PM facing more interest rate pressure + Inside the $3bn data centre standoff

Tuesday Headlines:  Melbourne Cup rate hike all but confirmed Australian author receives jail term for child exploitation offences Donald Trump goes on racist diatribe against Michigan Senate candidate Fridge temperatures soar as European supermarkets hit by another suspected cyber-attack British man has returned home to his mum, 28-years after setting off on a walk around the world Deep Dive: There's a good chance you've never even heard of the government's Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook but talk about the December budget update has been ramping up as interest rates continue to go up.   With a fifth cash rate hike expected to be announced this afternoon by the Reserve Bank, Labor and Anthony Albanese are under pressure to find savings in the upcoming MYEFO announcement.   In this episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Seven News Political Editor, Mark Riley, to discuss the update, whether it can make a difference to inflation and how the government can manage the nation's expectations amid a growing feeling of economic doom.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday Headlines:  Labor slumps in latest Newspoll ahead of expected interest rate rise House prices drop for seventh straight month Two teens killed in high-speed stolen car crash More cost-of-living protests in Europe Hollywood celebrates Halloween Deep Dive: AI data centres are starting to pop up across the country but are being met with fierce opposition by some local communities.    Residents in the Melbourne suburb of West Footscray have halted the expansion of NextDC's M3 centre, protesting massive high-voltage power poles in suburban streets by blocking work trucks and ignoring tradies knocking on their doors.    The pause has now wiped almost $3 billion off the company's share price.    In this episode of The Briefing, Tessa Randello is joined by Jacqui Glover, President of Citizens of Tottenham, to explore what happens behind the scenes when a local community takes on a corporate giant.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to this weekend’s Our Take brought to you by Chris Spyrou and Tessa Randello!  We kick things off with that Trump rally in Michigan, where Nicki Minaj flew in on Air Force One, “auditioned” to be the next White House Press Secretary, and copped a comment from the President about her “beautiful ass.”   We dig into how Nicki went from rapping about Trump wanting to send her home to calling herself his number one fan.  Then we crack open the inbox for the story hundreds of you couldn’t stop commenting on: Albo and that $6 million golf club grant.   Plus, listener Adam, a firie, sends in a voice note with his take on Elon Musk’s flying car.  Returning fan favourite Curtis Figon from Triple M is back for the Weekend Quiz, chasing a personal best of 4 out of 5... bless him.  And we wrap it all up with The Weekend List!   The Weekend List:   TO DO: Install a TV behind your kitchen splashback, so that you can watch while cooking (listener Michelle) TO WATCH: Prada’s hand-animated winter campaign (Tessa).  TO WATCH: AI dancing dogs (Chris) The Weekend Quiz (Just questions, no answers):   The first flight left from the new Western Sydney Airport on Monday. Where did it go?    A Victorian prisoner lost a court bid to try and get what snack while in jail?    Australia’s inflation rate increased again this week. What is it now?  A Former Prime Minister is starting a new job as a lecturer at Sydney Uni. What's their name?  Junior MasterChef is coming back to Aussie screens after 6 years. Poh Ling Yeow is one of the judges – who is the other one?  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines:  Erin Patterson appeal decision to be handed down   Protests, mourning and leaked audio after Spain’s deadly train crash Helen Haines' office reopens as more details emerge on alleged attacker's state of mind  Hanson accused Albanese of trying to divide One Nation with staffing offer Australia returns to the Eurovision stage in 2027!   Deep Dive: An end to check-out chores at Airbnbs around the world has sparked a major battle between the company and it's hosts.    The strict new rule changes ban hosts from asking guests to strip beds, start laundry, or wash dishes, and are set to come into effect on November 20.    But with tens of thousands of hosts signing petitions demanding the policy be scrapped, property owners warn the move will force cleaner fees up and squeeze host returns.   In this episode of The Briefing, Tessa Randello is joined by short-stay specialist Alex Nation about why the rule changes are causing such a stir, and what the future of short stays looks like.    Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday Headlines:  At least 68 killed in Spanish high-speed train crash  Chance of a rate hike firms up after inflation rises  Ashley Paul Griffith extradited from Queensland to NSW to face further charges  Netanyahu's bloc loses majority Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate touches down in the US Melanie Lynskey cast as Erin Patterson Deep Dive: The horrific abuse of infants at a remote Queensland childcare centre has once again exposed deep, systemic failures across Australia's $20 billion childcare sector.    It's revealed hundreds of providers that are currently operating completely outside national quality framework standards.    In this episode of The Briefing, ABC investigative journalist Adele Ferguson sits down with Sacha Barbour Gatt to break down the investigation and ask how these dangerous regulatory blind spots are able to persist.