We've seen cars on fire and riot squads on the streets, so what is going on in California? We take a closer look at the fight between Donald Trump and the Governor of California. And if you could order an object from a museum, what would you want to see or touch? The V&A in London has just opened a new museum where you can do just that.

PICKS

Jeremy's Pick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APyn8Otui_w

Jules' Pick: https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit?srsltid=AfmBOorh7m_NcTjeHFxFhgxISlhgXAxkwDUpr0cimL6lykqAIsXDFMYa

Greens Senator Dorinda Cox has switched from the Greens to the Labor Party, so is it okay for a politician to change their mind? 

Is switching parties ok? Or what about changing you mind on issues? And Jules has been fascinated with the case of Lucy Letby, the British nurse convicted of killing babies while working in a neonatal ward. 

It is also our birthday, so we celebrate Not Stupid turning one...with cake.

News out of Gaza has gone from bad to worse with acute food shortages and growing concern of a famine. So are attitudes from Israel's Western allies starting to change? And will a change in attitude lead to concrete action? And last week we were talking about poison pen letters and we've heard lots of great stories. We go through our favourites. Plus a little treat from our Sydney live show.

SHOW NOTES

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova profile https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2023/chris-evert-martina-navratilova-cancer/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_11

Joe Biden is back in the news with a cancer diagnosis, but there’s also a new book out looking at his alleged cognitive decline. So what do you need to disclose and why, if you are in public office? And in Australia the Coalition is consciously uncoupling, so Jules and Jez take a look at the messy split.

Buy tickets to our Sydney live show here:

https://www.swf.org.au/program/season-2025/not-stupid-live-with-julia-baird-and-jeremy-fernandez

PICKS

Jez's pick: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-16/magna-carta-copy-confirmed-to-be-original/105301724

Jules' pick: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/quiet-village-street-hit-mysterious-31585577

Jules and Jez are talking reinvention this week because there are new leaders everywhere. There's a new Pope in the Vatican and he is American, so what does he make of Donald Trump? And the Australian Liberal Party has its first female leader in Sussan Ley. Also the recipes you share, the ones you keep to yourselves and the ones you can't quite decipher.

PICKS

https://www.aco.com.au/whats-on/2025/bach-beach-boys-beyond

There's a copyright stoush over caramel slice and Jeremy and Julia have thoughts. Can you own a recipe? And is "Julia Baird's caramel slice" also just "Nagi's Caramel slice"?

And you might have noticed an election on the weekend, it was hard to miss. Labor won in a landslide, so how does the Coalition rebuild and how many women will be involved? 

JEREMY'S PICK

https://interestingengineering.com/culture/2000-year-old-rice-brought-to-life

JULIA'S PICK

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/04/swedens-great-moose-migration-live-stream-ends-after-478-hours-viewing

"Welcome to Country" ceremonies are the latest culture war as we reach the pointy end of the Federal Election campaign, so Jules and Jez look at why it has become such a hot button issue this week. And we had so much feedback about using Chat GPT for relationship advice, so Jules and Jez have been asking it their deepest, darkest secrets with mixed results.

JEZ'S PICK

https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2025/apr/27/strange-case-writer-landing-a-lister-interviews-local-magazines

JULES' PICK

https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2025/apr/27/strange-case-writer-landing-a-lister-interviews-local-magazines

Pope Francis was the most humble Pope in living memory, so has he shaped the future of Catholicism? For some, he was too much and for others, not enough. Jez and Jules chat about his legacy and the future of the Catholic Church. And we asked you about incorrect lyrics or "mondegreens" and you have so many great examples. 

SHOW NOTES

Peter Kay's misheard lyrics: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7my5baoCVv8&t=206s

Jeremy's pick of the week: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a64444507/men-asking-chatgpt-for-dating-advice/

Julia's pick of the week: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/fifty-years-ago-this-irresistible-disco-song-and-dance-craze-swept-the-nation-and-changed-the-music-landscape-180986460/

Katy Perry went to space with a group of famous women, so was it one giant leap for womankind or just a really weird marketing blunder? We have a lot of thoughts.

And what do we want from our leaders? We are half way through the election campaign and it has got us thinking about what makes a good leader.

JULES' PICK: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1s-pale-blue-dot/

The HBO TV drama "White Lotus" focuses on a number of very rich and in many ways deeply unpleasant people. So why are we so fascinated by the lives of the super rich? And the US has dominated the global news this week with Donald Trump’s new tariffs, but Jules and Jez are keen to talk about deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Since Donald Trump returned to the Presidency, tens of thousands of people have been arrested and it's leading to a lot of fear for migrants and for people planning on travelling to the US. 

SHOW NOTES

Buy tickets to our live show in Sydney ! https://www.swf.org.au/program/season-2025/not-stupid-live-with-julia-baird-and-jeremy-fernandez

Jules' pick: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/30/world/plants-make-sounds-scn