Wednesday, 22 April - The apple don't fall far from the tree

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 22 April. In your Squiz Today…

• Everyone’s waiting to see what happens next in the Iran ceasefire

• Changes to aged care and the NDIS are in the works

• And marking what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday…

🎧 Listen to the podcast

🤓 This email will take you 5 minutes to read

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt when he was asked about Gout Gout, the young Aussie star who is even faster than Bolt was at the same age. Bolt warned that Gout has a long way to go - only metaphorically, of course - he’s a sprinter…

The waiting game

The Squiz

With the ceasefire agreement between the US, Israel and Iran set to expire in the next day or so, there’s still no sign that peace talks will be going ahead in Pakistan. Despite the White House saying yesterday that Vice President JD Vance would lead the talks, reports say he’s still in Washington - and will stay there until Iran commits to the talks. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says it still hasn’t decided if it will show - blaming mixed messages from the US for its potential absence.

So what happens from here?

First of all, it’s not exactly clear when the ceasefire expires - Pakistan says it’s 9.50am AEST today, though Iranian state media and US President Donald Trump have both said it’s later. One possibility is that it gets extended beyond the current 2-week period - that’s something that Pakistan (which has been the primary public mediator in the conflict so far) is calling for. But Trump doesn’t seem keen on that idea - saying his military is “raring to go” if a deal isn’t struck. The other thing to note is that Israel and Lebanon are also set to hold another round of talks in Washington tomorrow - with their 10-day ceasefire now past the halfway point.

And what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

No re-opening yet, with the US still blocking ships from trying to reach Iranian ports in the region. The tussle over the Strait has left an estimated 20,000 commercial and civilian seafarers stranded across 2,000 ships - many of them are unable to communicate with the outside world and are running out of food, as they wait for a resolution. Yesterday, the head of the UN’s maritime agency called on the companies operating the ships to do more to help them, particularly around mental health challenges. One of the stranded sailors is Captain Raman Kapoor, who spoke to the ABC last night - he said “everyone is scared”, and his crew has seen missile attacks on nearby ships. Like everyone else, he’s waiting for an update…

The autumn city-swap

Now that the Easter long weekend is done, you might be thinking about your next getaway - and this year's Sydney Comedy Festival could be just the ticket. It's the festival's 21st anniversary, so the lineup is massive: think international headliners at the Opera House and hidden gems in the Inner West. A great reason to book those flights and leave the entertaining up to others - you can have a look at the lineup and start planning out your itinerary now...

Squiz the Rest

A backflip over showers

The Albanese Government has changed its tune on a controversial aged care policy that saw some older Aussies charged money for basic needs like showering and dressing. As part of the new ‘Support at Home’ scheme that began in November last year, you could be charged up to $50 an hour for those services - in an attempt to save taxpayer money. But after sustained criticism from advocacy groups, Aged Care Minister Sam Rae admitted things like showering and dressing weren’t “optional extras”, and they’ll be covered again as of October. Health Minister Mark Butler is expected to talk more about it at a speech to the National Press Club today, where he’s also expected to reveal big changes to the NDIS. Keep an eye out…

Kashing in

There’s another big legal stoush brewing in Washington, with FBI Director Kash Patel suing US magazine The Atlantic for defamation to the tune of $348 million. It’s over a report published last week, in which unnamed sources claimed Patel’s “excessive drinking” was a concern and he was acting impulsively during investigations. Patel denies it and says the report was “designed to destroy” his reputation. The mag says it’ll defend the lawsuit - the latest in a string of cases where the Trump administration has taken on the media. It comes after a federal judge last week dismissed President Trump’s $14 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a birthday message for the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump’s also suing The New York Times, BBC, and CNN, so the headlines aren’t going away anytime soon…

A leadership spill in New Zealand

NZ PM Christopher Luxon survived a spill he called himself yesterday, after a week of speculation over his position. Luxon became PM in 2023, and hasn’t taken the National Party he leads to a new election yet, but economic troubles and unemployment have put a big dent in his popularity. Recent polls show that his current 3-party coalition could lose the next election - and his popularity has sunk below the man he beat in 2023, Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Despite surviving his own leadership spill, analysts say he’s not out of the woods - there’s a chance he still won’t make it to the next election on 7 November as leader…

One less Cook in Apple’s kitchen

If you're reading this on an iPhone, you'll know the work of Tim Cook... The 65yo Apple boss is stepping down after 15 years, and while he didn't give a reason, he said “it’s been the greatest privilege” to be CEO. He took over from late co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011 and has overseen a quadrupling of Apple’s annual profit since then, to over $153 billion. He’s not going far - he’ll become the executive chair of Apple’s board of directors, onboarding new CEO John Ternus (Apple’s current head of hardware engineering...) before his start on 1 September. It’s a big job - Apple’s been facing regulatory pressures, high exec turnover and slow AI development, but Ternus isn’t fussed… He’s “filled with optimism” about “the years to come”.

A hundred reasons to celebrate

If Queen Elizabeth II were still alive, she would’ve received a letter from herself yesterday to mark her 100th birthday. She died nearly 4 years ago, but the milestone was marked by King Charles in a video message for his “darling Mama” honouring her service. The public also got a first look at a statue of Her Maj that will sit in St James’ Park beside one of the late Prince Philip, in around 2 years time. And fun fact - the website Queenelizabeth.com has been donated by shipping company Cunard to store memories of the Queen. A standout one for the King: “that marvellous twinkle of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life”.

Apropos of Nothing

Bruce, a bird at Willowbank Nature Reserve with no upper beak, has made it to the top of the pecking order, despite the whole half-a-beak-thing. He’s used his quirky feature to attack other males in different ways… We suppose you can admire the innovation…

A California couple received quite a surprise to find a hot-air balloon had made an emergency landing in their (rather small) backyard with 13 people on board. We hope they made 13 new friends from the ordeal…

And Madonna has made a plea for any information regarding her fabulous vintage Coachella outfit (worn for both her 2006 and 2026 performances), which went missing after her guest appearance with Sabrina Carpenter. Life is a mystery… 

Squiz the Day

9.00am (AEST) - Day one of the first public hearing on the Select Committee on Productivity in Australia (until 24 April) - Canberra

12.00 midday (AEST) - Rugby league: the NSW women's State of Origin team will be announced - Sydney

12.30pm (AEST) - Health Minister Mark Butler will address the National Press Club on the NDIS - Canberra 

The 2-week ceasefire between the US and Iran is due to expire

Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, will be released in Australian theatres

Early voting opens for the Nepean state-level by-election in Victoria

🌏 Earth Day 

Birthdays for actor Jack Nicholson (1937), actor John Waters (1946), Aussie musician Daniel Johns (1979), and actor Amber Heard (1986)

Anniversary of:

• the death of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the US (1994)

• the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement (2016)