The Briefing

Friday Headlines:
Global scramble to fix program flaw impacting 70% of the internet
Man charged after allegedly threatening WA MP
Ben Roberts Smith denies war crimes in 2GB interview
Nationals leader Matt Canavan could be moving to the lower house
Reporter saves driver from floodwaters in Brisbane
Deep Dive: A Tesla sports car launched off a ramp in Texas last week, flipped mid-air and cleared a row of parked cars. Elon Musk calls it proof the future has flying cars. Back on the ground, Australians are only just warming to EVs, and driverless cars are still being road-tested.
So are we really ready to take traffic into the sky... and who’s writing the rules if we do?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by futurist Steve Sammartino to unpack what Tesla actually built, who else is racing to make flying cars a reality, and whether Australia is anywhere near ready for them.
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Thursday Headlines:
Helen Haines' husband reveals she has lost both legs
Man arrested after allegedly taking nunchucks into a WA MP's electorate office
US envoy meets with Putin for Russia-Ukraine talks
Australian e-bike hospitalisations on the rise
Glee reboot is coming
Deep Dive: Microsoft Teams knows when you’re online, when you’re in a meeting and, with the right add-ons, how fast you’re typing.
Workplace monitoring has quietly moved from CCTV cameras into the everyday software we use for our jobs. Now AI is turning that data into dashboards that rank staff on how “productive” they are.
Most workers have no idea it’s happening, and a few lines buried in their employment contract may be the only warning they ever get.
So how much is your boss allowed to know about you ... and what can they actually do with it?
In this episode of The Briefing, Tessa Randello is joined by Professor Edward Santow, co-director of the Human Technology Institute at UTS, to unpack how everyday tech became a surveillance tool and what you can do if you think you’re being watched.
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Wednesday Headlines:
Brendan Nugent to face court accused of intentionally targeting Helen Haines
France to deploy troops ahead of further protests planned this weekend
Pauline Hanson apologises for Jacqui Lambie cartoon
Prince Harry admits he wants to reconcile with his family
Moths that are wreaking havoc on weather radars across south east Australia.
Deep Dive: Australia is reeling following the vehicle attack on Independent MP, Helen Haines, on Monday night.
The violent incident has sparked nationwide conversations about political violence in this country and how we can turn the temperature down when it comes to how we speak about and interact with politics and our elected officials.
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Chief Political Analyst at The Australia Institute, Amy Remeikis, to discuss the situation, what’s driving it, and how we move forward.
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Tuesday Headlines:
Independent MP Helen Haines critically injured in apparent vehicle attack
Israeli police make arrests over settler attacks in West Bank
French PM urges curfews after riots
Hanson tells Lambie to 'lighten up sweetheart' over One Nation cartoon mocking her
Plans to make Melbourne’s Yarra River swimmable by 2050
Deep Dive: The Greens have been powering ahead with a renewed strategy under new leader David Shoebridge to take up the fight to Labor in a more aggressive approach to policies.
In the space of just a week, the party has blocked or delayed two crucial pieces of government legislation, with the help of the Coalition.
But in the same time frame it’s also been forced to confront negative headlines surrounding allegations against WA senator Jordon Steele-John and claims of political point-scoring by factions within the party.
In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt chats with co-host of the Serious Danger podcast, Tom Ballard, to take a closer look at the Greens’ new strategy, and how recent headlines might help or hinder the party’s future success.
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Monday Headlines:
Jordon Steele-John releases lengthy statement, says he’s not on leave
Violent cost of living protests sweep France with more than 2000 arrested
Trump endorses Netanyahu as his administration calls for more to be done over Israeli settler violence in the West Bank
Pope Leo makes first public appearance since lung surgery
Katie Zachariah fired after five days in White House press secretary role
Deep Dive: They started out treating type 2 diabetes. Now hundreds of thousands of Australians are taking them, many for a completely different reason.
GLP-1s. You probably know them as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
And the more people sign up, the longer the fine print gets. There are side effects GPs are still learning about, prices many can’t afford, and growing concern about online clinics posting pens to people they’ve never met.
So, years after they went from diabetes medication to weight-loss wonder drug... what do we actually know about them?
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Dr Michael Wright, President of the Royal Australian College of GPs, to unpack what we’ve learnt about these drugs, who should be taking them, and who definitely shouldn’t.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.