Live on Sky News.
This is Sharry Good Evening.
Well.
Tonight we issue our own sanctions against Pennywog and Anthony Albanezi for their gross double standards on Israel and Hamas. I also get perspectives from Israel and a former labor heavyweight about what damage this government is doing to our foreign policy. Also tonight, a curfew in Los Angeles after another night of chaos as the number of injured journalists grows. Pete Stepanovic is in LA and we'll bring us the latest.
Plus the psychiatrist will be on the show to share her view on how a zembek alters the human brain. She says it's even changing desires. That's coming up later. I'm going to start tonight by issuing my own symbolic sanctions against the two most damaging figures in the Albanezy government,
the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. I sanction wong An Albany for their antagonistic and extreme rahtoric, which over the past twenty months has only inflamed anti Israel sentiment and contributed to the dangerous rise of anti Semitism in our country. They stand condemned. There can be no genuine social cohesion, while our nation's leadership continues to pander to
rabid activists who hate Israel. Because it's clear that the anti Israel protest movement has been the key driver of the violence, doxing and harassment of Jewish Australians, Wong and Albin EASi, in my view, are as dangerous to Australia's social fabric as the very Israeli ministers they hipocratically sanctioned overnight. Now, of course my sanctions will make no difference, just like theirs won't make a difference to the Israeli ministers they've
sanctioned Ben Gevera and Smart Rich. But what matters is the message it sense, and the message from the Albanzi government is this, if you support Israel, you're the problem. Now we all know that you don't issue sanctions against a friend, you only issue them against an enemy like Russia. And thus the Albanezi government is turning Israel into a
pariah's state and thus Zionists into outcasts. Around ninety nine percent of Jews are Zionists, so this is extremely dangerous for our social cohesion, and their move to issue sanctions is juvenile. It's student union style political activism. It's not considered foreign policy, but it does have serious implications. It'll drive division and distrust, It'll fuel fear amongst Israelis, and
I believe it will increase hatred of Jews. Thankfully, there is still leadership and common sense, if only from the United States. The impressive Secretary of State Marco Rubio was clear headed and principled when he said this today. He said the sanctions do not advance US led efforts to achieve a cease fire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. He says, we reject any notion of equivalents.
Hamas is a terror organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilian hostages, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. He said, we remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is, because Wong and Albaneze have certainly forgotten who the enemy is. And Marco Rubio said that the United States now urges the reversal of these sanctions. He said, America stands shoulder
to shoulder with Israel. Now I've been told, and I hope it's true that President Donald Trump plans to raise this issue with Albinizi when he sees him at the G seven shortly. But let's be clear, this move by the Albenzi government today is fundamentally flawed and it's wrong for three main reasons. It's gross double standards, It abuses the purpose of the sanction regime, and it contributes to an unwise broader anti Israel foreign policy campaign. And let's
start with that gross double standard. There are no sanctions on Palestinian ministers despite their repeated incitement and glorification of violence. And this includes the Palestinian President Mamu Dabas, who defended Hitler, saying that the Nazi leader didn't kill Jews because of their religion, but because of their social role in how they dealt with money.
What are the Luna essays.
Lem And just this year, the Palestinian president also said that he won't stop the payments to so called martyrs families, that's the families of terrorists who kill innocent Israelis. Well, wouldn't Pennywong think this was the greatest obstacle to peace funding terrorism and it's this that requires sanctions or apparently not. In fact, the Palestinian president even made a phone call congratulating a terrorist who murdered an Israeli baby. Have a listen.
That is Raeli baby Avia Malka was just nine months old. And here's another example. The Palestinian Adviser on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations, Mahmud al Habash said that Hermasa's massacre of October seven was legitimate resistance.
Malama October, no.
No, no.
October.
