Your morning Briefing

Welcome to your morning roundup of what’s making news and the must-reads for today.

Good morning readers. Here is your two-minute digest of today’s top stories and analysis.

Shorten snubs truce, PM must beware the Ides of March

Labor MPs under a citizenship cloud Justine Keay, left, Susan Lamb and Josh Wilson.

Bill Shorten is defying a citizenship truce offer and refusing to ­release documents of at least three MPs under a cloud despite assurances Labor has nothing to fear about the widening crisis. The ALP’s resistance comes as former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who got a bullet with his name on it yesterday, called for a peace deal, suggesting the Opposition Leader and Malcolm Turnbull agree to hold several by-elections in February if more parliamentarians are found to be dual citizens. Niki Savva calls for an end to the citizenship uncertainty, while David Crowe writes that a March ‘mini-election’ could make or break the government.

Dasher blames Hanson for racist pub rant

Labor senator Sam Dastyari has blamed the rise of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation for empowering racists to launch a verbal attack on him at a pub in Melbourne. A group of men, calling themselves working class patriots, heckled the Iranian-born senator with “You terrorist. You little monkey” and demanded to know if he was a Muslim on Wednesday night. The men from the right wing group Patriot Blue filmed the incident and posted it on their Facebook page.

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Forbidden pleasures: A lavish banquet awaits US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania after his visit to the Forbidden City with China’s President Xi Jinping and his First Lady Peng Liyuan in Beijing. Picture: Reuters

Pomp for Trump, Kim gets thump

Donald Trump was greeted with “state visit-plus” pomp in China last night as the world’s biggest economies push to ease strains on trade and thwart the North ­Korean nuclear threat. The US President and wife ­Melania stepped off the plane in Beijing before an intimate dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. Hours earlier in South Korea, Mr Trump delivered his longest and strongest speech on the North Korean threat, warning its “cruel dictatorship”:

“Do not underestimate us, and do not try us.”

US President Donald Trump’s latest warning to Kim Jong-un

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Taxing times: Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

We’re tops now when it comes to tax

US company tax cuts will accelerate the slide in global business tax rates, ­leaving Australia stranded with the highest company rate in the advanced world and losing foreign investment. France and Belgium are the only other advanced countries with higher company rates than Australia and both have ­announced major tax cuts. Judith Sloan says when even leftist French leader Emmanuel Macron is cutting tax, Australia needs to get with the program.

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Roping dopes? Chief Steward Terry Bailey in Melbourne. Picture: Colleen Petch.

Dope probe set to rock racing world

As the Melbourne Cup carnival enters its third day, the racing industry is about to be rocked by the findings of a doping investigation conducted by Racing Victoria stewards. Charges could be laid as early as tomorrow, with stewards exposing the alleged use of coded text messages to alert punters when to bet on doped horses. A far-reaching investigation involves several stables and senior training figures as well as racing administrators.

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Jon Kudelka’s view

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Analysis: Time’s up for this dud

The transactional cost of toppling an elected PM is often used as the reason why the boss must not be challenged, writes the redoubtable Richo, who gets stuck in to our weak-kneed mob masquerading as Liberal politicians and wonders why they are such dedicated, enthusiastic lemmings, anxious for a chance to follow over that cliff.

“They seem determined to jump without query or question.”

Graham Richardson

Exit stage left? If Richo’s right, the PM and his lemmings are headed for the abyss. Picture Gary Ramage