Friday, 2 August - Breaking up is never easy

🙋🏻‍♀️ Scroll on for The Paris Sprint, our short ‘n sweet Olympics update…

Good morning, it’s Friday, 2 August. In your Squiz Today…

• The Matildas break up with coach Tony Gustavsson

• The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich has been released from prison in Russia in a big swap deal

• And it’s another golden morning for the Aussies in the pool 💦

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said journo Lee Tran Lam as she defended Sydney’s newest food craze for $26 bowls of flavoured ice made with water from the mountains of Japan. So much for cozzie livs and everyone complaining about the cold…

The Tillies toss Tony

The Squiz

It’s been a disappointing Olympics campaign for the Matildas - Australia’s women’s football side - and yesterday was especially bumpy. After losing 2 of their 3 group games, they did not progress to the next round. And then Football Australia (FA) confirmed coach Tony Gustavsson won’t have his contract extended after 4 years with the team, which means he’s steered them through his last game. The decision was “mutual”, FA said. The 50yo Swede said “Australian football will be forever in my heart” and that “his journey with the team has had many incredible moments and memories that I will forever treasure”.

C’mon, what’s really going on?

Fair question because it’s the first time in 24 years Australia has failed to make it to the knockout stage of the Games - but it’s not just about that… Speculation about Gustavsson’s place with the Matildas began months before they landed in Paris - right back to their dream run at the 2023 World Cup. There were rumours about other coaching gigs, including with the US women’s and men’s teams alongside questions about his dedication to sticking with Australia given he never relocated here. There’s also been a bit made of skipper Sam Kerr missing out due to injury and what effect her absence has had on the team’s performance in Paris. The insinuation is during last year’s World Cup it was Kerr who was driving the team to success, not Gustavsson… FA’s next step is to conduct a review of the Olympics campaign and go from there. 

And what else is going on?

If you can believe it, tomorrow marks the halfway point of the Olympics - and although we’ve scored some huge wins, we’re far from the 54 medals we were tipped to end up with… We’re fourth on the leaderboard with 8 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze medals. China’s top of the pack with 11 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze. But a lot can happen in a week, and the Aussies are hoping to add to our haul as we finish up the swimming and as the track and field events get underway in earnest. This gives a good summary of what to keep your eyes peeled for... So it’s a good weekend for a few late nights on the sofa, don’t you think?

Bedding down some big savings

Emma Sleep is having its biggest clearance sale on Australia’s most-awarded mattress range and bestselling pillows with up to 55% off. That includes the Emma Comfort Mattress and Good Design award winner Emma Zero Gravity mattress... On top of that, there's a 100-night trial, 10-year warranty, and free shipping. Run (don't walk) to emma-sleep.com.au - and then have a great rest...

Squiz the Rest

Letting them go

Four American prisoners detained in Russia have been released in a “uniquely challenging" big swap deal confirmed overnight by US President Joe Biden. That includes Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who was locked up in March last year - he was convicted of espionage in a secret trial that was condemned as a sham and imprisoned for 16 years. Biden called the deal “a feat of diplomacy” and is wider than Gershkovich - it involves 24 prisoners (​​8 are returning to Russia and 16 to Western nations) and 6 countries, with the deal hinging on Germany releasing Russian hit man Vadim Krasikov. He was convicted of the 2019 murder of a former Chechen militant in broad daylight in a park in central Berlin. Former/aspiring President Donald Trump questioned the terms of the deal saying US negotiators are "always an embarrassment to us!"

The Middle East powder keg

Israel has confirmed a strike it launched into Gaza last month killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. You might remember that attack - it hit a compound in the Khan Younis area on 13 July and killed at least 90 people, but nobody knew if Deif was one of them until now… Israel had him in its sights after accusing him of being a key player in the 7 October attack. It comes a day after Hamas’s top political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Iran’s capital Tehran - where thousands have showed up for his funeral. The United Nations and the US are trying to de-escalate the rising regional tensions, but PM Anthony Albanese isn’t taking any risks… He says “thousands” of Aussies in Lebanon should get out now, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong says there’s “a real risk that the conflict in the region escalates seriously”.

Betting the house

Defamation action between former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and partner David Sharaz vs her former boss Senator Linda Reynolds kicks off in Perth today. This is about social media posts by Higgins/Sharaz criticising Reynolds - she says the posts implied she’d "engaged in a campaign of harassing" Higgins, failed to adequately support her, engaged in questionable conduct, and wanted to “silence victims of sexual assault" - all of which she denies. The couple are relying on a defence of truth, saying it was "a matter of public interest". The matter is headed for Western Australia’s Supreme Court after multiple attempts at mediation failed. Defamation cases can be expensive, and both women have their homes on the line… 

Making waves in the literary world

Author Alexis Wright - a Waanyi woman from Cloncurry, Queensland - is having a big year… The 73yo’s novel Praiseworthy last night won the 2024 Miles Franklin Literary Award - our most prestigious literary prize. She also took out the Stella Award in May making her the first to win both prizes with the same book. The judges described Praiseworthy as “an astonishing feat of storytelling and sovereign imagination”. Wright’s now a dual Miles Franklin winner after her 2007 novel Carpentaria won - she said “I already thought winning a Miles Franklin once was a miracle… Winning twice is monumental”. And a shoutout for Aussie author Charlotte Wood was longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize this week for her novel Stone Yard Devotional. It’s one of the most prestigious awards in international literature, and an Aussie hasn’t made the cut since 2016. 

