On Wednesday, a stunning piece of video footage emerged from Australia, capturing the frantic, humiliated retreat of the Iranian regime’s thugs after they realized they had lost their grip on the women’s national soccer team.
The video, which has quickly gone viral, serves as a visceral punctuation mark to a high-stakes international defection that saw five members of the squad vanish into the safety of Australian asylum, leaving their would-be captors scurrying in a panic.
In the footage, members of the Iranian security apparatus — tasked with ensuring no player escaped the regime’s reach — are seen running frantically down a flight of stairs. Their composure completely shattered, the men appear desperate and disoriented upon discovering that five of the women had successfully slipped away.
The scene was narrated by a local Australian whose scathing commentary provided a quintessentially Western backdrop to the regime&#8217;s failure. As the agents bolted, the Australian mocked their sudden loss of power, shouting, “It’s Australia now. You&#8217;re in Australia. You&#8217;re in Australia. You better run. Yeah, we&#8217;re going to get you now. You better run. Yeah, you&#8217;ve got no rights here. You&#8217;re in Australia! I know who you are! Get down the stairs, yes! You gotta run now. What cowards are you guys, running? Yeah, cowards. The news is going to love this. Get the f*** out of our country, IRGC.”
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WATCH: Fox News obtains footage from the high-stakes hotel getaway by the Iranian Women’s National Soccer team in Australia.
The video captures the moment Iranian handlers, security staff, and coaches scramble as they realize five of their stars had vanished from the premises. <a href="https://t.co/V3kY6KefKx">pic.twitter.com/V3kY6KefKx</a>
&mdash; FOX &amp; Friends (@foxandfriends) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/2031711723745398807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The incident follows a tense standoff during the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The team had already drawn the ire of Tehran by remaining silent during the national anthem in their opening match, a move that prompted Iranian state media to brand the athletes &#8220;wartime traitors&#8221; — a charge that carries the death penalty under the Islamic Republic’s draconian penal code.
The tide turned toward safety following a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-reveals-call-with-australia-pm-on-desperate-iran-womens-soccer-team-crisis?utm_source=chatgpt.com">direct intervention</a> by President Donald Trump. After initially criticizing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a &#8220;terrible humanitarian mistake,&#8221; Trump revealed he had spoken with the prime minister to ensure the women were not forced back to certain death. “He’s on it!” Trump posted, confirming that several players had already been &#8220;taken care of.&#8221;
While some players felt compelled to return to Iran due to threats against their families, the video of the &#8220;minders&#8221; in full flight highlights a rare, public defeat for the IRGC.
In 2019, Sahar Khodayari, a devoted fan of the Esteghlal team, who became known as the &#8220;Blue Girl,&#8221;disguised herself as a man to enter a stadium (where women were banned). After being caught and facing a prison sentence, she set herself on fire in protest and tragically died. Her death sparked international outrage, forcing FIFA to pressure Iran into finally allowing women to enter stadiums for certain matches, though the &#8220;ban&#8221; is often still enforced or restricted through &#8220;selective&#8221; ticketing.
For a regime that relies on the &#8220;Blue Girl&#8221; legacy of fear and stadium bans to keep women suppressed, the sight of their enforcers running terrified down a staircase in a free nation offered a powerful symbol of the regime’s waning reach.

AUSTRALIA-IRAN-US-ISRAEL-WAR-FBL

WATCH: ‘You Better Run!’ Video Shows Iranian Regime Thugs Panicking After Soccer Stars Vanish

