Jack GramenzUpdated July 17, 2026 — 6:52am,first published 6:41amWhat you need to know todayBy Latest Posts6.52amDad of teen poisoned in Laos stunned by legal blowBy Zach HopeThe families of two Australian backpackers who died in Laos after drinking tainted alcohol shots have received the devastating news that no one is likely to do serious jail time, if any at all, for the deaths of their daughters.Almost two years after Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones unwittingly drank methanol in the backpacker hotspot of Vang Vieng, the families are yet to hear directly from Lao authorities.Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones were both 19 when they died.60 MinutesMost of the information they have received has come to them in a piecemeal manner, from loved ones of other young travellers (two Danish women, an American man and a British woman) who died in the same event. On Thursday, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) informed them that Lao authorities were unlikely to proceed with charges that, if proven, could have landed the operators of the Tiger alcohol brand in prison for at least five years.Instead, DFAT told them in a statement, the most serious charge likely to be brought against Tiger carries a maximum penalty of just one year and a fine.6.36amTrump’s teleprompter operator accused of betting on what he would sayBy Michael KoziolWashington: The man who operates Donald Trump’s teleprompter has been placed on leave after revelations he allegedly made more than $US100,000 ($143,000) on prediction markets based on what the US president would say.America’s ABC News first reported that federal regulators believed Trump’s long-time technical assistant Gabriel Perez, who has operated his teleprompter as far back as 2016, profited from his inside knowledge of the president’s speeches.Gabriel Perez cleans a teleprompter for Trump in 2024.Getty ImagesPrediction market company Kalshi alerted the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to the suspicious activity on its “Mentions” market, where users can bet on whether specific words or phrases are mentioned in a speech.The allegations – confirmed by the White House – come amid broader speculation about Trump’s family, subordinates or associates potentially using inside information to enrich themselves, given market fluctuations caused by the Iran war.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Perez had been placed on unpaid administrative leave.Read more: Trump’s teleprompter aide allegedly made $US100,000 betting on his speeches6.33amHanson names daughter as potential One Nation leader By David CroweLondon: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has named her daughter as a potential leader of the party during a controversial podcast with right-wing activist Tommy Robinson over the threat to Australia and Britain from mass migration.Hanson praised her daughter, Lee, but said she would have to prove herself because there would be no nepotism in decisions on the future of the party.Pauline Hanson on the Tommy Robinson podcast.Spotify/The Tommy Robinson PodcastThe remarks, recorded last week, have been released online at a highly sensitive time for One Nation and its leadership because of tensions over Hanson’s working holiday in Europe and her decision to speak to Robinson, a divisive figure who has been convicted of assault.Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is seen as a successor to Hanson after defecting to her party last year, but Hanson’s daughter has also joined the party as an adviser after running for the Senate at the last federal election.The one-hour podcast with Robinson featured laughter from the host and his guest as they shared stories of their political careers, while Hanson vowed to win the next election so she could deliver on pledges to slash migration, stop Muslim hate preachers and ban the burqa.Read more: ‘She’s the future’: Hanson reveals daughter’s leadership potential6.30amTelstra execs to face Senate’s Triple Zero inquiry after outageBy Jack GramenzSenior Telstra executives, including boss Vicki Brady, are due to face a Senate inquiry over a nationwide outage that cut hundreds of people off from Triple Zero, halted trains in Victoria and NSW and brought down eftpos systems nationally.Chief financial officer Michael Ackland, who was the telco’s public face in the immediate onset of the outage, as Brady was on leave, is also slated to appear.Telstra CFO Michael Ackland and CEO Vicki Brady are due to face a Senate inquiry.Louise KennerleyTelstra’s executives will front up at noon at a public hearing in Canberra before the Environment and Communications References Committee.The committee is expected to report in August, as part of an inquiry into Triple Zero service outages which began in October last year, following a separate Optus outage in September.Australian Communications and Media Authority chair Nerida O’Loughlin and Communications Department deputy secretary David McKay are also set to appear during the three-hour hearing on Friday afternoon.6.22amUS continues strikes, Iran disputes Trump’s prisoner release claimBy Iran and the United States exchanged further strikes overnight in a week-longescalation that has largely unravelled last month’s truce, while Tehran disputed President Donald Trump’s claim that an American citizen had been released from an Iranian prison.In a statement, US ​Central ​Command ⁠said US forces began “a new wave of strikes against Iran for the sixth consecutive night to further degrade Iranian military capabilities” at 2pm eastern US time (4am AEST).US projectiles reportedly struck Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas – Iran’s largest port and home to key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities – both on the Strait of Hormuz. Several locations in the city were hit by projectiles, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency, which attributed the attack to the “American enemy”.The week of increasingly intense exchanges has tested the boundaries of the restraint both sides largely observed during four months of fighting before last month’s truce.Pinned post from 6.19amWhat you need to know todayBy 1 of 1