

Squiz Today
Squiz Media
A daily news podcast, getting you across the latest Australian and international news in under 10 minutes. Agenda-free, independent, and delivered by hosts that'll come to feel like mates. It's the news without the noise, cutting through with a touch of analysis and an eye on what's coming next. And there's always a quirky news story or two to give a touch of balance to the news of the day. News for busy people, out 6am weekday, perfect for your morning routine.The Squiz is your shortcut to being informed.Top tip - check out The Squiz Today newsletter. It's the daily news stories, in your inbox each weekday at 6am, with links and more info to all the stories covered in The Squiz Today podcast. Sign up at www.thesquiz.com.au - it's free.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 12, 2025 • 9min
Squiz Shortcuts: What does Palestinian recognition mean?
Australia has long supported a 2-state solution, for an Israeli state and a Palestinian state to coexist peacefully side by side. And come September, we’ll take the step of formally recognising Palestine as its own sovereign state at the United Nations General Assembly. It’ll bring us in line with the majority of other countries, including France and Canada, but it goes against Israel and the US. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll explain what a 2-state solution is, what our recognition of Palestine means, and how our global ties are shifting.
Squiz Recommends:
Reading: This ABC article is a good starting point for understanding the 2-state solution and how it could work…
Listening: If you’d like to get across the history of the long-running dispute between Israel and Palestine, this Squiz Shortcut Claire and Kate put out in July 2020 will have you sorted.
Email us: Got a topic you want us to tackle? Send us your Shortcut suggestions to hello@thesquiz.com.au.
Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…
Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here

Aug 11, 2025 • 11min
Australia backs Palestinian statehood, and a good weekend at the box office
Tuesday, 12 August: Australia backs Palestinian statehood; A new electric vehicle tax is floated; Victorians spy a meteor; And a good weekend at the box office...
SPONSORED: If you’re keen to discover your next regional escape, check out Airbnb’s Hidden Vines Guide at airbnb.com/hiddenvines
And check out our new series, The Big Threat, here, on the News Club channel.
You can get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).
Other things we do:
Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!
Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.
Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.
Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.
Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics
Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Aug 10, 2025 • 11min
Trump gears up for peace talks, and an ugly shoe summer is incoming
Monday, 11 August: Trump gears up for peace talks; More on the mushroom murders; Vale Jim Lovell; And an ugly shoe summer is incoming...
SPONSORED: If you’re keen to discover your next regional escape, check out Airbnb’s Hidden Vines Guide at airbnb.com/hiddenvines
You can check out the BBC podcast series on the Apollo 13 mission here.
And check out our new series, The Big Threat, here, on the News Club channel.
You can get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).
Other things we do:
Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!
Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.
Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.
Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.
Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics
Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Aug 9, 2025 • 44min
Bonus Episode - The Big Threat: Brave New World
You might have heard us talking recently about our new series, The Big Threat, it's about how mis and disinformation are eroding the democracies that we live in. We thought we'd share the first episode in this channel, so you can have a listen. And for the second episode, head on over to the News Club channel.
Against the backdrop of the devastating LA fires, with a new President in the White House and as Meta announces its retreat from fact checking, Bryce visits San Francisco where public broadcaster KQED is mounting a rearguard action to fight fake news, and meets with Stanford University’s Professor Sam Wineburg - an academic sounding the alarm on a looming global disinformation crisis.
Links:
Sam Wineburg’s book, Verified
Professor Sam Wineburg: Stanford
KQED Youth Media Challenge
Corporation for Public Broadcasting - US
Articles:
Sam Wineburg’s USA Today op-ed
KQED faces budget cuts: $8m
Cuts threaten public broadcasting in the US
Australian Government: Social media ban for under 16s
Want more News Club in your life? We've got you...
Sign up to our News Club newsletter
Watch all our interviews on Youtube
Follow us on Instagram: @The Squiz
PS: If you love what we do, the best way to support us is by clicking ‘follow’ on Apple or Spotify. A huge thanks to those who drop us a 5-star review, or even better - spread the word about News Club with your friends, family, colleagues... even your barista.
Host: Bryce Corbett
Producer & Editor: Ryan Pemberton

Aug 8, 2025 • 11min
Weekly Wrap Preview: Should AI companies be exempt from copyright laws?
Each Saturday, we wrap up the news of the week with the (imaginatively named) Weekly Wrap podcast on our News Club show. We’re putting the main story here because we want to ensure our Squiz Today audience is across what we’re talking about. And today it’s on the Productivity Commission’s interim report released this week that suggests hitting pause on tough regulations, and giving AI companies a copyright exemption.
Listen to the full episode on the News Club show feed. And while you’re there, listen to episode 1 of our new series ‘The Big Threat’ that looks at how other democracies are equipping their populations to recognise and resist mis- and disinformation, and what Australia can learn from them.
Watch all our episodes on YouTube
Follow us on Instagram: @TheSquiz
PS: If you love what we do, the best way to support us is by clicking ‘follow’ on Apple or Spotify. A huge thanks to those who drop us a 5-star review, or even better - spread the word about Squiz Today and News Club with your friends, family, colleagues... even your barista.
Hosts: Claire Kimball & Jodie Speers
Producer & Editor: Ryan Pemberton
Researcher: Nicoletta Hay