Now there are so many examples, like, there's too many for me to go through now, Yet Wang and Alberizi have chosen to sanction two controversial Israeli ministers who've committed no crime and who are regularly criticized in Israel's free press. They're criticized for comments calling on Israel to take back control of Gaza. They say the Palestinians should move out, and they encourage Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas. Now, clearly these are not comments I agree with, you know, because
you know my views. I express them here every night. I don't agree with them, but it's hardly comparable to literally paying for terrorism or congratulating the murderer of an innocent nine month old baby, And it's certainly not comparable to actual crimes committed by any number of politicians around the world. Ben Gevera and Smartridge also face elections and
judicial oversight. The Israeli democracy is famously fierce and the law is upheld, but no such accountability exists in the Palestinian authority, which has not held elections in over a deca. If this were about principles not politics, where are the
sanctions on Palestinian authority ministers? And where are the sanctions outside of the Middle East on officials from Mayamma, China or Iran, or for that matter, on politicians who have said equally controversial comments in America, Canada, France, Germany or any country around the world. By this standard, Albanezi and Wang would almost certainly be issuing sanctions against the United States President. I mean, this is utterly absurd, and it brings me to my next point. This very move abuses
the purpose of the sanctions regime. The Magnitsky legislation under which these sanctions are issued was designed to target authoritarian regimes places where there's no rule of law, justice system, or even elections. This sanction regime was the impetus of the late Senator Kimberly Kitching it was a mechanism to
hold dictators and corrupt autocrats accountable. Now, as I first reported in the Australian newspaper, Kimberly Kitching fought for this despite opposition from Penny Wong, who refused to let her table a private members bill on the Magnitsky laws. Now, Kimberly's close friend, former Labor MP Michael Downby, he's going
to be on the show tonight. I spoke to him today and he says the Kimberly Kitching would be turning in her grave right now to see these sanctions abused in this way to be used on our ally Israel. Michael Downby says, Kimberly envisaged this legislation being used against authoritarian states and she'd be upset that it was being misused against democratic states like Israel, where the rule of law and elections deal with any possible violations by local politicians.
He says, what's next if we don't like the politicians in other democratic states like Canada, France or the United States, are we going to put magnisky bands on them too? And as I said, Michael Danby is coming up on the show a bit later. But Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash also said today that this sanctions regime is meant to respond to human rights abuses and terrorists acts.
She says the government's explanatory materials make clear that Minister Wong exercised a discretionary power to impose the sanctions because of public comments made by the two Israeli ministers. This appears to be a new development in our foreign policy. Yes, public comments, not crimes, not actions, but comments. These are sanctions for speech. It's bewildering and Mikayla Cash will be
on the program tomorrow night. Now, this isn't about justice, its political punishment against freely elected ministers in a functioning democracy with an independent Supreme Court. Now, lastly, as we all know, this isn't an isolated incident. It's part of an established pattern under the Albanzi government of adopting a hostile anti Israel foreign policy platform. Before Albinizi, Israel was one of Australia's closest allies. This government is treating Israel
as a rogue enemy state. AJAK executive director Colin Rubinstein said it very well today in a statement when he said the government appears to be acting at the behest of the obsessive anti Israel activists who constantly scream for ever more punitive actions against Israel and largely do not seek the two state solution our government says it supports, but instead desire Israel's ultimate destruction. And that's right, that's
the crowd they're pandering to. Now, Pennywog stood up today and she claimed that she could separate her foreign policy position on Israel from Jewish Australians. She said the two were unrelated. Now, this is a farcical, naive and simply wrong claim that indicates she knows nothing of the racism we're facing and the reasons behind it. What Penniwang must surely know is that the Jewish community around the world is intrinsically connected to the state of Israel. Zionism and
Judaism are intertwined. Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. It's the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people who've lived there for thousands of years, and even lived there before Islam began. The Albanesi government's egregious and continued campaign against Israel is a massive betrayal, and it's my view, my very real fear that it only encourages the campaign of hate towards Israel, towards Israelis, towards Zionists, and thus towards Jews. It sends a signal that in their Australia,
vilifying Israel is not just tolerated, it's applauded. Now, this entire move by Wang and Albanisi is divisive, counterproductive, and deeply hypocritical, but it won't go unanswered. The Jewish community and many Australians, including many of you watching now see exactly what this is. A political stunt wrapped in moral posturing during real damage to the social fabric of our great country. Well, let's turn to California now, which resembles more of a war zone then the usual streets of
Los Angeles. The anti ice protests have spiraled in the past twenty four hours, forcing Mayor Karen Bass to order an emergency curfew for parts of the city, and just yesterday she claimed the National Guard won't even need it. Well, my Sky News colleague and host of First Edition, Pete Stefanovic, was on the streets of Los Angeles after the curfew began, and here's his report.
