Good morning. Thomas Morgan here with your AM NewsMail. 

The deaths of two Australian brothers and their American friend on a surfing trip in Mexico shocked the country last year. But now new court documents obtained by the ABC allege something local authorities had previously denied — links between their alleged killers and the underworld.

Also in the news, how Australian taxpayers almost paid the price for the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID, and the genetically modified stomach bug that defied its creators. And last but not least, we fin-ish the week with a shark-based discovery in our news quiz.

What's the story? Mexican authorities once believed the deaths of Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson, and their American friend Carter Rhoad, was a case of robbery gone wrong. But the ABC has obtained a court document that tells a different story. Rather than a tragic mistake, files suggest the trio's accused killers hold links to the country's violent cartels. 

Was Bradley Murdoch guilty? Conspiracy theories have spread like wildfire, fanned by the killer's insistence he never murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001. But as long-time NT court reporter Jason Walls explains, the evidence that convicted Murdoch paints a damning picture.

Cybercrime 'honey pot': First Medibank, then Optus, now Qantas — Australia's corporates have struggled to keep our data safe from online thieves . But do they need that data at all? Experts say it might be time to take back control by forcing companies to hit the delete key.

Freedom of Information: Australian taxpayers almost lost millions of dollars that were being held by the US's now-shuttered foreign aid organisation, USAID. The money was earmarked for two aid projects, and some say the close call was a "sobering lesson" for DFAT.

Analysis with Michelle Grattan: It's been months since Anthony Albanese's thumping election victory, but only next week will parliament finally sit. There are good reasons why neither the Labor leader nor his alternate Sussan Ley were in any rush to get back to Canberra.

Deal or no deal: The crossbench could be a powerful place after this weekend's Tasmanian election. This morning, Stateline asks prominent independent candidates for their rules-of-engagement in the next parliament, with the words "confidence" and "supply" getting plenty of attention.

Epstein conspiracy: It's the one scandal that seems to have genuinely shaken Donald Trump's support base. So for the president who has perfected the art of getting himself out of trouble, why is Mr Trump suddenly vulnerable? John Barron from Planet America explains on this morning's episode of ABC News Daily