Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 13 August.

Top stories

As parliament resumes in Canberra, the Senate will debate a private member’s bill to repeal the 1997 ban on territories having authority to legalise voluntary euthanasia. David Leyonhjelm’s bill has been given priority for the week, with the Senate to consider it on Tuesday. Malcolm Turnbull has ensured Coalition senators will be allowed to vote according to their conscience, though he says he is personally opposed to allowing voluntary euthanasia for the Northern Territory.

Meanwhile, the national energy guarantee will be at the mercy of the Coalition party room, after states and territories offered their in-principle support for the policy last week. The party room will discuss the policy on Tuesday and the energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, says he is confident his colleagues will endorse the policy, despite some backbenchers threatening to vote against it.

Global markets are braced for another hectic day of trading amid Turkey’s unfolding economic crisis as it continues to row with the US. The country’s currency, the lira, plunged 20% to record lows on Friday. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, remains defiant, accusing foreign interests of waging an economic war against his country and pledging trade measures to reduce reliance on the dollar and US markets. “If there are dollars under your pillow, take these out,” he told supporters. “If there are euros, take these out … immediately give these to the banks and convert to Turkish lira.”

The word “cancer” should be dropped from some medical diagnoses because the term can scare people into invasive treatments they do not need, Australian and US researchers have concluded. An analysis published by the British Medical Journal on Monday describes “cancer” as particularly problematic when used to describe some small thyroid cancers, some low and intermediate breast cancers and localised prostate cancer. Medical technology can now detect early abnormal cell changes and lesions at much smaller sizes. But identifying these often harmless changes can cause distress and prompt patients to undergo treatment to get rid of them.

Churches who presided over institutions where children were abused should immediately lose their tax-exempt charity status, the former tax commissioner has said. Terry Hamilton has written to the prime minister’s office, the ATO and the charities commission expressing concern that breaches of tax law had gone unchallenged in relation to child abuse cases identified by Australia’s religious institutions. “The associated crimes in these cases breach the taxation law obligations that must result in a forfeit of tax exemptions and the registration of tax-exempt charities,” Hamilton said.

Former White House aide and reality TV star Omarosa Manigault Newman claims she has heard a tape of Donald Trump using racist language during filming for The Apprentice. In her book Unhinged, Manigault Newman insisted that tapes existed, but did not say she heard them, or that she had heard Trump use the word herself. But on NBC on Sunday she maintained she had been played the recording since the book went to print. “I’ve heard his voice,” Manigault Newman said. “Once I heard it for myself it confirmed what I feared the most, that Donald Trump is a con … it confirms that he is truly a racist.”

Sport

The opening weekend of the Premier League season has shown little deviation from last year’s pattern, with champions Manchester City recording a comfortable 2-0 win at Arsenal and Liverpool punishing West Ham 4-0.

Melbourne have been the only truly dynastic club and culture in the NRL for the last 20 years, even if they were stripped of two premierships. Going back-to-back is tough for anyone but with Cameron Smith and Billy Slater still playing, they have a genuine chance, writes Matt Cleary.

Thinking time

No one captured the essence of the story of Ned Kelly and his gang in a way that resonated with the public quite like modernist artist Sidney Nolan. Nolan depicted everything from the Kelly family’s domestic life to their violent run-ins with the police. Now Nolan’s famous Ned Kelly series is showing at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and curator Deborah Hart offers a preview of some of the works.

Veteran journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reflect on life and politics in the Trump era, declaring the current situation “worse than Watergate”. “I would hardly call covering Trump a joyous experience,” Bernstein tells the Guardian. “I think that this is a dangerous time for America, that we have a president with no regard for the rule of law or for the truth. I say those things not pejoratively. It’s reportorially established and I think that’s what’s so extraordinary.”

Many were reluctant to celebrate VS Naipaul as a great writer in his lifetime, in part due to his discomfiting assertions about Islam and women, writes Amit Chaudhuri. On his death, some may not mourn him at all. But none of Naipaul’s regrettable opinions will make the writing disappear if it indeed possesses originality. Time will tell us if this is true.

What’s he done now?

Donald Trump has thrown his support beyond Harley Davidson riders who plan to boycott the company if they move production overseas. “Many @harleydavidson owners plan to boycott the company if manufacturing moves overseas. Great! Most other companies are coming in our direction, including Harley competitors. A really bad move! U.S. will soon have a level playing field, or better,” Trump tweeted overnight.

Media roundup

The Australian Financial Review reports on discontent among agriculture leaders who say drought charity creates a bad look for the industry. “We are not all welfare cases” says livestock producer Richard Taylor. Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has said he will support the national energy guarantee on the condition a plan B is created to cut electricity prices, the Canberra Times reports. And the Adelaide Advertiser splashes with concerns from top SA detectives about the reorganisation of the state’s serious and organised crime branch, saying bikie gangs could flourish if the move went ahead.

Coming up

National Australia Bank executive Andrew Hagger will appear at the banking royal commission’s superannuation hearing today over the bank’s fees-for-no-service scandal.

Melbourne’s mayors will hold a media conference with community leader and lawyer Maker Mayek to express solidarity with the city’s Sudanese community.

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