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As it crossed the Niger Delta in 2021, a satellite imaged acres of bare land. The site outside the city of Port Harcourt was on a United Nations Environment Programme cleanup list, supposed to be restored to green farmland as the Delta was before thousands of oil spills turned it into a byword for pollution. Instead it was left a sandy “moonscape” unusable for farming, according to U.N. documents. It wasn’t the only botched cleanup, a cache of previously unreported investigations, emails, letters to Nigerian ministers and meeting minutes show. Senior U.N. officials considered the Nigerian cleanup agency a “total failure.” The agency, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, or Hyprep, selected cleanup contractors without relevant experience, a U.N. review found. It sent soil samples to laboratories lacking the equipment for tests they had claimed to perform. Auditors were physically blocked from checking that work had been completed. Most cleanup companies are owned by politicians, a former Nigerian environment minister told the AP, and correspondence shows similar views were shared by U.N. officials. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. There have been thousands of oil spills since Niger Delta production began in the 1950s. Reports and studies document that people often wash, drink, fish and cook in contaminated water. Spills still occur frequently. In November, the Ogboinbiri community in Bayelsa state suffered its fourth spill in three months, harming fields, streams and fishing. “We have not harvested anything," said farmer Timipre Bridget, there is now “no way to survive.” After a major U.N. pollution survey in 2011, oil companies agreed to a $1 billion cleanup fund for the worst-affected area, Ogoniland. Shell, the largest private oil and gas company in the country, contributed $300 million. The U.N. was relegated to an advisory role. The Nigerian government would handle the funds. But a confidential investigation by U.N. scientists last year found the site outside Port Harcourt was left with a “complete absence of topsoil,” with almost seven times more petroleum remaining than Nigerian health limits allow. The company responsible had its contract revoked, Nenibarini Zabbey, the current director of Hyprep, told the AP by email. The head of operations when the contract was awarded, Philip Shekwolo, called allegations in the U.N. documents “baseless" and "cheap blackmail.” Shekwolo, who used to head up oil spill remediation for Shell, insists the cleanup was successful. But the documents show U.N. officials raising the alarm since 2021, when Shekwolo was acting chief. A January 2022 U.N. review found 21 of the 41 contractors okayed to clean up spill sites had no relevant experience. These included construction companies and general merchants. They were effectively handed a “blank check,” U.N. Senior Project Advisor Iyenemi Kakulu is recorded saying in the minutes of a meeting with Hyprep and Shell. Incompetent companies were to blame for bad cleanups, Hyprep’s own communications chief, Joseph Kpobari is in the minutes as having said. Despite this, they were rewarded contracts for more polluted sites, the U.N. delegation warned. Zabbey denied Kpobari’s admission. He said 16 out of 20 sites in the project’s first stage are certified as clean by Nigerian regulators and many have been returned to communities. Hyprep always issued contracts correctly, he said. Two sources close to the cleanup efforts, speaking anonymously for fear of loss of business or employment, said when officials visited laboratories used by Hyprep, they lacked equipment needed to perform the tests they reported. In a letter to customers, one U.K. laboratory frequently used by Hyprep acknowledged its tests for most of 2022 were flawed and unreliable and the U.K. laboratory accreditation service confirmed the lab was twice suspended. Zabbey says now Hyprep monitors contractors more closely, labs adhere to Nigerian and U.N. recommendations and are frequently checked. The U.N. also warned the Nigerian government in a 2021 assessment that Hyprep’s spending was not being tracked. Internal auditors were considered “the enemy” and “demonized for doing their job.” Shekwolo’s predecessor as Hyprep chief blocked financial controls and “physically prevented” auditors from checking that work had been completed, it found. Zabbey responded that the audit team is valued now, and accounts are audited annually, although he provided only one audit cover letter. In it, the accountants “identified weaknesses.” One Nigerian politician tried to change things: Sharon Ikeazor spent decades as a lawyer before becoming environment minister in 2019. “The companies had no competence whatsoever,” she said in a phone interview. In February 2022, she received a letter from senior U.N. official Muralee Thummarukudy, warning of “significant opportunities for malpractice" over contract awards, unusually strong language in U.N. diplomacy. She removed Shekwolo as acting Hyprep chief the next month, explaining that she believed he was too close to the politicians. Most cleanup companies were owned by politicians, she said. The few competent companies “wouldn’t get the big jobs.” Shekwolo assessed who was competent for contract awards, Ikeazor said. Shekwolo’s former employer Shell and the U.N. both warned her about him, she said, something Shekwolo says he was unaware of. Ikeazor asked