Monday, 13 April - Running as fast as I can

Good morning, it’s Monday, 13 April. In your Squiz Today…

• NASA’s Artemis II crew splashes down safely as the agency looks towards Artemis III - and beyond…

• US President Donald Trump says he’ll blockade the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks between the US and Iran break down

• And Gout Gout sets the athletics world on fire with an incredible run at the Australian Athletics Championships

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi to Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice when she met the legendary British rock band in Tokyo on Friday. Takaichi was visibly thrilled to meet her heroes - proof that even national leaders can get a bit starstruck… 

Making a global splash

The Squiz

The 4-person crew of the Artemis II lunar mission splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, completing a 10-day journey that saw them go further in space than any humans before them. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have since been reunited with their families and received a heroes’ welcome. Wiseman, who acted as mission commander, described it as “the most special thing I ever went through in my life.” 

So what was this all for?

A few different things, but mainly it was a test to ensure that the 4 astronauts could safely - in the words of Savage Garden - go to the moon and back in the Orion spacecraft. One big worry ahead of the mission was the Orion’s heat shield, and whether it would survive the re-entry. It did, but the flight turned up some other troubles - from the potentially serious (a leak in the service module) to the slightly amusing (the toilet didn’t work very well, and neither did Microsoft Outlook). They were also able to see the far side of the moon with human eyes - and scientists are expected to pore over the data they’ve collected in the weeks, months and years to come…

Speaking of which, what comes next?

After Artemis II comes - you guessed it - Artemis III, which will launch next year. NASA recently made a change to that - it was originally going to land humans on the moon, but now it will test docking systems before Artemis IV returns humans to the moon’s surface in 2028 - for the first time since 1972. And from there, who knows - but the long goal is to get to Mars, which would be an easier task from a base on the moon. It’s a costly endeavour - which has attracted plenty of criticism given the money could be spent elsewhere - but it’s inspired plenty of people as well. As Commander Wiseman said: “Sending 4 humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realising the gravity of that.” They’re not the only ones…

The scam test

Want to brush up on spotting scams? CommBank Newsroom can get you up to speed on how scams work, and why they can catch people out… New research shows the people best at identifying them might surprise you, with employees often better at spotting scams than senior leaders. Stress also plays a big role in who ends up falling victim - so consider this permission to book that massage…

Squiz the Rest

Peace talks net nothing

US President Donald Trump says he’s ordering his country’s navy to start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, after failed peace negotiations over the weekend. The 2 sides failed to make a deal after 21 hours of talks in Pakistan - US sources say the big sticking point is Iran’s refusal to stop developing a nuclear weapon, but Iran said the US has made “unreasonable demands” of it. With no result - and no sign of when they might pick back up again - Trump says he’s sending US ships to stop Iran from allowing only vessels from nations friendlier to it (e.g. China, India) to pay tolls for passage through the Strait. He also claimed “other countries” will be helping out - we don’t know which ones they are yet, so stay tuned…

A petrol pain campaign

Speaking of which, you may notice a bunch of ads around from the government today, asking Aussies to drive less as the fuel crisis resulting from the war in the Middle East continues to bite. It’s a $20 million campaign called “Every little bit helps”, and Transport Minister Catherine King said it was about getting “the public the information they need.” Coalition Senator James Paterson wasn’t as enthused - he described it as “taxpayer-funded political propaganda about driving less.” It comes shortly after PM Anthony Albanese’s trip to Singapore to sign a fuel supply deal, and just before he jets off to Brunei and Malaysia tomorrow to try and keep our fuel (and fertiliser) supplies coming from those countries as well. 

Some timely honours

It’s been 2 years since the stabbing attack at the Westfield shopping centre at Bondi Junction, when Joel Cauchi killed 6 people and injured a dozen more. Today, Governor-General Sam Mostyn will recognise 8 people who played a role in either stopping Cauchi or saving the lives of his potential victims with bravery awards. They include posthumous honours for Ashlee Good, who was killed while protecting her daughter from Cauchi’s attack, and Faraz Tahir, a security guard who suffered fatal injuries trying to stop Cauchi. Along with 4 others, they’ll receive the Bravery Medal, with 2 people receiving Commendations for Brave Conduct. One of those is nurse Catherine Molihan, who says talking about that day is still very difficult, but “it was good that I was on the scene, because it saved someone else from seeing what I saw”.

A Gout Gout rout

The Aussie sprinter blew everyone’s minds by smashing the Australian 200m record at the Australian Athletics Championships yesterday. The 18yo ran 19.67 seconds, his fastest-ever time and the fastest by an under-20yo. It was a momentous race, but don’t take our word for it - commentator Bruce McAvaney said “It will be remembered forever.” Gout’s wasn’t even the only sub-20-second time - Aidan Murphy ran 19.88 to set the second-fastest time by an Aussie. Those remarkable runs follow Lachlan Kennedy’s efforts at the meet - he broke the 10-second mark over 100 metres twice in under 24 hours. The lightning-quick Kennedy won his first national title in 9.96 seconds, becoming the first Aussie ever to break 10 seconds on home soil. It’s a very exciting time in athletics…

I’ve got a need, a need to read

Here’s a list sure to cause some debate - The Guardian has published the 25 books everyone should read before they’re 25. The books are sorted by the age at which you should read them - one for every year - and it’s designed to encourage young readers at a time when research says young people are reading for pleasure less and less. From Peepo! for 1yos to Northern Lights for 11yos to Middlemarch for 25yos, it’s an interesting collection - but also pretty British. We noticed a distinct lack of the fine work of Emily Rodda and Mem Fox - so here’s an Aussie list for good measure.

Apropos of Nothing

Add this to your list of unusual national anthem performances - Whistling Hall of Famer (yep, it’s a thing) Chris Ullman whistled his entire rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner before a Major League Baseball game in Baltimore over the weekend. Jaunty…  

A Parisian raffle is set to give away quite the prize - a Picasso artwork valued at well over a million dollars - for just a couple of hundred bucks an entry. It’s a little bit more bougie than your average meat tray… 

And pop star Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining set at US music festival Coachella featured a couple of surprising guests - including actor Susan Sarandon (yep, not a typo) delivering a mid-show monologue. That one was not on our bingo card… 

Squiz the Day

9.15am (AEST) - Case management hearing in ACCC case against Mastercard over alleged anti-competitive practices, Federal Court of Australia - Melbourne

It’s been 2 years since the stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction 

Today is the deadline to nominate as a candidate for the by-election for Farrer, the electorate previously held by former Coalition leader Sussan Ley

Counting will continue in the Hungarian election, with right-wing leader Viktor Orbán’s 16-year tenure as Prime Minister under threat. As of a few minutes ago, he’s conceded defeat - here’s a link to a live-blog to follow along

The final day of the US Masters golf tournament

IMF and World Bank meetings - Washington, DC

Sydney Comedy Festival begins (until 17 May)

Songkran - Thai New Year (until 15 April), and Thingyan - Burmese New Year (until 16 April)

Season 3 of Euphoria drops on HBO Max

Auslan Day

Scrabble Day - which would be worth 21 points if you were allowed to play it… 

Author Judy Nunn’s birthday (1945)

Anniversary of:

• The crew of Apollo 13 announcing "Ok, Houston, we've had a problem here", as an oxygen tank exploded en route to the Moon (1970)

• Christopher Hitchens' birthday (1949)

• Tiger Woods becoming the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament at 21yo (1997)

• Winx ending her racing career with a 3rd Queen Elizabeth Stakes win in Sydney (2019)