Australia

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President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of the Iranian women’s national soccer team following reports that the players had been branded &#8220;wartime traitors&#8221; by Iranian state media.
The president revealed on Monday that he had spoken with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on behalf of the Iranian women&#8217;s soccer team, detailing the delicate situation for the young women.
&#8220;I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team. He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way,&#8221; the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116200028617921781">shared</a>. &#8220;Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return. In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!&#8221;
Just hours before the call, Trump had weighed in, insisting that the Iranian women&#8217;s soccer team be granted asylum in Australia.
&#8220;Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed. Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116199640636892669">wrote</a> on Truth Social.
The president immediately followed up that post by sharing further details on the threats leveled against the women who dared to protest the despotic regime. He captioned the Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116199696068251039">post</a>, &#8220;ASYLUM!&#8221;
Less than two hours later, Trump had Albanese on the phone.
The 26-member squad, currently in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup, sparked controversy during their opening match against South Korea by remaining silent during the national anthem. The act, widely viewed as a protest against the Islamic Republic, has triggered a vitriolic response from Tehran.
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3 days ago, Iran’s Women’s Soccer Team protested the Islamic Regime by refusing to sing the national anthem.
2 days ago, Iranian state media branded the women “wartime traitors.”
Today, the women were desperately begging for help from inside the team bus. They are being… <a href="https://t.co/bZgZ5XGo5B">pic.twitter.com/bZgZ5XGo5B</a>
&mdash; The Persian Jewess (@persianjewess) <a href="https://twitter.com/persianjewess/status/2030843399444865397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, a presenter on state-controlled television, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-06/iran-women-football-womens-asian-cup-state-tv-traitors/106425022">called</a> for the players to face &#8220;stronger consequences&#8221; for their &#8220;shameless betrayal.&#8221; Under Iran’s penal code, charges of treason can carry the death penalty. Concerns for the players’ safety have been further amplified by the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28.
FIFPro, the global soccer players&#8217; union, has formally called on FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to ensure the team’s protection. &#8220;These statements significantly heighten concerns for the players&#8217; safety should they return to Iran,&#8221; the union said in a statement.
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FIFPRO Asia/Oceania has released the following statement calling on AFC and FIFA to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Iran&#39;s Women&#39;s National Team players. <a href="https://t.co/5izRBHvkOg">pic.twitter.com/5izRBHvkOg</a>
&mdash; FIFPRO Asia/Oceania (@FIFPROAsiaOce) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFPROAsiaOce/status/2029861558722121815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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On the ground in Australia, the team is reportedly under intense surveillance. Human rights advocate and former Socceroos captain Craig Foster <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/world/middleeast/iran-women-soccer-football-team-australia.html">said</a> it is &#8220;clear they are being silenced and coerced,&#8221; noting that regime-connected &#8220;minders&#8221; are embedded with the squad, restricting their movement and phone use.
While the players remained silent during their first match, they were filmed singing the anthem loudly during subsequent games against Australia and the Philippines. Local councilor Tina Kordrostami, who has been in contact with some players, said the shift was a result of extreme intimidation. &#8220;They are all terrified, particularly for the safety of their family members back home,&#8221; she said.
The Australian government has maintained a cautious diplomatic stance. Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed solidarity with Iranian women but <a href="https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/transcript/interview-david-speers-abc-insiders-1">declined to comment</a> on whether the government has had direct contact with the players or if they will be offered asylum. &#8220;We know this regime has brutally murdered many of its own people,&#8221; Wong <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/08/world-news/iranian-womens-team-may-face-jail-death-after-soccer-loss/">told</a> the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to get into commentary about the Iranian women’s team [that might] put them or their families&#8230; in any greater danger.&#8221;
The team’s tournament concluded Sunday night on the Gold Coast. While some advocates have suggested Australia provide emergency humanitarian visas — similar to those granted to the Afghan women&#8217;s team in 2021 — sources close to the squad indicate many players fear that seeking asylum would lead to the imprisonment or execution of their relatives in Iran.

Islamic Republic of Iran v Australia – AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026

Trump Reveals Call With Australia PM On Desperate Iran Women’s Soccer Team Crisis

Australia Pressed To Save Women's Soccer Team Branded 'Traitors' By Iranian Regime

The Iranian women’s national soccer team made a statement Monday night as they stood silently during the playing of their country’s national anthem.
Their silence spoke volumes ahead of the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup in Queensland, Australia. None of the women sang as the song was played, choosing instead to look ahead with serious expressions. The crowd applauded at the conclusion of the song, and the team manager, Marziyeh Jafari, was spotted smiling on the sidelines. 
She was later approached by reporters but had no comment, The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/mar/03/iran-women-football-team-decline-to-sing-national-anthem-before-asian-cup-tie">reported</a>.
The team lost its game against South Korea 3-0, the outlet noted. This was their first game since air strikes began in the Middle East, killing the nation’s longtime Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Our heart goes out to them and their families. It’s a difficult situation, and it’s really brave of them to be able to be here and to perform,” Australian player Amy Sayer said. “They put on a really strong performance, even with the political climate that’s going on and the struggles that they might be going through.”
President Trump has estimated that Operation Epic Fury could last four to five weeks, but has said it could continue longer to permanently eliminate Iran’s capacity to have a nuclear weapon. America’s intervention has had mixed reactions at home, but was celebrated in the streets of Iran after it was announced that Khamenei had been killed.
Many reactions to the women’s soccer team refusing to sing the anthem focused on how poorly the regime treated women of their nation, <a href="https://x.com/SamanthaTaghoy/status/2028624631922393332">noting</a> that their silent protest was what “real feminism” looked like.
“A defying silence… the Iranian women’s football national team REFUSED to sing the anthem of the Islamic regime. Side note: By the time their next game comes up, they probably don’t even have to wear those hijabs anymore,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/Tarikh_Eran/status/2028539904230060340">wrote</a>.
“These brave women risk a lot with this display,” another person <a href="https://x.com/13jeep24Bob/status/2028822151395000355">chimed in</a>. “After having been treated worse than dirt for years by their country, thanks to President Trump, they may have a chance at a much better future. Meanwhile ‘freedom loving’ severe left wing women &amp; men in our country cheer for the oppressive Iranian regime who has murdered 10’s of thousands of their fellow countryman. What is wrong with this picture?”

