Stories from the frontline make it clear: our health system isn’t coping with Delta. This week a Sydney-based paramedic tells of gruelling shifts and multiple pay cuts, an emergency nurse in Melbourne says staff are stretched to breaking point, and a GP in Sydney’s south west describes receiving threatening letters and demands for vaccine exemptions.

In politics, Georgia Wilkins writes how Scott Morrison’s penchant for cover-ups is starting to backfire with voters under a huge amount of stress. (Speaking of cover-ups, Cam Wilson gets his hands on internal emails that show Morrison’s red-carpet air base photo op was a pre-planned affair which broke defence protocol.)

Elsewhere, Amber Schultz and political cartoonist Eric Löbbecke show male politicians how to listen on women’s safety, and 20 years on from September 11, Keir Semmens and Guy Rundle recall the day that changed the world.

All that and more below.

GUY RUNDLE 7 minute read

Many millions around the world mourned with America on September 11, 2001. But many millions saw it as a smack in the eye the US had coming.

KEIR SEMMENS 5 minute read

September 11, 2001, was a sliding doors moment — not just for the United States, but for the world.

JAMES BAILLIEU 4 minute read

Sweden has suffered no lockdowns and no school closures, and in the past month have had zero COVID deaths. Should Australia follow its lead?

LIV HARRIS 2 minute read

More than 40% of Australians have a medically diagnosed health condition that could worsen the impacts of the virus. And that's not their fault.

GEORGIA WILKINS 3 minute read

The PM's penchant for keeping Australians in the dark is just another example of his hubris. And public outrage is punishing him for it.

CAM WILSON 3 minute read

It's not standard procedure for a PM to receive a red-carpet welcome at an airbase. But that didn't stop ScoMo.

AMBER SCHULTZ and ERIC LOBBECKE 3 minute read

The summit has a clear and urgent purpose. But if men don't start listening, is there any chance of real change?

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

UK PM Boris Johnson was so desperate to conclude a trade deal with Australia he caved in to Scott Morrison's refusal to mention global temperature rises. And let's not forget Morrison was desperate for a deal as well. But where did all that desperation lead?

CAM WILSON 3 minute read

It sounds so very environmentally caring and sharing. But the truth is the Murdoch media's campaign is a cynical, and useless, move.

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

The problems of JobKeeper aren't confined to politics. It has also inflicted significant damage on big business, and in doing so undermined its capacity to demand society abandon protections against COVID.