Episodes
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at how disasters become PR opportunities.
Telstra somehow fixes a nationwide outage by creating another one, Narendra Modi gets the rock-star treatment in Melbourne while human rights concerns barely get a mention, and China reminds the Pacific what "friendly" military exercises look like.
Plus, the Royal Commission into Antisemitism turns its attention to the ABC, and Iran transforms Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral into a masterclass in authoritarian image-making.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah marks America's 250th birthday by asking what its greatest populist, Huey Long, can teach us about Donald Trump, democracy, and why every generation keeps looking for a king.
Plus, Australia's aged care system discovers that maybe humans should assess human beings after all, and the debate over journalists killed in Gaza descends into another battle over who counts as a journalist in the first place.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Missing episodes?
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah explains why Donald Trump's favourite movie might also explain his foreign policy.
From Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport to the Iran war, this episode explores the dangers of confusing spectacle with strategy, humiliation with victory, and refusing to flinch with actual courage.
How did America win every battle but still end up negotiating over the Strait of Hormuz? And what can an '80s martial arts movie teach us about modern geopolitics?
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah takes a deep dive into Pauline Hanson’s first National Press Club address and the global rise of populist politics.
From multiculturalism and immigration to childcare, abortion, transgender rights, and the meaning of “Australian culture”, Hanson’s speech offers a masterclass in the political lessons democracies keep refusing to learn from Donald Trump.
What does “monoculture” actually mean? Is Australia already a shared civic culture? And why do major parties keep responding to populists by adopting parts of their argument?
And one more thing: News Weakly is now completely ad-free. No sponsors. No mining companies. No meal kits. No cryptocurrency exchanges run by fugitives. Just listener support through Patreon and the ongoing collapse of civilisation.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at how every political problem somehow ends up being blamed on immigrants.
Comedian Dave Hughes goes viral railing against Labor’s housing policies, permanent residents, and falling property values, accidentally arriving at the same talking points that have fuelled One Nation’s resurgence. Meanwhile, anti-immigration riots erupt in Belfast after a violent crime becomes a vehicle for broader fears about migration, identity, and social decline.
The episode explores why housing affordability, wage stagnation, and cost-of-living pressures keep getting reframed as migration problems instead of policy failures, and how media personalities help launder increasingly extreme ideas into “common sense”.
Plus: Pauline Hanson’s political comeback, Barnaby Joyce’s confusion about what a permanent resident actually is, and the algorithmic pipeline turning ageing celebrities into grievance influencers.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah dives into the latest Australian culture war, where an autism podcast somehow becomes a referendum on Israel, Gaza, free speech, antisemitism, cancellation, and who should be allowed to work.
The ABC finds itself under fire after commissioning a podcast hosted by Grace Tame, despite controversy surrounding her comments about October 7, Hamas sexual violence, and the phrase "globalise the intifada". Meanwhile, Charlie Pickering discovers the dangers of talking to Avi Yemini, and Australia once again debates whether disagreement should be answered with argument or unemployment.
Along the way, Sami examines the Jayson Gillham controversy, the limits of institutional neutrality, why cancellation campaigns rarely achieve their stated goals, and the difference between offensive speech, political speech, artistic speech, and work that is itself the speech.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at what happens when political parties mistake nostalgia for strategy and spreadsheets for compassion.
Tony Abbott returns as Liberal Party president, raising questions about whether the Coalition plans to solve its existential crisis or simply appoint it to a leadership role. Meanwhile, sweeping changes to the NDIS could see hundreds of thousands of Australians lose access to support, generating considerably less outrage than proposed tax changes affecting property investors.
Plus, BHP’s green ambitions collide with leaked internal documents, KPMG discovers the risks of ignoring whistleblowers, and Donald Trump attempts to resolve the Iran conflict by threatening… Oman.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at what happens when populism accidentally stumbles into good policy while everything else quietly catches fire.
The federal government tweaks negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions, triggering a media meltdown from a property-owning class suddenly discovering class warfare. Meanwhile, Pauline Hanson unveils a gas policy so interventionist it accidentally sounds Scandinavian.
Australia also discovers compassion for “boat people” when the people on the boats happen to be Australian activists detained by Israel during the Gaza flotilla interception.
Plus: literary fiction panics after an allegedly AI-generated short story gets shortlisted for a major prize, and Elon Musk’s gutting of USAID collides with a growing Ebola outbreak in Africa.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at what happens when politics stops pretending to care equally about everyone.
