Morning mail: Melbourne cluster grows, Trump's message to insurrectionists, Crown resignations

Friday: Two more Covid cases linked to the Holiday Inn quarantine hotel. Plus: simple strategies to cope with bluebottles

Good morning – it’s Imogen Dewey here with the latest news on Victoria’s Covid-19 cluster, the impeachment trial, and what the Australian government is and isn’t doing for the environment.

Melbourne’s hotel quarantine cluster has risen to 13 as more close contacts test positive to Covid – and a pandemic survey has found Australians are more worried about money and less confident in the government. While Scott Morrison still says hotel quarantine is “the right way to go”, US health officials are advising that anyone who has received the full course of Covid vaccines can skip the standard 14-day lock-in. And in good news on that front, the Pfizer vaccine is showing a strong response to new Covid variants.

Donald Trump’s impeachment trial has resumed, with his legal team to conclude their arguments tomorrow – though Joe Biden is staying quiet about it all for now. Impeachment managers are saying insurrectionists came to the Capitol because Trump “told them to”, and the trial has been shown disturbing footage of lawmakers “hunted” by the mob. Congresswoman and Jonestown survivor Jackie Speier has called Trump “a political cult leader” and dozens of former Republican officials are in talks to form an anti-Trump party. Members of the Proud Boys in the Albury-Wodonga area have been filmed threatening critics at a business and a home, and have been praised by the extremist group’s US leader.

Nationals frontbencher Darren Chester is warning his party not to sideline themselves in the climate debate, pushing back at colleagues who declared they would cross the floor if Morrison tried to legislate a mid-century net zero commitment. The Vales Point coal plant has dropped its controversial bid for government funding – an $8.7m upgrade the Morrison government put on its energy underwriting program shortlist before the last election. Government infrastructure decisions are also under fire from the Productivity Commission, which says public funding for major dam projects with no business case amounts to subsidies for the private sector.

The Morrison government is now preparing to reject a recommendation to introduce strong national environmental standards to improve protection of Australian wildlife, opting to instead mimic the failing existing laws.

Australia

A federal government agency has been forced to apologise after it “shockingly” asked Centrelink staff to help minimise contact with vulnerable customers in order to reduce “potential customer aggression”.

Eddie Mabo’s daughter, Gail Mabo, is suing the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, accusing it of cancelling a $1m contract to manage a traditional owners forum.

The CEO of Crown Resorts and a non-executive director of the casino group have reportedly resigned following pressure from gambling regulators in New South Wales and Victoria. A third director is believed to be planning to resign.

Alan Tudge has claimed the federal court found he had engaged in “criminal” conduct in part because he was mistaken for the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton.

Marise Payne cancelled a press conference on Thursday when a Labor MP turned up. Fiona Phillips was told she could not take part at the “Liberal event” but refused to leave, saying she had the right as the federal MP with an interest in the area – a bridge too far for the foreign affairs minister, who returned to her vehicle.

The world

Meghan Markle has won her high court privacy case against the Mail on Sunday. The The Duchess of Sussex hailed her victory as a “comprehensive win” over the newspaper’s “illegal and dehumanising practices”.

US authorities are investigating reports that approximately 80 migrants may have been trapped in a tanker truck and were struggling to breathe, according an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice).

China has banned BBC World News, after criticising its coverage of the pandemic in China and allegations of forced labor and sexual abuse in Xinjiang.

Irish president Michael D Higgins has attacked “feigned amnesia” over British imperialism, accusing academics and journalists of turning a blind eye to the impact of colonialism.

Buffy stars are accusing creator Joss Whedon of creating a “toxic environment ” on the show, while Gina Carano has been fired from The Mandalorian after “abhorrent” social media posts.

Recommended reads

A North Bondi pool blanketed by bluebottles made a brief cameo in local nightmares earlier this month. “But while the species might be known as the Pacific man o’ war, with some simple coping strategies, this summer visitor does not have to be the enemy,” writes Natasha May. She’s asked a few experts about what to do in the case of a sting – and if there are in fact more stingers around this year.

Melbourne composer and performer Eddie Perfect’s Broadway musicals were well and truly savaged by critics. “If they hated the ape, they really had it in for the poltergeist,” writes Jenny Valentish. “The Washington Post called Beetlejuice ‘over-caffeinated, overstuffed and virtually charmless’; The New York Post’s headline complained it was a ‘coke-snorting, f-bombing disaster’. ‘If we say his name three times, will he go away?’ the critic continued.” Now, says Valentish, Perfect’s new stage show gives him the last laugh.

“My coffee slid from my hands, slippery with sunscreen. I have this condition.” Brigid Delaney is one of the lifelong spillers, “not to be trusted around red wine and white furniture, unable to wear light colours or carpet our houses. It’s like having a malevolent ghost limb, a third arm that swings wildly and non-consensually, knocking stuff over … Sometimes I spill stuff on others, sometimes on myself, or sometimes on the things that I love. Often, it’s on the things I need.”

Listen

This week, the Coalition debated what it would exempt from a policy to achieve a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 – a policy and a target that do not currently exist. In today’s episode of Full Story, Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor and head of news Mike Ticher discuss what’s at stake while Australia fails to act on climate change.

Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.

Sport

The Australian Open had its second shot in the arm in 24 hours when Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios’s old sparring partner, stole the show even in defeat. Rafael Nadal overcame a talented young opponent and an abusive fan to reach the third round. Ash Barty blew hot and cold to beat Daria Gavrilova. And last year’s champ Sofia Kenin was left in tears with a brutal end to her title defence.

Shayna Jack has cast doubt on her swimming future after revealing the mental and financial toll her doping case has taken over the past 18 months. “I love swimming and competing for my country, but I honestly don’t know if this is all worth it anymore,” she wrote. “I know my worth, and no one in this world deserves to be treated the way I have been treated.”

Media roundup

Annastacia Palaszczuk has revealed she faced pressure from her own team over her decision to close Queensland’s borders last year – not just from the PM and other premiers, says the Brisbane Times. Federal judges may be overseen by a new agency that can investigate allegations of misconduct – including sexual harassment and bullying, the Australian reports. And according to the Mercury, Tasmania’s premier has pushed the future of AFL in the state to a flashpoint by demanding a stand-alone team.

Coming up

Former cabinet minister Bridget McKenzie is due to face a grilling from senators over her involvement in the infamous sports rorts program.

And it’s the first day of the Chinese lunar new year: the year of the ox.