Good morning!

For anyone who happens to be doing trivia today (it is a Tuesday), here’s a fun fact that I learnt today.

A typical cloud weighs a million (million!!!!!!!!!) tonnes (tonnes!!!!).

It depends on how big the cloud is, but everyone agrees: they are very heavy.

Who knew! Certainly not Zara (TDA co-founder) who when I asked her to guess the weight, said “nothing”. Honestly, fair.

Quote of the day
“It was a very eventful walk home, wasn’t it… I’m on a prescription drug, and they say certain things may happen to you if you drink, and they were absolutely 100% right. They did.”
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce speaking to Sunrise about a video of him lying on the ground on the phone in Canberra last Friday night.

Stat of the day
46.8 seconds
The new men’s 100 metre freestyle world record, set by Chinese athlete Zhanle Pan at the World Aquatics Championships over the weekend.

Today in history
2008
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to First Nations and the Stolen Generations on behalf of the country.

Some headlines from this morning:

• Federal Senator Linda Reynolds has announced she will retire from politics at the end of her term in June 2025. The WA Liberal Senator previously served as the Minister for Defence, the NDIS, and Government Services. Senate Opposition Leader Simon Birmingham commended Reynolds’ “great energy and humility” during her time in Parliament.

• A new report has found a third of Australian children have low reading skills. The study from the Grattan Institute blamed the shortfall on outdated literacy teaching strategies in classrooms. Researchers called for a ‘reading revolution’ and urged schools to use a ‘structured literacy’ approach, which focuses on teaching young people to read through phonics (sounding words out).

The marathon world record holder, Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, has died at the age of 24.

Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, died in a car crash in western Kenya.

Former Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga said: “Our nation grieves the profound loss of a true hero.”

The world record set by Kiptum was 2 hours and 35 seconds. A marathon is 42.195 km.

A new study has found celebrity and influencer-led ads can boost the appeal of gambling to young people.

It comes after researchers from three Australian universities surveyed a group of 12-17-year-olds about gambling marketing.

The Government-funded study found that young people were more likely to think a betting company was credible if they saw a well-known figure endorsing it.

It also found young people felt more encouraged to gamble in the future because of these endorsements.

What do young people think about gambling?
Researchers asked 64 children about their thoughts on gambling ads. Two-thirds of respondents were male, and most were from areas of high socio-economic advantage.

The study found that the familiarity of influencers to young people meant some were more likely to “actually listen” to what they promote.

For example, one 12-year-old boy said when young people see an influencer endorsing gambling, “They’ll probably go, ‘Well, if my idol, my favourite YouTuber, Instagrammer, TikToker is gambling maybe I should give it a try’.”

Results
Several respondents called out gambling ads with former AFL players and ex-NBA player Shaquille O’Neal (who appears in ads for PointsBet with influencers ‘The Inspired Unemployed’).

Researchers noted that these endorsements increased trust of betting providers, and were “particularly effective” when marketed to young people.

Concerns about the transparency of promotions by influencers were also raised. This included confusion about when a promotion is sponsored or a genuine personal endorsement.

Other respondents said positive commentary from influencers tended to ignore the risks associated with gambling.

“They’re just saying, ‘Oh, I won this much’ and they wouldn’t really say ‘But I almost lost it’,” one 12-year-old girl said.

Some suggested that celebrities could make it more tempting to try gambling.

A 13-year-old girl told researchers that when young people see a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram personality speak positively about gambling, “They think that suddenly it’s cool and...they want to be just like what they’re doing.”

Calling for change
Respondents called on influencers, especially those with young audiences, to reject gambling deals and do more to support anti-gambling campaigns.

A total ban on high-profile endorsements was also suggested, but researchers said this would be hard to enforce.

Researchers said the study “highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to preventing young people’s exposure to gambling marketing”.

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Sophie Delezio spent much of her childhood recovering from two horrific accidents, but chances are you already knew that.

That's because as Sophie recovered and grew up, the media attention that surrounded her made her a household name.

Now an adult, Sophie reflects on the media's portrayal of her, and what she calls 'inspiration porn'.

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This year’s Super Bowl was the first to be fully powered by renewable energy.

The game was held in Las Vegas, at an NFL stadium powered by hundreds of thousands of solar panels.

The stadium also recycles food scraps, cigarette waste and grass clippings as part of its sustainability policies.

Beyonce has announced a new album! A country album!

During yesterday’s Super Bowl, the singer announced that Act II, which is the second instalment of her Renaissance trilogy, will be released next month.

Along with the announcement came two new songs called ‘TEXAS HOLD’ EM’ and ‘16 CARRIAGES’. The former is already stuck in my head.

All I can think about is: Will this album include a sequel to her “Telephone” music video with Lady Gaga? The end of the video says “to be continued” and 13 years later… we’re still waiting.

Fingers crossed.