Labor’s latest budget is compared to the brutal Abbott-Hockey austerity budget of 2014, revealing how conservative outrage mysteriously only appears when wealthy Australians lose tax advantages. Meanwhile, the Albanese government finally responds to gambling reform recommendations with a plan so timid it feels focus-grouped by Sportsbet itself.
In the UK, Labour MPs appear ready to repeat the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years at high speed, threatening to hand Nigel Farage the easiest political opening of his life.
Plus: Coles gets caught playing games with “Down Down” pricing, and the Royal Commission into antisemitism exposes something darker than political disagreement — a growing public instinct to explain away Jewish fear rather than confront it.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at the stories Australia keeps turning into culture wars instead of solving.
The death of Kumanjayi Little Baby reignites debate around Indigenous communities, systemic neglect, Welcome to Country ceremonies, and the country’s ongoing inability to confront its own contradictions. Sami explores the idea of the “Pink Flamingo”: the national dysfunction everyone sees but nobody meaningfully addresses.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Party responds to electoral collapse by considering a return to Tony Abbott, because apparently the answer to political failure is expired yoghurt conservatism.
And in journalism, former Age editor Michael Gawenda and writer Jeff Sparrow collide in a debate over objectivity, activism, and whether journalists still know the difference between reporting facts and performing politics online.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah takes on one of the most circular, exhausting debates in modern politics: how we talk about Israel and Palestine—and why the conversation keeps going nowhere.
Using the comparison between Pakistan and Israel, this episode reframes the discussion away from slogans and toward something more useful: treating countries like countries, not symbols.
From the legacy of Partition in 1947 to the ongoing realities of Gaza, the West Bank, and global politics, Sami explores why some states are criticised for their actions, while others are endlessly debated for their right to exist.
Plus: what the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 can teach us about Palestine, the limits of American protection, and why “impossible” states have a habit of becoming real.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at power, money, and the systems that insist everything is working fine while clearly not working at all.
The UAE exits OPEC, raising the prospect of cheaper oil and a full-blown Gulf power shuffle. Pauline Hanson receives a $1 million plane from Gina Rinehart, because nothing says anti-elite politics like private aviation funded by billionaires.
Meanwhile, a royal commission into a deadly terror attack finds no systemic failures, which is somehow more disturbing than finding some. And the government’s new plan to tax tech giants to fund journalism raises a bigger question: in 2026, what even counts as journalism anymore?
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah looks at what governments call “hard choices” and what they quietly refuse to choose.
The federal government plans to remove 160,000 people from the NDIS, citing unsustainable costs, while economists and crossbench MPs push for higher taxes on gas companies making billions from public resources. Meanwhile, a children’s book is pulped after controversial comments by its illustrator, reigniting debates about censorship, free speech, and artistic hypocrisy.
Plus, FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for $250 million, and the strange politics of diaspora conservatism takes centre stage.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY 208 – April 18, 2026
This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah returns to a world that somehow got worse while he was away.
The Middle East descends into a surreal loop of ceasefires, blockades, and immediate betrayals, with Trump now proposing to “blockade the blockade.” In Australia, Ben Roberts-Smith is granted bail on serious war crimes charges, raising questions about justice, power, and who pays for it all.
Meanwhile, the NDIS is once again under fire for being “too expensive” just as the government quietly commits $53 billion to defence spending. And in Iran, executions hit their highest level in decades, with over 1,600 people killed in a system built less on justice than control.
All that, and more.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY – 207 – 28 March 2026 | Australia Politics, Middle East Ceasefire, Teacher Strikes, ABC WalkoutTOP STORIES OF THE WEEK
This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah breaks down the biggest news stories in Australia and around the world, including the latest Middle East ceasefire developments, the rise of One Nation in South Australia, the Rio Tinto bailout, and major strike action by teachers and ABC staff.
The Iran–Israel–US conflict continues to escalate, with ceasefire negotiations collapsing amid ongoing military strikes, rising oil prices, and global economic uncertainty. What does the failure of diplomacy mean for the region, and why does every “peace deal” sound like it was written by one side and emailed to the other?
In Australian politics, the South Australian election result has triggered intense debate about populism, voter behaviour, and the future of the Liberal Party. Is this really a political shift, or just another cycle in Australia’s long history of voters making entirely predictable bad decisions?
Meanwhile, the Australian government has announced a $2 billion bailout for Rio Tinto’s Boyne aluminium smelter, raising serious questions about corporate welfare, public ownership, and why multinational companies receive taxpayer support while continuing to minimise tax obligations.
