NEWS WEAKLY 195 – 10 January 2026

This week on News Weakly, the empire stops pretending, the internet gets unplugged, a royal commission settles in for the long haul, and a writers’ festival demonstrates once again that its strongest literary skill is drafting a press release explaining why someone has been quietly uninvited.

• Trump abandons subtlety entirely, floats Greenland acquisition, and introduces the Donroe Document, which sounds less like foreign policy and more like a hostile takeover clause.

• Iran responds to nationwide protests by pulling the internet plug, proving once again that authoritarian crisis management always starts with “have you tried turning the country off and on again?”

• A long, uncomfortable look at how free speech gets hollowed out not by ideology, but by boards, risk assessments, and the quiet terror of a bad headline.

“Trump didn’t end the international order. He ended the bedtime story version of it.”

If you enjoy long arguments disguised as comedy, consider supporting the show on Patreon: patreon.com/samishah

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

03 January 2026

TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

• A terror hero meets Australian media ethics

• Humanitarian aid fails an ideological compliance test

• Iran’s economy collapses again

• Australia’s regulator regulates itself

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You don’t pay for interviews. Not in cash. Not in gifts. Definitely not in hotel suites.”

SUPPORT THE SHOW

News Weakly is listener-supported and ad-light by choice.

If you’d like to support the show and keep it independent, you can join the Patreon at:

http://patreon.com/samishah

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul Mottram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Temporary Democracy, Permanent Consequences

This week on News Weakly, grief turns into legislation at speed, history offers an inconvenient warning, and Australia tests whether banning protest actually makes anyone safer.

“You don’t delete anger by banning protest. You just move it somewhere else.”

If you value sharp analysis without billionaire backing or emergency legislation energy, consider supporting the show on Patreon.

👉 https://patreon.com/samishah

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NEWS WEAKLY – 20 Dec, 2025

TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

A national tragedy becomes a political talking point

Also, why the antisemitism plan didn’t come with a time machine

All that, and more, on News Weakly.

Quote of the Week

“You can’t spend a decade attacking the fire brigade and then act shocked when the hose pressure isn’t what you wanted.”

Support the Show

If you value independent satire that takes the news seriously without treating it gently, you can support News Weakly on Patreon.

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music Historic Anticipation by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NEWS WEAKLY – Episode 191

Conditional Condolences

17th December, 2025

This week on News Weakly, Sami Shah delivers a long-form editorial on the Bondi attack and the reaction that followed, focusing not on the crime itself but on the way grief gets filtered, qualified, and politically managed online.

Support the show

If you value independent, listener-supported satire, you can support News Weakly on Patreon.

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TEENS UNPLUGGED, NATION UNBOTHERED

RECEIPT OF THE WEEK

BEHIND BARS AND BEYOND SCRUTINY

BETTING ON THE APOCALYPSE

“Advertising people will arrive like seagulls at a chip shop.”

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SOUTHEAST ASIA SINKS WHILE THE WORLD SCROLLS!

ALSO, DUMBASS IN THE DONBAS!

AND, THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE DEFENDS ITSELF FROM THE INDEFENSIBLE!

All that and more on News Weakly!

Hello and welcome to News Weakly, where we punch the news in the headlines weakly. I’m Sami Shah, a journalist and comedian who still hasn’t got his Christmas shopping sorted and is now starting to fully panic.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you want to help keep the show going, consider joining the community on Patreon.com/samishah.

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Top Stories of the Week

• Joyce Makes A Choice
• Niqab-solutely Not Helping
• Fraudshore Processing
• Inferno of Neglect

Quote of the Week

Support the show

If you want News Weakly to keep punching the news in the headlines weakly, keep it independent by joining the Patreon at patreon.com/samishah. You get bonus content, discounts for live shows, and the warm glow of knowing your money is not being laundered through a dodgy island nation. As far as you know.

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music "Historic Anticipation" by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.