The Briefing

Wednesday Headlines:
Positive ceasefire talks between the US, Israel and Lebanon
International Monetary Fund warn of global recession
NSW city shaken by a magnitude 4.5 earthquake
St Kilda VFL player handed 9 week ban for using homophobic slur
Royal Ballet and Opera thank Timothee Chalamet for boosting ticket sales
Deep Dive: Millions of Australians are turning to chatbots instead of doctors - using AI to interpret symptoms, scan results and diagnoses without clinical oversight.
A recent YouGov poll found 40 per cent of Aussie adults have already done it, with many acting on that advice or using it to question their GP - raising concerns about accuracy, regulation and trust.
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Poppy Reid about the rise of the “shadow doctor,” why and how people are relying on it, and what it could mean for the future of healthcare.
Further listening: Will Asia fix our fuel crisis? and THE BEEFING: The AFL vs homophobia
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Headlines:
More face-to-face U.S.-Iran negotiations coming
Australia in talks to safeguard Strait of Hormuz
Qantas and Uber hike prices
TGA warns against unregulated peptides
Harry and Meghan visit children’s hospital
Deep Dive:
What happens when you offend a billion Catholics? Trump’s about to find out. After feuding with the Pope and posting an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, Donald Trump is facing criticism from some of his biggest supporters.
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Corey Alpert, a researcher at the University of Melbourne and a former staffer in the Biden Administration, to talk about the role of religion in American politics and Trump’s religious boundary-pushing.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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