Shari I just want to tell you what's going on right now. We are well past the time of the curfew coming in, and just beyond me there was a group of protesters who were defying police for some time and I've got to say they had it coming. I've got to say they had it coming because they were they were blatantly ignoring the wishes of the mayor and
the curfew that was in place. And just in the past few minutes while we've been standing here, the police have had enough and it looks as though they've moved in. So there were flash greenn that we used, there were other such devices that we used to clear out these remaining protesters, and it looks like for now that's worked. It is a scene of action right now here. You've got riders on horseback who are getting involved. You've got huge members of the LAPD who are down here as well.
You've got choppers above you'd be able to hear those, and you've got the bright lights. To some members of the media, there's actually not that many protesters here left and the police just moved out those who were remaining and they've dealt with that. But look, we are almost two hours into this curfew and people.
Were blatantly ignoring it.
I mean, you've got people who are still driving their cars in other parts of downtown LA. You've got other people who were just assembling and they were ignoring this curfew. And those guys over there, those protesters anyway, just learn what happens when you do that. So it's just an example of what's going on this evening.
Us this and while let's bring in labor legend Graham Richardson and Daily Telegraph journalist James Willis. Welcome to you, Braith, Thank you, see you, rich O. This is now spreading to other major cities in the United States, and it looks like it could become just national chaos.
It does.
It's a very serious situation now and it seems to need to be getting worse. And as it gets worse, I don't think there's much being done. So I've got to look at this and say that that Trump's got a huge job to do that is just not being done.
I mean, James Trump is well within his rights. He has a legitimate claim to deport immigrants. It's what he said he was going to do. So, you know, it's a bit rough that the Democratic leadership are blaming him rather than the protesters.
Well, that's right, and this was his mandate and this was his number one issue that I believe got him elected Shari was the idea that America's borders were too soft, particularly the Mexico border, but from other parts of the world as well. The Democrats have been too soft on
that that was damaging the fabric of society. And so in the early stages of his second term, he has come in and decided to go straight into it, which I think is a really refreshing, refreshing approach for the record, that you can just start doing that from day one. There is going to be blowback in parts of the country and we as we know, America is a really interesting, sweltering pot where there's a lot of different people doing with different views, and la is one example of that.
But I think he's just going to go harder on this and anyone that defies it will watch out because they mean business. There's more marines, more National Guard being brought in.
I worry it's going to turn into sort of similar to the lawlessness of the Black Lives Matter movement when its spread from city to city.
They're looting and booting on the.
Crime storefronts bashed in. I mean, I just get the center, Richo, that people love a protest, and you know, these are obviously despicable, but at least they're not protesting the Jews for once, rich O for once.
But that having been said, this is pretty pretty sad to see.
Really.
I mean, a great country like America, you shouldn't have to cower in your home and be afraid to walk out on the pavement. That's just not right.
One hundred percent. Look, what's also become a big story here in Australia that they have several journalists have been caught in the crossfire. Nine's Lauren Tamasi, the ABC's North America correspondent Lauren Day. Also another camera operator New York Post cameraman was also hit by a pellet. James, what do you think? I mean, clearly none of this was deliberate, despite the Prime Minister trying to say it was. I mean, if you attend to protest, this is a risk.
Yeah.
Firstly, I hope Lauren's doing okay and the other media representatives that have been caught up in this. And when you're working and you are reporting on something that you should never ever be injured in the line of fire or worse.
However, the point that I.
Would make that I don't think has been made enough shar that the competitive industry of media has required reporters to get the best shot of the day, on the story of the day, and in this case, the story of the day is standing as close as you can to the line of fire of police that are telling people to move on, that are you using rubber bullets, using tear gas sometimes and so unfortunately, when something like this happens, we can be.
Shocked by it.
But I think that's sort of where you draw the line, and also understand that there is going to be a necessary risk when you're in a riot, when you're in a war zone, when you're in a time of conflict or anything that there is inevitably a risk of something going wrong. So that's certainly what we've seen. But any claims that this was deliberate, or you know that there should be sanctions, or you know, the Prime Minister getting involved, I think is far too far.
