Good afternoon. Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate longtime loyalist Pam Bondi
for US attorney general, hours after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration after just eight days
amid growing concern over a series of allegations including sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, drug use and misappropriating campaign funds.
Should Bondi, the former Florida state attorney general, be confirmed by the Senate in the coming months, it would be a reward for years of loyalty to Trump which started during his 2016 campaign.
She also helped with Trump’s legal defence during his first impeachment trial, parroted claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and continued working as a surrogate through the 2024 campaign when she attended Trump’s criminal trial in New York.
Meanwhile, as the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief
writes, Gaetz’s downfall is further proof that there is one rule for Trump and another for everyone else.
- Mining giant refutes News Corp quotation | Swiss-based Glencore has told the Guardian it explicitly had “NOT” called on the Albanese government to slow down the shift from coal to renewables, contradicting a front-page story and editorial in the Australian claiming it had.
- Company review clears WiseTech founder | A company-ordered review into Richard White, the embattled billionaire founder of the Australian software giant, uncovered “no impropriety” by the former CEO
who stood down amid allegations including bullying, intimidation and misusing company funds.
- Truth-telling inquiry to continue work despite likely abolition | Queensland’s Indigenous truth-telling and healing commission has reversed a decision to pause the inquiry,
after it said it had received no contact from the state government about when or if the legislation would be repealed.
- BoM warns of extended heatwave | Residents from across south-eastern Australia are being warned to remain indoors and stay hydrated
as a heatwave sweeps across the region, with temperatures near the Victoria-South Australia border reaching 38C, over 10C above average for November.
- Townsville mayor suspended for 12 months | Troy Thompson has been suspended from all council duties for a year on full pay, but has vowed to return to the job after clearing his name
against allegations he exaggerated his military history.
- Australia v India cricket | Australia has gained the upper hand in the first innings of the Perth Test, taking six wickets in the first 32 overs after India won the toss and elected to bat. Follow all the action in our live blog
.
- Jair Bolsonaro charged with plotting coup d’état | The former Brazilian president and some of his closest allies are among dozens of people formally accused by federal police
of being part of a criminal conspiracy designed to “violently dismantle the constitutional state”.
- Ukraine parliament postponed after missile strike | Members were ordered to keep their families out of Kyiv’s government district
amid security concerns, after Vladimir Putin announced the strike on the city of Dnipro on Thursday was from an experimental ballistic missile
known as “Oreshnik”.
- Kayaker who faked his own death tells police he’s ‘safe’ | Ryan Borgwardt, who faked his own drowning so he could leave his wife and three children, is living in eastern Europe and has been communicating with authorities
, a sheriff in his home state of Wisconsin has revealed.