Iran soccer team

Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Stands Silent During National Anthem

Iranian Women's Soccer Team Stands Silently During Islamic State's National Anthem

Operation Epic Fury

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An Australian political activist and online provocateur who mocked Billie Eilish’s anti-ICE rhetoric says he was deported from the United States after immigration authorities questioned him over social media posts joking about moving into the singer’s California home.
Drew Pavlou, 24, claimed in a series of X posts that he was detained for roughly 30 hours at Los Angeles International Airport before being denied entry into the country. Pavlou speculated that Eilish’s legal team contacted the Department of Homeland Security, prompting his removal.
“Billie Eilish got me deported from the US — I think her legal team contacted DHS,” Pavlou <a href="https://x.com/DrewPavlou/status/2022908458723590378">wrote</a>, posting a selfie with a police officer in the background. He said immigration officials repeatedly questioned him about posts in which he claimed he planned to fly to the United States and move into Eilish’s Malibu mansion, insisting the statements were satire.
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DREW PERFORMANCE ART UPDATE
Billie Eilish got me deported from the US &#8211; I think her legal team contacted DHS
I spent 30 hours at LAX immigration trying to explain that my shit posts were just a joke and that I didn’t actually plan to personally move into her mansion
Honestly… <a href="https://t.co/R4ynQEor3c">https://t.co/R4ynQEor3c</a> <a href="https://t.co/8eVCcBE5Jr">pic.twitter.com/8eVCcBE5Jr</a>
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/2022908458723590378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“I spent 30 hours at LAX immigration trying to explain that my sh*t posts were just a joke and that I didn’t actually plan to personally move into her mansion,” Pavlou wrote. “Honestly most of the agents were nice and laughed at the idea but there was nothing I could do.”
Pavlou’s posts were a direct response to Eilish’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/billie-eilish-roundly-mocked-for-stolen-land-comments-at-grammys?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Billie+Eilish+Roundly+Mocked+For+%E2%80%98Stolen+Land%E2%80%99+Comments+At+Grammys">remarks</a> during her acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards, where she declared, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” before adding, “F–k ICE.”
In the days following the speech, Pavlou <a href="https://x.com/DrewPavlou/status/2018442764384637336">launched</a> a crowdfunding campaign claiming he would travel to the United States and attempt to move into Eilish’s home, echoing her “stolen land” framing. “I am flying to the USA next Friday to attempt to move into Billie Eilish’s beachside Malibu mansion,” he wrote, adding, “No human being is illegal on stolen land.”
The fundraiser was later <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/02/04/us-news/australian-activist-drew-pavlou-launches-campaign-to-move-into-billie-eilishs-la-mansion-after-stolen-land-grammys-rant/">removed</a> after the platform said it could not verify his plan or the recipient of the donations. Pavlou subsequently launched a new fundraiser on GiveSendGo seeking money to fly to California and “buy” the property.
The mansion Pavlou referenced was not owned by Eilish herself but by her brother, Finneas O’Connell, and had been sold in 2022 for $5.6 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. The home was later destroyed in the Palisades Fire. Pavlou said he was unaware of that fact when he created the fundraiser.
In follow-up posts, Pavlou leaned into the irony of the situation, mocking the outcome as an unintended endorsement of border enforcement by leftist figures.
“She literally said ‘no one is illegal on stolen land’ but called ICE on me,” Pavlou <a href="https://x.com/DrewPavlou/status/2023307696947310683">wrote</a>. “Honestly amazing performance art — I somehow managed to get Billie Eilish and American liberals to endorse border control and deportations.”
Pavlou also claimed immigration officials questioned him extensively about his past activism, including his opposition to the Chinese Communist Party, describing the experience as “legitimately insane.”
Neither Eilish nor her representatives have publicly commented on Pavlou’s claims, and DHS has not confirmed whether any contact occurred between the singer’s legal team and immigration authorities.
Still, the episode has drawn attention online as a case study in the tension between celebrity activism and real-world immigration enforcement — and as Pavlou framed it, proof that even slogans about “stolen land” have limits when it comes to the expense of the sloganeers.