Yeah, and the Prime Minister has said that he's raised this at official levels with the United States. Well, let's turn to Gratethinberg. She landed in Paris after being deported from Israel, and then she immediately gain claimed she'd been kidnapped.
We were, yeah, on international walters. We were illegally attacked and kidnapped by Israel and the taken against our will to Israel, where we were detained, and then some of us deported.
Some are still there. I wasn't able to say goodbye.
Were you were you worried about the others that they might be detained for any Nay?
Yeah, I'm very worried about them. Richro Come on, she was given a sandwich, somewhater taken to safety. She needs to sit down with some actual form of hostages who were kidnapped, doesn't she.
I think she needs to sit down with a therapist. I think that'd been a big shop for her. This is a this is a troubled girl, in my view, and she needs professional help, the kind that you and I can't give.
No indeed, but you know the world seems to you know, embolden her, encourage her. I mean, you know, we have been talking about it all week, and I regret that to a certain extent, but we're not the ones encouraging her. It's international media, it's the human rights groups, it's the activist that's right, and she plays a role for those people.
I do look, I feel very sorry for her because I feel like she's missed a lot of her childhood and a lot of growing up and a lot of things that kids do, because she's got a lot of a media attention and she's just gone with that. Shari, I thought if I could just say, I thought you articulated this issue so well off the top of the show, and every little step that Australia makes as an umpire's call in favor of what they say is the Palestinian
people is playing into the hands of Hamas. And I do think it does have an impact on what we see here socially, this anti Israel movement that's driven by parts of the left wing media, but we have seen day to day certainly when governments are making decisions, then
it does encourage that environment. So I think people are starting to be deeply concerned by Penny Wong and Anthony Albanezi, you know, making these odd decisions and favoring one side of this war, in this case cuddling up to a terrorist group.
Oh I know, it's pathetic, it really is. And I mean, Richard, you say she probably needs to see a therapist. Well, Donald Trump says she needs anger management training. Have a look.
Well, she's a strange person. She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger. It's hard to believe, actually, but I saw what happened. She's certainly different anger management. I think she has to go to an anger management last. That's my primary recommendation for her.
I'm probably a classroom really, because with all the schools she missed, as James sach, who knows if she can even read them write properly?
Richo, Well, I mean I could forgive her if she couldn't read or right properly. She's been at to a professional agitator all her life. Really, you know, it's out of the cradle, it's over. She's got little experience of life, and plenty experience of the kind of things that we don't like in life.
Indeed, look before we go, James Willis in the Daily Telegraph, you've been covering extensively this issue of the tobacco tax and the impact that it is having on the black market, the illegal importation of cigarettes and the crime that goes with it. What have you been reporting in the past week.
Well, the main takeout, Charry, is that Mark Butler and the Albanezi government have completely failed in this regard. And the data that's come out in the last few days indicates that the illicit market for cigarettes alone could be worth up to forty percent of the total market in play. Border Force is collecting and stopping, plus the ATO a fraction of how big this issue is. We've got a tobacconist opening up on every street corner, We've had fire bombings.
It is a direct link to criminal gangs. And we've got states that are relying on health officials to lead this problem. I mean New Zealand. I don't know if they're right or wrong, but New Zealand has regulated vapes and that means they can test them and they can get rid of the single use ones which are brightly colored for kids, and that has stopped a lot of people smoking and linking and switching to vaping. So there's something in there. But Mark Butler's approach to this has
been terrible. We're missing six billion dollars a year in excise, but also we are not stopping enough people smoking and allowing criminal gangs to run the streets as a result.
Yeah, the policy settings have certainly created this market, that's safe to say. Now it's difficult to know what to do with it. Rich O, what do you think do you think we should be Do you think the Treasure of Jim Chalmers should be lowering the tax to stop it going to the black market? Is that the solution here?
Well, I mean you can do that, but look, I'm a fatalist here. I just don't believe you're going to fix it. I think the black market will beat you.
So it's done. Now, you'd give up, it almost is.
You'd give up when you've got twenty thousand tobacconists in New South Wales alone. Yeah, you're gonna have to put twenty thousand shut signs on. I mean, how could we have such a small ten percent or eight percent of people smoking and there's twenty thousand tobacconists in New South Wales alone, Like, either people are smoking five packs a day or there's something not right in that system. They're the only business making money at the market.