Shekwolo’s successor to review every suspect contract and investigate the cleanup companies. “That sent shockwaves around the political class,” she said. She was quickly replaced as environment minister, with Shekwolo rehired, after just two months out of office. Shekwolo denied being too close to politicians. He insists no reason was given for his removal and suggested Ikeazor simply didn’t like him. Last year, the U.N. Environment Programme ended its official involvement in the Nigerian oil spill cleanup, explaining its five-year consultancy was over. Ikeazor said the real reason was U.N. frustration over corruption, and the two sources close to the project concurred. Zabbey said he believes the U.N. merely changed its goals and moved on. Associated Press reporters Taiwo Adebayo and Dan Ikpoyi contributed from Abuja and Bayelsa, Nigeria. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .The long sports-filled Thanksgiving weekend is a time when many Americans enjoy gathering with friends and family for good food, good company and hopefully not too much political conversation. Also on the menu — all the NFL and college sports you can handle. Here's a roadmap to one of the biggest sports weekends of the year, with a look at marquee games over the holiday and how to watch. All times are in EST. All odds are by BetMGM Sportsbook. • NFL: There is a triple-header lined up for pro football fans. Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m., CBS: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears go against the Lions, who are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in February. Lions favored by 10. New York at Dallas, 4:30 p.m., Fox: The Giants and Cowboys are both suffering through miserable seasons and are now using backup quarterbacks for different reasons. But if Dallas can figure out a way to win, it will still be on the fringe of the playoff race. Cowboys favored by 3 1/2. Miami at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m., NBC/Peacock: The Packers stumbled slightly out of the gate but have won six of their past seven games. They'll need a win against Miami to try to keep pace in the NFC North. Packers favored by 3. • College Football: Memphis at No. 18 Tulane, 7:30 p.m., ESPN. If college football is your jam, this is a good warmup for a big weekend. The Tigers try to ruin the Green Wave’s perfect record in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane is favored by 14. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes works in the pocket against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of Sunday's game in Charlotte, N.C. • NFL: A rare Friday showdown features the league-leading Chiefs. Las Vegas at Kansas City, 3 p.m. Prime Video: The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are 12-point favorites over the Raiders. • College Basketball: Some of the top programs meet in holiday tournaments around the country. Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 5:30 p.m., ESPN: One of the premier early season tournaments, the eight-team field includes No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana and No. 24 Arizona. Rady Children's Invitational, 6 p.m., Fox: It's the championship game for a four-team field that includes No. 13 Purdue and No. 23 Mississippi. • College Football: There is a full slate of college games to dig into. Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State, noon, Fox: The Broncos try to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt when they host the Beavers. Boise State favored by 19 1/2. Oklahoma State at No. 23 Colorado, noon, ABC: The Buffaloes and Coach Prime are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship game when they host the Cowboys. Colorado favored by 16 1/2. Georgia Tech at No. 6 Georgia, 7:30 p.m., ABC: The Bulldogs are on pace for a spot in the CFP but host what could be a tricky game against rival Georgia Tech. Georgia favored by 19 1/2. • NBA. After taking Thanksgiving off, pro basketball returns. Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m., ESPN: The Thunder look like one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference. They'll host Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks during the first half of a Nov. 23 game against the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles. • College Football. There are more matchups with playoff implications. Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, noon, Fox: The Wolverines are struggling one season after winning the national title. They could make their fan base a whole lot happier with an upset of the Buckeyes. Ohio State favored by 21. No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, noon, ABC: The Volunteers are a fairly big favorite and have dominated this series, but the Commodores have been a tough team this season and already have achieved a monumental upset over Alabama. Tennessee favored by 11. No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson, noon, ESPN: The Palmetto State rivals are both hanging on the edge of the CFP playoff race. A win — particularly for Clemson — would go a long way toward clinching its spot in the field. Clemson favored by 2 1/2. No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ABC: The Aggies host their in-state rival for the first time since 2011 after the Longhorns joined the SEC. Texas favored by 5 1/2. Washington at No. 1 Oregon, 7:30 p.m., NBC: The top-ranked Ducks have been one of the nation’s best teams all season. They’ll face the Huskies, who would love a marquee win in coach Jedd Fisch’s first season. Oregon favored by 19 1/2. • NBA: A star-studded clash is part of the league's lineup. Golden State at Phoenix, 9 p.m., NBA TV: Steph Curry and the Warriors are set to face the Suns' Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. • NFL: It's Sunday, that says it all. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1 p.m., CBS: Joe Burrow is having a great season for the Bengals, who are struggling in other areas. They need a win to stay in the playoff race, hosting a Steelers team that's 8-3 and won five of their past six. Bengals favored by 3. Arizona at Minnesota, 1 p.m., Fox: The Cardinals are tied for the top of the NFC West while the Vikings are 9-2 and have been one of the biggest surprises of the season with journeyman Sam Darnold under center. Vikings favored by 3 1/2. Philadelphia at Baltimore, 4:25 p.m., CBS: Two of the league's most electric players will be on the field when Saquon Barkley and the Eagles travel to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Ravens favored by 3. San Francisco at Buffalo, 8:20 p.m. NBC/Peacock: The 49ers try to get back to .500 against the Bills, who have won six straight. Bills favored by 7. • NBA. The best teams in the Eastern Conference meet in a statement game. Boston at Cleveland, 6 p.m., NBA TV: The defending champion Celtics travel to face the Cavs, who won their first 15 games to start the season. • Premier League: English soccer fans have a marquee matchup. Manchester City at Liverpool, 11 a.m., USA Network/Telemundo. The two top teams meet with Manchester City trying to shake off recent struggles. • Auto Racing: The F1 season nears its conclusion. F1 Qatar Grand Prix, 11 a.m., ESPN2 – It's the penultimate race of the season. Max Verstappen already has clinched his fourth consecutive season championship. Before the 2023 National Football League season started, it seemed inevitable that Bill Belichick would end his career as the winningest head coach in league history. He had won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and 298 regular-season games, plus 31 playoff games, across his career. Then the 2023 season happened. Belichick's Patriots finished 4-13, the franchise's worst record since 1992. At the end of the year, Belichick and New England owner Robert Kraft agreed to part ways. And now, during the 2024 season, Belichick is on the sideline. He's 26 wins from the #1 spot, a mark he'd reach in little more than two seasons if he maintained his .647 career winning percentage. Will he ascend the summit? It's hard to tell. Belichick would be 73 if he graced the sidelines next season—meaning he'd need to coach until at least 75 to break the all-time mark. Only one other NFL coach has ever helmed a team at age 73: Romeo Crennel in 2020 for the Houston Texans. With Belichick's pursuit of history stalled, it's worth glancing at the legends who have reached the pinnacle of coaching success. Who else stands among the 10 winningest coaches in NFL history? Stacker ranked the coaches with the most all-time regular-season wins using data from Pro Football Reference . These coaches have combined for 36 league championships, which represents 31.6% of all championships won throughout the history of pro football. To learn who made the list, keep reading. You may also like: Ranking the biggest NFL Draft busts of the last 30 years - Seasons coached: 23 - Years active: 1969-91 - Record: 193-148-1 - Winning percentage: .566 - Championships: 4 Chuck Noll's Pittsburgh Steelers were synonymous with success in the 1970s. Behind his defense, known as the Steel Curtain, and offensive stars, including Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and Lynn Swann, Noll led the squad to four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979. Noll's Steelers remain the lone team to win four Super Bowls in six years, though Andy Reid and Kansas City could equal that mark if they win the Lombardi Trophy this season. Noll was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, two years after retiring. His legacy of coaching success has carried on in Pittsburgh—the club has had only two coaches (Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin) since Noll retired. - Seasons coached: 21 - Years active: 1984-98, 2001-06 - Record: 200-126-1 - Winning percentage: .613 - Championships: 0 As head coach of Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, and San Diego, Marty Schottenheimer proved a successful leader during the regular season. Notably, he was named Coach of the Year after turning around his 4-12 Chargers team to a 12-4 record in 2004. His teams, however, struggled during the playoffs. Schottheimer went 5-13 in the postseason, and he never made it past the conference championship round. As such, the Pennsylvania-born skipper is the winningest NFL coach never to win a league championship. - Seasons coached: 25 - Years active: 1946-62, '68-75 - Record: 213-104-9 - Winning percentage: .672 - Championships: 7 The only coach on this list to pilot a college team, Paul Brown, reached the pro ranks after a three-year stint at Ohio State and two years with the Navy during World War II. He guided the Cleveland Browns—named after Brown, their first coach—to four straight titles in the fledgling All-America Football Conference. After the league folded, the ballclub moved to the NFL in 1950, and Cleveland continued its winning ways, with Brown leading the team to championships in '50, '54, and '55. He was fired in 1963 but returned in 1968 as the co-founder and coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. His other notable accomplishments include helping to invent the face mask and breaking pro football's color barrier . - Seasons coached: 33 - Years active: 1921-53 - Record: 226-132-22 - Winning percentage: .631 - Championships: 6 An early stalwart of the NFL, Curly Lambeau spent 29 years helming the Green Bay Packers before wrapping up his coaching career with two-year stints with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington. His Packers won titles across three decades, including the league's first three-peat from 1929-31. Notably, he experienced only one losing season during his first 27 years with Green Bay, cementing his legacy of consistent success. Born in Green Bay, Lambeau co-founded the Packers and played halfback on the team from 1919-29. He was elected to the Hall of Fame as a coach and owner in 1963, two years before his death. You may also like: Countries with the most active NFL players - Seasons coached: 26 - Years active: 1999-present - Record: 267-145-1 - Winning percentage: .648 - Championships: 3 The only active coach in the top 10, Andy Reid has posted successful runs with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City. After reaching the Super Bowl once in 14 years with the Eagles, Reid ratcheted things up with K.C., winning three titles since 2019. As back-to-back defending champions, Reid and Co. are looking this season to become the first franchise to three-peat in the Super Bowl era and the third to do so in NFL history after the Packers of 1929-31 and '65-67. Time will tell if Reid and his offensive wizardry can lead Kansas City to that feat. - Seasons coached: 40 - Years active: 1920-29, '33-42, '46-55, '58-67 - Record: 318-148-31 - Winning percentage: .682 - Championships: 6 George Halas was the founder and longtime owner of the Chicago Bears and coached the team across four separate stints. Nicknamed "Papa Bear," he built the ballclub into one of the NFL's premier franchises behind players such as Bronko Nagurski and Sid Luckman. Halas also played for the team, competing as a player-coach in the 1920s. The first coach to study opponents via game film, he was once a baseball player and even made 12 appearances as a member of the New York Yankees in 1919. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963 as both a coach and owner. - Seasons coached: 33 - Years active: 1963-95 - Record: 328-156-6 - Winning percentage: .677 - Championships: 2 The winningest head coach in NFL history is Don Shula, who first coached the Baltimore Colts (losing Super Bowl III to Joe Namath and the New York Jets) for seven years before leading the Miami Dolphins for 26 seasons. With the Fins, Shula won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973, a run that included a 17-0 season—the only perfect campaign in NFL history. He also coached quarterback great Dan Marino in the 1980s and '90s, but the pair made it to a Super Bowl just once. Shula was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997. Story editing by Mike Taylor. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. You may also like: The 5 biggest upsets of the 2023-24 NFL regular season Get local news delivered to your inbox!Pauline Hanson runs past Lidia Thorpe in the Senate chamber (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas) THORPE SUSPENDED Lidia Thorpe’s suspension from Parliament got significant coverage overnight, with AAP reporting the independent senator received the punishment after she threw pieces of paper at One Nation’s Pauline Hanson as a row over racism erupted. On Wednesday Hanson had attempted to refer Senator Fatima Payman to a parliamentary committee over her dual Afghan citizenship, questioning her eligibility to sit in the upper house. Payman said in response to Hanson’s actions yesterday morning: “You’re not just vindictive, mean, nasty, you bring disgrace to the human race. No dignity whatsoever as a senator,” the ABC reports. Thorpe, in supporting Payman, shouted “convicted racist” at Hanson and threw torn-up documents at her, AAP said. Labor Senate leader Penny Wong later moved a motion to suspend Thorpe due to “the gravity of the conduct”. The government, Coalition, Hanson, David Pocock and Ralph Babet voted in favour of the motion while the Greens voted against it. Coalition Senate leader Simon Birmingham called the motion a “line in the sand” and accused the Greens of a “shameful double standard”. While that was going on, WA Premier Roger Cook was saying in a press conference he was confident the government’s “nature positive” legislation would not be progressed in its current form. Turns out he wasn’t wrong, with Guardian Australia among others flagging how Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stepped in to kill it at the 11th hour even though negotiations between Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Greens’ environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young “were progressing this week towards a compromise”. Elsewhere, the site flags Jacqui Lambie and Tammy Tyrrell are involved in an administrative spat over the typography and map of Tasmania they both use in their respective logos. Finally, the AAP highlights that up to half of the country’s adult population is “lining up for a share of $100 million in the sixth largest lottery jackpot in the nation”. The draw closes at 7.30pm AEST. FINAL MAD SCRAMBLE Another calm and sensible day awaits us in Canberra with the government attempting to ram almost 40 bills through the Senate in the last scheduled sitting day of the year. Guardian Australian reports the Albanese government hopes to pass key legislation on migration, electoral reform, privacy, the social media ban for under 16s, and to implement a new Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) structure. The site reckons at least 37 bills will be attempted to be pushed through the Senate on Thursday. Yesterday’s scenes in the chamber, which saw independent senator Lidia Thorpe suspended for the remainder of the parliamentary sitting week, could have an impact on the government’s plans. Guardian Australia flags Thorpe’s suspension leaves the government “short of the numbers required for the guillotine motion which would truncate the usual debate time and bring on rapid-fire votes”. Apparently independent Senator David Pocock has offered his support “but at a high price”, the site says and reports crossbenchers are considering voting as a bloc to oppose all of the government’s legislative wishlist in protest at the frantic end to the sitting week. The ABC had led overnight on the suggestion the government’s election finance reforms are potentially in trouble after a breakdown in negotiations with the Coalition at the last minute. The broadcaster said sources claim the opposition has concerns over the proposal to limit election donations and spending. The apparent concerns are regarded by some as a tactic to drag talks beyond the end of the week and therefore potentially the end of the parliamentary term, if Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls the election for early next year. If unable to come to an agreement with the opposition, the government will try to pass parts of the legislation with the help of the crossbench, the ABC adds. With that said, the Nine papers reckon that the reforms actually look set to pass the Senate “after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton held informal talks with Labor powerbroker Don Farrell to negotiate the deal”. The papers add Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes à Court has held last-minute talks with Farrell to warn against the plans, while mining billionaire Clive Palmer raced to Canberra to try and intervene. In another example of mixed messaging, the ABC reckons the government is still negotiating over its earnings tax on super funds with balances over $3 million. At the same time, Guardian Australia has led overnight with the reform being “all but abandoned” while (as flagged in Tuesday’s Worm ) the AFR said at the weekend it looks unlikely to pass before the next election, even if this Parliament does return on February. So who knows, everything is changing all the time. For example, the AFR flags the plans to reform the Reserve Bank of Australia’s board were declared “effectively dead” back in September but are now back in contention after the government reopened discussions with the Greens yesterday as part of the plans to push through as much legislation as possible today using the guillotine motion. Brace for endless twists and turns with plenty of blatant tactics playing out in Parliament House over the next 24 hours. ON A LIGHTER NOTE... A cat that got lost in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park has made it back to its home in California after an epic 900-mile journey. The Associated Press reports Benny and Susanne Anguiano took their two pet cats to Yellowstone’s Fishing Bridge RV Park on June 4. Not long after arriving one of the felines, Rayne Beau, got startled and ran into the trees. After a fruitless four-day search Benny and Susanne had to return home to Salinas, California, without him. A whole two months later in August, the couple were informed by a microchip that Rayne Beau was at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Roseville, California, almost 900 miles from Yellowstone, the newswire said. A woman had spotted the cat wandering the streets of the northern California city and taken him to the local SPCA after feeding and watering him. The Anguianos then went and picked him up. The couple say they have no idea how Rayne Beau travelled the 900 miles and are hoping people will come forward and provide details if they saw him on his odyssey. Say What? LinkedIn simply does not have content interesting and appealing to minors. LinkedIn The career networking site told the Senate inquiry it is too boring to be included in the government’s plans to ban under-16s from certain social media. CRIKEY RECAP Marles the mediocre floats free of media scrutiny BERNARD KEANE Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas) Two scandals continue to bubble away that reflect poorly on Richard Marles , the deputy prime minister and, as head of the Defence portfolio, both the biggest spending minister and most important manufacturing figure in the government. Neither, however, looks set to damage him. Marles has led a charmed life over the past two parliamentary terms. He is only Labor’s deputy leader because, due to Anthony Albanese’s ascendancy, the deputy leader couldn’t be from the Left faction or from NSW. He has sailed through numerous problems in his portfolio that would have bogged down other ministers. Renewables are exceeding expectations — but so are emissions. Why? KETAN JOSHI