68th GRAMMY Awards – Show

Australian Activist: ‘Billie Eilish Got Me Deported’

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Billie Eilish

Grammys

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Politics

A 13-year-old Australian boy has gone viral after swimming for hours to get help for his family after they drifted out to sea.
The family was together using kayaks and paddleboards on Friday morning, but drifted too far offshore when weather conditions changed and were unable to make it back. This resulted in Austin Appelbee swimming 2.5 miles back to shore to get help, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/rescue-australia-swim-boy-c191a2f24e9aa594c073faa2d8c00086">reported</a>. 
“The waves are massive and I have no life jacket on. … I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming,’” Appelbee said of his amazing feat of strength and courage. “And then I finally, I made it to shore and I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed.”
The teen originally tried to take one of the kayaks to go get help, but it began to take on water, and he had to abandon it. He was forced to remove his life jacket as well because it hindered his efforts to get back to shore.
Appelbee was able to alert authorities, who performed a helicopter rescue of his family members still adrift off the coast of Quindalup Beach in Western Australia. His mother, Joanne Appelbee, 12-year-old brother Beau, and 8-year-old sister Grace were all rescued hours after he left them. By the time of their rescue, the family had drifted 8.5 miles from the shore.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t think I was a hero &#8211; I just did what I did,” he said of what happened, BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly3ezj3rg3o">reported</a>. &#8220;I was thinking about mum, Beau, and Grace. I was also thinking about my friends and my girlfriend &#8211; I have a really good bunch of friends,&#8221; Appelbee added. &#8220;When I hit the floor I thought, how am I on land right now &#8211; is this a dream?&#8221;
Appelbee’s mom said she didn&#8217;t have an easy time letting him go. “One of the hardest decisions I ever had to make was to say to Austin: ‘Try and get to shore and get some help. This could get really serious really quickly,’” she told reporters, per the AP.
“The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough — his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings,” Inspector James Bradley of the South West District office said in a statement.  “This incident is a reminder that ocean conditions can change rapidly. Thankfully, all three people were wearing life jackets, which contributed to their survival.”
Rescuers called the teen’s heroic actions “superhuman.”
The family members were all evaluated and treated for minor injuries. None required hospitalization. Appelbee used crutches briefly due to having sore legs.

Geographe Bay

Heroic Teen Swam For Hours To Save Family Stranded At Sea

Hero Teen Swims For Hours To Save Family Stranded At Sea

Heroism

Rescue

France&#8217;s National Assembly on Monday backed legislation to ban children under 15 years old from social media on Monday, amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks.
The bill proposes banning under-15s from social networks and &#8220;social networking functionalities&#8221; embedded within broader platforms, and reflects rising public angst over the impact of social media on minors.
Lawmakers voted 116 to 23 in favor of the bill. It now passes to the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.
President Emmanuel Macron has pointed to social media as one factor to blame for violence among young people. He is urging France to follow Australia, whose world-first ban for under-16s on social media platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December.
Macron wants the ban in place in time for the start of the next academic year in September.
&#8220;With this law, we are setting a clear boundary in society and saying social media is not harmless,&#8221; centrist lawmaker Laure Miller told the chamber as she presented the bill.
&#8220;Our children are reading less, sleeping less, and comparing themselves to one another more,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;This is a battle for free minds.&#8221;
Australia&#8217;s social media ban is being studied in countries including Britain, Denmark, Spain and Greece.
The European Parliament has called for the European Union to set minimum ages for children to access social media, although it is up to member states to impose age limits.
There is broad political and public support in France for curbing minors&#8217; access to social media.
Far-right lawmaker Thierry Perez said the bill responded to a &#8220;health emergency.&#8221;
&#8220;Social media has allowed everyone to express themselves, but at what cost to our children?” Perez said.
The French ban would require platforms to block access to young teenagers through age‑verification mechanisms compliant with European Union law.
Enforcing such bans can be difficult. Australia&#8217;s government acknowledged the rollout of its ban would be bumpy after children claiming to be under 16 flooded the country&#8217;s social media feeds with messages gloating about their continued ability to access networks.
The French legislation also extends an existing ban on smartphones in junior and middle schools to cover high schools.
A Harris Interactive survey in 2024 showed 73% of the public supported a ban on social media access for under-15s.
Teenagers on the streets of Paris were split in their views. Some said they acknowledged the dangers associated with social media. Others felt a ban was excessive.
(Reporting by Leigh Thomas and Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Richard Lough, Alex Richardson and Diane Craft)

Social Media And Messaging Apps

France’s National Assembly Approves Ban On Social Media For Those Under 15 Years Old

