The 19 children escaped through a side exit after the bus doors failed.

A halt has been placed on the teacher’s 44-year career.

Tepania plans to pursue a Doctor of Education after his current mayoral term.

The FBI has said that it is not aware of any extended talks between the family of US journalist Savannah Guthrie and the suspected kidnappers of the Today show host's mum.

The FBI has also not yet identified any suspects or people of interest following the mysterious disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, an FBI spokesperson said in a statement.

It comes after the US journalist put forward an emotional new plea, saying her family was "at an hour of desperation" as the search continues for her vanished mother, Nancy.

READ MORE: Police examine septic tank in search for US TV host's missing mother

The 84-year-old disappeared nine days ago from her home in Tuscon, Arizona, prompting a large-scale response.

Savannah, a long-term co-anchor of the US news show Today, has issued repeated pleas for information and messages to any presumed kidnappers, offering to pay for her mother's return.

LIVE UPDATES: NSW Premier defends police after 'incendiary' mass protest

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUjPVoYEpci/

In her latest, a video posted to her Instagram account, Guthrie thanked her followers for their support during this "nightmare" time.

"I just want to say first of all thank you so much for all of the prayers and the love that we have felt, my sister and brother and I, and that our mum has felt," she said.

"Because we believe that, somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers, and that God is lifting her even in this moment."

ROYALS: King Charles' explosive declaration as police probe brother's Epstein links

She said law enforcement was working "tirelessly" to find Nancy, and asked the public to help as well.

"She was taken and we don't know where, and we need your help," Guthrie said.

"So I'm coming on just to ask you, not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you're far from Tuscon, if you see anything, hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.

READ MORE: Sydney couple 'had it all' but four words from their kids caused them to give it all up

"We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help."

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home, where she was last seen on January 31 and reported missing the next day after not attending church services.

DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie's front porch was a match to her, and her doorbell camera was disconnected in the early hours of Sunday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said.

Detectives and agents carried out follow-up work in the neighbourhood and other locations over the weekend as part of the investigation, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said Sunday.

"Investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles connected to this case," the department said.

Investigators on the weekend were seen inside daughter Annie Guthrie's home, about 6km from Nancy Guthrie's house. Yesterday, an investigator was seen using a pole to search an underground tank behind Nancy Guthrie's home.

Police and media outlets have received multiple messages relating to the case, both in the form of tips and, more chillingly, ransom demands.

One deadline for ransom has already passed but another was set for late Monday local time – not long after Savannah Guthrie posted her latest video.

Police have not said whether they believe any of the demands are authentic.

With Associated Press.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

A new report claims 24,000 millionaires accounted for almost half the beneficiaries of a controversial tax break, as a growing group of people call on the government to reform the multi-billion-dollar discount ahead of the federal budget.

Oxfam Australia has found the thousands of people who made over $1 million in 2022-23 gained an average of $271,000 from the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount on profits from the sale of assets, likely property.

It was almost 1500 times the benefit the average worker received, Oxfam research claimed.

READ MORE: Aussie workers could risk losing their jobs with this AI blunder

Oxfam Australia chief executive Jennifer Tierney said the CGT discount widens the inequality crisis by providing benefits to the country's wealthiest, as she called on the government to scrap the policy.

"Handing out billions through the capital gains tax discount is simply indefensible at a time when so many Australians are struggling," she said.

"This tax break overwhelmingly benefits a tiny group of already wealthy individuals, while ordinary workers pay tax on every dollar they earn.

"Ending the discount is one of the simplest and fairest ways to restore integrity and balance to our tax system."

The Parliamentary Budget Office has estimated the CGT discount will cost the country $247 billion in forgone revenue over the next 10 years.

Their analysis also found the CGT discount is "highly skewed" towards higher-income earners, with Australia's top 10 per cent of earners accounting for about 82 per cent of the total benefit from the policy.

Within that bracket, the top one per cent benefited from almost 60 per cent of the savings.

READ MORE: 'Sovereign citizen' movement now a major security threat, warn experts

The CGT discount has been blamed for driving up house prices and making home ownership even more difficult for renters and younger Australians.

Greens Senator Nick McKim, who is leading a Senate inquiry into the discount, has described the policy as the "most unfair tax rort in the country".