Plus, thousands of teachers across Victoria go on strike over pay and conditions, while over 2,000 ABC staff walk off the job, exposing deeper issues in public sector funding, cost of living pressures, and the sustainability of essential work in Australia.
What’s covered in this episode:
Middle East ceasefire collapse and Iran–Israel conflict updateOne Nation surge in South Australia and Australian political analysisRio Tinto bailout and corporate welfare in AustraliaVictorian teacher strikes and ABC staff walkoutCost of living crisis and public sector pay disputesQUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The sharpie is mightier than the ballistic missile.”
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Support independent Australian satire by joining Patreon.com/samishah. Your support helps fund weekly episodes covering politics, media, and global news with absolutely no corporate spin.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY #206 – War on Iran, RBA Interest Rate Rise, Sydney DJ Controversy & Forgotten Afghanistan War
This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah breaks down the escalating Iran-Israel-US conflict, Australia’s latest interest rate hike, a Sydney Biennale DJ controversy, and the war in Afghanistan that no one seems to remember exists.
Sharp analysis, dark satire, and global chaos, all in one episode.
Top Stories of the WeekIran War Update – The US and Israel claim success, while Iran remains “intact but degraded” and the Strait of Hormuz crisis rattles global oil marketsRBA Interest Rate Rise – Australia’s cash rate hits 4.1% as cost of living pressures continue to climbSydney DJ Investigation – Police probe Biennale performance by DJ Haram over alleged hate speechPakistan–Afghanistan Conflict – Civilian deaths rise in a war that barely registers in global attentionEpisode BreakdownIran War: Strategy Without a StrategyThe war between Iran, Israel and the United States enters a phase where “winning” appears optional. Key Iranian leaders have been assassinated, oil markets are unstable, and even US intelligence admits Iran remains operational.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump treats foreign policy like a loyalty test, NATO allies hesitate, and civilian casualties continue to rise across Iran, Israel, and Lebanon.
Afghanistan: The War Everyone ForgotA major strike in Afghanistan kills hundreds of civilians, reportedly at a drug rehabilitation centre. Pakistan claims it targeted militants.
Unlike other global conflicts, this war generates almost no outrage, no online campaigns, and no cultural backlash. The episode examines why some conflicts dominate attention while others disappear.
Sydney Biennale DJ ControversyA performance by DJ Haram at the Biennale of Sydney sparks political backlash, police investigation, and visa scrutiny.
The reaction raises questions about free speech, artistic responsibility, and why a DJ saying something inflammatory is treated like a national security threat.
Meanwhile, corporate sponsors withdraw support, highlighting familiar contradictions in public morality.
RBA Interest Rate Hike ExplainedThe Reserve Bank of Australia raises interest rates to 4.1%, continuing its effort to curb inflation.
The episode breaks down why rate hikes are being used to fight a supply-driven inflation problem and what that means for mortgages, rent, and everyday Australians already under pressure.
Quote of the Week“Intact but largely degraded is basically how we all feel these days.”
Support the ShowIf you enjoy News Weakly, support the show on Patreon and help keep it independent:
http://patreon.com/samishah
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music Historic Anticipation by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY – The Story of Karbala
This week, I step away from the headlines to tell one of the most powerful stories in the Muslim world: the Battle of Karbala. The death of Husain ibn Ali in 680 CE shaped the split between Sunni and Shia Islam and created a moral narrative about power, justice, and martyrdom that still echoes through modern politics, from Karachi to Tehran.
It's a very different episode, but I feel like it's a central element missing from the analysis and understanding of Iran and the IRGC's self perception, global Shia empathy towards the Ayatollah, and how the Iranian government has become that which it purports to hate.
Shenanigans and tomfoolery will be back next week.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY 204 – Married At First Strike, Melbourne Saves Australia, and the Geography PoliceEpisode Summary
Missiles fly, oil markets panic, reality television becomes a geopolitical framework, and Queensland decides the best way to fight hate is by outlawing metaphors about rivers.
This week, News Weakly explains the escalating Iran–Israel–US conflict using the only analytical tool Australians truly understand: Married At First Sight. Meanwhile, Australia may already be involved in the war in the most Australian way possible, Melbourne accidentally saves the nation from three more decades of commercial radio brain rot, the federal government discovers “social cohesion” is harder than it sounds, and Queensland enters the bold new frontier of criminalising specific slogans.
It’s geopolitics, media collapse, diaspora politics, and the strange ways governments try to regulate speech, all punched in the headlines weakly.
