☕️ U.S. death penalty on the rise

This week, school returns for the final term for NSW, ACT, WA, SA, and Tasmania. The rest of you went back last week.

How I remember Term 4: hoping it was too hot to go to school, wishing the teacher would decide it was better to just put on a movie, and being forced to learn a sentimental song for the end-of-year assembly. What a time.

“The issue in this case is whether ‘Not Like Us’ can reasonably be understood to convey as a factual matter that Drake... has engaged in sexual relations with minors. In light of the overall context in which the statements in the Recording were made, the Court holds that it cannot."
The judgment in a defamation case launched by rapper Drake against Universal Music Group, over its promotion of Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-diss-track ‘Not Like Us’. The song includes the lyrics “certified lover boy? certified paedophile,” and “trying to strike a chord but it’s probably A minor”.

50,000
The number of people who attended the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday, breaking last year’s attendance record by 8,000 people.

54
Roman Emperor Claudius was murdered with a dish of poisoned mushrooms by his wife, Agrippina the Younger, so her son Nero could take control of the empire.

A French court has increased the jail term of a man convicted of raping Gisèle Pelicot.

His prior sentence was nine years in prison, which has now been extended to ten.

Of 50 men who were convicted of raping Pelicot, he was the only one to appeal the ruling.

Gisèle Pelicot was raped and drugged repeatedly by her husband, who had also invited others to rape her while unconscious, over a decade.

She gained worldwide attention after she chose to publicly identify herself during the trial of her former husband and 50 other men accused of her rape.

All were found guilty, and her ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in jail, the maximum penalty.

Several lodged appeals, however only one man – Husamettin Dogan – continued to challenge his conviction.

The appeals court was shown evidence of Dogan raping Pélicot, with police confirming she was unconscious and unable to consent.

Dogan denied that what he did was rape, telling the court it was a “sexual act” instead. He said he was manipulated by Pelicot’s ex-husband, and he “never wanted” to harm her.

In response, Pelicot told the man in court: “When did I ever give you consent? Never.”

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Reporting by Anju Dhanuskodi.

Busy parents, this one’s for you: Little Harvesters purees are packed with healthy fats, bone broth, and superfoods – basically all the good stuff your bub actually needs. Tasty, convenient, and stress-free feeding? Yes, please.

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored section of the newsletter. It's the best way we can keep this newsletter free for you}

The U.S. is set to reach its highest number of death penalty executions since 2012.

So far this year, 34 prisoners have been executed, with another eight scheduled before the end of 2025.

It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump urged governors to enact the death penalty in response to drug crime earlier this year.

Courts in 27 of the 50 U.S. states have the power to sentence a person to death.

While state law permits capital punishment in California, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Ohio, the governors for these states have indicated they will not pursue any executions during their terms.

The death penalty can also be ordered in federal court cases.

As President, Joe Biden introduced a pause on the death penalty for most federal cases.

Trump overturned this with an executive order on his first day in office.

The following month, he told a gathering of state governors to use the death penalty in drug cases.

“Your states have the right to go death penalty also for drug dealers,” he said.

“But only do that if you want to get rid of drugs.”

In 2024, 25 people were executed in the U.S. The total number of executions this year is expected to reach 42 — the highest since 2012, when 43 prisoners were put to death.

The modern peak is 98 executions in one year, recorded in 1999.

Executions have been carried out in 10 states so far this year. Of the 34 executions, 76% were in four states: Florida, Texas, Alabama, and South Carolina.

While South Carolina carried out two executions by firing squad this year, the predominant mode of execution is lethal injection.

This generally involves a series of drugs injected into a person — a sedative, a paralysing drug, and one to stop the heart. Experts have criticised the process, pointing to numerous instances of it being botched, causing pain and distress.

Despite the uptick in executions, data from the Death Penalty Information Centre shows capital punishment declining in America. Approximately 2,100 people were on death row as of January 2025, down from 3,593 in 2000.

In 2024, Florida officials executed one person. This year, 13 inmates have been killed — the most of any state.

Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told The Associated Press that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is “scheduling all of these executions with complete autonomy and in complete secrecy.”

Two more Florida inmates are scheduled to be put to death before the year’s end.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Protein and Fibre: the breakfast power duo

Leading nutrition scientist, dietitian and Chobani Yogurt health spokesperson Dr Joanna McMillan tells us that combining fibre and protein in the morning helps with blood sugar control, and it triggers the release of an orchestra of hormones and signalling systems involved in appetite management.

Together, this helps to keep you full and satisfied until lunch, making it easier to resist that muffin at morning tea.

Her go-tos? Ensuring that Chobani Natural Greek Yogurt – which packs around 13g of high-quality protein per serve is on the menu.

The study, presented at the European Respiratory Society, had patients participate in a 1.5-hour online singing group once a week for three months. In total, there were 101 participants, with half participating in singing and the other half being provided with traditional care (e.g. inhaler therapy). When given a questionnaire measuring quality of life, the singing group reported better outcomes than the control group. The trial was led by Professor Natasha Smallwood from Monash University, who said the results could be “due to better control of breathing, social connections, or mood improvements.”

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Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Independent Senator David Pocock, a former captain of the Wallabies, is the kind of person you would expect to be in a Parliamentary group focused on sport.

Last week, however, Pocock was removed from the Australian Parliament Sports Club, after raising concerns about a gambling industry body being a member.

The Prime Minister has since got involved, telling the club - of which Albanese is the president - that Pocock must be allowed back in.

The California fires earlier this year burned thousands of acres of land, destroyed homes and businesses, and saw more than 100,000 people flee for shelter. Now, U.S. authorities allege one man was responsible. In today’s episode, we’ll explain what we know about the man accused of starting the LA fires and the alleged involvement of ChatGPT.