Tuesday, 3 December - We’re not gonna sit in silence

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 3 December. In your Squiz Today…

• A last-minute presidential pardon for Hunter Biden

• Doing more to protect our veterans

• And a record weekend for Aussie cinemas…🍿 

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Said ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland after announcing he’s leaving the show - Rowland is the third big name to do so this year, after Lisa Millar and Tony Armstrong also called time. He’s staying at the ABC, though, so this is just the alarm clock’s fault…

A last-minute presidential pardon

The Squiz

With less than 2 months until he leaves the White House, US President Joe Biden has used his powers to pardon his son, Hunter. The “full and unconditional” presidential pardon means the younger Biden will dodge the sentencing he was due to face this month for gun and tax crimes he was convicted for earlier this year. As he announced the move, the outgoing President said “Hunter was singled out only because he is my son - and that is wrong”.

Remind me what this is about…

Back in June, 54yo Hunter Biden was convicted of 3 felony charges over his purchase of a revolver in 2018. Prosecutors in that case, held in the Bidens’ home state of Delaware, successfully argued that he’d lied on a gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using/addicted to drugs. He was facing up to 25 years in prison (although experts said he was likely to get less than 2 years…) when he was due to be sentenced on 13 December. And then, in a separate case in September, Biden pleaded guilty to 9 federal tax charges in California - for failing to pay $2.15 million in taxes and executing a tax-evasion scheme. He was up for 17 years in prison at his sentencing date on 16 December - but that’s no more…

What’s the reaction been?

Before we get into that, the thing to know is that as his son’s legal cases played out this year, the President repeatedly said he wouldn’t interfere - or grant him a pardon. But yesterday, the President said he had made the decision over the weekend, as he spent time with his family for Thanksgiving. All that to say - the move has come as a shock to many, and it’s also angered a few… President-elect Donald Trump has been critical, calling it an “abuse and miscarriage of justice” by his predecessor. Others have said when it comes to the history books, they’ll make note of the outgoing President’s dedication to family loyalty over political legacy…

Understanding the plastic partner

You might have already heard a bit of talk this year about the way plastics and plastic chemicals are getting into our children’s bodies - that can be through the air they breathe, food/drink they consume and the toys they play with. Right now, scientists are working overtime to understand the potential health impacts. If that sounds daunting, the good news is there are organisations like the Minderoo Foundation supporting pathways to sustainable alternatives. If you want to know more about the risks and how to reduce your exposure, a link to receive Minderoo’s e-book is here.

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Doing more to protect veterans

The Albanese Government yesterday accepted 104 of the 122 recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide’s report - 17 are TBC and one was rejected. The 3,000-page report handed down in September is aimed at addressing the problem that 3 serving or ex-defence members commit suicide every fortnight in Oz. Some of the accepted ideas include a new inquiry into sexual violence in the defence forces, a new Commission to oversee the reforms being made, and automatic discharge for sex offences. Not making the cut: basing compensation for injuries on the injury’s severity. As it stands, veterans injured in military operations receive more compensation than those injured in training, but the government says changing that wasn’t popular in the veteran community, so they’ve knocked that back.

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Cracking a cocaine record

Federal police have arrested and charged 13 people over what’s said to be the biggest-ever cocaine bust in Oz… The group was nabbed when a fishing boat used to collect the haul broke down and had to be towed to shore by police, who’d been covertly watching the smuggling attempt. The AFP claims the 11 men - one with bikie links - and 2 juveniles charged were part of a transnational crime syndicate to import 2.34 tonnes of cocaine. They say the amount weighs as much as a Ford Raptor ute, has a street value of about $760 million and would have covered 11.7 million separate deals. Police busted the group off the coast of K'gari in Queensland in what was allegedly their second boat, after their first one ran aground on a sand bar. "Suffice to say, I don't think we expected their vessel to break down. They certainly didn't", AFP Commander Stephen Jay said.

