Queensland to record its hottest day in four years, a man who drowned at Penrith Beach remembered by loved ones, a teenage boy dies in a shark attack in South Australia, an Israeli official says strikes could have avoided a Gaza refugee camp, Republicans appeal Donald Trump's ballot ruling, and Storm Gerrit brings wild weather to the UK.   See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to remove former president Donald Trump from the 2024 primary ballot. This comes in contrast to Colorado which recently ruled Trump ineligible to run for high office. Sky News host James Macpherson says the United States presidential election faces the prospect of being a “legal fiasco”. “We’re going to just face these legal challenges ongoing for the next number of months aren’t we,” Mr Macpherson said. “Doesn’t the US presidential election, even the primaries for the Republican Party face the prospect of being turned into a legal fiasco?”

Victoria’s “war on gas” continues, says Sky News host James Macpherson. “With households and businesses facing hefty gas connection fees, as the state marches relentlessly towards net zero.,” Mr Macpherson said. “In 2025 gas connection fees will need to be paid upfront in Victoria. “Now for homes that will cost up to $2,500 and businesses could be hit with payments of up to $31,000.” Mr Macpherson is joined by The Australian’s Environmental Editor Graham Lloyd to discuss the state’s net zero plan.

The US migrant crisis is due to be a key battleground in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The Biden administration has paid a visit to Mexico to address the issue. An estimated 8,000 migrants are on their way to the US southern border. Migrant encounters at the US border are reaching unprecedented numbers, with December on track to break the monthly record. The Biden administration is committed to expanding legal pathways for migrants but says it needs more funding from Congress to do so.

The Australian’s Environmental Editor Graham Lloyd says the Victorian government is trying to make all forms of energy expensive besides renewables. “There’s a common theme here isn’t there?” Mr Lloyd told Sky News host James Macpherson. “To maintain this view that renewables are the cheapest form of energy around you have to make everything else more expensive to justify the claim. “We’re seeing it in electric vehicles, we saw it in the SCIRO report into the cost of nuclear. “Certainly with gas, the game is to increase the cost so that it’s no longer a valid consideration.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong is being hailed a “champion” of same-sex marriage as she prepares to tie the knot with her long-term partner Sophie Allouache, Sky News host James Macpherson says. “The couple met nearly 18 years ago and share two daughters,” Mr Macpherson said. “Senator Wong voted against same-sex marriage in 2008 and in 2010 explained her opposition to redefining marriage in these terms." Ms Wong said – ‘on the issue of marriage I think the reality is there is a cultural, religious, historical view around that which we have to respect’ – on the matter back in 2010. She campaigned hard to legalise same-sex marriage in the leadup to the plebiscite in 2017, despite dismissing the vote itself as an ‘expensive stunt’.

Sky News host James Macpherson has slammed pro-Palestine protestors who claim Jesus was Palestinian. “Anti-Israeli protestors, both here in Australia, and overseas, have hijacked Christmas to claim that Jesus was not in fact a Jew, but a Palestinian,” Mr Macpherson said. “Their argument goes something like this – Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Bethlehem is located south of Jerusalem in what is now known as the West Bank – therefore, they say, Jesus was Palestinian. “Attempting to weaponise Christian identity in support of a terrorist organisation by claiming that Jesus was not a Jew is deceitful. “The fact that Jesus was a Jew doesn't mean He would abandon the Palestinians, and it doesn't mean that Christians should abandon the Palestinians either. “In the current circumstance, it means supporting Israel's right to defend itself and to eliminate the forces of evil seeking to wipe it from the map, while at the same time mourning the destruction required to accomplish those goals, since Jews and Palestinians are equally made in the image of God. “Jesus taught us that. And Jesus was a Jew.”

The fallout from the Carols by Candlelight protest continues as police are investigating if the protesters had inside help to get on stage, Sky News host James Macpherson says. The Australian reported on Thursday that insiders have asked why strict control of the event for participants was not applied to the protesters. “That’s a worrying accusation,” Mr Macpherson said. The moment a protester ambushed the stage was captured during the live television broadcast and has been slammed by viewers online as an ‘utter disgrace’. The broadcaster of the event, Channel Nine, cut away from the scenes of the protest in the live broadcast but the audio was still transmitted.

A new royal documentary has depicted King Charles as a loving, doting, grandfather to William and Kate’s three children, Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus says. “What we don’t see is apparently his horribly strained relationship with his grandkids, Harry’s children,” She said. Recently King Charles failed to feature Prince Harry or Meghan Markle in his second Christmas speech as monarch. Delivering the 2023 Christmas message from Buckingham Palace, King Charles expressed the importance of ‘care and compassion’ and thanked those who have gone the ‘extra mile’ this year to help others. Despite the King's touching remarks, there was no mention of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who reside in California with their two children.

The BBC has been criticised for a “woke adaptation” of Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder is Easy’, Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus says. “That’s a verb now, apparently, doing a Disney,” Ms Marcus said. “After they were criticised for their woke adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic, Murder is Easy. “This one has hit a nerve.” Ms Marcus sat down with GB News host Patrick Christys to discuss the novel adaptation.

