1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It is Monday, 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:06,119 Speaker 1: the eighteenth of July. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: It is my pleasure to welcome back Zara Sidler to 4 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: the podcast after she did it rough in Europe over 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: these last couple of weeks. She's looking very tanned and 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: ready to get back into the news. Zara, how's the trip? 7 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 2: It was good. Didn't think I'd still be talking about 8 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: COVID when I returned, but here we are. We are 9 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 2: back with a top story about COVID, and it is 10 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 2: that Prime Minister Anthony Alberanezi reinstated emergency pandemic leave payments 11 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 2: until September thirty after a snap National Cabinet meeting was 12 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 2: called to address, as we know, the increased case numbers. 13 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 2: The payments will be shared fifty to fifty between the Commonwealth, 14 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 2: so the federal government and the States and territories. 15 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: Three teenagers have been charged with murder after another teenager 16 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: was stabbed to death at the Sydney Royal Easter Show 17 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: earlier this year. Two eighteen year olds and one fourteen 18 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: year old were arrested over the weekend, with all refused bail. 19 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: New South Wales Police said the three suspects and the 20 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: victim were known to each other. 21 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 2: Victoria's Environment Department has confirmed a white whale that washed 22 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 2: up on a Victorian beach is not the well known 23 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 2: albino humpback Megeloo. The rare albino humpback has not been 24 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 2: spotted for two years after it was first identified Nearbyron 25 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 2: Bay in nineteen ninety one. 26 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: And today's good news comes from the US. A new 27 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: emergency hotline dedicated to mental health emergencies has been launched 28 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: in the country, with callers transferred straight to trained mental 29 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: health counselors instead of traditional emergency services. The nine to 30 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: eight to eight service is the first nationwide three digit 31 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: mental health crisis hotline. 32 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 2: Okay, so Sam, we're back doing a deep dive. We're 33 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 2: not talking about Ossie politics today. Instead, we are looking 34 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: over to the US because US President Joe Biden is 35 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 2: heading home from his trip from the Middle East, and 36 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 2: there was one key moment that has the world talking. 37 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: Upon meeting Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salma, known as MBS, 38 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: the leader of Saudi Arabia, Biden and NBS shared a 39 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 2: fist pump. It's opened a big discussion about Saudi Arabia's 40 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: influence on the region, human rights, and a murder journalist. 41 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 2: All of this from a fist pump before you fill 42 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 2: in some gap Sam for all of us on this, 43 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 2: why is Biden in the Middle. 44 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: East, It's good to fill in a bit of the 45 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: backstory before we talk about the fist pump. So this 46 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: is actually the first time since nine eleven that a 47 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: US president has visited the Middle East without American troops 48 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: being actively involved in a conflict in the region. At 49 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,399 Speaker 1: a forum with Arab leaders a couple of days into 50 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: the trip, Biden told the forum what he wanted to 51 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: achieve from his visit. 52 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 3: Former rivals re established diplomatic and economic times, new memberships 53 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 3: are being forged, and increasingly the world is seeing the 54 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 3: midd East, the Middle East through the lens of opening 55 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 3: an opportunity. We will not walk away and leave a 56 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:02,799 Speaker 3: vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, Iran will seek 57 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:07,679 Speaker 3: to build on this moment with active principal American leadership. 58 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: The key points of this in a foreign policy landscape 59 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: where a new line is being drawn between Russia, China, 60 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: and Iran on one side, and most other countries On 61 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: the other the US wants to cement its influence in 62 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: the Middle East. But let's think about what else is 63 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: going on. For President Biden, he's thinking about the fact 64 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: that Saudi Arabia have one of the largest oil reserves 65 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: in the world, and he's facing enormous pressure in the 66 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: US to do anything he can to bring down fuel prices, 67 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: which are sky high after the Russian invasion of Ukraine 68 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: and all the disruption that's caused to the shipping of fuel. 69 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: Biden also recognized that in the last few years, Saudi 70 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: Arabia has proven to be one of the countries in 71 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: the Arab world that are keen to cozy up to 72 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: the West, and they're an important ally in warding off 73 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: a very unpredictable and nuclear armed Iran in the region. 74 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 2: Okay, so you've essentially ticked off what the American agenda 75 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 2: or the Western here is. Let's now turn to the 76 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 2: issue of the murdered journalist Jamal Kashogi. What do I 77 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 2: need to know about that? 78 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: So I'll paint the picture for you of Jamal Kashogi 79 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: and it's all going to make sense when we talk 80 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: about the fist bump. So Jamal Kashogi was a Saudi 81 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: journalist working for The Washington Post in the US. Over 82 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: his career, Koashogi covered major stories for various Saudi news organizations. 83 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: He was a reporter for his home country, including big 84 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 1: moments like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise 85 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: of Osama bin Laden. He was extremely close to the 86 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: royal family and was even an advisor to them at 87 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: some points, but in about twenty seventeen he started to 88 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: be more vocal in his opposition of some parts of 89 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: Saudi society, including Muhammed bin Salmon and his father, the King, 90 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: and quickly fell out of favor with the very powerful 91 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: royal family. Now, all of this happened at the same 92 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: time as MBS, who was the son of King Salmon, 93 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,559 Speaker 1: started to take a more senior role in the ruling 94 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: of the nation. One of the things MBS did was 95 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: led a c down on those who were critical of 96 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: the royal family and government, with a particular focus on 97 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: a crackdown on content written online. This meant that Koshogi 98 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: went into what he called self imposed exile in the 99 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: US in twenty seventeen, and when he was there, he 100 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post, which he 101 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: used to criticize the policies of MBS. On the twenty 102 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: eighth of September twenty eighteen, Kashogi visited the Saudi consulate 103 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: in Istanbul to obtain a Saudi document stating that he 104 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: was divorced so that he could marry his Turkish fiance. 