The reporter and the war criminal
The case was dismissed in 2023 in a landmark decision that ruled the defendants had established, on the balance of probabilities, that Ben Roberts-Smith was a war criminal.
It was a triumph for truth and justice for the murdered Afghan civilians, but the case and Roberts-Smith's subsequent failed appeal have left a lasting toll on the men who served alongside the disgraced soldier, and the journalists who told their story.
Guest: Nick McKenzie, Investigative reporter and author of 'Crossing the Line' which has been re-released with exclusive new material on the appeal, the continuing fallout, and the emotional and professional toll of the case.,
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
US Justice Department plans to interview Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell
The US Department of Justice is seeking to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, officials said Tuesday, as President Donald Trump struggles to quell a furor over the handling of the explosive case. The former British socialite is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking minors on behalf of Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in his own pedophile trafficking case. "President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence" about the Epstein case, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X. The surprise announcement marked the Trump administration's latest effort to defuse spiraling anger among the Republican's own supporters over what they have long seen as a cover-up of Epstein's crimes and high-level connections. Blanche said an FBI review of the evidence against Epstein -- a wealthy financier whose powerful friends once included Trump -- had found nothing to suggest new leads. But if Maxwell "has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," said Blanche, who was formerly Trump's personal lawyer. "No one is above the law -- and no lead is off-limits." David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions with the government and said "Ghislaine will always testify truthfully." "We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case," Markus added. Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who was convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege included trafficking young models for VIPs. Trump's conspiracy-minded supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and have been up in arms since the FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that Epstein had committed suicide while in jail, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a "client list." Trump has tried a variety of measures to placate his base, including by ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein's aborted New York case. At a White House meeting with the Philippine's president on Tuesday, Trump dismissed the entire Epstein scandal as "a witch hunt." - Epstein prosector fired - However, the president's MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has long held as an article of faith that "Deep State" elites were protecting Epstein's associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood -- although not Trump himself. While no evidence has emerged of any wrongdoing by Trump, the president had a close friendship with Epstein and he sued the Wall Street Journal last week after it published a story about a raunchy letter he purportedly sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday. The latest developments come just days after the federal prosecutor who handled Epstein's and Maxwell's sex trafficking cases was abruptly fired by the Trump Justice Department. Maurene Comey -- the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, a prominent Trump critic -- was dismissed on July 16 from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan. The furor over Epstein has derailed business in the US House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson is sending lawmakers home early to derail demands by Democrats for a vote to release the "Epstein files." Epstein was found hanging dead in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida. The FBI and New York medical examiner ruled his death a suicide but the determination has done little to quell speculation in right-wing circles that he was murdered. Among those with connections to Epstein was Britain's Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Giuffre, who accused Epstein of using her as a sex slave, committed suicide at her home in Australia in April. Billionaire Elon Musk accused President Donald Trump on X last month of being in the "Epstein files" after the pair had a falling out, but he later deleted his posts.
The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Dickson MP Ali France honours late 19yo son Henry
The disabled, single mum who ended Peter Dutton's 24-year run in politics has shared the emotional, private battle behind her uphill campaign to unseat the former opposition leader at her third attempt. Giving her inaugural speech in parliament, Ali France said that while the 2025 federal campaign was 'obviously my best,' she remained heartbroken over the death of her 19-year-old son Henry, who lost his battle to leukaemia in February 2024. 'The 2025 campaign was obviously my best, and that is quite a bizarre thing because behind the curtain I was grieving and desperately wanting to hold my son Henry,' she told parliament. The 52-year-old became a Labor legend after she defeated Mr Dutton in the outer Brisbane seat of Dickson, a seat he had held since 2001. While the electorate was one of the country's most marginal at 1.7 per cent, Ms France achieved a 7.7 per cent swing. Former politician Ali France credited her election win to her 19-year-old son Henry, who died from leukaemia in 2024. Source: X Ali France MP delivered her inaugural speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Ms France, a former journalist and staffer to former Queensland premier Steven Miles, credited Henry, who she said was 'in another place, hopefully looking on with a big, wide smile,' as being 'instrumental' to her unexpected election win. She also shared a private moment in the days before his death, when Henry was able to return home from hospital 'for a couple of nights'. 'He asked to sleep in my bed, next to his mum, like he did for years when he was little,' she said, her voice occasionally breaking. 'I watched him breathe all night, in awe of him, his courage and his ability to smile every day despite unbelievable pain and the never-ending hospital stays and treatment. 'I am so grateful for those hours.' She said her son told her she would win the seat of Dickson. 'He told me many times, that this election was my time. He was convinced I would win and said a number of times, 'don't make me the excuse for you not doing important things,' she said. 'His words, his courage, were with me every day of the campaign. Henry was instrumental in getting me to this place.' Ali France, with the Prime Minister, was the first of the new MPs elected at the May 3 election to give their inaugural speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Ali France hugs the Prime Minister after giving her first speech to parliament on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Ms France also spoke about the 2011 car accident which resulted in the amputation of her leg. The incident occurred in the after a car crashed into her, and pinned her against another vehicle. At the time, Ms France was taking her youngest son Zac to a doctor's appointment, however she managed to push the child out of the car's path. She referred to the incident as the 'day I was supposed to die,' and thanked her trauma surgeon Martin Wullschleger, the bystanders and staff at the Royal Brisbane Hospital for saving her life. 