Did WikiLeaks so annoy the Trump administration four years ago that the White House hatched a plot to kidnap — and possibly even assassinate — Julian Assange, who was at that point holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London? That was the gist of this week’s Yahoo News scoop, sourced from eight former Trump officials and examined in depth by Crikey’s Bernard Keane.

Certainly, WikiLeaks upset the US (to put it mildly) by leaking a trove of CIA software exploits known as “Vault 7”. That much is clear. Whether or not then-CIA director Mike Pompeo, later Donald Trump’s secretary of state, considered extracting Assange to a third country will remain a point of debate. But given what we know about Trump and his maladministration of the US it is not fanciful — and raises questions about Canberra as much as it does Washington.

Enjoy Keane’s take on it below alongside many more issues of the week, including the pandemic, the road to freedom, and the shock resignation of Gladys Berejiklian on Friday in light of a pending ICAC investigation.

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

The resignation of Gladys Berejiklian as NSW premier is the consequence of a staggering misjudgment by a politician who, until 2020, could have been a historic figure in a state traditionally riddled with corruption.

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

If not devising rules, regulation and infrastructure to prepare for more freedoms, what exactly have our governments been doing?

MADONNA KING 3 minute read

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has boxed herself into a corner: opening the border could break her promise to 'keep voters safe'.

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 4 minute read

Victoria's social fabric is starting to fray as its COVID rules cut deep, and the premier's tough as nails approach isn't helping.

BERNARD KEANE 4 minute read

The PM is desperate for a deal with the Nationals to lock in the worthless 'net zero by 2050' target. We've spotted what the deal looks like.

ROSEMARY FLOWERS-WANJIE 4 minute read

Money isn't the reason COVAX, the global vaccine program, isn't a success. The reason is power. Rich countries just keep looking after themselves.

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 3 minute read

Six months out from the election, the party's candidates for key seats have so far flown under the radar.

TOM RED 2 minute read

From Pray School to Survivor: Empathy Bootcamp, groundbreaking political TV is back, baby!