I mean, you said it's a failed experiment and you could take any product hike up the taxes on it and create a black market, and that's what's happened.
Totally, totally right.
James willis great Richardson, thank you both so much. Now, if I were to ask you which country out of Russia or Ukraine is receiving more Australian funding, you'd of course guess Ukraine, but you'd be wrong. There's a new report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air that's found that Australia has imported more than three point seven billion dollars worth of oil product derived from Russian crewed since twenty twenty three. And this is compared
to committing one point five billion to help Ukraine. Johiny me. Now is Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Good to see you again. Now, this report says that this would have handed the Russian government around one point eight five billion dollars in tax revenue. So that's around three hundred and fifty million dollars more than what Australia has committed to Ukraine. I mean, does this undermine our commitment to be supporting an ally here?
Look, the bottom line is we should not be giving money a money to Russia a single cent of money to Russia. It's appalling that this is somehow allowed to happen in the sense that Russia gains funds from Australia which it then uses to essentially buy weapons and military technology to attack Ukraine. So at some point the government has to say this has to stop and clamp down and make sure that not a single goes to Russia.
I mean, in a sense, this is a loophole, one that the Albanesi government's conveniently overlooked, isn't it.
I think it is probably a loophole that they were completely oblivious to. But to be honest, that's no excuse. When you have a situation as dire as the situation in Ukraine, where Russia is making steady but slow advances, the last thing you want to be doing is for a Western noble democracy, a key ally of the United States, to be seen to be riding any money to the
aggress of Russia. So I think that yes, it may be a loophole, they may be able to make excuses, but the very first thing they should be doing is shutting down this loophole as fast as possible.
I mean, even putting Ukraine aside. Do you think it's concerning that we are so reliant on crude oil from a country like Russia that we can't truly trust or rely on.
Why are we buying crude oil from Russia? I don't understand that when we have massive energy reserves here in Australia that should be exploited for the needs of Australia. It is absolutely crazy that we rely on overseas energy reserves, be it oil or natural gas or what have you, when we are sort of rich in resources in this country. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that we are not developing our own sovereign resources more deeply so that we are self reliant in energy.
And this comes back, of course to the issue with one of the also most dislike ministers in the Albanezy government, Chris Bowne. Of course, but this conversation to continue another day. Really appreciate your time, Malcolm Davis. Now still to come. The unintended consequences of a zempic On personality. A leading psychiatrist would join me on the show later. Plus one of Kimberly Kitchen's close friends says she'd be turning in her grave to see the Magnitsky sanctions used by Penny
Wog in this way against an ally. Michael Dowanby would join me after this quick break, welcome back. Well, let's return to Pennyong's reprehensible decision to sanction two Israeli ministers today. Israel's ambassador to Australia, Emir Maimond, is justifiably outraged by the move, writing on social media that is deeply concerning and entirely unacceptable. And now to discuss I'm joined by a human rights lawyer and CEO of the International Legal Forum,
Arsen Ostrowski. He's Israel, Israeli Australian and also former Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair Michael Danby. Welcome to you both now, Ar senor in thank you Israel. At the moment now, most Israelis wouldn't agree with these controversial politicians. But sanctions against a democratic state are surely excessive and unreasonable, as I've spoken about it at length earlier tonight.
Look, you're right, I mean I think the section is deeply regrettable and I would say ultimately also will be counterproductive. Australia, of course, is entitled turn Act sanctions. The kind of sanctions but the kind of sanctions that we saw he under the Mcgnitsky Act were intended for individuals from countries engaging in human rights abuses and terrorist acts without a proper functioning judicial system. That is not the case here in Israel.
Now.
Banvir and motch are indeed two very polarizing figures with the history of provocation, but they are two elected members of a democratic ally and of the State of Israel. And friend of Australia now condemned the two individuals myself at the same time. However, it is inexplicable that Australia would sanction these two. However, continue to turn a blind dio give a free pass to the Palistine authority, which continues to engage in institutional anti Semitism, Holocaust distortion in
some terr and of course paying salaries of terrorists. Ultimately, these sanctions will probably only inflame intentions. They will harden the position of the Palestinian authority and strain the already difficult relationship between Australia and Israel. So I think what is needed here are less performative actions and more principal diplomacy.