Big Tech

Emmanuel Macron

France

Social Media

An American deal over Greenland takes shape as the DOJ arrests protestors linked to the Minnesota church-storming, the Trump administration delivers a pro-life victory as the March for Life heads to D.C., and the Australian government sparks controversy with new gun control and “anti-hate” laws.
It’s Friday, January 23, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumps-greenland-deal-d-c-marches-for-life-1-23-26/id1576594336?i=1000746320126" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump&#8217;s Greenland Deal</h2>
New <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-u-s-would-gain-total-access-to-greenland-at-no-cost-under-proposed-plan">details</a> have emerged regarding Trump’s historic Greenland deal, as Vice President JD Vance and the DOJ crack down on demonstrators in Minneapolis. After President Donald Trump’s highly publicized address to the World Economic Forum, where he reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland and doubled down on his threat of new tariffs, the Europeans came to the table with an offer of their own, and President Trump seemed to like it, saying he’d agreed to the framework of a deal. That agreement stops short of giving the United States outright control of Greenland, but reportedly makes way for the U.S. to expand its military presence on the island. In Minnesota, the administration is cracking down on activists who invaded a Christian church service over the weekend. At least three of the activists have been arrested. Vance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jd-vance-heads-to-minneapolis-to-meet-with-ice-agents-and-show-support?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=JD+Vance+Heads+To+Minneapolis+To+Meet+With+ICE+Agents+And+Show+Support">traveled</a> to the state this week to show support for the federal agents carrying out the president’s immigration enforcement agenda.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">March For Life 2026</h2>
On the heels of a pivotal announcement from the Trump administration banning the use of aborted fetal tissue in research, <a href="https://churchleaders.com/news/2212415-cedarville-university-adoption-march-for-life.html">hundreds of thousands</a> of pro-lifers are expected in Washington, D.C., on Friday for the annual March for Life. On Thursday, the National Institutes of Health ended the use of abortion-derived human fetal tissue in federally funded research. Notably, though, if someone wants to donate tissue from a miscarriage, NIH can use that for research. The new policy is another win for the pro-life movement on the eve of its 2026 rally. The March for Life will be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-vice-president-vance-to-headline-march-for-life">headlined</a> by Vice President Vance. The theme this year is “Life is a gift.” 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Australia’s New Anti-Hate Law</h2>
In response to the terrorist massacre at Bondi Beach, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/australia-to-target-antisemitism-and-visa-oversight-after-bondi-beach-terror-attack">Australia</a> has passed new “anti-hate” and gun control laws that have sparked more controversy. Dan Ryan, the executive director of the National Conservative Institute of Australia, says the “anti-hate” laws in particular are a serious invasion of Australian freedom of speech. According to Ryan, the new legal codes would allow the government to outlaw groups that have engaged in “hate crimes,” even if no other existing statute had been violated. Both sets of new laws ignore the real problems that led to the Bondi Beach attack. As Ryan says, “The underlying cause of what occurred in Bondi and the underlying cause of the sort of ethnic tensions that are playing out on the street has been the problems with our immigration program in Australia.”

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Morning Brief: Trump’s Greenland Deal, March For Life, & Australia’s New Anti-Hate Law

Donald Trump

Greenland

JD Vance

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Morning Wire

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday that his government would move to crack down on antisemitism and increase visa oversight following last weekend’s Bondi Beach terrorist attack targeting Jewish people observing Hanukkah.
The Australian government, which is led by Albanese&#8217;s leftist Labor Party, is set to adopt a plan that was first proposed in July to go after people spreading “hate, division, and radicalization,” The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/18/what-changes-are-planned-to-australias-hate-speech-laws-and-how-will-they-work-ntwnfb">reported</a>. The proposal would give Australia&#8217;s Department of Home Affairs more power &#8220;to cancel or reject visas for those who spread hate and division.&#8221;
The plan would also create a &#8220;new aggravated hate speech&#8221; charge for religious preachers and leaders who promote violence and would develop a list of organizations led by people who engage in violent rhetoric or promote racial hatred.
&#8220;Every Jewish Australian has the right to feel safe, valued and respected for the contribution that they make to our great nation,&#8221; Albanese <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmneem1e89o">said</a> at a press conference. He added, &#8220;The terrorists, inspired by ISIS &#8230; sought to turn Australians against each other.&#8221;
Albanese has been criticized by many in Australia&#8217;s Jewish community for ignoring the rise in threats toward Jewish people since Hamas&#8217; terrorist attack on Israel more than two years ago. After Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, put forward a plan earlier this year to address antisemitism and “hate speech,” Albanese was accused of ignoring the proposal and failing to push back against antisemitism following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack. On Thursday, Albanese acknowledged that criticism from the Jewish community over his earlier inaction was valid.
&#8220;I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But what I also do is accept my responsibility to lead the nation and unite the nation. Because what people are looking for at this time isn&#8217;t more division.&#8221;
The Australian government&#8217;s proposal to crack down on &#8220;hate speech&#8221; has drawn opposition from critics who argue it would further encroach on free speech. In the wake of last weekend&#8217;s antisemitic mass shooting, Australian leaders have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/australias-leftist-leaders-call-for-tougher-gun-laws-after-antisemitic-massacre">renewed</a> calls for &#8220;tougher gun laws,&#8221; with Albanese <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bondi-beach-shooting-australia-announces-new-gun-buyback-plan/">announcing</a> another gun buyback plan on Friday to &#8220;get guns off our streets.&#8221;
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“If you’re not a farmer, you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons that put the public in danger and make life dangerous and difficult for New South Wales Police?” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns asked.
The suspected gunmen who killed 15 people and wounded dozens more on Sydney&#8217;s popular Bondi Beach were inspired by ISIS, according to Australian authorities. Sajid and Naveed Akram, a father and son, are accused of targeting Jewish people. Naveed, who has been charged with terrorism, was on the Australian government&#8217;s radar over suspected ties to ISIS in 2019. Still, authorities at the time ultimately said there &#8220;was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence.&#8221;
Sajid, who was killed by police in the shooting, moved to Australia from India in 1998, and his children were all born in Australia, according to police. Since moving to Australia 27 years ago, Sajid had traveled to India just six times, and his family in India <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyvxke3wgko">said</a> they had &#8220;no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities,&#8221; according to officials.