Speculation is growing about whether the government will overhaul the CGT discount as part of the May 12 federal budget, after reports emerged the government is considering significant tax reform.

A growing number of groups, including the NSW Treasury, have called on the government to follow through.

The Housing Industry Association joined that list today, warning that Australia's housing shortage is now a structural economic challenge.

"The 2026–27 Budget will be a test of whether housing supply is taken seriously," association managing director Jocelyn Martin said.

"The focus must be on stability, coordination and reforms that increase supply, not measures suppressing it."

Polling commissioned by Oxfam Australia and conducted by YouGov has found 73 per cent of Australians are concerned about the widening inequality gap, with 68 per cent supporting investing additional tax revenue in poverty-reducing measures like housing and income support.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Former rugby league player Kurt Drysdale has been described as a "warrior and an inspiration" following his death after a battle with pneumonia.

Drysdale was left a quadriplegic at 20 years old following a wayward tackle while playing for the Cabramatta Two Blues in a Ron Massey Cup Match in June 2015.

The 31-year-old, who suffered a devastating spinal injury, is being remembered as "an inspiration".

READ MORE: US journalist Savannah Guthrie's emotional new plea over missing mum

He was left unable to breathe on his own and without most of his movement, and faced spending the rest of his life in hospital or care following the accident.

"The former rugby league player is being remembered as a warrior and an inspiration," The Locker Room said in a Facebook post.

In 2017, the rugby league community banded together along with A Current Affair to help raise over $700,000 for the former player.

The money went towards a house equipped with a specially modified kitchen and an apparatus to help Kurt get in and out of bed, among other facilities.

He was close friends with NRL players and legends, including Alex Johnston, Shaun Lane, Billy Magoulias and Valentine Holmes.

Drysdale died following a two-week battle with pneumonia.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Three people have been charged after a woman was allegedly tortured and assaulted as her car was stolen south-west of Brisbane.

The 44-year-old woman was confronted by the trio at a Rosehill Road house in Warwick last night.

They allegedly forced her into a Mitsubishi Triton that was at the property, before stealing the ute.

READ MORE: Low risk of cyclone forming off Queensland coast, forecasters say

READ MORE: Aussie workers could be risking termination with this AI policy blunder

Police will allege the woman was assaulted while in the ute, but she was able to flee on foot and seek help from a nearby house on Capital Drive.

She was taken to Warwick Hospital with serious injuries.

A 26-year-old man, a 42-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, all from Warwick, were arrested and charged with multiple offences.

READ MORE: Police appeal to identify woman discovered dead at reservoir

These include assault, robbery, torture and deprivation of liberty.

Police allege everyone involved in the incident was known to each other.

The three alleged perpetrators will appear at Warwick Magistrates Court today.

Police say investigations are ongoing, and have urged anyone with information on the incident to contact them.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play

• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here

• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

The Australian government is being warned the "sovereign citizen" movement has become a clear and present threat to the nation's security.

Long regarded as "mostly a nuisance" by authorities, "sovereign citizens" – a loose description for people who hold extreme anti-government views – require a stronger response, according to a study by the Lowy Institute think tank.

The think tank said the mental image of "sovereign citizens" as being eccentrics who would typically dispute a parking fine based on claims law enforcement had no jurisdiction over them, has been reshaped in recent years.

READ MORE: What is the 'sovereign citizen' movement?

Extremists have been behind violent crimes in Australia and overseas, and the movement has received a flood of new recruits following the COVID-19 pandemic as people retaliated against lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccination requirements.

The report cites accused police killer Dezi Freeman, the Australian "sovereign citizen" accused of shooting dead two police officers in Victoria's High Country and wounding another last year, as an example.

He also attempted to arrest a magistrate and several police officers while appearing in Wangaratta Magistrates Court.

Freeman, who remains on the run but who police say may be dead, was a self-declared "sovereign citizen".

His alleged actions and other threats against government officials show the need for stronger responses to a movement that has grown across the world to 26 countries largely through online channels, the study warns.

READ MORE: Renewed search for Dezi Freeman wraps up without success

"Meaningful action is needed to reduce this global spread of harmful online content," the researchers warn.

One potential measure would be governments working with technology companies and international law enforcement agencies to counter the movement's presence online.

The researchers say the creation of a global database could help track information on sovereign citizen online influencers, because their ideology is spread by websites, social media posts, online forums and encrypted messaging platforms.

