Marc Batchelor murdered, Zuma's claims stink of red herrings

[Like what you're reading? Get more here.]( [WEB VERSION.]( [FIRST THING With John Stupart] Tuesday, 16 July 2019 “It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” Lucy Maud Montgomery Story of the Day [Zuma’s spy claims are implausible, paranoid, and a red herring]( By Nel Marais Jacob Zuma, his legal team and his supporters are clearly trying to make this a case of an illegitimate commission versus the persecution of a popular liberation hero. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Footballer Marc Batchelor murdered]( Marc Batchelor was gunned down on Monday evening. Batchelor, a former Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs striker, was gunned down by two assailants on motorbikes near Olivedale. Police were unsure of the motive behind Batchelor's murder. [Trump doubles down on racist tweet]( President Donald Trump has upped the ante in the wake of his racist tweet aimed at four Democratic Congresswomen. Trump replied late on Monday that anyone who was unhappy with the United States "should leave". Considering the unhappiness was with Trump's racist tweet and not the United States, the response missed the mark somewhat. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, is aiming to put a vote to condemn Trump's tweet, thereby forcing Trump-allied Republicans to pick between an obviously xenophobic, bigoted statement, and siding with Democrats. [No British help in war with Iran - Johnson]( Boris Johnson has announced that Britain will not back up the United States in a war with Iran. Speaking at a "leadership debate", Johnson's statement was tempered by Tory rival, former foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, who retorted that he did not think the US was angling for a war in any case. [Manned SpaceX mission probably not in 2019]( SpaceX's vice president has erred on the side of caution, stating that a manned mission in 2019 might be harder than initially hoped. Hans Koenigsmann detailed new information on the SpaceX capsule explosion earlier this year, stating that "by the end of this year, I don't think it's impossible, but it's getting increasingly difficult". Better safe than exploded, then. Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/TINO ROMANO Special Forces of the anti-terrorist police officers inspect an air-to-air missile seized during an operation against the extreme right in Turin, Italy, 15 July 2019. In Numbers $27,302 The market value of the "Black Lotus" card from Magic: The Gathering. Facts of the Day Today in 1934 the world's first parking meter is installed (in Oklahoma). When [Terry Pratchett was knighted,]( he forged a sword from meteorites to equip himself for his new role. Featured Articles [The Essence of Zuma, Day One: ‘State Capture Commission is designed to bury me’]( [The Essence of Zuma, Day One: ‘State Capture Commission is designed to bury me’]( By Jessica Bezuidenhout [The Zero Heroes]( [The Zero Heroes]( By Melanie Farrell [Just how far is Zuma prepared to swing his wrecking ball?]( [Just how far is Zuma prepared to swing his wrecking ball?]( By Stephen Grootes [Another bloody weekend in Cape Town, with SANDF appearing unprepared for deployment]( By Rebecca Davis [Cardinal urges global youth to act on climate crisis]( By Tony Carnie [The need for public debate on macroeconomic policy]( By Ben Turok Opinionistas [The facts ma’am – just the facts]( A column by Professor Balthazar [Minister Ebrahim Patel, you have a friend in the DA]( A column by Dean Macpherson [OPINIONISTA: Small Biz Bites: Life’s a pitch, get used to it]( A column by Sukasha Singh Weather BFN: min: 2° max: 21°, cloudy CPT: min: 11° max: 17°, cloudy DBN: min: 11° max: 23°, cloudy EL: min: 14° max: 26°, cloudy JHB: min: 6° max: 19°, sunny MHK: min: 6° max: 22°, sunny NLP: min: 8° max: 27°, cloudy PE: min: 11° max: 24°, cloudy PMB: min: 7° max: 28°, cloudy Financial Data R/$ = 13.92 0% R/£ = 17.42 -0.01% R/€ = 15.68 -0.03% R/BTC = 150,888.07 +6.9% At -+5am or latest: % open to close [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( [Fb] [Tweet] [Link] [Yt] Copyright © 2019 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. Interested in advertising with us? [Click here to sign the pact.](mailto:advertising@dailymaverick.co.za?subject=Advertising%20query%3A%20First%20Thing%20Mailers) [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( [Unsubscribe](