Morning mail: Trump Russia flip-flop, Adani approvals, Barty through

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/31/morning-mail-trump-russia-flip-flop-adani-approvals-barty-through

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Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Friday 31 May – the last day of autumn.

Top stories

Donald Trump has denied that Russia helped elect him president, less than an hour after he admitted Russia did help to elect him president. In a flurry of tweets lashing out at the special counsel Robert Mueller, “fake news media” and “this phony crime”, Trump, for the first time, said Russia had aided his 2016 presidential win. “Russia, Russia, Russia!” the president tweeted on Thursday. “That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax. And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected.” But soon afterwards he made a prompt about-turn. “Russia did not help me get elected,” he said during a White House press conference. “You know who got me elected? I got me elected. Russia did not help me at all.”

A lawyer for Rwandans seeking a new life in Australia has accused the government of double standards over the resettling of two men from the African country who were former members of a designated terrorist group. Michaela Byers, a 28-year veteran of immigration law, said it was frustrating that the government was applying its character test criteria so vigorously against her clients while waving through the two men under a deal with the US. One Rwandan man she acted for was denied asylum despite his fears that he would be killed if he returned home. “But it’s not surprising at all,” Byers said. “I find it’s all very arbitrary. There never seems to be any consistent rule or fairness at all.”

Adani will not be allowed to dig any coal from its Carmichael mine until it gets further federal government approval – despite the Coalition’s pre-election green light for parts of the project. With the project looming as a central issue in the federal election campaign, the Coalition made political capital in Queensland out of the decision in April by the former environment minister Melissa Price to approve Adani’s groundwater management plans. But key scientific work related to groundwater research still needs to be signed off by Price’s successor, Sussan Ley, before the company can extract any coal.

World

Political chaos in Israel has disrupted Jared Kushner’s visit to Jerusalem to promote his troubled Middle East peace plan. With new elections scheduled, any progress made with Kushner is at risk of being revoked by the next Israeli administration.

Scientists have induced the hallmarks of autism in mice by giving them faecal transplants from humans with the condition. The experiments were designed to test whether gut microbes found in people with autism have a role in their symptoms.

Donald Trump has confirmed that a warship named after his Republican nemesis, the late Arizona senator John McCain, was intentionally hidden from his view during his visit to a naval base in Japan this week.

The US national security adviser, John Bolton, has said he is to present evidence to the UN security council as early as next week that he claims will show Iran was behind attacks on oil tankers and pipelines in the Gulf.

James Bond remains a powerful recruitment tool for MI6, a secret intelligence expert says – despite claims that he is unrealistically posh and violent. “Although a lot of people who want to become James Bond get weeded out very early, as they are psychopaths,” the expert revealed.

Opinion and analysis

Our intrepid diarist, Brigid Delaney, hoped she would make a difference when she travelled to the Kimberley as part of a working party to help a traditional owner build a shed. But despite the enthusiasm of the construction party and the awe-inspiring beauty of the landscape, things did not quite go to plan. She became covered in sores after the first night under canvas, then it proved hard to get into the building groove, before she finally became bogged in a salt pan and had to be hauled to safety by Indigenous rangers.

Before the release of the Bruce Springsteen’s latest album, Western Stars, the Guardian has rated all 18 of his studio albums to date. His 2014 album comes in last: “It’s not bad – no Springsteen album is genuinely bad – but it did seem more of a shrug than a statement.” At the other end, 1970s and 80s efforts such as Born to Run, Tunnel of Love and Born in the USA jostle for top billing. So which one takes the top spot?

Sport

Prompted by a potent opening spell from Jofra Archer and some moments of magic in the field, England began their Cricket World Cup campaign with a comfortable 104‑run win against South Africa overnight. After England posted 311 with big contributions from Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan, Archer’s opening spell of five overs put the home side on course for victory.

Ashleigh Barty will play Andrea Petkovic in the last 32 at the French Open after disposing of Danielle Collins of the US, 7-5, 6-1. Defending champion Simona Halep was taken to three sets by Poland’s Magda Linette, on a day when top seeds Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka, as well as Serena Williams, all went through.

Thinking time:

“If any beast has the devil’s strength in him it is the wildcat,” wrote a 15th-century hunting author – but historic persecution has brought the wildcat to the brink of extinction in Britain. Swiss experts are behind the successful reintroduction of wildcats in Bavaria and are now training UK conservationists to prepare for their reintroduction in England and Wales. Hundreds of wildcats are being bred in captivity and prepared for release into farmland they have not stalked for 150 years. So what happened to the wildcat, and will it be able to survive a vastly altered modern Britain? Untameable cats roaming through the countryside might alarm farmers, but they never take lambs, and would only pose a threat to free-range chickens. Wildcats could even help farmers by reducing populations of pests such as rabbits and rodents, their favoured prey.

“Wildcats look like the kitty at home but they are like leopards,” said Marianne Hartmann, a big cat expert and wildcat breeder. “I’ve been working with leopards for many years and the only difference is size, and that leopards can get tame. If you hand-raise lions or tigers, they remain tame for the rest of their lives. Wildcats cannot be tamed under any circumstances. This is very special.”

Media roundup

There are grave concerns for the health of the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, after he missed a scheduled court date, the ABC reports. Assange is being held in Belmarsh prison for skipping bail in Britain while fighting extradition to the US. The Australian Financial Review splashes with an interview with China’s richest man, the Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, who discusses his “special” relationship with Australia and how the country changed his long-term plan. And the Age reports that an elite police unit that has repeatedly been the source of complaints for using excessive force has been “rocked” by bullying allegations within its own ranks.

Coming up

The regulator is expected to make a decision today about whether to approve Adani’s plan for the black-throated finch.

A judgment is expected in a class action on behalf of businesses that suffered losses from the cancellation of the pink batts home insulation program of 2009.

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