8.08amUS service member missing after helicopter goes down in Arabian SeaBy An American service member is missing after an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter made an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea, the US military said.Three others wounded in the incident are in a stable condition. There was no indication the crash was caused by hostile action, the US military said.“US Navy assets in the region are currently searching for other aircrewman still missing. The cause of incident is under investigation,” the US Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a statement, adding that the helicopter was deployed to the region on the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier.Helicopter water landings can be dangerous, even for experienced pilots, given the propensity of top-heavy aircraft to flip upside-down during submersion.US forces in the region are also on high alert amid periodic flare-ups in violence during the ceasefire between the US and Iran.Reuters7.54amWells defends government’s gambling legislationBy Mostafa RachwaniCommunication minister Anika Wells has been making the rounds this morning, and was also on the ABC’s RN Breakfast defending the government’s gambling laws.Wells said the legislation was “finally ready” and that she believed the government had addressed some of the concerns raised by the Greens, including around inducements.“We do genuinely believe we have addressed the issue of inducements with Betstop. There’s obviously always more we can do in social policy. The pen is never down, but I guess we will always consider in good faith amendments that are put forward by any parliamentarian, either in the house or in the Senate.”Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells in Parliament on Tuesday.Alex EllinghausenWells said both the Greens and the Coalition had received briefings on the legislation, which she says will have a focus on influencers and the impact gambling advertising has on children.7.41amAly defends government’s gambling laws, says having a “flutter” part of Australian cultureBy Mostafa RachwaniGovernment front-bencher Anne Aly has defended the government’s gaming legislation, saying they are the “strongest reforms that any government has taken around gambling”.Aly was on ABC News Breakfast and said part of the challenge facing the government has been the fact that having a “flutter” is “really part of Australian culture.“I know the minister for communications responsible for this, Minister Anika Wells, is committed to gambling reform, as is our prime minister and our entire caucus. It is a big task to take on.Having a flutter is really part of Australian culture. It’s part of what we do, so this is difficult reform, but it is reform that we need to undertake.”Asked about David Pockock’s suggestion of a ban on gambling ads on TV and radio, Aly just repeated that the bill was the “biggest sweep of gambling reforms that any government has ever taken.”Cowan MP Anne Aly.Alex Ellinghausen7.32amHume slams government social media changes as “undercooked”By Mostafa RachwaniDeputy Opposition leader Jane Hume has hit back at the government over their proposed changes to the social media laws, saying it was “undercooked”.Hume was on the Today show, where she took aim at Communications Minister Anika Wells and the government, saying the bill was only “cancelling Gmail accounts.”“Clearly that this was undercooked when Anika first brought it to the parliament, this was significant change.”Shadow spokeswoman for employment and industrial relations Senator Jane Hume.Alex Ellinghausen“It’s really important that we protect young Australians from online harm. But clearly what it was that Labor had devised isn’t working because there’s plenty of children out there that are still online. It seems to be cancelling Gmail accounts, but not cancelling their social media. Something’s got to change.”“Clearly, Big Tech are simply laughing at Anika Wells because they’re not being charged and she can’t charge them now. We wanted to help her, but we want to get this done right this time. That’s why it needs scrutiny in the Senate.“7.22amWells slams Coalition, Greens for delaying changes to social media lawsBy Mostafa RachwaniCommunications Minister Anika Wells has slammed the Coalition and the Greens for delaying changes to the social media ban that would increase penalties for tech companies that fail to kick teenagers off their platforms.Wells told the Today show the changes were “urgent” and that without the changes, kids remain “at risk.“Ultimately, it is very simple. Parents feel powerless to protect their kids online. This world-leading law is about giving them some armour to do that. The Safety Commissioner has asked us to give her some more powers to help improve the laws. It’s a four-page bill, and it’s been put off for an eight-week inquiry.Wells also criticised opposition leader Angus Taylor for his decision to not back the changes, accusing him of siding with the heads of big tech companies.