Tupperware packs things up in Oz

It looks like Tupperware containers will outlast the brand itself in Oz - reports emerged yesterday that the plastic container company is set to wind things up here. The shutdown could affect up to 10,000 consultants - the experts who sell and advise people on all things Tupperware - and 300 warehouse staff. The iconic brand has been a thing Down Under since the early 60s, but the company sold the rights a few days ago after filing for bankruptcy in the US in September. One of their Aussie consultants Maria spoke to Ben Fordham on 2GB Breakfast yesterday morning, saying she'd been told Tupperware is only sticking around in 8 countries - and Oz didn't make the cut. So, if you've been thinking about Tupperware for holiday gifts, better snap to it…

Groundhog Daley at the Blues

It’s second time lucky for Laurie Daley - the former Canberra Raider will be coaching the NSW State of Origin side once again. ‘Lozza’ was previously in charge between 2013-17, winning one of those series - and he’s back on a 2-year deal. But he’s not the only one - another former Blues coach Craig Bellamy will help out in a newly created ‘advisor’ role. The women’s Origin team is getting a coaching refresh too - Roosters coach John Strange is taking over for Kylie Hilder. And while we’re on the topic of coaching… All eyes are on who might take over at the top for the Tillies, but winger Hayley Raso - who scored our only goal in Sunday night’s 2-1 loss to Brazil - says Football Australia needs to take their time to pick the right person. No pressure, whoever that is…

What can I say except ‘you’re welcome’

If you went to see Moana 2 on the weekend, you weren’t alone - the Disney sequel had the biggest opening day of all time for a Disney animated film. Together with fellow hit flicks Gladiator II and Wicked: Part One, it helped Aussie cinemas to a $24 million weekend, their biggest since Barbie and Oppenheimer premiered together last year. But with several popular movies hitting cinemas at the same time, some old cinema etiquette debates are raising their heads. The first is Team Singalong vs Team Shoosh… Stars Cynthia Erivo and The Rock are Team Singalong, for the record. The other growing bugbear for moviegoers is mobile phone use, but with stars like Ryan Reynolds openly encouraging it, the ship may have sailed on that one…

Apropos of Nothing

The words of the year keep coming - Oxford dictionary’s gone with brain rot, which is the feeling you get after you’ve been staring at memes for 3 hours and all of a sudden it’s 1am. 37,000 people voted on the choice, hopefully not after scrolling through their socials all day…

While we’re on words, some of the world’s oldest graffiti etched into the walls of the Tower of London has been deciphered using new technology. The scrawls, once thought illegible, have revealed zodiac symbols, 16th-century dates, prayer extracts and lots of crosses. The writing on the wall so to speak…

And for the first time, a pug has been crowned Best in Show at the annual National Dog Show in the US. Vito has form as a champion canine, having previously snaffled the title of Best of Breed at the Westminster Dog Show - he beat out over 1,900 dogs for the title. What a good boy…

Squiz the Day

7.45am (AEDT) - The maiden passenger service of Transport NSW’s new intercity fleet of trains will travel from Newcastle to Sydney

9.00am (AEST) - The International Conference on Research Infrastructures kicks off (until 5 December) - Brisbane

10.15am (AEDT) - A hearing in the Federal Court for energy company Santos, whose net zero emissions plan is being challenged by the Centre for Corporate Responsibility - Sydney

7.00pm (AEDT) - Soccer: Asian Champions League, Central Coast Mariners v Yokohama F. Marinos - Gosford, NSW, and watch on 10 Play

🏡 ABS data release, total value dwellings, September Quarter

International Day of People with Disability 

A birthday for Ozzy Osborne (1948), Brendan Fraser (1968) and Amanda Seyfried (1985)

Anniversary of:

• the Eureka Stockade (1854)

• the deaths of author Robert Louis Stevenson (1894), painter Pierre Auguste Renoir (1919)

• Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George HW Bush declaring the Cold War over (1989)

• LOL c u l8r, the very first text message was sent (1992)