The Briefing

The families of some of the adults and children killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School reached a settlement with gun manufacturer Remington. They won a $A100m lawsuit in a court in Connecticut, with the court ruling Remington had marketed the firearm used in the shootings to young men. Veronique de la Rosa, a mother of one of the schoolchildren killed, joins us to explain how and why they took the legal action. It’s an inspiring story of families who refused to give up, despite lawmakers at both a state and federal level failing to take on the all-powerful American gun lobby. It’s a small victory…some light in the darkness of an unimaginable tragedy. Todays Headlines The US says ‘invasion’ into Ukraine has begun Mask mandates to be rolled back across three states UK scraps all Covid rules New reward for missing backpacker PM supports anti-trans sport bill Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Feb 202220min

Australia’s energy market is changing rapidly. Coal fired power plants are closing earlier than planned... and their owners are building batteries in their place! Last year Energy Australia announced the Yallourn plant in Victoria will close and Origin Energy last week announced its Eraring plant in NSW will close seven years earlier than planned. Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brooks says he wants to take over AGL with a similar plan, shutting down powerplants early and building renewable infrastructure. We’re joined by Mike Foley, the climate and energy correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald to find out what’s going on and how it will speed up our transition out of coal fired power... and do we risk price hikes and power blackouts... as the Energy Minister Angus Taylor has warned Todays Headlines Cannon-Brookes AGL bid knocked back China hits back over laser incident Fugitive on the run for 12 years finally detained Trump's new social media app launched Sydney trains to run on reduced schedule today Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Feb 202219min

Economists say interest rates will rise this year – some are predicting a 15-basis point rise as early as June. So, what does that mean for the average mortgagee? We talk to AMP chief economist Shane Oliver, to find out how many Australians will go into mortgage stress if rates rise, as predicted, by one percent in the next twelve months. With a federal election due in May, both Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison will be trying to convince Australians their side of politics is the better economic manager – and they can keep interest rates low. Well, can they? And how will you be affected by climbing interest rates? Todays Headlines The Queen tests positive for Covid-19 Australia opens its borders PM calls for explanation after China aimed laser at RAAF aircraft Atlassian co-founder looks to speed green energy transition The Winter Olympics draws to a close Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Feb 202221min

CONTENT WARNING: Sexual Assault. Domestic Violence. Domestic Violence Help Line: 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)This is a 24-hour national sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.Individuals can also access local support services and search the internet using Daisy, a free app developed by 1800RESPECT that protects user privacy. Tarang Chawla found celebrity for a reason he’d rather never have happened. In 2015 his sister Nikita was brutally murdered by her former partner. The subsequent media coverage and Tarang’s tireless advocacy to end violence against women made him a household name. Tarang is passionate about broadening our community’s understanding of what causes violence against women. He talks to boys and men regularly about gender inequality and how we can reduce the number of women who are subjected to domestic abuse.He’s the host of a new podcast called There’s No Place Like Home where Tarang speaks with ten survivors of family violence about their experiences. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Feb 202240min

US President Joe Biden this week put the world on notice that a Russian attack could happen very soon... and western countries have been evacuating their embassy staff and warning citizens to get out... But the Ukraine president President Volodymyr Zelensky has been giving a very different message - he’s been urging people to stay calm. So what is happening in Ukraine... Channel Seven reporter Sarah Greenhalgh is in the city of Lviv in far western Ukraine. How likely is war between Russia and Ukraine…? Todays Headlines Shelling in eastern Ukraine dubbed ‘false flag’ operation NSW and VIC roll back restrictions Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station to close early Spy bosses told to stop interfering in China political debate At least 100 dead in Brazilian mudslides Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Feb 202221min

Jakara Anthony is an Australian freestyle skier, and Olympic gold medalist. Jakara won the Women's Moguls event at the 2022 Winter Olympics – one of the most gruelling and challenging events at the Olympics. Having been a competitive skier since her childhood, the gold medal at Beijing was a lifelong dream. She said after winning gold: “It's really incredible to know that all the hard work I've been putting into my whole skiing career is really paying off. And it's just, yeah, I'm just lost for words.” Dreams do come true. Todays Headlines Man dies in Sydney following brutal shark attack Spy chief labels PM ‘unhelpful’ over ‘Manchurian candidate’ comments Australia sees more aged care COVID-19 deaths in 2022 than 2020 Clive Palmer tells court WA Premier has a licence to kill US says Russian build-up is continuing Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Feb 202221min

China is hosting the Winter Olympics and two of its athletes highlight the incredible complexity of the country’s social media – and attitude to the rest of the world in general. Eileen Gu is the poster girl. Born in the US to an American father and a Chinese mother, she chose to represent China at the Games. Gu won gold and is a national hero. Figure skater Zhu Yi, is also an American born Chinese woman who has faced intense criticism after falling in several of her events. Jennifer Hsu, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute focusing on Chinese culture and media, says the different responses to the two recruited Olympians, provides a snapshot of China’s social media influence. And how the government of China is working with young sportspeople – and social media - to portray a ‘new’ China to the rest of the world. Todays Headlines Prince Andrew reaches settlement with accuser Djokovic prepared to miss Grand Slams over anti-vax stance Russia says they have withdrawn some troops- but NATO wants proof Canberra anti-vax protests continue while Canadian PM invokes emergency powers Roberts-Smith ex-wife denies she wants him jailed Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Feb 202219min

Prime Minister Scott Morrison won the “miracle” election back in 2019. No one expected him to win, but he was a master campaigner, convincing what he called “the quiet Australians” to trust him. Annika Smethurst from the Age newspaper and the Briefing is author of a biography on Scott Morrison – The Accidental Prime Minister. Annika tells us Scott Morrison will need to pull off a major coup to repeat his success from 2019, with poll numbers pointing to a heavy defeat. So, can Scott Morrison pull off another miracle election win….? Or will we see Anthony Albanese in The Lodge? Todays Headlines PM slammed for asking for ‘forgiveness’ over Stolen Generation Russian skater cleared to compete after positive drugs test The ex-wife of Ben Roberts-Smith has broken her silence on her marriage Women harassed by former High Court justice receive compensation payout Jarryd Hayne conviction quashed and hopes for retrial Follow The Briefing DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BRIEFING NEWSLETTER. LINK IS IN OUR BIO ON INSTAGRAM Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast Facebook: TheBriefingNewsAUTwitter: @TheBriefingAU See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Feb 202220min