News Weakly

NEWS WEAKLY 187 – 22 November, 2025Epstein’t Going to Change a Damn Thing!Peace Plan, War Everywhere!COP-ping Out!QUOTE OF THE WEEK“That is not peace, that is a diet war.”SUPPORT THE SHOWNews Weakly is kept independent and listener funded, thanks to the generosity of paid supporters on Patreon. Join at patreon.com/samishah to keep the show going and to access bonus content, early episodes, and other perks.CLOSING CREDITSSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

186 - You'd Think After 20 Years I'd Be Better At ThisA special commemoration of my 20 years in standup comedy. Bit of a weird episode this one! Hope you enjoy it!Support the ShowKeep News Weakly independent, and fuelled by sarcasm!Join the Patreon at patreon.com/samishah.Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

NEWS WEAKLY 185 — 8th November 2025Top Stories of the WeekOne Dick Less in the World!Don’t Mess with the Zohran!Platforms of Our Discontent!Streaming the Nation!Quote of the Week“Dick Cheney was, without question, the most powerful vice president in American history—which is like being the world’s most dangerous koala. You’re not meant to do anything, but somehow you’ve become a drop bear.”Support the ShowKeep News Weakly independent, and fuelled by sarcasm!Join the Patreon at patreon.com/samishah.Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

I’m doing a one-night-only 20th anniversary stand-up show:You'd Think After 20 Years I'd Be Better At This13 Nov, 6:30pm — Comedy Republic (Melbourne)Tickets via comedyrepublic.com.au.Top Stories of the WeekThe Artist Formerly Known as Prince AndrewCeasefire Withdrawal Symptoms EruptSudan’ed If You Do, Sudan’ed If You Don’tYou Can’t Spell Sussan Without SSBabies, Barnaby & BullshitQuote of the Week“Barnaby Joyce is 80% liver damage and 20% child support."Support the ShowIf you want to support News Weakly, join the Patreon at patreon.com/samishah. You’ll get bonus content, early releases, and the smug satisfaction of knowing your money isn’t going to Barnaby Joyce’s bar tab.Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

We’re on baby watch at News Weakly HQ! Two weeks off incoming—don’t unsubscribe! I’ll be back once I’ve defeated a boss-level nappy.Also: I’m doing a one-night-only 20th anniversary stand-up show:You'd Think After 20 Years I'd Be Better At This13 Nov, 6:30pm — Comedy Republic (Melbourne)Patreon members get a discount code (see the pinned post at patreon.com/samishah). Otherwise, tickets via comedyrepublic.com.au.Top stories of the weekCeasedfire, News Now…Israel and Hamas sign onto Phase One of “The Comprehensive End to the Gaza War”: hostages (living and deceased) returned, prisoner releases, and an IDF pullback to the “yellow line.” Trump promises a pyramid-side signing ceremony, because of course he does. Netanyahhu’s far-right partners rage; Gaza readies aid corridors; everyone reads the fine print with a magnifying glass and a migraine.“A Piece Prize”Nobel Peace Prize goes to Venezuelan democrat María Corina Machado. The Trump White House responds with “politics over peace” energy; Trump congratulates Machado while implying the medal would look better on his mantelpiece.The Ballad of David PocockKicked out (then re-invited) to the Australian Parliament Sports Club after asking why a gambling lobby is a sponsor. PM—who’s listed as club president—says everyone should be welcome. Pocock’s holding out for transparency; Canberra discovers “conflict of interest” isn’t just a footy penalty.Brides, Bombs & Bureaucracy“ISIS brides” and children returned to Australia without formal repatriation—Home Affairs knew for months; two children granted citizenship by descent. Government says “we didn’t help,” which is interesting given how many forms got stamped. Opposition reaches for the Temporary Exclusion Orders talking point; AFP preps for more “self-managed returns.”Artificial (and Financial) IntelligenceDeloitte refunds part of a $440k report after AI-generated howlers (fake cases, phantom sources). Senate calls it a “human intelligence problem”; consultants reassure us they’d never, ever do that (again).French Kisses GoodbyeFrance clocks five prime ministers in two years. Latest: Sébastien Lecornu quits 14 hours after launching his cabinet. Macron’s minority arithmetic meets Parisian patience: both collapse spectacularly.No Wi-Fi, No WorriesTaliban filters throttle social media in Afghanistan; videos stop loading, women lose a key lifeline. It’s the world’s harshest digital detox: great for screen-time stats, catastrophic for rights.Quote of the Week“Peace isn’t a miracle, it’s a temporary pause between tragedies.”Support the showKeep News Weakly healthy: patreon.com/samishahOne-night-only stand-up special (13 Nov): comedyrepublic.com.auShare the episode, leave a review, and tell a friend who argues in comment sections for sport.CreditsSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Two years after October 7th, the world still argues in absolutes.Pro-Israel voices call it a war for survival.Pro-Palestine voices call it resistance against colonialism.And somewhere between the slogans and the hashtags, the dead keep multiplying.In this News Weakly special, Sami Shah steps back from the noise and looks at the long view — drawing lessons from the Thirty Years’ War, Northern Ireland, and moments of fragile hope in Israeli and Palestinian history.From Westphalia to Belfast, from Gaza to Melbourne, this episode explores what centuries of conflict teach us about exhaustion, reconciliation, and how peace survives when certainty doesn’t.TOPICS COVEREDThe Thirty Years’ War — how Europe learned that faith without restraint leads to ruinThe Troubles — how Ireland turned fatigue into peaceThe Children of October 7 — what two years of war are teaching a new generationAustralia’s role — how to keep our empathy from collapsing into imported hateGlimpses of the impossible — moments when Israelis and Palestinians found shared humanity against the oddsQUOTE OF THE WEEK“You don’t make peace with your friends—you make it with your enemies.” Jonathan PowellSUPPORT THE SHOWHelp keep News Weakly independent and ad-free by joining at👉 patreon.com/samishahSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.