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Communications and Sport Anika Wells.Alex Ellinghausen“We’re not trying to make it a political football. Until yesterday, this was bipartisan. And now there is this craven, tribal, expedient decision on the part of Angus Taylor that he needs to explain. Because honestly, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg must be licking their chops at their new friend in Canberra this morning, with Angus Taylor making a decision to sell out Australian parents and Australian kids to Big Tech.”7.00amPaterson defends Liberals despite pollingBy Mostafa RachwaniShadow Defence Minister James Paterson was on the Today Show this morning, defending the Liberal party and denying they need a rebrand.Paterson was responding to questions about polling in The Australian Financial Review this morning that showed One Nation had overtaken the Liberals and Labor in Victoria.The polling showed Labor and the Coalition equal on a primary vote of 26 per cent each, while One Nation recorded a primary vote of 27 per cent.Opposition spokesman for defence James Paterson says the Coalition should run candidates in every seat.Alex EllinghausenPaterson said he didn’t believe in a “logo-led recovery” and denied the party needed to rebrand or change leaders.6.32amUS, Iran talks conclude in Doha, no sign of progressBy Doha: Iran and the US concluded a round of indirect talks with no sign they had made headway towards a lasting peace, focusing instead on issues that they had supposedly resolved two weeks ago.Sources said negotiators for the two countries spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and financial incentives for Iran, two pillars of the initial agreement they signed in June, rather than more difficult topics that framework was supposed to tee up.In Washington, US President Donald Trump said the two sides were making progress on possible limits to Iran’s nuclear program – the main reason he launched the war in February. “The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” he told reporters. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.“But sources said the nuclear program did not come up in the talks, which were technical in nature. US Vice President JD Vance said that would be addressed later.The two sides did not meet face to face, instead interacting separately with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and top US envoy Steve Witkoff, dispatched to the region for what the White House had billed as “high-level” talks, did not attend the sessions, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The leader of Iran’s delegation, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, said talks concluded. Neither side said whether they had managed to bridge their differences.Reuters6.30amICAC reveals long-awaited inquiry into Liberals, councils and Catholic schoolsBy Alexandra Smith and Kate McClymontThe NSW Liberals are in crisis after the anti-corruption watchdog launched a bombshell public inquiry into illegal donations which will centre on fugitive property developer Jean Nassif’s links to party powerbrokers, councils and the state’s Catholic schools.With only eight months until the state election, the Liberals face their most significant Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry since the agency’s inception, with a broad range of party figures to feature, including chief executive of Catholic Schools NSW Dallas McInerney.As well as McInerney, a right-wing Liberal powerbroker and close ally of federal leader Angus Taylor, the watchdog on Wednesday confirmed that Nassif, hotelier and banned political donor Michael O’Hara, and “certain Strathfield councillors” would be the focus of the inquiry.NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane has failed her first leadership test.Audrey Richardson6.27amWho turned up, who stayed away – and how did they look? All the goss from the Midwinter BallBy John Buckley, Fiona Byrne and Damien WoolnoughLess than 24 hours ago, the Coalition and the Greens teamed up to kick Labor’s lukewarm gambling ad crackdown to another committee.So you’d think that not a single member of the Albanese government would be caught dead sitting at Canberra’s annual night of nights, the Midwinter Ball, at a table sponsored by none other than Sportstbet. But you’d be wrong!Imagine our amusement to learn that the Labor MP for Hunter Daniel Repacholi and his wife, Alex Repacholi, decided to accept Sportsbet’s hospitality when fishing around for tickets to Canberra’s annual Met Gala for ugly people on Wednesday evening, hosted by the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery to raise funds for charity. Also set to sit on the table were a gaggle of staffers, and Kai Cantwell, the chief executive of the gambling lobby, Responsible Wagering Australia. Can you imagine what the talk at that table must be like? No thanks.Anne Aly, Laura and Jim Chalmers, and Katy Gallagher with daughter Evie.Dominic Lorrimer, Alex EllinghausenThe media contingent was out in force early. Among the early arrivals were Chris Dore, editor-in-chief of The West Australian and Southern Cross Media’s other publishing playthings. Dorey rolled up solo. Also there for early doors was ABC chairman Kim Williams and Dr Lisa Caffery.Read the full story here.6.23amThis morning’s headlines at a glanceBy Mostafa RachwaniGood morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you on this Thursday, July 2, to take you through the day’s news. Here are our top stories for today:The massive mortgages necessary to buy into the Australian housing market has left many borrowers with huge interest bills, new research of the housing sector has revealed. The state government will begin a global search for architects to design Sydney’s newest inner-city suburb in the Bays West precinct, kicking off the next major urban transformation of the harbour foreshore.The under-the-microscope Australian outpost of private equity giant TPG, led by convicted negligent driver Joel Thickins, paid its 30 staff a whopping $62 million last year as business boomed and profit soared at the controversial firm.1 of 1