Australia To Target Antisemitism And Visa Oversight After Bondi Beach Terror Attack

Bondi Beach

Hate Speech

Terrorism

terrorist attack

Heavily armed Australian police officers on Thursday detained seven men after receiving intelligence that the group, en route to Bondi Beach, might be planning a “violent act.”
Police rammed a white hatchback reportedly traveling from the southern state of Victoria to Sydney&#8217;s Bondi Beach, the site of last weekend&#8217;s ISIS-inspired antisemitic terror attack. Videos published by <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/men-pulled-from-crashed-car-by-heavily-armed-tactical-police-20251218-p5nouo.html">The Sydney Morning Herald</a> show authorities in camouflage gear, rifles in hand, zip-tying five of the men on a street in southwest Sydney.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Sydney police arrested five men near Bondi Beach on suspicion of carrying weapons after a vehicle they were in collided with a police car, officials said. Authorities acted on specific intelligence linking the group to potential threats near the site of Sunday’s deadly attack. <a href="https://t.co/9aHvHcPR6r">pic.twitter.com/9aHvHcPR6r</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2001607012388421769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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🚨Breaking News🚨
In Sydney five Muslims have been arrested as they were making their way to Bondi Beach for a copycat slaughter.
They were being watched by the Australian Intelligence service. <a href="https://t.co/CNpS6ahbyw">pic.twitter.com/CNpS6ahbyw</a>
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveAtherton20/status/2001670938333471092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A second hatchback was stopped by police just a few blocks away, and two men inside were also arrested. While the precise reason for the dramatic arrests was not disclosed, the group had been flagged by authorities in Victoria, according to the Herald. New South Wales police said only that “Tactical Operations police responded to information received that a violent act was possibly being planned.”
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A source told the Herald that authorities might have recovered a weapon in one of the vehicles, but police have not verified that claim. Authorities promised to release more information on the arrests and assured the public that &#8220;there is no ongoing risk to the community.&#8221;
The arrests on Thursday came just days after suspected gunmen Sajid and Naveed Akram, a father and son, were accused of killing 15 people and wounding dozens more in an attack targeting Jewish people participating in a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach. Australian authorities said that 24-year-old Naveed was inspired by ISIS and was previously investigated over his ties to the terror group. Officials said they &#8220;have not identified any connection to the current police investigation of the Bondi terror attack.”

Australian police

Australian Police Arrest 7 Near Bondi Beach Over Suspected Plot To Carry Out ‘Violent Act’

