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Independent senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe’s protest before King Charles in the great hall of Parliament House last week caught news attention around the globe. While it prompted a few reactions, it also started a conversation about the British monarchy’s role in the lasting legacy of colonisation for First Nations people. Reged Ahmad speaks to political editor Karen Middleton about why Australians can’t stop talking about the royal protest and what it means for Thorpe’s role as a senator You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Harry Shukman of the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate went undercover to expose how some of the wealthiest and most powerful people see race. He tells Michael Safi what he found

Why is the tech billionaire owner of X spending millions on helping the Republican campaign? What does he get out of it? What’s at stake for him if Kamala Harris wins the US election on 5 November? Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian US democracy reporter focused on misinformation, Rachel Leingang

Oritsé Williams of JLS and the Guardian’s head rock and pop critic Alexis Petridis reflect on the singer’s extraordinary success and his struggles with the fame that came with it

In Queensland, the state election has been dominated by one word: abortion. It follows an anti-abortion bill in South Australia that would force women seeking an abortion after 27 weeks and six days – an extremely rare occurrence – to be induced to deliver the child alive, and either to keep it or put it up for adoption. The bill was narrowly defeated by just one vote. As this conversation infiltrates state politics, conservatives have already begun putting it on the national agenda.Bridie Jabour talks to editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor and national news editor Josephine Tovey about what the consequences will be when we turn abortion into a culture war

In just under two weeks, Americans will choose their next president. Will it be Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor and the current vice-president, who would become the first woman and woman of colour to be president? Or will it be Donald Trump, a convicted felon and a legally defined sexual predator? Reged Ahmad speaks to Washington DC bureau chief David Smith about the stark choice facing voters and why no one can predict what will happen on 5 November

The Shincheonji church is an international Christian sect which started in South Korea. But the group is being accused of bizarre recruitment strategies at a number of Australian universities and former members have made allegations of ‘coercive control’ tactics that include love bombing and sleep deprivation. Medical editor Melissa Davey speaks to Reged Ahmad about the experiences of families of current members, as well as former members, about life on the inside of this alleged ‘doomsday cult’

A spate of more than a dozen separate attacks on gay men across Australia since July has sparked concern among the LGBTQ+ community. In some cases – but not all – police have alleged homophobic comments were made and several of the assaults were filmed. Reporter Josh Taylor speaks to Tamsin Rose about concerns some people online are promoting ‘methods of attack’ and how men are being targeted after agreeing to meetings via apps such as Grindr

Blue whales are the largest animals to have ever lived but they were once hunted to the brink of extinction. The international community only agreed to stop hunting them in 1965 when they numbered fewer than 200. Now scientists are using new methods to learn whether the number of blue whales in the wild is increasing – and they are seeing and hearing promising signs. Reporter Luca Ittimani speaks to marine mammal acoustician Brian Miller about the whale’s Antarctic resurgence You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

The Harris campaign, which has been praised for how it has managed to reach out to women, is now having to balance their attention and pitch some policies that would appeal to men. But is it too little too late? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Richard Reeves, the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, and Gloria Oladipo, a breaking news reporter for Guardian US, about why men could decide this year’s election and why both campaigns might be taking them for granted You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport