In a scene that laid bare the extraordinary double standards governing Australia’s political class, Senator Pauline Hanson of the One Nation Party walked into the chamber wearing a burqa after Parliament refused even to allow her bill banning full-face coverings to be introduced. Within seconds, the Left erupted. Senators shouted for her removal, called her “racist,” and shut the Senate down. Senate leader Penny Wong called for a vote on removing Hanson from the chamber as senators continued to shout, “Get her out.” “I rise to ask that you reflect the ruling of Senator Parry, when in the President’s chair, in relation to a similar stunt by this senator in this place, and I will remind those who may not have been here of what the then leader of the government, Senator Brandis, said at the time,’’ Wong said. “He says to Senator Hanson, ‘Senator I’m not going to pretend to ignore the stunt you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burqa, when we all know you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith.’” “As soon as I started to introduce the bill, I was shut down,” Hanson responded. “And for Penny Wong to get up and say this is a place where we may have differences in policies and that type of thing. Well, that’s an absolute joke, because they won’t accept my policies.” “I respect people’s religions, okay, and I adhere to Section 116 of the Australian Constitution about religious observance,” she continued. “I’ve had no problem with that, but the burqa is not a religious requirement, and that’s been called out by Islamic clerics. These people don’t assimilate, and it’s controlling women. Here they constantly talk about, in the Greens and everyone else, women’s rights. We’re fighting for women’s rights, equal pay, equal you know, domestic violence, we’re clearly calling that women’s rights. If you ban the burqa, some of these men cannot force their women to wear the burqa.” Hanson wrote on X after the incident in the Senate: “Today I wore a burqa into the Senate after One Nation’s bill to ban the burqa and face coverings in public was blocked from even being introduced. The usual hypocrites had an absolute freak out. The fact is more than 20 countries around the world have banned the Burqa because they recognise it as a tool that oppresses women, poses a national security risk, encourages radical islam and threatens social cohesion. If these hypocrites don’t want me to wear a burqa, they can always support my ban. Listen to my right of reply to what happened today, because I was blocked from saying anything in Parliament.” Today I wore a burqa into the Senate after One Nation's bill to ban the burqa and face coverings in public was blocked from even being introduced. The usual hypocrites had an absolute freak out. The fact is more than 20 countries around the world have banned the Burqa… pic.twitter.com/8ZZ0Sin1hG — Pauline Hanson ?? (@PaulineHansonOz) November 24, 2025 “If this isn’t peak irony, I don’t know what is,” commentator Rukshan Fernando pointed out. “This is Australia, if the burqa is not banned, then anyone should be able to wear one and do with it what they like. There would be zero objections right now to a Muslim politician wearing a burqa in Parliament House. All sorts of props have been used in Parliament, including, most recently, the keffiyeh worn by people who are clearly not of that culture or background. We are constantly told that wearing a burqa is a freely made choice and that it is just a garment, so what exactly is the problem with Pauline Hanson wearing one? How can one group of people have exclusive rights over a style of garment in Australia? If the burqa is such a controversial garment, and these blatant double standards mean people can’t wear one for whatever reason they choose, then how is Pauline Hanson attempting to ban its use in public such a big deal?” Today, Senator Pauline Hanson was banned from wearing a burqa in the Senate while attempting to introduce a bill to ban the burqa in Australia. If this isn’t peak irony, I don’t know what is. This is Australia, if the burqa is not banned, then anyone should be able to wear one… https://t.co/ixUSUpiB94 pic.twitter.com/7AAzdEDp1S — Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) November 24, 2025 Hanson’s stance is part of her party’s broader, unapologetic defense of Western values. One Nation has been one of the strongest voices in Australia firmly supporting Israel after the October 7 Hamas atrocities, calling out the Albanese government for backing a United Nations push they say effectively legitimizes a terrorist-controlled Palestinian authority. One Nation argues that Labor and the Greens speak out of both sides of their mouths—condemning Hamas when convenient while advancing policies that embolden anti-Israel sentiment at home. Against that backdrop, Hanson’s protest was no “stunt.” It was a demonstration meant to force a conversation Australia’s elites would rather avoid. In that sense, it succeeded.

