The Bushfire Recovery effort: How are people doing?

The word fascist is one of the most politically charged, and controversial, labels being used to describe US President Donald trump. He's been called a fascist leader by human rights experts, political commenters and even celebrities like Rosie O’Donell, who in our interview with her earlier this week called Trump an ‘an active fascist in the White House.’ But what are the signs and makings of a fascist leader, and how can we tell it we’re seeing a resurgence of fascist tendencies worldwide. In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Dr Marco Duranti, a senior lecturer in European and international history, who explains what fascism looks like and how a political leader can be a fascist. Afternoon headlines: Rental prices increase by almost 44% in five years, Optus sent alert about triple-zero outages to wrong government email and Sam Kerr expected to make Matildas return Further listening: Rosie O'Donell on Trump, Gaza & fame Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Okt 18min

Wednesday Headlines: Australians detained by Israeli forces deported to Jordan, Government accused of ISIS brides cover-up and inaction over sexual assaults, new research finds women have greater genetic risk of depression, Aussie writers could be eligible for a cut of a $2.27bn AI settlement, and more than 50% of Aussie's think its ok to clock off early and hit the beach during summer. Deep Dive: The sovereign citizen movement is on the rise in Australia, leading to clogged up community and legal systems, and in some cases extreme violence. Accused cop killer and fugitive Dezi Freeman subscribes to the pseudolaw, a path experts say is taken by citizens in crisis. In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy speaks to UNSW sovereign citizen researcher Dr Harry Hobbs about what's behind the surge, and why it’s a problem we won’t arrest away. Further listening from the headlines: Return of the ISIS brides We're training AI to blackmail us Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Okt 22min

Activist Greta Thunberg is a pro at feuding with world leaders, from US president Donald Trump to former-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, she’s beefed with them all. The 22-year-old is back in the headlines after she, and around 170 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla for Gaza, were recently deported by Israel after being detained in international waters. In this episode of The Beefing, Helen Smith unpacks the first time Greta made international headlines for her viral ‘how dare you’ speech at the United Nations climate action summit and examines her ongoing feuds with prominent world leaders. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Okt 7min

Today marks the two-year anniversary of Oct 7 when Hamas militants killed 1200 people and took 250 Israeli hostages. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health authorities in Gaza, and Israel's actions have been labelled by a UN independent commission of inquiry and other organisations as genocide. Talks have started between Israel and Hamas on the future of the Gaza war in Egypt, with Trumps Gaza peace plan on the table. In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Dr Eyal Mayroz a senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney to explain if we’re close to reaching a permeant ceasefire. Afternoon headlines: Anthony Albanese condemns pro-Hamas slogan, painted on a blank billboard in the inner-city of Melbourne, global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time and the daughter of actor and comedian Robin Williams speaks out against AI videos of her dad Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Okt 14min

Tuesday Headlines: PM calls for calm after death threats, alleged Sydney shooter named and charged with over 20 offences, social media platforms ordered to take down Charlie Kirk murder videos, wage theft has more than doubled in the last five years, and the White House has responded to SNL's skit mocking President Trump’s 'war on late-night TV'. Deep Dive: She’s an Emmy Award-winning talk show host, actor, and comedian who’s never shied away from a political fight. Now living in Ireland, Rosie O’Donnell is in Australia for the first time - bringing her new stand-up show Common Knowledge down under. In this episode of The Briefing, Rosie opens up to Helen Smith about life after Hollywood, her long-running feud with Donald Trump, and why she’ll always speak truth to power - no matter who’s in office. Tickets for Common Knowledge at www.sydneyoperahouse.com and www.artscentremelbourne.com.au Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Okt 24min

How much money do you need to be happy? A study found the average Australian would need to earn around $180k a year to reach peak wellbeing in 2025. But as the cost of living rises and our desire for money grows, can money really buy you happiness in the current climate? In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Dr Brad Elphinstone from Swinburne University who explains why the motivation we have for more money is important when it comes to our level of happiness and the role social media plays in shaping our financial aspirations. Afternoon headlines: Scott Morrison says Trump should win a Nobel Peace Prize if he ends the war on Gaza, police still looking for a motive for a 60-yr-old alleged gunman and a quarter of Aussies think retail theft is justifiable Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Okt 17min

Headlines: Up to 100 bullets fired in suburban Sydney shooting, Trump to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, search for missing four-year-old enters second week, fresh warnings for Sussan Ley after Andrew Hastie's resignation and the Broncos give Storm a masterclass in first grand final victory in 19 years. Deep Dive: Millions of Australians lost an hour of sleep on Sunday as daylight saving kicked in and while some love the longer evenings, others are asking why we even bother.  Beyond the confusion and claims it's all about capitalism, shifting the clock can have real impacts on our brains, bodies and even road safety.  In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Swinburne University’s Ben Bullock to unpack the history, the health effects, and how we can adjust better to the change.Further listening from the headlines: The 'future PM' taking on Sussan LeyThe tradies toppling the A-League Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcastFacebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Okt 21min

Hip hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs was due to be sentenced for two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution in a New York court on Friday (that's yesterday in our time zone).Crowds began queuing and setting up camp more than 24 hours beforehand to secure a coveted spot to watch the sentencing live in the courtroom. Meanwhile, Diddy made a last-minute plea for mercy in a letter to the judge, claiming he was "sincerely sorry". To get you across the case, today's bonus episode is Natarsha Belling's interview with music industry expert, Associate Professor Catherine Strong from RMIT University, after the verdict was delivered in July. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Okt 13min