Michael, as I mentioned before, your good friend, the late Kimberly Kitching led the way. She really campaigned for Australia to embrace the use of sanctions under the Magnetski legislation. How did she intend for them to be used and how do you think she'd feel if she were alive to see Penny Wong using them against Israel.
Well, first of all, let's go to the core of this mean girl. Penny Wong made some comments about Kimberly's childlessness, which in other circumstances would have seen her driven from Australian public life. So she doesn't come to this with clean hands. Kimberly saw the difference between well authoritarian states and democratic states and wanted to give some leverage to poor people in China, Run and Russia who have no
democratic system or the rule of law. If you were a big girl, Penny, not just a mean girl, you'd be going after the cruel communist commissars in Shinjung and Tibet. But of course you're a pussy cat with them, and you just want to beat up on the smallest democracy.
In the Middle East, surrounded by three hundred million people in the various Muslim states.
Now I first reported and broke that story that Kimberly had called them mean girls, and when I reported it at the time, I went to the three women for comment. They denied that they were mean girls. Of course, denied they'd engaged in any bullying. Although on that story you just told Michael, Pennywong did at the time apologize to Kimberly Kitching for that comment.
But only only Shari after it was publicly known. Yes, motivation for showing that she was sorry, But she didn't say sorry.
About calling someone childless when it wasn't known.
And that's one of the many insults and things about Kimberly that Penny Wong should never be forgiven for.
And I will never forgive her.
I'm going to hunt it down on these claims until she faces up to them.
I should say, she claimed she'd apologize, but there was never any proof that she actually had to apologized. But Mike, I just want to go to that question how that we spoke about earlier today that I quoted you in my editorial. How do you think Kimberly Kitchen would feel to see Petty Wog misusing the Magninski legislation in this way against an ally?
Well, I was recently with Kimber's mother and brother up in Brisbane. It's very sad. She'd be mortified that these people are misusing this legislation, which, interestingly enough, Wong and Defat opposed until Amar Clooney gave them all the woke signals that a public hearing that led one to cave
in and support the Magnetski legislation. Kimberly would be mortified about this is it was designed to help people who were persecuted or who are victims of corruption in Iran, Russia and China, not a state whereas Arson explained, you know they're publicly criticized every day, Ben Gaver and Smotrich.
The rule of law applies to them. I think they've both been criticized by the Knesset and by the courts, and I expect the election system to lead to the both of them, you know, losing a great deal of power at the next elections when that comes next year.
Asen, let's bring you back here now. Penny One claimed today that it's these two Israeli ministers who are the obstacle to peace and a two state solution. But Arson, that's nonsense, isn't it. Israel Lefgarza handed it to the Palestinian authority in two thousand and five. It's not Israel that's been the obstacle to peace here, is it.
No, Look, it's the fifty five hostages that are still being held captive in Gaza in the most terrific and brutal of conditions that are an obstacle to a two state solution. It is the Hamas terror group that is an obstacle and genericiital organizations one to Israel's instruction that has said that they would repeat October seven again and again I quote until Israel is annihilated. They are an obstacle.
The Palastin Authority, where President Mahmuda bus is in the twenty first year of his four year term, which continues to reward terrorists and murderers with salaries, and has institutionalized the insimon anti Semitism, Jew hatred in their school books, in the curriculm, in their media. They are an obstacle for peace. Israel has shown time and time again that it is willing to make the most painful compromises for peace.
We have shined that with multiple Peace Officer of the PA, which the Bus himself has rejected, and we have shown so in the last year and a half and so of the war where Israel has made the most incomprehensibly difficult, painful concessions in order to rescue the hostages, to have
a ceasefire, but which Hamas has repeatedly rejected. The one constant, however, your respective of which Israeli ministers in power has said, what is ultimately Palestinian terrorism in transigence and rejectionism, which is only emboldened and empowered by these kinds of actions and sanctions that we've seen in the last two days.
Indeed, just picking up on that theme of a cease fire, I mean, these sanctions don't help achieve peace or a ceasefire one that the United States is trying to broker at all, or to bring the hostages home, do they.
