Without bail

BAIL, OUT

Julian Assange has been denied bail just days after a UK court found the US prison system would put him at risk of suicide, the ABC reports, with Judge Vanessa Baraitser citing fears the WikiLeaks founder could abscond ahead of the extradition appeal.

The decision comes after Scott Morrison announced Assange would be “free to return home if he wished” in the event that extradition is unsuccessful — an offer Assange’s legal team rejected, as it would allow America to restart the extradition process with Australia — but continues to rebuff pressure to appeal to the US to drop charges entirely.

WikiLeaks has since said it would appeal the bail rejection.

Lifeline: 13 11 14.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

According to The Guardian, Scott Morrison has called a snap national cabinet meeting for Friday to discuss a proposal to “strengthen the COVID safety” of international travel following the emergence of the more-infectious strain in the UK. The meeting will also provide an update on national immunisation plans.

It comes after both Victoria and NSW yesterday identified a mystery case each, with the ABC explaining the former may have been caught at either Chadstone Shopping Centre (December 26) or the MCG (December 27).

News of the latter, a Wentworthville man in his 30s, comes as the state government bans more Western Sydney residents from today’s SCG Test, which will still go ahead — Health Minister Brad Hazzard gave a rather specious justification over mental health grounds — but will mandate masks and cap crowds at 10,000.

Exposure sites for Victoria and NSW continue to be updated.

RUNOFF RUNDOWN

Finally, the Democrats are on the brink of controlling US Congress for the first time in a decade after Reverend Raphael Warnock beat Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and Jon Ossoff claims victory over David Perdue in Georgia’s runoff election, although CNN reports results from the latter race are still too close to call.

And as Trump supporters in Congress plot to block Joe Biden’s certification today on the basis that they do not like the results, Rudy Giuliani has claimed Mike Pence can cast aside the Election Counting Act and send results back to state legislatures for reconsideration.

PS: In other fallout from the November election, supermarket chain Albertsons has announced plans to fire drivers across California and replace them with gig economy workers who, thanks to the passage of a proposition backed by Uber, Lyft etc, are classified as “independent contractors” rather than employees.