Wednesday, 10 September - I hop off the plane at LAX

September 10, 2025

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 10 September. In your Squiz Today…

  • The Murdochs settle on a succession plan

  • Israel strikes Hamas leaders in Qatar

  • And gumboots made for running…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

“I am your chicken man.”

Said Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, when he was pitched a new role in an upcoming film as a 70yo man whose best friend is … you guessed it …  a chicken. Johnson said he jumped at the chance to play the ‘chicken man’ in the film Lizard Music. Clear as mud? Good…

A succession plan succeeds

The Squiz

That tinkly music you could hear all yesterday was the result of the long-running battle over control of the Murdoch family empire coming to an end. In the red corner: family patriarch Rupert and his eldest son Lachlan, who Rupert wants to become his sole successor after his death. In the blue corner: 3 of Rupert's other children - James, Elisabeth and Prudence - who were fighting to keep their share/influence over the family's vast media businesses. In the end, Rupert and Lachlan got control, but at a cost… In exchange for their positions in the companies and the family trust, James, Elisabeth and Prudence will get around $1.7 billion each.

And what does that mean? 

It means that 54yo Lachlan, the sibling most aligned to his 94yo dad’s business approach, will run the 2 companies at the centre of the empire - News Corp and Fox Corp - without interference from his sisters and bro. Rupert and Lachlan attempted to achieve this by amending the family trust, but the other kids took it to court and won in December. Dad and son have now achieved the same goal by buying the others out, giving a clear path for the continuation of their news businesses’ politically conservative approach. We’re talking about TV brands Fox News and Sky News Australia, and publications including The Australian, New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal. 

Ah, they have the Wall Street Journal… 

They do, and it’s been in the news a bit because of an ongoing legal battle with US President Donald Trump. In July, the WSJ published a story about a suggestive letter Trump had allegedly written to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which made up part of a book given to Epstein for his 50th birthday. Trump called the report false and sued the newspaper for billions, but yesterday the WSJpublished the letter itself - with a bonus full analysis (paywall), after the US Congress got hold of a copy. The White House continues to deny that Trump is the author/artist - his team says he “will continue to aggressively pursue litigation”. That case is expected to run for a while, so that’ll be something on Lachlan’s plate going forward…

The skincare ingredient that sounds weird but works wonders

Winter does a number on the skin, and for many of us, regular moisturisers just don't cut it. Enter Bescher Beauty's Sea Cucumber Collagen Glow Toner: it's packed with marine collagen, native botanicals, and hyaluronic acid that work together to deliver results. The proof? It sold out in 6 days after building a 35,000-person waitlist. Now it's back in stock, and if winter skin is the bane of your existence, it might be worth trying something that thousands of people couldn't wait to get their hands on. You can check it out here. 

Squiz the Rest

Israel has targeted Hamas in Qatar…

Its military struck a building in the capital of Doha overnight, in a "precision" strike against the group’s senior leaders. At least 6 people were killed, including a Qatari security officer, but Hamas says its leadership team survived. Qatar's government isn't pleased. It's been trying to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and it's called the attack a "blatant violation" of international law. America confirmed US President Donald Trump was given a heads-up by Israel before the strike, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move "does not advance Israel or America's goals" and that Trump had assured Qatar's leaders "such a thing will not happen again on their soil". The attack came hours after Israel’s military ordered an evacuation of Gaza City as it prepares to move in with ground forces.

The deal that never happened…

PM Anthony Albanese was in Vanuatu yesterday to sign the $500 million Nakamal agreement - but left the Pacific Island nation empty-handed. For context: the agreement would see Oz providing financial support to Vanuatu for its climate, security and economic projects. It’s part of the Albanese Government’s efforts to push back on Chinese influence in the Pacific - and there’s speculation Chinese influence might have played a part yesterday… Vanuatu’s PM Jotham Napat says he’s concerned the deal could “limit engagement with other countries, especially [in] infrastructure agreements” - likely a nod to the financial support it’s had from China… Napat said “it requires more discussion” before it’s signed, and Albanese, who was keen to smooth things over, said he’s confident they’ll work it out “soon”.