Michael, if we were to leave virtue signaling in student politics behind us, Penny Wong and Elbow, you'd be asking why even the weak US negotiated whit Cough has denounced Hamas for refusing the latest American ceasefires, which has us and explained is a very generous letting out thousands of Palestinian convicted prisoners to get ten.
Hostages back and a lot of dead bodies.
If we weren't playing student politics, Penny one, why haven't you said anything about the fact that there's a second Chinese carrier that's broken out into the Pacific. This is what adults would be talking about, not this student politics slapping down two unpopular Israeli ministers.
It's childish, it's infantile.
And I hope Rubio and Trump give you a big slap down when elbow gets over there.
I just want to point out two things. One is that Michael Danby, you're a labor figure for life. You know this is a labor figure who's so angry about this. You were part of the labor team that is now in government. I also want to point out, Michael, that you did use a bit of strong language there when you say, you know, slap them down, and when you say hunt them down, that's of course metaphorically speaking, as I know you mean it metaphorically speaks.
It is.
Yeah, all right, our sent Michael Danby, thank you both very much for your time. Now still to come as zimpig, is it really what the doctor ordered? I'll speak to a medical professional who's concerned it's turning users into personality zombies. And we turn to Hollywood, where all the best dramas are made, just not always on purpose. The fallout from the Blake Lively legal stash with Liz Burk next Welcome back. Well, because the news has been so depressing, I wanted to
turn to something a little bit lighter. The legal battle between Hollywood actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, and this all stems from the movie It ends with us now. Blake Lively sue Justin Baldoni and his production company in December, accusing him or them of sexual harassment and intimidation. Baldoni then countersuit Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for over six hundred million Australian dollars, claiming that the couple had
engaged in a smear campaign against him. Or to discuss Let's bringing now the deputy editor of News dot com dot Au, Liz Burke, Liz, so great to see you. Thanks for having me. One of the things that really struck me about this case, and I was completely outraged by it, was when The New York Times published the story showing that Baldoni had hired publicists to deliberately smear Blake Lively, including on social media.
Yeah, it's a really there's so much to this story, there's so many angles, there's lawsuits flying all over the place. But I think that is the real crux of it, that's the real outrage. So it kind of all started the movie that the pair start in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. It came out in August last year, big movie,
big adaptation of a big book, big budget. But it all kind of started to go awry during the press tour when it was noticed that the two stars weren't speaking to each other, or they weren't side by side on the red carpet, they weren't doing interviews together. The tone had very much changed around, you know, around the press of the movie, and Blake Lively was being absolutely slammed in you know, im press articles in social media, and she was criticized for her you know, approach to
some of those interviews. This movie deals with some pretty heavy subject matter. It's about an abusive relationship, domestic violence exactly, and she was criticized for you know, answering some of questions about that issue in her interview, saying that. You know, people were saying that she was flippant about it, even callous, you know, avoiding the topic or even making light of the topic of you know, intimate partner violence.
But I think just the.
Strength of the criticism on social media of her it went beyond that issue. It was about her appearance, it was about her relationship.
And yeah, when she old interviews were dredged up where she said inappropriate comments that no one yeah, able to find.
There was a reporter that came out that just said, I want to share the interview that with Blake Lively that made me what, I quit my job that was years old or something like that. But yeah, and then she eventually, you know, dropped this bomb, filed this lawsuit alleging that Justin Baldoni had sexually harassed her, created a
toxic environment on the set. And also in that was claims that he had hired a public relations firm to orchestrate this campaign against her in anticipation of those claims coming out.
It's scary how well it worked. And then the news while we're talking about it now, is this week in the United States, a district court judge dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit his countersuit, the judge said, because allegations made in a lawsuit can't be libeless. Now, I want to turn or show you some other footage that I just couldn't stop watching. It's a video of Megan Markle and Harry dancing while trying to induce labor in but all have a look.
And down capt jacket Dan Dawn jacket, Dam Dawn Up chap baby, Mamma went up, sit down the pack trying to make the money back some hoggies from thesell f to defeat.
It goes on for match long. To look it up, watch all of it now. Bizarrely, this wasn't some secret camera that captured it. They shared this themselves, despite the fact they constantly claimed that they want privacy list. They've shared this most intimate videos, which is kind of embarrassing. Why would they want that out there?