Aug 7, 2025 • 13min
Trump floats a meeting with Putin; and a cracking quiche...
Friday, 8 August: Trump floats a meeting with Putin; Compensation for Kathleen Folbigg; Some new Aussie sporting legends, and a cracking quiche...
Here are some maps on the current state of the war between Russia and Ukraine
Here's the full Sport Australia Hall of Fame if you'd like to have a look
Here's the article from researchers at Charles Sturt University on the dancing cockatoos
Here's the Spring quiche Alice recommends (just a bit early)
Here's the article on Artbank
Check out our new series, The Big Threat, here, on the News Club channel.
You can get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).
Other things we do:
Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!
Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.
Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.
Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.
Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics
Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Aug 7, 2025 • 21min
Ask the Squiz: Free trade, toxic algae and flying pets
It's time for another episode of Ask The Squiz, and as always, we’ve got a great cross-section of topics, including how the US tariffs and the free trade deal interact, South Australia’s toxic algal bloom, and what the deal is with pets on planes…
SPONSORED: To help mark 100 years of Woolworths, they're showcasing the great work of their community partners. To listen to the full episode with the Clontarf Foundation's Troy Gordon, search for the 'From Grassroots' show in your podcast app.
Squiz Recommends:
Reading: This article in The Conversation is a good explanation of the science behind South Australia’s algal bloom
Reading: And this story is about Daniel the well-travelled duck
Email us: Keep your questions coming… We’ll be back with another Ask the Squiz in the first week of September - so if you’ve got a question you’d like answered about the news, send it through to hello@thesquiz.com.au and we’ll answer it then. Stay tuned…
Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…
Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here

Aug 6, 2025 • 12min
Reflecting on the atomic bombings, and a win for library lovers
Thursday, 7 August: Reflecting on the atomic bombings; Trump's deadline for Putin nears; Tasmania's stuck in a loop; And a win for library lovers...
You can read more about the 12yo Hiroshima resident who's sharing the stories of atomic bomb victims and survivors here.
Here's our Shortcut to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (or you can listen in your favourite podcasting app by searching 'Shortcut to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty').
And last but not least, take a digital meander through some of the world's most beautiful libraries here.
Check out our new series, The Big Threat, here, on the News Club channel.
You can get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).
Other things we do:
Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!
Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.
Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.
Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.
Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics
Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Aug 5, 2025 • 12min
The US and Brazil are at odds, and a Danish zoo causes a stir
Wednesday, 6 August: The US and Brazil are at odds; Israel discusses an expansion in Gaza; A report on the OceanGate disaster; And a Danish zoo causes a stir...
You can see the Danish zoo's social post here.
Check out our new series, The Big Threat, here, on the News Club channel.
You can get The Squiz Today newsletter in your inbox each weekday morning (links to all today’s stories, plus a dose of quirky news).
Other things we do:
Squiz Kids - a news podcast for curious kids. Age-appropriate news without the nasties!
Newshounds, by Squiz Kids - a free media literacy program designed to teach primary-school students how to recognise misinformation and disinformation when they come across it.
Check out News Club - the place for conversations about the news hosted by Claire Kimball and Kate Watson - including the interview series, Newsmakers.
Sign up for the Saturday Squiz newsletter here - it's the news, weekend style.
Sign up for The Squiz Shortcuts newsletter here - a weekly explainer on big news topics
Support The Squiz by sharing our newsletters and podcasts with your friends.

Aug 5, 2025 • 13min
Squiz Shortcuts: Australia's Closing the Gap plan
The 25th Garma Festival - Australia’s largest Indigenous gathering - has just wrapped up in the Northern Territory. PM Anthony Albanese was there, and he promised to fund training and economic opportunities for Indigenous Australians. But, as the latest Closing the Gap report shows, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to improving the lives and life expectancy of First Nations people across the country. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll cover what the Closing the Gap agreement involves, what the latest figures show, and what’s being done to address the issues…
Squiz Recommends:
Looking: At this gallery/report in The Guardian from this year’s Garma Festival...
Reading: The Productivity Commission’s latest Closing the Gap data is a good place to start if you’d like to take a closer look at the numbers....
Email us: Got a topic you want us to tackle? Send us your Shortcut suggestions to hello@thesquiz.com.au.
Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…
Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here.


