The Briefing

It was almost 12 months in the making, but finally Anthony Albanese has met with Donald Trump for their long-awaited sit down. While there was a little distraction with US Ambassador Kevin Rudd, most experts say the meeting was a major success and the US Australia alliance is firmly back on track.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is jo...

Tuesday Headlines: Albanese and Trump sign critical minerals deal worth billions, Amazon struggling to fix an outage that’s affected millions of users, authorities working to trace source of rat poisonings in Queensland, Victoria’s set to ban masks and chains at protests, and the AFL’s warning to Bailey Smith over controversial social media posts.  Deep Dive: Former Deputy P...

It’s straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster like Oceans 11. Robbers breaking into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stealing priceless Royal jewels. Well, overnight, that happened in real life with experts investigating how these thieves carried out the daring heist in just four minutes.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Art crime expert Judge Arthur Tomkins,...

Monday Headlines: Albo en route to Washington for face-to-face meeting with Trump, thousands attended March for Australia and counter protests over the weekend, hunt continues for thieves after seven-minute Louvre heist, witnesses of Melbourne rollercoaster accident file lawsuit and crocodile discovered in luxury Queensland resort pool.  Deep Dive: When someone like Kamala Harris or Hillary C...

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go undercover and expose a booming, yet highly secretive global market?     In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we revisit LiSTNR investigative journalist Claudianna Blanco’s story, now nominated for a Walkley Award, as she travels to Colombia to uncover the dark side of international surrogacy.   Listen to Claudianna on Secret...

Cam Wilson has spent years deep in the corners of the internet most of us would rather avoid. As an investigative reporter covering technology and extremism, he’s seen firsthand how conspiracy theories spread and the real-world damage they can cause. In his new book, Conspiracy Nation, Cam unpacks how these ideas take hold, drawing on insights from psychologists, church leaders, journalists...

She is one of Australia’s most loved and successful TV stars, but MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin was keeping a dark secret. This Mental Health Month, Julie is sharing her own personal struggles with depression, how two strangers saved her life and how she turned her life around.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Julie Goodwin with her important advice abou...

Friday Headlines: Trump says he had ‘good and productive’ call with Putin, alleged offender of Melbourne daylight stabbing out on bail at the time, Indigenous leaders meet with King Charles to mark 40th anniversary of Uluru handover, Containers for Change has been accused of corruption, and the Aussie brands going viral overseas have been revealed.  Deep Dive: Gold fever is back a...

Sex and the City defined a generation - its fashion, friendships, and frank talk about love, sex, and ambition changed pop culture forever. But while Carrie and Samantha were inseparable on-screen, behind the scenes the dynamic between their real-life counterparts was anything but friendly. For years, rumours swirled about tension between the show's stars, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. Th...

In the latest concerning escalation of the attack on freedom of speech in the US, a number of top journalists have been kicked out of the Pentagon. The correspondents from the major networks walked, after refusing to sign a new policy that restricted their reporting on information without government approval.   In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by International and S...

Thursday Headlines: Israel says one of four bodies handed over by Hamas is not a hostage, three Australian men accused of Bali villa shooting could face the death penalty, the world’s carbon dioxide levels have reached record highs, NRL players now face 10-year ban for joining rival competition, and Virgin Australia’s pets on flights trial is underway!  Deep Dive: New research has...

NSW has now recorded its highest-ever yearly rate of Indigenous deaths in custody. The shocking statistic has sparked the State Coroner to call out the “profoundly distressing milestone”, saying these deaths demand respect and accountability.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by CEO of the Redfern Legal Centre, Camilla Pandolfini, who says these horrific...

Wednesday Headlines: AFP formally requests the PM’s number be taken down from US website, search for missing Gus expanded after advice from survival specialists, US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has Sandy Hook hoax appeal rejected, Instagram introduces PG-13 restrictions for teen accounts, and how the government’s about to make $70 million from unused public transport cards.  Dee...

Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell's feud is one of his earliest public beefs. Starting all the way back in 2006 when O'Donnell went after Trump on The View, their beef has been simmering for decades since. What followed was a relentless back-and-forth of brutal - and sometimes hilarious - personal attacks in interviews, on social media, and even during presidential debates. Now, with Rosie on Austr...

It’s the Parliament Sports Club scandal that’s uncovered explosive allegations about the powerful forces that are really running Canberra. The Australian Parliament Sports Club was thrown into the spotlight last week when Independent Senator and former Wallaby David Pocock was kicked out of the club after raising concerns about its lobbying status during Senate Estimates.  In...

Tuesday Headlines: Donald Trump signs Gaza ceasefire deal with world leaders in Egypt, AFP say its investigating Lydia Thorpe over ‘burn down Parliament House’ comment, Victoria’s become Australia’s car theft capital, alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant infections and an Aussie council has $1.9m stolen by crime gang using AI. Deep Dive: AI-generated actors are no longer a...

The US President has declared the war in Gaza is over, but as the world nervously waits for the hostage handover, many experts are concerned about what may lie ahead.  In this episode of The Briefing, Natarsha Belling is joined by Middle East expert Dr Andrew Thomas, who warns there are many concerns over whether this latest breakthrough will actually lead to lasting peace.  Headlines :...

Headlines: Donald Trump to meet with Israeli hostages after release by Hamas, calls for schoolies pill testing after second nitazene death, millions of Aussies warned to not fall for Qantas scams after data leaked on dark web, three people stabbed in alleged youth knife attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, and the NRL names its 19th team. Deep Dive: Experts are concerned there’s a growing number...

23 years ago today, the single largest loss of Australian life due to an act of terror hit Bali’s Kuta Beach. Two massive explosions tore through the bustling nightclub district, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians.  Australian Federal Police forensic chemist David Royds arrived on the scene just 48 hours later. Amid the devastation, he painstakingly pieced together what h...

Turia Pitt is one of those names everyone in Australia knows. In 2011, she was caught in a grassfire during a 100-kilometre ultramarathon and suffered burns to 65 percent of her body. Since then, she’s become much more than a survivor. Turia is an overachiever in the best way possible, she’s earned accolades, built a massive following and written multiple books, with her latest titled...

Netflix's Monsters series The Ed Gein Story is trending globally but despite it’s popularity the reviews are not in its favour, with critics pointing out it may be the most sensationalised instalment in the Monster anthology yet. The series follows murderer Ed Gein is thought to have influenced Hollywood and the making of Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs, but...

Headlines: Man who threatened PM prepared to ‘sacrifice self’, Abbie Chatfield ordered to pay $79k for defaming former friend, man who raped French woman Gisele Pelicot handed extra time on sentence, US authorities open investigation into Tesla’s self-driving cars after crashes, and Pauline Hanson hates paper shopping bags. Deep Dive: Taylor Swift is the world’s richest fem...

The Beckham family has long projected the image of a glamorous, tight-knit dynasty, with David and Victoria at the centre of a global brand. But behind the curated Instagram posts and luxury campaigns, tensions have been quietly simmering. With the release of Victoria Beckham’s Netflix documentary, renewed attention has fallen on the family’s private dynamics. Most notably, Brooklyn Be...

Renewable energy overtook coal as the world's leading source of electricity for the first time, with countries like Sri Lanka already running on about 50% renewables. With just four major economies creating nearly two thirds of global electricity demand, the race to decarbonise is accelerating. But who’s leading the charge and how does Australia stack up? In this episode of The Briefing, Hel...

Headlines: Manhunt underway in Sydney after man shot dead in ‘brazen’ daylight attack, former William Tyrell investigator 'reading between the lines’ in missing Gus Lamont case, AFP to be allowed to share child abuse material to catch offenders, Qantas among global companies hit with ransom demand from hacker group, and Dolly Parton’s got a message for the world.&...