Is laughter the best medicine? Well comedian Michael Shafar might be able to help with that.

He’s probably the only person who can make fun being Jewish, having cancer and his genitals in the same breath – and not only get away with it – but have the room in hysterics

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Michael explains why he isn’t afraid to tackle political topics in his shows and how he’s accidentally become the Jewish representative of comedy.

 

WEEKEND LIST

• TRY- Don’t charge your phone in your bedroom
• WATCH - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• TRY- BlendJet portable blender
• WATCH - Loot on Apple TV

Send us your Weekend Briefing suggestions on Instagram at @thebriefingpodcast!

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The rebranding of child stars as they transition into more mature identities is nothing new. After Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, we're now seeing JoJo Siwa struggle as she does the same.

Made famous from the reality TV series Dance Moms, she became known for a squeaky-clean aesthetic of bright colours, big hair bows and later, her pop hit 'Boomerang'. But now, she's wearing eccentric black outfits (complete with makeup) amid a much saucier vibe in her new release 'Karma'.

So how did we get here, how is JoJo's rebrand different from the other former child stars that have come before her, and what can we expect for the future?

On this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with one of our producers, Helen Smith, to unpack the challenging journey of child stars when they shift to a more mature identity in the public eye.

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Have you heard of the 4B movement? It’s a feminist action that’s taking hold of South Korea. The movement follows the four B’s: no marriage, no sex with men, no child-rearing and no dating.

In this episode of The Briefing Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Su-Kyoung Hwang from the University of Sydney about why Korean women are swearing off men.

Headlines:

OJ Simpson dies at the age of 76

School holiday strike avoided as airport fire fighters secure deal

Vietnamese real estate tycoon sentenced to death over $19 billion fraud

Three men rescued from remote island after spelling ‘HELP’ with palm fronds

 

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Plenty of Australians have been cutting down on their daily coffee amid the cost-of-living crisis, but new research shows that cafe coffee in Australia is actually too cheap.

In many cases rents, wages, specialty beans and milk are all getting more expensive, and that’s squeezing cafe owners.

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt speaks with Emma Felton from the University of South Australia to find out how much we should be paying for our daily cup of joe.

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QLD has introduced strict new coercive control laws. Coercive control has serious and traumatic impacts for a victim. It can be subtle and insidious, and individually targeted and tailored to a victim.

Under new legislation announced in Queensland, the new standalone offence of coercive control will carry a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.

In today’s Briefing, Bension Siebert and LiSTNR journo Lizzie Vigar take a deep dive into Queensland’s new coercive control laws and why they may be very, very difficult to police.

Headlines:

Dutton on Palestinian statehood comments

Joe Biden considering Australia’s request to drop charges against Julian Assange

SA Police arrive in Alice Springs

Molly the magpie to return home to best friend Peggy the dog

 

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Tasmania’s MONA has been forced to allow men into its women’s only Ladies Lounge.  

A NSW man who was upset when he was denied entry into the lounge, has taken the museum to the Tasmanian Civil Administrative Tribunal and won. This means MONA now has 28 days to stop refusing entry to men – or people who don’t identify as ladies. 

In this episode, one of our producers, Helen Smith, speaks with Jahan Kalantar, a Sydney-based solicitor, university lecturer and entrepreneur who calls himself the “little guy lawyer”, to ask if the decision could lead to women being allowed into men's clubs that have been off limits to women for decades. 

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A few weeks ago, chaos erupted in the heart of Alice Springs, with unrest that saw buildings trashed, the doors of the local tavern kicked in, and a car set on fire.

The Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler called an 'emergency situation', which resulted in around 80 additional police officers being redeployed into Alice Springs, and a youth curfew coming into effect from 6am to 6 pm in the town centre.

Yesterday, we found out that while no arrests had so far been made in relation to the youth curfew, the conditions would stay in place for almost another week while the town tries to transition away from the violence and into longer- term strategies.

In this episode, we speak with 18-year-old Armani Francois, a local Indigenous social youth case worker, to find out exactly how people in Alice Springs are feeling right now.

Headlines:

Australian government flags recognising Palestinian two-state solution

ASIO warns right-wing extremists want a race war in Australia

2000 Swiss women sue their government for failure to act on climate change

MONA ordered to let men into women-only exhibit

 

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The federal government this morning announced that the AUKUS defence agreement partners (Australia, the United States and the UK) are considering expanding the group to include Japan. China has already issued a statement to say it is “gravely concerned” with news AUKUS is considering expanding. 

So what does it mean for the Asia/Pacific region, and more specifically Australia?  

In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by David Andrews, senior policy advisor at the ANU National Security College, to find out why Japan is seeking to join AUKUS and what it will prompt from China on the world stage. 

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A new flu vaccine has arrived in Australia and it’s not like traditional vaccines – it's cell-based.

Cell-based flu vaccines are developed differently from the traditional egg-based vaccines – and they offer advantages in production, scale and better matching viruses in our vaccines to those actually circulating in the community.

In this episode of the Briefing, immunologist Dr Julianne Bayliss explains why the new vaccine is a game-changer for Australians and why you need to get the new flu jab.

Headlines:

Date set for Rafah invasion: Netanyahu

Donald Trump stops short of calling for a national abortion ban

New poll finds more Aussies would back radical housing policies

Total solar eclipse observed across North America

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Hey Briefers. An apology: this interview was scheduled to be released on Saturday morning, but due to a technical glitch it didn't, so it's appearing in your feed today instead. Sincere apologies to our wonderful host Antoinette and to her fabulous guest Rhys Nicholson - we hope you enjoy catching up. 

Rhys Nicholson is a judge on RuPaul’s Drag race, a much-loved comedian and believes they have a very muggable face.

They have a successful career in comedy, presenting and the arts, but Rhys lives with chronic anxiety.

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Rhys breaks down the number of times they’ve been mugged and why redheads have more fun.

 

WEEKEND LIST

• WATCH - Gilmore Girls
• READ - Down the drain by Julia Fox
• DO - YouTube workouts by Sydney Cummings Houdyshell
• LISTEN - Sounds Like a Cult

Send us your Weekend Briefing suggestions on Instagram at @thebriefingpodcast!

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