Left-wing activists in Pennsylvania have threatened to launch a primary campaign against Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) — but he’s just laughing it off, saying that they’ll make him look more like the reasonable person he’s always claimed to be. Fetterman reacted to the news on Friday’s Fox News broadcast of “The Story” with host Martha MacCallum, saying he did not expect the group  — Working Families for Pennsylvania — to get much traction against him. WATCH: ?NEW: John Fetterman *TAUNTS* left-wing party over primary threat? “Ooh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so — because I guarantee whoever they put up, they’re going to make me look the reasonable guy that’s going to work with both sides together and find a way for… https://t.co/McL2okE1RW pic.twitter.com/jnufWD4QQ7 — Jason Cohen ?? (@JasonJournoDC) November 21, 2025 The left-wing group had released a statement a few days earlier, promising action: “We’re primarying John Fetterman. Last week, Fetterman once again sold out working Pennsylvanians. He was the deciding vote for a Republican budget bill that will strip healthcare from over 400,000 Pennsylvanians. We deserve real working class leadership in the U.S. Senate.” Fetterman struggled to contain his mirth. “Ooh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so — because I guarantee whoever they put up, they’re going to make me look the reasonable guy that’s going to work with both sides together and find a way for Pennsylvania,” he said, laughing at the idea. Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday. Fetterman went on to defend his vote to end the recent government shutdown — the longest in American history — saying that he would not apologize for voting to restore SNAP benefits (food stamps) to the more than 40 million families who relied on them, nor would he apologize for voting to restore pay for the United States military and the Capitol Police. “If they want to primary me … I’ve been on the side of common sense and I’m always going to put our country over party, and I think most people now realize that shutting our government down was wrong,” he concluded.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced six interagency agreements (IAAs) with four federal agencies to take another major step forward toward fulfilling the promise of dismantling the 45-year failure of the astronomically expensive and ineffective department. The agreements are with the Department of Labor, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State. According to a press release from the Department of Education, “by partnering with agencies that are best positioned to deliver results for students and taxpayers, these IAAs will streamline federal education activities on legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.” The six agreements are as follows. First is the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Going forward, the Department of Labor will begin playing a larger role in the administration of federal K-12 education programs to enhance alignment with workforce and postsecondary programs, resulting in “a cohesive, unified strategy for talent development.” Second is the Postsecondary Education Partnership, which is also between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. It will streamline the administration of postsecondary education programs and will “create a better coordinated Federal approach to postsecondary education and workforce development to help more Americans achieve career success.” Third is the Indian Education Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior. This includes the Department of the Interior administering Indian education spanning from elementary, secondary, and higher education, as well as career and technical education and vocational rehabilitation. This will ensure Native American students are better served with education, training, and workforce programs. Fourth is the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. It leverages the expertise of the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate whether the accreditation standards for foreign medical schools are comparable to those of U.S. medical schools. According to a fact sheet in conjunction with the press release, the “accreditation standards must be comparable between U.S. and foreign medical schools in order for American students enrolled in medical schools outside of the U.S. to be eligible for federal student loans.” Fifth is a second agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, termed the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership. The partnership will “promote innovation and process improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for parents and children” by streamlining policies and program requirements, and also providing “campus-based child care services to low-income students.” Sixth is the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of State. It enhances the efficiency of the Fulbright-Hays grant programs, which equip Americans with skills critical to our national security and interests. Speaking of these partnerships, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission.” The mission is nothing other than — with the votes necessary from Congress — to eliminate the ineffective U.S. Department of Education, which has wasted trillions of dollars without improving student learning. Continuing, Secretary McMahon explained what lies ahead: “As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms. Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools — ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system.” Since January, the Trump Administration has been focused on cutting wasteful spending within the U.S. Department of Education and removing harmful ideologies. For example, just three days after taking office, under the President’s direction, the U.S. Department of Education took action to “eliminate harmful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” This included placing U.S. Department of Education staff leading DEI initiatives on administrative leave, removing more than 200 web pages containing DEI resources that promote or endorse harmful ideological programs, and cutting over $2.5 million of DEI contracts. Credit: Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images. In March, President Trump signed the “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” executive order directing Secretary McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” President Trump explained and communicated confidence, stating, “We are going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs. And this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it is a common-sense thing to do, and it is going to work. Absolutely, it is going to work.” Signing the executive order was a foundational first step toward eliminating the department. Despite the opposition’s rhetoric, dismantling the Department of Education is about partnering with other federal agencies to improve efficiency, break down bureaucracy, and return education to the states where it rightfully belongs. This will give moms and dads a bigger voice while providing for greater accountability for academic results. The recent 43-day government shutdown highlighted the lack of need for the federal education department. Just two days before the major IAAs partnership announcement, Secretary McMahon wrote in USA Today on November 16, “The Schumer shutdown underlined just how little the Department of Education will be missed. As such, the Trump administration will work to end federal micromanagement of our schools and empower state and local leaders to create high-quality education programs that lead to a rewarding career. We know that the stakes could not be higher.” These strategic actions under Secretary McMahon’s leadership mark a decisive departure from decades of federal bureaucratic bloat and chart the much-needed path forward toward making good on President Trump’s executive order commitment to return “power over education to families instead of bureaucracies.” * * * Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. * * * Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday.