Governments could also work with tech giants, such as Meta and Microsoft, through the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism to redesignate 'sovereign citizen' networks as designated terrorist entities online.

If this happened, it would enable tech companies to scrub accounts from their platforms and improve monitoring them.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Exclusive: Only one in three Australian workers know if their employer has an artificial intelligence use policy, let alone what it entails, according to a nine.com.au reader poll.

That could cause major problems, including possible termination, for workers who are found to have used AI in a way that breaches their employer's AI use policy.

"Consequences will generally follow the same logic as any other workplace policy breach," Giuseppe Carabetta, an associate professor of workplace and business law at the University of Technology Sydney, told nine.com.au.

LIVE UPDATES: NSW Premier defends police after 'incendiary' mass protest

"The Fair Work tribunal has upheld dismissals where employees breach data handling, privacy, social media, and information security policies."

Of the poll respondents who are currently employed, close to 20 per cent admitted they use AI at work at least daily.

Of these people, nearly half admitted they rely on it multiple times a day.

A futher 19 per cent said they use AI weekly, while more than 60 per cent said they never use AI on the job.

ROYALS: King Charles' explosive declaration as police probe brother's Epstein links

Of those who do use AI at work, the majority said they only use ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and other AI tools for minor tasks like writing emails and checking spelling.

Nearly one in three use AI to produce work like reports and presentations.

About 10 per cent use it for other tasks like translating, researching, writing feedback, producing artwork and "finding answers to questions asked by customers".

A little over 10 per cent admitted their employer is unaware of their AI use at work and 15 per cent are unsure if their boss knows they use AI.

More concerningly, only 32 per cent of Aussies who use AI at work actually know if their employer has an AI use policy and what it entails.

READ MORE: Sydney couple 'had it all' but four words from their kids caused them to give it all up

"Even without a policy, an employer could still discipline an employee if AI use caused a privacy breach, disclosure of confidential information, reputational damage, or unsafe or discriminatory outcome," Carabetta said.

If there's no AI policy, workers can protect themselves in a few ways: never put confidential information into public AI tools; only use employer‑approved or 'secure' AI systems; and follow any other existing employer policies.

If in doubt, workers can also ask an authorised manager what AI use is permitted.

"If the worker knew the rules and ignored them, then even a first offence may justify termination," Carabetta said.

"Especially where confidentiality or client trust is undermined."

The nine.com.au poll, which runs once a fortnight, canvases the views of the Nine audience on 9Nation, which is an online community of our readers and viewers.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at our breaking newsletter here

A factory worker who called Donald Trump a "paedophile protector" as the president was touring the facility has kept his job.

TJ Sabula was suspended with pay after the confrontation, where the president stuck up his middle finger and appeared to mouth the words "f— you" at him.

But a top union official has confirmed Sabula will not lose his job and "has no discipline on his record".

READ MORE: Melania Trump's movie bombs at the Australian box office

"TJ, we got your back," United Auto Workers Vice President Laura Dickerson said.

"As UAW members, we speak truth to power. We don't just protect our rights, we exercise them.

"This ain't The Apprentice."

After Sabula was suspended with pay, a GoFundMe account raised $US330,220 ($465,000) for him in just two days.

A second account raised $US480,000 ($677,000).

Sabula is working at a Ford factory in Detroit.

Trump had visited the factory as part of a visit to the city in January.

READ MORE: Clintons make a deal that could keep them out of prison

Ford has not commented on Sabula's reinstatement.

Sabula said on the day he had "no regrets whatsoever".

"I don't feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity," Sabula told the Washington Post. 

"And today I think I did that."

Ford issued a statement which did not go into specifics about the exchange.

"One of our core values is respect, and we don't condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities," the auto giant's statement read.

"When that happens, we have a process to deal with it, but we don't get into specific personnel matters."

READ MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell offers to exonerate Trump if she's let out of prison

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded with a statement to TMZ.

"A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response," Cheung said.

Trump has been criticised for his connection to child sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The president was a long-time friend of both, and has obstructed efforts to disclose files gathered from a Department of Justice investigation into the two.

Trump called the investigation a "Democratic hoax".

None of Epstein's victims have implicated Trump in any criminal behaviour.

READ MORE: Less than one per cent of Jeffrey Epstein files released

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here