Who betrayed Australia on climate change?

In this episode of the Briefing, Bension sits down with journalist and author Royce Kurmelovs to discuss his investigation into what Australia’s fossil fuel industry knew about climate change more than 50 years ago.

Royce describes how the industry managed to win the support of Australia’s governments and media to cover it up for so long.

But he also makes a powerful argument for hope in the face of all the grim statistics we hear about the climate crisis today.

Royce’s new book, Slick: Australia’s toxic relationship with Big Oil, is available now.

Headlines:

O'Callaghan and Titmus take out gold and silver in 200m freestyle

Rising tensions between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.

New developments in US politics

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Breaking has, for the first time ever, danced its way into the Olympic Games.

Spectators in Paris and around the world will watch as B-girls and B-boys windmill, 6-step, and freeze their way to gold, silver or bronze.

But what does ‘good’ breakdancing look like, and what's been the journey to the sport's debut in Paris? The Briefing’s Helen Smith is joined by B-girl Hannah Belet to break down what a gold medal breaking performance might look like, and which competitors she thinks are the ones to watch.

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Could bad bots on social media be leading to the death of the internet?

You might have come across a weird AI generated images of ‘shrimp Jesus’, or similarly strange content on Facebook, often linked with absurdly high numbers of likes and comments.

It all connects with the ‘dead internet’ theory – the idea that bot created content is accounting for more and more of what is being posted online. So, is there truth to the theory - and are we watching the death of the internet in real time?

In this episode of the Briefing Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Joel Pearson from Future Minds Lab at UNSW to explain the bizarre world of artificial intelligence and bad bots.

Headlines:

Jess Fox has won gold

Israel announces strikes on Hezbollah

Cabinet reshuffle

Olympics wrap 

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Tim Minchin thinks policing other people's opinions online is a waste of time.

He’s a talented musician and author, who’s smart, has great teeth and was even given three honorary doctorates.

His thought provoking ideas on everything from empathy and identity, to why Australia can’t fall into the trap of far-right America is fascinating.

In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Tim unpacks the meaning behind his latest anthem and his first nonfiction book, You Don’t Have To Have A Dream (Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious). 

You can pre-order Tim's book here

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Polls released in the US overnight show the presidential election campaign is neck and neck. Kamala Harris, who has all but secured the Democratic nomination after Joe Biden dropped out of the race, is surging in the polls. 

Donald Trump and his VP pick, JD Vance, know they have a fight on their hands - and it doesn’t help that in 2021 Vance said of VP Harris that ‘the nation is being run by childless cat ladies’. The comments have angered Democrat supporters, including Friends star Jennifer Aniston, have come out in support of Harris saying a woman’s choice to have or not have children is no one else’s business, alongside family support groups quick to point out that Harris has two stepchildren.

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Emma Shortis from The Australia Institute to discuss the fallout from Vance’s comments, and what the latest polls mean for November’s race for the White House. 

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The 2024 Paris Olympics begin tomorrow morning our time. The 33rd hosting of the summer games will feature 329 events in 32 sports. More than 10 and a half thousand athletes from 206 nations will participate.

The Opening Ceremony begins at 3.30am Saturday AEST.

In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha and Bension break down what you need to know to be an uber Olympics fan - from breakdancing to BMX, and from canoeing to taekwondo.

Headlines:

Olympics wrap

Biden and Netanyahu meet 

Roundup ruling 

Searches for gynecology went up after Barbie movie

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Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with around 70% of households owning one. While choosing to bring a puppy or kitten into your home is an exciting time, the sad reality is a lot of these pets come from farms, mills and backyard breeders. Just 15% of puppies purchased every year are thought to be from reputable breeders.

This week a puppy farm was shut down in Tasmania after the RSPCA found evidence of severe over breeding.

In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by Sarah Zito from the RSPCA to find out the best ways to spot a good breeder from a bad one.

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Imagine having no internet – well that’s exactly what's happening in Bangladesh right now for over 170 million people since the government has cuff online connectivity.

In the last week 10s of thousands of young people have been protesting throughout Bangladesh with reports of more than 146 people being killed during marches.

In this episode of the Briefing Bension Siebert is joined by John Heidemann, a senior computer scientist at the University of Southern California and internet expert, to unpack the protests and explain how serious this outrage is.

Headlines:

Benjamin Netanyahu addresses US Congress

Doctors try to reattach shark bite victim’s leg after it washes up

House prices up for a sixth straight quarter 

Aussie flag bearers named 

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In the dark depths, four kilometres below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, scientists have found small clumps of rocks producing oxygen.

Previously scientists believed oxygen was created by living things using energy from the sun, so the idea of 'black oxygen' has thrown a curveball into our theory of how life on Earth may have began. It also begs the question - could life dependent on oxygen be more common outside of Earth?

Joining The Briefing to talk through what we know about the discovery, is science communicator and author of How to Save the Whole Blinkin' Planet, Lee Constable.

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Politicians and jobs in the mining sector seem to go hand in hand - with former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet and former Western Australian premier Mark McGowan both making the jump.

But mining is a huge part of the Australian job landscape, with over 1.2m people employed in the industry and the top jobs pay extremely well - so what’s wrong with a former pollie jumping out of government and into a role in the sector?

In this episode of The Briefing, Executive Director of the Australia Institute Richard Denniss joins Bension Siebert to unpack how pollies are jumping ship so easily, and if that’s for better or worse for all of us.

Headlines:

Kamala Harris gives first campaign speech 

New charges against Beau Lamarre-Condon

It was the world’s hottest day ever on Sunday 

Snoop Dogg to carry the Olympic torch

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