Top Stories of the WeekMarried At First Strike: Iran, Israel, America and the Middle East Dinner PartyMissiles, air strikes, Khamenei’s death, regional militias circling, and oil markets panicking. Why the current escalation looks less like careful diplomacy and more like the most explosive MAFS dinner party ever broadcast.
Melbourne Saves AustraliaAfter nearly three decades of scandal, humiliation and cultural decline on breakfast radio, the Kyle and Jackie O empire finally hits a wall. Not because of regulators, outrage or consequences. Because Melbourne changed the station.
Social Cohesion, Australian StyleThe federal government cancels funding for a Shia community centre after reports it mourned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The political logic might make sense in Canberra, but the way it will be heard across Muslim communities is another story entirely.
From the River to the Sea… or the Lake to the Bay?Queensland passes sweeping hate speech laws banning specific protest slogans. A legal innovation that raises an important question: if metaphors about rivers are illegal, what exactly counts as a body of water?
Quote of the Week
“Nothing says ‘we’re not involved in the war’ quite like Australian sailors possibly helping fire the torpedo.”
Support the Show
If you enjoy News Weakly and want to support the show, head over to Patreon at patreon.com/samishah. Paying members get ad-free episodes and bonus content.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY 203 – March 3, 2026
Everything escalates, no one learns, and somehow the only consistent casualties are civilians.
This week, News Weakly looks at the wars you are obsessing over, the wars you have forgotten, and the deeply online way Australians are processing both.
Top Stories of the WeekPakistan vs Afghanistan: The War You Forgot Was Happening
Cross-border strikes, Taliban accusations, militant blowback and strategic depth coming home to roost. A conflict with decades of history that barely trends, even as both sides accuse the other of harbouring terrorists.
Iran, Israel, America and Everyone Having an Opinion
Khamenei is dead. Strikes escalate. American bases get hit. Diaspora celebrations clash with anti-war outrage. From Iranian expats to The Greens, Labor, pro-Israel hawks and The Australian’s columnists, everyone finds a way to cheer something while claiming the moral high ground.
Bad vs Bad: How We Turn Foreign Wars into Domestic Culture Wars
What happens when geopolitical catastrophe becomes suburb-specific moral panic? A look at how Australian political factions filter Middle East conflict through their own tribal lenses.
Quote of the Week“You can oppose illegal wars and also oppose theocratic fascists. But that requires holding multiple uncomfortable truths at once.”
Support the ShowIf you enjoy News Weakly and want to support the show, head over to Patreon at patreon.com/samishah. Paying members get ad-free episodes and bonus content.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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NEWS WEAKLY 202, 28 Feb 2026
Episode title: Difficulty Level: National
Hello and welcome to News Weakly, where we punch the news in the headlines weakly. This week, the world is in multiple active spirals, but Australia has bravely chosen to centre a word association game like it is the Cuban Missile Crisis with better catering.
Top Stories of the Week1) Things get difficult for AlboAnthony Albanese describes Grace Tame as “difficult” during a Herald Sun conference word association game, and suddenly the nation discovers that adjectives can carry freight. The real story is not just the word, it is what the word has historically meant when men apply it to women, and how quickly a flimsy media moment becomes a full week of moral theatre. Then Tame responds on Instagram, politicians demand titles be stripped, commentators run their diagnostics, and Australia convinces itself it is doing political analysis while mostly doing a social media reading comprehension test.
2) Geneva Conventionally InsaneThe US and Iran meet in Geneva for indirect nuclear talks, mediated by Oman, with messages passed back and forth like divorced parents refusing to make eye contact at a school recital. Everyone says they want to avoid war while moving military hardware around like it is a hobby. The argument is about enrichment and rebuilding, but the anxiety sits in the region, especially Lebanon, where Hezbollah and Israel both know how quickly “posturing” turns into “miscalculation.”
3) Can we ban all teenagersNSW Police data records 197 incidents of anti LGBTQIA+ hate related violence since 2023, with a disturbing pattern of teenage boys luring victims on dating and hook up apps, then assaulting and robbing them, sometimes filming it. The ideology varies, the method does not. Extremism is a franchise model now. Different uniforms, same obsession, same fixation on queer bodies as a site for performance, humiliation, and cruelty.
Quote of the Week“We are treating a throwaway word in a word game as if it were a constitutional crisis.”
Support the showYou can back the show on Patreon.com/samishah.
CreditsSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.
For more: http://thesamishah.com
Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram
This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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