The Briefing

Tuesday Headlines: 

• US blockage of the strait of Hormuz has officially begun
• The Opposition leader will unveil the details of the Coalition’s Immigration Policy
• Booking.com hit by data breach
• Two thirds of under 16s still have access to social media despite the ban.
• Harry and Megan will touch down in Australia today for a four day visit

Deep Dive: Anthony Albanese is continuing his rapid diplomatic tour through Southeast Asia, visiting Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore as fuel security concerns grow amid escalating Middle East tensions. 

With petrol and diesel prices staying high and Australia’s supply under pressure, the government is trying to reassure the public but at the same time has launched a $20 million ad campaign asking us to use less fuel. 

So how secure is Australia’s fuel supply, and could the country actually run out?  

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Saul Kavonic, Head of Energy Research at MST Financial, to find out. 

Follow The Briefing: 
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast 
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Headlines: 

• Reactions to Trump’s Hormuz threat 
• Trump’s broadside against Pope Leo
• Albanese reveals new defence chief
• Three Victorian ministers resign
• Rory McIlroy wins the Masters, again 

Deep Dive: 

Hungary’s right-wing strongman, Viktor Orbán, suffered an election wipeout this morning, despite an endorsement from Donald Trump. How will this historic moment change Hungary? And what are the implications for the EU and the war in Ukraine? In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Associate Professor Ben Wellings to talk about Hungary’s fading illiberal democracy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday Headlines:

• Trump says the US Navy would start a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz 
• Anthony Albanese continues Southeast Asia fuel blitz
• Convicted gang rapist arrested after five days on the run
• Bondi stabbing heroes honoured two years on
• Gout Gout’s win heralds new sprinting golden age

Deep Dive: Donald Trump has fired two high-profile women this year; the Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and now Pam Bondi, the Attorney-General. Why? 

Trump has put huge expectations on his lieutenants during the second term – but both women also made serious political fumbles which cast Trump in a bad light. For Noem it was a US$220 million dollar ad campaign, and for Bondi it was her mishandling of the Epstein investigation. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith and Chris Spyrou break down the stories of Bondi, Noem, and their very public downfalls. 

Follow The Briefing: 
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast 
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us are worried about Donald Trump. The US President has become increasingly aggressive, self-aggrandizing and erratic, making threats such as “a whole civilisation will die tonight.”

So how did he get like this?

In this bonus episode from The Briefing's archive, we're bringing you the extended version of Tom Tilley’s compelling interview with Donald Trump's niece Mary.

You’ll hear Mary’s fascinating insights into her uncle, whom she describes as "the world's most dangerous man."

With a PHD in psychology, Mary’s helps us understand more about the man, his mind, and what he might do next.

Mary wrote the book Too Much and Never Enough - How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man.

Follow The Briefing: 
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast 
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joshua Fox has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most relentless wedding crashers, better known as the ‘MAFS Guy’ for his viral ambushes on the set of Married at First Sight. But long before the online notoriety, he was Britain’s youngest paparazzo - landing an early win photographing Paris Hilton and earning more than he ever imagined.

From those beginnings in Manchester to producing one of Australia’s biggest radio shows, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Josh’s path has been anything but conventional.

In this chat with Chris Syprou, Josh opens up about the reality behind his MAFS persona, his unexpected foray into OnlyFans, and the darker chapters he’s faced - from getting divorced before 30 to reinventing himself as one of the country’s most listened-to podcasters.

Content warning: This chat does touch on themes of suicide and sexual assault

Weekend list with Helen Smith

• Listener Chris TO LISTEN: 
• TO WATCH: Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom on Netflix
• TO WATCH: The Moment
• TO READ: Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert

Follow The Briefing: 
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast 
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Headlines: 

• Albanese's energy agreement with Singapore
• U.S.-Iran talks to begin over the weekend
• Queensland MP found dead
• Artemis II splashing down Saturday morning
• A wolf on the loose in South Korea 

Deep Dive: 

Is Australia ready for an electric car revolution? The war in Iran has sent petrol prices spiking and Aussies looking for other ways to drive. But is our infrastructure ready for a rapid transition? And what should you watch out for if you’re considering an EV purchase? 

In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belling is joined by Paul Maric from carexpert.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines: 

• Israel tells hundreds of thousands in Beirut to evacuate
• Melania Trump says rumours linking her to Epstein ‘need to end today’
• Convicted gang rapist remains on the run after escaping police custody 
• Funding cuts force Grace Tame Foundation to close
• Traffic volumes take a dive across the country 

Deep Dive: Smoking is making a comeback in pop culture, appearing in shows like The Bear and Euphoria, and in music videos from Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. Even Australian band DMA’S opens their latest video My Baby’s Place with multiple people smoking within the first 30 seconds. 

The trend isn’t limited to entertainment. Instagram ‘cigfluencers’ are glamorising the habit, while depictions of smoking have surged by 70%, despite it remaining a leading cause of death worldwide. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by public health professor Becky Freeman to discuss why smoking is resurfacing and whether vaping is playing a role in its resurgence. 

Follow The Briefing: 
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast 
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Headlines:

• The world watches a shaky Iran ceasefire
• Albanese travels to Singapore to secure fuel supply
• A hammer attack in a Sydney hospital
• Bruce Lehrmann loses final chance to appeal defamation case
• Plus: the cop chase stopped by a cactus 

Deep Dive: 

When women began disappearing on Long Island in the 1990s, police didn’t know they were facing a new serial killer. Today, architect Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to the murders of eight women in what have become known as the Gilgo Beach murders.

In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Dr Xanthe Weston, associate professor of criminology and host of the Motive & Method podcast, to talk about how the killer was caught.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday Headlines:

• Ceasefire in doubt as Israel pounds Lebanon and Iran halts oil tankers
• Fuel price drops unlikely to hit your tank in a hurry
• AI tool that spots heart failure risk five years before it develops
• Activist group infiltrates Coles
• You could own a Queensland town for $400K  

Further listening from headlines: 
Your supermarket is spying on you
The controversial ICE tech at our door

Deep Dive: Israel says its invasion of Lebanon is about security and pushing Hezbollah away from its northern border. But on the ground, more than a million people have been displaced, infrastructure is being torn apart, and tensions inside the country are rising fast. 

With villages flattened, others cut off, and communities turning on each other, fears are growing of a prolonged Israeli occupation and the risk the conflict could tip Lebanon into something it hasn’t seen since the 1970s – a civil war. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Middle East and counter-terrorism expert Dr Mariam Farida from Macquarie University about Israel’s long-term strategy in Lebanon, whether it can ‘dismantle’ Hezbollah and why the risk of a broader crisis is rising. 

Follow The Briefing: 
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast 
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Headlines: 

• A two-week ceasefire in Iran
• Matt Canavan sets out his “Patriot Agenda”
• Ben Roberts-Smith doesn’t seek bail
• Australia’s sporting rich list revealed

Deep Dive: 

Trump has announced a two-week ceasefire against Iran, hours after making the threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” if a deal wasn’t reached. 

But will the ceasefire last? And what does Trump have to show for his five-and-a-half weeks of war? 

In this episode of The Briefing Natarsha Belling is joined by Jennifer Parker, an expert on national security and the principal and founder of Barrier Strategic Advisory. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.