In the aftermath of the deadly 2023 shooting at Tennessee’s Covenant School, in which a transgender-identifying shooter killed six at the Christian school, Democrat Aftyn Behn said that her sympathies were with the transgender community. Behn, now running to represent the Nashville area in Congress, said the aftermath of the shooting was “incredibly upsetting” for her family — because of the anger directed at the “trans communities.” “So, for those of you who don’t know, my partner has a trans son, and the month of April and the final week of March was incredibly upsetting for us,” Behn said in a July 31, 2023, candidate forum, just months after the massacre. “In the wake of the Covenant shooting, and the disclosure that the Covenant shooter was trans, I was pulled into a chat with other trans organizers and activists across the state that were fearful of their lives.” Behn said the shooting inspired her to run for office to fight “every day” for “protections for trans kids and our trans communities.” She said she was specifically inspired to fight back against The Daily Wire, and specifically Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, because the company is based in Nashville. “Every legislative session, I promise to carry a ‘trans bill of rights’ so that we can push back against the far-right narrative that is being emanated by Matt Walsh and The Daily Wire, who have set up their home in Nashville,” Behn said. “I promise to do that, and I promise to fight for the trans community.” WATCH:  WATCH: This is how Democrat Aftyn Behn responded to the Covenant shooting, when a trans-identifying woman killed six at the Christian school. It inspired Behn’s first run for office…so she could fight to protect “trans communities” and against Daily Wire and @MattWalshBlog. pic.twitter.com/th13e1v6dW — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 24, 2025 Behn, who is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in a special election next Monday, has indeed fought for far-left positions since she was elected that year, especially on transgender issues. For example, Behn opposed a parental rights law that would make schools notify parents about their child’s “trans identity.” She called it an attack on “vulnerable kids” who are “just trying to make it out of middle school alive.” The Democrat is also on record opposing a law that would protect minors from drag shows. Behn insisted the law “isn’t about protecting kids” but about “spreading fear and division.” READ MORE: Why Creating A New Terrorism Category For Transgender Violence Matters Behn and Van Epps are fighting for the congressional seat vacated by House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green earlier this year. Democrats are loading money into the district, in hopes of flipping a reliably Republican district. Her leftist views, many of which she’s been forced to run away from, are emerging as a serious impediment. Even on MS NOW, the liberal network formerly known as MSNBC, Behn was called out this weekend for her past policy positions, including that the Nashville police department should be disbanded and that burning down a police station is justified. She declined to back away from either statement. Holy crap, the Democrat nominee for Tennessee’s 7th district — parts of Nashville, Franklin & beyond, my congressional district — called for shutting down Nashville’s police department & burning down police stations. Go vote for Matt Van Epps on Monday: pic.twitter.com/lNaR30e91N — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 24, 2025 Behn has also taken heat for trashing Nashville, which she supposedly wants to represent in Congress. “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she said in an unearthed podcast clip posted this past week. Related: Music City Fumble: Dem Candidate Said She Hates City She Wants To Represent In Congress

Most Americans are skeptical about potential military action against Venezuela, according to new polling. A CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday night found that 70% of American adults oppose potential military action against the Venezuelan regime while just 30% of respondents approve. The survey comes as President Donald Trump has ramped up the military’s presence in […]

