Security questions raised following White House dinner incident| Morning News Bulletin 27 April 2026

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TRANSCRIPT:

• Security questions raised following White House dinner checkpoint breach
• Penny Wong heads to China and other Asian nations for key talks
• St Kilda record their biggest win in a decade

Questions have been raised about security after a man armed with multiple weapons tried to get enter a hotel ballroom hosting the White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington.

A man in his thirties from California, who was a guest at the Washington Hilton Hotel, is in custody after charging through a Secret Service security checkpoint.

The Secret Service has been praised for swiftly overpowering the suspect and ushering Donald Trump and his entourage out of the ballroom.

But some of the journalists who attended the event say there was very little vetting of the guests as they entered the hotel.

Jeffrey Carroll from the Metropolitan Police Department says the security measures that were in place proved to be effective.

“What we have here is a multi-layered approach, the director spoke about it. We have officers on the outside of the Metropolitan Police Department along with the escort. The inside portion of any presidential site is handled by the Secret Service and law enforcement partners. This is a multi-layered approach. The point of this checkpoint is to intercept individuals that were there, and what we see in this case is that when he reached that checkpoint, Secret Service agents and law enforcement engaged him immediately. They were able to bring him into custody and prevent anyone from being harmed.”

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Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong is set for key talks with her Chinese counterpart, as she also looks to secure fuel agreements with regional partners.

She will depart today for a week-long trip to Japan, China and South Korea, with trade and energy security high on the agenda.

In Beijing, Senator Wong will meet her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, for annual talks.

She says Australia remains committed to a stable and constructive relationship with China, describing it as mutually beneficial, with strong trade links supporting supply chains, investment and jobs in both economies.

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Demonstrators have shut down Melbourne’s city streets to show support for former special services soldier Ben Roberts-Smith.

The 47-year-old Victoria Cross recipient was charged this month with five murder-related war crimes, related to his service in Afghanistan.

He denies all allegations.

About 150 people gathered at Victoria’s Parliament House for the rally, organised by the far-right National Workers Alliance.

Victoria Police says there were no arrests or issues during the rally.

A spokesperson for Mr Roberts-Smith says he had no involvement in the event.

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US President Donald Trump says he called off plans to send US envoys to Pakistan for talks with Iran, arguing Tehran should make the next move.

Mr Trump tells Fox News that the trip would have involved a 17-hour flight, and talks had not been locked in soon enough.

“By the time they get there it’s hours and hours and hours of flying. And I said, we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone.”

The talks appeared to break down on Saturday after Iran’s top diplomat left Pakistan.

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The runway of the new Western Sydney Airport has been given a test run – but not by passenger jets.

About 20,000 people joined fun runs on the tarmac on Sunday, raising around $100,000 dollars for the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

The airport is due to open in October with plans to eventually become Australia’s biggest airport.

Runners and walkers tell SBS that it was a momentous occasion.

“It’s amazing – we’re making history. We are going to tell our kids and our grand-kids, we were there before the planes were.”

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To sport, and in AFL, St Kilda has destroyed struggling West Coast by 101 points for its biggest win in 10 years, amid a controversial intervention from the AFL’s review centre.

The Saints kicked eight unanswered final-quarter goals, to beat the Eagles 143 to 42 at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Jack Higgins kicked five goals for the Saints.

But many were confused when the review centre halted play to overrule the goal umpire and give St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall a shot at goal, after the Eagles were given the all-clear to kick in.