A historic moment

Victoria yesterday became our first state/territory to introduce treaty legislation to its parliament, promising, if it’s passed, to empower the state’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It comes after the state reached an in-principle agreement with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria following 10 months of negotiations. Essentially, it’ll make the First Peoples’ Assembly a permanent body, giving it power to influence policy and make rules on matters impacting First Nations people. The treaty says it’s “built on a simple principle: First Peoples decide First Peoples’ issues”. The legislation still has to pass through parliament, and it’s expected to face pushback from the Victorian Coalition. But Premier Jacinta Allan is holding firm - she says it’s needed because previous government policies have failed First Nations people.

AusPost restarts US shipping

Our national postal service made the announcement yesterday, saying it has found a way to meet the new US tariff rules. Gary Starr, an executive at AusPost, said the temporary suspension for US-bound mail will be lifted on 25 September - but “if we are able to lift this earlier, we absolutely will”. AusPost was one of several international postal carriers to stop shipping to the US altogether or temporarily suspend it last month, saying it wasn’t set up to collect/distribute the new US taxes on imported goods. It’s now got a third-party system set up to take care of that. Small businesses were among the most affected, and yesterday, Laz Smith from fashion label Apero said they’ve lost revenue, but “at least we’ll have certainty about Black Friday sales now”.

These gumboots were made for running

There’s a lot of sport on at the moment, so you’d be forgiven for missing the biggest event of all - the Gumboot Gift in Victoria. Like the Stawell Gift, except more rubbery, the Gumboot Gift is a 120-metre footrace that’s been running (ha) since 2019 in the town of Korumburra. Competitors don their best gumboots - not any old ones are allowed, they’ve got to be the old-school ones you’d wear on a farm - and then take off to try and win the prize money of $4,000. It doesn’t always go well - you can see the men’s and women’s race here, in which one of the competitors in the men’s race falls over immediately - but good boots, sure feet, and a willingness to look a bit silly make it all worth it. Plus, this year’s winners say they’ll put their prize money back into the community.

Apropos of Nothing

Tillies star Mary Fowler will create another bit of history this month when she becomes the first footballer to walk in Paris Fashion Week. Fowler is currently recovering from a knee injury, but it isn’t stopping her from serving these looks… 

There’s a bloke in Colorado who decided to spend a public holiday weekend bringing ice creams to local mountain climbers, as one does. One of the local climbers called him a legend-dairy figure, beating thousands of headline writers (and us) to the punch… 

The 92yo actor Michael Caine is unexpectedly coming out of retirement, and we could give you 100 guesses at the movie he’s coming back for before you guessed it… He’s teaming with Vin Diesel for The Last Witch Hunter 2, a sequel to the 2015 fantasy film that you definitely, for sure remember… 

Squiz the Day

7.45am (AEST) - NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson will give an address to open the 2025 Lifeline Australia World Suicide Prevention Day event - Sydney

8.00am (AEST) - PM Anthony Albanese will travel to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting - Honiara, Solomon Islands

9.30am (AEST) - The Federal Court will deliver a judgement on Fortescue's lawsuit against three former employees and their company Element Zero over a competing green iron project- Sydney 

9.45am (AEST) - Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will make an announcement on the government’s updated defence capabilities at the Royal Australian Navy base HMAS Kuttabul - Sydney

11.30am (AEST) - Telstra CEO Vicki Brady will address the National Press Club on Australia’s digital future - Canberra

12.00pm (AEST) - Queensland’s Treasurer David Janetzki will release the state’s 5-year energy road map - Brisbane

12.00pm (AEST) - The Society of Women Writers celebrates its centenary at the Parliament of NSW - Sydney

ABS data releases: Industrial disputes, Australia, June 2025; Methodological news, September 2025

Birthdays for musician José Feliciano (1945), actor Colin Firth (1960), businessman Jack Ma (1964), ballet dancer Misty Copeland (1982), and footballer Sam Kerr (1993)

Anniversary of:

  • the birthdays of designer Karl Lagerfeld (1933) and poet Mary Oliver (1935)

  • the founding of OPEC aka the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (1960)

  • the release of Nirvana's single Smells Like Teen Spirit 🎸 (1991)

  • the debut of sci-fi TV series The X-Files (1993)

  • SpaceX's Polaris Dawn attempting the first private spacewalk (2024)