{"ok":true,"trend":{"id":3775868,"platform":"mastodon","region":"global","key":"exclusive brethren head denies knowing church members were volunteering for liberal party during 2025 election https://w","title":"Exclusive Brethren head denies knowing church members were volunteering for Liberal party during 2025 election https://w","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/16/exclusive-brethren-head-denies-knowing-church-members-volunteering-liberal-party-2025-election-ntwnfb","first_seen":"2026-10-26T19:26:25.111759Z","last_seen":"2026-10-26T23:33:12.901023Z","last_rank":2,"peak_rank":1,"last_volume":2,"peak_volume":2,"seen_count":4,"score":0.680625,"category_hint":"religion","section":"world","category":"religion","summary":"The leader of the Exclusive Brethren, a closed religious group, has denied knowing that members of his church were volunteering for Australia's Liberal Party during the 2025 federal election. The denial, reported by The Guardian, has drawn attention to the historically secretive church's ties to conservative politics, which have long been a source of controversy in Australia.","why":"The statement contradicts reports of coordinated church involvement in Liberal campaigning, reviving debate about the group's political links.","tone":"neutral","entities":["Exclusive Brethren","Liberal Party of Australia","Australia"],"summarized_at":"2026-10-27T01:28:14.790887Z","meta":{"tag":"religion","via":"scan","kind":"status","lang":"en","instance":"mastodon.social","tag_uses":128},"nw":null,"promo":null,"kind":null,"importance":null,"hidden":false,"hide_reason":null,"judged_at":null,"title_en":"Exclusive Brethren head denies knowing members volunteered for Liberals","section_name":"World","category_name":"Religion","timeline":[{"captured_at":"2026-10-26T19:26:25.111759Z","rank":1,"volume":2},{"captured_at":"2026-10-26T20:48:47.420407Z","rank":2,"volume":2},{"captured_at":"2026-10-26T22:11:04.517831Z","rank":2,"volume":2},{"captured_at":"2026-10-26T23:33:12.901023Z","rank":2,"volume":2}],"posts":[{"platform":"mastodon","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/16/exclusive-brethren-head-denies-knowing-church-members-volunteering-liberal-party-2025-election-ntwnfb","author":"guardian_world@robot.villas","title":null,"snippet":"Exclusive Brethren head denies knowing church members were volunteering for Liberal party during 2025 election https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/16/exclusive-brethren-head-denies-knowing-church-members-volunteering-liberal-party-2025-election-ntwnfb # Politics…","posted_at":"2026-10-16T06:58:24Z","likes":2}],"elsewhere":[],"window":"7d"}}