The Briefing

Headlines:
Budget legislation is coming Thursday, as CGT pushback grows
Steggall and Spender explain why they’re exploring a new political party
Royal Commission hearings return with focus on Bondi attack
Second person dies of diphtheria in the Northern Territory
More Aussie flotilla activists return, and Israel’s president condemns poor treatment
Guzman y Gomez faces US class action lawsuit over hasty exit
Deep Dive:
Can drugs make us superhuman? That’s one question behind the Enhanced Games, the juiced-up sporting event that took place in Las Vegas throughout today. Athletes were paid big money to compete, with US$1 million for anyone who broke a world record time. In the end, only one drug-enhanced athlete did.
In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Tom Decent, chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, who was at the event in Vegas.
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Monday Headlines:
Flotilla activists claims of sexual assault while detained
Trump says no rush for Iran deal despite it being ‘largely negotiated’
Second Australian killed in shark attack in as many weeks
Independents in 'advanced talks' to create a new political party
Animals thriving in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
Deep Dive: One of Australia’s biggest cocaine stings almost collapsed because of a behind-the-scenes turf war between Australian police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). At the centre of it was a $1 billion shipment linked to a Mexican cartel and a covert operation that exposed deep fractures inside the agencies meant to stop it.
Behind the White Line, published in collaboration with The West Australian on LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep feed, traces the journey of cocaine from narco to nostrils, uncovering the global syndicates, corruption and violence behind Australia’s appetite for the world’s glamour drug.
In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with investigative journalist Richard Baker about the extraordinary operation, the infighting that threatened to derail it, and the human cost behind Australia’s cocaine obsession.

Listen to Rich’s latest season of Secrets We Keep: Behind the White Line here.
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What happens when the Australian dream turns into a family nightmare?
The new Australian film Birthright takes a darkly funny look at housing inequality, intergenerational wealth and the growing divide between baby boomers and younger Australians - as more adults find themselves moving back in with their parents.
As Australia’s housing crisis deepens, the idea that hard work alone can secure a home is feeling increasingly out of reach, fuelling resentment, financial pressure and shifting family dynamics.
In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Zoe Pepper, writer and director of Birthright, to unpack the reality behind the satire and ask whether the ‘great Australian dream’ has become more myth than reality.
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Lyse Doucet is a proud Acadian woman who was born in a small town in Canada and went on to become the BBC’s chief international correspondent - having just the other week returned from reporting in Iran.

She's spent her career on the ground in some of the most dangerous and infamous war zones - ranging from Damascus to Tehran and the Ivory Coast to Gaza, but she’ll be the first to tell you that there’s a lot more to these places than the conflicts they become known for.

In this chat with Sacha Barbour Gatt, Lyse unpacks her new book which takes place inside the walls of Afghanistan’s first luxury hotel, the importance of truth in journalism and how to make a home even in the midst of bombs and wars.
You can see Lyse at Sydney Writers Festival on May 24
Weekend list with Helen Smith
Listener Roxy TO WATCH: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Disney+

TO WATCH: Nakba video by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani
TO DO: Skin check!

TO WATCH: At home with the Fury's on Netflix
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Headlines:
Australian man dies after fall on Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Guzman y Gomez is closing its doors on US business
New Zealand’s Finance Minister invites Aussies over after latest budget changes
Stephen Colbert's Late Show finale begins
Deep Dive:
Kylie Minogue kept her second cancer diagnosis a secret – until this week. Australia’s pop princess has a tell-all Netflix documentary out now, which includes the stories of her 2021 diagnosis and her struggle to become a mum. Filled with home footage, the documentary gives an insider look at Kylie’s rise, her losses, her loves, and the music that helped her through.
In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by entertainment reporter Justin Hill.
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