105 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: He was in Turkey to spend time with his fiancee, 106 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: and he never came out of the consulate alive. For 107 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia consistently denied any knowledge 108 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: of Koushogi's fate, but almost a month after the killing, 109 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: MBS said a preliminary investigation by prosecutors concluded that the 110 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: journalists died during a fight after resisting attempts to return 111 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,679 Speaker 1: him to Saudi Arabia. Fast forward a couple of years, 112 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: and US intelligence agencies and a dedicated UN investigative body 113 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 1: concluded an MBS ordered and approved this murder. The Prince 114 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: has always denied the allegations, and Saudi prosecutors and the 115 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: Prince blame rogue Saudi agents. And this week, when Biden 116 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: went to Saudi Arabia for the first time in his presidency, 117 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,799 Speaker 1: he wanted answers over the death of this US based journalist. 118 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 2: So Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia as one of the 119 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: countries on this tour of the Middle East, and within 120 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 2: ten seconds of meeting MBS attracted some serious criticism. What 121 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 2: happened to. 122 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: Words Zara fist bump. And I don't want to spend 123 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: too much time on the actual fist bump, because it's 124 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: a pretty simple idea. When President Biden first met MBS, 125 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: he didn't go for a formal handshake. He picked a 126 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: friendlier fist bump. And that's about the entire story there. Now, 127 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: the White House say that this is a standard COVID precaution, 128 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: but the world's media has pointed out Biden was very 129 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: keen to have quite long handshakes with other leaders and 130 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: VIPs on this Middle Eastern trip. I guess the bottom 131 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: line here is that to many this looked like a 132 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: very friendly hello. It was quite a different tone to 133 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: the one that Biden and the White House had adopted 134 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:08,800 Speaker 1: before the visit. Biden, upon leaving America, said that he 135 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: was going to hold MBS to account over the murder 136 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: of Koshogi. He's actually refused to talk to MBS in 137 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: his first two years in office, which is why I 138 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: think the fist pump was just so surprising to global media. 139 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US almost 140 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: had to put this murder investigation to one side in 141 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 1: order to stabilize their supply of oil and cement this 142 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: friendship in a very volatile part of the world. Here's 143 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: what Biden said about his conversation with MBS in the 144 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: private meeting after this fistmump. 145 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 4: He basically said that he was not personally responsible for it. 146 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 4: I indicated I thought he was. He said he was 147 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 4: not personally responsible for it, and he took action against 148 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 4: those who were responsible. And then I went on to 149 00:07:54,280 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 4: talk more about how that dealing with any opposition to 150 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:07,120 Speaker 4: the criticism of the Saudi administration in other countries was 151 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 4: viewed as to me and violation human rights. 152 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: Now, a spokesperson for the Saudi leadership said that this 153 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: didn't happen at the meeting. Instead, the Saudi Minister of 154 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: State for Foreign Affairs told reporters he did not hear 155 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: mister Biden tell the Crown Prince that he was responsible. Instead, 156 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: he described a brief and less contentious exchange that focused 157 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: on human rights more generally. 158 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 2: Okay, so you've alluded to it in a media sense, 159 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 2: but what's generally been the reaction to the visit. 160 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: It's fair to say that American media has been scathing 161 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: on the President for his fistmump, and I guess the 162 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: tone that he adopted with MBS whilst on this trip. 163 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: The publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, Fred Ryan, 164 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,439 Speaker 1: so keep in mind that this is Koshogi's ex employer, 165 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: said the fist bump between President Biden and MBS was 166 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: worse than a handshake. It was shameful. It projected a 167 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: level of intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the 168 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: unwarranted emption he has been desperately seeking. Kaushowgi's fiance tweeted 169 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: a photo of the two men, writing, is this the 170 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS's 171 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: next victim is on your hands. 172 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 3: Now. 173 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: We've got to remember here that Biden is returning to 174 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: the US with a bit of a run now until 175 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: the midterms in November, and his approval ratings have dropped 176 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: to a record low of thirty three percent. So it's 177 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: fair to say the president is under a bit of pressure. 178 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 2: It's an interesting measure for the Biden presidency. Just months 179 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 2: out from the midterms, It'll be interesting to see whether 180 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 2: this foreign diplomacy translates to back home, and we are 181 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 2: looking towards those midterms in November of this year. That's 182 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 2: all we have time for on today's podcast. If like me, 183 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 2: you've had a bit of time off and want to 184 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 2: catch up on everything you might have missed. You know, 185 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 2: there was a fair bit going on in the last 186 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:52,319 Speaker 2: few weeks. You can always follow us at the Daily os. 187 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 2: It's where over three hundred and eighty thousand ozz Is 188 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 2: get their news every day, including me over the last 189 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 2: three weeks. So please head over there, join our community 190 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 2: on Instagram, and have a wonderful day.