New York City is beefing up security ahead of the iconic Times Square New Year's Eve celebrations. The city has been gradually adding more patrols each year, but this time there are safety concerns as the Israel-Hamas conflict escalates. Pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protests have taken to the streets of New York, sometimes clashing with police. Since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, New York City Mayor Eric Adams claims there have been nearly 500 protests throughout the city. During a pro-Palestine protest on Christmas day, the NYPD called in a level three mobilization – the second highest threat. The NYPD is concerned protestors will now try to disrupt the Times Square NYE celebrations and are taking precautions to ensure the safety of those attending.

Households and businesses in Victoria will soon face hefty gas connection fees as the state looks to move towards renewable. Under the current system, gas connection fees can be paid in instalments over prolonged periods of time, but from 2025, those fees must be paid upfront. For homes, it could range from $1,700 to $2,500, while businesses could be forced to pay up to $31,000. It’s one of several measures introduced by the state government and energy regulator – another is a ban on gas connections for new homes in Victoria, which begins on January 1, 2024. There are concerns the upfront fee could impact low-income earners and renters who may already be feeling the cost of living pinch.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration is warning Australians there will be a drug shortage. The TGA has warned certain diabetes medications are set to remain in short supply. Supply of Ozempic and other self-injectable type 2 diabetes medicines will be in limited availability throughout 2024. The TGA claims the shortage is due to an increase in off-label use. The medications have reportedly gained popularity as a weight loss drug on social media.

US Studies Centre Director of Research Jared Mondschein says Ron Desantis and Nikki Haley are trying to “knock the other” to be the presumed alternative to Donald Trump. “We are going to see, in just a few weeks from now, a winnowing of a field,” Mr Monschein told Sky News Australia. “You’ll likely see the smaller candidates … dropping out very soon, especially after Iowa in mid-January. Mr Monschein says despite lacking the polls, establishment GOP donors are a “big fan” of Nikki Haley as the primary candidate. Donald Trump is miles ahead of his Republican rivals in the polls with the countdown well and truly on until the Iowa caucuses.

Disney has suffered a devastating blow following multiple box office failures in 2023. The company has said it spent almost $1 billion on four of its biggest streaming and film flops this year. 2023 marks Disney’s 100th anniversary since it was founded by Walt Disney in 1923. The media conglomerate has received a drop in movie sales accredit to both the company’s streaming service Disney+ as well as a disinterest in its recent output. General audiences and filmgoers have shown a lack of interest in its live-action remakes of animated classics and release of sequels to older IPs.

Beer sales are set to plummet across the United States to their lowest levels since 1999. The major falloff has been attributed to Bud Light’s controversial tie-in with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, according to insider experts. Only a month after the incident, Bud Light lost $27 billion in market value with sales down 30 per cent compared to the previous year. Throughout 2023, the Anheuser-Busch-owned company would lay off hundreds of employees and suffer sharp declines in sales across the US and North America. Due to boycotts against Anheuser-Busch and their other brands Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Busch, competitors such as Modello and Molson Coor’s brands Coors Light and Miller Light see their sales increase. A Molson Coors spokesperson contacted the New York Post and said concerns for the beer industry are exaggerated. “It’s not so much a beer problem as it is a Bud Light problem,” they stated.

The New York Times has launched a federal lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The newspaper wants the companies to end their practice of using its stories to train chatbots. The lawsuit has been filed in the federal court in Manhattan. This comes following a breakdown in talks between the parties. The New York Times claims the practice is diverting traffic away from the paper.

Melbourne is on track to reclaim its title as Australia's most populated city by 2032. The population is set to swell by more than one million people over the next decade – blowing out to nearly six and a half million. Sydney, currently home to five and a half million people, is expected to grow to a population of 6.36 million. A swing in political power is being attributed to a migration of residents from areas such as Sydney and regional Queensland. The last time Melbourne held the title of most populous city was in 1905.

Sarah Ferguson has spoken out after making a surprise Christmas Day appearance at Sandringham this week. Fergie made an appearance at the royal event with ex-husband, Prince Andrew, and her two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham alongside the Royal Family. She wore an all-green ensemble for the royal walk-about and accepted bouquets of flowers from well-wishers as she walked with senior royals. Fergie walked with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Catherine during the Sandringham stroll. Fergie posted to social media after the Christmas Day service a picture of her and her daughters with the caption saying she was “feeling grateful” following the return to the royal fold. “We are enjoying each other’s company and feeling grateful today. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy Christmas to anyone who celebrates and season’s greetings to all!” she wrote on Instagram.

Israel has expanded its airstrikes against built-up areas in central and southern Gaza, warning the bombardment will continue for months to come. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says more than 22,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands more remain injured. Israel has blocked all foreign press from reporting on the war from inside Gaza. There are reports that Israel’s war cabinet has met to discuss a three-step plan put forward by Egypt to end the war. Warning: this story contains content and images some may find distressing.