale. The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated. Neither by American platforms, nor by Chinese algorithms."
French President Emmanuel Macron, announcing his government will try to fast-track a social media ban similar to Australia’s, to go into effect before children go back to school after their summer break in September.
The stat: 1,330. The number of buildings in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv that were left without heat on Sunday (local time) after a series of Russian strikes, according to Mayor Vitalii Klitschko.
The big question:
When shopping online, what is more important to you?
Yesterday’s results: 21% of you have a side hustle [1,200 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
The Queensland Government has euthanised the dingoes involved in the death of 19-year-old Canadian backpacker Piper James. The 19-year-old was working on K'gari when she went for an early morning swim last Monday. Her body was discovered surrounded by dingoes near a popular tourist site, the wreck of the SS Maheno, a short time later. Preliminary autopsy results found drowning was the most likely cause of death, but also uncovered evidence of "pre-mortem" dingo bites. James’ father, Todd, told AAP he didn’t think his daughter would have wanted the dingoes to be euthanised “because of a mistake that she made” by going out alone without something to protect herself. "But [by] the same token… I recognise for the safety of the island, maybe that pack needed to be euthanised,” he added.
The death toll from a landslide that hit Indonesia's West Java province at the weekend has risen to 17, with dozens of people still missing. The landslide that hit a residential area in the Bandung Barat region early on Saturday was triggered by heavy rains that began the day before, which the weather agency warned could persist in the province and several other regions for another week. The pre-dawn landslide buried some 34 houses in Pasir Langu village. On Sunday, 72 people remained missing, many feared buried under tons of mud, rocks and uprooted trees. About 230 residents living near the site were evacuated to government shelters.
Together with AAP.
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I’ve got 1 minute
Grok AI was used to generate around 3 million sexualised images over an eleven-day period earlier this year, including images of children.
Researchers from the U.S. Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) announced last week that the tool created child sexual abuse material every 41 seconds during this period.
The findings come after Elon Musk faced global pressure to restrict Grok’s capabilities on X, the social media platform he owns.
Here’s what you need to know.
Context
Grok is an AI tool developed by Musk’s company xAI for use on X.
Late last year, users discovered they could request Grok edit images of people with prompts like “put her in a bikini”.
CCDH researchers estimate Grok created 3 million sexualised images of people between 29 December and 8 January.
Images were classified as sexualised if they showed people in sexual positions, revealing clothing such as underwear or swimmers, or depicted bodily fluids.
The researchers found sexualised images depicting public figures, including musicians, actors, and politicians.
Grok was also used to create child sexual abuse material: an average of one image every 41 seconds over the 11 days.
Global response
Following widespread reports of sexual abuse material on X, Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries to block Grok earlier this month.
UK communications regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation, with potential fines of up to £18 million ($AU35 million) or 10% of the company’s global revenue.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner also announced there had been an “increase from almost none to several reports” of non-consensual sexual images being created on the site.
X response
In early January, the official Grok account posted an admission of “lapses in safeguards.”
Musk also commented, saying: “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content”.
X later announced it had stopped Grok from editing people’s pictures to show them in “revealing clothing”.
However, research lab AI Forensics has found users are still able to create sexualised images by accessing Grok directly through its website, rather than through X.
In a post to X on Monday, the official Grok account announced users had generated more than 5.5 billion images in the last 30 days.
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Sam and Lucy explain the second fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
💶 Gen X are now the number one group of property owners in Australia, according to new analysis. Want to know more? You can sign up to TDA Finance here to make sure the explainer is in your inbox on Wednesday morning.
Sun fact of the day
Weekend sunburns might fade by Monday, but your skin remembers. Prioritising sun protection now will save a lot of damage later.
*Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.
I’ve got 2 minutes
A U.S. court has granted a temporary restraining order to restrict federal agents from “altering or destroying” evidence about immigration officers killing a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis this weekend.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti on Saturday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents acted in self-defence, alleging Pretti was armed.
Video from bystanders shows Pretti holding a phone as he approached ICE agents.
Background
ICE is the federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws, including deportation. It falls under the DHS.
When Trump returned to office in January 2025, he pushed to increase arrests to 3,000 people per day by mid-2025, up from a few hundred under the Biden administration.
ICE’s activities in multiple U.S. cities have been widely protested.
In late December, ICE launched its “largest immigration operation ever,” deploying 2,000 agents to Minneapolis.
Shooting
On Saturday morning (local time), local authorities responded to reports of a shooting involving ICE agents during a “targeted operation” in Minneapolis.
The DHS has alleged that during this operation, Pretti approached agents with a gun.
The agency alleged that as agents attempted to disarm him, Pretti “violently resisted” arrest, leading to an agent firing “defensive shots”.
Video captured by bystanders shows Pretti approaching agents with a phone.
Videos also show a group of masked agents grabbed Pretti, spraying something in his face, and pushed him to the ground. One agent appears to take a gun from Pretti’s body.
Once agents were holding Pretti down, investigators say at least two agents shot him several times in quick succession.
Emergency services attempted to treat Pretti at the scene. He was later pronounced dead.
Pretti was a U.S. citizen with no criminal history and a legal permit to carry a gun. He worked as an ICU nurse at a medical centre for U.S. Army veterans.
Responses
The DHS defended its officers’ actions, saying they were defending themselves against “an individual who wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement”.
In response, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for Trump to end “the invasion of these heavily armed masked agents roaming the streets... emboldened with a sense of impunity”.
Frey has formally requested assistance from the National Guard (a reserve military force) to support the city’s “limited number of officers”.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called on the Trump administration to let the state lead the investigation into what he described as “organised brutality,” saying the state’s justice system “must have the last word”.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been granted a temporary restraining order to stop federal agents from “altering or destroying” any evidence connected to this weekend’s shooting.
Former president Barack Obama has accused Trump of failing to impose “discipline and accountability” over his agents, saying they are employing “unprecedented tactics”.
Reporting by Achol Arok.
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Give me some good news
Olympian Cathy Freeman has received Australia’s highest award for service.
The 52-year-old athletics legend and proud Kuku-Yalanji and Biriri Gubba woman was among 10 people appointed to the Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia in the annual honours list.
The 400m gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was recognised for services to athletics, social impact across Australia and being a youth role model.
In an Instagram post, Freeman said she was “deeply honoured” by the appointment, saying she shares it “with the many people who have supported me throughout my life — family, community, coaches, colleagues and friends.”
Reporting with AAP.
TDA titbit
Manchester United are heading for the small screen. The New York Times reports the club has agreed to a deal with Lionsgate to develop a scripted series about its history. Think ‘The Crown’, but for football.
The project would cover major eras in the club’s history, from the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, which killed 23 people, including eight United players, to the rise of Sir Alex Ferguson from 1986 to 2013.
Producers say they want something with global reach and emotional weight. Meanwhile, United appear keen to shape how its story is told.
The casting process is yet to begin, but whoever lands the role of Sir Alex will have quite the job on their hands.
Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.
TDA asks
