The Briefing

Looksmaxxing is taking over millions of young men’s algorithms - a trend focused on maximising appearance that can start off harmless, but spiral into extreme measures to appear more masculine.
This week, looksmaxxer influencer Clavicular was hospitalised in Miami after a suspected overdose during a livestream. He’s previously spoken about using drugs, including methamphetamine, to suppress his appetite as part of the trend.
After leaving hospital, he described his substance use as “a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public” and “not a real solution.”
In this bonus episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by UNSW public health researcher Samuel Cornell who unpacks the rise of looksmaxxing and why influencers are selling so-called 'ascension' programs.
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Sofia Levin does a lot more than just eat. She’s built a name as one of Australia’s most respected food critics and landed her dream job as a judge on MasterChef Australia - bringing her expertise to one of the country’s biggest cooking shows.
From carving out a career in food media to earning her first Logie nomination, she’s rubbed shoulders with names like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Robert Irwin and Poh Ling Yeow - learning what it takes to stand out in a world full of big personalities.
In this chat with Chris Syprou, Sofia shares stories from her travels, the reality behind her career, and the personal loss of her father to Motor Neurone Disease, a cause she’s now more driven than ever to fight.
Weekend list with Sacha Barbour Gatt and Helen Smith
Listener Matt TO WATCH: Big Mistakes on Netflix
TO LISTEN: Raye's album This Music May Contain Hope
TO WATCH: Trust Me: The False Prophet on Netflix
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Headlines:
Bail for Ben Roberts-Smith
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire begins
Trump “not happy” with Australia
Pope calls out “tyrants”
A Sydney man gets a $40m phone call
Deep Dive:
Harry and Meghan are finishing their Australian tour. Thousands turned out to catch a glimpse of Harry and Meghan as they visited Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney, and the Australian media followed the pair around on every stop. One journalist in the press pack was 7 News journalist Paul Dowsley – he gives the inside view of the tour.
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Friday Headlines:
Trump confirms 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel
Farmers warn of impending grocery price rises
Ben Roberts-Smith to face court today
Prince Harry praises Australia's social media ban
Red hair gene favoured by natural selection
Deep Dive: You might’ve heard of the term ‘mum brain’ or ‘baby brain’ to describe the forgetfulness and brain fog that women can experience during pregnancy and into motherhood.
But there’s actually a word for it – matrescence – and rather than denigrating the experience of women during this evolutionary phase of their lives, it describes the total biological, psychological and emotional transformation that comes with becoming a mum.
Now, there are calls for ‘matrescence’ to be added to the dictionary.
In today’s deep dive, Sacha Barbour Gatt talks about why that recognition is important with the president of the Peanut app, Michelle Battersby.
You can check out the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/it-s-time-to-gaf-about-mothers-add-matrescence-to-the-dictionary
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Headlines:
Bowen on refinery fire: “Not good timing”
Marles lays out Australia’s next defence challenges
Bank data shows 45% rise in fuel spending
Unemployment at 4.3%
NZ Airlines introduces bunk beds
Jail time for ant-smuggler
Deep Dive:
Fuel prices were high, and then an oil refinery caught on fire. Australia has two oil refineries and late on Wednesday night one of them sprung a leak that became a half-day fire. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the blaze at Viva Energy Refinery in Geelong was “not great timing”. But why is Australia reliant on such fragile energy infrastructure?
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by David Leaney, a Lecturer at the ANU College of Business and Economics and expert in international supply chain management.
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