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Good morning!

A big happy birthday to Pitbull (Mr Worldwide).

Thank you for teaching us all that everyday above ground is a great day. We’ll remember that.

Put on your bald caps to celebrate.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“I have asked the Department of Education to ensure that schools cease using texts by Craig Silvey for the 2026 school year while the allegations are under investigation.”
WA Education Minister Sabine Winton in a statement after popular Australian author Craig Silvey was charged with child exploitation offences. Victoria has also removed Silvey’s books from its curriculum.

Stat of the day

1.4ºC
The estimated current level of long-term global warming above the pre-industrial level, according to new data from Copernicus. It found 2025 was the third-warmest year on record. The world’s landmark Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. However, Copernicus says that is now expected to be reached by the end of this decade.

TDA reader’s comment of the week

"Ok but why does an iced long black cost the same as an iced latte. No milk to justify the cost!"
A comment left on our video about why iced coffees are more expensive than hot coffees. Part of the answer was because of the milk!

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

  • There are calls to demolish the Bondi Beach footbridge where two gunmen killed 15 people at a Chanukah celebration on 14 December. NSW Premier Chris Minns supported its removal, warning the pedestrian bridge could serve as a “ghoulish reminder” of the terror attack. However, Minns said victims and families should have the final say. The structure is one of two heritage listed bridges over the Bondi Beach carpark. A 2024 report found the bridges were reaching the end of their useful life, prompting discussion about whether to restore or demolish them. Any changes will only occur after consultation with the Jewish community and other local residents, Waverley Council said. 

  • Author Randa Abdel-Fattah has taken a step towards suing the South Australian Premier for defamation, after she was removed from a writers’ festival lineup. Peter Malinauskas supported the Adelaide Festival’s decision to block Abdel-Fattah – a vocal critic of Israel who has been accused of antisemitism – from speaking at its 2026 Writers’ Week. The move prompted around 180 writers to boycott the event and led to this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week being cancelled altogether. Abdel-Fattah claims Malinauskas has made comments about her that amount to “a vicious personal assault,” by “the highest public official in South Australia.” She has announced her lawyers have issued a concerns notice under the Defamation Act against SA Premier Peter Malinauskas. This is an initial required step before formal legal proceedings can be launched. 

Recommendation of the day

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Head to CommBank Newsroom for insights, features and the latest in finance as it happens.

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I’ve got 1 minute

Tom Silvagni has filed an appeal of his rape conviction

Tom Silvagni has filed an appeal against his rape conviction.

In December, Silvagni was sentenced to six years and two months in jail for raping a woman in 2024.

The 23-year-old is the son of former AFL player Stephen Silvagni. His brother, Jack, currently plays for St Kilda.

The case

In December, Silvagni was found guilty of raping a woman in 2024. The jury heard he raped the complainant at his home.

The victim testified that she was in a dark bedroom on 14 January 2024 when Silvagni snuck in, climbed into bed, and penetrated her without consent, pretending to be a man she had previously had consensual sex with.

Sentence

Silvagni was sentenced to six years and two months in jail, with a non-parole period of three years and three months.

The maximum penalty for the offence of rape is 25 years’ imprisonment.

During the sentencing, Judge Greg Lyon described Silvagni’s crimes as “marked by planning, cunning and strategy”.

The judge also said that Silvagni had “no remorse and no insight into any aspect of your wrongdoing.”

Reporting by Billi FitzSimons.

Sun fact of the day

Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide – summer’s coolest accessories

Slip on clothing. 

Slop on SPF50+.

Slap on a hat.

Seek shade.

Slide on sunnies.

Transparency: This is a sponsored section of the newsletter. It's the best way we can keep this newsletter free for you

I’ve got 2 minutes

Bill and Hillary Clinton have refused to testify in a U.S. Govt investigation into Jeffrey Epstein

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said they will not comply with a Congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The pair, particularly Bill, have been linked to Epstein.

In July, the Clintons were subpoenaed as part of the investigation. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing.

Here’s the context you need to understand this story.

Clinton and Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender who was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, dying in jail soon after.

He was known to be friends with an array of high-profile politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton (1993-2001).

Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of State under Barack Obama, and ran as Democratic nominee for the 2016 Presidential election, won by Donald Trump.

During his presidency, Clinton was publicly accused of sexual misconduct by three different women.

In 1994, Paula Jones accused Bill Clinton of sexually harassing her three years earlier, before he ran for President. The case was settled for $US850,000 in 1998, with Clinton making no admission of guilt.

