The Briefing

Monday Headlines:
Albo slams Liberal party rebrand ahead of Pacific blitz
Cannibalism link being investigated in NSW child murder
USA celebrates its 250th independence anniversary as Iran mourns supreme leader
Warnings against panic buying after bird flu confirmed in third Australian state
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tie the knot
Deep Dive: If you believe the polls, One Nation is demolishing the political order and might become Australia’s biggest party.
At this moment of political flux, two of the ‘teal’ independents are bidding for a piece of the action by establishing their own alternative party: Community Strong Australia.
Joining us on The Briefing to discuss her new party, why she started it and whether it’ll have any electoral cut through is Waringah MP Zali Steggall.
Further listening from the headlines:
Bird flu's hit Australia. What now?
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If the rumours are true, Taylor Swift has tied the knot this weekend in a stadium in New York City.
Since Swift's August 2025 engagement to footballer Travis Kelce, there has been speculation about the venue, the guest list, the setlist... everything. Swift is, after all, one of the world’s biggest pop stars, and her success has been built on turning the details of her life into stories. This wedding is one hell of a story.
On this bonus episode of The Briefing, we revisit Swift’s most recent batch of stories on her 2025 album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’. Chris Spyrou speaks with Kate Pattison, a PhD candidate on Swift’s fandom and our in-house TS expert.
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Few politicians in Australian history have quite the standing that John Howard does.
While his time in power as Australia’s 25th Prime Minister between 1996 and 2007 was characterised by both economic wins and policy fails (think industrial relations and immigration), he is looked to now as an elder statesman and a symbol of when things in Australia were ‘good’.
But that’s revisionist history, according to political journalist Amy Remeikis, whose new book Where It All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard, explores how Howard sold out the younger generations to benefit their parents, undermined the public health system and destroyed the housing market.
In this chat with Amy Remeikis, Sacha Barbour Gatt explores these ideas with Remeikis while discussing the Canberra bubble and how a child of a conservative Lithuanian dad who voted One Nation went on to become one of the leading progressive voices in this country.
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Friday Headlines:
Social media platforms are monetising gore content: eSafety Commissioner
Man pulled from rubble in Venezuela eight days after twin quakes
NSW to crack down on nangs
Australia’s wealth going backwards but the rich get richer
Eminem loses trademark battle with Aussie beach brand
Deep Dive: We’re more than a decade into the Netflix era, and every year we’ve heard the prediction that streaming will kill in-person cinema.
In 2026, those predictions are wrong, again, with June and July set to mark, some of the biggest release months this year with films including Odyssey and Toy Story 5 expected to rake in billions.
But it’s not only the big films that are winning with smaller franchises and female-skewing films also outperforming expectations.
So, is the box office back, for good? In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Christian Kloukinas from Village Cinemas to find out.
Further listening from the headlines:
Venezuela's 'abysmal' earthquake response
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Thursday Headlines:
New analysis proves its harder to own a house now than when interest rates were 17%
Pollies turn out for Midwinter Ball
Online fraud and scams have increased as we become less vigilant
Karl Stefanovic to lose radio show
Details emerge about Taylor Swift’s wedding
Deep Dive: Twin earthquakes tore through Venezuela's north last week, leaving more than seventeen hundred dead and tens of thousands missing.
The emergency response has been widely criticised, international aid has faced unexpected obstacles getting in, and the government is carefully controlling the narrative as the outside world watches.
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by LiSTNR senior journalist Claudianna Blanco to examine what this disaster reveals about the state of the country and what life actually looks like for Venezuelans six months on from the US capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Further listening from headlines:
What a 'free' Karl Stefanovic really means
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