Okay, and why would you make me watch that again? I remember waking up to this the other morning when I opened when I looked at my phone, when I opened Instagram, it was the first thing on my feed, and I just.
I cringed so hard. And that was even when I thought it was fake.
It's just such a bizarre thing to share that I was thinking, is this AI, Is this some kind of old footage where I don't know, it was just so so.
So it was just so strengthing their daughter's fourth birthday, that's right.
Yeah, so they did what would be going No, I know, imagine in you know, four years time and fourteen years time, she's going to.
Be so embarrassed.
But yeah, it's just it really doesn't gel with this message that they put out there that they want privacy, that they don't want to be part of the royal family. Then they go on this Instagram blitz sharing all they say that they don't they want to protect their children, and then they you know, share family photos of their
children going to Disneyland. I think these are just some very very confused people who they say they don't want to be famous, but they don't really seem to know what else to do other than to put themselves out there and be famous people.
Anyway, a lot of good fighter for news dot com dead Au. It's good fun. Thanks so much, Liz, appreciate thanks Ry. Now coming up next, what do doctors really think about the concerns surrounding a zampic? Can it really turn users into personality zombies. We'll discuss that next Welcome back. As you know, a zampik is the latest wonder drug. Originally designed to treat diabetes, it's fast become the most
popular way to lose weight. As I discussed with author and journalist Roz Thomas last week, weight isn't the only thing some users are losing.
What we've discovered is that these samaglatide is now able to turn off desires for all kinds of things. And what you get then is that we are the product of our desires. So you take away your love of baking, cooking, exercising,
and you do change your personality. And so what we're finding is that we're having a lot of people who are losing weight very very quickly, but they're losing a lot of the enjoyment in life because they're suffering from what psychiatrists called anhedonia, which is a loss of pleasure.
Now, one of the health professionals Roz spoke to when she wrote her cover story for the Weekend Australian magazine was psychiatrist doctor Sally Kelderman, who joins me now, thank you for your time. Welcome to the show. So can you explain to us what drugs like as zampig due to the brain. That would mean that someone can change personality.
We have, well, the current state of scientific thinking is that we have glucagon like peptide receptors in our brains naturally occurring. A zenpic works to enhance the effect of naturally occurring glucagon like peptide and that is intricately involved in the experience of desire.
And reward.
In such a way that it dampens our desire or craving and dampens our sense of rewards. So a young a person who is using a zenpick may experience a loss of a loss of the desire to do the things that they would normally enjoy and then just food, But it could be for the pleasure in their life.
Other pleasure in their life, whether it's exercise or hobbies. Drinking is one of the things that a lot of people report that they lose their addiction to alcohol or cigarettes. Is that for the same reason, Yes, And.
That's one of the fantastic unexpected effects of a zenpic For people who are struggling with substance abuse, that could be really, really helpful.
So I mean, do you see people that you treat that their personalities are changing, or it's just that their lifestyle is changing because they don't enjoy things as much as they once did.
I think it's clear from what people are describing that they're actually experienced. For some people are experiencing less pleasure. I'm sure you saw the story of Missus Silbert in Ross's article where she'd lost her experience of joy in fine dining and find wine, which was a major pleasure in her relationship.
Are there any other consequences that people need to consider if they are considering some of these weight loss drugs. I mean, there are all the craze at the moment, people see celebrities and just people they know in normal life are suddenly becoming very thin. You know, it seems like an easy solution, a quick fix. Weight loss is so difficult. So are there any other side effects that you think people need to be aware of?
My perspective is very psychiatric, So a lot of people who struggle with their weight or substance abuse are sad and unmotivated for many complex reasons. And if we're going to find people losing their sense of pleasure, we do need to watch out to see whether they're losing their desire to live. And so I'm expectors expecting doctors will be asking people in the EZEMPIC receiving population whether they have any pre existing depression or thought of self harm
in any way. That's kind of I think the main potential downside.
All right, doctor Keldman, appreciate your time tonight. Thank you so much, and of course, if you have any questions about taking these weight loss drugs, speak to a GP and a medical professional.
Right.
Thank you so much for your company today. I'll see you tomorrow at eight o'clock. And right now, here's Paul Murray