'Martin's split-second decision to amputate my leg with a makeshift tourniquet saved me and ensured my kids had their mum,' she said. 'We kept in touch, Martin is in the gallery.' Ms France said that while she was told she was 'unlikely to ever work again,' she owed her recovery to a 'refugee (orthopaedic) surgeon from Iraq', Professor Munjed Al Muderis, who successfully completed a 'groundbreaking and risky' osseointegration surgery, which at the time had only been completed 25 times. Supporters of Ali France, including her son Zac and father Peter Lawlor (fourth and fifth from the left) were in the gallery for her inaugural speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Fellow Labor MPs applaud Ali France after her speech. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman 'I've now been walking for 11 years – with a little help from my wheelchair,' she said. 'Munjed is in the gallery. And I am so grateful you stepped outside the boundaries of what was thought to be medically possible at the time. 'I literally would not be standing here today without you.' The Brisbane MP also paid a special tribute to Anthony Albanese and her former boss Mr Miles, and referred to them as her 'greatest political believers'. Notably the Prime Minister visited the seat of Dickson twice during the federal campaign, and began his election run in what was originally regarded as an unwinnable seat. 'When you're running for a third time, there will always be those who question if you're the right candidate,' she said. 'The Prime Minister and Steven have always been in my corner. 'Their support has meant I've continued to climb the mountain and succeed, when many others said I should step away.' The woman who beat Greens leader gives speech The woman who defeated another party leader at the election, Sarah Witty, has also given her first speech – highlighting the policy area that was key to the Greens. Sarah Witty, who upset Greens leader Adam Bandt to win back the seat of Melbourne for Labor after 15 years, has highlighted housing affordability as policy of concern. 'Most of Melbourne's high-density suburbs sit right here in the seat of Melbourne, and that places us at the very heart of the housing crisis,' said Ms Witty told parliament. Sarah Witty also made her first speech in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman 'The crisis didn't happen overnight. It is a result of underinvestment from previous governments and blocking of good housing policies that has slowed progress and kept supply dangerously low. 'You must confront this crisis now with honesty and urgency and courage.' 'Safe, secure housing is not a luxury, it's a human right. Today, it's harder than ever to get into the housing market.' Meanwhile, another new Labor MP, Gabriel Ng, who won the seat of Menzies from rising Liberal star Keith Wolahan, citied Pauline Hanson as an inspiration for him to enter public life. Senator Hanson used her first speech in 1996 to warn that Australia was in danger of 'being swamped by Asians'. 'For the first time, I felt there were some in the population, maybe a sizeable number, who considered me less Australian because of my race,' Mr Ng, who is of Chinese-Singaporean descent, said in his first speech. 'I raise Miss Hanson's … speech not to elicit sympathy, but to remind all of us in this house, if we needed any reminding, that what we do in this place matters. 'Not only in the legislation we pass, but in the words we speak. 'We have one of the most powerful platforms in the nation, and I urge all of us in this parliament to turn away from opportunistic division and embrace and tell the story of modern Australia as it is.' Read related topics: Peter Dutton Jessica Wang NewsWire Federal Politics Reporter Jessica Wang is a federal politics reporter for NewsWire based in the Canberra Press Gallery. She previously covered NSW state politics for the Wire and has also worked at and Mamamia covering breaking news, entertainment, and lifestyle. @imjesswang_ Jessica Wang
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
UK shows off military might as Carrier Strike Group arrives in Darwin
The UK's Carrier Strike Group has arrived in Darwin as it undergoes an eight-month deployment to showcase its commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific. Ahead of the fleet's arrival Britain's new High Commissioner Dame Sarah MacIntosh talked up the UK-Australia partnership as an 'anchor relationship in a dangerous world'. The prosperity and stability of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions were 'indivisible,' she said. 'We are in an era of radical uncertainty, to be navigated with agility, speed and clarity.' Operation Highmast, led by Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, embarked on its mission to the Pacific and Australia in late April as a signal of the British Government's intent to maintain a presence in the Indo-Pacific despite the war in Ukraine on Europe's doorstep. The international Task Group is made up of five core ships, 24 F-35 fighter jets, and 17 helicopters, centred around the UK's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Its deployment follows a British Government commitment to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, raising it well above Australia's projected target of 2.33 per cent by 2033. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer went even further in June, pledging to boost Britain's overall defence and security spending to five per cent of economic output by 2035 to meet a NATO target – the highest level since the Cold War. Australia's Government has so far refused to follow its UK ally to lift its spending any higher, deferring to a defence review next year and a 'needs-based' approach despite pressure from the Trump administration to pour 3.5 per cent of GDP into defence spending. The participation of the UK's Carrier Strike Group in Australia's multinational exercise Talisman Sabre comes alongside Britain's renewed commitment to the $368 billion trilateral AUKUS program to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. British AUKUS envoy Sir Stephen Lovegrove told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute earlier this month that London viewed AUKUS as a 'momentous collaboration' between three allies, playing down fears about an ongoing Pentagon review of the landmark project. More than 3,000 UK personnel are taking part in Talisman Sabre, the largest military exercise Australia has ever hosted, with the participation of 19 countries in total, including the United States. The UK contingent includes British Army and Royal Air Force units in drills to build towards 'full operational capability' of the UK's carrier strike group, said a statement from the High Commission. It said the deployment demonstrated British commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific at a time when trade between the UK and the region accounted for 17 per cent of total UK trade in the 12 months to September 2024. ' The visit demonstrates how the UK is delivering on our Strategic Defence Review commitments to the Indo-Pacific,' said Dame Sarah MacIntosh. 'It's about turning policy into action, together with our allies and partners here in Australia.'
