Australian news and politics recap: NSW Health staff stood down over vile anti-Semitic video

We’re wrapping up our live coverage of news and politics on The Nightly for the day.

It’s been a huge day dominated by the shocking video showing two NSW Health workers making anti-Semitic comments in a video - while in uniform.

Scroll down to recap the day’s events as they took place, and be sure to join us first thing tomorrow morning.

We’ll have rolling coverage throughout the day right here at The Nightly.

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The Nightly’s chief writer Aaron Patrick has penned a searing column on the vile anti-Semitic video that made headlines today:

A video recording of two nurses from Bankstown Hospital - in the heart of Muslim western Sydney - wishing death upon Israelis was shocking not just for the murderous content, but the casual delivery.

Hiding her hair, not her prejudice, a hijab-wearing Sarah Abu Lebdeh told Israeli online poster Max Veifer, who specialises in exposing Jew haters: “When your time comes, I want you to remember my face so you can understand that you will die the most disgusting death.”

The conversation, which has already spread around the world, raises a deeply uncomfortable question for Australia: why do some immigrants carry conflict from their ancestral homelands to their new nation, and how can they be convinced to embrace the tolerance that has left Australia largely peaceful for 237 years?

​Read the full article here.​

And now for something completely different - a renovation of a local site in Wooler, near Newcastle in the UK, has unearthed more than 170 World War II-era practice bombs buried beneath a playground.

According to the Washington Post, the bombs were discovered by workers digging foundations at the playground.

“It soon became apparent that the scale of the problem was far greater than anyone had anticipated,” the local council said in a news release.

The council described the ordnance as “practice bombs” but stressed that “they do still carry a charge and given the numbers involved, need to be recovered by professionals.”

A total of 176 bombs have been discovered so far.

Just in from Katina Curtis at Parliament House:

Labor and the Coalition have teamed up on an overhaul of election financing that will smash Climate 200’s business model of aggregating donations for independent candidates.

In an eleventh-hour deal to pass the legislation on Wednesday night, the major parties agreed to a compromise position lifting the proposed cap on donations from $20,000 to $50,000 and increasing the disclosure threshold from $1000 to $5000.

It’s the biggest shake-up of political financing in decades.

Full story here.

The Commissioner said while she expected there to be developments overnight, she called for time to conduct the investigation.

“It is crucial police are given time to conduct further interviews and navigate this high-level investigation,” she said.

“An update will be given tomorrow following further investigations overnight.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has released a statement on the anti-Semitic video, saying an investigation from Strike Force Pearl was underway.

Strike Force Pearl was formed to tackle the growing scourge of anti-Semitism in New South Wales.

Just two weeks ago, Ms Webb revealed she had assigned an additional 40 invetigators to the strike force.

Today, she confirmed the strike force was investigating the video.

“This is a sad day for our country, it is unthinkable that we are confronted with, and forced to, investigate such an appalling incident.

“The speed in which this incident was reported by NSW Health significantly assisted detectives in what is a very serious investigation.

“Detectives have managed to interview staff and establish areas within Bankstown Hospital where detectives believe the video was allegedly filmed.

“We have also seized CCTV footage which is currently under review. There will be further developments overnight.”

The High Court has handed down its ruling on Clive Palmer’s legal battle to keep his United Australia Party name on the electoral roll - and it’s not good news for the mining billionaire.

AAP reports that the High Court struck out the businessman’s bid to re-register UAP in time for the poll in the next few months:

Mr Palmer, his Victorian UAP Senator Ralph Babet and the party’s national director Neil Favager launched a bid to reverse the party’s de-registration in 2024.

They argued it would impair voters’ ability to directly elect UAP candidates, it discriminated against the party’s candidates and infringed on freedom of political communication.

The High Court disagreed.

Read the full story here.

A Pennsylvania teacher released from a Russian prison has labelled Donald Trump a “hero” after a meeting with the President at the White House.

“I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all. And President Trump is a hero,” Marc Fogel said, hours after he landed back on US soil.

Mr Fogel was arrested with what he said was legally prescribed marijuana and spent three and a half years in jail. He was only released after an exchange deal that Mr Trump called “very reasonable” was negotiated.

The President said “someone else is being released that you will know of” tomorrow.

READ MORE

Pope Francis issued a major rebuke to the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations of migrants, but he didn’t have to wait long for a respose.

In a letter to US bishops in which he appeared to take direct aim at Vice President J.D. Vance, he warned that the forceful removal of people purely because of their illegal status “will end badly”.

But US border tsar Tom Homan immediately pushed back, noting that the Vatican is a city-state surrounded by walls and that Francis should leave border enforcement to his office.

The family of Sarah Abu Lebdeh, the female nurse featured in the anti-Semitic video, claims she is “in a bad way”.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, a man who identified himself as her uncle said she was having a panic attack and they “may need to call an ambulance”.