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday Headlines:  Record voter turnout for Israeli election Almost 800 threats made against MPs in six months PM admits golf club grant is not to fix sewage issues ASX closes higher as US shares rise in response to Anthropic IPO Meghan Markle to return to Australia to judge Junior MasterChef Further listening from headlines: Is this the end for Netanyahu? Deep Dive: For most Australians, the end of life has meant a choice between a plot or an urn.   Now New South Wales has added another option, after MPs voted unanimously last week to legalise terramation, or human composting.    Backers pitch it as an answer to shrinking burial space and rising funeral bills. But questions remain about how the process works and where all that soil ends up.   So is Australia ready to rethink how we say goodbye?   In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich, who wrote the law, to unpack how terramation works, what it’ll cost families, and when it might actually become an option.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tuesday Headlines:  Federal Politicians promise to continue honouring Haines Coalition releases $31 billion savings package Queensland's wild weather turns deadly Historic elections in Brazil and Serbia Jacinda Ardern lands lecturer role at Sydney Uni Victorian prisoner told he has no right to Vegemite Deep Dive: Pregnant women and working parents are continuing to face discrimination in the workplace in a major way, according to a new report by Australia's Human Rights Commission.   The laws to protect them – covered in the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work Acts – are majorly outdated according to the commissioner, with calls for significant changes to the legislation to ensure women who want to work and raise a family, can.   In today's episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by the commissioner to discuss what discrimination against pregnant women and working parents looks like in 2026, the continuing pervasiveness of 'sham redundancies' and how the government can act to clean up the space.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday Headlines:  Anthony Albanese to lead messages of support for Helen Haines as parliament resumes Coalition to introduce 'Cash is King' bill  Severe weather for Australia's east Australia's newest airport officially open to passengers Aussies through to semis of RL World Cup Deep Dive: Israelis head to the polls this week in their first national election since the October 7 attack, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, is fighting to hold on to power.    With polls showing neither side close to a majority, could this be the end of his long reign?   In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by Dr Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney. He explains why this election isn’t a simple contest of left versus right, who’s trying to topple Netanyahu, and what the result could mean for Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re back with this weekend’s installment of Our Take, our looser, goosier look back at the week that was.   We kick off this weekend with The Inbox, talking all about what we can and can't report in the media after one of our posts from the biggest news story this week caused a bit of a stir.  Then we jump into The Debrief to unpack why the internet needs to leave Miley Cyrus alone after her Hollywood Bowl concerts.  Plus, Curtis from Triple M NRL is back to try and take on the quiz AGAIN, while Chris kicks off his campaign to get Strawberry Kisses to the top of the Triple M 1000 countdown! The Weekend List:  To Try: Eucalyptus oil to get a stain out (listner Spinksy)  To Do: Warehouse Sales (Tessa)  To Do: Vote for Nikki Webster's Strawberry Kisses in the Triple M 1000 The Weekend Quiz:   Why were curfews enforced in parts of France this week? Why did Prince Harry make headlines after an interview with GQ? The main river of a major Australian city is aiming to become safe and swimmable by 2050 – which city and river? The BOM’s radars have been showing rain where there isn’t any for the last month – what is causing the error in the sensors?  Which Emmy-winning TV show is getting a reboot? Follow The Briefing:   TikTok: @thebriefingpod   Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast   YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friday Headlines:  Global scramble to fix program flaw impacting 70% of the internet Man charged after allegedly threatening WA MP  Ben Roberts Smith denies war crimes in 2GB interview Nationals leader Matt Canavan could be moving to the lower house  Reporter saves  driver from floodwaters in Brisbane  Deep Dive: A Tesla sports car launched off a ramp in Texas last week, flipped mid-air and cleared a row of parked cars. Elon Musk calls it proof the future has flying cars. Back on the ground, Australians are only just warming to EVs, and driverless cars are still being road-tested.   So are we really ready to take traffic into the sky... and who’s writing the rules if we do?   In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou is joined by futurist Steve Sammartino to unpack what Tesla actually built, who else is racing to make flying cars a reality, and whether Australia is anywhere near ready for them.  Follow The Briefing:  TikTok: @thebriefingpod  Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast  YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.