'He grabbed his hands around my neck'

He first appeared in European films before breaking through in Hollywood

Stephanie Dilyard was working alone when the incident occurred

'All happened pretty quickly'

Column SFF Bestiary The Lore and the Weird Magic of the Jellyfish Even as sea creatures go, the jellyfish is especially alien… By Judith Tarr | Published on November 24, 2025 Photo by Katarzyna Urbanek [via Unsplash] Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Katarzyna Urbanek [via Unsplash] Even as sea creatures go, the jellyfish is weird. It’s 95% water. It has no bones, no brain, no blood, no heart. It’s been swimming through the sea for hundreds of millions of years. At the rate it’s going, it may be the last thing left after everything else has succumbed to climate change and plain old entropy. I’ve talked about the jellyfish that may be immortal, but that’s only one of hundreds of different varieties across two phyla, Cnidaria and Ctenophora. They come in all sizes from a tiny pinprick to a monster almost three meters across. What they all have in common is their general shape: a bell or a box with trailing tentacles, nearly always equipped with stinging cells that stun and capture prey. Jellyfish stings are a notorious problem for humans. Most jellies are not lethal, but their stings can hurt like fury, and it’s often impossible to know they’re there until you step or swim into them. Even if you can see the bell, the tentacles can stretch far beyond it. The most venomous animal in the world is the Australian box jellyfish. Unlike most jellies, which aren’t particularly strong swimmers and mostly drift on the currents, this jellyfish can swim against the tide, and it has eyes. It can see you. It’s not just scary, it’s deadly. And it’s big: its tentacles are up to 3 meters (10 feet) long. What we recognize as a jellyfish, or a sea jelly as they’re more properly called, is only one of several life stages: the medusa. That’s the pulsing, graceful, sometimes deadly creature that’s found in every ocean. Under the right conditions it can congregate in groups as small as a meter across and as large as hundreds of meters: a phenomenon called a bloom. This is a supremely simple animal with a complex life cycle. It consists of a bell or box with an orifice that serves as both mouth and anus, a nerve net that’s capable of detecting levels of light, temperature, and chemical changes in the water (i.e., a sort of sense of smell), and the tentacles I mentioned above, which can trail for many meters behind the bell. They eat plankton and small sea creatures and sometimes fellow jellies. They are eaten in turn by other animals including sea turtles, whale sharks, and humans—some species are a delicacy in Asia. Jellies reproduce in two stages, one sexual and one asexual. The medusa releases either eggs and sperm into the water. They fertilize there (or sometimes in the mouth of the female) and develop into free-swimming larvae, which eventually attach to a surface and grow into polyps. These polyps in turn reproduce asexually by budding off ephyrae or infant jellies. Those that survive to adulthood become medusae. And so the cycle begins again. Medusae tend to be short-lived, as little as a few months, but polyps can live for years or even decades. And then of course there’s that wonder of the world, the immortal jellyfish, which can reverse the aging process and transform back into a polyp. Then, when conditions are right, it matures again into a medusa. It’s a complicated process, but it works. Jellies have outlasted most other species that have existed in the world. They’re invaluable to science not just for their longevity and persistence, but for what they can tell us about conditions in the ocean. Jellyfish blooms serve as indicators of climate change, as the water temperature rises and their reproductive cycle speeds up. Warmer water, more jellies, bigger blooms. This affects shipping and fisheries, as well as swimmers and beachgoers. Jellies have been ringing another set of alarm bells for the scientists who study them. As they feed, they accumulate microplastics. When other animals prey on them, the plastics move further on up the food chain. They’re a clear indicator of a growing problem. But there is a possible upside to this. Jellies, and the mucus some of them generate as a means of trapping prey, can actually trap microplastics. It may be possible to use them as a filter, to help clean up the ocean. That would be a serious benefit to the whole planet, not just to humans. While I’m contemplating the strangeness and possible usefulness of the jellyfish, I’m trying to remember where I’ve read of jellyfish-like aliens in science fiction. Anne McCaffrey’s Thread, for example is a kind of medusa-less jellyfish tentacle: all sting, no pretty. Where else do we see this particular kind of beautifully weird alien?[end-mark] The post The Lore and the Weird Magic of the Jellyfish appeared first on Reactor.