Crime

The 24-year-old man suspected of carrying out an ISIS-inspired terror attack in Australia targeting a Jewish celebration on Sunday will face terrorism and murder charges, authorities announced Wednesday. 
Naveed Akram was charged by the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team with terrorism and 15 counts of murder. Akram is accused of opening fire on a Hanukkah celebration taking place at the popular Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. 
The attack was also carried out by 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was killed by law enforcement. Naveed Akram was hospitalized after suffering critical injuries during the attack.
He was also charged with 40 counts of wounding/grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder, discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, public display of a prohibited terrorist organization symbol, and placing explosives in/near buildings with intent to cause harm.
&#8220;Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,&#8221; New South Wales Police <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-funerals-begin-bondi-beach-hanukkah-shooting-victims-2025-12-16/#:~:text=New%20South%20Wales%20Police%20said,GOVERNMENT%20TO%20PASS%20GUN%20REFORMS">said</a>. &#8220;Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia.&#8221;
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Two ISIS flags reportedly discovered in a vehicle belong to Naveed and Sajid. Investigators also say that the pair traveled to the Philippines between November 1 and November 28, where there is a strong Islamist presence. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-16/bondi-gunmen-went-to-philippines-for-military-style-training/106148662">reported</a> that sources said the two received &#8220;military-style training&#8221; while in the Philippines.  
Naveed Akram was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bondi-beach-terrorist-was-previously-investigated-for-ties-to-isis">previously investigated</a> by authorities over ties to an Islamic State terror cell six years ago. He was wrapped up in an investigation into a foiled ISIS attack that was planned by a man who declared himself the Australian commander of an ISIS cell in Australia. He was under investigation for six months before being deemed to pose no ongoing threat.
Those killed during the attack range between the ages of 10 and 87, though some are still being identified. Forty-one people were initially hospitalized after the attack, and 20 are still receiving treatment. 
Victims named so far include <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/slain-bondi-beach-rabbi-urged-australian-pm-months-before-do-not-betray-the-jewish-people?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Slain+Bondi+Beach+Rabbi+Urged+Australian+PM+Months+Before%3A+%E2%80%98Do+Not+Betray+the+Jewish+People%E2%80%99">Rabbi Eli Schlanger</a>, who helped organize the event, a 10-year-old girl <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/australia/bondi-beach-shooting-victims-australia-hanukkah-attack-rcna249203">named</a> Matilda Britvan, Peter Meagher, who was the photographer of the event, Tibor Weitzen, Dan Elkayam, Reuven Morrison, Yaakov Levitan, and Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman.

Shots Fired At Sydney’s Bondi Beach

ISIS-Inspired Bondi Beach Suspect To Face Terrorism Charges

Anti-Semitism

ISIS

Islam

Jews

One of the dumbest things we can do is flatten all ideologies and pretend all human beings think the same way.
Every time someone does this, you end up with the worst possible policy.
If you say, for example, all human beings have a yearning in their human heart for freedom in the same exact way, that can very easily lead you to the policies pursued by the George W. Bush administration, in which the president declared that the goal of the United States was to end tyranny on planet Earth.
Of course, that is not a sustainable goal, because it assumes that everyone has the same priorities that you have.
In the same way, when you suggest that all acts of violence are equivalent, when you abstract terrible things happening to the level of the general, when you say, “Okay, there&#8217;s a specific terror act directed at whites or Jews or blacks” — instead of looking at the specific cause that is being pursued, instead of looking at the specific ideological matrix used to justify and foment violence, you simply say “Violence is bad, and all human beings should just know that violence is bad,” you are preventing the actual solutions to those problems.
That’s because if you refuse to face up to the fact that certain ideas are worse than other ideas, certain cultures are worse than other cultures, certain ideological frameworks are worse than other ideological frameworks, you&#8217;re missing the motivating factor in human action.
Instead, what you end up with is a blunderbuss foreign policy that differentially strikes groups in an unfair and stupid way. 
The other day, Sunny Hostin of The View did a signal version of this. She was commenting on the mass shooting in Bondi Beach in Sydney against Jews by two Islamists.
Here is what she had to say:
<blockquote>I used to think that gun violence was just an American phenomenon. And now we see this sort of anti-Semitic attack in Australia on the first day of Hanukkah, which is so disgusting and disturbing. And then, you know, kids going to college at Brown in the middle of finals getting murdered. What those families went through? Why all of this sickness and hatred going around the world? </blockquote>
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The View is a purveyor of hate. Now, after the tragic weekend, they wonder why there&#8217;s so much hate. 
&#8220;Why all of this sickness and hatred going around the world? Not just in this country,&#8221; Sunny Hostin, one of the most hate-fueled people on TV. <a href="https://t.co/ox73cTuPq6">pic.twitter.com/ox73cTuPq6</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2000599580283420709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Why all of this sickness and hatred going around the world?” That’s fine on the level of a two-year-old.
But let&#8217;s be very clear. Different ideological groups commit different types of crimes. Some commit no crimes. Some actually promote peace. Some ideologies promote vast terror attacks, such as radical Islamism.
But when you reduce everything to “It&#8217;s just an act of violence,” or to the tool, such as a gun; when you look at the Brown University shooting, where we still don&#8217;t know the motive, and then you look at what happened in Sydney, Australia, where you absolutely know the motive and you flatten that out and pretend they are both the same, you&#8217;re preventing the implementation of policies that would actually prevent shootings.
That’s because there actually are ways to target radical Islam in, for example, Sydney, Australia: Don&#8217;t import more radical Muslims. Surveil radical mosques. Create a better security apparatus. Have a government that does not grant credibility to radical Islamists and their arguments.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2335-the-dumbest-assumption-in-all-of-politics?elementPosition=8&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
There are many ways to fight particular ideologies or particular ideas.
But when you flatten that all out to the idea that it&#8217;s all just “gun violence,” you are preventing a solution.
That is often the core of the debate between the Right and the Left, the traditional Right and Left.
I always have to clarify this because there are people who exist on the so-called political Right who are not in any real way conservative; they just don&#8217;t like some of the elements of the Left.
But traditional conservative thinking suggests that human beings are motivated by the ideas and ideologies they carry, and also that human beings are deeply flawed. They&#8217;re not inherently good; human beings have the capacity for greatness and also the capacity for sin.
All of this is embedded in Federalist 51, in which James Madison argues that if human beings were angels, you wouldn&#8217;t need a government in order to govern them because they would be angels.
Once you recognize the reality of human flaws and nature, once you recognize that people change their behavior based on the ideologies that they hold, then it makes it possible to look at the outgrowth of particular ideologies and then fight those ideas.
Otherwise, what you end up with is a very bad and stupid public policy.

