Not Stupid

Police say 90, 000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, calling for peace in Gaza. So do protests make a difference? And on the same day, the TV Logie Awards were held and Jez was there. In a room full of "tv stars" he was amazed by the humility of so many people who spend their life on the television.Also actor Sydney Sweeney has been making headlines for a new ad campaign about genes and would we all feel lighter and calmer if we walked away from our phones? 

The latest images out of Gaza are horrific. There are headlines across the globe and lots of people are posting on social media. But what will it mean for people in Gaza?And Jules and Jez talk about Monica Lewinsky, thirty years after the sex scandal with Bill Clinton broke. JULIA'S PICKhttps://andreagibson.substack.com/p/a-list-of-things-i-loveJEREMY'S PICKhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/26/vatican-hot-priests-spread-faith-digital-age/

With the Independent NSW MP Mark Latham in the headlines once again facing unsavoury allegations, Jez and Bev talk about the boundaries of acceptable behaviour of our politicians.Would you like to know if the music you’re listening to has been AI-generated? Boasting a million listens on Spotify, AI-generated band The Velvet Sundown, has prompted questions around the ethics of AI-generated music and the real people who are using bots to game the system. Jeremy Fernandez and Beverley Wang chat about the stories you're obsessed with, the stuff you've missed and the things that matter. Filling in while Julia Baird is away is Beverley Wang, ABC’s National Culture correspondent, co-host of Stop Everything and Life Matters on Radio National.Episodes drop every Wednesday afternoon. We want to hear from you! Join the conversation and email the show at notstupid@abc.net.au

On this week’s show, Jez and Bev try to untangle what’s been happening with the Epstein files. The Jeffrey Epstein-related conspiracy rumours US President Donald Trump initially helped stoke are now coming back to bite him. He's facing backlash from his MAGA fanbase as he tries to tamp them down.We also look at The Salt Path controversy and the trust between authors and readers. Does anyone actually fact-check memoirs?Jeremy Fernandez and Beverley Wang chat about the stories you're obsessed with, the stuff you've missed and the things that matter. Filling in while Julia Baird is away, is Beverley Wang is ABC’s National Culture correspondent, co-host of Stop Everything and Life Matters on Radio National.Episodes drop every Wednesday afternoon. We want to hear from you! Join the conversation and email the show at notstupid@abc.net.auJez’s pick: AI recycling trucks https://www.centervilleohio.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=146Bev’s pick: Bev talks about Albo’s song picks for Triple J's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. Voting closes at 5pm on 17 July.https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/countdown/hottest100

Even though the verdict has been handed down, thousands of articles and podcasts are still talking about the mushroom case. Jez and Bev chat about the photos, the memes and why we're obsessed with women who kill. Elon Musk says he's starting a new political party in the US and we look at the Big Beautiful Bill that kicked off the latest Trump-Musk Feud.Jeremy Fernandez and Beverley Wang chat about the stories you're obsessed with, the stuff you've missed and the things that matter. Jules is away for a few weeks and filling in for her on Not Stupid is the ABC’s National Culture correspondent, co-host of Stop Everything and Life Matters on Radio National, Beverley Wang. Episodes drop every Wednesday afternoon. We want to hear from you! Join the conversation and email the show at notstupid@abc.net.au

With a phone in your pocket and the news cycle rolling at a frantic speed, it can be so hard to slow down. Jules and Jez have been thinking about how to look at things more slowly and if it is even possible.Plus a couple of weeks ago we asked a really weird question: "have you seen a colour that you've just never seen anywhere else?" We got so many emails about colour, from Monet's dining room to Samoan delicacies and puce lollipops. Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez have  chat about the stories you're obsessed with, the stuff you've missed and the things that matter. Episodes drop every Wednesday afternoon. We want to hear from you! Join the conversation and email the show at notstupid@abc.net.auSHOW NOTESJeremy's pick : https://mashable.com/article/reddit-cofounder-ai-video-deceased-mom-divides-internetJulia's pick: https://www.instagram.com/justbeingmelani/?hl=en