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Think you’ve heard all the great stories of our Olympians? Think again because the podcast series Paddock to Paris tells the relatively unheard tales of Aussie country folk who are competing in the Games. The episode with rower Jack O’Brien from Walgett is tops… 

A spicy interview is always entertaining, but YouTube series Hot Ones is something else… It’s a simple yet compelling format - host Sean Evans asks celebrities unusual questions while they eat spicy chicken wings. Start with the ep of Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds melting, then check out Serena Williams who’s as cool as a cucumber…

We’ve got a feeling a few people need to hear this - there is only one proven cure* for the sniffles, and that’s chicken noodle soup. And if it’s homemade and has a little bit of bite to it, even better. This is our weapon of choice - it’s so good for the bedridden and well folk alike. 

*Not scientifically proven but we’ve had good reviews…

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

This is the Guardian article that got us thinking about it… And if you want to see the poll results, click here to sign up for the Saturday Squiz.

🏊🏼‍♀️ The Paris Sprint

Each day of the Paris Olympics we’ll bring you 3 of the top stories from the action overnight and the events to put on your radar. 

C’mon Aussie… Our women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team has won gold this morning, setting a new Olympic record. That gives Mollie O'Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus their second gold medals in these Games. And it’s especially sweet for Lani Pallister who pulled out of the 1,500m freestyle to save energy for the relay after a bout of COVID. Go you good things…

The Opals have bounced back (ok, we’ve hit our 2 pun limit…) from their loss to Nigeria earlier in the week, beating Canada last night 70-65 to keep their Olympic women’s basketballin’ campaign alive. And after coming into the Olympics ranked the lowest, the Gangurrus - aka our women’s 3x3 basketballers named after the Indigenous word for kangaroo - have had 2 big wins overnight, ousting China and defending champs the USA. 

And Melburnian Jemima Montag reckons her ability to weather the Aussie heat helped her to win bronze in the women’s 20km race walk yesterday in temperatures in the high 20s with over 60% humidity. “I was like, 'Crank it up, let's cook, I want everyone else to be uncomfortable because I know I'm tough',” she said. Race walking on hot concrete from the house to the barbie is a rite of passage around here…

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Squiz the Day

Friday
8.00am (AEST) - PwC CEO Kevin Burrowes along with former CEOs and Independent Reviewer Dr Ziggy Switkowski will face a parliamentary inquiry into corporations and financial services looking into allegations and responses to misconduct - Canberra

11.00am (AEST) - Senator Linda Reynolds’ defamation trial against Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz begins - Perth

DNC roll call voting begins (voting open until 7 August)

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art - Sydney 

GREAZEFEST rockabilly and hot rod festival begins (until 4 August) - Cleveland, Queensland

ABS Data Release: Monthly Household Spending Indicator, June 

Garma Festival begins (until 5 August) - Arnhem Land 

Edinburgh Fringe Festival begins (until 26 August)

Put on your green and gold - it’s Green and Gold Day to show your support for our Aussie Olympians in Paris

Jeans for Genes Day 

International Beer Day

Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Birthdays for author Isabel Allende (1942), actor Sam Worthington (1976), and pop star Charli XCX (1992)

Anniversary of:

• the formal signing of the US Declaration of Independence (1776)

• rubber bullets being used for the first time in Northern Ireland during ‘The Troubles’ (1970)

• Ed Sheeran’s Divide tour becoming the most attended and highest-grossing tour of all time, overtaking U2 (2019)

Saturday
7.00pm (AEST) - Super Netball grand final - Adelaide Thunderbirds v Melbourne Vixens - Adelaide and free on Kayo 

Independence Day in Niger

Watermelon Day

National Mustard Day

Birthdays for Martin Sheen (1940), Martha Stewart (1941), Tom Brady (1977), and Sonny Bill Williams (1985) 

Anniversary of:

• American-American sprinter Jesse Owens famously winning gold in the 100m (10.3 seconds) in front of Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympics (1936)

• the US Senate ratifying the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union (1972)

• two mass shootings occurring in 24 hours in the US. A terrorist killed 22 at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, and a gunman killed 9 at a bar in Dayton, Ohio (2019)

Sunday
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 

Constitution Day – Cook Islands

Air Force Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Barack Obama Day in Illinois, where the former US president launched his political career

Single Working Women’s Day

Birthdays for Tim Winton (1960), Barack Obama (1961), Meghan Markle (1981), Jessica Mauboy (1989), and Dylan and Cole Sprouse (1992)

Anniversary of:

• the invention of Champagne by Dom Pérignon (1693)

• the arrest of Anne Frank following a tip-off (1944)

• Prince’s Purple Rain album going to #1, where it would stay for 24 weeks (1984)

• the Beirut blast, which killed 207 people (2020)