Good Morning America’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

The Dumbest Assumption In All Of Politics

Ben Shapiro

Leftists

Mass Shooting

Opinion

Radical Islam

Sunny Hostin

The View

Violent Crime

A distraught Jewish couple shared the harrowing and heartbreaking circumstances during the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in Australia, when they couldn’t find one of their daughters amidst the bloodshed and chaos.
Wayne and Vanessa Miller, whose daughter Capri is four years old and daughter Gigi is three, spoke to Erin Molan in a highly emotional interview.
“In Australia, we’re such targets; the government&#8217;s not doing much about it,” Wayne began.
“Capri wanted to get a balloon, so I left Vanessa, and I walked up to the balloon stand, which was actually on the west end of the whole event, closest to where the shooter was, shooting from the bridge,” he recalled of the massacre. “And we were waiting in line for the balloons, and the next thing I feel something hit me in the face like a ricochet or something. I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, they must’ve set off a firecracker. How unsafe.’”
“And then it was a big bang, then I heard it again, and then I was just — I took Capri up, I picked her up and &#8230; I dived under a table, and I was just I smothering her. She was completely underneath me. No part of her body was exposed,” he continued. “So much was going on &#8230; two arm lengths away, there was a guy lying there shot. I couldn’t do anything about it, and then the next thing Vanessa phones me and she says to me, ‘Have you got the kids?’”
“I said, ‘I’ve just got Capri,” he said. “I said, ‘Where’s Gigi?’ She said she doesn’t have Gigi. And at that moment, I put my head out into the field to see if I could see her, and there was just shooting &#8230; the shots were going off, and people were shouting, ‘Get down! Get back!’ And I just went and laid over Capri, and I said to Vanessa, ‘We’ll get her back. We’ll get her.’ Gunshots were going off, and I couldn’t even move to go find my little baby. It was the longest five minutes.”
Wayne said a man lying down near him said he didn’t know where two of his own children were. After the shooting stopped, he grabbed Capri in his arms and ran to the car park where Vanessa was, handed her Capri, and said, “I’m going in to look for Gigi.”
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“There was blood, and people lying on the floor, and dead bodies,” he remembered. Gigi was wearing a rainbow skirt and a pink top, and Wayne saw his daughter underneath a lady, “this hero of a person,” who had seen his daughter crying and pulled her underneath her, protecting her. When Wayne saw his daughter, she was covered with blood from a woman near her who had been shot in the head.
Finding Gigi was “the best moment of my life,” he wept.
“I knew Wayne had Capri,” Vanessa said. “I was looking around. I couldn’t find Gigi. I’m standing around screaming, ‘Where are you? Where’s my family? Where are my girls?”
“There were two policemen; one was hiding behind a car; one was shot in the head, bleeding from his face. &#8230; I tried to grab one of their guns, he says no. I’m trying to grab for his gun. &#8230; These police officers were hiding behind a car,” she said. “They were just standing there, listening and watching this all happen, holding me back.”
“My little three-year-old was saved by a pregnant woman who saw her crying and screaming, ‘Mummy, Daddy,’  running around while everyone was on the floor. She’s lucky to be alive, and I know that today,” she continued.
Wayne told Molan, “Last night, putting Capri to bed, we’re lying under the table, she said, ‘Daddy, when we’re lying under the table, I have to wee in my pants because I don’t want to go to the toilet and get dead.’”
Speaking about the Australian government, Wayne said, “It’s appalling the position they’ve left the Jewish community in.”
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Australia Reacts To Mass Shooting At Bondi Beach

Gunfire, Bloodshed, And A Missing Child: One Jewish Family’s Nightmare At The Bondi Beach Massacre

Gunfire, Blood, And A Missing Child: One Jewish Family’s Nightmare At Bondi Beach Massacre

Erin Molan

Massacre

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