During investigations into Jones’ allegation, former White House aide Kathleen Willey alleged Clinton had groped her in the White House in 1993, which he denied. An investigation did not proceed due to insufficient evidence.

In 1999, Juanita Broaddrick alleged Clinton had raped her in 1978. Clinton’s lawyer called the allegation “absolutely false,” and it never went to court.

Bill Clinton was photographed with Epstein at public events during his presidency, prior to Epstein’s first criminal conviction.

In 2019, a representative for Bill Clinton posted to X saying the former President “knows nothing about [Epstein’s] terrible crimes”.

The statement said Clinton “took a total of four trips” on Epstein’s plane and that he never visited his island.

Investigation

So, why have the Clintons been called to give evidence, and who are they giving evidence to?

First, a bit more context: Like Australia’s Parliament, the U.S. Congress has a lower house called the House of Representatives (nicknamed the House) and an upper house called the Senate.

Also like Australia, House and Senate members belong to committees tasked with monitoring and investigating issues relevant to the Government and its citizens, including the Government’s own actions.

These committees can issue subpoenas — a formal order for a person or entity to produce documents and communications, or to give evidence, typically used by courts.

The House Oversight Committee examines the actions of federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Justice (DoJ).

On 23 July 2025, its chair James Comer announced a review of the DoJ’s handling of the Epstein case.

The Committee issued subpoenas for the Clintons, among others, to testify in the investigation.

Then, in November, Congress passed an act forcing the release of all documents from past DoJ investigations into Epstein.

While some documents were already publicly available, the DoJ and the House Oversight Committee began releasing more ‘Epstein files’.

Some of the files in the most recent release, from late December, include photos of Bill Clinton.

He is pictured in a pool with convicted Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, on Epstein’s plane with multiple women whose identities were redacted, and with musicians Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, and Diana Ross.

Response

On Tuesday (local time), Bill Clinton did not attend a scheduled appointment to give evidence.

A letter from the Clintons’ legal team labelled the subpoenas as “invalid and legally unenforceable” and “intended to harass and embarrass”.

In a personal letter to Comer, the Clintons accused him of pursuing “a rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”

“We have tried to give you the little information we have… [You] demand the most from those who know the least.”

What’s next?

Comer told press that the Committee “will move next week... to hold former President Clinton in contempt of Congress,” a criminal offence.

Witnesses can be held accountable for not complying with a subpoena.

Comer said that the motion to subpoena the pair was “voted on by an entire subcommittee in a unanimous vote”.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

A message from CommBank Newsroom

What’s feeling more expensive right now?

In an Instagram poll with TDA, we asked what feels more expensive than this time last year. Food costs dominated the responses - especially groceries - but the second most common reply was ‘everything'.

After that, replies clustered around essentials like electricity, petrol and household bills, plus the cost of getting around. Coffee also came up repeatedly - one of those everyday buys where small price changes are easy to notice.

Explore the full poll results at CommBank Newsroom and we’ll keep unpacking the themes you’re calling out through explainers with TDA.

Give me some good news

A Nepalese British Army veteran has become the first double above-knee amputee to climb the seven continent’s highest peaks.

Hari Budha Magar was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 when he lost both his legs to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). After years of training and gruelling climbs, the mountaineer conquered his seventh and final peak in Antarctica this month. He climbed nearly 5,000 metres over three days to reach the summit of Mount Vinson. "A disability shouldn't limit the size of your dream — anything is possible with enough determination," Magar said.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

TDA titbit

In case you missed it, there was a ‘mullet’ competition in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania this week.

Donning the infamous haircut, about 150 contestants showed off their manes. They were judged on the style, presentation, and their overall commitment to their cut, according to a judge who spoke to AP News.

A 10-year-old took the top spot with his nod to the movie character ‘Joe Dirt’ (seen above).

Given this is our unspoken national haircut, we’re wondering where all the Aussies were!

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!

Books by popular Australian author Craig Silvey have been pulled from shelves in Western Australian schools, after the 43-year-old was charged with child exploitation. Several of Silvey’s books, including Runt, and Jasper Jones, are studied by students around the country. But, following a raid on his home on Monday, the WA Education Minister has ordered state schools not to use texts by the author in classrooms this year, while the allegations against Silvey are investigated. Today, we’ll explain who Craig Silvey is, the charges against him, and how schools are responding. 

TDA asks

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