Friday, 6 March - People say we monkey around

Good morning, it’s Friday, 6 March. In your Squiz Today…

• Trump deals with pushback at home over the Iran war

• The Tillies notch another win

• And some wings for the weekend… 🍗

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Squiz Sayings

Said Shigekazu Mizushina from Japan’s Ichikawa Zoo of Punch, the famous baby macaque. After being abandoned, he was given a toy for comfort - but he’s gaining independence and starting to monkey around with his real friends, leaving the plushie behind. A soft landing all round…

Division over the war in Iran…

The Squiz

As fighting expands across the Middle East and the death toll grows, US Democrats have tried and failed to force President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval on further military action in Iran. Trump is facing some domestic pushback on the war - polls show Americans aren’t sold on the President’s mixed reasoning for launching strikes on Iran alongside Israel. Plus, many Democrats are criticising him for going back on his self-described “President of Peace” promises. But Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says he’s making decisions “in the best interests of the US and the American people”.

What was this resolution about?

It was proposed by Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine, who has slammed Trump’s declaration of war on Iran as being illegal. That’s because the US Constitution says only Congress has the power to declare war… On that basis, many Democrats (and a few errant Republicans…) have opposed the war, with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy saying Republicans haven’t learned that “decades of American hubris in the Middle East” wouldn’t “fundamentally change realities in a far-off land”. But Republican John Barrasso said “Democrats would rather obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran’s national nuclear program”. Ultimately, the US Senate voted to block the resolution, effectively backing the campaign. 

And so has our government…

Yep - PM Anthony Albanese was one of the first world leaders to support the US/Israel strikes on Iran, saying Oz supports the action to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons and continuing to threaten international peace. He also criticised former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime, saying he “will not be mourned”. Those comments were echoed by Canadian PM Mark Carney, who’s been in Oz this week for trade talks - although at a joint press conference yesterday, the leaders said they “want to see a broader de-escalation”. On that note, it’s not the last we’ve heard of moves to block Trump’s actions in the Middle East, either… The US House of Representatives will vote on another war powers resolution today - although reports say even if it passes, Trump’s likely to veto it.

Guess who’s coming to Sydney?

Former First Lady, bestselling author of Becoming, producer, podcaster, and global advocate Michelle Obama. If you’d like to hear her speak, tickets have just been released for the Sydney show on 21 May. And if you're after something a little more special there are Platinum and VIP packages that come with front-section seating, cocktails and other extra goodies. Seats are limited and you can explore ticketing options here.

Squiz the Rest

China hits the brakes

The world's second-largest economy has cut its annual economic growth target to between 4.5-5% - the lowest since 1991. The slowdown was announced yesterday at its Two Sessions meetings, with experts saying it's moving from a hectic growth phase led by construction and exports to a "high-quality" one focused on tech, transport and green energy. Key reasons include its aging population and shrinking workforce, along with a property slump - and it's not great news for us in Oz, given China is our biggest trading partner (paywall). Analysts say global trade tensions created by US tariffs have also factored in… Speaking of which, a US court has ordered the Trump administration to refund billions in revenue raised from illegal Liberation Day tariffs to businesses. The President’s response: a 15% universal tax on imports.

F-O-I guess not

The Albanese Government has ditched changes to our freedom of information (FOI) laws after getting no love for them from the rest of the parliament… The government says it wanted to modernise the system for requesting government documents and make it less expensive for taxpayers by introducing new fees and bans on anonymous requests. But those changes had plenty of critics, who argued transparency in Oz would cop a hit as a result. Among the critics were the Greens and the Coalition, meaning the changes had no chance of passing parliament - so they've been dropped. Coalition legal spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said it's "a win for democracy" - but the government says they'll have another crack at it… 

It’s spring cleaning, baby

For ages, ‘baby brain’ has been blamed for forgetfulness during pregnancy, but new research has found that brain changes are an essential mental “spring clean” in preparation for motherhood. Results from a recent study of 127 pregnant women found that their brains shed about 5% of grey matter - that’s the part linked to emotions, empathy and decision making. It might sound a bit alarming, but scientists reckon it’s a kind of cleanout where the brain loses certain connections so that the bonding ones work better. Researcher Susana Carmona says pregnancy causes many changes in the body, like increased lung capacity, and the brain “rewiring itself for motherhood” was no different. She likens it to pruning a tree, saying: "Some of the branches are cut to make it grow more efficiently".