It is bad enough that 2024 was a record high for global greenhouse gas emissions. It is extra bad because the number we’ve ended up at is higher than all of the old projections of what this year would end up at. That is to say: we are overestimating our ability to stop using fossil fuels. There have been incredible advances in renewables and climate policies, but also, “fossil fuel subsidies remain at an all-time high and funding for fossil fuel-prolonging projects quadrupled between 2021 and 2022”. Why? What is justifying this weird refusal to back away from the fossil fuel economy? It’s many things, but a big one is the false promise of a machine that cleans up fossil fuels, rather than us needing to find a replacement for them. Back in 2022, I contributed an essay to Greta Thunberg’s Climate Book . It was about the weaponised false promise of carbon capture and storage (CCS). I wanted to talk about it not as a technological phenomenon but a rhetorical one. A tactically deployed promise that is never meant to come true . Failure as a feature, not a bug. The secret to a million-dollar newsletter in a feeble news market? Admitting when you mess up CHARLIE LEWIS The subject line of the November 25 edition of US politics newsletter Tangle , which came out a few hours before I spoke to founder Isaac Saul , was “A trans bathroom controversy in Congress”. But that was not the subject of the lead item. The first thing a subscriber would read that day were two corrections to the publication’s recent coverage, featuring not just the facts that had been printed erroneously, but a candid explanation as to how those errors came about. The correction ends by noting that these represent the “120th and 121st corrections in Tangle’s 277-week history”. This is as good an introduction to Tangle — which calls itself “an independent, nonpartisan, subscriber-supported politics newsletter” — as one is likely to get. “It all comes to the question, ‘how do we improve trust in media?’” Saul told Crikey . “We show our work. If we screw something up, putting it as a footnote and ghost-editing the piece is not a way to build trust.” READ ALL ABOUT IT As Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes hold, Biden heralds new push for truce with Hamas in Gaza (CBS News) Two presidents, two policies, one superpower: America in transition ( The New York Times ) ($) China’s CO2 emissions have peaked or will in 2025, say 44% of experts in survey ( The Guardian ) Laos detains foreign hostel staff over backpacker methanol poisonings as families and travellers demand answers (CNN) The rest is not even close: Inside Gary Lineker’s goalhanger revolution ( Esquire ) Drake takes legal action over song’s ‘sex offender’ claim (BBC) THE COMMENTARIAT Why I’ve changed my mind about the social media bill — Andrew Wilkie ( Guardian Australia ): There is also the fact that, despite all the histrionics about protecting children from harm, the government has dropped plans to ban gambling advertising, shelved their Environmental Protection Agency, kicked environmental law reform into the long grass and continues to cheer on fossil fuels. Surely our kids deserve protection from predatory gambling companies and the climate emergency too. If we truly want to get serious about protecting our kids online we could better regulate social media companies and their algorithms. We could put the onus on them to implement safety by design. And we could steer kids towards more respectful behaviour. This proposed ban is a blunt instrument being rushed through before an election. It ignores the nuances and restricts young people rather than focusing on those responsible for the harm. There are any number of things the government could be doing if they were serious about preventing harm, but I reckon in this case they are just playing pre-election games and the opposition is more than happy to go along for the ride. Karen Webb’s response to Clare Nowland verdict shows some lessons have been learned — Lia Harris (ABC): “Hindsight is a wonderful thing.” That was the response from NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb when asked if she wished she had handled things differently after 95-year-old Clare Nowland was tasered by a police officer last year. And based on the speed with which she fronted the media on Wednesday afternoon, less than four hours after senior constable Kristian White was convicted of Mrs Nowland’s manslaughter, it certainly seems some lessons have been learned. It was a pivotal moment in a case that has plagued the last 18 months of commissioner Webb’s leadership.
Gophers senior linebacker Cody Lindenberg has declined to use his final season of eligibility in 2025 and instead declared for the NFL draft on Friday. Lindenberg was healthy and highly productive in 2024, leading Minnesota with 94 total tackles as well as one sack and one interception in all 12 games. The Anoka native overcame injuries in both 2023 and ’21 to be an all-Big Ten selection this fall. “Every single day for the past five seasons has been a dream come true playing for and in front of you all in the maroon and gold!” Lindenberg wrote on social media. “Representing this university, this program and this state means more to me than anyone will ever know.” With Lindenberg leaving, the need to add a linebacker via the NCAA transfer portal grows more important. They have yet to add a linebacker among the 11 new additions for next season.NEVADA 90, OKLAHOMA STATE 78