Your morning Briefing: Milne told Guthrie: shoot Probyn

Welcome to your 2-minute briefing on the day’s top stories and must-reads.

Hello readers. Here is your 2-minute digest of what’s making news today.

ABC journalist Andrew Probyn

‘Shoot Probyn’

Two corporate heavyweights have backed ABC chairman Justin Milne, who was fighting for his job last night amid growing calls for his resignation and a government inquiry into his direction to former managing director Michelle Guthrie to sack journalist Emma Alberici because the government “hated’’ her. The crisis engulfing the nat­ional broadcaster’s leadership will deepen further today, with fresh allegations emerging that Mr Milne also directed Ms Guthrie to “shoot” the ABC’s political editor Andrew Probyn after a meeting with the then-prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Malcolm Turnbull says he never called for any ABC journalist to be sacked and complaints about the broadcaster were made publicly. Mr Milne has been forced to defend his workload, amid criticism he became “overstretched”. Judith Sloan, meantime, who is a former ABC deputy chair, writes that one person can never run such a large organisation.

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A third woman has made an explosive allegation against Supreme Court nominee.

‘Twilight zone’

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has dismissed explosive new allegations against him as being from “the Twilight Zone’’ after a woman alleged he was present while she was gang raped at a college party. Julie Swetnick has become the third woman to accuse Mr Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the early 1980s.

“I observed Brett Kavanaugh drink excessively at many of these parties and engage in abusive and physically aggressive behaviour towards girls, including pressing girls against him without their consent, ‘grinding’ against girls, and attempting to remove or shift girl’s clothing to expose private body parts.”

Julie Swetnick

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. The Federal Reserve has raised a key interest rate for the third time this year in response to a strong U.S. economy and signaled that it expects to maintain a pace of gradual rate hikes. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Fed lifts rates

The US Federal Reserve said it would raise short-term interest rates by another quarter-percentage point, and officials signalled they expected to lift them again later this year and through 2019 to keep a strong economy on an even keel. Officials voted unanimously on the increase, which will bring the benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 2 per cent and 2.25 per cent. Most expected to raise rates one more time this year, according to new projections released after the meeting.

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck of the New Zealand Warriors poses on stage with the Dally M Award during the 2018 Dally M Awards at Overseas Passenger Terminal on September 26, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

One for Warrior

Fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck became the first New Zealand Warriors player to win the Dally M Medal last night as Melbourne pair Cameron Smith and Cameron Munster were honoured with gongs ahead of Sunday night’s grand final at ANZ Stadium. Tuivasa-Sheck was the big winner, topping the tally in a dramatic final round of voting as he edged out Newcastle sensation Kalyn Ponga and Cronulla fullback Valentine Holmes.

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Kudelka’s view

Jon Kudelka Letters Cartoon for 27-09-2018Version: Letters Cartoon (1280x720 - Aspect ratio preserved, Canvas added)COPYRIGHT: The Australian's artists each have different copyright agreements in place regarding re-use of their work in other publications.Please seek advice from the artists themselves or the Managing Editor of The Australian regarding re-use.