A smorgasbord of sport

There's so much on, you might need multiple screens to keep track of everything this weekend. Let’s start with the Tillies who beat Iran last night by 4-0 on the Gold Coast, thanks to goals from Mary Fowler, Amy Sayer, and 2 from Alanna Kennedy. Coach Joe Montemurro said the Tillies played “braver” and were taking “good steps forward”… As for what else you should clock - the Winter Paralympics get underway at 6am AEDT tomorrow with the opening ceremony. We’re sending one of our biggest teams to Milano-Cortina for the event, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympic Games. Also happening: the first rounds of the AFL and NRL, Alyssa Healy’s last-ever game for our women’s cricket side begins today, and the Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne will kick off this year’s F1 season - so all up, you might feel a bit like you’ve overindulged in couch time by Monday… 
*If you’re after a guide for what to watch and when, we’ve wrapped it up for you over on Insta…

A tasty bun fight

A video of McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski taste-testing a burger has led to a new chapter of the burger wars between some of America’s biggest fast food chains. The Maccas boss’s reaction to the Big Arch burger was roasted by commenters as “forced” and “awkward” - they also called him out for taking a small bite and referring to it as “the product”. Cue Burger King boss Tom Curtis posting a video of himself taking a huge bite of the chain's new Whopper, prompting comments like: "He understood the assignment". Not to be outdone, Wendy's president Pete Suerken then posted himself scoffing a Baconator burger. Experts say it's part of a trend of CEOs appearing in social media videos to seem more relatable. We're not sure who'll bite next, but Oz company Grill'd has the right idea with Oscar Piastri in front of the camera…

Friday Lites - 3 things we liked this week

Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now is a beloved song (particularly for Love Actually fans), so it’s a brave singer who takes on a cover - but we got a fair few goosebumps from this version by the Icelandic singer Laufey. She really does seem like she’s looked at clouds that way… 

We were reminded of why Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont is one of the best in the biz in this encore episode of the ABC’s Conversations podcast. She talks about everything from her approach to tough interviews to where she gets her tips - it’s a fascinating listen…

There’s a lot of sport on this weekend so we’ll be making up a batch of honey soy chicken wings to pass around as TV snacks… We like Nagi’s recipe - they're super tasty, and if you make double, you might have some left for the next day to shred over a salad, or simply munch straight from the fridge.

Squiz the Day

Friday
A story we’ll be keeping an eye on as more information comes out today is the arrest of singer Britney Spears for DUI in California…

1.00pm (AEDT) - Motorsports: Formula 1 Grand Prix practice races begin, Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit - Melbourne, watch on 10 Play 

1.20pm (AWST) - Cricket: Women's Test, Australia v India, WACA Ground (until 9 March) - Perth, watch it on 7plus

7.05 (AEST) - Aussie Rules: AFL Opening Round Gold Coast v Geelong, People First Stadium - Gold Coast, watch it on 7plus

6.00pm (AWST) - Australian Tourism Awards - Fremantle

ABS data release: Labour account Australia, December; Assets and liabilities of Australian securitisers, December

Harry Styles’s new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, will be released

WOMADelaide begins (until 9 March)

Independence Day - Ghana

National Employee Appreciation Day

Birthdays for the first woman in space Valentina Tereshkova (1937), Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour (1946), and rapper Tyler the Creator (1991)

Anniversary of:

• the first modern trampoline being patented (1945)

• the death of former First Lady Nancy Reagan (2016)

• Ghana becoming the first African nation to gain independence from colonial rule (1957)

Saturday
6.00am (AEDT) - Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony - Milan, watch on 9now

4.15pm (AEDT) - Aussie rules: AFL Opening round GWS Giants v Hawthorn Hawks, Engie Stadium - Sydney, watch on 7plus

7.35pm (AEST) - Aussie rules: AFL Opening round Brisbane Lions v Western Bulldogs, The Bagga - Brisbane, watch on 7plus

Territory by-election for NT electorate of Nightcliff, after Greens member Kat McNamara resigned from the position citing "ongoing health challenges" 

Eighth and final season of Outlander released on Binge

Anniversary of:

• Alexander Graham Bell receiving a patent for the telephone (1876)

• the invention of Monopoly (1933)

• Hitler breaking the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops to the Rhineland (1936)

• the death of director Stanley Kubrick (1999)

Sunday
3.00pm (AEDT) - Motorsport: Formula 1 Grand Prix, Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit - Melbourne, watch on 10 Play 

7.20pm (AEDT) - Aussie rules: AFL Opening round St Kilda Saints v Collingwood Magpies, Marvel Stadium - Melbourne, watch on 7plus

8.00pm (AEDT) - Soccer: Women's Asian Cup, Matildas v South Korea, Accor Stadium - Sydney, watch it on 10play 

🥳 9 years of The Squiz 

International Women's Day 

Moomba festival begins - Melbourne 

Colombia’s parliamentary primary election

Anniversary of:

• Henry VIII being recognised as the supreme head of the Church in England (1531)

• the founding of the New York Stock Exchange (1817)

• the birthday of James Van Der Beek (1977)

• the disappearance of flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew onboard (2014)

Monday
12.30am (AEDT) - Men's T20 World Cup final, Narendra Modi Stadium - India, watch it on Amazon Prime Video