Tuesday Headlines:  China’s pacific ballistic test labelled ‘destabilising’ by Australia Melbourne teacher dies after footy head knock Hamas to dissolve Gaza government  Trump admits he asked FIFA for red card review  Karl Stefanovic reportedly blocks comedian that keeps parodying him Deep DIve: Dodgy businesses, you’ve been warned. Last week Australia’s consumer watchdog launched a Federal Court case against Amazon for unfairly stuffing ads into its Amazon Prime streaming service; and, in the same week, the federal parliament passed laws that’ll protect consumers against unfair trading practices.  Those ‘dark patterns’ that make it super hard to unsubscribe from a service, or the countdown timer that pressures you into a purchase? They’ll be targets under the new laws, along with surprise fees. The laws were passed last Thursday, and will be implemented from 1 July 2027.  On The Briefing today is one of the people who campaigned loudest for the new Unfair Trading Prohibition laws, Chandni Gupta, the deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director of the Consumer Policy Research Centre.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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? Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  Follow The Briefing:   TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast   YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  Follow The Briefing:   TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast   YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday Headlines:  Thai police investigating Australian man for possible links to suitcase murders Support for One Nation remains high despite rejection of key policies House prices drop by biggest amount since 2022 Donald Trump’s controversial birthright citizenship policy struck down by Supreme Court Grad sacked after allegedly accessing Albo’s bank account  NT residents named the happiest in the country Deep Dive: July 1 marks the start of the new financial year and also when a raft of new laws, policies, regulations and pricing comes into effect.   This year that includes cheaper electricity for most states, bucking recent trends which have seen prices for everything else go up.   But it’s a little more complicated than just getting a cheaper bill, in fact, some people will be paying more.   In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Canstar’s Data Insights Director, Sally Tindall, to unpack the changes coming to our power bills and how to get the best deal.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tuesday Headlines:  Anthony Albanese backs multiculturalism as Coalition considers a rebrand US-Iran talks resume Bruce Lehrmann loses bid for Brittany Higgins footage Aussie fuel prices return to pre-Iran war levels Musical theatre industry calls for government help Deep Dive: Karl Stefanovic got tongues wagging last week when he had controversial UK figure Tommy Robinson on his independent podcast for a conversation that did little to challenge the far-right agitator on his problematic views about immigration and Islam.  Within days of the podcast episode going live, it had sensationally been pulled from all platforms, and the Nine Network’s highest-paid star had been shown the door, in an exit that signals yet another shift in the media space.  In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Jacqueline Maley, columnist and senior writer at The Age to discuss Karl’s Nine exit, why he’s happy about it and what it means for free speech and the broader media landscape in Australia.  Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.