So much has happened over the past week. Despite US President Donald Trump’s attack and intervention, will the ceasefire between Israel and Iran hold? How do the Iranian people feel about the regime?Jules has been watching The Pitt and thinking about “moral injury” the idea of having to betray your own moral beliefs because of lack of staff or lack of supplies.Join the conversation and email the show at notstupid@abc.net.auSHOW NOTES:Jule’s pick: www.orrca.org.au/censusJez: https://medium.com/@truthiness/the-quiet-optimism-of-letting-go-d8472aa681ee

The situation in the Middle East got a lot more precarious this week, with Israel attacking Iran. It says it is trying to halt Iran's nuclear plans, but what does it mean for the region and what will Donald Trump do next? And you had such great thoughts about the best thing you've seen in a museum. We go down a rabbit hole about cane toad dioramas, family blankets and everything in between.  SHOW NOTESJules' pick: https://harvardartmuseums.org/article/pigment-collection-colors-all-aspects-of-the-museumsJez's pick: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/classic-100-concert-2025

We've seen cars on fire and riot squads on the streets, so what is going on in California? We take a closer look at the fight between Donald Trump and the Governor of California. And if you could order an object from a museum, what would you want to see or touch? The V&A in London has just opened a new museum where you can do just that.PICKSJeremy's Pick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APyn8Otui_wJules' Pick: https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit?srsltid=AfmBOorh7m_NcTjeHFxFhgxISlhgXAxkwDUpr0cimL6lykqAIsXDFMYa

Greens Senator Dorinda Cox has switched from the Greens to the Labor Party, so is it okay for a politician to change their mind? Is switching parties ok? Or what about changing you mind on issues? And Jules has been fascinated with the case of Lucy Letby, the British nurse convicted of killing babies while working in a neonatal ward. It is also our birthday, so we celebrate Not Stupid turning one...with cake.

News out of Gaza has gone from bad to worse with acute food shortages and growing concern of a famine. So are attitudes from Israel's Western allies starting to change? And will a change in attitude lead to concrete action? And last week we were talking about poison pen letters and we've heard lots of great stories. We go through our favourites. Plus a little treat from our Sydney live show.SHOW NOTESChris Evert and Martina Navratilova profile https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2023/chris-evert-martina-navratilova-cancer/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_11

Joe Biden is back in the news with a cancer diagnosis, but there’s also a new book out looking at his alleged cognitive decline. So what do you need to disclose and why, if you are in public office? And in Australia the Coalition is consciously uncoupling, so Jules and Jez take a look at the messy split.Buy tickets to our Sydney live show here:https://www.swf.org.au/program/season-2025/not-stupid-live-with-julia-baird-and-jeremy-fernandezPICKSJez's pick: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-16/magna-carta-copy-confirmed-to-be-original/105301724Jules' pick: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/quiet-village-street-hit-mysterious-31585577

Jules and Jez are talking reinvention this week because there are new leaders everywhere. There's a new Pope in the Vatican and he is American, so what does he make of Donald Trump? And the Australian Liberal Party has its first female leader in Sussan Ley. Also the recipes you share, the ones you keep to yourselves and the ones you can't quite decipher.PICKShttps://www.aco.com.au/whats-on/2025/bach-beach-boys-beyond

There's a copyright stoush over caramel slice and Jeremy and Julia have thoughts. Can you own a recipe? And is "Julia Baird's caramel slice" also just "Nagi's Caramel slice"?And you might have noticed an election on the weekend, it was hard to miss. Labor won in a landslide, so how does the Coalition rebuild and how many women will be involved? JEREMY'S PICKhttps://interestingengineering.com/culture/2000-year-old-rice-brought-to-lifeJULIA'S PICKhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/04/swedens-great-moose-migration-live-stream-ends-after-478-hours-viewing

"Welcome to Country" ceremonies are the latest culture war as we reach the pointy end of the Federal Election campaign, so Jules and Jez look at why it has become such a hot button issue this week. And we had so much feedback about using Chat GPT for relationship advice, so Jules and Jez have been asking it their deepest, darkest secrets with mixed results.JEZ'S PICKhttps://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2025/apr/27/strange-case-writer-landing-a-lister-interviews-local-magazinesJULES' PICKhttps://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2025/apr/27/strange-case-writer-landing-a-lister-interviews-local-magazines